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Armagh City: Traffic Wardens Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many traffic wardens were on duty in Armagh city centre between 3:30 pm and 4:00 pm on 29 October. Lord Rooker: The deployment of traffic wardens is an operational matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The PSNI does not disclose specific numbers of police officers on duty at points in time and would apply the same criteria to traffic wardens until such times as DRD assumes responsibility for them in autumn 2006. Armed Forces: Recruitment Age Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the nature of the six-year commitment undertaken by 16 year-olds on joining the Armed Forces is compatible with obligations of the United Kingdom under the European Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict. Lord Drayson: The six-year commitment is a term of service that applies to the Army. It provides that all recruits over 18 years old who enlist into the Army sign up to a minimum of four years with the right to give 12 months' notice at the three-year point. Those aged under 18, however, only have their reckonable service taken from their 18th birthday. Therefore, if a young man or woman enlisted on their 16th birthday, for instance, he/she could serve a minimum of six years, comprising two years under-18 service and four years of adult service, before leaving the Army by giving 12 months' notice at what for them would be the five-year point. The UK ratified the optional protocol (OP) on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict on 24 June 2003. In so doing the UK agreed that it would take all feasible measures to ensure that members of the Armed Forces who have not attained the age of 18 years do not take a direct part in hostilities. The UK made another declaration upon ratification concerning the minimum age of recruitment (age 16, in line with minimum school-leaving age) and on the safeguards to ensure that all recruitment of under-18s is genuinely voluntary and with informed consent of the volunteer and his/her parents. Although the six-year commitment predates the ratification of the OP, it is consistent with it. There are adequate safeguards in place to ensure that young servicemen or women under the age of 18 years may, if they wish, leave the services before committing to adult service, and that any commitment to adult service is both considered and voluntary. This is done through the Armed Forces operating a policy whereby all new recruits, regardless of age, have a right of discharge within the first six months of service by giving not less than 14 days notice in writing to the commanding officer if they decide that the Armed Forces is not a career for them. In addition, service personnel under 18 years three months who have passed their statutory six-month period for "discharge as of right", and have registered, before reaching their 18th birthday, clear "unhappiness" at their choice of career, can request permission to leave the Armed Forces. This provision does not provide "discharge as of right" and the commanding officer has discretion to delay a decision on discharge if he has doubts about the permanence of the individual's unhappiness. However, it is exceedingly rare for such an "unhappy" individual to be refused permission to leave. The most relevant provision of the Convention on the Rights of the Child concerned the recruitment of children aged 15 into the Armed Forces. This convention predates, and was largely superseded by, the provisions of the OP. The Government consider that the safeguards provide sufficient protection to under-18s serving in the UK's Armed Forces and sufficiently comply with the UK's obligations under the convention. Similarly, the Government consider that the safeguards in terms of service of under-18s in the Armed Forces sufficiently comply with the United Kingdom's obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights. British Nationality: Indian Citizenship Law Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Triesman on 19 October (WA 126) on the Note Verbale of 20 April, what further communications they have had with the Government of India in respect of this matter; and what steps they have taken to seek a prompt response. Lord Triesman: The British High Commission in New Delhi received a Note Verbale, dated 26 October, from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs in New Delhi, informing the British High Commission that they were pursuing the matter with the relevant authorities and that they would make the requisite information available to the British High Commission on receipt of a reply. The British High Commission awaits this information from the Ministry of Internal Affairs. Cyprus Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any of the additional European Union funds arising from their agreement to the reduction in the United Kingdom's budget rebate will be used to help the people of northern Cyprus. Lord Triesman: Current EU spending in north Cyprus is funded through a package of financial assistance established in 2003 under the 2003–06 financial perspective. The proposed aid regulation aimed at ending the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community is expected to be funded out of the 2006 budget. The political agreement reached between member states in December on the EU's budget for 2007–13 will have no effect on either of these budget lines. The corresponding budget lines in the 2007–13 budgetary period will not be determined until a final deal on the overall budget is agreed with the European Parliament. Doctors: CueDoc Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the total number of CueDoc doctors in Cumbria in each of the past 12 months; and Whether they will publish the most recent assessment of health need in North Cumbria in relation to (a) access; (b) transport; and (c) measurements of poverty. Lord Warner: This information is not held centrally. Hepatitis C: Contaminated Blood Products Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will reconsider the decision not to give financial help from the Skipton Fund to the widows and other dependants of haemophilia patients who have died from infection with hepatitis C from contaminated National Health Service blood and blood products. Lord Warner: The Skipton Fund is designed to make ex gratia payments to those living with the hepatitis C virus and is not designed to compensate for bereavement. However, as I announced to the House on 12 January, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Health and her counterparts in the devolved Administrations have agreed to extend the period when claims can be made to the Skipton Fund on behalf of deceased patients by relatives or dependants. This means that the relatives or dependants of a person infected with hepatitis C through National Health Service blood and blood products who died after 5 July 2004, when the scheme became operational, will now be eligible to make a claim. Identity Cards Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: What disability awareness training will be provided to staff working in enrolment centres for the national identity cards scheme. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Details of particular training programmes will be decided closer to the time when identity card enrolment centres are being set up, but we will ensure that all staff have followed a suitable training programme and are issued with comprehensive guidance. We are in the process of consulting representative bodies on disability issues to cover all aspects of the identity cards scheme, but all facilities and services will be required to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005. Identity Cards Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have made an assessment of the likely frequency of impersonation and identity theft arising from lost or stolen identity cards, given that many private institutions will not be equipped to check biometric data. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Not all organisations will be equipped to check biometric information against the national identity register and it is envisaged that simple visual verification may be used in low-risk transactions or where the individual has an established history with the organisation checking identity. However, where that happens there will be other methods in place to verify the authenticity of an identity card. Accredited user organisations which do not have biometric readers may use card readers which can verify the card's validity and authenticity electronically against the register. This will guard against the misuse of lost or stolen cards. In addition, in the absence of a biometric check, it will be possible to request the individual to submit a password or personal identification number (PIN) with their identity card. Identity Cards Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether in relation to the National Identity Register they distinguish between sensitive personal information and particularly sensitive information; and if so, how. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Neither the phrase "sensitive personal information" nor the phrase "particularly sensitive information" has a technical or defined meaning in relation to the national identity register. The Identity Cards Bill establishes a national identity register as a record of "registrable facts" about individuals as set out in Clause 1(5) of the Bill. The only information that may be recorded in the register is as provided for in Clause 3 and listed at Schedule 1 to the Bill. This does not include what, in the ordinary meaning of the words, could be described as particularly sensitive information such as medical or criminal records. Clause 1(6) of the Bill prevents the inclusion of any personal reference number under Clause 1(5)(g)—such as a police national computer reference number—that would tend to reveal any "sensitive personal data" within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998 (c.29). Identity Cards Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any future intention of selling (a) non-anonymised and (b) anonymised data from the national identity register to private sector individuals or organisations; and, if so, why. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Private sector individuals or organisations will not be able to buy the data held on the national identity register. However, with an individual's consent, accredited organisations may be provided with limited information from the register (as specified in Clause 14 of the Identity Cards Bill) in order to verify that individual's identity and there may be a charge for this service. Kazakhstan: Presidential Elections Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the cost of sending United Kingdom parliamentarians to participate in the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Observer Delegation for the recent presidential election campaign in Kazakhstan. Lord Triesman: The participation of honourable Members of another place in Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) election monitoring missions is financed from the House of Commons Administration Vote. Participation of the noble Lords in OSCE election monitoring missions is financed from the Members' Expenses and Administration Vote. Details on the costs of participation are maintained by the Overseas Office in the House of Commons and by the Accounts Office in the House of Lords. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold this information. NHS: North Cumbria Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government: What arrangements exist for users of the National Health Service in north Cumbria to challenge decisions taken by the strategic health authority and assumptions made by the advisory committee in resource allocation on health needs in north Cumbria. Lord Warner: The Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority has not made any decisions with regard to health services in north Cumbria. However, users of National Health Service services in north Cumbria will have a full opportunity to challenge any options for service redesign in north Cumbria as part of a full public consultation process which will be the responsibility of the primary care trusts in the area. The role of the Advisory Committee on Resource Allocation (ACRA) is to oversee the development of the national weighted capitation formula to ensure equity in the allocation of resources to the NHS. The details of the formula developed under the auspices of ACRA, in relation to the 2006–07 and 2007–08 revenue allocations, is set out in a booklet entitled Resource Allocation: Weighted Capitation Formula, Fifth Edition. This booklet has been placed in the Library and is available on the Department of Health Publications website at www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidanceArticle/fs/en?CONTENT–ID=4112065&chk=MqnOJW. The department has also published the detailed data that underpin the allocations at www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/FinanceAndPlanning/Allocations/fs/en. These sources of information are accessed by a wide range of people and groups, and as a result the department receives papers and correspondence on a variety of topics related to the formula. On occasion, issues are also raised directly with ACRA members. Where appropriate, ACRA places these issues on the agenda for future meetings. Prisoners: Release on Licence Baroness Buscombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 19 December (WA 235), how many prisoners have been released on licence in (a) England and Wales since publication of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2003; and (b) in Scotland since publication of the Parole Board of Scotland annual report 2004. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The latest published information available for England and Wales on those released on licence can be found in Table 4.6 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin: Offender Management Caseload Statistics 2004. This was published on 16 December 2005. Information on those released on licence in Scotland since publication of the Parole Board for Scotland annual report 2004 is not centrally available. However, in the period 1 January to 13 December 2005 the Parole Board for Scotland had recommended that 356 determinate sentence prisoners be released on parole. In addition, in that period, the board has directed the release of 39 life prisoners. Copies of these reports can be found in the House of Lords Library. Proceeds of Crime Act 2002: Money Laundering Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many prosecutions have been made under Section 330(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (as substituted by Section 104(3) of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005) for failure to make a disclosure of knowledge or suspicion that another person is engaged in money laundering. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: In 2004, there were three prosecutions in England and Wales under Section 330(1) of the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 for failure to disclose another person involved in money laundering. There are no records of prosecutions under this section in earlier years. Radio Five Live: Complaint Investigation Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many police man-hours were spent investigating and reporting remarks on the merits of adoption by homosexual couples expressed by a journalist on a recent BBC Radio Five Live programme; whether these remarks have been retained on record by the police or other public bodies; and, if so, under what authority. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: A total of 90 minutes were spent by police in relation to the investigation and recording of remarks made during a BBC Radio Five Live programme. This was as a result of a member of the public contacting the police to complain. The time spent by police involved the recording of the incident on the police Crime Reporting Information System (CRIS) and speaking to both parties (the complainant and the journalist) by telephone. During the course of these telephone conversations it was explained that no crime had actually been committed but that a record of the complaint had been made. It is a standard operating procedure in the Metropolitan Police Service that if any person reports an incident which they perceive to be homophobic it will be recorded. Sudan: Comprehensive Peace Agreement The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress they are making with conflict resolution and political dialogue in eastern Sudan; and what role United Nations troops will play in implementing the comprehensive peace agreement in that region. Lord Triesman: The Government have supported Concordis, a UK-based non-governmental organisation, in providing technical assistance to the Eastern Front, the main rebel group in eastern Sudan, to prepare them for peace talks with the Government of Sudan. Talks were to begin under Libyan mediation in mid-January 2006. On 27 December the Eastern Front announced that it was unhappy with Libyan mediators and was withdrawing from the talks. However, we understand that following negotiation with the United Nations in early January, both parties are now willing to begin negotiations under Libyan mediation in Sirte, Libya, on 17 January. We have always made clear that any agreement must be fully compatible with the terms of the comprehensive peace agreement (CPA). Under the terms of the CPA between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement, the United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) will maintain a presence in eastern Sudan to verify implementation of the CPA between the parties there. UNMIS has also encouraged the Eastern Front and Government of Sudan to start talks at the earliest opportunity. Any further decision on the role of the UN in the east will have to be taken by the Security Council.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-01-16c

Home Office Immigration Controls: France lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the WrittenAnswer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 11 April (HL 6694), who is the newly appointed Migration Liaison Officer with France; howthat individualmay be contacted; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which Franco-British cooperation has improved since 1 February when the Sandhurst Treaty was signed. baroness williams of trafford: The UK and France enjoy a special relationship based on shared values and priorities. The UK-France Summit on 18 January was successful in demonstrating the strong bilateral relationship with France on co-operating on unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. The Sandhurst Treaty has provided an additional framework to build on this existing cooperation, and as part of the Treaty we deployed a UK Liaison Officer to France this month to support transfers between the UK and France under the Dublin Regulation and section 67 of the Immigration Act 2016. The Home Office does not disclose the personal details of its officials. However, the role of the UK Liaison Officer will be to provide case-working support and aid operational discussion on the development of the Dublin III Regulation. Cooperation continues on all other elements of the Treaty; the UK-France Migration Committee most recently met on 27 March 2018. The Committee routinely discusses ongoing co-operation on migration and border security, including how agreed funding should be spent. This meeting followed a similar pattern with a particular focus on implementing elements of the Sandhurst Treaty such as improvements to port security and infrastructure, and measures to reduce the impact of migration on Northern French ports. Undocumented Migrants: Private Rented Housing lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many checks by private landlords have been carried out on private tenants under theterms of the Housing and Planning Act 2016; and how many of those checks have led to immigration enforcement action being taken by the immigration authorities. baroness williams of trafford: This question references the Housing and Planning Act. Right to rent checks were introduced in the 2014 Immigration Act and strengthened in the 2016 Act and the answer has been framed with that in mind.The information requested is not held centrally. Landlords and letting agents undertake these checks independently and are not expected to notify the Home Office when they are completed. Private Rented Housing lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to private landlords completing checks on potential tenants under the terms of the Housing and Planning Act 2016; and what measures are in place to ensure that landlord checks are not used to harass tenants. baroness williams of trafford: Landlords and letting agents undertake right to rent checks in accordance with the 2014 Immigration Act. These are conducted independently of the Home Office.Guidance for landlords is available as:an online right to rent aid, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/landlord-immigration-checkcodes of practice, which can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/right-to-rent-landlords-code-of-practice.a range of published guidance for landlords to view at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-bill-part-3-access-to-services The codes of practice provides practical guidance on how landlords cancomply with their obligations under the scheme whilst avoiding unlawfuldiscrimination. Immigration: Interviews lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that two decision makers are involved in each Home Office immigration interview. baroness williams of trafford: There are no current plans to ensure two decision makers are involved in interviews for all application routes. Visas: Peru baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the lifting in 2014 of the Schengen visa requirement for visitors from Peru and of the introduction by Peru in 2016 of biometric passports which comply with international security and control standards, whether the forthcoming Home Office review of visa requirements will restore the pre-1996 visa exemption for visitors to the UK from Peru. baroness williams of trafford: The UK does not participate in the Border and Immigration aspects of the Schengen Acquis and has no current plans to change the visa requirements for citizens of Peru. Visas are a key part of the UK’s border and national security system. The UK keeps visa regimes under regular review. A visa regime does not set a higher bar, it merely changes where a decision about entry is made. Department for Exiting the European Union Department for Exiting the European Union: Databases lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department forExiting the European Union'sdata is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas. lord callanan: All data held by the Department for Exiting the European Union is hosted by the Cabinet Official Platform or SECRET system. It is estimated that 95% of Cabinet Office OFFICIAL data (a proportion of which is DExEU data) is hosted on cloud services, which distributes encrypted packets of data across data centres in the UK and abroad. The remaining data, as well as that which is SECRET and above, is hosted exclusively in the UK. British Nationals Abroad: EU Countries lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received assurances from each of the EU27 regarding the capability of those countries to cope with a potential influx of British expatriates looking for residence rights in the EU; and what steps they will take to ensure that British expatriates looking for residency in the EU27 experience a smooth transition. lord callanan: The agreement we have reached on citizens’ rights will mean that all UK nationals resident in the EU before the end of the implementation period will be able to continue living their lives broadly as now. All UK nationals resident in the European Union by 31 December 2020 will fall under the Citizens’ Rights part of the Withdrawal Agreement. A smooth and orderly UK exit from the EU is in the interest of all Member States. We are working to understand what systems, processes and infrastructure Member States will be putting in place ahead of the UK’s EU exit. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Food: Import Duties lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Gardiner of Kimble on 16 April (HL6809) on food prices and the removal of external import tariffs, whether they will now answer the question. lord gardiner of kimble: The Government has and continues to undertake a wide range of analysis looking at the implications of UK withdrawal from the EU. Our programme of analysis is constantly developing and evolving, and includes sectoral analysis. The Government has published 14 detailed papers on the negotiations to date, and will continue to be as open as possible subject to the overwhelming national interest of preserving our negotiating position Ministers have a specific responsibility, endorsed by Parliament, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to commit to publishing a sector by sector analysis. The impact on food prices as a result of any future changes to import tariffs will depend on the result of EU withdrawal negotiations and the trading scenario that follows. Many external researchers have analysed the impact of both a World Trade Organisation Most Favourable Nation scenario and a unilateral liberalisation scenario. Neither of these extreme scenarios represent Government policy. The Government is pursuing a unique and ambitious economic partnership that provides the greatest possible tariff free and frictionless trade with the EU. This is a mutually beneficial choice and we are confident we can achieve this. We are also pursuing new trade deals with countries outside the EU.The most important drivers of change in the cost of food are commodity prices, exchange rates and oil prices. These drivers will continue to apply in any trading agreement we reach with the EU.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2018-04-27

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Business: Billing lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which companies have been suspended or removed from the Prompt Payment Code; and what action has been taken (1) to prevent those companies from bidding for Government contracts, and (2) to ensure that those companies improve their performance on Government contracts already in place. lord henley: The Chartered Institute of Credit Management operate the Prompt Payment Code., The Code’s Compliance Board suspended the following companies from the Prompt Payment Code: The following companies were suspended from the Prompt Payment Code:Atos IT Services UK Services LimitedBalfour Beatty PlcBritish Sugar UKCostain LimitedEngie Services Limited GroupInterserve ConstructionKellogg Brown & Root LimitedLaing O’RourkePersimmon Homes LimitedRolls-Royce PlcSSEVodafone Limited The following companies were removed from the Prompt Payment Code: BHP Billiton PlcDHL Services LimitedGKN Automotive LimitedJohn Sisk & Son LimitedR. Twining and Company Limited It is important to all suppliers, not least small businesses, that they are paid on time. Whirlpool Corporation: Tumble Dryers baroness neville-rolfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Whirlpool tumble dryers are still a fire risk, after the company reported that the fault has been fixed. lord henley: The Government’s priority is to keep consumers safe. The review by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) published on 4th April found that there is a low risk of harm or injury from lint fires in modified Whirlpool tumble dryers. The evidence indicates that the modification reduces the risk of fire. OPSS has published specific requirements for Whirlpool to act on and issued a Decision Letter requiring that Whirlpool take further actions, including improving its management of risk and setting up a more rigorous system of quality assurance to ensure modifications are correctly installed and remain effective over time. OPSS will hold Whirlpool to account in regard to these requirements as part of the company’s obligations with regard to the safety of products. British Steel: Loans lord myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish the terms of their commercial loan to British Steel; and what consideration they have given to financing other companies in a similar position. lord henley: The terms of the commercial agreement between the Government and British Steel are set out in letters from the Permanent Secretary to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to the Chair of the Public Accounts Committee and the Comptroller & Auditor General, copies of which have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The Government has been in regular communication with all EU ETS participants since November 2017 to notify of the risks associated with a no deal scenario. All UK installations met their 2018 obligations in full before the compliance deadline on the 30th April. Manufacturing Industries: Employment lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Brexit uncertainty on job cuts in the UK manufacturing sector. lord henley: The Government has not made an assessment of the impact of Brexit uncertainty on job cuts in the UK manufacturing sector. It is clear that the lack of a clear future trading arrangement with the European Union is causing difficulties for companies planning future volumes and production schedules. The Government is determined to give clarity with a deal on the nature of that future trading arrangement agreed as soon as possible.The Government recognises that the manufacturing sector remains a vital contributor to the economy of the UK, driving innovation, exports, job creation, and productivity growth and we are committed to supporting the sector as the UK exits Europe. Through our modern Industrial Strategy and Made Smarter – our key national industrial digitalisation programme – we are building an economy fit for the future. As the 9th largest global manufacturing economy, we are – and will continue to be – a major manufacturing nation. Department for Education Academies: Governing Bodies lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether schools in multi-academy trusts are required to have governing bodies. lord agnew of oulton: An academy trust is run by an overarching board of trustees which is accountable and responsible for the school, or for the group of schools, in a multi-academy trust (MAT). In a MAT, the board may choose to establish local governing bodies to oversee individual schools or clusters of schools. The trust board decides which governance functions to delegate to local governing bodies but remains accountable for all decisions made. Although many MATs choose to have local governing bodies, they are not required to, meaning that trust boards are free to establish local governing bodies, and to delegate functions, based on their local needs and circumstances. All academy trusts must either have at least 2 parents on their boards of trustees or, alternatively, on each established local governing body. This is to ensure that parents play an active role in the governance structures of MATs. Out-of-school Education lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what advice, if any, they give to local authorities about funding and placing students in unregistered schools; and whether it is illegal for local authorities to fund such schools. lord agnew of oulton: Local authorities have a duty to provide suitable educational provision for children of compulsory school age who may otherwise not be able to receive such education. As commissioners, local authorities will determine the most appropriate provision for a child and this includes funding the provision.The department provides statutory guidance to local authorities, which makes it clear that the provision should meet the needs of the child, must be registered where appropriate, and should be delivered by high quality staff with suitable safeguarding checks in place. This alternative provision guidance is attached.Where a setting meets the threshold for registration as an independent school, but is not registered, then it is operating illegally. The most recent figures show that Ofsted has made sure 63 of these schools have stopped operating illegally between January 2016 and December 2018. Ofsted has powers to inspect without notice if it has reasonable cause to believe that an unregistered independent school is being conducted.Local authorities should not commission places at schools that are required to be registered, but are not registered. HL15367_PDF (PDF Document, 408.08 KB) Schools: Cost Effectiveness lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Agnew of Oulton on 15 April (HL15015), how School Resource Management Advisors are appointed; and what are the terms of their employment. lord agnew of oulton: All School Resource Management Advisers (SRMAs) go through an accreditation process, delivered by the Institute of School Business Leadership. This accreditation process was developed in partnership with the department. This process requires all potential SRMAs to demonstrate a detailed understanding of integrated curriculum and financial planning and to demonstrate the expertise and confidence required to advise trusts on good resource management.Each SRMA is contracted to one of 9 supplier organisations. These supplier organisations are responsible for the day-to-day management of SRMAs, and as individual employers, the terms of their employment.A list of the supplier organisations is available attached and at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/esfa-extends-schools-resource-management-adviser-pilot. HL15370_PDF (PDF Document, 166.55 KB) Alternative Education: Pupil Premium lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the use of the pupil premium when a pupil is placed in alternative provision. lord agnew of oulton: As is the case for headteachers in mainstream schools, headteachers in alternative provision settings are free to spend the pupil premium grant in any way they wish to benefit their pupils. They are required to publish on their website details about the use and impact of the funding. The Department for Education has made no assessment of pupil premium use for pupils placed in alternative provision. Disadvantaged pupil progress and achievement are assessed by Ofsted when an alternative provision setting is inspected, and disadvantaged pupil outcomes are published in performance tables.Our statutory guidance makes it clear that alternative provision should be good quality which appropriately meets the needs of pupils. This guidance is attached. Responsibility for the alternative provision used rests with the commissioner, who should assure themselves that the setting is registered where appropriate and provision is delivered by high quality staff. HL15414_PDF (PDF Document, 408.08 KB) Pupil Exclusions lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is legally responsible for a pupil's education when they are off-rolled. lord agnew of oulton: Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 states that it is the duty of parents to secure education of children of compulsory school age. The child must receive an efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability, aptitude and any special needs he may have, by regular attendance at school or otherwise.Local authorities have no statutory duties in relation to monitoring the quality of home education on a routine basis. Under section 437(1) of the Act local authorities must intervene if it appears that parents are not providing a suitable education. If a local authority is not satisfied that the education being provided is suitable, they should serve a school attendance order. If the parent requests the local authority to revoke the order because the parent believes they have arranged education that would be suitable, and the authority refuses, the parent has a right under section 442 to ask the Secretary of State for Education to decide the issue.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.Pupils leave school rolls for many reasons including permanent exclusion, moving to another school, or changes of circumstances (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.Statutory guidance on exclusions is also clear that ‘informal’ or ‘unofficial’ exclusions are unlawful, regardless of whether they occur with the agreement of parents or carers. Any exclusion of a pupil, even for short periods of time, must be formally recorded.Local authorities have a duty to make arrangements to establish the identities of children of compulsory school age in their area who are not registered pupils at a school and are not receiving suitable education otherwise. Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the statutory guidance on relationships education, relationships and sex educationand health education and Ofsted guidelines on spiritual, moral and cultural development will emphasise the contributions of pupils and staff to high-quality education. lord agnew of oulton: The draft guidance is clear that teaching for these subjects should be in line with pupil need, informed by pupil voice and participation in curriculum development, and should be in response to issues as they arise in the school and wider community. Schools should make sure that staff are equipped to deliver these subjects to a high standard, ensuring that the subjects are well led, effectively managed and planned. Staff have a vital contribution in ensuring these subjects are sensitive to the needs of pupils, for example by having regard to a pupil’s religious background or special educational need and also in ensuring they are embedded as part of a whole school approach.Ofsted inspectors are required to consider pupils’ spiritual, moral, social and cultural development (SMSC) as part of section 5 school inspections. Ofsted’s school inspection handbook, attached, sets out the specific aspects considered under SMSC. It covers a broad range of matters including pupils’ reflectivity; moral and ethical issues; social interaction; participation in the community; and acceptance of and engagement with fundamental British values. Ofsted has recently consulted on new inspection arrangements, and will publish a revised handbook in due course. HL15430_PDF (PDF Document, 1.2 MB) Secondary Education: Playing Fields lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many secondary schools in England and Wales do not have their own playing fields. lord agnew of oulton: The information requested is not held centrally regarding secondary school playing fields in England.Education is a devolved matter; it is for the National Assembly to decide on policy for school playing fields in Wales. Ministry of Justice Personal Independence Payment: Yorkshire and the Humber lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people in the Yorkshire Region have been waiting (1) up to six months, (2)sixto 12 months,(3) 12 to 24 months, and (4) over 24 months, for an appeal hearing on their Personal Independence Payment claims. lord keen of elie: The data requested are not available centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Latest figures for Personal Independence Payment (to December 2018) indicate that since it was introduced, 3.9 million decisions have been made. Of these 10% have been appealed and 5% have been overturned at Tribunals. Prisons: Bahrain lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Abdulsalam al-Arifi, the General Director of Bahrain's Jau Prison, has visited prisons in the UK recently; if so, which prisons he visited; and what was the purpose of each such visit. lord keen of elie: In April 2019, a delegation of officials from Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior visited HMP Berwyn and HMP Whitemoor. This delegation included Brigadier Abdulsalam al-Arifi, the Director General of Reformation and Rehabilitation in Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior. The visit was arranged in support of Bahrain’s efforts to develop rehabilitation programmes. Department for Work and Pensions Universal Credit baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further tothe Information Commissioner's Office's criticisms of Department for Work and Pensions'(DWP) policy on Universal Credit representative recognition, what plans they have to revise guidance to DWP staff and others so as to enable effective communications between Universal Credit claimants' advisers and that Department. baroness buscombe: We have had a number of workshops with stakeholders during which consent has been discussed, and we plan to do further work. This will include working with claimants and their representatives to ensure the process works effectively for vulnerable claimants to access the service. Social Security Benefits: Children baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Baroness Buscombe on 24 April (HL Deb, col 596), what information about the impact of the two-child limit will be contained in the statisticsthey intend to publish on that policy; and, on the basis of their statistics that are currently available, what proportion of those affected by the two-child limit are in workless households. baroness buscombe: The Department will be providing updated figures to those we published in June 2018. This will show the number of claimants affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children as at April 2019. The full breakdown of the current statistics can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018 The proportion of households affected by the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children which are in and out of work can be found in table 3. Statistics relating to Universal Credit claimants cover those claimants in UC Full Service only. Claimants affected by the policy in UC Live Service areas are not included. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Birds: Pest Control lord crathorne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional resource Natural England will require for the allocation of new licences for bird control. lord gardiner of kimble: Natural England (NE) is working at pace to assess individual licences to allow lawful control of these bird species to continue. NE is ensuring that this urgent work is appropriately resourced whilst minimising impact on delivery of other services. Since the revocation of the licences by NE the Secretary of State has taken over ultimate decision making powers for general licences relating to the purposes covered by the three revoked general licences, recognising the scale of interest and concern that has been generated by the decision to revoke. The Secretary of State will consider the present situation with intensity and urgency. Agriculture: Subsidies lord marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether payments made under the Basic Payment Scheme of the Common Agricultural Policy in respect of harvest 2019 will be set in sterling or in euros. lord gardiner of kimble: This year’s Basic Payment Scheme (BPS 2019) payments for England will continue to be calculated in euros and then converted into sterling unless a farmer has opted to receive a euro payment. The euro exchange rate used to make payments in sterling will be the average of the European Central Bank rates set over the month of September 2019. This exchange rate will be published on GOV.UK when it is announced. Marine Management Organisation: Recruitment lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have plans to increase the number of marine enforcement officers in the UK fishing industry after Brexit. lord gardiner of kimble: An increase in control and enforcement capability has taken place in preparation for the UK as a whole becoming an independent coastal state. Control and enforcement is a devolved matter, and devolved administrations are taking their own approach to control and enforcement at levels they feel appropriate for their waters. In England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Defra have enacted their plans to improve control and enforcement, enabling greater human and technological resources to be deployed now and when required in future. The MMO approach has included recruitment of additional marine enforcement officers. They are undergoing extensive training to become warranted in enforcement. Their responsibilities will include inspection of vessels and auction halls, surveillance, intelligence gathering, and educating and informing the fishing industry about potential changes to the law. They will focus on applying regulations to vessels, in port and at sea, from any flagged state that enters English waters. Livestock: Disease Control baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans they have in place to address any outbreak of a notifiable disease on UK farms. lord gardiner of kimble: The Defra contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England was presented to Parliament on 27 November 2018 and is available on GOV.UK. The plan is regularly tested through local and national exercises. Home Office Islamic State: British Nationals Abroad lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the Home Secretary on 18 February (HC Deb, col 1198), what consideration they have given to updating the Treason Act 1945 to provide a tenable basis for the prosecution of British citizens who (1) participate in, (2) help to fund, and (3) organise, ISIS inspired atrocities overseas. baroness williams of trafford: To prosecute terrorists for treason risks giving their actions a political status or glamour they do not deserve, rather than treating them merely as criminals. The UK has a comprehensive range of terrorism offences and other powers, which we consider the most appropriate means of dealing with foreign terrorist fighters. Additionally, the Government has just passed the Counter-Terrorism and Border Security Act, which updates terrorism offences and introduces new powers, to reflect the threat we face today from foreign terrorist fighters. This will provide the police and intelligence services with the powers they need to protect the public. Visas: Commonwealth lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how visa applications fees for Commonwealth veteransare calculated; and whyvisa application feeshave risen by 1,441per cent since 2003. baroness williams of trafford: The fees for applications from Commonwealth citizens who have served in the armed forces are the same as applications from Commonwealth applicants who have not.When setting fees, the Home Office takes into account the cost of processing the application, the wider cost of running Border, Immigration and Citizenship (BIC) system and the benefits the Home Office believes are likely to accrue from a successful applicationApplication fees have increased in recent years as the Home Office aims to reduce the overall level of funding that comes from general taxation. British Overseas Territories: British Nationality baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress is being made in the consultation process with the governments of British Overseas Territories concerning the provision of a retrospective registration route for British and British Overseas Territories citizenship for the children born abroad, out of wedlock, to fathers from British Overseas Territories before 1 July 2006. baroness williams of trafford: We have engaged with the British Overseas Territories to seek their views on possible future changes on the matter. This matter is under consideration. Home Office: Fees and Charges baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the report by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration An inspection of the policies and practices of the Home Office’s Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Systems relating to charging and fees June 2018–January 2019, published on 4 April,which specific areas they plan to consult on;whether they intendto publish a children’s best interests impact assessment when proposing fees levels and increases; and what is their response to the Chief Inspector’s recommendation that they include consideration of extending eligibility for fee waivers, including for all child Leave to Remain and nationality applications, in a full review of the fee waiver process. baroness williams of trafford: As detailed within the official Home Office response, there are no plans to run a full public consultation. A consultation in specific areas may be useful and we will undertake to do this before we take decisions which would result in fundamental changes to the way the system is funded.There are no plans to produce a separate children’s best interest impact assessment at this point in time, but as we set out in the Home Office responses to the ICIBI report, we will consider publication of fee-related Policy Equality Statements on a case by case basis going forward.In respect of the Chief Inspector’s recommendation to consider extending eligibility for fee waivers, the Home Office response is as detailed within the published response. We have recently reviewed the fee waiver policy, invested in recruitment and continued process improvement and also engaged with Local Authorities on how we may identify and, where required, prioritise fee waiver applications from those who are most vulnerable. Current fee levels and policies remain under consideration. Oluwole Ilesanmi lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 3 April (HL Deb, col 170), whether they are aware of the circumstances of the arrest of Pastor Olu; whether any action is being taken against the police who arrested him; if so, what; and what assessment they have made of the implications for free speech of his arrest. baroness williams of trafford: The Government does not prevent individuals from following their religious beliefs or cultural traditions provided that they do so within the law. The diversity of modern Britain is one of our strengths and many British people of different faiths follow religious codes and practices.The right to freedom of expression is a vital part of a democratic society. It is a long-standing tradition in this country that people are free to share their views with others.Decisions on arrests are an operational matter for the police working within the provisions of the legal framework set by Parliament.Decisions on whether to investigate individual officers for a potential breach of the standards of professional behaviour are a matter for the force. Police: Data Protection lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 24 April (HL15195), what guidance they have provided to police forces in England following the concerns raised by the Information Commissioner’s Office about the introduction of technology allowing the police to gather data from mobile phones or laptops by overriding passwordspossibly being unlawful. lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any police forces, other than Police Scotland, have used, or are planning to use "cyber kiosks" which can override passwords to access data. baroness williams of trafford: The police are operationally independent of the Home Office and the use of their powers to investigate crime, including operational guidance, is a matter for them.Current guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) stresses that decisions to access mobile phones have to be made on a case-by-case basis, balancing reasonable lines of inquiry with the right to privacy. Mobile phones of complainants and witnesses may only be accessed with their informed consent.The NPCC and the CPS will engage with stakeholders, including the In-formation Commissioner’s Office, on this issue. Police: Data Protection lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the legality of police forces using "cyber kiosks", such as those recently bought by Police Scotland and which can override passwords to access data. baroness williams of trafford: Current legislation, principally provisions in the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984, allow data to be accessed from a mobile device when there are reasonable grounds to believe it contains evidence of an offence, but only then in adherence with data protection and human rights obligations.Current guidance issued by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and the Crown Prosecution Service stresses that decisions to access mobile phones have to be made on a case-by-case basis, balancing reasonable lines of inquiry with the right to privacy. Mobile phones of complainants and witnesses may only be accessed with their informed consent. Department for International Trade Imports: Israeli Settlements baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Fairhead on 16 April (HL15128), who decides which postcodes should be included in the list to be hosted on gov.uk; and whether those postcodes are checked for accuracy to ensure that products are labelled correctly. viscount younger of leckie: In line with the Government’s approach of ensuring continuity as we leave the EU, the list of postcodes hosted on gov.uk will replicate – at the point at which the EU-Israel agreements cease to apply to the UK and, thus, the UK-Israel agreement is brought into force – the EU’s list of postcodes. This list is currently available on the EU Commission’s website: https://ec.europa.eu/taxation_customs/sites/taxation/files/technical_arrangement_postal_codes_2018_en.pdf. As referenced in my Written Answer on 16 April (HL15128), tariff preferences and labelling requirements will be implemented by UK customs authorities. Technical Arrangement Postal Codes (PDF Document, 264.77 KB) Overseas Trade: USA lord bowness: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the UK trades with the United States of America solely on World Trade Organization terms; and if not, how many bilateral trade agreements are in place between the UK and the USA. viscount younger of leckie: The UK is currently party to a number of trade related agreements that the EU has agreed with the United States. These cover issues such as mutual recognition for technical regulations in certain sectors. The UK has now completed work to transition these agreements, where relevant, to bilateral UK-US agreements – ready to come into effect once the UK leaves the EU. On 14 February, the UK and US signed the Mutual Recognition Agreement (MRA) on Conformity Assessment. Other agreements, including on wine, spirits and marine equipment have been signed between the UK and US to ensure continuity as the UK leaves the EU. These agreements do not cover the bulk of UK trade with the US (our single largest bilateral trading partner). This is why we intend to prioritise a UK/US free trade agreement once we have left the EU.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2019-05-10

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 26 April (HL6971),what is the composition of the committee that produced the guidance issued by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland, from 2005 to date,including who each committee member worked for;how long they have served on that committee; and what was the tenure of that committee's chair. lord henley: The guidance is published by the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland to support their members. It is not prepared in fulfilment of a statutory obligation, or in response to any wider regulatory initiative. The processes for the preparation of the guidance and the involvement and constitution of committees in this are matters for the two institutes. Business: Billing lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many businesses they estimate are subject to the statutory duty to report payment practices and performance; and how many businesses have reported their payment practices and performance to date. lord henley: In the Impact Assessment that accompanied the Reporting on Payment Practices and Performance Regulations 2017, we estimated that around 15,000 businesses were in scope. Companies are required to report at individual company level and to date around 7,200 companies have reported. Business: Billing lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what processes there are to audit data provided by large businesses subject to the statutory duty to report on their payment practices and performance; and who is responsible for auditing such data. lord henley: Businesses in scope of the regulations have a legal responsibility to submit correct data and reports must be approved by a named company director or, for a Limited Liability Partnership, a designated member. We are currently analysing the first year’s set of data and considering compliance issues. Business: Billing lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what provisions are in place to allow for whistleblowing concerning data submitted by companies under their statutory duty to report on their payment practices and performance. lord henley: Anyone can submit a comment or complaint concerning data submitted by companies under the duty to report on their payment practices and performance. A contact email address is provided on the relevant page of the government website: [email protected], the Small Business Commissioner can provide advice and signposting on payment issues. Business Premises: Construction lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of a recent decline in the growth of UK commercial construction projects. lord henley: The Office of National Statistics publishes monthly statistics on construction output, which are influenced by many factors, including levels of investment and the weather. The latest figures show that construction output grew by 0.6% in November 2018 to an all-time monthly high, exceeding £14 billion for the first time. Construction output in the 3 months to November 2018 was 2.1% higher than in the previous period. Whilst most estimates suggested that commercial construction activity will decline slightly in 2018 and 2019, despite increases in October and November, this has been offset by increases in activity in the infrastructure and private housing sectors. Research: Finance baroness royall of blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve access to information about sources of public funding in the UK to support international research collaboration and the mobility ofresearchers in the early stages of their careers. lord henley: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is committed to supporting international collaboration and promoting opportunities for doing so. The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), the Newton Fund and the Fund for International Collaboration (FIC) are all specific avenues for UK researchers and innovators to develop international partnerships. Information about funding available for international collaboration is available on the UKRI website, as well as on individual Research Council websites. Information about funded research and innovation is available through Gateway to Research, including projects funded through the GCRF, the Newton Fund and the FIC. Social media platforms, such as Twitter and Facebook, additionally allow UKRI to advertise opportunities for funding. UKRI works closely with the Research Organisation Consultation Group to disseminate funding information through UK research organisations. The UK Science and Innovation Network (operated as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office), and Universities UK International are also well placed to promote these opportunities. Factories: Productivity lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact offalls in factory output onthe recent growth slowdown inthe UK manufacturing sector. lord henley: Whilst the latest Index of Production figures for December 2018 show that manufacturing output fell by 0.7% on the previous month, in fact, manufacturing output for the entirety of 2018 rose by 0.9% compared to 2017 levels. The government recognises that the manufacturing sector remains a vital contributor to the economy of the UK, driving innovation, exports, job creation, and productivity growth. The sector supports 2.7 million jobs, generates 49% of the UK total exports of goods and services, and accounts for 66% of all business expenditure on UK R&D. Through our modern Industrial Strategy and Made Smarter – our key national industrial digitalisation programme – we are building an economy fit for the future. In the process, we are exploiting the wealth of opportunities from next generation technologies that foster competitive business environments, allowing for UK manufacturing to flourish. As the 9th largest global manufacturing economy, we are – and will continue to be – a major manufacturing nation. Shipbuilding lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) protect jobs, and (2) boost productivity, in the UK shipbuilding industry. lord henley: The National Shipbuilding Strategy published in 2017 set out how the Ministry of Defence would transform the way it procures naval ships. The Strategy committed the government to work with the industry to improve public procurement, increase trade and drive innovation.An industry led Maritime Enterprise Working Group is undertaking a long-term programme of improvements for the UK shipbuilding industry. Its membership includes the major UK shipbuilders, government and universities.The Group commissioned a Shipbuilding Market Evaluation and Competitiveness Study that is due to report shortly. The findings of the study will enable the UK shipbuilding industry to focus on specific productivity improvements based on the opportunities for the industry in terms of the domestic and international markets for commercial and naval ships, which could secure jobs for the long term. Department of Health and Social Care Obesity lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support and assistance they plan to offer obese people with a body mass index of 30 and above who have not been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes or hypertension. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Public Health England (PHE) has a responsibility to support the local delivery of evidence-based, effective and sustainable weight management services, as recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), which support adults who are obese (that is, with a body mass index over 30 kg/m2, or lower for those from black and minority ethnic groups) or with other risk factors.PHE provides practitioners, commissioners and providers of tier 2 weight management services with a range of resources to support the commissioning and delivery of these services. This includes:- Guidance on how services should include diet, physical activity, and behaviour change components; and- A tool to support the implementation of evidence-based behaviour change techniques.A copy of this tool, Changing Behaviour: Techniques for Tier 2 Adult Weight Management Services, is attached.NICE has also produced a guideline, Weight management: lifestyle services for overweight or obese adults, aimed at commissioners, health professionals, providers of lifestyle weight management programmes, adults who are overweight or obese, their families and other members of the public. This guideline covers lifestyle weight management services including programmes, courses, clubs or groups provided by the public, private and voluntary sector. The aim is to help people lose weight and become more physically active to reduce the risk of diseases associated with obesity. A copy of NICE’s guideline is attached. HL13442 attached document (PDF Document, 363.25 KB) HL13442 attached document (PDF Document, 324.15 KB) Department for International Development Gaza: Trade baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 28 January (HL12814), what increases have been achieved for the import and export of goods into and from Gaza in the past 12 months. lord bates: There was a slight reduction in the numbers of truckloads entering and leaving Gaza every month on average in 2018 compared to 2017*. In 2017 an average of 9,876 truckloads (other than fuel) entered and 218 truckloads left Gaza each month; whereas in 2018 an average of 8,843 truckloads (other than fuel) entered and 217 left Gaza each month. The 2018 averages conceal major fluctuations in trade flows, primarily due to escalations in violence which led to tighter movement restrictions. The UK consistently calls for an end to all violence and regularly calls on the Israeli authorities to ease their restrictions to support ordinary Palestinians living standards and to support legal trade into and out of the Gaza strip. We also fund the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) which enables Gazan businesses, as well as citizens and families, to get access to imported reconstruction materials following widespread destruction in the 2014 conflict. *DFID has come to this conclusion from OCHA’s reporting of monthly averages of truckloads exiting and entering Gaza (excluding truckloads entering Gaza carrying fuel) in 2017 and 2018. Gaza: Job Creation baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 28 January (HL12814), what measures they have taken to support job creation in the Gaza Strip in the past 12 months. lord bates: In 2018, DFID's Palestinian Market Development Programme (PMDP) worked to support businesses and to help job creation in Gaza. Over the programme lifetime (2013-2018) the PMDP successfully supported 470 businesses and created around 1,550 jobs in Gaza. DFID also continued to support the Gaza Reconstruction Mechanism (GRM) which has enabled Gazan businesses, as well as citizens and families, to gain access to reconstruction materials following widespread destruction in the 2014 conflict. HMG officials have also continued to call on the Israeli authorities to ease their restrictions to improve the living standards of ordinary Palestinians, and to support legal trade into and out of the Gaza strip. Gaza baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 28 January (HL12814), what improvements they hope to see in the conditions in Gaza in the next five years. lord bates: Within the next five years the UK Government hopes to see an improvement in access to clean water, energy and jobs in Gaza. We would also like to see all parties ease movement and access restrictions. This would make it easier for Gazans to sell their goods to Israel and other countries in the region; and for small businesses to grow and create jobs. DFID's new economic development programme will support all these activities. However, we are clear that a durable agreement is needed to address the underlying causes of the conflict and to transform the situation in Gaza. This is why the UK continues to support progress towards a two-state solution that permanently ends the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Such an agreement should ensure that Hamas and other terrorist groups permanently end rocket fire and attacks against Israel and accept the Quartet Principles; the Palestinian Authority resumes control in Gaza and restores effective and accountable governance; and that Israel lifts its restrictions to ease the suffering of ordinary Palestinians and allow the Gazan economy to grow. Burma: Peace Negotiations baroness nye: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to conduct an independent review of support given to the peace process in Burma as recommended by the House of Commons International Development Committee in its fourth report of Session 2017–19,Bangladesh, Burma and the Rohingya Crisis(HC Paper 1054), published on 22 May 2018. lord bates: Following the IDC report, we conducted a comprehensive joint analysis of conflict and stability in Burma, and DFID initiated a review of its country strategy. On the peace process, the main vehicle for the UK’s support, the Joint Peace Fund, has undergone a thorough independent assessment of progress and challenges. In addition, DFID’s peacebuilding programme is reviewed annually, as is all support under the cross-departmental Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), led by the FCO. The UK remains committed to providing assistance to a wide range of efforts to reach an inclusive peace agreement in Burma. It will also continue to address the protracted crises in Rakhine, Kachin, Shan and other states through humanitarian and development assistance. Gaza: Sewage baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in reconstructing sewage works in Gaza and ensuring that those works function reliably. lord bates: The UK has not supported reconstruction of sewage works in Gaza but has funded improved water and sanitation through UNICEF; and plans to improve water and wastewater services by funding the World Bank. In 2018, DFID committed to supporting the World Bank’s Water Security Development Programme (WSDP). The programme is currently in the design phase but will focus on supporting infrastructure for the water network related to the Gaza Central Desalination Programme and provide technical support to the Palestinian Water Authority. The technical assistance will include support to improve water and wastewater services. To address Gaza’s water and sanitation crisis in 2018, DFID provided £2 million to UNICEF to help reduce the spread of disease by disinfecting water in 280 water wells, 38 desalination plants, and 40 water reservoirs. This support has improved access to water and sanitation services for 2 million people in Gaza. Department for Education Further Education: Teachers lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average pay rise for teaching staff in further education colleges in each of the last three years. lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the average pay rise for principals of further education institutions in each of the last three years. lord agnew of oulton: Further education colleges are autonomous institutions. Responsibility for setting the pay of staff and of college principals rests with the relevant governing body.Information regarding the average pay rise for teaching staff is not held centrally.Information on principals’ remuneration is provided in colleges’ audited accounts. The average change in pay, as disclosed in those accounts, is as follows: YearAverage change in pay2015/163.66%2016/171.55%2017/182.93%[1] [1] 2017/18 figure is a provisional estimate based on financial returns received to date, covering approximately 90% of colleges. Disabled Students' Allowances: Dyslexia lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee will recognise assessments carried out by Associate Members of the British Dyslexia Association for children under 16 for the purposes of the Disabled Students' Allowance without the need for a second assessment. lord addington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how common it is for those holding a British Dyslexia Association Assessment Practising Certificate to be involved with dyslexia assessments for those under the age of 16. viscount younger of leckie: It is the department, not the SpLD Assessment Standards Committee, that decides which diagnostic assessments should be recognised as suitable evidence to determine eligibility for Disabled Students’ Allowances. The department is currently considering which accreditation requirements should be met for diagnostic assessments carried out on young people below the age of 16.Information regarding the qualifications or professional memberships of those undertaking dyslexia assessments for young people below the age of 16 is not held centrally, nor is it held by the Student Loans Company. Erasmus+ Programme lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that university funding may be lost for UK students wishing to study abroad under the Erasmus scheme in the event of a no-deal Brexit. viscount younger of leckie: We are in close contact and working with the UK National Agency to ensure that in the event that the UK leaves the EU with no agreement in place, the government’s guarantee on Erasmus will cover the payment of awards to UK applicants for all successful Erasmus+ bids submitted before the end of 2020.The UK government has repeatedly made clear that it values international exchange and collaboration in education and training as part of its vision for a global Britain, and we believe that the UK and European countries should continue to give young people and students the chance to benefit from each other’s world leading universities post-exit. This is reliant on the UK government reaching agreement with the EU for UK organisations to continue participating in Erasmus+ projects and we are seeking to hold these discussions with the EU.We published a new technical notice, attached, at the end of January, which provides detailed guidance to organisations and students on the UK’s anticipated participation in the current Erasmus+ programme (2014 to 2020) in the event of no deal. The notice can also be found at: https://bit.ly/2GaP28y. HL13536_Erasmus_Technical_Notice (Word Document, 50.71 KB) Ministry of Justice Magistrates' Courts: Wales lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government which magistrates' courts have closed in Wales since 2010. lord keen of elie: Since 2010, the following magistrates’ court closures have taken place: Aberdare Magistrates’ Court (co-located with Aberdare County Court)Abertillery Magistrates’ CourtAmmanford Magistrates’ CourtBarry Magistrates’ CourtCardigan Magistrates’ CourtChepstow Magistrates’ CourtDenbigh Magistrates’ CourtFlint Magistrates’ CourtLlandovery Magistrates’ CourtLlangefni Magistrates’ CourtLlwynypia Magistrates’ CourtPwllheli Magistrates’ CourtNeath Magistrates’ CourtAbergavenny Magistrates’ CourtCaerphilly Magistrates’ CourtBrecon Law CourtsBridgend Law CourtsCarmarthen Law Courts (The Guildhall)Dolgellau Crown and Magistrates’ CourtHolyhead Magistrates’ CourtPontypridd Magistrates’ CourtPrestatyn Magistrates’ Court [building remained open as Prestatyn Justice Centre, rehousing work from Rhyl] The closure of any court is not taken lightly – it only happens following full public consultation. We have been clear that courts are only being closed where they are underused, dilapidated or too close to another. Magistrates' Courts: Wales lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many magistrates' courts there were in Wales in (1) 2010, and (2) 2018. lord keen of elie: There were 36 magistrates’ courts in Wales 2010 and 14 magistrates’ courts in Wales in 2018. Magistrates’ court closures in Wales have taken place following public consultation and only when the Lord Chancellor was satisfied that effective access to justice could be maintained. We have closed poor quality, smaller and less efficient courts allowing for resources to be concentrated into a smaller number of better quality and more flexible buildings. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Private Rented Housing: Registration lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment have they made of the case for introducing a nationwide registration of landlords and their properties in England, as in Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has no plans to introduce a system of national registration for private landlords. Government is instead focussed on tackling rogue landlords. In April 2018, using powers under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, we introduced a national database of rogue landlords and property agents. We are committed to making this database publicly accessible as soon as parliamentary time allows.Moreover, and unlike in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, local housing authorities in England are also able to introduce selective licensing of landlords in targeted areas to tackle specific problems, as long as the statutory requirements are met. We have commissioned an independent review of the effectiveness of selective licencing which is on track to report in the spring 2019. United Kingdom Holocaust Memorial Foundation viscount eccles: To ask Her Majesty's Government when responsibility for the UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation will be transferred to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport; and how. lord bourne of aberystwyth: There are no plans to transfer responsibility for the UK Holocaust Foundation to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The Holocaust Memorial Foundation provides independent advice to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government who has overall responsibility for the delivery of the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service viscount eccles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what expenditure of public funds has been made to date on the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. lord bourne of aberystwyth: From 2015/16 to the end of January 2019 the Government has spent £4.8 million on the Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre programme. National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service viscount eccles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the risk that the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will attract the attention of Holocaust-deniers and anti-Zionists if it is sited close to Parliament. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre will have security arrangements similar to the many other public buildings in Westminster. By using the latest technology and security methodology available we intend for the security aspects to be integrated into the design so it does not impact on the visitor experience.To achieve this we are working with security experts, government agencies and the Metropolitan Police to ensure the necessary security measures are put in place. National Holocaust Memorial Centre and Learning Service viscount eccles: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultation has taken place, or is intended, with the UK Jewish community about the UK Holocaust Memorial and Learning Centre. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The UK Holocaust Memorial Foundation has engaged extensively with all interested parties, including organisations and members of the Jewish community. Religious Hatred: Islam lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact ofthe All-Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims' working definition of Islamophobia, as set out in its reportIslamophobia defined: the inquiry into a working definition of Islamophobia, published in November 2018, on (1) the efficacy of counter-extremism and integration policies, (2) the ability to study, investigate and criticise political and radical Islam, and (3) community relations, in particular for moderate or liberal Muslims and the Ahmadiyya Muslim community. lord bourne of aberystwyth: We are examining the options for a definition of Islamophobia and intend to examine this issue through the newly appointed Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group. Any such approach would need to be considered carefully to ensure that this would have the positive effect intended. Service Charges baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to stop landowners and managing agents from using service charges to recover legal defence costs from home owners who they have entered legal disputes with. lord bourne of aberystwyth: Leaseholders can apply to the Tribunal at any time to make an order under section 20C of the Landlord and Tenant Act 1985 for the court or tribunal to limit or prevent the recovery of legal costs via the service charge. In addition Section 131 of the Housing and Planning Act 2016 amended the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to give the courts and tribunals a discretionary power to reduce or extinguish a leaseholders liability to pay a particular administration charge in respect of litigation costs. Residents Associations baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to allow Residents Associations to perform the same functions as Resident Management Companies in communities where the Residents’ Association represents the majority of home owners. lord bourne of aberystwyth: There are no plans to allow residents' associations to perform the same function as resident management companies. Instead, the Government has asked the Law Commission to review and streamline the current right to manage procedures, to make it quicker and easier for leaseholders and leasehold resident associations to take control of their buildings. The Law Commission is currently consulting on its proposals, which can be found at www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/right-to-manage. The consultation closes on 30 April. Private Rented Housing: Licensing baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of selective licensing schemes; when they intend to publish their review of the scheme; and whether they intend to support local authorities to expand the scheme. lord bourne of aberystwyth: In September last year the Government commissioned a thorough and independent review into the effectiveness of selective licensing. This is on schedule to report in Spring 2019. The Department will consider the outcomes of the review carefully and does not intend to pre-empt its findings with regard to changes in legislation or policy. Ministry of Defence European Defence Fund lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they anticipate the UK receiving any money from the European Defence Fund before the UK no longer has access to that fund as a result of Brexit. earl howe: The European Defence Fund (EDF) will be launched in 2021. It is being trialled through two programmes, the Preparatory Action for Defence Research (PADR), which is running from 2017 to 2019, and the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP), which will run from 2019 to 2020. UK industry is already benefiting financially from participation in the PADR. The EDIDP Work Programme is expected to be agreed this month and includes areas of interest to the UK. Proposals are not expected until mid-2019. Whilst UK firms are eligible to bid, it is too early to say whether they will receive funding.The Political Declaration envisages the participation of eligible United Kingdom entities in collaborative EDF projects from 2021, to the extent possible under Union law. Under the current draft terms of the EDF, only entities based in the EU and European Free Trade Association-European Economic Area countries will be entitled to receive EU funding through the Programme. Radar lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whenthey estimate the Radar Reviewwill provide recommendations to the Ministry of Defence on the future approach to funding and development of the next generation of defence radars. earl howe: The Ministry of Defence is currently undergoing a preliminary scoping analysis to consider our strategic objectives and understand any risks in our current and future Radar capabilities. We aim to conclude the first 'understand' phase in the spring which will set out the scope, structure and timelines for any further phases of work that may be required. Department for Work and Pensions Jobcentres baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements are in place to safeguard the interests of vulnerable people receiving a service from Jobcentre Plus. baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a nominated Vulnerable People’s Champion in every Jobcentre Plus. baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the vulnerability of adult survivors of child sexual exploitation is taken into account by Jobcentre Plus staff and Department for Work and Pensions contractors. baroness buscombe: DWP is committed to providing the best possible support for all our claimants, including the most vulnerable in society. We are continuously reviewing and improving the service for vulnerable people to ensure that it is accessible and responsive to their needs. Specific training and guidance is provided for all staff on working with different vulnerable groups. This includes developing the skills they need to support and communicate with a diverse range of customers, and specific training is provided for working with different vulnerable groups. We provide a tailored service that recognises those with complex needs at any point throughout their journey. Work Coaches will tailor conditionality, setting requirements based on what is reasonable for the individual’s circumstances. A claimant’s work search and availability requirements can be switched off for an agreed period of time, and other work-related requirements may be lifted too, where appropriate. This includes where the claimant has suffered domestic violence and abuse, or periods where a child in their care is suffering distress due to experiencing or witnessing violence or abuse. To assist identification and claimant support, each Jobcentre Plus site has a complex needs toolkit in place. These are maintained and reviewed locally and contain a named single point of contact for areas such as Homelessness, Care leavers and Prison leavers. Jobcentre staff also have access to information on services and support available in their local area for vulnerable claimants and will signpost claimants to national and local organisations who provide specialist support. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Waste: Exports baroness jones of whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what emergency plans are in place to deal with the potential stockpiles of waste which would no longer have valid export licences if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. lord gardiner of kimble: There is a process in place to ensure the continuity of notified waste shipments in the case of a no-deal scenario, which was set out by the European Commission in November last year. We have received agreement to roll over 98% of existing consents for waste exports to the EU from the UK - agreeing 545 out of the 556 current approvals. This means that 99.7% of the waste which requires consent has a valid export licence from 30 March this year if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. We expect to reach agreement on the outstanding approvals and we are confident that leaving the EU without a deal would not have a significant impact on the continued export of the UK’s notified waste shipments that have already been agreed. In December last year, the Environment Agency began assessing waste disposal capacity particularly in the south east of England, in case waste that cannot be exported should need to be disposed of. Staff across the Environment Agency are engaging with operators to identify where issues, including stockpiling, may arise. The Environment Agency is ready to respond to requests from industry for additional storage of waste and will process any such requests as promptly as it can. Air Pollution lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the forthcoming Environment Bill and all other relevant environmental legislation enshrines legally binding provisions to meet air quality standards, set out by the World Health Organization. lord gardiner of kimble: The draft Environment Bill, published in December last year, would place the 25 Year Environment Plan on a statutory footing by establishing a new statutory cycle of environmental planning, monitoring and reporting. The Government also committed to exploring the inclusion of additional targets for environmental improvement within this cycle. In the Environment Bill policy paper, also published in December last year, we reaffirmed that improving air quality is a key part of our plan to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. In our Clean Air Strategy, published in January this year, we set out our ambition to reduce people’s exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and committed to setting a new, ambitious, long-term target to reduce people’s exposure to PM2.5. We also committed to publishing a report this year examining what action would need to be taken to meet the World Health Organization’s (WHO) PM2.5 annual mean guideline level of 10μg/m3, and we will use this evidence to inform the target which we set. The actions in the Strategy will reduce concentrations of PM2.5 for everyone, resulting in a halving of the number of people living in areas with annual mean concentrations of PM2.5 above the WHO’s guideline level of 10μg/m3 by 2025, compared with 2016. We are the first major economy to set out ambitions based on the WHO’s PM2.5 targets, and our Clean Air Strategy was welcomed by the WHO’s Director General as “an example for the rest of the world to follow.” Home Office Borders: Northern Ireland lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what planning the Home Office has undertaken with regard to the technical means by which a soft border on the island of Ireland may be retained, other than by way of the EU Withdrawal Agreement. baroness williams of trafford: Her Majesty’s Government has undertaken planning to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland but will not be giving further details at this stage.The UK Government has been resolute in its commitments to Northern Ire-land and remains committed to avoiding a ‘hard border. Borders: Northern Ireland lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many crossing points there are on the island of Ireland between the UK and the Republic of Ireland; and what estimate they have made of how many vehicle movements take place each day at such points; and what percentage of these are commercially related vehicle movements. baroness williams of trafford: The data used by the Home Office regarding vehicle movements between UK and the Republic of Ireland is from the Department of Infrastructure (Northern Ireland) published on the Parliament UK website entitled The Land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. The link to this paper can be found below: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm201719/cmselect/cmniaf/329/32904.htm#_idTextAnchor009The land border between Northern Ireland and Ireland Contents - introduction from the publication.1.The UK Government and the European Union (EU) both acknowledge the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland in the light of the UK’s decision to leave the EU. Northern Ireland is the only part of the UK that will share a land border with the EU after Brexit. In the referendum, Northern Ireland voters voted to remain in the EU by a majority of 56% to 44%. In UK as a whole, voters voted by 52% to 48% to leave the EU. Northern Ireland’s constitutional framework, under the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, has a distinctive cross-border dimension. Once the UK leaves the EU, the land border in Northern Ireland will change from an internal to an external EU border. This report considers the implications of the UK’s changing relationship with the EU for the Northern Ireland land border.Information regarding CTA movements can be found on the additional data paper published on the parliament UK website. The link to this paper can be found below.https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/638137/Additional_Data_Paper_-_Northern_Ireland_Common_Travel_Area.pdf Add Data Paper Northern Ireland Common Travel Area (PDF Document, 386.79 KB) HOC Publication - HL13433 (PDF Document, 792.96 KB) Immigration Controls: Republic of Ireland lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reassure Irish citizens who reside in the UK that (1) their right of abode will remain, withoutsuch citizens needing to take action, and (2) they are free to return directly to the UK from overseas destinations, before and after Brexit. baroness williams of trafford: Irish citizens residing in the UK do not need to do anything to protect their status in the UK, either before or after the UK leaves the EU. They will continue to be able to enter and reside in the UK and to enjoy their existing rights as provided for by the long-standing Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements.The UK Government has been clear since the EU Exit Referendum that these rights will be protected. The Home Secretary reaffirmed during the second reading of the Immigration and Social Security Coordination Bill that the rights of Irish citizens to enter and remain in the UK are protected. This position has been set out in various Government publications including Northern Ireland-Ireland Position paper (August 2017) and The UK’s future skills-based immigration system White Paper (December 2018). Commu-nications for EEA nationals on what action needs to be taken after the UK has left the EU include specific messages confirming that Irish citizens are not required to take action to protect their status or entitlements. Immigration Controls: Republic of Ireland lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland about allowing (1) Irish, and (2) UK citizens the freedom to (a) come and go between the UK and the Republic of Ireland, and (b) seek employment and establish residence in the UK, without special formalities, both before and after Brexit. baroness williams of trafford: The Common Travel Area (CTA) arrangements allow British and Irish citizens to travel freely within the CTA without seeking permission from the authorities. They also provide for British citizens in Ireland and Irish citizens in the UK to be able to work in either country without any requirement to obtain permission from the authorities.These arrangements pre-date membership of the EU. The UK and Ireland are working closely to protect these rights after the UK leaves the EU. Immigration: Windrush Generation lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 21 January (HL12603), how many interim or emergency payments have been made to date to affected Windrush generation individuals awaiting the introduction of the planned compensation scheme; what is the total value of any such payments; when the scheme will be launched; and what assessment they have made of whether any of those individuals who are currently being deported to the Commonwealth Caribbean countries are members of the Windrush generation. baroness williams of trafford: The Home Secretary provides the Home Affairs Select Committee with monthly updates on the work of the department in connection with Windrush. This will include information on the urgent and exceptional support provided before the Compensation Scheme is in placeThe monthly updates can be found at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/correspondence-on-the-work-of-the-home-office-windrushWe will announce details of the final scheme and how to apply as soon as possible.None of those being deported are British citizens or members of the Windrush generation, who are exempt under section 7 of the Immigration Act 1971 HASC Windrush Update - Nov-Dec 2018 (PDF Document, 620.36 KB) Deportation: Charter Flights lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to restart deportation charter flights; and if so, what they estimate the cost of any such flights to be. baroness williams of trafford: Returns charter flights remain an important means by which we return illegal migrants and Foreign National Offenders without a right to remain in the UK.For operational reasons, it is not possible to disclose full details of the returns charter flight programme.In the 2017/18 financial year we spent £11.3 million on returns charter flight operations. Immigration: Appeals lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration decisions were overturned on appeal in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, and (3) 2017. baroness williams of trafford: HM Courts and Tribunals Service publish appeal outcomes data on a quarterly basis. A link to the most recent available data is provided here;https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2018 The table in FIA¬_3 in the attached document contains the information requested; see summary below.3. Immigration and Asylum First-tier Tribunal Immigration and Asylum Chamber (FTTIAC) In July to September 2018, FTTIAC receipts increased by 16% (to 11,200) compared to the same period in 2017. In the same period, disposals and caseload outstanding decreased by 10% (to 15,500) and 13% (to 31,500) respectively, with the latter continuing the decline seen since the peak in April to June 2016, due to the volume of receipts being consistently lower than that of disposals since this peak. Tribunals and Gender Reg Cert July-Sept 2018 (PDF Document, 892.37 KB) Immigration: Windrush Generation lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the grounds for the eviction and deportation of Willow Sims following her loss of the right to work. baroness williams of trafford: Ms Sims is not subject to deportation action and arrangements are in place to help confirm her immigration status in the UK. Refugees: Homelessness lord shipley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent homelessness amongst newly recognised refugees after the 28 day move-on period. baroness williams of trafford: The Government have implemented a number of initiatives to ensure that refugees are able to access benefits and housing promptly once any support they been provided by the Home Office ends 28 days after the grant of their status.Refugees are eligible to receive assistance with housing from their local authority, in the same way as British Citizens or other permanent residents of the UK, and are treated as a priority need if they have children or are considered vulnerable. Asylum accommodation providers are under a contractual duty to refer these cases to the appropriate local authority.We are also working with MHCLG to pilot “Local Authority Asylum Liaison Officers” (LAASLOs), who role is to provide assistance to people leaving asylum support, in particular with access to housing. Cabinet Office Interserve lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the performance, and (2) the future of Interserve in the delivery of services commissioned by them orpublic bodies. lord young of cookham: The various contracting authorities, such as individual departments, manage their contracts with Interserve including monitoring of performance against each contract.The Cabinet Office monitors the financial health of all of our strategic suppliers, including Interserve, and have regular discussions with the company’s management. Interserve announced on 06 February 2019 that it had agreed the key commercial terms of its deleveraging plan with its lenders, bonding providers and Pension Trustee. We welcome this announcement and recognise that it is a key milestone for the company in delivering the long term plan that it set out in 2018. Treasury UK Trade with EU lord chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to limit any disruption to EU–UK trade flows that may arise from a no-deal Brexit. lord bates: The Government is committed to supporting businesses and recognises the importance of trade fluidity for goods through the UK’s borders. HMRC are introducing temporary easements for a no deal scenario making it easier for businesses to import goods from the EU using Roll on Roll off locations. Once registered, businesses will be able to transport goods into the UK without having to make full declarations at the border, and will be able to postpone paying import duties for a short period. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Food: Advertising lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate the consultation conducted by Ofcom on the proposal for a watershed on advertising foods with high fat, salt and sugar content will be (1) completed, and (2) published. lord ashton of hyde: In the second chapter of the Government's Childhood Obesity Plan, the Government committed to consult on introducing a 9pm watershed on TV advertising of HFSS products and similar protection for children viewing adverts online - with the aim of reducing children’s exposure to HFSS advertising, and incentivising sugar and calorie reduction. We will be publishing the consultation at the earliest opportunity. As far as we are aware, Ofcom has no current plans for any equivalent consultation. Public Sector: Mutual Societies lord maude of horsham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what public service mutuals have been created since May 2010; and what is the current status of each one. lord ashton of hyde: Public service mutuals are under no obligation to notify the Government’s Mutuals Team, based in DCMS, when they are created or if they cease operating. There is therefore no formal register of the number of public service mutuals. However our records show that 119 public service mutuals have been created since May 2010. Of these, 110 continue to be active. Nine no longer operate, with their services either no longer delivered, or now delivered within the public sector or by another private sector organisation. The government has committed £4 million between 2017-2020 to support the growth and development of the mutuals sector. Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges baroness neville-rolfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having with Ofcom and mobile network operators, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, to (1) seek assurances that such operators will continue to incorporate overseas calls and internet access in their existing contracts for consumers, and (2) enable consumers to switch from contracts that have changed as a result of any new rules on roaming. lord ashton of hyde: Ministers and officials have carried out extensive engagement on EU exit with representatives of the telecommunications industry, trade bodies, consumer bodies and the regulator Ofcom. In the event of no deal, the government has published a technical notice on mobile roaming. The Technical notice is available here: www.gov.uk/government/publications/mobile-roaming-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/mobile-roaming-if-theres-no-brexit-deal. On switching, certain changes in contractual terms during the term of a contract give the customer the right to exit that contract without penalty. For mobile phone contracts, telecoms companies have to follow rules set out by Ofcom. These set out that a customer is able to exit their contract penalty-free if the change in price under new roaming policies was considered to be material.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2019-02-19

Global Poverty and Aid Levels The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they agree with the report Reality of Aid 2000 that the number of poor, currently about one billion, is growing and that over 25 million more live in absolute poverty as a direct result of aid cuts. Baroness Amos: The latest global data on poverty numbers, provided by the World Bank, is for 1998. This shows that both the proportion, and the number, of poor people have fallen in the world since 1990. Progress slowed during the period 1996-98, partly due to the Asian financial crisis, and, although the proportion of poor people remained roughly constant during this period, the number of poor people rose. There was a decline in global aid flows until 1997, but in 1998 total flows increased by US$3.6 billion. The UK aid programme is geared to supporting countries committed to poverty reduction. Previously Developed Land Baroness Maddock: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether for planning purposes radio station sites are considered to be "greenfield" or "brownfield" sites. Lord Whitty: For the purposes of planning guidance on housing, previously developed land is defined as that which is or was occupied by a permanent structure (excluding agricultural or forestry buildings), and associated fixed surface infrastructure. The definition covers the curtilage of the development. Previously developed land may occur in both built-up and rural settings. Further advice on the application of this definition is contained in Annex C to Planning Policy Guidance Note 3 Housing (PPG3), which was published recently. Traffic Calming in Villages Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their policy in support of local authorities introducing traffic calming measures in English villages. Lord Whitty: In our Integrated Transport White Paper, A New Deal for Transport: Better for Everyone (July 1998), we said traffic management, which may include traffic calming, was needed in rural areas to produce better and safer road conditions. Our road safety strategy document Tomorrow's Roads--Safer for Everyone, published last month, encourages the development of sympathetic traffic calming to support our commitment, given in the strategy, to 30 mph speed limits in villages. The Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions has conducted research, and continues to do so, into appropriate traffic calming designs for use in rural areas. A Traffic Advisory Leaflet is to be published shortly, summarising the findings of a study of nine village calming schemes. M.6 Extension to M.74 Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government: When is the likely completion date of the M.6 extension to the M.74. Lord Whitty: As this is an operational matter for the Highways Agency I have asked Peter Nutt, the Acting Chief Executive, to write to the noble Lord. Letter to Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld from the Acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Peter Nutt, dated 17 April 2000. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your recent question about the likely completion date of the M.6 extension to the M.74. It was announced on 24 March that upgrading the A.74 between Carlisle and Guardsmill to motorway standard is one of four new road schemes which have been added to the Targeted Programme of Improvements. It is intended that all schemes within this programme of improvements should be completed within about seven years of their entry. The rate of progress will depend on how quickly the scheme can be taken forward through the statutory, and other, procedures. We will now appoint consultants to prepare an initial design, with the aim of holding a public consultation next year. M.6 and M.40: Fatalities Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the number of fatalities on the M.40 and M.6 in each of the past five years. Lord Whitty: Fatality figures for the M.6 and M.40 are: M.6 M.40 1994 27 1994 6 1995 26 1995 9 1996 38 1996 11 1997 27 1997 11 1998 35 1998 10 Total 153 Total 47 I have asked the Acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Peter Nutt, to write to my noble friend when the figures for 1999 are published in the summer. Motorway Fencing The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are seeking economies in their roads programme: and if so, how they justify the use of more than three wooden rails in the fencing of motorways and dual carriageways. Lord Whitty: The Highways Agency has the responsibility to deliver best value for money in providing and maintaining the English trunk road network, which includes most motorways. Targets are set to measure the Agency's performance and they are required to incorporate value for money assessments in undertaking their responsibilities. When post and rail fencing is specified by the Highways Agency, four rails are considered necessary to prevent livestock straying onto the road. Both spacing between the rails and the overall height are important. The likely cost of having to provide stock proofing by other means would exceed the saving in reducing the number of rails. Minimum Income Guarantee: Publicity Baroness Castle of Blackburn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the estimated cost for the current year of the proposed television advertising campaign to encourage pensioners to take up their entitlement to the minimum income guarantee; when the rest of the items in the campaign will be introduced, including the new free telephone claim service, the new teleclaims centre, the electronic claim form and the two million letters to pensioners; and at what cost respectively. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: A package in the region of £15 million has been allocated for a campaign to encourage pensioners to claim their minimum income guarantee. This budget covers the advertising activity, the mailing and the related services that are being introduced, including the new telephone claim service; teleclaims centre; and the electronic claim form. Of this budget, around £4 million is planned to be spent on advertising the campaign this year. The campaign will begin at the end of May when the first mailshot will start to issue, supported by television advertising. It is not possible to allocate costs respectively to each item as overall expenditure may fluctuate according to response. Agrimonetary Compensation Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether all agrimonetary compensation available to United Kingdom agriculture in the year 2000 will be taken up. Baroness Hayman: The Prime Minister announced on 30 March that £66 million in agrimonetary compensation would be paid to beef, sheep and dairy farmers for this year (£22 million for each sector). This is in addition to the £88 million which will be paid to beef, sheep and arable farmers if sterling maintains its current rate against the euro. The £22 million paid to dairy farmers comprises all the available compensation, both EU- and UK-funded, for the sector. In the case of the beef sector, a total of £54 million is available, 50 per cent EU- and 50 per cent UK-funded. We are taking up almost all the EU contribution. For sheepmeat, a total of £46 million (50 per cent. EU- and 50 per cent. UK-funded) is available; we are again paying almost all the EU contribution. No other optional UK-funded or EU/UK shared funding is being taken up. Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre Lord Stone of Blackheath: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have reached a decision on the future of Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: On 15 December 1999 we announced that we would be consulting on the future of Glenthorne Youth Treatment Centre, including its possible closure. That consultation has now been completed and we have considered the representations made to us by the staff of the centre and their representatives, by Members of Parliament, by local authorities and by others, especially those representing young people accommodated in the centre. The centre has made a valuable and important contribution to the treatment and care of some of the most difficult and disturbed young people in the past, and these representations have paid fitting tribute to that contribution. When the Youth Treatment Centres were first developed over 20 years ago, there were no comparable facilities for accommodating and treating such difficult and disturbed young people. Things have moved on considerably since then. Local councils have developed their own secure accommodation and have become skilled and experienced at dealing with young people requiring secure care, including young people like those accommodated in Glenthorne. In recent years, the Department of Health has undertaken a major expansion of local authority secure accommodation by providing an additional 170 places for young people. Providers in the voluntary and private sectors have also established their worth. In these circumstances, we have concluded that it is no longer appropriate for the department to run such a child care facility and that we should therefore withdraw from providing such a service. We have looked carefully at the option of someone taking over the centre as a going concern but, unfortunately, no suitable proposals have been put forward, and 18 of the 30 young people who were in the centre at the time of our announcement in December have been moved by their placing authorities to alternative facilities. The whole question of the financial viability of the centre is affecting the morale and welfare of both the staff and the children. It is, therefore, time to bring to an end the uncertainty which has inevitably existed over recent months. However, the welfare of the children currently placed in Glenthorne is of paramount importance and no decision will be taken on when the centre will finally close until suitable alternative placements have been found for them. The department will be working closely with the local authorities and the Prison Service to identify the most appropriate places. Once that transition has been achieved, the centre will close. The department will also be working closely with the departmental trade union side to identify posts elsewhere in the Civil Service to which some of the staff of the centre could be redeployed. However, given the specialist nature of some of the posts in the centre, redeployment may not be possible in all cases. In those instances, redundancy terms will apply. This has been a difficult time for the staff of the centre and we are grateful for the professional manner in which they have continued to conduct themselves. Channel Islands: Business Taxation Lord Waddington: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why they agreed to the European Union Code of Conduct Group on Business Taxation treating the Channel Islands as dependent territories of the United Kingdom. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The code of conduct which was agreed at the ECOFIN Council of 1 December 1997 notes that it is advisable that principles aimed at abolishing harmful tax measures should be adopted on as broad a geographical basis as possible. In particular, the code commits member states, within the framework of their constitutional arrangements, to ensuring that these principles are applied in their dependent or associated territories, which in the United Kingdom's case includes the Channel Islands. Northern Ireland Health and Social Services Trusts: Working Time Regulation 16 Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Health and Social Services Trusts in Northern Ireland have not implemented Regulation 16 of the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 (Payment in Respect of Periods of Annual Leave); and what are their reasons for not doing so. Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: No Health and Social Services Trust has fully implemented Regulation 16 of the Working Time Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998. Due to the complexity of this particular regulation, its implementation is being pursued through discussions between employing authorities and staff organisations on a regional basis. Northern Ireland: Extra NHS Funding Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the light of the extra funds for the National Health Service announced in the Budget which will go directly to National Health Service Trusts, how much of this funding is being allocated to Northern Ireland; which trusts are involved; and whether any of the money will be used for the relief of current debt. Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: Northern Ireland's share of the extra National Health Service funding announced by my right honourable friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer is £696 million. The extra allocations are £53 million in 2000-01, £82 million in 2001-02, £211 million in 2002-03 and £350 million in 2003-04. Mr Howarth, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health in Northern Ireland, has consulted a broad cross-section of health and personal social service interests on how these resources can best be targeted and will announce his decision shortly on the allocation of this year's additional resources.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-04-17a

Abortion Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 12 February on sex-selective abortions, whether they will examine the ratio of male to female births in a cross-section of postcodes and registration districts, including those districts where cultural factors may have led to sex-selective abortions; and whether they will draw to the attention of prosecuting authorities any instances of marked variation from normal male to female ratios. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 12 February on sex-selective abortions, whether they plan to introduce any educational initiatives to promote the right to life of an unborn girl and to challenge the belief that it is acceptable to perform abortions on the basis of gender. Earl Howe: The Chief Medical Officer has written to all doctors involved in abortion care on two occasions (23 February 2012 and 23 November 2013). Both letters stated that abortion on the grounds of gender alone is illegal. Given the large natural variation in gender ratios, large sample sizes are required to give tests of suitable power. Analysis for a cross-section of postcodes, particularly if further broken down by country of birth or ethnicity, is therefore not practical. It cannot be concluded from the available analysis that sex selective abortions are taking place. Any specific allegations about gender-selective abortions being undertaken will be reported to the police. Asylum Seekers Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total number of asylum applications that were undecided after 12 months, on the most recent date for which figures are available. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: At the end of November 2013, 4,886 asylum applications were pending an initial decision after 12 months. Of these, 3,634 were for main applicants. The figures provided are a subset of latest published statistics for applications received for asylum since April 2006 and published by the Home Office on a monthly basis. A copy of the latest release Monthly Asylum Applications November 2013 is available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/monthly-asylum-application-tables. Compensation: Personal Injury Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect to implement any revisions to the personal injury discount rate as a result of the research on that subject published in September 2013; and, if so, when. Lord Faulks: The discount rate is currently under review, and no decision has yet been taken on what the rate should be or how it should be set. This is a very complex issue, and the review is being taken forward on as timely a basis as possible. Crime: Weapons Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take to reduce the number of young people carrying weapons. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government's Ending Gang and Youth Violence programme supports local areas to tackle violence by young people, including the carrying and use of weapons. The Government is also strengthening legislation. In December 2012, a new offence of threatening someone with a knife in a public place or a school came into force. We plan to restrict the use of simple cautions for the most serious offences, including knife possession, through the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill. We are also strengthening firearms legislation by proposing an offence which targets criminals who supply guns, often to young people in street gangs. Education: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which individuals and bodies are charged with powers and responsibilities for (1) education, and (2) young people, in (a) Wales, (b) Scotland and (c) Northern Ireland, under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the Scotland Act 1998, and the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and what those powers and responsibilities are. Lord Nash: The Government of Wales 2006 Act provides that the National Assembly for Wales can make Acts in a number of fields including education and training and social welfare, as set out in Schedule 7 to the 2006 Act. The 2006 Act repealed Section 22 of the Government of Wales Act 1998. The Scotland Act 1998 devolved responsibility for education and child welfare issues to the Scottish Parliament. The Northern Ireland Act 1998 did not expressly charge any individuals or bodies with powers or responsibilities for education. Further details of the powers and responsibilities of the devolved administrations can be found on their websites. The Welsh Government website can be found at www.wales.gov.uk, the Scottish Government website at www.scotland.gov.uk, and the Northern Ireland Administration website at www.northernireland.gov.uk. Education: Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers and responsibilities the Secretary of State for Education is charged with in relation to (1) Welsh, (2) Scottish and (3) Northern Irish matters. Lord Nash: The Secretary of State for Education has responsibility for a small number of matters in relation to Wales. Schedule 7 to the Government of Wales Act 2006 specifies which matters, including education and training, are devolved to the Welsh Government, subject to certain exceptions such as research councils, intercountry adoption, the Children's Commissioner, and family law and proceedings. The Secretary of State also retains responsibility for the Teachers’ Pay and Pensions Document, which is produced in connection with the School Teachers' Pay and Conditions Order, made under section 122 of the Education Act 2002. The Secretary of State may also make regulations as regards teachers' pensions under Schedule 2 to the Public Service Pensions Act 2013 in, or as regards, England and Wales. The Scotland Act 1998 devolved responsibility for education to the Scottish Parliament. There is no reservation in Schedule 5 to the Scotland Act 1998 specifically relating to education. The Secretary of State has no powers or responsibilities in Northern Ireland. There are no excepted or reserved matters in these areas under the Northern Ireland Act 1998. Embryology: Animal Testing Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 5 February (WA 58), 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: The Government does not hold this information and has neither funded or licensed pronuclear transfer in non-human primates. Any research that might have been published in other countries will be available in scientific literature. Energy: Prices Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 5 February concerning energy prices (WA 60), whether they have any plans to reconsider their policy on how the current incentives for low carbon investments are delivered so that the costs of their climate change policy are paid by the wider community through taxation. Baroness Verma: As previously confirmed, the Government is committed to ensuring that energy bills remain affordable, and as part of this, the Government conducted a review of green levies over the autumn which culminated in a package of measures which has allowed energy companies to reduce average bills by around £50. The Government therefore has no plans to change the delivery method for low carbon incentives. Environment: Land Management Scheme Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the current work by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and Natural England on preparing the New Environmental Land Management Scheme will include maintaining and enhancing landscape character as a key priority alongside biodiversity and the improvement of water quality. Lord De Mauley: Defra is consulting delivery bodies and stakeholders to ensure that the new environmental land management scheme delivers against a range of environmental objectives and priorities, including landscape character. However, final decisions on priorities have yet to be taken. Environment: Land Management Scheme Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the New Environmental Land Management Scheme will be targeted towards maintaining and strengthening landscape character in the wider countryside and in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Lord De Mauley: Final decisions on priorities for funding landscape character and other objectives of the new environmental land management scheme have yet to be taken. However, the targeting framework being developed for the new scheme includes data from national character area assessments and from valued landscapes such as national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and heritage coasts. Environment: Land Management Scheme Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure equity of access by farmers in all areas of the countryside to the New Environmental Land Management Scheme. Lord De Mauley: All farmers in England will be able to apply for the new environmental land management scheme. However with both the “upper tier” and “mid-tier” elements of the new scheme being targeted to sites and areas which deliver priority environmental benefits, there will inevitably be fewer agreements than under the current Environmental Stewardship scheme. Consideration is being given to the range of capital and revenue options that are appropriate to achieve both the environmental gains we seek and provide access to the scheme. Environment: Land Management Scheme Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that within the operation of the New Environmental Land Management Scheme sufficient funding is available for managing and restoring hedgerows, dry-stone walls, historic sites, traditional farm buildings and for safeguarding key features that contribute to the improvement of the United Kingdom's landscapes. Lord De Mauley: The new Rural Development Programme will see us investing at least £3.5 billion in rural development schemes. We will spend a larger share of the rural development funding on the environment (87% compared to 83% in the previous Programme), with over £3 billion for agri-environment schemes over the life of the Programme. The new scheme will provide funding for a range of boundary, historic, and landscape options. We are also proposing to provide a universal small scale grant for a limited range of capital items including hedgerow laying, coppicing and gapping up, hedgerow trees, dry-stone wall restoration and repair and earth bank restoration and casting up. Environment: Village Greens Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect the status of village greens in England and Wales. Lord De Mauley: In England, the status of a registered town or village green is retained in perpetuity unless there is a successful application to de-register a green under the Commons Act 2006 or the High Court orders the register to be amended under section 14 of the Commons Registration Act 1965. The Welsh Government has jurisdiction for the law on town and village greens in Wales. Female Genital Mutilation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to revise the law on female genital mutilation in order to increase the number of prosecutions. Lord Faulks: The Government is committed to tackling and preventing female genital mutilation. We strongly support the action plan that the Director of Public Prosecutions has published with a view to bringing a successful prosecution for female genital mutilation. As part of that plan, the Director of Public Prosecutions has recently written to Ministers identifying possible ways in which the criminal law might be strengthened to make prosecutions for female genital mutilation more likely. The Government will give careful consideration to the areas identified. Flooding Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered making an application to the European Union Solidarity Fund in the light of the flooding in the Somerset Levels. Lord De Mauley: A number of eligibility criteria must be satisfied before an application for support from the European Union Solidarity Fund can be made. In the case of an incident on a national scale, the cost of damages must exceed three billion Euros. In principle, an application may be made to the fund for a regional incident, though this must meet separate criteria. The population of a given region under this scheme must be large and the event in question must affect the majority of the region’s population. The Government is currently considering all the avenues for collecting any money that might be available to assist with the floods. Government Departments: Payroll Services Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations the Ministry of Justice allows to receive payments by the use of payroll deduction facilities. Lord Faulks: The Ministry of Justice and its agencies (Her Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS), Office of the Public Guardian (OPG), Legal Aid Agency (LAA) and National Offender Management Service (NOMS) allow a total of 121 organisations to receive payments by use of payroll deduction facilities. These organisations include those which administer Payroll Giving (give as you earn), recognised Charities and Additional Voluntary Contribution Schemes (pension). These also include Childcare Voucher providers such as Fideliti, the contracted supplier for the department's salary sacrifice scheme, a number of benevolent funds and healthcare insurance providers including Benenden and Civil Service Healthcare and Trade Unions. MoJ and its agencies do not incur additional cost for the administration of payments through payroll deductions made on behalf of the organisations listed below. This service is part of the overall payroll service contracts. The full list of names of organisations which the Ministry and its agencies currently allowed to receive payments is set out in the table below: MoJ (excluding NOMS) NOMS HMRC Unite the Union Fideliti - Childcare vouchers Affinity Select Insurance (HLI) Attachment of Earning - Council Tax, Child Support, Fines Affinity Select Insurance (ASSS) Pension - Standard Life Health Shield (BHCA) Pension - Scottish Widows Benenden Health Pension - Scottish Equitable Birmingham Hospital (paid via BHCA Services) Pension - Prudential The Charity for Civil Servants Pension - NHS Civil Service Club Pension - Judicial Pension Civil Service Sports Council Pension - ETS Judicial Pension Frankland Prison Gym MoJ (excluding NOMS) NOMS Pension - Equitable Life POIS Insurance (formerly Family Assurance Friendly) Pension - AMP Corperate Pension Forester Health Pension - PCSPS GMB Union Direct Earning Attachments Glen Parva Fitness Club Pension - Parliamentary Contributions Home Office Sports & Social Accident Insurance Health Scheme Hull (paid via BHCA Services) ACE Insurance Healthsure (part of Simply Health) Benenden Healthcare Engage Mutual Insurance Birmingham Hospital Savings Fund Hospital Saturday Fund Bolton & District Hospital Saturday Fund Simply Health (formerly H S A) British Health Care Assoc Simply Health (formerly H S A) BUPA Prospect Union Busy Bees - Childcare Immigration Service Union Cash Box Credit Union Ltd Leeds Hospital Fund (part of Simply Health) Charitable Giving * Medicash (paid via BHCA Services) Civil Service Club Forester Cash Plan Colliton Club PCS Union Commercial Union Assurance Prison Service Leisure Association Credit Union Portland Fitness Gym Civil Service Healthcare Premier Health (paid via BHCA Services Civil Service Sports Council Police Credit Union CSO Sports and Social Sovereign Health (paid via BHCA Services) CSSC Sports and Leisure Club Sovereign Health (paid via BHCA Services) Department for Education and Science Sports Friends Life (formerly AXA Sunlife) Diplomatic Service Assn TGWU Union Department of Education Recreational Association UCATT Union DTC Wakefield Health & Fitness Gym First Division Association Welsh Hospital (paid via BHCA Services Foresters Health Care Westfield Health (paid via BHCA Services) Gala Subs Wetherby Fitness Club GAYE GMBTU Healthsure Group Manchester Home Owners Fund Hospital Saturday Fund MoJ (excluding NOMS) NOMS Humbers Cont Health Scheme (Hull) Ind Ortho Manor HO Hosp KOPAL PUR VILLAGE AID (UK) Leeds Hospital Fund LOTTERY Manchester & Salford Hospital Saturday Fund Medicash Mercia Health Merseyside Health Benefit Club NAW Sports & Social Club PO Assurance Ltd Pois Premier Health Scheme Private Medical Insurance Prospect Public & Commercial Services Union Scottish Benevolent Fund Simply health Crown Plan Sodexho Pass (Childcare Vouchers) Sov Health Care Health Plan Stewardship Sun Life Assurance Co The Charity for Civil Servants UK CS Benefit Soc UK Temp & Gen Provident Inst UNISON UNUM Accident Insurance Welsh Health Authority Welsh Hospitals Westfield Health Scheme WO Health & Fitness Centre Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what legal basis general medical practitioners can provide patients’ personal and confidential medical records to a central authority without specific consent from each patient. Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 (section 259) creates a statutory obligation for health service bodies including GP practices to disclose information to the Health and Social Care Information Centre where they are directed to do so. Routine data collections do not require specific consent, although patients may request for their information not to be disclosed under an “opt out” system. Any data collected without patient consent will be anonymised. Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what legal basis general medical practitioners may be struck off for failing to provide patients’ personal and confidential medical records to a central authority without specific consent from each patient. Earl Howe: Guidance on confidentiality from the General Medical Council is clear that doctors should disclose patient information to satisfy the Health and Social Care Act 2012 statutory requirements. Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the annual capital and revenue costs of establishing and maintaining an organisation to collect, manage and consider dispersal and strategic usage of patients’ personal and confidential medical records. Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) was set up as an Executive Non Departmental Public Body (ENDPB) in April 2013. The HSCIC’s primary strategic function is to collect and disseminate data and information and manage certain core NHS infrastructure programmes on behalf of the Department. The Health and Social Care Information Centre's budget for 2013-14 is Grant in Aid in respect of cash revenue expenditure of £162 million, Grant in Aid in respect of non-cash revenue expenditure of £11 million, and capital funding of £14.5 million. Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the removal of patients’ names from their personal and confidential medical records while retaining their postcodes is considered to be an adequate guarantee of anonymity. Earl Howe: There are very strict rules about what information the Health and Social Care Information Centre can release to the National Health Service and to outside organisations. Postcodes are not included in the release of anonymous data. Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so how, they have reconciled the centralisation of patients’ personal and confidential medical records with existing university and medical research requirements. Earl Howe: In the UK Life Sciences Strategy, launched in 2011, the Government established Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) to provide access to anonymised patient information for medical research and the university sector. The access to patient anonymised records is supported by the Health and Social Care Information Centre, who work with CPRD. 'Care.Data' will provide access to a greater number of anonymised patient records and greater depth of information for researchers to use in conducting life sciences research, via CPRD. Therefore, access by medical research and universities will not change, but the range of data will be increased. Health: Patient Records Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much new funding they intend to give existing university and medical research institutions as a result of centralisation of patients’ personal and confidential medical records. Earl Howe: Patients' personal medical records are not being centralised. Academic researchers will continue to bid for funding from established sources. Human Trafficking Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek representations from the “Shine A Light on Trafficking Humans” group at Sandbach High School and Sixth Form College in advance of the introduction of the Modern Slavery Bill; and what plans they have to encourage more schools to educate students about human trafficking. Lord Nash: I applaud the pupils of this school for their campaigning work against human trafficking. Two groups of pupils from the school have written to the Home Secretary on this issue, in December 2013 and January 2014, and the Home Office has noted their helpful views. Schools can teach about human trafficking as part of their overall curriculum. For example, it could be included in citizenship education or in personal, social, health and economic education (PSHE). The key stage 4 programme of study for citizenship requires schools to teach about human rights and international law, and human trafficking would be a suitable topic. Immigration Baroness Hamwee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement on the UK Border Agency website regarding the financial requirement applying to a person wishing to come to, or stay in, the United Kingdom as the partner of a British citizen or settled person that “you will be exempt from the new financial requirement if your sponsor receives a specified disability-related benefit or carer’s allowance in the United Kingdom. You will need to show that your sponsor can maintain and accommodate you without access to public funds”, why Incapacity Benefit or Employment Support Allowance do not qualify for exemption; and what benefits do qualify. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The benefits which exempt an applicant from the new financial requirement for sponsoring a spouse or partner and dependent children of non-European Economic Area nationality to settle in the UK under the family Immigration Rules include: Disability Living Allowance, Severe Disablement Allowance, Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit, Attendance Allowance, Carer's Allowance, Personal Independence Payment, Armed Forces Independence Payment, Guaranteed Income Payment under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme, Constant Attendance Allowance, Mobility Supplement and War Disablement Pension under the War Pensions Scheme. Incapacity Benefit and Employment Support Allowance are not included in the list of specified benefits because they are not paid solely as a result of an individual's disability or responsibility for a person in receipt of a disability-related benefit. Immigration Bill Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Home Office consulted the Department for Education and the Charity Commission about the impact of the Immigration Bill on charities; and if not, why not. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: During the development of the Immigration Bill there have been and continue to be many discussions across government departments including with Department for Education. Furthermore, several of the key elements in the Bill were subject to public consultation including proposals relating to migrant access to health, private rented accommodation, illegal working and family migration. A significant proportion of respondents were charities. There were also further discussions with individual charities that had an interest in specific parts of the Bill. It has not therefore been necessary to consult directly with the Charity Commission, which was able to participate in the public consultations along with any other organisation which wished to do so. Intelligence and Security Committee Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Intelligence and Security Committee has made arrangements to visit any United States base in the United Kingdom in the past 24 months. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The ISC does not comment on the detail of its work programme. Law: Jurisdiction Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances the taking up of arms abroad by a British subject does or does not expose that person to prosecution under United Kingdom law. Lord Faulks: In order for prosecution to be possible, the conduct involved will need to amount to an offence if committed in the UK and the courts will require jurisdiction to hear the case. There are a number of offences which could be justiciable in England and Wales arising from a British subject taking up arms overseas. These offences include murder, treason, torture and terrorist offences. Legal Aid Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of legal aid funding for legal representation of individuals is spent in respect of individuals who do not hold any previous convictions. Lord Faulks: The Legal Aid Agency does not record whether recipients of legal aid hold previous convictions. There is no legal or business requirement for the agency to hold prior conviction information. In the consideration of legal aid eligibility the agency assesses a person's overall financial circumstances. I am therefore unable to provide the figures requested. National Probation Service: Staff Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether probation staff have been consulted, and their agreement sought, regarding decisions to allocate them to the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have consulted the relevant trade unions regarding the allocation of staff to either the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether probation staff have rights of appeal against decisions made to allocate them to the National Probation Service or a community rehabilitation company. Lord Faulks: The National Agreement on Staff Transfer and Protections, which we published on 13 November 2013, sets out the principles for transitioning probation staff into the new National Probation Service and Community Rehabilitation Companies. Probation staff were consulted on this document prior to its publication, and the document has been ratified by the National Negotiating Council and the Standing Committee for Chief Officer Grades and endorsed by the Ministry of Justice and National Offender Management Service. The National Agreement offers a very good deal to existing staff, demonstrating our commitment to fairness and providing certain guarantees to staff at the point of transfer. Staffs have been assigned to the new organisations by automatic assignment where a role remains substantially unchanged at the point of transfer. Where an existing role spreads across functions transferring to both of the new organisations, i.e. the National Probation Service (NPS) and a Community Rehabilitation Company (CRC), staff in those roles were invited to express an interest in working for either the NPS or CRC. All staff have now been assigned to posts in the new structure. They are able to appeal against the decision in line with the criteria set out in the National Agreement. NHS: Black and Minority Ethnic Managers Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many black and minority ethnic managers are employed in each of the three top grades of NHS England and on the Board at executive or non-executive level of NHS England. Earl Howe: NHS England advises that it is currently undergoing a refresh of its equality and diversity data, which includes all grades. To this end, all its staff have been asked to update their information including, if they are willing to do so, self-classifying their ethnicity, in keeping with provisions of the Equality Act 2010. The completion rate of the refresh currently exceeds 80% and is scheduled to be concluded by 31 March 2014. In line with Cabinet Office guidance we do not publish details about individuals' protected characteristics. Given the small numbers of Board members we could not disclose the results of our monitoring, or NHS England's monitoring, without infringing the rights of the individuals concerned. Our data is included in broader data on appointments by ethnic minority background, role, and body, which have been published by the Commissioner for Public Appointments in the Annual Survey of Ministerial Appointments and Reappointments to the Boards of Public Bodies Regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. This is available at: http://publicappointmentscommissioner. independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/130624-Final-OCPA-Statistics-2012-13.pdf NHS: Black and Minority Ethnic Nurses Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 10 February (HL Deb, col 406), when the strategy on the career progression of black and minority ethnic nurses will be completed; and whether it will be published. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of institutional racism in the wider representation of black and minority ethnic nurses amongst executive directors of nursing in the National Health Service. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the membership of the Chief Nursing Officers Black and Minority Ethnic Advisory Group; how many times it met in 2011, 2012 and 2013; and whether its reports are circulated to (1) ministers, and (2) NHS England Board Members. Earl Howe: The Chair of the Chief Nursing Officers (CNO) Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Advisory Group has set up a BME Leadership Strategy Group to develop a BME Leadership Strategy. It plans to publish and implement the strategy later this year. The strategy has a strong focus on support and development for BME staff with the aim to improve services and workplaces that are equitable where everyone feels that they count. Workforce diversity across all occupations and grades in the National Health Service is a priority. This is not about quotas but it is fundamentally about bringing the best resources to leadership, culture, innovation, ethics and behaviour, thus creating a workforce that has shared values represented by a wide range of perspectives. To help the NHS perform well on equality, and build on its considerable achievements, the NHS Equality and Diversity Council, working with the NHS, designed an Equality Delivery System for the NHS which was formally launched in November 2011. Following an evaluation, a refresh of the Equality Delivery System for the NHS, known as “EDS2” was published in November 2013. The EDS2 toolkit is designed to support NHS commissioners and providers to deliver better outcomes for all patients and communities. It does so by asking NHS organisations to monitor their equality performance jointly with their patients, communities and staff, in regard to each of the nine characteristics given protection under the Equality Act 2010, including race (ethnic or national origins). The CNO BME Advisory Group consists of 25 core members and 65 affiliated members representing Senior Nurses and Midwives in the NHS and independent organisations, and educationalists. The Group meets bi-monthly (6 times a year) and has done since its establishment in 2001. The CNO attends some of the meetings herself and minutes of meetings are sent to the CNO; they are not sent to Ministers. Key outcomes and actions are fed back to the NHS Equality and Diversity Council meetings, the Nurse Leadership Programme Board and internal Executive meetings. Offenders: Re-offending Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long they estimate an assessment of an offender will take when the Risk of Serious Recidivism calculator is used. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether probation staff will be able to make requests for information to assist them in completing the extended version of the Risk of Serious Recidivism assessment. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the National Probation Service is expected to identify risk factors indicating that a case should not be allocated to a community rehabilitation company. Lord Faulks: Public protection is at the heart of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. The National Probation Service will be responsible for the direct management of those offenders who pose the highest risk of serious harm to the public and who have committed the most serious offences. Offenders who are deemed to pose a medium and low risk will be managed by a Community Rehabilitation Company. Every offender will be risk assessed prior to allocation to any probation provider and also upon leaving prison; this will be reviewed when there are indicators that their risk of serious harm to the public has increased to high. The Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) predictor will be used both to aid case allocation and also to support the assessment of the risk of serious harm, both at point of sentence, and, in ongoing offender management. The length of time taken to make an assessment of the offender's risk of serious harm will depend on a variety of factors which probation staff will need to consider. As is the case now, probation staff will be able to seek information on previous convictions and current offence, and will have access to details about offenders previously subject to supervision as well as intelligence from the police, and any specialist reports requested by the Courts. Access to such information will be available when an offender is interviewed, where an extended version of the risk assessment tool will be used which records information collected from the offender during that interview. Offenders: Re-offending Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publish any research relied upon in the decision to introduce the Risk of Serious Recidivism calculator to probation work. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Risk of Serious Recidivism calculator will be quality-assured and peer-reviewed. Lord Faulks: Public protection is at the heart of the Transforming Rehabilitation reforms. In order to assist with the risk assessment of offenders, we have developed a Risk of Serious Recidivism (RSR) predictor which uses the same analytical approach as our existing predictors OGRS and the OASys Violence Predictor (OVP). This is an established methodology subject to quality assurance and peer review. The predictor has been thoroughly tested with a number of Trusts and has been shown to be a strong predictor of seriously reoffending. Pensions Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they, or any pension schemes underwritten or directed by trustees appointed by them, including the National Employment Savings Trust, have shareholdings in Barclays Bank; and whether they will advise or direct them on how to exercise their vote on the bank's remuneration policy. Lord Deighton: Within the public sector there are a large number of pension schemes which operate under a wide range of differing governance models, depending on their level of independence from central government, legislative basis and their funding arrangements. The majority of the schemes which are funded (i.e. those that maintain real assets) are subject to the general requirements of DWP pensions legislation, and the regulatory and governance structures which that imposes. For those which are not subject to these rules, similar procedures and rules are generally put in place. It is therefore for the trustees of those individual schemes to ensure that they are operating within these structures and that their roles as shareholders, where these exist, are exercised appropriately. As with all trust based schemes, responsibility for investment decisions for the National Employment Savings Trust lies with the trustee. The Government does not, therefore, have a central record of individual schemes' asset portfolios. Police: Private Prosecutions Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 11 February (HL 5237), indicating that information is not held centrally about whether any of the United Kingdom's police forces have entered into agreements like that of Virgin and the Metropolitan Police whereby compensation recovered following private prosecutions was to be shared, whether they will now seek such information, having regard to the concerns expressed by the Lord Chief Justice; and, if not, why not. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are able to accept funds from private companies under section 93 of the Police Act 1996. The decision as to whether to accept funds is properly a matter for the relevant PCC and Chief Constable, and as such is an operational matter for the Police. It is for this reason that the Government does not hold information as to whether any such agreements have been entered into by PCCs. However, as I said in response to the Noble Lord's Oral Question on 4 February 2014, Official Report, columns 92-94, we will be revising the guidance to PCCs in due course, and will make it clear that these sorts of arrangements should not be entered into. Prisons: HMP Norwich Baroness Stern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes they have made to HMP Norwich in the light of the conclusions of HM Chief Inspector of Prisons on 29 January that A Wing was not safe and that the issues needed to be addressed as a matter of urgency. Lord Faulks: Action has been and is being taken to improve safety on A Wing at HMP Norwich. HMP Norwich now has extra staff from HMP Blundeston (following this prison's closure), so the prison is now fully staffed. This has allowed HMP Norwich to improve the supervision of prisoners and deal more effectively with incidents of violence and anti-social behaviour. Wing staff have a particularly challenging role as they are responsible for caring for a diverse population of prisoners, and additional managers have now been placed onto this unit to support front line work. This will result in significant improvement in the care of new arrivals at the prison and those taking part in substance misuse interventions. The new Safer Custody Manager and the Head of Residence and Safety at HMP Norwich are working closely with their teams and partner agency to improve safety, care and decency within the prison. Particular focus is being given to the effective identification and support of prisoners that are at risk of harming themselves. This includes a determined management push to improve the quality of ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) care plans and management. The National Offender Management Service (NOMS) is comprehensively reviewing how we manage violence in prisons with a view to introducing further improvements to ensure prisons are safer places for everyone. This will provide Governors with the tools to create safer prison environments and to help reduce re-offending. Quangos and Non-governmental Organisations Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 7 February (WA 90) regarding the proportion of chairpersons of quangos and non-governmental organisations with party political affiliations or sympathies, whether they will now publish a copy of that information in the Official Report. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Commissioner for Public Appointments’ Annual Survey of Ministerial Appointments and Reappointments to the Boards of Public Bodies can be found on the Commissioner’s website: http://publicappointmentscommissioner. independent.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/130624-Final-OCPA-Statistics-2012-13.pdf Copies are also available in the Library of the House. Questions for Written Answer Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 3 February (WA 7), whether they will now answer the question. Baroness Verma: DECC Ministers regularly meet with energy supply companies to discuss a range of energy issues. Electricity prices for household consumers are a commercial matter for the companies concerned. Therefore, it would not be appropriate for Government to intervene in the setting of electricity price paid by customers who are not on dual fuel because they do not have access to the gas grid. Scotland: Block Grants Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total amount of the latest block grant transferred by HM Treasury to Scotland; and what consideration they have given to whether that block grant will continue in the event of Scotland becoming an independent nation. Lord Deighton: The 2013/14 block grant to Scotland was £26,433.7m for Resource DEL and £2914.2m for Capital DEL. The Government position is clear: our priority remains reducing the deficit and ensuring a secure economic future for the whole of the UK economy. Any change to the current system and the Barnett formula must await the stabilisation of the public finances. If Scotland votes to become an independent country the Barnett Formula, and therefore the block grant, would no longer apply to Scotland. Sellafield Baroness Howarth of Breckland: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to use the international benchmark to identify best practice and wider commercial expertise that will augment the current Sellafield consortium's capability and capacity to secure Sellafield nuclear decommissioning objectives. Baroness Verma: Nuclear Management Partners (NMP) and Sellafield Ltd employ a wide range of benchmarking processes, both internally through the international breadth of experience offered by the parent companies (URS, Amec and Areva) and through UK and international independent bodies. Since NMP took over management of the site, Sellafield Ltd has become a member of both WANO (World Association of Nuclear Operators) and INPO (Institute of Nuclear Power Operators), both of which provide extensive benchmarking. While benchmarking is employed wherever possible, the unique challenges and complexity at Sellafield mean that some of the projects require technology and engineering that is the first of its kind. Taxation Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many taxpayers were in each tax band above the basic rate of income tax in each of the past five financial years; and what was the corresponding tax rate for each of those bands in each year. Lord Deighton: The estimate of the number of taxpayers liable above the basic rate of income tax is published in the HMRC National Statistics publications at table 2.1 which is available from the following address: http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/statistics/tax-statistics/table2-1.pdf These estimates are based on the Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) outturn data up to 2011-12, and then projected to 2013-14 in line with the Office for Budget Responsibility's December 2013 economic and fiscal outlook. Table 1: Income tax band rates for earnings above the basic rate: Tax Year Higher rate Additional Rate 2009-10 40% N/A 2010-11 40% 50% 2011-12 40% 50% 2012-13 40% 50% 2013-14 40% 45% Thames Tideway Tunnel Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what communications they have had with the European Commission on the need for state aid clearance for the contracts for the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Lord De Mauley: Thames Water Utilities Ltd is the project sponsor for the Thames Tideway Tunnel, with responsibility for procuring the main Tunnel construction contracts and also the Infrastructure Provider contract if the project is specified in due course under the Water Industry (Specified Infrastructure Projects) (English Undertakers) Regulations 2013, known as the “SIP Regulations”. There are unlikely to be state aid implications from these contracts, as they will be procured by the private sector in accordance with the relevant European legislation. The Government has said it is willing to provide contingent financial support for the project, the details of which are being discussed between Government departments and Ofwat. As part of this work, Government is in contact with the European Commission to clarify what, if any, state aid implications there might be in providing a financial support package. Transforming Rehabilitation Lord Carlile of Berriew: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the public sector equality duty will apply to the Transforming Rehabilitation agenda. Lord Faulks: In line with the Government's duties under the Equality Act 2010, the potential equality impacts of the Transforming Rehabilitation reform programme are being considered by the Ministry of Justice. The new public sector National Probation Service (NPS) will be part of the National Offender Management Service, an agency of the Ministry of Justice, which is a public authority for the purposes of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. As such the NPS will be required to conduct its operations in full compliance with this legislation. Many of the functions performed by the Community Rehabilitation Companies (CRCs) will be public in nature, such as the supervision of offenders in the community. In exercising these functions the CRCs will also be obliged to comply with the requirements of the Human Rights Act 1998 and the Equality Act 2010. As part of their response to the Transforming Rehabilitation competition, the owners of the CRCs will provide details of their intended approach to meeting these requirements and these commitments will be enforced through the contract management process. Violence Against Women and Girls Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve information for migrants and practitioners so that victims of violence against women and girls, including those subjected to genital mutilation, receive the treatment they need and offenders are prosecuted. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: In 2012 the Home Office worked in partnership with Southall Black Sisters to publish a leaflet for black and minority ethnic women at risk of domestic abuse called Three Steps to Escaping Domestic Violence. The leaflet provides advice on so-called “honour”-based violence, female genital mutilation, forced marriage, dowry abuse, domestic and sexual abuse, and offered advice for those having no recourse to public funds. It has been distributed through organisations working with vulnerable women and girls, including migrants. As part of a concerted drive to end female genital mutilation (FGM), the Home Office has also distributed over 40,000 copies of a “Statement Opposing FGM” leaflet, setting out the law and criminal penalties that can be used against those who facilitate FGM. The leaflet is available in twelve languages. Violence Against Women and Girls Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I refer the Noble Baroness to the answer given on 11 December 2013, Official Report, column WA125. Visas Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will adjust minimum income requirements for persons settled in the United Kingdom to sponsor family members to enter or remain in the United Kingdom to equate with the Living Wage and regional variations of it. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government has no plans to adjust the minimum income threshold for spouse or partner visa applications to equate with the Living Wage or regional variations of it. The level of the income threshold, which was set in the light of advice from the independent Migration Advisory Committee, reflects the level of income at which a couple, once settled in the UK, generally cannot access income-related benefits. The income threshold therefore prevents family migrants becoming a burden on the taxpayer and helps to ensure that they are well enough supported to integrate effectively in British society.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2014-02-25a

Lord Rooker: The information requested is set out in the table below: Reptiles imported into the UK from within the European Union Reptiles imported into the UK from outside the European Union 2006 1,470 178,244 Source: TRACES EU-wide system for recording imports Imports of reptiles are not recorded as "wild caught", "captive bred" or "ranched". Lord Rooker: The information requested is set out in the table below: Reptiles imported into the EU from outside the European Union 2005 1,613,842 Source: European Community, Eurostat database system for recording imports Imports of reptiles are not recorded as "wild caught", "captive bred" or "ranched". Lord Rooker: The information requested is set out in the table below: Birds imported into the EU from outside the European Union. 2005 139,334 Source: European Community, Eurostat database system for recording imports Imports of birds are not recorded as "wild-caught", "captive bred" or "ranched". There is no requirement to do so. Lord Rooker: The information requested is set out in the table below: Birds imported into the UK from within the European Union Birds imported into the UK from outside the European Union 2006 154,537 54 Source: TRACES EU-wide system for recording imports The birds imported from countries outside the EU were for conservation purposes. Imports of birds are not recorded as "wild-caught", "captive bred" or "ranched". There is no requirement to do so. Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information is not available in the format requested. Ward level data are not available prior to November 1999. The available information is in the table. Incapacity Benefit and Severe Disablement Allowance claimants in Manchester City Council wards at May each year Ward 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Ardwick 1,400 1,450 1,335 1,340 1,355 1,375 1,335 Baguley 1,035 1,080 1,085 1,080 1,085 1,080 1,045 Barlow Moor 1,040 995 1,040 1,040 1,040 1,040 965 Benchill 1,350 1,400 1,405 1,400 1,420 1,410 1,385 Beswick and Clayton 1,355 1,405 1,365 1,330 1,350 1,390 1,330 Blackley 1,300 1,305 1,310 1,260 1,220 1,250 1,215 Bradford 1,330 1,350 1,365 1,315 1,310 1,285 1,225 Brooklands 1,000 1,030 1,035 1,035 1,035 1,030 990 Burnage 1,075 1,070 1,060 1,050 1,050 1,090 1,085 Central 1,410 1,425 1,350 1,340 1,370 1,375 1,355 Charlestown 1,355 1,405 1,365 1,355 1,365 1,395 1,365 Cheetham 1,520 1,515 1,470 1,470 1,495 1,515 1,470 Chorlton 760 740 715 685 670 635 620 Crumpsall 1,245 1,210 1,225 1,190 1,175 1,165 1,125 Didsbury 470 475 485 475 480 480 460 Fallowfield 890 940 960 945 935 955 935 Gorton North 1,135 1,220 1,200 1,240 1,230 1,245 1,185 Gorton South 1,205 1,265 1,255 1,220 1,260 1,220 1,200 Harpurhey 1,610 1,615 1,600 1,640 1,655 1,645 1,640 Hulme 985 1,040 1,090 1,080 1,070 1,070 1,075 Levenshulme 935 920 875 855 860 885 825 Lightbowne 1,270 1,265 1,225 1,190 1,200 1,150 1,105 Longsight 1,500 1,485 1,415 1,460 1,445 1,420 1,375 Moss Side 1,240 1,245 1,305 1,240 1,250 1,270 1,195 Moston 1,080 1,100 1,080 1,065 1,085 1,090 1,035 Newton Heath 1,430 1,480 1,475 1,510 1,575 1,555 1,535 Northenden 1,050 1,095 1,065 1,060 1,075 1,030 1,010 Old Moat 1,005 1,055 1,015 995 990 975 960 Rusholme 840 855 840 880 890 895 865 Sharston 885 895 925 885 900 895 890 Whalley Range 955 1,000 995 980 970 945 905 Withington 600 580 580 560 555 530 510 Woodhouse Park 1,070 1,095 1,075 1,095 1,090 1,105 1,070 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest five. Some additional disclosure control has also been applied.2. Figures include incapacity benefit, severe disablement allowance and incapacity benefit credits-only cases.3. All figures are for ward boundaries as at 2003 Source: DWP Information Directorate WPLS

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2007-01-25a

Agriculture: Genetic Modification The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice on genetic modification, and from whom, the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) sought, and (2) was given, prior to making his statements on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme and his speech at Rothamsted Research on 20 June. Lord De Mauley: The Secretary of State's recent statements and speech were based on a general understanding of a broad and varied range of available evidence on genetically modified (GM) crops, as well as some examples of specific impacts. Ministers receive scientific advice on the safety of proposed GM crops from the independent Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment, and the European Food Safety Authority also provides independent advice on GM products being assessed for possible EU approval. Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of reports of moderate to severe allergic reactions of agricultural workers when exposed only to Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) cotton in Impact of Bt Cotton on Farmers’ Health (in Barwani and Dhar District of Madhya Pradesh) by Ashish Gupta et al. Lord De Mauley: The Government believes that the findings reported in 2006 by Ashish Gupta et al should be treated with some caution. The report is based on interviews with a small number of farm workers and does not support a reliable conclusion that the symptoms described were due to exposure to Bt cotton. This is in a context where Bt cotton has been grown by millions of farmers around the world, including seven million in India alone, and we are not aware of any substantiated evidence of a problem with allergic reactions. A number of studies have indicated that the cultivation of Bt cotton has had a positive effect on the health of farm workers, because it has meant fewer incidents of accidental pesticide poisoning. Banking: Remittance Transfers Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received following the decision of Barclays Bank to close the accounts of Dahabshiil Transfer Services Ltd and companies involved in the secure transfer of remittances from the United Kingdom to family members in developing countries; and what action they are taking in response. Lord Deighton: Following the decision by a number of banks, both nationally and internationally to withdraw banking services from many of the smaller firms in the money service business sector, including the most recent decision by Barclays, ministers and officials have received a number of representations from affected Money Service Businesses and other interested parties. The Government is committed to supporting a healthy and legitimate remittance sector, and to ensuring that UK citizens are able to continue to remit funds safely to family abroad. As such, work has been underway for some time on addressing and reducing risk in this area but we recognise that there is more to do. We do not know yet what the impact of market restructuring in this sector will be. The Government is committed to doing everything it can to minimise any negative impact on individuals and businesses in the UK and on developing countries that rely on remittances from abroad. The Government will assess the impact of market restructuring on developing countries and working with private sector and aid partners to mitigate negative repercussions. We commit to working with all the relevant authorities to look urgently at concerns expressed by several of the UK's leading high street banks around the structural features of the sector and the money laundering and terrorist financing risks this poses to the UK and the global financial system. Burma Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the British Ambassador to Burma has raised issues concerning the recruitment of underage soldiers with representatives of the government of Burma and its military; and if so, how many times this issue has been raised, and what has been the response of the government of Burma to those concerns. Baroness Warsi: Our Ambassador has not raised the issue of child soldiers specifically with the Burmese government or military; however, he frequently raises the wide range of human rights issues, including that of forced labour, with senior members of the Burmese government. I refer the noble lady to my previous answers of 15 July on Burma, Official report, Columns WA78-79. Children: Sexually Explicit Material Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is being done to ensure that their work on children's safety on the internet is being relayed to all parents including those who may not be computer literate or have access to a computer. Lord Nash: The Government believes that law enforcement organisations, internet industries and charities are best placed to advise parents and children how to stay safe online. That is why the Government is working through the UK Council for Child Internet Safety (UKCCIS) which brings together government, internet industries, children and parenting charities and experts to help parents keep their children safe online. Many UKCCIS members such as Vodafone, BT and Microsoft are working with specialists to ensure a wide range of parents, including those that are less technically knowledgeable, can access help and guidance. Projects include BT professionals offering parents sessions on internet safety in schools and Microsoft sponsoring an outreach programme to encourage parents to talk to their children about internet safety. Through UKCCIS, the biggest internet service providers have committed to launch a multi-million awareness campaign aimed at parents in the New Year. Conflict, Stability and Security Fund Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which activities will be covered under the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund; at what interval those activities will be reported to Parliament; and how the breakdown in spending will be reported to Parliament. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund will support the Building Stability Overseas Strategy. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund will contribute to upstream conflict prevention. Baroness Northover: The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) will become operational in Financial Year 2015-16 with a budget of £1billion. The National Security Council will govern the CSSF, bringing a more strategic cross-Government approach to resource allocation to help prevent conflict and tackle the risks to UK interests that arise from instability overseas. It will bring together existing conflict resources (the Conflict Pool and the Peacekeeping Budget) with additional resources from across Government. The CSSF will build on the success of the Conflict Pool, a key resource for delivering the Building Stability Overseas Strategy, by bringing together defence, diplomatic, development, security and intelligence capabilities. Details of agreed resource allocations and spending priorities will be notified to Parliament. The Cabinet Office is leading a cross-Government project to ensure the new fund and supporting structures implement the National Security Council’s priorities. Courts: Rolls Building Lord Thomas of Gresford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the facilities in the new Rolls Building of the High Court of Justice for (1) fire safety, (2) sanitation, (3) air conditioning, and (4) court facilities and services. Lord McNally: The Rolls Building is a world leading venue for dispute resolution, and has state of the art facilities. The Ministry of Justice is determined the building will be maintained to the highest standards, and has, to this end, raised a number of minor issues with the landlord in accordance with the terms of the lease and work is planned to resolve these issues shortly. Regular user meeting and court user surveys are undertaken in the Rolls Building. The building, its facilities and the administration are regular agenda items to ensure that the building continues to operate efficiently. Education: GCSEs Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each year since 2003, (1) how many, and (2) what proportion of, 16 year-olds did not achieve an A* to C grade at GCSE in English and mathematics; and what proportion of those went on to enrol at a further education college. Lord Nash: The table below provides estimates of the number and proportion of 16 year olds not achieving an A* to C grade at GCSE in English and mathematics since 2002/2003. Year Number Proportion 2002/03 343,000 59.7% 2003/04 348,000 58.7% 2004/05 332,000 56.7% 2005/06 329,000 55.1% 2006/07 323,000 53.5% 2007/08 309,000 51.5% 2008/09 285,000 49.1% 2009/10 266,000 45.3% 2010/11 244,000 42.4% The proportion of these enrolling at a further education college for the following academic year is shown in the table below. Year Further education college School 6th form 6th form college Other institution or training Total 2002/03 36.1% 16.5% 5.7% 19.1% 77.5% 2003/04 37.5% 16.3% 5.7% 18.7% 78.1% 2004/05 39.2% 16.2% 5.7% 17.8% 78.9% 2005/06 41.8% 17.2% 5.4% 16.9% 81.3% 2006/07 43.6% 17.6% 5.3% 17.6% 84.1% 2007/08 47.3% 18.4% 5.5% 15.8% 87.0% 2008/09 50.0% 19.9% 5.9% 15.6% 91.4% 2009/10 51.2% 18.5% 5.4% 15.5% 90.7% 2010/11 52.2% 17.6% 5.3% 15.9% 91.0% The figures relate to young people who were in the state sector in year 11 (15 at the start of the academic year, 31st August). Education: Missing Children Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the revised statutory guidance concerning children missing from education has been published. Lord Nash: The Government plans to publish the final statutory guidance on children missing from education in the autumn. Employed and Self-employed Workers Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the United Kingdom are (1) employed, and (2) self-employed. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in the United Kingdom (1) over 65, (2) over 70, (3) over 75, and (4) over 80, are (a) employed, and (b) self-employed. 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 Marlesford, dated July 2012 As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking i) how many people in the United Kingdom are (1) employed. and (2) self-employed HL1590 and ii) how many people in the United Kingdom (1) over 65, (2) over 70, (3) over 75, and (4) over 80, are (a) employed. and (b) self-employed. HL1591 The table attached shows Labour Force Survey (LFS) estimates for the period January to March 2013. The estimates for the total number of people employed and self-employed are published in the monthly Labour Market Statistical Bulletin and are provided both on a seasonally adjusted and non-seasonally adjusted basis. The age group breakdowns are only available on a non-seasonally adjusted basis Estimates of people aged 80 and over are not available. however due to being of insufficient quality as a result of the small sample size. As with any sample survey. estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. Indications of the quality of the estimates provided are given in the table. Thousands, not seasonally adjusted (unless stated) Total in employment1 Employee Self-employed All aged 65 and over 985* 596** 352** All aged 70 and over 307** 147*** 138*** All aged 75 and over 96*** -**** 56*** All aged 80 and over -**** -**** -**** Total (all aged 16 and over) 29,600* 25,177* 4,166* Total (all aged 16 and over) (seasonally adjusted) 29,708* 25,280* 4,176* Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS) Estimates by age are not mutually exclusive - Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes 1 Includes, in addition to employees & self-employed, unpaid family workers & those on government supported training & employment programmes who are under 65. Guide to Quality: The Coefficient of Variation (CV) indicates the quality of an estimate, the smaller the CV value the higher the quality. The true value is likely to lie within +/- twice the CV - for example, for an estimate of 200 with a CV of 5% we would expect the population total to be within the range 180-220. KEY Coefficient of Variation (CV) (%) Statistical Robustness * 0 ≤ CV < 5 Estimates are considered precise. ** 5 = CV < 10 Estimates are considered reasonably precise. *** 10 ≤ CV < 20 Estimates are considered acceptable. **** CV ≥ 20 Estimates are considered too unreliable for practical purposes Employment: Youth Employment Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 1 July (WA 185), why the Minister for Employment did not raise United Kingdom efforts to tackle youth employment under the Youth Employment Initiative at (1) the ministerial meeting on youth unemployment in Madrid on 19 June, or (2) the European Employment and Social Policy Council meeting in Luxembourg on 20 June. Lord Freud: Both the ministerial meetings on Youth Unemployment in Madrid, and the European Employment and Social Council in Luxembourg discussed youth unemployment and actions the EU and its Member States could take to address it. The Minister for Employment drew attention to the actions we have been taking, highlighting policies including the Youth Contract and Work Programme. At the time of the meetings the Local Enterprise Partnerships and the Scottish Government had not yet finalised their approach to implementing the Youth Employment Initiative (YEI). As these are the responsible bodies, no information was available on the implementation on the YEI to share with EU colleagues. Energy: Electricity and Gas Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total cost by 2030 of the investments required to achieve their full plan for power and gas generation, including all renewables, connection, transmission, distribution, storage, systems and meters. Baroness Verma: The 2011 EMR White Paper calculated that up to £110 billion of investment in electricity generation and transmission was likely to be required by 2020 (75 billion could be needed in new electricity generation capacity, and Ofgem's 'Project Discovery' estimated that around an additional £35 billion of investment is needed for electricity transmission and distribution). These figures are in the process of being updated. Investment needs beyond this period are subject to a number of uncertainties and only therefore near term investment needs to 2020 are reported. Energy: Fracking Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their proposal for local communities where fracking takes place to receive £100,000 per well and 1 per cent of the overall revenues, at what stage the payment per well will be made; how the overall revenues will be assessed, at what intervals, and when those payments will be made; how the nature and extent of local communities will be defined; which bodies will be responsible for making the payments; which local persons or bodies will receive and control the payments; and for what purposes the money may be used. Baroness Verma: The industry has recently published its Community Charter, setting out how it will engage with communities that host shale development, and also proposing to provide communities with £100,000 per well-site at exploration stage, and 1% of any revenues made at production stage. The Government welcomes this offer from industry, which represents a good deal for communities at this stage in the development of the UK shale industry. We are also pleased that industry has pledged to keep this offer under review, and to consult with communities about it from time to time in the light of operating experience. The UK Onshore Operators Group plan to publish further details of how the Charter will operate in practice in the Autumn, and they will be engaging with communities and stakeholders as they develop these proposals further. Energy: Smart Meters Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations made by the Electrical Safety Council's industry summit white paper in respect of the smart meter roll out. Baroness Verma: The Government has been working with the Electricity Safety Council (ESC) as part of our commitment to raising awareness of electrical safety issues via the smart meter implementation programme. DECC has also established a stakeholder working group including energy suppliers and network operators which considers operational issues, including safety matters. This group has considered many of the issues raised in ESC’s recent paper and a number of improvements are planned, or have already been implemented by industry. For those issues that fall outside of the scope of the smart meter implementation programme, DECC will facilitate discussion with industry and Ofgem to ensure that the issues are understood and seek assurance that those parties who are responsible for resolving them have appropriate plans in place. Energy: UK Coal Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any liability in respect of employees and pensioners of UK Coal who previously served in the nationalised coal industry; what UK Coal paid annually to the Pension Protection Fund (PPF); whether PPF's latest accounts show a surplus, and, if so, how much; whether there are plans to increase the levy to meet new liabilities; and how PPF intends to operate any coal mines that come with UK Coal's pension scheme. Lord Freud: When the British Coal Corporation was privatised in 1994 its two large occupational pension schemes were closed to further contributions and, since that time, Her Majesty’s Government has provided them with solvency guarantees which safeguard the accrued rights of members up to the point of privatisation. Corporation employees who transferred to private sector employers including, what is now, UK Coal were given the right to join newly established “industry-wide” pension schemes. These schemes stand alone and Government has never had a direct locus in their respect. The levy paid by an individual scheme for the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) is a matter between that scheme and the PPF. The scheme receives a levy invoice each year. As this information is confidential, it would not be appropriate for me to disclose it. However, the noble Lord may wish to contact the pension scheme directly. The PPF’s annual report and accounts for 2011/12 show the Fund had total assets of £17,271 million and total liabilities of £16,206 million, providing a reserve of £1,065 million. This figure should be seen in the context of the PPF’s objective to be financially self-sufficient by 2030 and the more challenging environment for pension schemes as a whole. The pension protection levy estimate for 2013/14 is £630 million. The Board of the PPF will be consulting on the levy for 2014/15 in the autumn. UK Coal is being restructured and the relevant sections of the industry wide pension schemes are expected to enter the PPF. The PPF will not have any controlling equity in the new company that replaces UK Coal. Instead, the PPF’s interest in the new company will consist of a series of debt instruments. The PPF will not be involved in the day-to-day running of the company. EU: Olive Oil Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how United Kingdom representatives voted in the European Union Commission and COREPER on the Commission's proposal to ban the selling of olive oil in restaurants except in sealed non-refillable containers. Lord De Mauley: During negotiations on an amendment to EU marketing standards for olive oil (Commission Regulation no. 29/2012) the Government consistently opposed a new EU requirement for bottles containing olive oil in the catering sector to be non-refillable and non-resealable from 1 January 2014. However, this only formed one element of the proposals which also included improved labelling provisions for consumers and the UK, therefore, abstained in the final vote. Given the support for the proposal from olive oil producing Member States, a vote against the proposal would have had no impact on the outcome. Subsequent to the vote, common sense prevailed; the EU Agriculture Commissioner announced on 23 May that the proposal would be withdrawn and that he would consult further on the issue before deciding next steps. We await the outcome of those consultations. Finance: Credit Cards Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the present status and purpose of the Office of Fair Trading investigation into the charges for transactions made using MasterCard and Visa credit cards; when that investigation began; what are the permissible interest rates those companies can charge; and whether they intend to encourage new entrants to the credit card market. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has an ongoing investigation, under the Competition Act 1998 and Article 101 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, into the interchange fee arrangements for UK domestic point-of-sale transactions made using MasterCard/Maestro and Visa consumer payment cards. These are charges paid by the retailer's bank to the bank that issued the payment card. The investigations were opened in May 2004 (Visa) and December 2005 (MasterCard). The OFT's investigations concern domestic (UK) interchange fee arrangements. Separately, the European Commission has investigated cross-border interchange fees. The UK Government (with the OFT as lead department) has intervened in support of the European Commission before the Court of Justice of the European Union in the appeal proceedings brought by MasterCard against the 2007 decision of the European Commission regarding MasterCard's, including Maestro's, intra-European cross-border interchange fee arrangements. On 24 May 2012, the General Court dismissed MasterCard’s appeal. MasterCard’s further appeal to the Court of Justice was heard on 4 July 2013. The OFT intends to consider whether to issue Statements of Objections in respect of its own investigations following the conclusion of these proceedings. The interest rates charged to consumers by credit card issuers are not the focus of these investigations. The OFT does not set permissible interest rates payable to credit card issues. The OFT does not have a remit to encourage new entrants to any particular market. However, it seeks to tackle barriers to entry and anti-competitive behaviour where there is evidence of a problem. In addition to the current investigation, the OFT has conducted reviews of the barriers to entry in retail banking and of payment systems, details of which can he found on its website. Financial Ombudsman Service Lord Martin of Springburn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 4 July (WA 242), when the Financial Ombudsman's Service will reply to Lord Martin of Springburn; and who will reply. Lord Deighton: The Noble Lord was sent a reply by the Chief Ombudsman Natalie Ceeney on 12 July. G8 Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the agreement reached at the G8 summit on tax is made mandatory. Lord Deighton: The purpose of the G8 summit was to achieve the agreement of political leaders on a number of global policy issues. Adherence to these policies is not mandatory and countries can decide whether or not to adopt these policies. The G8 summit declaration made clear that tax authorities should automatically share information in order to fight tax evasion and we are working closely with our international partners to secure a new global standard in the automatic exchange of tax information. The G8 leaders provided political support for the ongoing work by the OECD and G20 on Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS). The OECD will be presenting their action plan for tackling these issues to the G20 later this month. The action plan will identify actions needed to address BEPS along with deadlines for implementation and resources and methodology for the work. The G8 also commissioned the OECD to develop a standardised template for multinational companies to report, to tax authorities, where they make their profits and pay taxes around the world. Government Departments: Ministerial Meetings Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Ministers last met representatives of the Civil Nuclear Police Federation; and when they next intend to do so. Baroness Verma: The last occasion when Ministers from the Department of Energy and Climate Change met representatives of the Civil Nuclear Police Federation was on 18th July 2012. There are presently no further meetings scheduled. Health: Research Lord Crisp: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many health research projects based in primary care settings, submitted both by practices and by university departments, have been funded by the National Institute for Health Research. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of applications to the National Institute for Health Research for the funding of health research based in primary care settings, submitted both by practices and by university departments, are successful. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of applications to the National Institute for Health Research for the funding of health research based in secondary and tertiary care settings, submitted both by hospitals and by university departments, are successful. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Institute for Health Research prioritises funding for research applications submitted by university departments over those submitted by primary care practices. Earl Howe: The Department’s National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) does not hold this information in the form requested, and it could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All NIHR research programmes assess applications against the same criteria irrespective of the care setting. Success depends on the importance of the topic to patients and the National Health Service, value for money and scientific quality. Project proposals are typically submitted by a multi-disciplinary—and often multi-professional—team of researchers working in both NHS organisations and universities. Many projects encompass interventions and follow-up within a mix of settings that can include primary, secondary and tertiary care, general and specialist clinics, community settings and other controlled environments such as care homes and prisons. The NIHR issued a call for research to evaluate health care interventions or services delivered in primary care settings in February 2013. This call is a key component of the NIHR response to recognition of the need for further research-based evidence related to the provision of primary care services in the NHS. House of Lords: Legislation Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what occasions Ministers have sponsored legislation to which they have indicated they were personally opposed since May 2010. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Her Majesty's Government is bound by the principles of collective responsibility. This is set out in the Ministerial Code and requires that Ministers should be able to express their views frankly in the expectation that they can argue freely in private while maintaining a united front when decisions have been reached. Immigration: Children Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-British children were intercepted at Greater London and south-east ports of entry in (1) 2012, (2) 2011, (3) 2010, and (4) 2009. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: In each of the fours years 2009 to 2012, the number of children intercepted and consequently detained at Greater London and the South East ports was as follows: Year 2009 2010 2011 2012 Number of children detained 1,985 1,839 1,538 1,386 (1) All figures quoted have been derived from management information and are therefore provisional and subject to change. This information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols. We have taken Greater London and South-East regional ports to mean the following ports: Gatwick, Heathrow, Stansted, Luton, London City, Southend and St Pancras International. Mobile Phones: SIM Cards Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 16 July 2007 (WA 4), whether, as part of their plans for tackling organised crime, they will consider compulsory checks for proof of identity to be produced when individuals apply for a pay-as-you-go mobile telephone SIM card. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We have no plans to introduce compulsory identity checks for the public when purchasing pay-as-you-go mobile telephone SIM cards. Overseas Aid Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to allocate more United Kingdom development assistance in the form of loans. Baroness Northover: As the nature of development changes, DFID continues to assess new and existing instruments. Overseas Aid Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the work carried out by UNICEF and other multilateral agencies and non-governmental organisations in relation to children in detention in the developing world; and whether they have any plans to increase the role of the Department for International Development in that area. Baroness Northover: In 2009, UNICEF estimated that more than one million children worldwide were deprived of their liberty by law enforcement officials (UNICEF, Progress for children, 2009). DFID supports several agencies which work to protect the rights of children in developing countries including those in detention, including UNICEF and the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). While we do not evaluate the performance in this particular area of work of the multilateral organisations to which we provide funding, we do carry out a detailed assessment of their overall effectiveness through the Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) process. Based on the MAR, we seek to ensure that maximum impact is achieved with the funding we provide. DFID works closely with the multilateral agencies to ensure that they take action on identified weaknesses and continue to deliver value for money across programmes. DFID also works with a number of non-governmental organisations primarily concerned with protecting children, for example Save the Children and War Child. Through War Child, we are helping children in detention centres in Afghanistan through improving the justice system as well as the conditions in the centres. Children are also being assisted to re-connect with their families and local communities when they leave the centres. DFID does not currently have specific plans to increase its role in the area of children in detention in developing countries. Overseas Aid Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of Palestinian refugees living in camps for long periods, what representations they have made with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency about securing additional funds for the higher and further education of school leavers amongst that population. Baroness Northover: The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) provide a range of services, including vocational training and tertiary education, for Palestine refugees in UNRWA camps. The majority of the UK’s support to UNRWA is channelled through its General Fund, which pays for many of UNRWA’s essential services for refugees. The UK’s contribution to UNRWA’s General Fund will provide, among other things, primary education for over 36,000 refugees a year up to 2015. We do not currently plan to raise the specific issue of securing additional funds for the higher and further education of school leavers amongst that population. We regularly work with UNRWA and other donors and partners to explore how to best reduce poverty and improve opportunities for Palestine refugees, as well as to improve the Agency’s financial position. Philippines Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will raise with the government of the Philippines the impact of organised crime on the sexual exploitation of the children in that country. Baroness Warsi: Criminal activity with regard to child exploitation in the Philippines tends to be localised and fragmented rather than organised through major crime syndicates. Our Embassy in Manila works very closely with the Philippines government and Philippines law enforcement agencies to help tackle and prevent child exploitation. The UK’s Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP), working with our Embassy in Manila, has delivered regular training courses in the Philippines and in the ASEAN region to share our expertise in identifying and preventing child sexual abuse, Senior Philippines government officials and politicians have attended these events. This training has included specialist courses for law enforcement officers and training to help teachers identify the early signs of child abuse so that immediate action can be taken to remove victims from abusive relationships. Further funding has recently been approved to allow CEOP to deliver additional training later this year, including on the prevention of cyber abuse. Police: Civil Nuclear Police Federation Baroness Smith of Basildon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Civil Nuclear Constabulary Police officers are currently on gardening leave on full pay (1) as a direct result of the cessation of policing at Capenhurst, Springfields and Chapelcross, and (2) for other reasons. Baroness Verma: Following the cessation of Civil Nuclear Constabulary presence at the Capenhurst and Springfields sites, 17 non-Authorised Firearms Officers (non-AFOs) are currently on gardening leave on full pay, in line with their contractual notice periods, awaiting the conclusion of the Civil Nuclear Police Authority’s consultation with the affected officers. There are no other CNC officers on gardening leave for other reasons. Formal consultation on redundancy for a further 7 non-AFOs at the Chapelcross site will commence ahead of the cessation of CNC protection later this month. Police: Women Recruits Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps if any are being considered to increase the number of police women recruits from minority communities. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made to increase the number of police women from Muslim communities. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Police forces that reflect the communities they serve are crucial to cutting crime in a modern diverse society. While the police workforce is more representative in terms of gender and ethnicity than it has ever been, there is still much more to be done, and under-representation of Black and Minority Ethnic women officers is a particular challenge that needs to be addressed. Police forces themselves must take active steps on these issues, in discussion with their Police and Crime Commissioners and their local communities, and with the support of the College of Policing. The Government is working with forces and the College to ensure that the positive action provisions of the Equality Act 2010 are used effectively to improve recruitment from under-represented groups in the police workforce. Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 9 July, what assessment they have made of the new Amnesty International satellite imagery and eyewitness testimonies relating to the Sudanese military's activities against the Nuba people in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Baroness Warsi: We are very concerned over recent reports from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile, including Amnesty International's June 2013 report, which detail the upsurge in conflict in recent months. We have made it clear to the Government in Sudan, and the Sudanese People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N), that the conflict is having an unacceptable impact on civilians who need to be protected. Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 9 July, when the situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile was last raised in the United Nations Security Council. Baroness Warsi: The United Nations Security Council discuss Sudan and South Sudan on a fortnightly basis. The situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile was raised in the most recent consultations on II July 2013. In addition to this, the Noble Lady, the right hon the Baroness Amos, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, covered the humanitarian Situation in those areas in her briefing to the Council on 20 June. Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 9 July, whether they support the extension of the current arms embargo on Darfur to cover the whole of Sudan. Baroness Warsi: The UK fully supports the EU arms embargo which covers the whole of Sudan. We would consider any proposal to extend the current UN arms embargo on Darfur. Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 9 July, whether they are collecting first-hand witness accounts to establish the truth about the alleged genocide and crimes against humanity in South Kordofan and Blue Nile; and, if not, why not. Baroness Warsi: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague). made it clear that at the start of the conflict that the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile deserves a Full and credible independent investigation. We continue to believe that is the right course to take when circumstances and access allow it. Waste Management: Toxic Chemicals The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the design of statutory risk assessment procedures in both the United Kingdom and the European Union in detecting chronic sub-clinical effects such as endocrine disruption caused by low-level exposure to toxic chemicals. Lord De Mauley: The human health risk assessments performed for chemicals in the UK and European Union are in line with internationally accepted procedures; for example, those described by the World Health Organisation. For substances such as pesticides, extensive animal study data sets are required, including chronic/carcinogenicity and reproduction studies. A full range of end points is routinely examined, including sub-clinical effects. Acceptable exposure for humans is determined by dividing by a factor of 100 (or more), a dose that produces no effect in the most sensitive animal study. Due to the large number of general chemicals addressed by the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation & restriction of Chemicals (REACH) Regulation (EC No. 1907/2006), a tiered testing approach is undertaken. More extensive data are required for those substances produced or imported in the greatest amounts. Recent publications in the scientific, peer reviewed literature indicate that this approach is as applicable to endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDs) as it is to other classes of chemicals. This is supported by the recent Opinion of the Scientific Committee of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA Journal 2013;11(3):3132), which stated that ‘EDs can therefore be treated like most other substances of concern for human health and the environment’. The studies that are required to be undertaken for regulatory purposes are expected to identify any compounds that act on endocrine sensitive tissues or hormonally controlled physiological processes. Any such effects are considered as part of the overall risk assessment. Young People: Drugs Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what programmes or initiatives are in place to tackle the numbers of juveniles who are engaged in the selling of drugs in the east London area. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government has devolved responsibility for the commissioning of crime prevention and community safety programmes to locally elected Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) and to the Mayor’s Office for Policing and Crime (MOPAC) in London. It is therefore for PCCs to decide whether young people's involvement in crime such as drug dealing is a priority for their local area. The Government provides a number of different funding streams, such as the Community Safety Fund, which PCCs may use to deliver prevention and diversionary activities aimed at young people engaged in or at risk of becoming involved in gangs and youth violence, which is often connected to drug dealing.

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Child Protection Guidance: Religious Leaders Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they maintain a register of religious leaders from all faiths that practise in the United Kingdom; and, if so, what guidelines are presented to individuals on the register to make them aware of child protection issues. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government do not maintain a register of religious leaders from all faiths that practise in the United Kingdom. General guidance on child protection issues is available in the form of a leaflet What to do if you are worried a child is being abused. The guidance was issued in June 2003 and was circulated to all public and voluntary sector agencies having direct dealings with children. The guidance can be found on the Department for Education and Skills website at www.dfes.gov.uk. All voluntary, community and church groups concerned with child protection issues are encouraged to follow this guidance. Common Agricultural Policy Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made during the United Kingdom Presidency of the European Union on discussions of common agricultural policy modernisation and reform following the European Council meeting on 17 June. Lord Triesman: The Prime Minister called in his speech to the European Parliament on 23 June for a fundamental review of the whole EU budget. That review should include how we capitalise on the progress made in reforming the common agricultural policy (CAP) over recent years. The UK Government believe, for example, that more can be done to cut the cost of the CAP and to ensure that it fosters an agricultural sector that is more competitive, sustainable and innovative in responding to challenges such as globalisation and climate change. We have not tabled detailed reform proposals. What we have asked for is a proper debate on the future of the EU budget, including the CAP, and we have seen public contributions from politicians, political commentators, economists and of course farmers across Europe. As presidency we have also held formal consultations with each of the member states, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, in order to ensure that we understand their views and concerns on the EU budget for 2007–13, including the future of European agricultural policy and the possibility of a review of EU spending. The UK presidency continues to work to establish whether agreement can be reached in December on the 2007–13 budget. We have also made good progress towards an agreement to reform the CAP sugar regime. Crossrail Bill Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many listed properties in Essex will be affected by plans under (a) the Crossrail Bill; and (b) the Sustainable Communities Plan. Baroness Andrews: There are 13,982 listed properties in the county of Essex. The Crossrail route through Essex follows the existing Great Eastern Main Line railway corridor, with Crossrail stations proposed at Brentwood and Shenfield. As far as I am aware, none of the 13,982 listed properties are affected by the Crossrail Bill. An important element of a sustainable community is its sense of place. Listed properties clearly play a part in creating a sense of place and it is important that they are given sufficient consideration by local planning authorities when planning for the development of a local authority area. The document Sustainable communities: Building for the future is a national programme of action setting out how the Government intend to achieve sustainable communities for all. It recognises that there are many elements that make up a sustainable community and seeks to focus minds on the fusion of these elements into a cohesive whole, creating sustainable communities where people want to live. Listed property status gives a building statutory protection against unauthorised demolition, alteration and extension. Listing is the start of a process, rather than an end in itself, flagging the significance of an asset so that its future management can enhance its contribution to local, regional and national life. In this context, all of the listed properties in Essex are affected by the Sustainable Communities Plan and have an important role to play in the creation of truly sustainable communities, in which people want to live. Crown Land Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have plans to sell off Crown land in the United Kingdom in the next five years; if they have such plans, which land they plan to sell; when they plan to sell that land; and what are the reasons for such sale. Lord McKenzie of Luton: Following the Lyons report, Towards Better Management of Public Sector Assets, published in December 2004, the Government have set an objective of the disposal of £30 billion of assets by 2010. As announced in the Budget 2005, the Government are putting in place a framework for taking forward better asset management across the whole of the public sector. This will ensure the most effective management of renewed public sector infrastructure and, where they are no longer necessary for business planning, include the disposal of assets. It is for individual departments, local government and public bodies to determine their own disposal plans as part of their normal business planning and in line with delivery of their public service priorities. Details of individual plans are not held centrally. Disposal plans may also be commercially confidential, where disclosure could adversely affect the potential value of the public sector asset disposals. Driving: Mobile Phones Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 11 July (WA 123), why data on prosecutions for speaking on a hand-held telephone while driving in 2004 will not be available until 2006. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Motoring offences statistics for England and Wales are national statistics and are published once a year. Ordinarily, data for the annual motor statistics bulletin are available only nine or ten months after the end of the calendar year. Following the process of validation and preparation for publication, the 2004 bulletin containing written warnings, fixed penalty notices and court proceedings data will be published in early 2006. EU Constitutional Treaty Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they intend to hold a referendum on whether the United Kingdom should approve the treaty establishing a constitution for the European Union. Lord Triesman: After the "No" votes in the referendums on the constitutional treaty in France and the Netherlands, EU heads of state and government recognised at the European Council on 16–17 June the need for a period of reflection to consider the way forward. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister advised the House of Commons on 20 June that, under the current circumstances, the treaty could not proceed. Consequently, the Government do not intend to proceed any further with the EU Bill's parliamentary process as things stand. The Government have made clear that the constitutional treaty will be ratified in the UK only after a referendum. EU: Economic Model Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they take the view that the governments of all European Union member states should adopt the same economic model. Lord McKenzie of Luton: Under the Lisbon Strategy, EU Member States share common economic aspirations. For example, at the Spring Council in March 2005, the Lisbon Strategy was re-launched with the emphasis placed on creating jobs and economic growth, including through further reforms to labour markets, progress in completing the internal market and improving the regulatory environment (Presidency Conclusions, 22/23 March 2005). However, the policies needed to deliver these outcomes will differ among member states. Historical, cultural and social factors, reflected through democratic choices, will rightly lead to different approaches. As the UK Government have said "the Union must adopt a pluralist approach to reform, in which Member States have the flexibility to tailor reform to suit local social and institutional conditions" (Advancing Long-Term Prosperity: Economic Reform in an Enlarged Europe, HM Treasury, February 2004). European Commissioner Neelie Kroes Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will seek the suspension of Competition Commissioner, Ms Neelie Kroes, while an investigation is conducted into her support of Frau Merkel in the recent German federal elections; and whether her support for one gender over another was compatible with European Union rules on gender equality. Lord Triesman: No. EU legislation on gender equality has no bearing on this matter. Freedom of Information Act 2000 Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many Freedom of Information Act 2000 appeals have been dealt with by the Access to Information Central Clearing House since the coming into force of the legislation; what is the average time that has been taken in processing those appeals; and how many appeals are at present pending. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Access to Information Central Clearing House has received over 2,800 referrals since the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. In excess of 450 of these have been referred at internal review stage, while just over 60 are cases that have been appealed to the Information Commissioner's Office. The time taken to process FoI requests at any stage is not monitored or recorded by the clearing house and it is therefore unable reasonably to estimate the average time taken in this process. The role of clearing house is to advise on the appropriate application of the FoI Act to those requests referred to it. It does not, however, have the final responsibility in responding to FoI requests, either to the applicant or the Information Commissioners Office. It is therefore not possible to say how many of those cases are currently pending. However, statistics on the performance of Central Government on handling FoI requests are collated and published by DCA and can be found on its website at www.foi.gov.uk/implement.htmfoistats. Government Departments: Electronic Attack Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18 July (WA 188), which Ministers are responsible for information security in each government department; and which Minister has overall responsibility for information security in the critical national infrastructure. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Each government department is responsible for its own information security arrangements, and the overall responsibility for security, including information security, rests with Ministers. Within the Home Office, the Home Secretary has the overall responsibility, but the day-to-day responsibility for information security rests at official level with the Permanent Secretary. The Home Secretary has overall responsibility for the protection of the critical national infrastructure. Government Departments: Electronic Attack Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18 July (WA 188), what progress is being made in preparing a national incident plan to respond in the event of an electronic attack on the critical national infrastructure. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: In line with their on-going security arrangements, the Government regularly review and exercise their response plans in the event of a major attack on the critical national infrastructure, including electronic attack. HM Treasury: Cosmetics Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How much H M Treasury has spent on cosmetics in each of the last eight years. Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Treasury's accounting system does not record cosmetics as a separate category of expenditure. Information relating to any expenditure on cosmetics could therefore be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Treasury would not ordinarily expect to incur expenditure on cosmetics in discharging its functions. Housing Lord Whitty: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their current definition of affordable housing by general formula and by specific price or rental in (a) the London Borough of Kensington and Chelsea; (b) the London Borough of Southwark; (c) Bristol; and (d) North Dorset District. Baroness Andrews: I refer my noble friend to my Answer to the noble Lord Marlesford of 9 June (Official Report, col. WA 99). This explained that the Government require a local planning authority to define the prices and rents for housing it considers to be affordable in its area. Such information is not held centrally by government. My noble friend would need to approach the relevant local planning authorities as policies regarding affordable housing provision should be contained within their respective development plans, which are in the public domain. Iraq: RAF Transport Flights Lord Garden: asked Her Majesty's Government: What proportion of planned Royal Air Force transport flights to and from Iraq have been cancelled or suffered delays in excess of 24 hours in the past six months; and whether they plan to use alternative civil carriers from Kuwait when personnel are likely to suffer prolonged delays in returning to the United Kingdom. Lord Drayson: In the past six months 2 per cent. (three return flights) of all Royal Air Force (RAF) passenger flights into and out of Basra airport have been cancelled and 9 per cent. (13 return flights) have been delayed in excess of 24 hours. The total number of return flights flown over this period was 138. In the event of prolonged delays every realistic course of action will be considered in order to minimise disruption to personnel both deploying to and returning from Iraq. This includes the use of alternative RAF aircraft, which may be diverted from other tasking, other coalition military aircraft or a chartered solution. Civil carriers can in some instances take longer to arrange than the use of substitute military airlift. This is due to the requirements of European regulations for competition before a carrier can be selected, and the subsequent time required to obtain the necessary diplomatic and flight clearances. Kuwait is one of a number of airports that can be considered as an alternative point of arrival or departure; however, the Ministry of Defence would aim to use military airbases where the RAF already had personnel and support deployed. While military facilities remain our preferred solution, this does not preclude the use of civil airports as and when the situation dictates. Millennium Lottery Fund Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any funds remain in the Millennium Lottery Fund; and, if so, whether the funds will be passed to the new Big Lottery Fund. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Millennium Commission's current balance held in the National Lottery Distribution Fund is £83 million of which £67 million has been committed to existing grant programmes and for operating costs. The Millennium Commission remains in operation and commissioners retain discretion to offer further grants where they believe this to be appropriate Under the provisions of the National Lottery Bill, the Big Lottery Fund as successor body, would take on any remaining balance and funding commitments. National Curriculum Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: What consideration is being given to the suitability of some aspects of the national curriculum as it relates to less academic pupils; and what consideration is being given to the provision of employment-related courses. Lord Adonis: The national curriculum is intended to be suitable for all young people, whatever their academic ability. In 2004 we made changes to the 14-19 curriculum which give schools greater flexibility in catering to the needs of less academic pupils. We have also asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to undertake a review of the key stage 3 curriculum to allow schools more flexibility to meet students' individual needs and strengths. Several programmes which offer employment-related courses are already in place, such as the Increased Flexibility Programme and the Young Apprenticeship scheme. In addition to these, the recent 14-19 Education and Skills paper details proposals for specialised diplomas, which have a clear vocational bearing, and a programme for 14-16 year-olds at risk of disaffection and disengagement, which will have a strong work-focus. Prison Service: Employment Tribunal Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they can provide a full breakdown of the cost of the employment tribunal involving Mrs Carol Lingard and the Prison Service. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The following is a breakdown of the expenditure the Prison Service incurred following Ms Carol Lingard's complaints of constructive dismissal and victimisation to an Employment Tribunal. Amount Payments made to the claimant pursuant to the employment tribunal's remedies judgment on 30 June 2005 Basic award £3,915.00 Injury to feelings award £3,000.00' Compensatory award (net) £367,136.76 Claimant's legal costs and counsel's fees £97,912.50 Total payments to claimant £471,964.26 Prison Service's Legal costs Respondent's legal costs, counsel's fees and disbursements £126,057.38 Total cost to Respondent £598,021.64 Prisons: Provision of Condoms Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the new guidance and instructions aimed at clarifying the policy on condom provision in prisons are to be published; and whether the guidance will include the provision for condoms to be made available anonymously to all prisoners who need them both in adult prisons and young offenders' institutions. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The revised guidance and instructions on the provision of condoms for prisoners forms part of more general guidance to governors about their responsibilities for healthcare. We plan to publish it early in 2006. The guidance aims to clarify the policy on condoms so that it can be applied more consistently across the prison estate. Russia and China: Joint Military Exercise Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: What reports they have as to the scale and purpose of the first joint military exercise conducted by Russia and China on the Shandong Peninsula and at Vladivostok between 18 and 25 August. Lord Drayson: The joint Russia-China military exercise PEACE MISSION 2005 involved 10,000 troops, of which some 1,800 were from Russia, and a wide range of aircraft, ships, and submarines. It commenced with briefing sessions in Vladivostok, Russia on 18 and 19 August and then moved to the Shandong Peninsula in China between 20 and 25 August where the live military activity took place. The declared purpose of the exercise was regional crisis management and peace enforcement, specifically to develop the ability of Sino/Russian military forces to conduct a joint operation "opposing international terrorism and extremism". Schools: Healthy Eating Baroness Wilcox: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to encourage schools to promote healthy eating; what funds are available for this purpose; and how any such funds can be accessed by schools; and Whether they have particularly encouraged the Billingsgate Seafood Training School to promote healthy eating. Lord Adonis: Government would like to encourage all those associated with food production and provision to promote healthy eating, and are engaged in an ambitious three-year programme to effect no less than a transformation in the health content of school meals. The School Meals Review Panel has published its report containing recommendations for new nutritional standards for school lunches; the new Ofsted inspection framework will expect schools to present evidence about their general approach to food and healthy eating; an independent School Food Trust is currently being set up to support schools making the transformation to healthy meals; and from September 2005, the "Healthy Schools" programme has included healthy eating as a key element, which schools will need to address to reach the National Healthy Schools standard. Government are investing £220 million to help schools and local education authorities transform school meals through training and increased hours for cooks, equipment and a minimum spend on ingredients. Thirty million for this year has been allocated to local authorities—with a further £100 million over the following two years. Thirty million will be granted direct to schools as part of their standards fund allocations in October, with a further £60 million over the following two years. Skills Shortages Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which ten specific skills are in shortest supply in the United Kingdom; and which specific courses are available in schools, or will be shortly, which would fill these shortages. Lord Adonis: The main skills shortages reported by employers are: Technical/Practical skills Team Working Communication IT skills Literacy Management Numeracy Customer Handling Problem Solving Foreign Languages These skills shortages are addressed in many courses already available in schools, including GCSEs and A-Levels, Vocational Qualifications and Key Skills Qualifications. My right honourable friend has asked the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to develop a single framework for personal, employability, learning and thinking skills which, together with reformed English, maths and ICT qualifications, will equip young people with the skills they need. 14-19 Education and Skills (CM6476) also details proposals for the introduction of specialised diplomas, which will provide new, strong vocational learning opportunities. Source: The Skills in England 2003 report; Learning and Skills Council, February 2004. Sudan: Darfur Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have made any representations to the African Union about reports that union personnel are abetting commercial prostitution inside internal displacement camps in Darfur, in particular in the Kamla camp. Lord Triesman: The Status of Mission Agreement (SOMA) for AU deployment to Darfur states that the chairman of the mission shall take all steps to ensure the maintenance of discipline and good order among members of the mission, and we have made clear that we expect the AU troops to conduct themselves to the highest standards. We have stressed the importance of AU personnel (observers and force protection) following DPKO minimum requirements about peacekeepers and HIV/AIDS prevention.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-10-18c

Special European Union Programmes Body Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: To whom the Special European Programmes Body allocated peace funding during 2003; for what purpose; what percentage was allocated in Northern Ireland; and whether the system of grant allocation was approved by the North/South Ministerial Council. Baroness Amos: The Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB) allocated funding under two measures of the PEACE II programme during 2003 to the bodies listed in the following tables. Table 1 shows the projects allocated under Measure 4.1 where the SEUPB is responsible for allocating funding to the Border region only. Table 2 shows the allocations under Measure 5.2 where, as all the projects supported involve cross-border partnership, it is not possible meaningfully to calculate a specific Northern Ireland share. The PEACE II grant allocation process is described in the PEACE II programme complement document that was approved by NSMC on 20 June 2001. Table 1 Organisations Project Title Project Description Donegal County Council Donegal Tourism Research Programme This tourism research programme is being developed with the purpose of providing an information resource for tourism and related sectors in Donegal. Donegal County Development Board Forest Link The project will focus on the enhancement and creation of linkages to build networks, learning from models of best practice internationally and the promotion of collaborative partnership approaches to projects. This will assist in the strategic development of forestry in Donegal with regard to (1) the establishment and management of community forests (2) the need to improve market outputs for private timber growers. North West Food Consortium North West Food Network The central aim of this project is to assist in the development of a progressive and receptive food sector through a cross-sectoral programme designed to establish enduring links and develop networks between food enterprises based in the border counties of the north-west Ireland region (Leitrim, Donegal, Sligo and Cavan) and their European counterparts. FAS The Messines Peace Networks The main aim of this project is to establish and promote three Messines peace initiative networks, which will be dedicated to facilitating participation in international conflict resolution and peace-building networks to enable international best practice in these fields to be applied to the peace process in Northern Ireland and the Border region. Table 2 Organisations Project Title Project Description Co-operation and Working Together CAWT: Promoting Healthy Minds for a Healthy Future This project will develop a cross-border strategy and action plan for tackling the mental health problems of young people including those who have suffered as a result of the conflict. This will include an art therapy programme for young people who have been emotionally traumatised. Fisheries Conservancy Board NI Reinstatement of the weir at Cullaville, South Armagh The Fane river flows through the border counties of County Armagh and Monaghan. It experiences good runs of salmon and sea trout in the summer and autumn. Passage of these migratory fish to their upstream spawning beds is curtailed by a badly neglected weir at Cullaville. The project seeks to repair the weir and improve facilities for fish passage at the weir and also to enhance salmon habitat in the Fane and adjoining rivers. Co-operation and Working Together CAWT: Acknowledging the Past and Building on Peace This project will address a number of key health and social services development areas in the region adjacent to the border and will target socially excluded groups many of whom have suffered directly as a result of the troubles. Cavan County Council Breifne Mountain Region The project will establish this region of north-west Ireland as a quality, educational and activity destination based upon the sustainable development of its total natural and cultural resources. Dungannon Borough Council South Tyrone-Donegal Exploring Diversity Together The South Tyrone-Donegal exploring diversity together initiative aims to develop a strategic framework for cross-border co-operation between the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council (NI) and Donegal County Council (ROI). It will operate on a three-phase basis and will be facilitated by two cross-border integration officers based in each local authority. Blackwater Reconciliation Partnership Blackwater Reconciliation Partnership The Blackwater reconciliation partnership is a vehicle through which three local authorities, namely Armagh City & District Council, Dungannon & South Tyrone Borough Council, and Monaghan County Council, aim to build relationships on a cross-border/cross-community basis and to maximise the opportunities for social interaction and reconciliation. FAS North-West Cross-border Public Sector Co-operation on Teleservicing and Customer Relationship Manage This project entails FAS and the North West Institute of Further and Higher Education (NWIFHE) working together, and with other agencies, to help redress the legacy of the conflict in the area. The project will bring individuals, businesses and organisations from both communities in the north together with individuals, businesses and organisations in the Republic of Ireland and help them to overcome their differences in order to pursue a common goal: that is, to help position the north-west as a prime location for tele-businesses (inward investment) and to promote the use of electronic customer relationship management (eCRM) to local businesses. Cross-border co-operation and promotion of peace and reconciliation are integral to the project. Derry City Council Promoting equal opportunities—a bridge to peace and reconciliation Cross-border initiative by Derry City Council and Donegal County Council which aims to take a co-ordinated approach to the common problems of under-representation of women at senior management levels, job segregation and low levels of female entrepreneurship. County Monaghan VEC (on behalf of North South Education Forum) Diversity of Learning Needs—Education for All Senior educationalists from both sides of the border have agreed five priority areas for collaborative action in education: — Social Inclusion — ICT — Staff Development — Youth Work — Community Partnerships This project will provide research and implement innovative activities and projects to tackle the needs and gaps that exist in current education and training provision for marginalised groups within these five priority areas. Confederation of European Councillors (NI/RoI) NI/RoI Councillor Co-Operation The members of the Confederation of European Councillors are seeking financial assistance to allow them: to establish and operate a local office, initially in Northern Ireland and then in the Border counties, and to allow them to carry out research which will consolidate existing linkages and working arrangements, and provide a forum for cross-border co-operation, development and influence on matters particularly arising from the recent conflict. County Sligo VEC and Western Education & Library Board, Northern Ireland Building Towards Sustained Youth Sport Building Towards Sustained Youth Sport is a cross-border sports project managed by a consortium of public bodies that includes education, health, local authorities and national sports council interests. The project will address the gap that currently exists between after-school sports provision and junior club development in the community. Marine & Water Leisure Programme, Donegal County Council Integrated Pilot Project in Beach Management—Rural Activity Beaches The project is a cross-border initiative between Donegal County Council, Limavady Borough Council and the University of Ulster Coastal Research Group, which aims to establish integrated beach management as a financially self-sustainable process catering for multiple user activities while ensuring high standards in safety and conservation of the environment. ERNACT EEIG Crossborder ePublic Services—Phase 1 The overall aim of this project, is to evaluate the use of e-government models as a cross-border framework for the delivery of more integrated, relevant and targeted public services to cross-border communities within the north-west cross-border region. Irish Central Border Area Network Rural roads infrastructure and tourism project The project aims to undertake a series of road improvement schemes in 15 rural disadvantaged areas around the border corridor from Castlefin to Clones. In addition to infrastructure improvement, the scheme also includes tourism signage, amenity sites, a road route, stone wall restoration. Probation Board for Northern Ireland Crime Reduction in Ireland through Positive Impact on Communities The rehabilitation and reintegration of offenders requires that they accept personal responsibility to take steps to stop offending and to make reparation. It also requires a response from the community, which recognises that communities also have a role to play in the reduction of offending. The Probation Board for Northern Ireland and the Probation and Welfare Service in the Republic of Ireland wish to maximise the opportunity provided by peace to begin to understand, share and develop professional approaches to assist in the effective management of a range of offenders. This will include young offenders, drug abusers, alcohol abusers, sex offenders, dangerous offenders and the perpetrators of domestic violence. We intend to develop practice guidelines, best practice programmes and establish projects in border counties evidencing this, albeit that the impact will be on an all-Ireland basis. DRD Road Service Headquarters A509 Improvements A series of improvements to the A509 road linking Enniskillen to Belturbet. The project builds on the success of the reopening of the road at Aghalane and a series of further improvements that were supported by the original Peace programme. DRD—Roads Service Headquarters A1/N1 Newry to Dundalk Link Road—Engineering Services Phase II The NI portion of the consultancy commission for the A1/N1 Newry to Dundalk link road to take the scheme through two public inquiries in NI. This project builds on the early work carried out under this commission and which was supported by the original Peace programme. Craigavon Borough Council Scoping Study for the Railway Corridor area The project is to carry out a scoping study into the pressures placed on towns, villages, infrastructure and communities surrounding the Belfast to Dublin railway corridor, where it runs through the council areas of Craigavon, Newry and Mourne and Louth. Western Education and Library Board Cross-Border Mobile Library Project The project is a joint initiative between the library service of the Western Education and Library Board (WELB) and the library service of Donegal County Council. The project represents a new cross-border library, education and information service which will cover the counties of Derry, Tyrone and Donegal, focussing on areas of greatest social need. The project will entail purchase of a mobile vehicle while associated bookstock and staffing costs will also be incurred. North/South Ministerial Council Shared Electronic Workspace for the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat The project will enable officials from both sides of the Secretariat to work together on documents and data relating to the business of the Joint Secretariat. The information provided above is based on the most recent download from the central database dated 18 February 2004, and includes only those applications registered at that date. The central database is live and dynamic and depends on various funding bodies to provide and update the information. Only funding details for those groups listed by OFMDFM have been provided. Immigration Appeals Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the Administrative Court of the Queen's Bench Division will accelerate decision-making on Immigration Appeals, particularly bearing in mind the current workload. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Clause 14 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Bill will streamline the asylum and immigration appeals process, creating a single tier of appeal with limited access to the higher courts. We expect that under the new system appeals will take a maximum of 15 weeks to complete. This includes consideration by the Administrative Court. To relieve pressure on the Administrative Court in the scheme's early stages, a filter mechanism will operate for a transitional period whereby applications under Section 103A will initially be reviewed by a senior member of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal. We expect the filter mechanism to add approximately two weeks to processing times. Olympic Games 2004 Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government: What discussions they are having with the Greek Government and the organisers of the 2004 Olympic Games with a view to sending armed police or other security protection for British competitors and officials; and how many such armed personnel they are proposing to send. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are in close contact with the Greek Government and the Greek security authorities both bilaterally and multilaterally, through NATO and our membership of the seven-country Olympic Advisory Group (OAG), which has been advising the Greek Government on security arrangements for the Olympics since December 2000. The OAG meets on a monthly basis in Athens and a senior officer of the Metropolitan Police Service acts as the informal chair of the group. On the bilateral level we maintain a dialogue with the Greek authorities on all aspects of security affecting British nationals, the members of the British team, and visitors who will be attending the Games. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister said in the House on 5 May, "we have every faith in the manner in which the Greek authorities are handling matters". For reasons I am sure you will appreciate we do not comment in detail on security matters. I am therefore withholding this information under Exemption 1a of Part 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information, which covers information whose disclosure would harm national security. Taiwan: World Health Organisation Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will support the admission of Taiwan with observer status to the World Health Organisation at the World Health Assembly in Geneva in May. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: There are difficulties over Taiwanese involvement in a UN forum where statehood is a prerequisite for full membership. We would consider with our EU partners any proposals for Taiwanese involvement in the World Health Organisation which took account of these difficulties. Taiwan: World Health Organisation Lord Faulkner of Worcester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What discussions they have had with the United States administration regarding the admission of Taiwan to the World Health Organisation with observer status. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials regularly discuss Taiwan policy, including Taiwan's relationship with the World Health Organisation, with their US counterparts. Tristan da Cunha: Post and Supplies Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the arrangements for the inhabitants of Tristan da Cunha to receive post and supplies from the rest of the world. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Post and freight to and from Tristan da Cunha is routed through Cape Town. It is carried on two South African fishing vessels and a South African research ship which are contracted to undertake this activity. In 2004 a total of 14 visits will be made to Tristan da Cunha. Afghanistan: UN Assistance Mission The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: What will be the ratio of police officers to the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan staff, observers and officials; and whether they consider this local protection to be sufficient. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The UN envisages that a core of 2,695 UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan/Joint Election Management Body staff, together with up to 40,000 Afghan staff during the registration process, and up to 105,000 Afghan staff during the election will be involved in the conduct of the elections. An estimated 12,000 police will provide security for the registration process. 500 police have already received election training and have been deployed to support voter registration teams. 40 trainers from 20 provinces have completed their Train-the-Trainer programme, and the trainers from the remaining provinces will start their training next week. In addition, coalition and NATO planners are working with the UN to consider how they can best support the Afghan Government in providing security for the elections. The deaths on 5 May of two British citizens working in support of the electoral process underline the importance of ensuring sufficient security is available, including through the demobilisation, disarmament and reintegration of militias and former combatants (DDR). This will be crucial to provide an environment in which credible elections can be conducted. We are satisfied that the Afghan Government and the UN are taking this issue seriously. Last year the UK gave over £2.5 million to support the development of a new national police force in Afghanistan; we are still finalising our plans for assistance to the police this year. Last year the UK gave over £2.5 million to support DDR in Afghanistan and this year we have pledged a further £2.5 million. Munchausen's Syndrome by Proxy The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice they give to parents who are precluded from working with children because their children have been put on "at risk" registers as a result of evidence of Munchausen's syndrome by proxy, also known as fabricated or induced illness in children, even when their case has not been tested in the courts. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: There are three ways by which an individual can be disqualified from working with children: By being made subject to a disqualification order imposed on certain offenders at conviction under Part 2 of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000. By being made subject of a direction under Section 142 of the Education Act 2002 by the Secretary of State on grounds of being unsuitable to work with children. By being included on the list of persons considered to be unsuitable to work with children that is maintained under Section 1 of the Protection of Children Act 1999. Parents do not fall into any of these three categories solely because their children have been placed on the child protection register. Those whose children have been placed on the child protection register are not automatically precluded from working with children as a consequence of that. In addition the Disqualification from Caring for Children Regulations 2002 preclude a parent of a child with respect to whom a care order has been made from being a private foster parent, unless that person has disclosed that fact to the local authority and that authority gives its consent. Such a person cannot be employed in a children's home without the local authority's consent. We are currently reviewing the legislation and regulations in this area. Olympic Games 2012: London Bid Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government: In view of reported approaches to the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation by the Greek Government, seeking additional security protection for the 2004 Olympic Games, whether they have yet made, or are intending to make, similar approaches in the event of a successful bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Every possible security arrangement will be considered to maximise the safety of the Olympic Games should London stage the event in 2012. Labour Market Conditions: Ethnic Minorities Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Commission for Racial Equality was consulted before a decision was taken to reduce the amount of information provided by the Office for National Statistics about local labour market conditions for ethnic minorities and non-Britons; and Whether the decision by the Office for National Statistics to reduce the amount of information provided about local labour market conditions for ethnic minorities and non-Britons will make it more difficult for local authorities and other employers to ensure that their employment practices are not indirectly discriminatory against members of racial groups. 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 12 May 2004. As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about the availability of labour market data for ethnic minority and non-British groups (HL2617, HL2618). The availability of these statistics reduced after the longstanding joint arrangements between the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) ceased in 2003. The very important analyses have always been prepared after the main labour market statistical summaries. Since 2003, these main summaries have demanded more attention and this has led to delays in publishing the ethnic minority studies. Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey data for 2002–03 were published on 28 April 2004, accompanied by an ONS News Release. ONS is preparing further analyses for later publication. These will include analyses at both national and local level for ethnic minorities, non-British and overseas born groups. I intend that this will meet the existing needs that we know of in full. The ONS has been in contact with the Commission for Racial Equality and will discuss with it the possible content of some of the detailed tables and analyses that will subsequently be published. In the meantime, users can continue to request more detailed analyses from the ONS's LFS Data Service. I recognise that this service has been hard pressed to respond quickly, and the delays last month of three weeks reflect this. Export Subsidies Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the decision of the World Trade Organisation on American export subsidies of cotton; and whether they will use the decision to speed up the ending of European Union agricultural export subsidies. Lord Whitty: The World Trade Organisation dispute panel established to investigate Brazilian complaints about United States' upland cotton subsidies submitted its interim report to the two parties at the end of April. The report is confidential to the two parties and will not be made more widely available until it is finalised in mid-June. In the mean time the Government are unable to comment on its findings. The Doha development agenda commits all countries of the World Trade Organisation to negotiations aimed at substantial reductions in trade-distorting agricultural support, including negotiations with a view to phasing out all forms of export subsidy. Whatever the outcome of this dispute, this Government will continue to work with our international partners for a fair and equitable trading system for all agricultural products worldwide. Work at Height Regulations: Mountaineering and Similar Activities Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: In which member states European Council Directive 2001/45/EC (Temporary Work at Height) is being applied to mountaineering, hill walking, abseiling, rock climbing, caving and sailing in respect of employed persons, self-employed people and private individuals. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: All member states are transposing Directive 2001/45/EC into national legislation. That process is not yet complete in all cases, nor is implementation. We believe the directive is being applied in all sectors where there are employed people. As is the case with all other health and safety legislation the directive is being applied to self-employed persons in the UK, although this is not generally the case in other member states. It is not being applied to the self-employed in other member states. It does not apply to private individuals. 34 Second Fuel Oil The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they keep figures on the total amount of 34 second fuel oil that is used as red diesel and the proportions used in agriculture, in the heating of buildings, in marine engines and for other purposes; and, if so, what are those figures. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Department of Trade and Industry publishes detailed oil information in its annual Digest of UK Energy Statistics, a copy of which can be found in the Libraries of the House. Refiners refer to middle distillate oil as gas oil, sometimes known as "34 second fuel oil". Table 3.4 of the 2003 edition of the digest contains figures for deliveries of gas oil that includes DERV and red diesel. Total gas oil deliveries in 2002 were 23.3 million tonnes of which 15.6 million tonnes related to DERV. Of the rest, 0.9 million were used for national navigation (marine engines), 0.6 million tonnes in agriculture, and some 1.4 million tonnes were used in domestic, public administration and commerce most probably for space heating. Red diesel is a rebated diesel for non-road use and marked with a red dye. Although not separately identified in DTI figures, HM Customs and Excise record that some 5.6 million tonnes of red diesel were used in 2002. Business: Regulation and Taxation Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether business regulations has grown since they took office in 1997; and, if so by what factor; and What are the extra costs on business since 1997 by way of (a) taxation; and (b) regulation. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The percentage of total tax charge set against total chargeable profits has fallen from 32 per cent in 1996–97 to 28.4 per cent in 2001–02 (the last available figures). The rates of tax have also fallen from 33 per cent (main rate) and 24 per cent (small companies rate) in 1996–97 to 30 per cent (main rate) and 20 per cent (small companies rate) in 2001–02. The cost to business by way of regulation since 1997 has not been calculated. However government policy on regulation is clear; we regulate only when it is both necessary and desirable, for example, to ensure fairness at work, better health and safety or a cleaner environment. Gulf War 1990–91: Vaccines Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What information the Department of Health has on potential adverse consequences for individual service men and women involved in the 1990–91 Gulf conflict as a result of the Ministry of Defence having planned the timing of their anthrax immunisations differently from those in the marketing authorisation and the giving of fewer immunisations than were recommended. Lord Warner: The Department of Health does not have any information on potential adverse consequences for individual service men and women involved in the 1990–91 Gulf conflict as a result of the Ministry of Defence having planned the timing of their anthrax immunisations differently from those in the marketing authorisation and the giving of fewer immunisations than were recommended.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2004-05-12a

Afghanistan Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the effectiveness of co-operation between the Department for International Development and the Ministry of Defence in the more unstable parts of Afghanistan. Lord Brett: Civilian and military co-operation is vital to the success of the international effort in Afghanistan. Staff from the Department for International Development (DfID), the Ministry of Defence (MoD) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) work together in the Helmand Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) to deliver the activities guided by the Helmand road map, a shared single plan of action. The joint effort of the PRT has ensured that significant progress has been made to meet the needs of the local population and build the capacity and capability of the Afghanistan Government to deliver security, governance and development to the people of Helmand. Armed Forces: Compensation Scheme Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to return the burden of proof under the Armed Forces compensation scheme to the Secretary of State for Defence. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We have no plans to change the burden of proof, nor remove the time limit for claims made under the Armed Forces compensation scheme. The standard of proof used in the Armed Forces compensation scheme is based on the balance of probabilities. This is the accepted approach in other schemes, such as the criminal injuries compensation scheme, and in the civil courts. No case should fail where there is reasonable, reliable evidence that injury is due to service and the department is not aware of any examples to date of anyone who deserves an award being denied it due to the burden of proof. The Service Personnel Command Paper, The Nation's Commitment: Cross-Government Support to Our Armed Forces, Their families and Veterans, laid out our commitment to double the tax-free lump sum for the most serious injuries, raising the maximum lump sum payment to £570,000. All recipients, according to the severity of their injuries, were entitled to an uplift of between 10 and 100 per cent in their upfront lump sum payment. Together with the index-linked, tax-free, annual guaranteed payment, this means the maximum total compensation is now in excess of £1.5 million. All those who have received awards since the start of the scheme in 2005 have benefited from these changes, and all additional payments have now been actioned and paid, meeting the April 2009 deadline. Armed Forces: Severely Wounded Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure a seamless transition from military to civilian healthcare and ongoing care for severely injured or disabled service personnel. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The majority of personnel who suffer serious injuries, including those who do not return to full fitness, who wish to continue in-service are able to do so, provided that there are worthwhile military roles for them to fulfil. Such cases will continue to receive treatment and rehabilitation from the Defence Medical Services (DMS) for as long as they remain in the Armed Forces. In those cases where a decision has to be taken medically to discharge an individual, the specific DMS team which has been caring for that individual will begin a liaison with appropriate civilian healthcare providers (eg the general practitioner, primary care trust, civilian mental health team or NHS trust) to ensure the transfer of care and the patient's records takes place. In addition, we have specialist health social workers who manage the individual's wider resettlement issues, liaising with relevant civil agencies such as local housing authorities, financial authorities, service welfare and charitable organisations with the aim of ensuring that the individual's transfer into the civilian environment is as smooth and as seamless as possible. In particular, arrangements have been put in place to ensure that amputees who have been fitted with high-quality prosthetics while in service will continue to receive the same level of limb-fitting support from the NHS when the individual leaves the service, be it on medical discharge or after completion of their engagement. MoD and UK health departments have agreed protocols to ensure the transfer of clinical care and financial responsibility from the MoD to the NHS. Since 1953, when Ministry of Pensions hospitals were transferred to the NHS, war pensioners, and more recently recipients of Armed Forces compensation scheme awards, have been entitled to receive priority treatment at NHS hospitals for conditions accepted as due to service, subject to clinical need. In 2007, this entitlement was extended to all veterans who are assessed by their GP to have a condition related to their military service. War pensioners under both schemes may also be entitled to other benefits including free NHS prescriptions and aids or appliances if they are prescribed for the accepted disablement. For veterans who may develop a mental health condition after their discharge, we are currently piloting new models of community-based mental healthcare that will address assessment and treatment of veterans' mental health problems in the long term. The pilots are NHS-led and reflect NHS best practice. Two-year pilots are running at six NHS sites in England, Scotland and Wales. Evaluation of the pilot areas is now underway, and if they prove successful will be rolled out across the UK. In the interim, for areas not yet involved in the pilots, veterans with operational service after 1982 who are concerned about their mental health can attend our medical assessment programme (MAP) based at St Thomas's Hospital, London. The MAP offers assessment by an expert in mental health issues in military service and will include, where appropriate, a recommendation to the individual and their GP for treatment. MoD also provides assessment and treatment for demobilised reservists with operational service since 2003 following an overseas operational deployment as a reservist, and who believes that the deployment may have adversely affected their mental health. Details are available at the following link: http://www.army.mod.uk/welfare-support/family/13672.aspx. MoD is also the major donor to the charity Combat Stress, which offers care to ex-service personnel suffering from service-related post-traumatic stress disorder. Civil Service: Performance Pay Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vadera on 11 May (WA 156) concerning the amount of funding for senior civil servants' performance-related pay, what were the figures requested. Baroness Vadera: I provided a breakdown for senior civil servants' performance-related pay in my Answer to the noble Lord on 8 June 2009 (Official Report, col. WA116). Constitutional Renewal Bill Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce the Constitutional Renewal Bill before the Summer Recess. Lord Bach: We anticipate that the Constitutional Renewal Bill will be introduced before the Summer Recess for carry-over into the next parliamentary Session. In addition, the Government intend to bring forward a Bill to create an Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority before the House rises for the summer. Counterterrorism Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the budget for the Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure for 2008—09; what it is for 2009—10; and what is the planned budget for 2010—11. To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the expenditure on the National Counter Terrorism Security Office in 2008—09; what will be the expenditure in 2009—10; and what is the planned expenditure in 2010—11. To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the expenditure on activity under the PROTECT strand of the counterterrorism strategy in 2008—09; what will be the expenditure in 2009—10; and what is the planned expenditure in 2010—11. To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the expenditure on activity under the PREPARE strand of the counterterrorism strategy in 2008—09; what will be the expenditure in 2009—10; and what is the planned expenditure in 2010—11. Lord West of Spithead: The United Kingdom's strategy for countering international terrorism set out details of government spending on counterterrorism and intelligence. It is forecast to rise from £2.5 billion in 2008-09 to £3.5 billion in 2010-11. This budget is wider than just expenditure on the Government's counterterrorism strategy, CONTEST. Breaking down this budget by specific counterterrorism and intelligence activities, beyond what is published already, would reveal our capabilities and details of the security and intelligence agencies' spending. It has been the policy of successive governments not to reveal these details. The Centre for the Protection of National Infrastructure is funded from the Single Intelligence Account (SIA) which carries the budget provision for all three security and intelligence agencies (the Security Service, SIS and GCHQ). Detailed breakdowns showing the division of funding between the three agencies are not published for security reasons. However, some information is already made publicly available. This includes: £1.2 billion e-Borders system which has screened over 80 million passengers travelling to the UK, using data received from approximately 105 carriers on over 185 routes; assistance worth £4.7 million was approved in 2008 and focused on overseas aviation and maritime security;£5 million for 2009-10 to support regional and local delivery of work in England and Wales to improve the protection of crowded places as set out in the Government's consultation document Working Together to Protect Crowded Places; and£2.7 million for the period 2007-08 to 2008-09 to increase the size of the National Barrier Asset. More than £1.5 million in 2008-09 to support additional counterterrorist security advisers posts. Counterterrorism Baroness Neville-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what new money has been allocated in the revised counterterrorism strategy to (a) pursue, (b) prevent, (c) protect, and (d) prepare. Lord West of Spithead: The single security and intelligence budget, which includes government spending on counterterrorism and intelligence, was announced as part of the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review. It is forecast to rise from £2.5 billion in 2008-09 to £3.5 billion in 2010-11. The new version of the United Kingdom's strategy for countering international terrorism will be delivered within this envelope. Breaking down this budget by specific counterterrorism and intelligence activities, beyond what is published already, would reveal our capabilities and details of the security and intelligence agencies spending. It has been the policy of successive governments not to reveal these details. Cycling Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Department of Health is implementing the Government's cycle-to-work scheme. Lord Darzi of Denham: The department implemented the cycle-to-work scheme on 2 June 2008. Cycling Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that highway authorities undertake cycle audits on proposed new road schemes in accordance with Department for Transport best practice guidelines. Lord Adonis: There is no mandatory requirement for local highway authorities to undertake cycle audits. Highway authorities have a duty to ensure that new road schemes are safe for all users, and it is for them to determine whether a cycle audit is required to achieve this. Cyprus: Property Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 8 June (WA 117), what steps they will take to warn those contemplating buying property in Cyprus of the risk of losing their homes when developers who have retained title deeds in order to raise further loans default on those loans. Lord Brett: The travel advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk) advises those contemplating buying property in Cyprus to proceed with caution and to seek qualified legal advice from a source that is independent from anyone else involved in the transaction. It refers to the problems with obtaining title deeds and the risks which this causes. Cyprus: Property Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 8 June (WA 117), whether they will work with other European countries to urge the Government of Cyprus to prosecute individuals who have retained title deeds after completion of property sales in Cyprus to United Kingdom and other European citizens. Lord Brett: The issue of whether or not to prosecute individuals who have retained title deeds after completion of property sales in Cyprus to UK and other European citizens is a matter of Cypriot law and therefore a decision for the Cypriot authorities. Economic Partnership Agreements: ACP Countries The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government which African, Caribbean and Pacific countries have not yet accepted an interim national or regional economic partnership agreement with the European Union; and what transitional assistance and advice is being given to them by the Department for International Development. Lord Brett: The following 41 African Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries have not as yet signed an economic partnership agreement (EPA) with the European Union (EU): Gabon, Republic of Congo-(Brazzaville), the Cook Islands, Tonga, Marshall Islands, Niue, Micronesia, Palau, Nauru, Nigeria, Central African Republic, DR Congo, Chad, Equatorial Guinea, Sao Tome, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Malawi, Somalia, Sudan, East Timor, Kiribati, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo and Angola. The Department for International Development's (DfID) assistance is not linked to signing of EPAs. However, DfID provides significant support through such measures as aid for trade to help ACP countries, as well as other developing countries, to increase their trading capacity and to help them integrate further into regional and global markets. Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 3 June (WA 87—8), whether outgrowing embryos could not be used to derive embryonic stem cells by Roslin Cells Limited if the latest inspection report for that centre does not contain details of the embryo culture method used, and if no licence permits the culture of a "live human embryo" beyond 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak (whichever comes first). To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Baroness Thornton on 20 April 2009 (WA 329) and by Lord Darzi of Denham on 24 June 2008 (WA 227) and 3 June 2009 (WA 87—8), how the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority determines a centre's compliance with the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 in relation to embryo culture when the method used for embryo culture is not described. To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 January (WA 196—7) and 3 June (WA 87—8), if inspection reports of research centres licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) indicate that no embryonic stem cell lines have been derived from cytoplasmic hybrid embryos, and if the HFEA monitors both the use of embryos in research and the culture of their cells as part of its research inspection process, why an inspection report does not indicate whether a stem cell line has been derived using a method for which stem cell derivation is the stated aim when the method entails culture of outgrowing embryos beyond 14 days. Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that at all inspections, the authority's inspectors are required to check that there is a procedure in place to ensure that embryos are not cultured for longer than 14 days or after the appearance of the primitive streak. In respect of the culturing of embryos and stem cell derivation, the HEFA has confirmed that it has nothing further to add to the responses given to the noble Lord on 3 June 2009 (WA87-8) and 24 June 2008 (WA227). Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 10 January 2008 (WA 216) and by Lord Drayson on 19 May 2009 (WA 290), when the Newcastle primary care trust will offer more than one cycle of initial vitro fertilisation in accordance with the February 2004 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines; and whether it will take place before the end of 2009. Lord Darzi of Denham: Newcastle Primary Care Trust has advised that it currently commissions three cycles of in vitro fertilisation for eligible patients. Gulf War Illnesses Lord Bramall: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 19 May (WA 295) on the report of the Congressionally-mandated United States Research Advisory Committee's Inquiry into Gulf War illnesses, whether they have now checked the accuracy of Lord Tunnicliffe's Statement on 27 April (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 8—10) that the US Institute of Medicine was then reviewing the report; and whether they will amend the statement. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Government answers on the US Research Advisory Committee report have been accurate and reflect what the US authorities have publicly stated. There is no requirement for an amendment taking into account the information that has currently been made available to the Government. We have not seen the letter dated 24 April referred to by Lord Morris during the Answer given by Lord Tunnicliffe on 27 April (Official Report, col. 8-10) but we have requested a copy. If the letter dated 24 April provides further information on the Institute of Medicine (IOM) review then we will take this into account. However, we do not believe that this will alter the position that the IOM is due to publish its findings in February 2010, having been asked to review the report and make recommendations. Further information on the IOM review, provided by the US Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA), can be found by accessing the US House Committee on Veterans Affairs website at http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=394. Health: Contaminated Blood Products Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WS 121—22), how the average annual payment of £6,400 for the Macfarlane Trust's beneficiaries was determined; and whether any meetings between officials at the Department of Health and the trust have demonstrated that the sum may need adjusting. Lord Darzi of Denham: A broad indicator of the annual level of benefit currently available through the Macfarlane Trust was calculated by dividing the total number of beneficiaries into the total expenditure of the trusts, the result being an overall average of £6,400. Officials also referred to information from the trust about the amounts payable to individuals. There is no reason to adjust the £6,400 figure as the Government's response to Lord Archer's recommendations makes clear that in future all infected beneficiaries will receive £12,800 per annum. Health: Contaminated Blood Products Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WS 121—22), when the average annual payment made to the Macfarlane Trust's beneficiaries will be increased; whether payments will be back-dated to 20 May; and whether any payments made between 20 May and the date the new level is introduced will be discounted. Lord Darzi of Denham: The Macfarlane Trust will be enabled to make flat rate payments to all infected beneficiaries of £12,800 per year with effect from 20 May 2009. Health: Contaminated Blood Products Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 5 May (WA 100—01), whether Lord Darzi of Denham will now act on the assurance given to him by Mrs Harriet Bullock, the widow of a haemophilia patient contaminated by National Health Service blood products, that she has no objection to the text of the letter referred to in the question by Lord Roberts of Conwy being published in full in the Official Report. Lord Darzi of Denham: The department received an assurance from Mrs Bullock on 11 May 2009 that she had no objection to the text of her letter referred to in the Question by Lord Roberts of Conwy being published in full. The date of that letter was 9 March 2009 and a reply was sent on 21 April 2009, and copies of both of these are being placed in the Library. Health: Contaminated Blood Products Baroness Campbell of Surbiton: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WS 122), why they did not respond nor refer to the Archer report's recommendation (at page 109) calling for action to end the anomaly of basing entitlement to financial help of the widow of a fatally-infected haemophilia patient on the date of his death; and whether they will now respond to the recommendation. Lord Darzi of Denham: The purpose of the Written Ministerial Statement on 20 May 2009 (WS 122) was to inform the House of the publication of the Government's response to the Archer report. The Government's response contains a commitment to review the Skipton Fund in 2014. The Macfarlane and Eileen Trusts have always been able to make payments on a case by case basis to dependents of those entitled to financial relief, and that will remain the case. Health: Drugs Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 20 May (WA 338), when they will place in the Library of the House their response regarding the supply of anti-viral drugs to the overseas territories. Lord Darzi of Denham: All the overseas territories have pandemic preparedness plans, which have now been activated. However, if any of the overseas territories is not able to access antivirals or vaccine (when it becomes available), we will support it by providing access to the United Kingdom (UK) stockpile. This access would be up to the equivalent level of provision as the UK and would generally be on a repayment basis. In addition, we would seek to replace any antiviral or vaccines that were taken from the UK stockpile. Healthcare: Funding Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor the levels of funding for healthcare necessary to deal with infections in primary and community care. Lord Darzi of Denham: Primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning services that improve the health and well-being of the population, and are fair, personalised, effective and safe. To do this, they assess the needs of their population, prioritise investment, contract with providers and monitor the quality of services. Consequently, all decisions on funding for services relating to infectious diseases and healthcare acquired infections are taken locally, and the department does not hold relevant data centrally. Healthcare: Secondary Infection Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the factors that increase healthcare-associated infections in secondary care. Lord Darzi of Denham: We have based our infection control advice for secondary care on the best available evidence. There are a range of important factors that if not addressed will lead to increased rates of infection. The EPIC evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of healthcare acquired infections (HCAIs), which has already been placed in the library, set out the personal actions required to prevent HCAIs. Important factors are hand hygiene, environmental hygiene, correct antimicrobial prescribing, safe disposal of sharps, and correct aseptic technique. Organisational measures needed to prevent infections are detailed in the code of practice for the prevention and control of HCAIs, which has also already been placed in the Library. These include appropriate surveillance, clear antibiotic prescribing policies, board-level assurances for HCAI performance, adequate training for all staff in infection control and co-ordination between organisations. Healthcare: Secondary Infection Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they have taken to ensure a co-ordinated approach to tackling healthcare-associated infections between healthcare professionals, patients and officials. Lord Darzi of Denham: We take a number of measures to ensure a co-ordinated approach between the parties mentioned. Development and review of policies and guidance take account of views from both healthcare professionals and patient groups. Significant pieces of work, such as the Code of Practice for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections, are formally consulted on, and views of healthcare professionals and patients are being sought in the development of a new minimum standard for methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus(M RSA). Our advisory committee on antimicrobial resistance and healthcare associated infection (ARHAI) membership includes academics, healthcare professionals and a lay member. We also provide targeted support directly to trusts on healthcare associated infections and use this experience of the front line to inform other activities. Human Rights Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what part human rights play in the sector reform programmes they are supporting in Iraq, Afghanistan and developing countries in general. Lord Brett: Human rights principles underpin the UK Government's work in developing countries. The policy of the Department for International Development (DfID) is to put people, their rights and social justice at the heart of its development work and to mainstream human rights in development programmes. This approach is reinforced by the conditionality policy which bases UK aid partnerships on a shared commitment to respect human rights. DfID policy is to take partner Governments' commitment to human rights into account when decisions are made about development partnership agreements, country strategies, and providing aid. The UK Government are committed to working with the Iraqi and Afghan Governments to ensure that the basic human rights of the peoples of those countries are protected. In Iraq, DfID is supporting key international agencies to ensure the provision of human rights—especially those related to freedom from hunger, violence and forced displacement—for vulnerable groups, including those displaced internally and in neighbouring countries. In Afghanistan the UK is working with the Afghan justice institutions to develop a national policy on non-state justice mechanisms. Lisbon Treaty Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of whether the Lisbon treaty represents a mechanism for deeper integration or administers the European Union more effectively. Lord Brett: The Lisbon treaty will help the enlarged EU work more effectively by streamlining the institutions and decision-making processes, creating a single set of clear, coherent objectives for EU activity in Europe and around the world, and by making the EU more accountable to member states and national parliaments. Parliament has decided on the Lisbon treaty. The treaty was debated in detail in Parliament over 25 days; both Houses voted strongly in favour at every stage. Marine and Coastal Access Bill [HL] Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Planning Inspectorate about the proposed appellate functions in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill; and what was the outcome. Lord Davies of Oldham: We held detailed discussions with the Planning Inspectorate in developing the objection procedure in Schedule 1A to the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 which has been inserted in the Marine and Coastal Access Bill. The schedule provides a process in which objections to Natural England's coastal access proposals made by a person with a relevant interest in affected land may be referred to an appointed person. We envisage that the appointed person will be an inspector from the Planning Inspectorate. Migrant Workers: Romania and Bulgaria Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) Romanian, and (b) Bulgarian, nationals have registered as workers and entered the United Kingdom in each year since the accession of those countries to the European Union; how many of their family members have entered the United Kingdom; and how many are claiming social security benefits. Lord West of Spithead: Information relating to the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals who have registered as workers is published in the Bulgarian and Romanian Accession Statistics which are published quarterly and are available in the Libraries of the House. Information on the number of family members who have entered in the UK is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. The Department for Work and Pensions has advised that information on the number of Romanian and Bulgarian nationals in receipt of social security benefits is not available. Smoking Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will bring forward proposals to ban or restrict smoking in public locations which are in the open. Lord Darzi of Denham: There is no intention at this time to extend the smoke free law to any outdoor places. Smoking Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much it cost to provide health services to those with smoking-related conditions in 2006—07. Lord Darzi of Denham: In 1998 the Government's White Paper, Smoking Kills, estimated that the cost to the National Health Service of treating illness and disease caused by smoking was £1.7 billion every year. In October 2008, Action on Smoking and Health published a report called Beyond Smoking Kills, which estimated that the costs of smoking to the NHS had risen to £2.7 billion a year. The latest research published in the Journal of Tobacco Control in June 2009, by researchers from the University of Oxford Department of Public Health, estimates the costs of smoking to the NHS at £5.2 billion. Turks and Caicos Islands Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of progress made by the new Government of the Turks and Caicos Islands in implementing recommendations made in Sir Robin Auld's preliminary report on that country; and whether they will work with the new Government to implement all of the recommendations in the final report. Lord Brett: We welcome the Turks and Caicos Islands Government's efforts to begin to resolve the issues highlighted in Sir Robin Auld's interim report. Once we have considered the commission's final report in detail, we will set out the steps needed to address the commissioners' recommendations. We hope that the Turks and Caicos Islands Government will continue to support the governor in order to restore good governance and sound financial management to the Turks and Caicos Islands. UK Border Agency: Staff Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff of the UK Border Agency are posted abroad; and in which countries. Lord West of Spithead: The number of staff working for the UK Border Agency posted abroad are shown in the attached table, as at 1 April 2009. Country UK Based, posted abroad as at 1 April 2009 Locally Engaged Total Albania 3 6 9 Algeria 2 3 5 Angola 2 2 4 Argentina 0 2 2 Armenia 2 2 4 Australia 1 29 30 Austria 0 4 4 Azerbaijan 2 5 7 Bangladesh 12 56 68 Barbados 0 3 3 Belarus 2 4 6 Belgium 1 2 3 Belize 1 2 3 Bolivia 1 2 3 Bosnia and Herzegovinia 1 2 3 Botswana 2 4 6 Brazil 3 10 13 Brunei 4 2 6 Bulgaria 0 3 3 Burma 3 3 6 Cambodia 1 2 3 Cameroon 1 2 3 Canada 4 11 15 Chile 0 2 2 China 47 92 139 Colombia 4 10 14 Congo (Dem. Rep.) 3 3 6 Croatia 1 3 4 Cuba 3 3 6 Cyprus 3 7 10 Czech Republic 0 4 4 Denmark 2 3 5 Dominican Republic 1 3 4 Ecuador 1 2 3 Egypt 12 10 22 Eritrea 2 1 3 Estonia 0 2 2 Ethiopia 6 7 13 Fiji 2 2 4 Finland 1 3 4 France 2 16 18 Gambia, The 4 9 13 Georgia 3 2 5 Germany 2 17 19 Ghana 16 31 47 Greece 2 4 6 Guatemala 1 3 4 Guyana 1 1 2 Hungary 0 2 2 Iceland 1 2 3 India 73 213 286 Indonesia 5 4 9 Iran 5 21 26 Iraq 2 1 3 Irish Republic 2 10 12 Israel 2 9 11 Italy 3 9 12 Jamaica 8 16 24 Japan 1 2 3 Jordan 6 11 17 Kazakhstan 4 4 8 Kenya 11 25 36 Korea 2 2 4 Kuwait 5 9 14 Latvia 0 2 2 Lebanon 2 3 5 Libya 7 7 14 Lithuania 0 2 2 Macedonia 3 7 10 Malawi 1 1 2 Malaysia 5 10 15 Malta 0 2 2 Mauritius 3 5 8 Mexico 1 2 3 Moldova 1 5 6 Mongolia 1 2 3 Montenegro 2 2 4 Morocco 3 9 12 Mozambique 1 1 2 Namibia 1 0 1 Nepal 0 3 3 Netherlands 1 5 6 New Zealand 1 1 2 Nigeria 66 132 198 North Korea 3 0 3 Norway 2 4 6 Oman 2 3 5 Pakistan 29 126 155 Panama 1 3 4 Papua New Guinea 2 2 4 Peru 0 3 3 Philippines 15 26 41 Poland 4 5 9 Portugal 0 4 4 Qatar 3 5 8 Romania 5 5 10 Russian Federation 22 40 62 Rwanda 2 2 4 Saint Lucia 1 2 3 Saudi Arabia 5 10 15 Senegal 1 2 3 Seychelles 0 1 1 Sierra Leone 2 4 6 Singapore 0 1 1 Slovakia 0 1 1 South Africa 17 35 52 Spain 3 12 15 Sri Lanka 4 6 10 Sudan 3 3 6 Sweden 0 7 7 Switzerland 1 6 7 Syria . 2 1 3 Taiwan (China) 4 8 12 Tajikistan 1 1 2 Tanzania 4 3 7 Thailand 11 24 35 Trinidad and Tobago 2 3 5 Tunisia 2 4 6 Turkey 17 35 52 Turkmenistan 3 2 5 Uganda 4 2 6 Ukraine 6 12 18 United Arab Emirates 23 56 79 United States 7 68 75 Unknown 3 0 3 Uruguay 1 0 1 Uzbekistan 2 2 4 Venezuela 0 2 2 Vietnam 2 8 10 Yemen 3 2 5 Yugoslavia 4 7 11 Zambia 2 2 4 Zimbabwe 3 5 8 629 1507 2136 The proposed answer amalgamates the available data and gives countries only where more than five UK based staff have been posted. This is in accordance with long standing practice that we do not disclose information on small numbers of staff which could identify individuals.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2009-06-18a

Prime Minister: Working Days Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government: On how many days of each year since 1997 the Prime Minister of the day has been working; and, of these, on how many he has been abroad. Baroness Amos: The Prime Minister's responsibilities are on a full-time basis throughout the year. I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given in another place by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to the Member for Colchester (Mr Russell) on 3 February 2003, (Official Report, column 16W). Details of official overseas visits made by the Prime Minister during the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2003 costing more than £500 are a matter of public record and are available in the Library of the House. Information on official overseas visits made by the Prime Minister for 2003–04 will be published as soon as possible after the end of the current financial year. Belfast Metropolitan Area Plan Draft Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many times the publication of the Belfast metropolitan area plan draft has been postponed; and when it will be published. Baroness Amos: The publication of the Belfast metropolitan area plan draft has been postponed on three occasions. When work began on the plan in January 2001, publication was programmed for December 2002. Publication was initially postponed until March 2003 to allow the research to be informed by the release of the 2001 Census data. Following further discussion with the six councils covered by the plan, it was agreed that publication should be delayed until September 2003 to allow them longer to consider and respond to the research which has been carried out. The third postponement was necessary to ensure that the Northern Ireland Housing Executive was given time to prepare a housing needs assessment to meet a new plan requirement introduced by draft Planning Policy Statement 12 Housing In Settlements. The draft plan is now programmed for publication in March 2004. Northern Ireland: Planning Appeals Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: In what circumstances the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment would feel it necessary to employ professional advocates at planning appeals commissions hearings. Baroness Amos: The Department of the Environment's planning service would only feel it necessary to employ professional advocates in situations where specialist expertise would be required and where such expertise was not available within the department. The planning service does, however, as a matter of practice, use legal advisers in most non-routine hearings. Government Bills: Hours Spent in Committee Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House: Whether she will publish before the first day in Committee on the Hunting Bill a table showing the number of hours of consideration given to completed Committee stages of each government Bill in the current session. Baroness Amos: The following table shows the number of hours spent in Committee in the House of Lords on each government Bill this Session. Bill name (No of clauses(1), No of schedules) Hours in Committee of the Whole House Anti-Social Behaviour (71, 3) 15hrs 47mins Arms Control and Disarmament (Inspections) (3, 2) 14mins Communications (403, 19) 45hrs 16mins Community Care (Delayed Discharge etc) (17, 0) 11hrs 1min Courts (101, 7) 27hrs 3mins Criminal Justice (307, 32) 60hrs 2mins European Union (Accessions) (3, 0) 19mins Licensing (196, 8) 31hrs 21mins National Minimum Wage (Enforcement Notices) (2, 0) 16mins Northern Ireland (Monitoring Commission) (10, 0) 1hr 37mins Northern Ireland Assembly (Elections and Periods of Suspension) (7, 0) 15mins Northern Ireland Assembly Elections Bill (2, 0) 43mins Regional Assemblies (Preparations) (29, 1) 21hrs 41mins Sexual Offences (128, 5) 31hrs 21mins Bill name (No of clauses(1), No of schedules) Hours in Grand Committee Crime (International Co-operation) (94, 5) 17hrs 7mins Electricity (Misc Provisions) (5, 0) 2hrs 48mins European Parliament (Representation) (25, 1) 99mins Extradition (213, 1) 34hrs 46mins Fire Services (2, 0) 10hrs 47mins Health (Wales) (10, 4) 1hr 55mins Local Government (128, 7) 30hrs 9mins Police (Northern Ireland) (28, 3) 4hrs 46mins Railways and Transport Safety (119, 7) 7hrs 46mins Waste and Emissions Trading (35, 0) 8hrs 5mins Water (97, 9) 27hrs 27mins Clause count represents the number of clauses in the Bill when it was introduced in to the House of Lords NB. These lists do not include Bills where the Committee stage was negatived. Nor do they include Bills which have not yet completed their Committee stage in this House. Prisoners: Voting Rights Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether denying prisoners the right to vote affects their ability to persuade Ministers of the Crown and those responsible for the Prison Service to improve the conditions in which they are imprisoned; and Whether denying prisoners the right to vote amounts to an additional punishment; and whether this is compatible with Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights as interpreted by the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It has been the view of successive governments that prisoners convicted of a crime serious enough to warrant imprisonment have lost the moral authority to vote. The working party on electoral procedures, which examined and reviewed all electoral arrangements after the general election held in 1997, published its findings on 19 October 1999. It could find no reason to change the existing system in which convicted prisoners found guilty of a crime serious enough to warrant imprisonment are denied the right to vote for the duration of their imprisonment. Prisoners have a variety of ways in which they can express their views about conditions in prison, including by writing to their Member of Parliament—and many do so. Article 25 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights covers the rights of the individual to be involved in public affairs and to vote in periodic free elections without unreasonable restrictions. The covenant has not been incorporated into English law, but the UK is signed up to the covenant. Parliament has decided that convicted prisoners have forfeited their right to have a say in the way the country is governed for the period during which they are in custody. This temporary disenfranchisement pursues a legitimate aim and is proportionate, and is considered a reasonable restriction within the terms of Article 25. It does not, in our view, affect the substance of Article 25, which is concerned with universal franchise and the free expression of the people in the choice of legislature. Long-standing precedent set by the European Court of Human Rights upholds that certain sections of society, including convicted prisoners, can be excluded from voting. Violent Crime: Convenience Stores Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What statistics they have on violent attacks on people who work in convenience stores for each of the last three years and the current year to date; what is the average time taken by police forces to respond to emergency calls from them; whether they are content with current response times; and what action they are taking to work with retailers to combat violent crime in their stores. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The requested information on the levels of violent attacks on people who work in convenience stores and the time taken by police to respond to these is not collected centrally. The Government do take crime against the retail sector very seriously and the Business Crime Section within the Home Office is focusing on this issue. Advice on reducing violent crime has been provided by the Home Office in a booklet for retailers entitled Don't discount crime, which covers all aspects of crime prevention and includes a section on keeping safe. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published Work-related violence: managing the risk in smaller businesses on 9 July 2002. The publication includes 10 case studies on how some businesses have reduced the risk of violence to staff. It has also published specific guidance for the retail sector, called Preventing Violence to Retail Staff. This provides practical guidance for retailers and their staff on how the problems and causes of violence might be tackled. It sets out an approach that can be adopted as everyday practice. These issues can only be addressed by a joint approach and the Government are committed to working with the retail industry to combat all types of crime against the industry. An example of this is the DTI-sponsored Retail Strategy Group, comprising members from both the public and private sectors, which has a specific sub-group that includes officials from the Home Office, DTI and Small Business Service to look at crime issues. Retail crime reduction partnerships, which exist in many town and shopping centres, enable members to share information and exclude offenders, including potentially violent offenders, from their stores. The Home Office paid for a consultant to work with the British Retail Consortium over a two-year period to develop these partnerships, many of which are supported by the government offices in the regions. The Home Office has also provided £15 million over three years to help small shops in deprived areas, many of which are convenience stores, with security. Anti-social Behaviour Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether diet is a key ingredient in reducing anti-social behaviour; and, if so, whether they will introduce supplements in the prisoners' diet containing essential vitamins, minerals and fatty acids. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Office has not commissioned any research into the impact of dietary supplements on anti-social behaviour. Mr Hadi Soleimanpour Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Home Secretary has yet made a decision on whether or not to issue an order to proceed under the Extradition Act 1989 against the Iranian ex-ambassador to Argentina, Mr Hadi Soleimanpour. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Argentinean request for Mr Soleimanpour's extradition remains under consideration. Bow Street Magistrates' Court has set 23 October as the date by which a decision must be reached as to the issue of an order to proceed. Police: Sexually Discriminatory Behaviour Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps are being taken to discourage sexually discriminatory behaviour by male police officers towards women police officers and members of the public, in light of the 1997–98 and 2002–03 reports of the Police Complaints Authority. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Any sexually discriminatory behaviour such as that highlighted in the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) reports would breach the code of conduct for police officers as set out at annex 1 of the Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999. The code outlines the principles which should guide police officers conduct and includes the following: "Politeness and tolerance Officers should treat members of the public and colleagues with courtesy and respect, avoiding abusive or deriding attitudes or behaviour. In particular, officers must avoid: favouritism of an individual or group; all forms of harassment, victimisation or unreasonable discrimination; and overbearing conduct to a colleague, particularly to one junior in rank or service". Any breach of the principles in the code of conduct may result in an officer facing misconduct proceedings under the Police (Conduct) Regulations 1999, which, in the most serious cases, could involve dismissal. Under the new complaints system, which will come into force on 1 April 2004, it is more likely for conduct of this nature, whether or not a complaint is made, to fall to be recorded and referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) and, in the more serious cases, can be investigated by the IPCC. Furthermore, the Home Office is working very closely with the Women's National Commission and the Association of Chief Police Officers on a number of projects designed to discourage sexually discriminatory behaviour by male police officers towards women police officers and members of the public. These include: The Gender Agenda—This document, to which the Home Office is a signatory, was produced two years ago by a number of groups with a stake in women's issues in the Police Service. It contains suggestions on what the police and individuals can do to improve the current situation. Advances have been made in a number of areas, including training methods, delivery and recruitment. Seen but not heard: Women's Experience of the Police report—This report was partially funded by the Home Office and was designed to look at gender issues, particularly how the police engage with different communities. Firearms: National Register Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 20 May (HL Deb, col. 685) what progress has been made in the establishment of a national register, as required by Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; whether the project became operational on 31 August 2003 as predicted in the answer; and, if so, how many police forces are now able to use it. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The requirement under Section 39 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 for a central register of all persons who have applied for and been granted or refused a firearm or shot gun certificate is being taken forward as part of a national firearms licensing management system. I understand from the Police Information Technology Organisation that it expects to finalise the contract for taking this forward in the next few days. The prediction was and still is for the project to be operational by 31 August 2004 (not 2003) and no forces are yet able to use it. Interfaith Consultations Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What persons and organisations are involved in the Government's interfaith consultations being conducted by Ms Fiona Mactaggart MP; and on what policy issues they have been invited to comment. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by my honourable friend Fiona Mactaggart to the honourable Member for Rhondda (Mr Bryant) in another place on 30 June 2003, Official Report, column 12W, which sets out the membership of the steering group which is carrying out the present review of the Government's Interface with the Faith Communities. In addition, my honourable friend is holding meetings with organisations which have a relevant perspective on the review but are not represented on the steering group, for instance the National Secular Society and the British Humanist Association. The review is concerned with developing effective processes for consulting the faith communities and is not itself considering any specific policy issues. However, we are considering the feasibility of carrying out a pilot consultation exercise in a particular locality, which would test the effectiveness of various consultative mechanisms through consulting local faith communities on a developing area of Home Office policy. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is their intention to modify the code of practice on the retention of communications data provided by the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 in response to future developments in communications technology. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Yes, if appropriate. Section 103(8) of the Act provides for the code to be revised in whole or part as necessary. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Viscount Bridgeman: asked Her Majesty's Government: What period they think is sufficient to review the voluntary code of practice on the retention of communications data under Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 before concluding that it is necessary to make mandatory directions; and why that period is sufficient. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No final decision has yet been taken as it will depend on the level of take-up for the voluntary code. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the legal risk to communications service providers of voluntarily retaining data under Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 makes the draft order to introduce a voluntary code of practice currently before both Houses unworkable; and whether they intend to invoke their reserve power provided in Section 104 of that Act. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We have sought to provide reassurance to communications service providers on this point, but it is ultimately a matter for them to assess the extent of any legal risk entailed in complying with the code of practice. We will keep this under review. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the current arrangements for data retention under Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 are inadequate for national security purposes; if so, in what ways; whether they consider that the voluntary approach proposed will be applied consistently across the industry; and if there is no consistent approach, what implications this may have for the value of the whole exercise. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are so far satisfied, but will review these arrangements in the light of take-up of voluntary retention by communication service providers. The reserve powers under Section 104 will be invoked if necessary. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made to determine that the proposals in respect of Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 for the code of practice on data retention are necessary, proportionate and justified as required by the European Convention on Human Rights. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: This was set out in the consultation paper on a code of practice for voluntary retention of communications data published in March 2003. Having given careful consideration to the responses received, we remain satisfied that our proposals satisfy the necessity and proportionality requirements of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Viscount Bridgeman: asked Her Majesty's Government: What funds they have set aside to meet their commitment to reimburse communications service providers for the additional costs they will incur in respect of Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 if they voluntarily retain data under the proposed code of practice. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: £4 million is available this year. Future provision will be reviewed in the light of take-up of the code of practice on voluntary data retention by communications service providers. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Viscount Bridgeman: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they can effectively review the voluntary code of practice on the retention of communications data in respect of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 without first having carried out an assessment of the anticipated additional protection it will provide for national security. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We remain satisfied with the review criteria set out in the consultation paper on a code of practice for voluntary retention of communications data. These matters were fully considered and debated by Parliament during the passage of the ATCS Act. Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Retention of Communications Data Viscount Bridgeman: asked Her Majesty's Government: What proposals they have to resolve the disparity by which communications data retained under arrangements made under Part 11 of the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 for the purposes of safeguarding national security and preventing or detecting related crime will be available on demand to a wide range of public authorities for much wider purposes, including the prevention or detection of any crime, protecting public health and collecting taxes. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are satisfied that the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 provides for lawful acquisition by public authorities of communications data only where this is demonstrably necessary and proportionate. Asylum Applications: Delays Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in apologising for the delay in resolving an application for asylum which has been outstanding for two years (in correspondence PO 10542/3), and adding that some cases are taking longer to process at this time of heightened security, the Minister of State at the Home Office, Ms Beverley Hughes MP, meant that all cases were taking longer to process, or all cases from particular countries, or individual cases where the applicant was considered to be a potential security risk. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: My honourable friend, the Minister of State at the Home Office, was referring to particular cases. Basic Disclosures Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will make public the responses to the consultation paper seeking views on whether applications for basic disclosures should be routed through registered bodies. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: On 9 April the Home Office issued a consultation paper seeking views on the independent review team's recommendation (Official Report, Commons, 27 February 2003, col. 33–36WS) that applications for basic disclosures should be routed through registered bodies. The consultation period closed on 30 June; 352 responses were received. I have today placed in the Library an analysis of those responses. We will consider carefully the views expressed in response to the consultation before deciding how best to proceed with the introduction of the basics service. Extradition: Draft Code of Practice Baroness Hilton of Eggardon: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will make public the responses to the draft code of practice on the use of police powers under the Extradition Bill. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I am today drawing the House's attention to the publication of the responses received by the Home Office to its consultation on a draft extradition code of practice. The draft code of practice, which sets out the application and operation of police powers under Part 4 of the Extradition Bill, was published on 9 June 2003 and comments on the draft were invited by 8 September 2003. Twenty-nine responses were received in total. Twenty-six authors have given permission for their responses to be made public and these are now available in the House Library and can also be viewed on the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crimpol/oic/extradition/bill/documents.html. We will be publishing our response to the representations in due course. Millennium Dome Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: To whom English Partnerships is accountable for management of the Dome. Lord Rooker: English Partnerships is a non-departmental public body sponsored by and accountable to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. In this role the office has an agreed framework within which English Partnerships is accountable to the office for the discharge of its financial and management responsibilities, such as the management of the Dome. In addition, English Partnerships is accountable to Parliament by statute for all resources under its control. Millennium Dome Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: From whom English Partnerships derives authority for expenditure on security and maintenance of the Dome; and whether the expenditure is subject to any limits. Lord Rooker: English Partnerships (EP) owns land on the Greenwich peninsula and the Dome itself. It is therefore responsible for the maintenance and security of the Dome. EP is required to expend the minimum level of resources needed to maintain the Dome for its intended purpose. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister approves the overall level of expenditure for maintenance and security. The Dome is used for a number of one-off events throughout the year and the income generated is used to reduce the management and maintenance costs to EP. Millennium Dome Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: How much income, after the deduction of related expenditure, has been generated from events held at the Dome since its closure to the public in January 2001. Lord Rooker: Since its closure to the public in January 2001, a net income of £918,000, excluding VAT, has been generated from commercial events held at the Dome. The first such event was held on 31 December 2001—none was possible before then due to the decommissioning activity at the Dome. A number of other events of public benefit have been held in the Dome. These have been agreed by English Partnerships on the basis of no income, because of their nature and the public benefits delivered, but in all cases English Partnerships' costs have been fully covered by the event organisers. Examples include the London Respect festival, AEG's roller hockey community day, and other charity events. Court Service: Staffing Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are satisfied with the present levels of staffing throughout the Court Service; and if not, what steps they are taking to address the issue. Lord Filkin: Overall the staffing levels across the Court Service are adequate to meet the delivery targets of the agency. Crown Courts have seen staff allocation increased in recent years due to additional sitting days. The average number of full-time equivalent persons employed in Crown Courts rose by 41 between 2000–01 and 2002–03. County Courts have seen a decrease of 148 full-time equivalent persons between 2000–01 and 2002–03. This reduction was in line with estimated savings from enhancements to IT systems. Although overall staffing levels are adequate there are local issues from time to time, which can create short-term difficulties. Fines: Enforcement Baroness Hilton of Eggardon: asked Her Majesty's Government: What their plans are for measuring improvements in fine enforcement performance. Lord Filkin: Securing a sustained improvement in fine enforcement and increasing confidence in the criminal justice system are key government priorities. That is why back in June this year we announced a seven-point plan to secure the level of enforcement improvement required. The Department for Constitutional Affairs is taking forward a wide-ranging programme of change to deliver the seven-point plan. As part of this we have undertaken a review of the existing fine enforcement payment rate target to test whether it provides the right focus for those involved in enforcement activity and are now making changes. As well as criminal fines properly due, the existing target includes, among other things, civil payments and judicially remitted fines. We have now reviewed it so that the target is to collect a set proportion of fines which are properly due. This will provide a clearer focus for magistrates' courts committees and enable relative performance to be more easily assessed. The effect of the revised form of measurement is to change the existing target of 68 per cent. to a value of 75 per cent. Performance data under the new measure will first be available from January 2004 and information under both the old and the new measure will be available for at least the remainder of 2003–04. Performance in areas no longer captured by the payment rate target will be monitored and managed separately. Implementation of the overall fine enforcement programme will in time enable targets to be set at higher levels. International Development: Financing Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their policy concerning the proposal to the G8 meeting held in June, by the President of Brazil, for a tax on international arms trading. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The IMF and World Bank are currently carrying out further work on all development financing mechanisms. This work will include all proposals for international taxes designed to generate additional development resources, including proposals for a tax on international arms trading. The IMF and World Bank have been asked to report to the development committee at the 2004 spring meetings, and to the IMFC at the 2004 annual meetings. The Government are committed to finding the most effective way of mobilising the additional development resources that are necessary if the Millennium Development Goals are to be met. This is why the UK has proposed an international finance facility. World Heritage Sites Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will list the world heritage sites in the United Kingdom indicating, in respect of each, the date of designation and how much each world heritage site has received from UNESCO, the Government, the European Union and lottery funds respectively. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Information on the UK's world heritage sites and their date of designation is shown in the table. UNESCO does not contribute any funding towards these sites and information on government, European Union and lottery funding can only be provided at disproportionate cost. I will write separately to the noble Lord with a fuller explanation, and will arrange to place copies in the Libraries of both Houses. World Heritage Site Date of Designation Durham Cathedral and Castle 1986 Fountains Abbey, St Mary's Church and Studley Royal Park 1986 Ironbridge Gorge 1986 Stonehenge, Avebury and associated sites 1986 Blenheim Palace and Park 1987 Palace of Westminster, St Margaret's Church and Westminster Abbey 1987 City of Bath 1987 Hadrian's Wall 1987 The Tower of London 1989 Canterbury Cathedral (with St Augustine's Abbey and St Martin's Church) 1988 Castle and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd 1986 St Kilda 1986 Giant's Causeway and Causeway coast 1986 Henderson Island, South Pacific Ocean 1986 Edinburgh Old and New Towns 1996 Gough Island Wildlife Reserve, South Atlantic Ocean 1996 Maritime Greenwich 1997 Heart of Neolithic Orkney 1999 Historic Town of St George and Related Fortifications Bermuda 2000 Blaenavon Industrial Landscape 2000 Dorset and East Devon Coast 2001 Derwent Valley Mills 2001 New Lanark 2001 Saltaire 2001 Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2003 State Pension: Cost of Uprating Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the net additional cost to the Exchequer in 2011–12, 2013–14 and 2015–16 if the basic state pension were increased in April 2006 by £7 for a single person and £11 for a couple and then increased annually in line with average earnings with no change in other relevant plans and policies; and how this compares with present projections. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: We currently uprate the basic state pension by either 2.5 per cent or the retail prices index (RPI), whichever is higher, and will do so for the remainder of this Parliament. On this basis, we estimate that the basic state pension in 2011 will be £95.30 for single pensioners and £152.40 for pensioner couples. Increasing the basic state pension by £7 in 2006, and thereafter uprating by earnings, would result in single pensioners receiving £110.65 and pensioner couples, £176.60. Therefore, the net additional costs, for all pensioners, of increasing the basic state pension by £7 in 2006, and thereafter uprating by earnings, compared with uprating the basic state pension by the retail prices index, for the years 2011–12 to 2015–16, are as set out in the table. Net additional costs for all pensioners of increasing the basic state pension by £7 in 2006, and thereafter uprating by earnings, compared with uprating the basic state pension by the retail prices index, for the years 2011–12 to 2015–16 Year 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 Net cost (£ billions) 4.5 5.2 5.9 6.6 7.4 Notes: 1. All costs are rounded to the nearest £100 million and are in 2003–04 price terms. 2. Gross costs are calculated by the Government Actuary's Department and are consistent with Budget 2003 assumptions. 3. The net costs are calculated using the DWP policy simulation model for 2005–06. The net cost represents the cost after allowing for any offsetting savings in income-related benefits. Bovine Tuberculosis Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the numbers of cattle slaughtered as a result of bovine tuberculosis and how much compensation was paid to farmers in the years 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002 and up to July 2003. Lord Whitty: Table 1, below, shows the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine TB measures in Great Britain, from 1998 to 2002 and from January to June 2003. The data are taken from Defra's most recently published national statistics (data for July 2003 not yet available). Table 2 shows the amount of compensation paid to farmers in Great Britain for each financial year 1998–99 to 2002–03 and for April to July of this financial year. Table 1—Number of cattle slaughtered in Great Britain under Bovine TB control measures 1998–2003(1) Year No of cattle slaughtered 1998 5,884 1999 6,770 2000 8,353 2001 6,256 2002 (2)22,981 January–June 2003 (2)13,051 (1) TB reactors plus direct contacts. (2) Provisional data only. Table 2—Compensation paid to farmers in Great Britain as a result of Bovine Tuberculosis 1998–2003 Financial year Compensation (£,000) 1998–99 3,491 1999–2000 5,303 2000–01 6,632 2001–02 9,243 2002–03 31,146 April–July 2003 (2)8,254 (3) Provisional data only. Note: In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. Since testing resumed in 2002, resources have been concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also the proportion of high-risk herds being tested post-FMD is greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of TB reactors identified and slaughtered in 2002 is not comparable to those identified and slaughtered in previous years. Biofuels Lord Carter: asked Her Majesty's Government: What view they have formed of the potential ability of British agriculture to produce biodiesel and bioethanol from current crops and technology. Lord Whitty: Biofuels offer an opportunity for diversification of agricultural activities and the development of new markets. Traditional technologies for producing biodiesel and bioethanol use crops including oilseed rape, suger beet and potatoes, which are well known to farmers and use the same crop management drivers as for food crops. In order to produce a significant percentage of the UK's fuel requirements, a large amount of land would need to be dedicated to biofuel crops. To meet the 5.75 per cent reference target for use of biofuels in the EU Biofuels Directive, if entirely provided from virgin crops ie excluding recycled oil or forestry by-products etc, would require up to 1 million hectares of land: about 10 per cent of available land. For UK farmers to produce fuel crops on this scale, the market return to the farmer would need to be sufficient to motivate diversion from production for established food and animal feed markets. Biofuels Lord Carter: asked Her Majesty's Government: What actions they propose to enable the United Kingdom to meet the 2005 and 2010 European Union targets for biofuel use, 2 per cent and 5.75 per cent respectively. Lord Davies of Oldham: The European Union's Biofuels Directive requires member states to set their own indicative targets for sales of biofuels to be met in the years 2005 and 2010. The Government will be consulting early next year on the level of targets that might be appropriate for the UK, and on the steps that we might take to meet them. HW Points Machines Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the HW points machine is a safety critical component of a railway system; and Who is the design authority for the HW points machine; and Whether Network Rail maintains or has access to a complete and up-to-date set of engineering drawings of the HW points machine; and Whether HW points machines are overhauled or refurbished; if so, by whom; and whether that organisation has: (a) a complete and up-to-date set of engineering drawings of the HW points machine; and (b) a schedule of limits and fits for the machine, covering all components that they inspect, reject, retain or repair. Lord Davies of Oldham: Network Rail advises that all points machines are subject to a rigorous product acceptance process which forms part of its railway safety case. Meeting the appropriate acceptance criteria is a matter for the relevant suppliers. Public Sector: Efficiency Review Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: When there will be an efficiency review covering the public sector. Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Chancellor for the Exchequer announced an efficiency review of the public sector in his spring Budget speech (House of Commons Official Report, 9 April, col. 271-88). The review is being conducted by a joint team from the Cabinet Office and Her Majesty's Treasury. The Minister for the Cabinet Office, Mr Douglas Alexander, has today placed in the Libraries of the House copies of the consultation document Efficiency Review—Releasing Resources to the Front Line. The consultation seeks the views of a wide range of public sector employees and other interested parties to inform the review, with initial views requested by 21 November 2003. A more detailed consultation will be undertaken when specific proposals have been developed.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2003-10-20a

Department for Transport Foreign and Commonwealth Office Physiotherapy: Training baroness tonge: Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the arrangement under discussion between the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Gaza and the Palestinian Authority, to make Mohammed Dahlan the leader of the government in Gaza, and sopartiallylift the closure on the Strip by Egypt and Israel. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students participating on (1) BSc, and (2) MSc, courses will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a limit on the number of pre-registration physiotherapy students able to qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students (1) already studying, and (2) due to start a course, will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students participating on (1) BSc, and (2) MSc, courses will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a limit on the number of pre-registration physiotherapy students able to qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness blackwood of north oxford: All new and continuing students enrolled in an eligible pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate physiotherapy course at an English university from September 2020 will be eligible for at least £5,000 of the new financial support package.Extra payments worth up to £3,000 per academic year will be available for eligible students depending on their individual circumstances. For those studying physiotherapy, this could include £1,000 of financial support to help with childcare costs. Physiotherapy students will not be eligible for the £1,000 incentive funding announced on 19 January 2020 for students entering a pre-registration course in a shortage healthcare specialism. As set out in the announcement of 19 January, the Department is undertaking further work to develop the £1,000 incentive payment which will be targeted at specific regions or geographical areas and it is possible that some new physiotherapy students could be eligible for additional payments as part of this. Further information will be set out as soon as possible.There are no current plans to limit the number of physiotherapy students who could receive funding they may be eligible for. Qassem Soleimani the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the killing of General Qassem Soleimani on 3 January and the President of the United States' subsequent statement on Twitter on 13 January that it "doesn’t really matter...because of his horrible past" whether an imminent attack was planned by General Soleimani, what assessment they have made of the case for areview of the international legal framework in relation to(1) the conduct of targeted assassinations, and(2)strikes by unmanned aerial vehicles. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Article 51 of the UN Charter recognises that all States have an inherent right of self-defence. Any use of force must be in accordance with the requirements of applicable international law. *No heading* lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that dozens of Syrian Islamist mercenaries loyal to Turkey have recently travelled to Libya and Algeria, and that some have then successfully entered Europe. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware of reports of foreign combatants travelling from Syria to engage in armed conflict in Libya. We are not able to confirm that any of these fighters have travelled to Algeria or Europe.The UK continues to press all the parties in Libya to support the current ceasefire and engage in the UN-led political process, in line with the conclusions of the Berlin conference on Libya on 19 January. *No heading* baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the activities of members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in particular the Quds Force; and what plans they have to proscribe members of its leadership as terrorist entities. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have long expressed our deep concerns about the destabilising activities of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and IRGC Qods Force, including illicit economic activity, and support to militant and proscribed groups around the region. The IRGC as a whole remains subject to EU and UN sanctions; a large number of associated individuals and entities are also designated. We continue to review the list of proscribed groups, but do not routinely comment on consideration of specific organisations. *No heading* baroness eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment theyhave made of the safety of British nationals and diplomatic representatives in Iran. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The safety and security of British nationals and our staff is of paramount importance and we keep our security posture under regular review. We have strengthened the travel advice to Iran and will keep it under constant review. *No heading* lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to undertake, and report on, an investigation into the government of Russia'salleged (1) use of poisoning and assassination, (2) media manipulation, (3) abuse of Interpol procedures, and (4) efforts toundermine international law and institutions in ways that are harmful to UK security. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We continue to challenge Russia's malign activity and abuse of the international rules-based system and remain at the forefront of those opposing that abuse.In response to the attack in Salisbury, together with our allies, we coordinated the largest ever collective expulsion of Russian intelligence officers, fundamentally degrading Russian intelligence capability for years to come. We also challenge Russia's actions in Ukraine, in Syria, the Western Balkans and in cyber space. The United Kingdom is committed to playing a leading role in continuing sanctions against Russia. Sanctions are one of a range of measures we have taken, in concert with others, to defend our security and enhance our capabilities against Russia's malign activity. *No heading* baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that Palestinian child prisoners were relocated to a prison in Israel without the presence of adult representatives on 13 January, in contravention of international law. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain concerned by the continued transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities outlining our concerns around Israel's treatment of Palestinian children in detention. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv did so most recently on 16 December 2019. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention. We welcome the recent reduction in the number of detainees aged 12 to 14 years old and the establishment of separate juvenile courts. *No heading* baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about that government designating the killing of a Palestinian woman as an act of terrorism perpetrated by Israeli settlers but not allowing that woman's family the compensation that is paid to victims of terrorism. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​Whilst we have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities, we condemn any incidence of violence by settlers against Palestinians and urge the Israeli authorities to thoroughly investigate every instance and bring those responsible to justice. We have also stressed the importance of Israel security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population. *No heading* baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that unarmed men leaving Gaza through gaps in the separation fence to seek work in Israel have been shot at with live and rubber ammunition. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have repeatedly made clear to Israel our longstanding concerns about the way Israel Defense Forces police protests and the border areas, including the use of live ammunition. We did so most recently at the UN Security Council briefing and consultations on the Middle East Peace Process on 20 November. We call on Israel to adhere to the principles of necessity and proportionality when defending its legitimate security interest. *No heading* lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) Israel, and (2) the United States, in relation to proposals by the US that the Golan Heights should be annexed by Israel. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We have been clear to both our Israeli and US counterparts that the UK views the Golan Heights as territory occupied by Israel. The UK did not recognise Israel's annexation in 1981 and we have no plans to change our position. On 26 March 2019, following the US Presidential Proclamation recognising that the Golan Heights are part of the State of Israel, we reiterated our firm position on this matter at a meeting of the UN Security Council. Annexation of territory by force is prohibited under international law. Any declaration of a unilateral border change goes against the foundation of the rules-based international order and the UN Charter. *No heading* lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Rwanda concerning the detention of Jackie Umuhoza. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are concerned by Jackie Umuhoza's continued detention without charge and urge the Government of Rwanda to abide by its international human rights obligations and international norms on arrest and detention. The Prime Minister raised human rights and the importance of adhering to Commonwealth values when he met President Kagame during the UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January. The British High Commission in Kigali regularly raises human rights concerns with the Government of Rwanda. *No heading* baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to government of Israel about the reported imprisonment and torture of (1)Mays Abu Gosh, and (2)Samir Arbid, in Israeli custody. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​While we are aware of the cases of Samir Arbid and Mays Abu Gosh, we have not made representations to the government of Israel about these specific cases. The British Government has concerns about mistreatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons, and about Israel's respect for its obligations as an occupying power, under applicable international law. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have raised the treatment of Palestinians in Israeli prisons with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 16 December. We emphasise the importance of treating prisoners and detainees humanely and in accordance with international law. *No heading* baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) use of, and (2) amount of land covered by, military firing zones in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the eviction and criminalisation of long standing residents who live in those areas. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We continue to be gravely concerned by the impact of military firing zones in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel's commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional of cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. We have repeatedly made clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concern at the increase in demolitions of Palestinian properties in Area C of the West Bank and in East Jerusalem, most recently on 17 December 2019. The UK and international partners will continue to call bilaterally, and in international fora, for Israel to abandon demolition plans entirely, and instead provide a transparent route to construction for Palestinians in Area C. *No heading* lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Nigeria about the (1) killing of Lawan Andimi by Boko Haram, and (2) bringing to justice those responsible for his death. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK is appalled by the reported execution of Reverend Lawan Andimi by Boko Haram. The Minister for Africa tweeted his condolences on 21 January and echoed President Buhari's condemnation of this senseless killing. While we have not made representations to the Government of Nigeria about this specific incident, we regularly engage the Government on tackling the terrorist threat in North East Nigeria. Most recently, the Prime Minister raised his concerns about increasing levels of violence in North East Nigeria with President Buhari at the UK-Africa Investment Summit on 20 January. To help communities in the North East, the UK is providing £300 million of humanitarian support over 5 years (2018 -2022). *No heading* lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of conditions in detention centres in or near Tripoli, in particular in terms of (1) food, (2) water, and (3) hygiene; and what representations they have made to the government of Libya to improve conditions in such detention centres. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains deeply concerned by the conditions faced by migrants and refugees in Libyan detention centres. We continue to urge the Libyan authorities to pursue alternatives to detention and implement a better functioning migration system that respects human rights. The UK supports the UN's call for detention centres across Libya to be closed, and for the migrants and refugees within them to be evacuated to safety.We have repeatedly called for urgent humanitarian access for the UN and international humanitarian actors, and for all parties to adhere to International Humanitarian Law. The UK provided £1 million to the 2019 UN Flash Appeal, and was the first country to respond to the appeal. In April 2019, the UN released $2 million from the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) to provide life-saving assistance to civilians caught up in the escalating fighting in Libya, including vulnerable migrants and refugees. The UK was the biggest donor to the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) in 2018, providing £114.3 million. As part of our current £75 million migration programme along the Central Mediterranean Route, we have allocated up to £5 million to humanitarian assistance and protection for migrants and refugees in Libya, including targeted healthcare provision.These efforts form part of the UK's comprehensive, 'whole-of-route' approach to protecting migrants and refugees who are travelling along the Central Mediterranean Route. This includes humanitarian assistance and protection for migrants and refugees, cracking down on people smuggling, supporting assisted voluntary returns and working intensively to end the conflict in Libya. To this end, the Prime Minister attended the Berlin Conference on 19 January, where attendees agreed to support the current ceasefire and UN-led political talks, and pledged to respect the UN arms embargo. The UK is clear that the human rights situation in Libya can only be improved under the stability of a united and representative government, facilitated by the UN-led political process. *No heading* baroness thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 January (HL Deb, col 916) that the situation in Kashmir “needs to be resolved bilaterally”, what assessment they have made of the possibility of mediating between the governments of India and Kashmir in order toimplementthe recommendations made in the report by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Update of the Situation of Human Rights in Indian-Administered Kashmir and Pakistan-Administered Kashmir from May 2018 to April 2019. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our longstanding position is that it is for India and Pakistan to find a lasting political resolution on Kashmir, taking into account the wishes of the Kashmiri people. It is not for the UK to prescribe a solution or act as a mediator. Any external mediation on Kashmir would need to be jointly agreed by India and Pakistan. We recognise that there are human rights concerns in India-administered Kashmir and Pakistan-administered Kashmir and have noted the recommendations in the OHCHR report for the authorities in India, the Government of Pakistan, and the Human Rights Council. Any allegation of human rights violations or abuses are deeply concerning and must be investigated thoroughly, promptly and transparently. Cabinet Office Devolution the duke of montrose: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times there have been joint ministerial meetings between their ministers and (1) Scottish ministers, (2) Welsh ministers, and (3) Northern Irish ministers or senior officials, since 31 March 2001; and whether (a) the agenda, (b) the attendance, and (c) the minutes, are published. earl howe: The Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) in its plenary format (JMC(P)), chaired by the Prime Minister and attended by the First Ministers of the devolved administrations and deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, has met 13 times since 31 March 2001.The Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations (JMC(EN)) has met 21 times since it was established in 2016. The JMC(EN) brings together the UK Government and the devolved administrations to discuss the progress of the UK’s exit from the EU.The Joint Ministerial Committee on Europe (JMC(E)) has wherever possible met quarterly in advance of European Council meetings to discuss ongoing EU business with the devolved administrations.During the absence of the Northern Ireland Executive, senior officials from the Northern Ireland Civil Service attended. The attendance and matters under discussion are published on the GOV.UK website, via communiqué, for JMC(P) and JMC(EN) meetings.As set out in the MoU between the UK Government and the devolved administrations, minutes are not published following meetings of the JMC, to allow for free and candid discussion. Civil Servants: Recruitment lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks made on 12 January by Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser, that the Civil Service needs to recruit more science and engineering graduates. earl howe: The government plans to build on the successful reforms of the Civil Service since 2010, going further and faster to ensure that it has the right skills. In particular this means attracting more people with quantitative and data analytics skills - which are developed through training in science and engineering.Demand for science and engineering graduates is increasing - with Fast Stream bids for this specialism having doubled this year.Those with science-related degrees make up an increasing proportion of those entering the Fast Stream. Candidates with science-related degrees (where known) made up 19.7% of entrants in 2018 compared with 17.4% in 2017. *No heading* lord harris of haringey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what length of time they consider reasonable for contractors providing specialist information and advisory services to prepare for service delivery following the award of a contract. earl howe: The length of time that a contractor has to prepare for service delivery following the award of a contract is dependent on the terms of the specific contract. *No heading* lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what role, if any, they have in removing a Lord Lieutenant or Deputy Lord Lieutenant from office. earl howe: Lord-Lieutenants (LLs) are HM The Queen’s representatives in each county and metropolitan area of the UK. Their primary role is to uphold the dignity of the Crown. They are Crown appointments, appointed by The Queen on the recommendation of the Prime Minister.There is an expectation that Lord-Lieutenants will always act to protect the dignity and integrity of the Office.The usual practice is for a Lord-Lieutenant to step down from office. Department of Health and Social Care Death: Young People lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of research by Imperial College London, published on 13 January, which links global warming with an increase in the violent deaths of young people. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Public Health England has not made an assessment of the research by Imperial College London, published on 13 January 2020. Social Services: Finance lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement all sections of Part 1 of the Care Act 2014; and whether the proposals of the Dilnot Commission will be taken into account in their future plans for funding adult social care. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. The Government will bring forward a plan for social care this year. There are complex questions to address, which is why we will seek to build cross-party consensus. We will consider all options available to ensure that every person is treated with dignity and offered the security they deserve, and that nobody needing care is forced to sell their home to pay for it. Sexually Transmitted Infections lord black of brentwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to combat the growth of drug-resistant sexually transmitted infections. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Of all bacterial sexually transmitted infections, antimicrobial resistance is primarily a concern for gonorrhoea and Mycoplasma genitalium.Public Health England (PHE) undertakes comprehensive surveillance through the Gonococcal Resistance to Antimicrobials Surveillance Programme. This surveillance programme enables early detection and management of antibiotic resistance in gonorrhoea. This intelligence is used to advise on national gonorrhoea treatment guidelines to ensure they remain effective.PHE offers a service to detect antibiotic resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium which can help clinicians give the most appropriate treatment to patients. PHE is conducting a pilot of surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in Mycoplasma genitalium in collaboration with several sexual health clinics across England.PHE also investigates both outbreaks and individual cases of extensively drug resistant gonorrhoea and potential treatment failures for gonorrhoea to ensure effective management and control spread. Community Nurses lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the test and learn initiatives pilotedacross the UKusing the Buurtzorg nursing model. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the test and learn initiatives pilotedacross the UKusing the Buurtzorg nursing model. baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to learning from a wide range of models of care from across the world to help improve patient care.NHS England and NHS Improvement officials met once with representatives of Buurtzorg UK in 2019 and have previously visited the Netherlands to gain first-hand experience of this model of care. Whilst there are no current plans to encourage the introduction of the model in its pure form to the National Health Service, underpinning elements of the model for example, supported self-management and person-centred care, are strongly encouraged.Given the Buurtzorg model continues to be trialled in a few areas in England, no national assessments have been undertaken. Social Prescribing the lord bishop of london: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure that churches and voluntary organisations are integrated into the social prescribing component of the NHS Long Term Plan. baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement are working with local areas to support implementation of social prescribing. As local social prescribing schemes develop, we would expect to see social prescribing link workers establishing important relationships with local health and care professionals and a wide range of community groups and services such as voluntary organisations and churches to maximise the impact of social prescribing.Further information is outlined in the Social prescribing and community-based support: Summary guide published by NHS England and Improvement in January 2019. A copy is attached. HL517_social_prescribing (PDF Document, 664.21 KB) Roads: Lighting lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of references to the replacement by some local authorities of sodium and mercury street lighting with LEDs contained in theAnnual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2017, published on 2 March 2018. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Public Health England has not carried out an assessment of the replacement by some local authorities of sodium and mercury street lighting with light-emitting diodes (LEDs) since the publication of the Annual Report of the Chief Medical Officer 2017, on 2 March 2018.Public Health England carried out a study in 2016 for Human responses to lighting based on LED lighting solutions: Commissioned by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers and the Society of Light and Lighting. A copy of the report is attached. This study included an assessment of LED streetlights. PHE CIBSE report (PDF Document, 1.07 MB) Social Services: Reform lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to bring forward their proposals to reform adult social care and support; and whether they intend to work closely with the Local Government Association to take forward those proposals. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. The Government will bring forward a plan for social care this year. The Government will seek to build cross-party consensus and will outline next steps shortly. The Department engages with stakeholders on a regular basis, including the Local Government Association, and will work with them and others as we take forward proposals. *No heading* lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the support that is available to people with photosensitive epilepsy. baroness blackwood of north oxford: No specific assessment has been made. *No heading* baroness gardner of parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford on 6 August 2019 (HL17643), how much new funding they provided in 2019 for new measures to prevent the transmission of carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Public Health England has not received any new funding for the prevention of transmission of the carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae. *No heading* lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responsibility NHS Property Services and NHS organisations have to ensure that NHS buildings which are of special architectural or historical interest, are considered for listing through an application to Historic England. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responsibility NHS Property Services and NHS organisations have to ensure that NHS buildings which are of special architectural or historical interest, are considered for listing through an application to Historic England. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to issue guidance to NHS Property Services and NHS organisations to encourage the listing of NHS buildings of special architectural or historical interest through an application to Historic England. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to issue guidance to NHS Property Services and NHS organisations to encourage the listing of NHS buildings of special architectural or historical interest through an application to Historic England. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Guidance is provided to the National Health Service on the management of buildings of special architectural or historical interest in Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary information for Part A - Strategic framework for the efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities. A copy of the guidance is attached.There is no requirement under existing guidance Health Building Notes, the National Planning Policy Framework or at local level for any organisation, including the NHS, to request for an asset to be listed. There is only an obligation once something is listed by Heritage England (on behalf of the Secretary of State) or local listed status.The Government’s policy for conserving and enhancing the historic environment including historic buildings is set out in the National Planning Policy framework. Trusts are responsible for implementing this guidance locally. Guidance is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains fit for purpose and at this time there are no current plans to amend or update this guidance. HBN_08_Part_B (PDF Document, 1.07 MB) *No heading* lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether either NHS Property Services or the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust considered applying for a listing through an application to Historic England in respect ofthe Regent Wing at Kingston Hospitalbefore selling the building for commercial development. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether either NHS Property Services or the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust considered applying for a listing through an application to Historic England in respect ofthe Regent Wing at Kingston Hospitalbefore selling the building for commercial development. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions NHS Property Services and the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have had with the local community about the future use of the Regent Wing at Kingston Hospital. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits that may accrue to the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from the sale of theRegent Wing at Kingston Hospital to a commercial developer. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions NHS Property Services and the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have had with the local community about the future use of the Regent Wing at Kingston Hospital. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits that may accrue to the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from the sale of theRegent Wing at Kingston Hospital to a commercial developer. baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS Property Services report that it does not own any part of the estate of Kingston Hospital.The Regent Wing required major capital investment to make it fit for purpose and would not provide appropriate modern healthcare facilities. The Trust has therefore saved substantial costs by disposing of the asset but has also been able to utilise the proceeds for other capital projects across the estate.Before disposing of the asset, the Trust undertook a full heritage survey of the Regent Wing as part of its pre-application process with the local authority – no comments were made by the local community or local authority. The building was not found to be of significant worth nationally.In addition, it undertakes regular community engagement sessions led by the Trust’s Chief Executive Officer, which has included the Regent Wing disposal. The purchaser of the site is planning to utilise it to develop residential accommodation. *No heading* baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students (1) already studying, and (2) due to start a course, will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students (1) already studying, and (2) due to start a course, will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students participating on (1) BSc, and (2) MSc, courses will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a limit on the number of pre-registration physiotherapy students able to qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether pre-registration physiotherapy students participating on (1) BSc, and (2) MSc, courses will qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there will be a limit on the number of pre-registration physiotherapy students able to qualify for maintenance grants of £5,000 and, where eligible, for further grants of up to £3,000 from 2020. baroness blackwood of north oxford: All new and continuing students enrolled in an eligible pre-registration undergraduate or postgraduate physiotherapy course at an English university from September 2020 will be eligible for at least £5,000 of the new financial support package.Extra payments worth up to £3,000 per academic year will be available for eligible students depending on their individual circumstances. For those studying physiotherapy, this could include £1,000 of financial support to help with childcare costs. Physiotherapy students will not be eligible for the £1,000 incentive funding announced on 19 January 2020 for students entering a pre-registration course in a shortage healthcare specialism. As set out in the announcement of 19 January, the Department is undertaking further work to develop the £1,000 incentive payment which will be targeted at specific regions or geographical areas and it is possible that some new physiotherapy students could be eligible for additional payments as part of this. Further information will be set out as soon as possible.There are no current plans to limit the number of physiotherapy students who could receive funding they may be eligible for. *No heading* lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2)registered nursing associates, and(3) registered midwives, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018-2019. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2)registered nursing associates, and(3) registered midwives, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018-2019. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered midwives, left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered nursing associates, and (3) registered midwives, who were previously residents of other EU countries, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered midwives, left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered nursing associates, and (3) registered midwives, who were previously residents of other EU countries, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in 2018–19. baroness blackwood of north oxford: The following table shows the number of registered nurses, registered nursing associates, and registered midwives who joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register for the first time in 2018-19. Registered nursesRegistered nursing associatesRegistered midwives 28,0204892,114 The following table shows the number of registered nurses and registered midwives who left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. Registered nursesRegistered midwivesDual qualified nurse/midwives27,1941,587351 The following table shows the number of registered nurses, registered nursing associates, and registered midwives whose initial registration was in other European Union countries, who joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register for the first time in 2018–19. Registered nursesRegistered nursing associatesRegistered midwives915053 All figures are based on the 12 month period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019. *No heading* lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to increase the amount of community care available for dementia patients. baroness blackwood of north oxford: The NHS Long Term Plan, published in January 2019, commits the National Health Service to continuing to improve the care provided to people with dementia and their carers, including through a more active focus on supporting people in the community and ongoing close work with the voluntary sector. *No heading* lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their plans to reform care and support will consider adults of all ages and unpaid carers, as well as older people. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Putting social care on a sustainable footing, where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, is one of the biggest challenges we face as a society. The Government will bring forward a plan for social care this year. The Government will seek to build cross-party consensus and will outline next steps shortly. Department for International Development *No heading* lord robertson of port ellen: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to deliver on the road safety aspects of the UN Global Sustainability Goals, as outlined in the 2017 UN reportRoad Safety: Consideration in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, published in 2017. baroness sugg: The UK Government supports UN Global Sustainability Goals on road safety and has supported research to improve road safety and reduce the impact of road crashes on poor people in developing countries. The UK Government has invested £20 million through the Global Road Safety Facility through DFID and the Department of Health and Social Care. This facility has generated new evidence on road safety, and has influenced World Bank investments in roads. The facility succeeded in including Road Safety as a criteria in the Bank’s corporate Safeguarding Framework. Several other Multilateral Development Banks are now using this as a model. It is estimated by the World Bank that as a result of this work over 2,100 road deaths and injuries were avoided in developing countries in 2017.DFID also works to share UK expertise on road safety with developing country governments including Nepal, Tanzania and Uganda. The Department for Transport held an International Conference on Road Safety in the UK in September 2019 and will lead the UK delegation at the UN’s 3rd Ministerial Conference on Road Safety in Sweden in February 2020. Ministry of Justice Prisoners: Gender Recognition lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many male prisoners, currently in prison, who self-identify as female have been moved to female prison wings. lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) assaults, (2) sexual assaults, and (3) rapes, have been committed against female prisoners by male prisoners who self-identify as female. lord keen of elie: We are not able to release the requested information. This is because the number of prisoners, within our transgender data collection, who have reported they are declared male on their birth certificate who self-identify as female and are located on female prison wings, is five or fewer[1]. Low numbers are suppressed to prevent disclosure in accordance with the Data Protection Act, 1998. This applies to values of five or fewer or other values which would allow values of five or fewer to be derived by subtraction. This is to prevent the identification of individuals. For this reason, we are also not able to release information on the number of assaults that have been committed, as the number of perpetrators of such crimes would be low and could also lead to the identification of individuals.The Ministry of Justice is fully mindful of the need to manage risk and to balance the rights of all prisoners in the women’s estate. We are committed to ensuring that transgender offenders are treated fairly, lawfully and decently, with their rights and safety properly respected. Regardless of where a transgender individual is being held, we expect that they will be respected and addressed in the gender with which they identify.[1] Details of the number of transgender prisoners were provided by Equalities Representatives in public and private prisons in England and Wales, between 26 March 2019 and 24 April 2019. Transgender prisoners were defined as those individuals known within prison to be currently living in, or are presenting in, a gender different to their sex assigned at birth and who have had a case conference (as defined by PSI 17/2016 The Care and Management of Transgender Offenders). The prison population is dynamic and as such the number of transgender prisoners currently in prison may now differ from the number at the time data was collected Prisoners: Terrorism lord robathan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatmeasures are in place to ensure thatprisoners who may be considered jihadists or have links to similar terrorist organisations are kept segregated from prisoners who formerly served in the UK armed forces. lord keen of elie: All terrorist and extremist risk prisoners, including those with known links to terrorist organisations, are managed through a specialist case management process. This process enables us to assess the impact an individual or individuals are having on the stability of prisons and the risk they present to others, including particular groups that may be at risk such as former UK armed forces prisoners and staff. Judiciary lord thomas of gresford: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned Kantar Group to survey public attitudes towards the independence of the judiciary; and if so, whether they intend to publish the findings ofany such survey. lord keen of elie: The Government has not commissioned Kantar Group to survey public attitudes towards the independence of the judiciary and the justice system. I can say with confidence that our judges are renowned around the world for their excellence and impartiality. *No heading* lord browne of belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific offences are categorised as a hate crime; and what are the criteria for such categorisation. lord keen of elie: The law responds to hate crime in four ways by:providing for additional “aggravated” offences with longer sentences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 if an offender demonstrated hostility or was motivated by hostility based on race or religion.prohibiting conduct that is likely to stir up hatred on grounds of race, or intended to do so on grounds of religion or sexual orientation in the Public Order Act 1986.providing for enhanced sentencing under sections 145 and 146 of the Criminal Justice Act 2003 if hostility is motivated by any of the five protected characteristics: disability, transgender status, race, religion or sexual orientation; andproviding Sentencing guidelines. Section 125(1) of the Coroners and Justice Act 2009 requires that a sentencing judge must follow any sentencing guideline which is relevant to their case. This includes, for example, consideration of whether the offence was motivated by racial or religious hostility, or if it was motivated by or demonstrated hostility towards the victim based on one or more of several of the victim’s characteristics: age, sex, gender identity (or presumed gender identity), disability (or presumed disability) or sexual orientation.The Government have invited the Law Commission to review the law relating to hate crime and to make recommendations to the Government for its reform. The review began in March 2019. Specifically, the Law Commission have been asked to consider the current range of offences and aggravating factors in sentencing, and to make recommendations on the most appropriate models to ensure that the criminal law provides consistent and effective protection from conduct motivated by hatred towards protected groups or characteristics. The review will also take account of the existing range of protected characteristics, identifying any gaps in the scope of protection currently offered under the law and making recommendations to promote a consistent approach. The Law Commission plan to issue a consultation on this matter in early 2020. Further information on the review can be found on the Law Commission webpage at: https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/ Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Social Services: Finance lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent at constant prices on (1) adult, and (2) children's social care, in each financial year from 2009/10 to 2018/19; and what is the estimated expenditure for the 2019/20 financial year. viscount younger of leckie: Local authority expenditure on children’s social care between 2014/15 and 2018/19 in constant prices is published in table 1b here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing-england-2018-to-2019-final-outturn. Due to significant changes to local authorities’ responsibilities in 2014 it is not possible to compare expenditure before and after this date. Expenditure for the years 2009/10 to 2013/14 is published (attached) here https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/local-authority-revenue-expenditure-and-financing#2013-to-2014Expenditure for adult social care between 2010/11 and 2018/19 is published here https://digital.nhs.uk/data-and-information/publications/statistical/adult-social-care-activity-and-finance-report/2018-19/appendix-b-final. This data includes Better Care Fund income from the NHS and other historic transfers, as detailed in the report. The same information is presented in constant prices in the table below. YearReal terms expenditure (18-19 prices)2009-10£18.39bn2010-11£18.50bn2011-12£17.58bn2012-13£17.01bn2013-14£16.86bn2014-15£16.63bn2015-16£17.15bn2016-17£17.39bn2017-18£17.49bn2018-19£17.92bnLocal authorities’ budgeted expenditure for both adults and children’s social care in 2019/20 is published (attached) here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/812505/Local_Authority_Revenue_Expenditure_and_Financing_2019-20_Budget__England.pdf This data excludes Better Care Fund income and so is not comparable to the data above. 2018 -219 final outturn (PDF Document, 571.8 KB) Local authority revenue expenditure and financing (PDF Document, 802.23 KB) adult and children's social care 2019/20 (PDF Document, 1.2 MB) Social Services: Finance lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their planned increase in expenditure in the 2020/21 financial year, at 2019/20 prices, on (1) adult, and (2) children's, social care. viscount younger of leckie: It is for local authorities to determine their spending on social care. The Government is providing councils with access to an additional £1.5 billion for adults and children’s social care in 2020/21. This includes an additional £1 billion of grant funding for adult and children’s social care, on top of maintaining £2.5 billion of existing social care grants. The Government has proposed a 2 per cent precept that will enable councils to access a further £500 million for adult social care specifically. Ministry of Defence NHS: Listed Buildings lord lexden: Her Majesty's Government how many members of the armed forces were stationed abroad (1) on the date of the 2016 EU referendum, and (2) on the date of the 2017 general election. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to issue guidance to NHS Property Services and NHS organisations to encourage the listing of NHS buildings of special architectural or historical interest through an application to Historic England. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what responsibility NHS Property Services and NHS organisations have to ensure that NHS buildings which are of special architectural or historical interest, are considered for listing through an application to Historic England. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to issue guidance to NHS Property Services and NHS organisations to encourage the listing of NHS buildings of special architectural or historical interest through an application to Historic England. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Guidance is provided to the National Health Service on the management of buildings of special architectural or historical interest in Health Building Note 00-08 Part B: Supplementary information for Part A - Strategic framework for the efficient management of healthcare estates and facilities. A copy of the guidance is attached.There is no requirement under existing guidance Health Building Notes, the National Planning Policy Framework or at local level for any organisation, including the NHS, to request for an asset to be listed. There is only an obligation once something is listed by Heritage England (on behalf of the Secretary of State) or local listed status.The Government’s policy for conserving and enhancing the historic environment including historic buildings is set out in the National Planning Policy framework. Trusts are responsible for implementing this guidance locally. Guidance is reviewed periodically to ensure it remains fit for purpose and at this time there are no current plans to amend or update this guidance. HBN_08_Part_B (PDF Document, 1.07 MB) Kingston Hospital lord lexden: Her Majesty's Government how many postal votes were submitted by members of the armed forces abroad at (1) the 2016 EU referendum, and (2) the 2017 general election. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions NHS Property Services and the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have had with the local community about the future use of the Regent Wing at Kingston Hospital. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits that may accrue to the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from the sale of theRegent Wing at Kingston Hospital to a commercial developer. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether either NHS Property Services or the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust considered applying for a listing through an application to Historic England in respect ofthe Regent Wing at Kingston Hospitalbefore selling the building for commercial development. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions NHS Property Services and the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust have had with the local community about the future use of the Regent Wing at Kingston Hospital. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits that may accrue to the Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust from the sale of theRegent Wing at Kingston Hospital to a commercial developer. baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS Property Services report that it does not own any part of the estate of Kingston Hospital.The Regent Wing required major capital investment to make it fit for purpose and would not provide appropriate modern healthcare facilities. The Trust has therefore saved substantial costs by disposing of the asset but has also been able to utilise the proceeds for other capital projects across the estate.Before disposing of the asset, the Trust undertook a full heritage survey of the Regent Wing as part of its pre-application process with the local authority – no comments were made by the local community or local authority. The building was not found to be of significant worth nationally.In addition, it undertakes regular community engagement sessions led by the Trust’s Chief Executive Officer, which has included the Regent Wing disposal. The purchaser of the site is planning to utilise it to develop residential accommodation. *No heading* lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact, if any, on the budget of the MoD there has been as a result of the variation in the cost of the F-35 Lightning aircraft. baroness goldie: F-35 aircraft unit costs continue to reduce as planned, and the programme remains within its overall cost approval. Any variations in the aircraft costs would not impact the overall Defence budget. *No heading* lord campbell of pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any difficulties in the supply of spare parts for the F-35 Lightning aircraft baroness goldie: The UK Lightning Force is supported by the Global Sustainment Solution. This provides access to a global spares pool supporting all F-35 operators around the world, including the UK. To date, there have been no significant supply chain issues arising from the use of this service. Department for Work and Pensions Universal Credit baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Stedman-Scott on 13 January (HL56), whether they will now answer the question put, namely,how many claimants have been moved on to Universal Credit under the managed migration pilot being undertaken in Harrogate. baroness stedman-scott: As we have agreed with stakeholders at the outset of our work, the Move to Universal Credit pilot is designed, in its first phase, to test a series of hypotheses about the best way to move claimants from legacy benefits and tax credits onto Universal Credit. To do that we need to keep the numbers low, so we can observe and adapt in the light of claimants’ experiences and reactions. We plan to add volume later in the pilot, once we are convinced we have workable propositions, to test our ability to scale the hypotheses, learn the safest way to do that and to draw conclusions from significant volume on likely patterns of claimant behaviour. At Christmas the number of cases in the pilot was 69. Cases are in the pilot not just at the point of moving, but we track after a move to Universal Credit because we are interested in how claimants adapt to the differences Universal Credit brings, relative to the old system of benefits and tax credits. By taking the approach of encouraging rather than forcing claimants to move, we want to understand why some claimants agree to move and others don’t, together with what supports claimants to make a positive decision. That can only be done by restricting the number of cases to a low number to allow for qualitative discussions. It is too early to draw any definitive conclusions of the discovery work we are engaged in or to make public statements, but we have committed to stakeholders and Parliament to share findings when we have them. The first of these updates will be produced in the Spring. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs *No heading* baroness bennett of manor castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given tointroducing a mandatory phase-out of horticultural peat as part of their forthcoming England Peat Strategy; and when they intend to publish that strategy. lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030. In 2011, we set a voluntary target to phase out the use of horticultural peat in the amateur sector by 2020, and the professional sector by 2030. While some progress has been made, we stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan that we would consider implementing further measures if there is insufficient movement to peat alternatives by 2020. We will set out plans to speed up progress on ending the use of horticultural peat in the England Peat Strategy, which we will publish this year. *No heading* lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many times OFWAT has fined Thames Water for illegal discharges of untreated sewage into rivers; and what penalties were imposed on each occasion. lord goldsmith of richmond park: Ofwat has not fined Thames Water for illegal discharges of untreated sewage into rivers. Regulation of discharges of untreated sewage to the water environment is the responsibility of the Environment Agency (EA) and not Ofwat. In March 2017, Thames Water was ordered to pay fines of almost £20 million following a series of significant pollution incidents on the River Thames and its tributaries in 2012 to 2014. The fine, for six separate cases, was a record as the highest ever set by the courts in a prosecution brought by the EA. More recently, in July 2019, Thames Water was ordered to pay costs and fines of about £700,000 for pollution from Maidenhead Sewage Treatment Works. *No heading* lord hunt of chesterton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding they plan to provide towards (1) the prevention of coastal erosion, and (2) new housing and infrastructure in inland areas as a result of any such erosion. lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is investing £2.6 billion between 2015 and 2021 to better protect the country from flooding. This will deliver over 1,000 flood defence schemes to better protect 300,000 homes by 2021. Of this £2.6 billion, over £1.2 billion of the current Government funding programme will better protect 170,000 properties from coastal change. The National Planning Policy Framework expects local authorities to make provision for development and infrastructure that needs to be relocated away from Coastal Change Management Areas. There are a range of Government funding mechanisms (for new homes and growth for example) that can be used proactively to support change in communities. Coastal Protection Authorities (usually District Councils) lead on coastal erosion risk management activities in their area. We are looking at current funding arrangements and an assessment of funding needs beyond 2021. We will continue to work with the Environment Agency to consider future investment needs and the Government’s role in supporting the resilience of communities. Home Office Immigrants: Detainees the lord bishop of london: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure that those placed in detention centres are not held indefinitely; and what plans, if any, they have torestrict detention in immigration centres to 28 days. baroness williams of trafford: The law does not permit indefinite detention. For detention to be lawful there must be a realistic prospect of the individual’s removal from the UK within a reasonable timescale.Most of those people detained for immigration purposes spend only short periods in detention. In the year ending September 2019, 96% left detention within 4 months and 73% in no longer than 28 days. Department for Exiting the European Union *No heading* lord hoyle: Her Majesty's Government whether it remains their intention to ensure that they do not reach a deal on Brexit without Gibraltar being fully included in that final deal. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have madeof the test and learn initiatives pilotedacross the UKusing the Buurtzorg nursing model. baroness blackwood of north oxford: NHS England and NHS Improvement are committed to learning from a wide range of models of care from across the world to help improve patient care.NHS England and NHS Improvement officials met once with representatives of Buurtzorg UK in 2019 and have previously visited the Netherlands to gain first-hand experience of this model of care. Whilst there are no current plans to encourage the introduction of the model in its pure form to the National Health Service, underpinning elements of the model for example, supported self-management and person-centred care, are strongly encouraged.Given the Buurtzorg model continues to be trialled in a few areas in England, no national assessments have been undertaken. Brexit: Northern Ireland lord morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether companies registered in Northern Ireland can continue to tender for EU Commission contracts during the implementation period. lord callanan: Access to new procurement procedures during the implementation period will continue as normal. For any procedures ongoing at the end of the implementation period the existing regime will continue up to award. Therefore, companies registered in Northern Ireland will be able to continue to tender for EU Commission contracts during the implementation period as they do now. Department of Health Health Professions baroness barker: Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the conclusion of the report by the Surrogacy UK Working Group on Surrogacy Law, Surrogacy in the UK: Myth bashing and reform, published in November 2015, whether they continue to support the inclusion of a review of the law on surrogacy in the Law Commission's 13th programme of law reform; and whether they will commit to their own review of the law on surrogacy if the Law Commission does not takethisforward. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered midwives, left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered nursing associates, and (3) registered midwives, who were previously residents of other EU countries, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2)registered nursing associates, and(3) registered midwives, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018-2019. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered midwives, left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. lord willis of knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) registered nurses, (2) registered nursing associates, and (3) registered midwives, who were previously residents of other EU countries, joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in 2018–19. baroness blackwood of north oxford: The following table shows the number of registered nurses, registered nursing associates, and registered midwives who joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register for the first time in 2018-19. Registered nursesRegistered nursing associatesRegistered midwives 28,0204892,114 The following table shows the number of registered nurses and registered midwives who left the Nursing and Midwifery Council Register in 2018–19. Registered nursesRegistered midwivesDual qualified nurse/midwives27,1941,587351 The following table shows the number of registered nurses, registered nursing associates, and registered midwives whose initial registration was in other European Union countries, who joined the Nursing and Midwifery Council register for the first time in 2018–19. Registered nursesRegistered nursing associatesRegistered midwives915053 All figures are based on the 12 month period 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2019.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-01-29

Government Departments: Smoking Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements there are for officials of the Department for Education who smoke during office hours. Lord Hill of Oareford: The department provides small external shelters for smokers at its Runcorn and Darlington sites. On all other sites staff who smoke are encouraged to do so at a reasonable distance from entrances to the buildings. Staff who smoke during office hours must do so in their own time. Schools: Academies Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have received on the consultation exercise carried out by the directors of the proposed Chorley Sixth Form and Career Academy. Lord Hill of Oareford: The academy trust of the proposed Chorley Career and Sixth Form Academy provided the Department for Education with regular updates about the progress of its consultation, which ran from Wednesday 7 March to Friday 27 April. It received a range of responses to the proposal to establish a new secondary school and sixth form in Chorley which was reflected in the consultation report it provided to the department in May. As a result of a rigorous continued assessment of all free school proposals, we have since decided to withdraw the project as the plans for the school had not progressed sufficiently for it to proceed to opening. Schools: Teaching Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in implementing the commitment set out in paragraph 6.9 of The Importance of Teaching White Paper regarding common performance measures for education for 16-19 year-olds. Lord Hill of Oareford: We remain committed to introducing comparable measures of performance for all 16-19 providers of education. We are considering what these measures should be in order to ensure that comparisons are made on the right basis. Unemployment Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with the Office for National Statistics changing the question in the Labour Force Survey measuring numbers of persons out of work, which currently reads "were you looking for any kind of paid work at any time in the past four weeks" to one which qualifies the paid work sought as full-time, to take account of students; and how many students are currently counted as jobless. Lord Freud: It is already possible to account for students in the Labour Force Survey without changing the question on looking for paid work. The Department for Work and Pensions has previously discussed with ONS the issue of students who are classed as unemployed under International Labour Organisation (ILO) definitions, and prominence is given to separately identifying this group both in table 14 of its monthly Labour Market Statistics bulletin and in the accompanying commentary. Latest figures show that of all ILO unemployed 16 to 24 year-olds in February to April 2012, 305,000 are full-time students and 709,000 are not in full-time education.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2012-06-29a

Armed Forces: Sea King Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: What consideration they are giving to the future replacement of the Royal Navy airborne early warning aircraft, the Sea King Mk2. Lord Drayson: The Sea King airborne early warning (AEW) Mk2 aircraft has already been replaced by the upgraded Sea King airborne surveillance and control Mk7 aircraft. The department is now considering how to sustain the capability provided by the Mk7 under the maritime surveillance and control project. Aviation: Military Air Radar Service Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government: What will be the effect on the Lower Airspace Radar Service or any other radar service offered to general aviation by the Ministry of Defence as the result of the contract for the Future Military Air Radar Service signed this year between the Ministry of Defence and the National Air Traffic Services (En Route). Lord Drayson: None. The Lower Airspace Radar Service (below 10,000 feet) is a localised service provided by a mix of civilian and military air traffic control, who are based at airfields across the UK. The Future Military Radar Service relates to en-route air traffic control (above 10,000 feet). Education: Northern Ireland Post-primary Provision Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many responses they have received to the consultation processes in Northern Ireland on (a) the reform of public administration; and (b) the Costello report on the reform of post-primary education. Lord Rooker: The review of public administration consultation process attracted 1,206 responses. The report Future Post-Primary Arrangements in Northern Ireland—Advice from the Post-Primary Review Working Group, widely known as the Costello report, was not published for consultation. The working group's remit was: "To take account of the responses to the consultation on the Burns Report, including the diversity of views on academic selection, and provide advice on options for future arrangements for post-primary education". In view of the advisory nature of its remit, its report was not published for consultation. EU: Qualified Majority Voting Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which policy areas are subject to qualified majority voting in the Council of Ministers; and for which areas the United Kingdom retains the veto. Lord Triesman: In respect of the policy areas subject to qualified majority voting (QMV) in the Council of Ministers, I refer the noble Lord to the Answers provided for him by my noble friend the then Foreign and Commonwealth Minister, Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, on 17 June 2003 (Official Report, col. WA 90) and 4 July 2003 (Official Report, cols. WA 144–48) respectively. I should also draw attention to the fact that the principal policy areas subject to QMV before the UK joined the European Economic Community in 1973 were the budget, the common commercial policy for goods, and the implementation of the common agricultural policy. These policy areas continue to be subject to QMV. In addition, since my noble friend Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean provided Answers to the noble Lord in 2003, a number of visa, asylum and immigration measures have, as provided for by the Treaty of Amsterdam, moved to QMV. In respect of the policy areas for which the United Kingdom retains the veto, I refer the noble Lord to the Answer provided for him by the noble Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 March 2001 (Official Report, cols. WA 36–39). Since that Answer, Article 63((3)(a) and (4)) has, as provided for by the Treaty of Amsterdam, replaced Article 67 as being subject to unanimity. Article 63 covers certain actions under Title IV of the Consolidated Treaty establishing the European Community: visas, asylum, immigration and other policies relating to the free movements of persons. Immigration: Northern Ireland Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many immigrant workers are registered employed in Northern Ireland; what is the estimate of illegal immigrants working there; and how many people have been convicted of exploiting those workers during each year since 2001. Lord Rooker: The Home Office holds data on immigrant workers on a United Kingdom basis, thus separate figures for Northern Ireland are not available. In 2005, the Home Office published a report which included an estimate of the size of the illegal migrant population in the UK in 2001. A copy of the Home Office RDS report Sizing the unauthorised (illegal) migrant population in the United Kingdom in 2001 can be found at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs05/rdsolr2905.pdf. As there is freedom of movement within the UK, it is not possible to break this down further. No prosecutions have been pursued to date in Northern Ireland under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants etc.) Act 2004. Iraq: Abuse Allegations Lord Lamont of Lerwick: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the investigation into recent alleged abuse of Iraqi young men in Basra will include investigation into those men, particularly officers, who walked past the alleged incident without intervening. Lord Drayson: A Royal Military Police (RMP) investigation into these very serious allegations is currently underway. It will seek to identify all those involved and any failings that have occurred. However, the RMP are operationally independent and it would therefore be inappropriate to comment further. NHS: Nurse Directors Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether steps will be taken to bring the pay of nurse directors into line with other National Health Service trust board directors. Lord Warner: A new pay framework is in development for very senior managers, including directors, and will be published in due course. NHS: Overspends Lord MacKenzie of Culkein: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many of the 12 modern matron posts at the Peterborough and Stamford National Health Service Foundation Trust have been or may be deleted as a consequence of the trust's overspend. Lord Warner: This is a matter for the chair of the Peterborough and Stamford Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. I have written to Clive Morton informing him of your inquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library. I am informed by the chairman of Monitor (the statutory name for which is the Independent Regulator of NHS Foundation Trusts) that the trust has made good progress during 2005–06 in addressing the financial deficit which it incurred in 2004–05. Northern Ireland: Festivals Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25 January (col. WA 183) concerning festivals in Northern Ireland, how they ensured that the business case used for the 2005 Ardoyne Festival applied to the year in question. Lord Rooker: On receipt and subsequent scrutiny of the Ardoyne Fleadh 2005 business case, the department identified deficiencies and requested additional business information. This information was provided to the department's satisfaction. Planning: Northern Ireland Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many planning applications have been received by the Northern Ireland Planning Service since 2000 in areas administered by (a) Larne Borough Council; (b) Carrickfergus Borough Council; (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council; and (d) Belfast City Council. Lord Rooker: Details of the number of residential and non-residential planning applications received by the Planning Service for each year since 2000 in (a) Carrickfergus Borough Council area, (b) Larne Borough Council area, (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council, and (d) Belfast City Council area are provided in the table below. Number of Planning applications* received between2000 and 2005 District 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Carrickfergus 282 297 317 331 309 315 Lame 361 350 374 397 462 427 Newtownabbey 602 603 671 691 716 677 Belfast 2,372 2,590 2,365 2,570 2,658 2,460 * Some of these will be duplicate application and some will be withdrawn prior to decision. Planning: Northern Ireland Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many new residential developments have been given planning permission by the Northern Ireland Planning Service, for each year since 1996, in (a) Larne Borough Council area; (b) Carrickfergus Borough Council area; and (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council area. Lord Rooker: Details of the number of residential developments granted planning permission since 1996 in the (a) Carrickfergus Borough Council area, (b) Larne Borough Council area, and (c) Newtownabbey Borough Council area are provided in the table below. In addition, decisions are issued for non-residential developments. Residential developments granted planning permission between 1996 and 2005 District 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Carrickfergus 33 39 25 29 35 28 38 23 30 26 Larne 26 22 27 32 20 20 20 33 31 56 Newtownabbey 52 52 59 73 47 50 70 77 78 52 Railways: Heritage Sector Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to address the concerns of the heritage railway sector about provisions contained in the draft Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006. Lord Davies of Oldham: Her Majesty's Government met representatives of the Heritage Railways Association on 1 March to hear their concerns about the draft Railway and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations which have been proposed by the Health and Safety Commission. The Government are still considering how best to address the concerns of heritage railways. Railways: Network Rail Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is any restriction on increasing Network Rail's regulatory asset base if the funding does not come from third parties in the private sector. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Office of Rail Regulation (ORR) set out the criteria that need to be met before investment expenditure in these circumstances might be added to Network Rail's regulatory asset base in the document Policy framework for investments: conclusions, published in October 2005. This is available on the ORR website at www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/255.pdf. I understand that the ORR will shortly be publishing detailed guidance to support this policy framework document. Religious Hatred: Cartoons Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether steps have been taken within European Union (EU) institutions to give advice to EU citizens who may become involved in anti-European demonstrations in Muslim countries. Lord Triesman: No steps have been taken within European Union institutions to give advice to EU citizens who may become involved in anti-European demonstrations in Muslim countries. It is for EU member states to issue advice to their own nationals. The UK has advised its citizens to avoid large crowds and public gatherings in those countries where there have been demonstrations following the publication of cartoons of key figures of the Islamic faith. Ritalin Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people in the United Kingdom have been prescribed Ritalin for longer than (a) two years; (b) five years; and (c) 10 years. Lord Warner: Information is not available in the form requested. The Department of Health does not hold data on the number of people who receive medication. However 359,100 prescription items of methylphenidate hydrochloride were dispensed in the community in England in 2004. Ritalin is one brand of the drug methylphenidate, and accounted for 19 per cent of the total number of methylphenidate items. Ritalin Baroness Greenfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people in the United Kingdom who have been prescribed Ritalin have subsequently been treated for depression. Lord Warner: The information requested is not available centrally. Schools: Classroom Assistants Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many classroom assistants are employed by education and library boards in Northern Ireland in (a) controlled schools; (b) Catholic maintained schools; (c) non-Catholic maintained schools; and how many are employed by voluntary grammar schools and by integrated schools. Lord Rooker: The information requested is not fully available in the format requested. Details of the numbers of classroom assistants employed by the education and library boards in primary schools, secondary schools and special schools, and by the boards of governors in voluntary grammar schools and in grant-maintained integrated schools are set out in the attached annexe. Numbers of Classroom Assistants (provided by employers January 2006) Employer/School Type Numbers BELB Primary 456 Secondary 73 Special 278 NEELB Primary 1,011 Secondary 188 Special 277 SELB Primary 1,249 Secondary 267 Special 132 SEELB Primary 931 Secondary 171 Special 260 WELB Primary 954 Secondary 227 Special 146 Grant Maintained Integrated Primary 195 Secondary 173 Voluntary Grammar 156 Total 7,144 Trade: Northern Ireland Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland plans to lead an overseas trade delegation which includes members from the Republic of Ireland, as announced by him on 9 February; and Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland proposes to participate in trade negotiations relating to an area for which the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland has responsibility, as announced by him on 9 February; and Whether they have made an assessment of the possible impact on Northern Ireland's investment incentives of the proposal for mixed overseas trade delegations in circumstances where there is competition from the Republic of Ireland. Lord Rooker: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State plans to lead a trade mission organised by Invest Northern Ireland to India during the Easter Recess. The purpose of the mission is to support the objectives of Invest NI and its clients, who are actively targeting India for new investment and trade opportunities. Both Queen's University and the University of Ulster will also be involved, in order to further their interests in developing research and collaboration linkages with the Indian Institutes of Technology. Additionally, the visit will support the work of Tourism Ireland, which is promoting the island of Ireland to Indian tourists. My right honourable friend has invited the Irish Government to nominate companies from the republic to accompany the mission, reciprocating the participation of a Northern Ireland delegation in the Taoiseach's visit to India in January 2006. India is the world's second fastest growing major economy and an emerging global economic force. The economic threats and opportunities which India in particular and Asia more generally presents are common to both parts of Ireland. My right honourable friend has no plans to negotiate with anyone outside of his area of responsibility nor do we consider that this type of visit has any detrimental effect on Northern Ireland as an investment location. On the contrary, co-operating together to assess the threats and to maximise the opportunities can bring mutual advantages north and south. Vehicles: Biofuels Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether as part of Our Energy Challenge they have considered setting a target for the number of cars running on biofuels and hybrid technologies; and How many forecourts offer for sale bioethanol fuel for use in private motor vehicles; and What action they propose to take to increase the number of forecourts selling bioethanol fuel. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government announced in November 2005 that a renewable transport fuels obligation (RTFO) will be introduced from 1 April 2008. The RTFO will require all suppliers of transport fuels in the UK to ensure that 5 per cent of their total fuel sales come from renewable sources by 2010 in order to help meet our climate change objectives. In practice, this is likely to mean that by 2010 the vast majority of UK forecourts will be selling standard fuel blended with biofuel, with most private and commercial vehicles also running on blends that include biodiesel or bioethanol. The Department for Transport provides limited grant funding towards the installation of alternative refuelling and recharging infrastructure. The RTFO should ensure that refuelling facilities for alternative fuels will be available in large scale across the UK by 2010. I understand that bioethanol is already being sold in blends of up to 5 per cent at around 150 outlets in the south-east and north-west of England, but as retailers are not generally distinguishing the fuel as renewable we do not have precise numbers. Information on sites selling other renewable fuels is available on a regional basis from http://www.est.org.uk/fleet/calculators/refuelling/index.cfm?mode=results. The Government have also put in place a number of incentives to encourage the uptake of clean and fuel-efficient vehicles. These include fiscal incentives such as the company car tax and vehicle excise duty systems, which are both structured to reward those who purchase the most fuel-efficient, low CO2 vehicles. These incentives are deliberately technology-neutral and we are not setting specific targets for any particular technology such as for hybrid vehicles. The Government's Powering Future Vehicles strategy, published in July 2002, sets a target that by 2012 cars with a fuel efficiency of 100 grammes of carbon dioxide per kilometre or better will make up at least 10 per cent of new car sales.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-03-07b

Anti-social Behaviour Orders Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they propose to put forward additional safeguards in relation to anti-social behaviour orders; and Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 7 December 2005 (WA 100), when they intend to publish their evaluation of anti-social behaviour orders; and Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 7 December 2005 (WA 100), whether they are conducting research on the reasons for any inappropriate issuing of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) and the issuing of ASBOs with inappropriate conditions. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The findings of the evaluation of anti-social behaviour orders (ASBOs) will be published shortly. The Home Office's comprehensive guidance on ASBOs, issued jointly with the Youth Justice Board and the Association of Chief Police Officers, is being updated and will be published shortly. It has been produced following consultation with expert practitioners and key organisations. Practitioners can also access information provided by the TOGETHER campaign in the form of a website, an extensive range of leaflets and a telephone action line offering advice on all aspects of anti-social behaviour. The legislation allows for the terms of an ASBO to be varied or for the order itself to be discharged if circumstances warrant it. It is worth noting that every order is made by a court of law sitting in public and that the court has considered both that the statutory conditions for making the order were fulfilled and that the prohibitions were necessary for the protection of victims, witnesses and the wider community. None the less, we monitor ASBOs and their use on an ongoing basis and adjust policy in response. We will continue to build on that and extend existing ASBO legislation as appropriate; for example, we recently announced that we would seek to put on a statutory footing the existing good practice, as set out in our comprehensive guidance, that juveniles' ASBOs should be reviewed after one year. Army: Bowman Radio System Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: By what date they expect all units of the British Army to be fully equipped with the Bowman radio system. Lord Drayson: The Bowman radio system will be received only by units who require it for overseas operations or training purposes. On current plans, regular Army units due to receive Bowman will be fully equipped by the end of 2007 and equipment and training upgrades will continue until late 2008. It is planned that Territorial Army units due to receive Bowman will be fully equipped during 2008 and their conversion training will continue to late 2009. Army: Royal Irish Regiment Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the average payment, in addition to the statutory redundancy and pension entitlement, due to be paid to full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment home service battalions. Lord Drayson: In addition to the normal Armed Forces occupational redundancy and resettlement package, full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment home service battalions will receive a tax-free, flat-rate ex gratia payment of £28,000. British Citizenship Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a person would have a claim to British overseas citizenship under Article 6(1) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 in the following circumstances (a) he was born before 30 June 1976 and acquired citizenship of the United Kingdom and colonies under Section 4 or 5 of the British Nationality Act 1948; (b) he was also a citizen of Nepal solely by virtue of descent; (c) immediately before 1 January 1983, he did not have the right of abode in the United Kingdom under Section 2 of the Immigration Act 1971; (d) on 1 January 1983, he acquired British Dependent Territories citizenship under Section 23 of the British Nationality Act 1981 because of a connection to Hong Kong; (e) before reaching the age of 21 he took no steps to renounce his British nationality; (f) immediately before 1 July 1997 he was a British Dependent Territories citizen and if it had not been for his connection with Hong Kong he would not have been such a citizen; (g) prior to 1 July 1997 he failed to acquire the status of British national (overseas) and he has never held any other citizenship or nationality other than those described in (a), (b) and (d) above; and (h) he has, because he is unaware that he ceased to be a citizen of Nepal by virtue of (e) above, mistakenly held or is holding a passport issued by the Kingdom of Nepal. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Yes, based on current understanding of Nepalese citizenship law. However, because the person still holds a Nepalese passport, we would normally require written confirmation from the Nepalese authorities that he was not, in fact, a Nepalese citizen before formally acknowledging the claim to British overseas citizenship. Compensation: Miscarriages of Justice Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they propose to reduce compensation for victims of miscarriages of justice; if so, why; and with effect from which date. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: On 24 April the then Home Secretary made a Written Ministerial Statement, which was laid in the House, setting out changes to the schemes for compensating miscarriages of justice. Some of the changes had immediate effect; others would require legislation. The main purposes of these changes, which continue to meet our international obligations, are to bring about a better balance with the compensation paid to victims of crime, to make the system simpler and fairer, and to ensure that applications are settled much more quickly than in the past. Iraq: British Casualties Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the names, ages and, where appropriate, the regiments, of those military and civilian British forces who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since the commencement of the recent conflicts in those countries. [HL6043 ] Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question. Lord Drayson: Information on fatalities in Iraq and Afghanistan is published and updated regularly on the Ministry of Defence website at www.mod.uk/defenceinternet/defencenews. Iraq: Veterans Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why a soldier who had received severe spinal injuries in the Iraq war was warned by an official of the Ministry of Defence, through his solicitor, Hilary Meredith, of "consequences in medical treatment" for commenting publicly on major failures in the care system for Iraq veterans; whether any apology has since been made to her client; and whether they are considering taking any other action. Lord Drayson: I can reassure the noble Lord that no such warning was given. The Ministry of Defence press office returned a call from the lawyer to discuss in principle whether her client, who had been injured in Iraq, could appear on a television programme. The press office advised that there were two issues of which the lawyer should be aware: first, the policy that all serving service personnel must seek approval from their chain of command before engaging with the media and, secondly, our policy that service personnel undergoing medical treatment must receive consent from their doctor in advance because, in certain circumstances, there could be adverse consequences for their recovery, for example by reliving traumatic experiences in an interview. The explanation of this policy, which is designed to protect patients from media intrusion where it could impact adversely on their recovery, appears to have been completely misconstrued by the lawyer as a threat that there would be consequences for her client's treatment if he spoke to the media. These facts were explained in full and in advance to the journalist responsible for the "Dispatches" documentary but did not find their way into either the programme or the pre-publicity newspaper reports that preceded it. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the continuing military presence and road blocks in the West Bank by the Government of Israel is compatible with international law and the relevant resolutions of the United Nations since 1967. Lord Triesman: Under the 1994 Oslo accords, Israel has security responsibility of areas B and C of the West Bank. Israel has a right to protect its citizens from terrorist attack but it also has a duty to ensure that the effect of its security measures on the Palestinian population is minimised. We will continue to raise this concern at all levels with the Israeli Government. The territory beyond the green line which Israel occupied in June 1967 is occupied territory. UN Security Council Resolution 242 (1967), which the UK supported, calls for the, "withdrawal of Israeli armed forces from territories occupied in the recent conflict, the termination of all claims of belligerency and respect for and acknowledgement of the sovereignty, territorial integrity and political independence of every state in the area and their right to live in peace within secure and recognised boundaries free from threats or acts of force". We continue to urge Israel to act in accordance with international law. We are concerned about the additional movement restrictions in the West Bank and the crossing points between Gaza and Israel. It is important that access and movement are improved, and we call on both parties to implement the 15 November agreement on movement and access. Land Registry Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Statement by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 28 March (WS 68), in what way the Land Registry system varies from that used for the single farm payment such that the Government can set the Land Registry a target to process 98.5 per cent of registrations without error. Lord Rooker: The principles of the two systems are similar in that both organisations digitise to a scale of 1:2500 in the rural area. The underlying data in both cases are Ordnance Survey mapping. MRSA Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to investigate the National Health Service rapid review panel recommendation that the use of silver yarn fabric can significantly reduce or eliminate deaths from methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. Lord Warner: Although a silver yarn fibre was submitted to the rapid review panel, it was outside its remit because it was not a new or novel product. There is, as yet, no evidence that modifying fabrics by impregnating them with antibacterials or by other treatments has any impact on the rate of hospital-acquired infection, including methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus. NHS: Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government: On how many occasions in the past two years Ministers from the Department of Health have met the chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health; and what issues were discussed. Lord Warner: Ministers from the Department of Health have met the chair of the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) seven times since March 2004. Issues discussed pertained to patient and public involvement in health, as well as the running of the CPPIH. NHS: Cost of Treatments Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the last three years for which information is available, what was the total cost to the National Health Service of (a) drugs used in the hospital service; (b) drugs used in general practice; (c) homeopathic remedies used in the hospital service; and (d) homeopathic remedies used in general practice. Lord Warner: The following tables show the total England cost to the National Health Service for: Drugs used in the hospital service -- Hospital service Year out-turn £million 2002–03 2,013 2003–04 2,311 2004–05 2,638 Notes on drug spend: hospital service expenditure on drugs includes medical gases. Drugs used in general practice -- General practice Year out-turn £million 2002–03 6,342 2003–04 6.960 2004–05 7,370 Source: Prescription Pricing Division, England. The total actual cost of drugs and appliances prescribed by GPs/nurses within England plus any central budget expenditure or locally authorised payments General practice figures include pharmaceutical price regulation scheme (PPRS) receipt savings. Decisions on the commissioning of complementary and alternative therapies, including homoeopathy, on the NHS are a matter for primary care trusts and local NHS service providers. The Government consider that decision-making on individual clinical interventions, whether conventional, or complementary or alternative treatments, is a local matter. There are, therefore, no centrally held records of NHS referrals for homoeopathic treatment. NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Lord Harris of Haringey: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the conclusions of the equality impact assessment carried out under the terms of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 on the decision to cancel the bulk subscription for the provision of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin; what consultation took place as part of that assessment; and whether they will publish that assessment. Lord Warner: There was no requirement to carry out an equality impact assessment in this context. NHS: Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Department of Health has decided not to renew the contract for the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin to be supplied to National Health Service doctors; and Whether the Department of Health assessed the value to prescribing doctors, and the possible savings to the National Health Service, of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin before deciding not to renew the contract for this publication. Lord Warner: The decision not to renew the Department of Health's national contract for distribution of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin was informed by our policy to devolve as much responsibility as possible to the National Health Service and to look very critically at central spending. It is our policy that central spending should be kept to an absolute minimum to maximise the resources available for the NHS to manage at local level. The decision also took account of the availability of other sources of medicines information. They include the British National Formulary; National Prescribing Centre information and advice, which include coverage of new medicines; National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence clinical guidance; the wealth of information available through the National Library for Health; and various academic and professional journals. NHS prescribers also have access to advice from the network of local drugs and therapeutics committees and prescribing advisers. Prisoners: Records Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the police national computer holds information on where a person is serving a custodial sentence; and whether the Home Office has online access to this information. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Information on where an individual is serving a custodial sentence is not routinely recorded on the police national computer (PNC). When the Home Office, the police service or other authorised parties wish to obtain the current location of a prisoner, they apply to the prisoner location service (PLS), operated by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Information on the PLS is updated on a 24-hourly basis. The PLS currently deals with 160,000 inquiries per year, 100,000 of which come from the police.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-06-12c

Department for Transport Heathrow Airport Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of how to achieve legally binding targets for air pollution should the third runway at Heathrow proceed. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Airports Commission published a large amount of analysis on air quality, which included an assessment of potential impacts on limit values, in its Final Report, which is available in the libraries of the House. In addition, as announced in December, we are testing the Airports Commission’s work on air quality against the Government’s new air quality plan, as recommended by the Environmental Audit Committee. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Business: Staff Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees (1) small and medium-sized businesses, and (2) companies employing more than 250 people, have in total in the UK. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The 2015 Business Population Estimates show that employment in small and medium-sized businesses in the UK was 15.6 million, whilst employment in large businesses was 10.3 million. Small and medium-sized businesses are those with 0-249 employees and large businesses are those with 250 or more. Sunday Trading Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of how relaxing Sunday trading laws in England and Wales would affect the UK economy annually in terms of (1) full-time equivalent jobs, (2) GDP, (3) extra tax revenue in terms of (a) VAT, (b) Corporation Tax, (c) National Insurance, and (d) other taxes, (4) revenue from overseas tourists, and (5) the net effect on balance of trade. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: On 9 March the Government published an impact assessment on Sunday trading which is available in the libraries of both Houses. In view of the will of the House of Commons, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops. Zero Hours Contracts Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the proportion of people on zero-hours contracts who are seeking full-time employment with guaranteed pay and hours of work. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has not made an assessment. ONS statistics published on 9 March 2016, for the fourth quarter of 2015, show that for those individuals on a zero hours contract in their main job, 63 per cent were not looking for more hours or a different job. Department for International Development Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was their bilateral spending on technical assistance to programmes funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in the financial years from 2010–11 to 2014–15 in addition to their commitment of up to £1 billion for the Global Fund. Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their expected bilateral spending on technical assistance to programmes funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in addition to their commitment to the Global Fund in (1) 2015–16, and (2) 2016–17. Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations have received, or will receive, bilateral funding for technical assistance for programmes funded by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria in (1) 2014–15, (2) 2015–16, and (3) 2016–17. Baroness Verma: The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is a critically important part of the international architecture for fighting the three diseases. The UK provides technical assistance to programmes funded by the Global Fund through the following organisations: the Stop-TB Partnership, Roll Back Malaria, UNAIDS and the World Health Organisation’s Global Malaria Programme. The table (below) shows DFID’s spend to these organisations over the last five financial years.(£ Millions) 2010/112011/122012/132013/142014/15WHOs Global Malaria Programme-1.503.501.503.50Roll Back Malaria0.521.001.630.631.23Stop TB Partnership1.001.901.500.501.00UNAIDS10.0010.0015.0015.0015.00 Total (£ Millions)11.5214.4021.6317.6320.73The UK is committed to remaining a world leader in tackling global diseases and ending the epidemics of AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by 2030. Our future contributions to the Global Fund will be determined following the completion of the Bilateral and Multilateral Aid Reviews. Department for Work and Pensions Social Security Benefits: Disability Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they propose to cut £4.4 billion from benefits for disabled people over the course of the Parliament. Lord Freud: We spend around £50bn every year on benefits alone to support people with disabilities or health conditions, with spending on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) having increased by more than £3 billion since 2010. The government has no further plans to make welfare savings, beyond those already announced. The government is committed to talking to disabled people, their representatives, healthcare professionals and employers to ensure the welfare system works better with the health and social care systems and provides help and support to those who need it most. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Recycling Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of co-mingled recycling collection in the light of the recycling target of 50 per cent of municipal waste by 2020. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Local authorities are best placed to determine local collection arrangements. From January 2015, under the Waste (England and Wales) (amendment) Regulations 2012, waste collection authorities were required to collect separately paper, plastic, glass and metals unless it is not necessary in order to provide high quality recyclates or its not technologically, environmentally or economically practicable to do so.As part of a wider study by WRAP to assess the factors influencing the recycling performance of local authorities it was concluded that very little certainty could be applied in establishing a difference in recycling performance between dry scheme types where schemes were collecting the same set of dry recyclable materials. This analysis considered data reported by local authorities for the year 2012/13 and the report is available on WRAP's website.With input from WRAP, Defra has considered a number of options for achieving higher recycling rates and this work has assumed a range of collection approaches as reflected by current practice. The work being taken forward to identify opportunities for greater consistency in recycling collections provides a further opportunity to consider the effectiveness of collection options in terms of contribution to national recycling rate, quality of material collected and cost effectiveness. This work will be reported on later this year. Domestic Waste Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to review and propose simplification of household waste and recycling collection across the UK. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra and the Waste and Resource Action Programme are working with local authorities and other waste management stakeholders to develop a vision and business case for greater consistency in the way materials are collected for recycling. This will set out the benefits that could be achieved for householders, local authorities, reprocessors and others. The vision is to be published in the summer and will include proposed models for more consistent arrangements for collection of recyclable materials.The broad aims for this work are to help local authorities to reduce costs; improve the quality and quantity of materials collected and to improve householder engagement and participation in recycling through reducing confusion and inconsistency and providing opportunities to improve communications. Tree Planting Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in implementing their manifesto commitment to plant 11 million trees, and how such progress will be monitored and reported. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Between the beginning of April and the end of December 2015, around 495,000 trees were planted in newly created woodlands across the country, assisted by funding from the Rural Development Programme in England. Further planting figures for January to March 2016 are due to be published on 26 April. The area of woodland planted is published as one of Forestry Commission England’s headline indicators and is updated four times a year. Tree numbers are monitored through Countryside Stewardship administrative records and made available to the Programme Monitoring Committee of the Rural Development Programme. Beverage Containers: Recycling Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage coffee chains to recycle paper coffee cups. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Paper coffee cups are captured under the Packaging Waste Regulations. The UK meets its packaging waste recovery and recycling targets through a market-based approach. Packaging producers who put more than 50 tonnes a year of packaging materials on the market, and have an annual turnover of more than £2 million, are required to recover and recycle a proportion of their packaging waste. As a result most major coffee chains pick up a financial obligation to recycle their packaging waste, including paper coffee cups, through this mechanism. Defra is also working with campaigners and industry to develop a National Litter Strategy for England. In addition, we are aware of many major chains who are taking their own action to incentivise environmentally friendly behaviour, for example by offering a discount on drinks if customers bring their own reusable cups. Food: Labelling Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further measures are planned for the labelling of meat and dairy products to recognise the high standards of welfare in British products. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Consumers buying meat and dairy products produced in the UK can be reassured that we have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the European Union. We pressed for new EU legislation extending country of origin rules from beef to fresh and frozen sheep, goat, pig and poultry meat to help consumers identify food produced in the UK. These came into force in April 2015. We are also pressing for this rule to be extended to dairy products. To support consumers further in making an informed choice, Defra is pressing the EU to implement rules to require that where food products indicate that they are produced in a specific country they must also state if the main ingredients are from a different country. 2016 is the Year of Great British Food. Through the Great British Food campaign Defra is working in partnership with industry to champion the outstanding quality of UK produce to help fuel demand for Great British Food. *No heading* Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the review from Keele University, published in the Journal of Ecology, warning that almost all ash trees in Europe will be wiped out due to the fungal disease ash dieback and the emerald ash borer beetle, and what plans they have to tackle these twin problems. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We are committed to protecting our country from tree pests and diseases and we want to ensure that the ash tree continues to have a place in our environment. To support this we have invested over £21 million in tree health research. Natural tolerance to ash dieback does exist and the UK is leading research to identify resistant strains. Ash trees have a wide genetic diversity and potential for greater levels of resistance compared to other tree species affected by diseases. There have been no findings of emerald ash borer anywhere in the EU. We have identified this pest as a threat, have introduced restrictions to protect against its introduction and are screening native populations of ash trees grown abroad for resistance. Department for Communities and Local Government Devolution: South West Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why their devolution agreement with Bath and North East Somerset Council, Bristol City Council, North Somerset Council, South Gloucestershire Council and the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership is called the West of England devolution agreement, in the light of the fact that it does not include Cornwall Council or Devon County Council. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The West of England is the recognised name used to describe the area covered by the four local authorities: Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire and Bath and North East Somerset. The West of England is used to describe organisations and functions that work across this geography, which include the West of England Local Enterprise Partnership and the West of England Nature Partnership. Cornwall is already covered by a devolution deal – it is called the Cornwall Devolution Deal. Council Housing: Finance Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the difference between a local authority being able to recover (1) its expenses, and (2) its reasonable costs, in matters relating to its duties around housing legislation. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Local housing authorities incur a range of costs when carrying out their statutory homelessness duties. They have powers to require households to pay reasonable costs towards both the accommodation that it secures for them and property storage costs, however they cannot require households to pay actual costs where these are more than those determined to be reasonable. Authorities determine what constitutes a reasonable cost by taking account of a household’s personal circumstances, its finances and the nature of the accommodation. Housing: Planning Permission Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of approved planning applications for housing that have yet to be built. Baroness Williams of Trafford: As at 1 March 2016, data provided to the department by Glenigan indicate that there were full planning permissions for 658,000 homes in England on sites on which work had either not yet started or completed. Of these around 55,000 (8 per cent) were on unstarted sites granted permission more than three years ago. Typically permissions for these homes will have expired. Travellers: Discrimination Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the account in the Equalities and Human Rights Commission's report Is England Fairer? of the discrimination faced by Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, and how they propose to address this. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is committed to creating a fair society in which all people, of whatever ethnic origin or background, are able to participate fully in society and realise their full potential. The Government deplores racism in all its forms and is determined to ensure everyone has the opportunity to get on in life, free from harassment and fear.The UK has a strong and well-established legal framework to combat discrimination and hate crime, which protects all individuals, including Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, from racial and other forms of discrimination, and racially motivated crime.The Government is taking action to improve the situation of disadvantaged people, including Gypsies, Travellers and Roma, in a number of the areas of concern identified in the Equality and Human Rights Commission report. These include improving educational attainment and attendance; tackling bullying; improving access to healthcare; supporting people into work and keeping them there; tackling hate crime; and addressing the over-representation of ethnic minorities in the criminal justice system. Community Engagement Forum Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 15 March (HL6737) about the Community Engagement Forum, why they were unable or unwilling to provide a definition of the word "community". Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Oxford English Dictionary defines community as 'a body of people who live in the same place, usually sharing a common cultural or ethnic identity'. Affordable Housing: Construction Lord Horam: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many homes were completed under the Affordable Homes Programme launched in April 2011. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government has delivered 193,000 affordable homes through the 2011-15 Affordable Homes Programme. This programme exceeded expectations delivering 23,000 more affordable homes than anticipated. HM Treasury Premium Bonds Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why National Savings and Investments stopped the sale of Premium Bonds for cash in Post Offices and withdrew their brochures, forms and reply envelopes at the same time, and what assessment they have made of the effect of that decision on the sale of Premium Bonds. Lord O'Neill of Gatley: National Savings and Investments’ (NS&I) core remit is to provide cost effective financing for the Government. Over the past few years, NS&I has been moving its business to direct only channels – internet, phone and post – producing significant savings for the taxpayer. The end of Premium Bond sales and wider NS&I services at the Post Office was a commercial decision made by NS&I. This decision reflects the way that their customers are choosing to do business with NS&I and also the growth of the Post Office’s own range of savings products. The change followed the success of 65+ Pensioner Bonds, which saw over one million pensioners from around the country invest via direct only channels. Sugar: Taxation Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the comments of Chief Executive NHS England, in response to the sugar tax announcement in the budget, that "sadly soft drinks are now our children’s largest single source of diabetes-inducing teeth-rotting excess sugar." Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The evidence behind the comments from Simon Stevens, Chief Executive NHS England, comes from the Public Health England report ‘Sugar reduction: the evidence for action’ published in October 2015. The PHE report states that soft drinks are the largest single source of sugar for children and teenagers in England, and that consuming too much sugar can lead to weight gain, which in turn increases the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers. It is also linked to tooth decay. This is why at Budget 2016, the Chancellor announced a new levy aimed at the producers and importers of added sugar soft drinks. The levy is designed to encourage companies to reduce the amount of added sugar in soft drinks and move consumers towards healthier choices. The levy will from part of a wider comprehensive childhood obesity strategy which the government launch in the summer. Cabinet Office National Flood Resilience Review Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings of the National Flood Resilience Review have taken place, and when that review is expected to report. Lord Bridges of Headley: To protect the integrity of the policy making process, we do not comment on specific frequency or timings of ministerial meetings. The Review is set to be published this summer. Department of Health Hepatitis Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they give to the elimination of hepatitis C as a threat to public health. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new steps they are taking to improve identification and testing of people potentially infected with hepatitis C as part of a coherent approach to treatment of the population at large. Lord Prior of Brampton: The United Kingdom Government takes the issue of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C very seriously. Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England continue working together with key stakeholders to establish a strategic approach to tackle hepatitis C, including monitoring treatment access and uptake, as well as establishing Operation Delivery Networks (ODNs).NHS England has invested in a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to incentivise ODNs to meet their agreed rate of roll-out. If their treatment rates deviate from this agreed rate of treatment, they are no longer eligible for these incentives.PHE is working together with NHS England and the National Offender Management Service to improve coverage of blood borne virus testing for people in prisons through implementation of opt-out testing.PHE has also commissioned the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) Certificate in the Detection, Diagnosis and Management of Hepatitis B and C in Primary Care to help raise awareness in primary care and among other professionals working with groups at high risk of chronic viral hepatitis infection. To supplement this, a new RCGP course was launched in April 2015, Hepatitis C: Enhancing Prevention, Testing and Care which comprises four lessons: understanding hepatitis C; preventing transmission; testing and diagnosis; and treatment and care. Campylobacter Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Food Standards Agency achieved its target of halving the incidence of campylobacter food poisoning in 2015. Lord Prior of Brampton: Although progress continues to be made, the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) agreed target with industry to reduce the numbers of the most contaminated birds at the end of slaughter to less than 10% by 2015 was not met. However, given the interventions expected to come on stream within industry, the FSA Board agreed to roll the target to 2016, when it is expected that the target will be met. If the target is met, then a decrease of around 50% in the number of human cases of campylobacteriosis would be expected. Campylobacter Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take further steps to raise public awareness of the incidence of campylobacter in chickens. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Food Standards Agency will continue to use social and news media opportunities to raise awareness of campylobacter and let people know how they can reduce the risk from campylobacter in their home. The Agency leads the Acting on Campylobacter Together campaign under which the poultry industry seeks to reduce the levels of the bacteria on the chickens they sell. HIV Infection Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the ability of people living with HIV to experience continuity of HIV care across the numerous health services and providers that they access. Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase awareness of co-morbidities associated with living with HIV in the long term. Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the ageing HIV population, what plans are being put in place to support the preservation of long-term health in people with HIV. Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the opportunities presented by NHS England’s Five Year Forward View to improve HIV services. Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Health Service continues to offer world class Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) treatment services. In its role as the commissioner of specialised HIV care and treatment, NHS England has a service specification which emphasises the responsibility of commissioned providers to collaborate with other health, social care and third sector organisations as appropriate to help ensure the holistic needs of patients are met. This includes ensuring people living with HIV and other comorbidities have access and referral to appropriate services. The effectiveness of HIV treatment means that more people will live well with HIV in old age. As people living with HIV get older, they will require access to services for the other conditions they may experience. Good communication with their HIV provider is important and this is required in the service specification. In line with the Five Year Forward View, NHS England will continue to work closely with HIV organisations in order to inform its commissioning responsibilities with regard to specialised HIV care and treatment as well as ensuring primary and secondary health care services respond to the wider health needs of people living with HIV. The Government’s Improvement Framework for Sexual Health includes the ambition that “older people with diagnosed HIV can access the additional health and social care services they need”. A copy is attached. Framework for Sexual Health Improvement in England (PDF Document, 1020.3 KB) Down's Syndrome Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the UK National Screening Council’s review of cell-free DNA testing has had, and will have, on the community of people with Down’s syndrome; and in particular, the impact of "cost per trisomy detected" being listed as an important factor to consider in their economic analysis. Lord Prior of Brampton: There is a long established NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme (NHS FASP) that prospective parents can choose whether to participate in. The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) recommendation on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) does not change the choices available to prospective parents within the programme therefore no assessment has been made. The UK NSC announced its recommendation that NIPT should be introduced as an additional test into NHS FASP as part of an evaluation. The recommendation was not based on cost per trisomy but on the basis that NIPT is much more accurate than the current testing used in screening and can substantially reduce the number of pregnant women going on to have an invasive test, which itself carries a risk of miscarriage. The economic model reviewed by the UK NSC suggested that NIPT initially offered to women with a chance of greater than 1 in 150 of carrying a fetus with a trisomy would result in 9,912 NIPT tests being carried out, and 350 retests would be required. As a result of the NIPT testing, the number of invasive tests would fall from 7,910 to 1,434. The majority of invasive tests avoided are in trisomy free pregnancies, so that the number of test related miscarriage of healthy pregnancies would subsequently fall from 46 to three per year. Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the leadership of the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has expressed its concern on behalf of patients about some of the things that have been happening. It is important that patients have confidence in the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman, but the Ombudsman is independent of Government, accountable directly to Parliament. This is therefore a matter for the relevant Select Committee of the House of Commons. Strategic Projects Team Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 21 March (HL7013), why the NHS Strategic Projects Team was said to have employees in view of it not being an organisation and therefore not able to employ staff. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Strategic Projects Team is hosted by Arden GEM Commissioning Support Unit. The staff referred to in HL7013 were on secondment from the CSU and NHS England and were therefore employees. Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the NHS Trust Development Authority will publish the findings of the review of whistle blowing and governance at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the timetable for publishing the review of whistle blowing and governance at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust is linked to the role the trust is to play in the provision of services to patients in Staffordshire. Lord Prior of Brampton: This is a matter for the NHS Trust Development Authority (TDA). We understand that the NHS TDA commissioned Verita to conduct an independent review of the procedures carried out by Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust in investigating recent whistleblowing and human resource concerns. The NHS TDA has confirmed its commitment to publication of its report of the review. The NHS TDA is currently clarifying publication arrangements in the light of legal advice and in liaison with the Department. A publication date will be arranged as soon as possible. The NHS TDA has confirmed that the timetable for publication of the Verita report is independent of any issues relating to the Trust’s role in providing services to patients in Staffordshire. Ophthalmology: Waiting Lists Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients are waiting, and for how long, for appointments in hospital with ophthalmic specialists. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients are waiting, and for how long, for follow-up appointments in hospital with ophthalmic specialists. Lord Prior of Brampton: The information is not available in the format requested. The referral to treatment waiting times standard is that 92% of patients still waiting to start consultant-led treatment for non-urgent conditions at the end of each month should have been waiting within 18 weeks from referral. At the end of January 2016, there were 327,066 patients waiting to start ophthalmology treatment, 94% of whom had been waiting within 18 weeks, with an average median waiting time of 6.9 weeks. It is not known how many of these patients were waiting for a first outpatient appointment rather than to be admitted to hospital. Information on how many patients are waiting for follow-up appointments, and for how long, is not collected. Anaemia Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase diagnosis and treatment rates of iron deficiency anaemia. Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking following the British Society of Gastroenterology's observation that the management of iron deficiency anaemia is "often suboptimal, with most patients being incompletely investigated or not investigated at all". Lord Prior of Brampton: It is for local National Health Service organisations to develop their own policy to treat patients with iron deficiency anaemia based on their clinical needs. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has produced a large body of guidelines aimed at professionals treating patients with anaemia who have chronic conditions, such as kidney disease and cancer. A copy of Chronic kidney disease: managing anaemia is attached. NICE Chronic Kidney Disease managing anaemia (PDF Document, 202.66 KB) Anaemia Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to introduce a Clinical Commissioning Group Outcome Indicator to address the growing number of hospital admissions attributable to iron deficiency anaemia. Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and the Health and Social Care Information Centre make recommendations to NHS England for new indicators for the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcomes Indicator set. This process includes a public consultation on potential new indicators and at this stage an indicator on hospital admissions attributable to iron deficiency anaemia could be considered. Any new indicators that are selected by NHS England would be published in the 2016/17 CCG Outcomes Indicator Set during 2016, for commissioners to use them in 2016/17. HIV Infection: Drugs Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision by NHS England not to provide Truvada on prescription as a pre-exposure prophylaxis in the treatment and prevention of HIV. Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England does not now consider pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is suitable for prioritisation of specialised commissioning spend as it is a preventative measure. However given the potential benefits in this area, NHS England is keen to build on the work to date and will be making available up to £2 million over the next two years to run a number of early implementer test sites. These will be undertaken in conjunction with Public Health England and will seek to answer the remaining questions around how PrEP could be commissioned in the most cost effective and integrated way to reduce HIV and sexually transmitted infections in those at highest risk. Radiotherapy Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what NHS facilities are available for proton beam treatment for cancer in the UK; where the facilities are located; and when each became operational. Lord Prior of Brampton: In 2012, the Government provided £250 million to build two high energy proton beam therapy (PBT) facilities at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust in Manchester and University College London Hospitals (UCLH) NHS Foundation Trust in London. Work has already started and is proceeding as quickly and safely as possible, with the first facility due to become operational in 2018. NHS England is committed to continuing the Proton Beam Therapy Overseas Programme until the centres being built at The Christie and UCLH are in a position to undertake the treatment currently being commissioned from overseas providers. Health Services: Foreign Nationals Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been collected for treatment of foreign nationals by the NHS in each of the last three years; and how much has been paid to EU governments for medical treatment of UK citizens during the same period. Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in introducing the requirement for non-UK citizens newly registered with general practitioners under the NHS general practice to inform hospitals to which they may be referred of the need to recover the cost of that treatment. Lord Prior of Brampton: It is not possible to provide data on the amounts collected for treatment of directly chargeable foreign nationals and residents of countries outside the European Economic Area (EEA) by the National Health Service prior to financial year 2013-14. Since then the Department has been collecting data from NHS trusts on the amount of cash payments received in-year relating to invoices raised in current and previous years. Figures for financial years 2013-14 and 2014-15 are shown in the table below. Cash payments received in-year (relating to invoices raised in current and previous years) 2013-14Cash payments received in-year (relating to invoices raised in current and previous years) 2014-15 £millions£millionsNHS Trusts8.511.4NHS Foundation Trusts11.113.7Total19.625.1 Source:NHS Trust data – NHS Trust Development Authority NHS Foundation Trust Data – Monitor Since 6 April 2015 , temporary , non-EEA migrants coming to the United Kingdom for more than 6 months, or who apply to extend their stay in the UK, are required to pay the Immigration Health Surcharge (IHS) (unless an exemption applies) . In cash terms between 6 April 2015 and 14 March 2016, the Home Office collected IHS income, net of refunds and transferred £117.8 million to the Department for spending on the NHS. EEA countries and Switzerland reimburse the UK for the cost of the NHS providing treatment to people they are responsible for under EU law, including UK nationals insured in another EEA country or Switzerland. This information is available for the last three financial years in the attached table. The Department on behalf of the UK Government reimburses other EEA countries and Switzerland for the cost of providing treatment to people we are responsible for under European Union law, irrespective of nationality. This information is available for the last three financial years in the attached table. General practitioners (GPs) have discretion to register anyone as an NHS patient, including a person not ordinarily resident in the UK, for primary medical care free at the point of delivery. Being registered with a GP does not in itself mean that the person is entitled to free NHS hospital treatment. Practices are strongly encouraged to provide NHS providers with any relevant information when they refer a patient they believe may be chargeable for secondary care. Table 1 UK Claims (Word Document, 23.82 KB) Table 2 MS Claims (Word Document, 23.9 KB) *No heading* Baroness Gale: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the NHS of NHS England cutting the role of National Clinical Director for Adult Neurology, and the end of national funding for neurological work by clinical networks. Lord Prior of Brampton: Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS England’s Medical Director, has undertaken a review of the National Clinical Director (NCD) resource designed to focus clinical advisory resources on areas where major programmes of work are currently being taking forward, or areas identified as priorities for improvement. As a result of the review, NHS England has proposed to change the way in which clinical advice is received in speciality areas in the future, streamlining and strengthening its clinical advisory mechanisms in support of the Five Year Forward View and the National Health Service’s key improvement priorities.Whilst there will no longer be a specific NCD role for neurology, NHS England will continue to secure expert clinical advice from its Clinical Networks and through its relationships with professional bodies and by appointing clinical advisors. Access to advice will be through clinical leads and members of the NHS England-funded neurology clinical networks, the Neurology Clinical Reference Group and Royal Colleges. It is expected that these new arrangements will be in place shortly.During 2016/17, the focus of NHS England’s improvement efforts delivered through Strategic Clinical Networks will be on a smaller range of key national priorities, including cancer, mental health, diabetes, maternity and urgent and emergency care (with a focus on cardiovascular disease transformation). Whilst there is no additional funding nationally, clinical and local networks of care can determine what can be done at a local or regional level if it is considered a local or regional system priority. Nationally, the policy team is considering how key aspects of the work on neurology can be taken forward through alternative mechanisms and partners.In addition, the Neurology Intelligence Network (NIN) is a joint partnership programme between Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England to support the generation and dissemination of neurology related health intelligence. PHE currently funds the on-going design, development and management of the NIN. *No heading* Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 March (HL6926), whether the issue of the sugar tax to be introduced by NHS England in their own premises by 2020 was raised as part of their conversations with NHS England, and if so, by whom and which ministers were consequently informed. Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 23 March (HL6926), on what date the Department of Health was informed that NHS England was going to introduce a sugar tax in NHS premises by 2020. Lord Prior of Brampton: We have a range of conversations about key issues at Ministerial and official level with NHS England. NHS England is independent and the decision on a sugar levy on the National Health Service estate is a matter for them operationally. We are interested to see the results of their consultation on a sugar levy. The announcement of a soft drinks industry levy by the Chancellor in the Budget is the first step in our comprehensive Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the summer, and gives companies strong incentives to reformulate their products. *No heading* Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hepatitis C patients NHS England is planning to treat in 2016–17. Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England is planning to treat 10,000 patients with chronic hepatitis C in 2016/2017. *No heading* Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government for what reason NHS England intends to treat only a specified number of patients in 2016–17, as defined by recently published run rates for operational delivery networks services. Lord Prior of Brampton: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) specifically requires Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs) to prioritise hepatitis C patients on the basis of highest unmet clinical need, as part of a progressive rollout of treatments over the next five years. NHS England is funding providers to double the number of patients treated and this number will ensure the National Health Service fully meets in 2016/17 the patient numbers NICE set out for progressive rollout of the treatments at the time it published its guidance. NHS England has invested in a Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to incentivise ODNs to meet their agreed rate of roll-out. If their treatment rates deviate from this agreed rate of treatment, they are no longer eligible for these incentives. In meeting the obligations of its Mandate, NHS England has set out a planning approach for hepatitis C that delivers access to NICE recommended treatment without disinvestment in other health services. *No heading* Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people diagnosed with hepatitis C are eligible for treatment under the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance for new direct acting antiviral drugs. Lord Prior of Brampton: Based on National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) modelling, NHS England has planned for 10,000 patients to be treated in 2016/17. No national registry exists for hepatitis C and as a result NICE estimates that the NHS should be treating 10,000 people based on the total number of people diagnosed with hepatitis C, their genotype, their treatment history and their disease severity, all of which impact on treatment eligibility. *No heading* Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review their hepatitis C strategy in the light of other European countries' strategies for tackling hepatitis C. Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether plans to introduce a hepatitis C improvement framework have been abandoned and, if so, why. Lord Mancroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that the objectives of the hepatitis C improvement framework can still be achieved. Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has been rapidly working on their plans for access to treatment during 2016/17 following enactment of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence technical appraisal guidance and has committed to produce an operational framework for the treatment of hepatitis C during 2016/17. This will set out NHS England’s commitment to improving outcomes in hepatitis C across England.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-04-04

Department of Health and Social Care Environmental Health: Coronavirus lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what the role is in the COVID-19 testing, tracing and isolating system of local authority Environmental Health Departments and their staff who are ordinarily engaged in such work, particularly in District Councils in two-tier areas. lord bethell: Following a request from NHS Test and Trace, local authorities have produced Local Outbreak Plans that detail how they will manage an outbreak in their area. We would expect that those plans would include the role that Environmental Health Departments take already in outbreak management. Environmental Health Departments also have a role in supporting the need for surge capacity. Mental Health Services the earl of sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many referralshave been made to Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in the last six months; how many appointments have been made for Improving Access to Psychological Therapies services in the last six months; and how these figures compare to the same period last year. lord bethell: The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) data requested are shown in the following table: IAPT ReferralsIAPT AppointmentsOctober 2019 – March 2020834,9783,543,965October 2018 – March 2019841,0063,377,787 Source: Psychological Therapies: reports on the use of IAPT services, NHS Digital NHS and Social Services: Parking and Public Transport lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have madeof the cost of granting (1) free parking, and (2) free public transport, to (a) NHS, and (b) care, workers. lord bethell: An assessment has been made of the cost of granting free parking to the National Health Service. The assessment has been done using the most current figures available from the ERIC Estates Return Information Collection data 2018-19 with this figure being £86.2 million per annum. No assessment has been made by the Department on the cost of providing free parking to care workers and free public transport to NHS and care workers. This does not fall under our remit. Coronavirus: Children lord jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many children have been recorded as having contractedCOVID-19 in 2020 to date. lord bethell: As of 7 August 2020 in England, 10,471 COVID-19 cases were recorded for children and young people aged 19 and under. Coronavirus: Disease Control lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government on what date theCOVID-19 lockdown began in the UK; and under what circumstances they would impose a similar such lockdown in the future. lord bethell: The Government implemented restrictions and behavioural advice throughout March. Self-isolation guidance was published online at GOV.UK on 12 March. The statement of 16 March, Official Report, columns 1347-1349, advised those who had symptoms and those who lived in a house with someone with symptoms, to stay at home for 14 days.On 16 July, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care outlined that we are moving from blanket national measures, to targeted, local measures, supported by the NHS Test and Trace system. Often this will be a very small scale, such as an individual factory, but when necessary we will also act on a broader basis as we have done in Leicester. However, in the event that local response is not sufficient to contain outbreaks and prevent the virus returning to general circulation, the Government remains ready and prepared to act rapidly and implement a national lockdown if deemed necessary to protect lives and the National Health Service. Coronavirus: Quarantine lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how self-isolation is enforced in England; and what checks are carried out to ensure that those who are required to self-isolate do so. lord bethell: Given the high levels of compliance we have seen to date with the self-isolation guidance, we expect that the majority of people will continue to do the right thing and abide by these measures.However, we will take enforcement action against the minority of people who endanger the safety of others in breaching the self-isolation requirement for those arriving into England from non-exempt countries. Those who fail to comply with the mandatory conditions could face enforcement action. A breach of self-isolation would be punishable with a £1,000 fixed penalty notice in England or potential prosecution and unlimited fine. Self-isolation is enforced in communities by local police. Border force will undertake spot checks at the border and may refuse entry where the individual is neither a British citizen nor a non-British citizen resident in the United Kingdom and refuses to comply with these regulations. Failure to complete the contact locator form is punishable by a £100 fixed penalty notice.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-08-25

Department for Education Oak National Academy Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have provided to Parliament to allow effective scrutiny of the decision to establish the Oak National Academy. Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the judicial review of the establishment of the Oak National Academy being granted permission to proceed. Baroness Barran: As an integral part of the process to establish Oak National Academy (Oak) as an arm’s length body, the department produced a business case that included an assessment of potential market impact following engagement with stakeholders, including the education publishing and technology sector. This was published in November 2022, and is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/oak-national-academy-business-case.During the set up of Oak, Parliament was sighted on progress through two written ministerial statements, laid in both Houses. On 5 July 2022 a statement was laid giving notice of a contingent liability for the issuing of an indemnity in respect of forming Oak as an arm’s length body (HLWS174, HCWS179). On 5 September 2022 a further statement was laid notifying Parliament of a Contingencies Fund advance to enable Oak to commence activity from 1 September (HLWS271, HCWS277).As part of the wider Public Bodies Review programme, a review of Oak will take place in 2024. This review will act as a checkpoint to ensure that the organisation is acting effectively and will include consideration of the effect on the commercial curriculum resources market.In establishing Oak as an arm’s length body, the department is taking action to tackle teacher workload, improve curriculum expertise, and ultimately improve education. It is right that the government takes steps to achieve this, whilst being careful to strike an appropriate balance with the interests of the thriving commercial curriculum and publishing markets. It is therefore disappointing to see commercial organisations, and those who represent them, trying to block this support to teachers. The department will be defending the legal challenge. The department is unable to comment on ongoing legal proceedings and cannot speculate about the outcome of the claim. Apprentices: Taxation Baroness O'Neill of Bexley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Apprenticeship Levy funding is used in its entirety rather than being returned to His Majesty's Treasury. Baroness Barran: The apprenticeship levy is an important part of the government’s reforms to create a high-quality, employer-led apprenticeships system, and it supports employers of all sizes to invest in high-quality apprenticeship training. The levy is enabling the department to increase investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices.In the last two financial years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget was spent. Where large employers do not make full use of their levy funds, the department reinvests this money to support apprenticeships in small and medium-sized employers who do not pay the levy. It is therefore important that the apprenticeships budget remains ring-fenced to support the demand by employers for high-quality apprenticeship training.To make it easier for employers to make full use of their levy contributions, the department has created flexible training models, such as flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible for employers. The department has also improved the transfer system to make it easier for levy paying employers to find other employers who wish to take on new apprentices with transferred funds.The department has worked with employers to develop over 680 high-quality apprenticeship standards, and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will review the content of 100 apprenticeship standards in sectors like construction and healthcare by the end of December 2023, so they reflect the latest technological developments.The department is also providing an additional £40 million over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and help more people access this provision, on top of its £8 million investment in 2022/23.​The department continues to promote apprenticeships to young people in schools and further education colleges across the country through its Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme, and UCAS are expanding its service to allowing students to search for and apply to apprenticeships alongside degrees. Apprentices: Vocational Guidance The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of careers advice in increasing the number of apprenticeships taken on. Baroness Barran: There is encouraging evidence that careers advice is increasing young people’s awareness of apprenticeships and other technical options. In the 2022/23 academic year, 92% of schools reported that most students had information about the full range of apprenticeships. 86% of schools reported that most students had meaningful encounters with further education colleges. In a 2021/22 survey of 35,000 young people, responses show that awareness of apprenticeships doubles from 39% in year 7 to 81% by year 11.There is some evidence that increased awareness can, in turn, lead to higher take-up of apprenticeships. In 2021/22, analysis found that uptake of apprenticeships was 16% higher in the schools that provided information on apprenticeships to most or all of their students compared with the schools that provided information to a small minority.The government has introduced a range of measures that are driving this increased awareness of apprenticeships and technical options and giving them parity of prestige with academic routes.On 1 January 2023, the strengthened provider access legislation came into force which specifies that schools must provide at least six opportunities for providers of technical education or apprenticeships to speak to all pupils, during school years 8-13. In addition, the department actively promotes apprenticeships and T Levels in schools and colleges through the Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge Programme (ASK). The programme has reached over 3 million students in the past eight years, as well as over 230,000 parents and 100,000 teachers.For post-18 options, the department has partnered with the University and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), which has expanded their service so that young people can see more personalised options, including apprenticeships. From 2024, students will be able to apply for apprenticeships alongside degrees on UCAS, developing a one-stop-shop for young people to find the right option for them.The department is also promoting ‘Career Starter Apprenticeships’ suitable for young people looking for their first role after leaving full-time education. Get the Jump, a digital campaign provided by the National Careers Service, brings together all the different education and training pathways open to young people at post-16 and post-18. The campaign helps to support informed choice. Students: Per Capita Costs Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government in real terms what was the average per student funding for further education colleges in (1) England, and (2) Cornwall, (a) this year, and (b) for each year since 2005 for which figures are available. Baroness Barran: Since the 2020/21 academic year, the department has made significant increases in funding per student for 16–19 year-old education. The 2021 Spending Review made available an extra £1.6 billion for 16-19 education in the 2024/25 financial year compared with 2021/22.In July 2023, the department announced that it will be investing £185 million in 2023/24 and £285 million in 2024/25 to drive forward skills delivery in the further education sector. This funding will help colleges and other providers to continue to deliver high-value technical, vocational, and academic provision needed to power economic growth and prosperity. This investment will be delivered via core 16-19 year-old funding, including through boosting programme cost weightings for higher-cost subject areas, as well as increasing the per-student funding rate. This investment is on top of £125 million the department announced in January 2023 for 16-19 education in the 2023/24 financial year.In October 2023, the government announced that, in the future, students retaking English and mathematics GCSE while studying at Level 2 or below will attract the same funding that those studying at Level 3 already receive.The department does not record the real terms changes to funding as requested and therefore does not hold this information.The table below uses the published 16-19 funding allocations to derive the average funding per student, in both England and Cornwall from 2014/15 and the subsequent nine academic years, in cash terms. This includes all 16-19 funded students, including those in further education colleges, school sixth forms, and other types of provider. The figures are not available for 2005/06 to 2013/14.Average total programme funding per student[1] EnglandCornwall2014/2015£4,432£4,2002015/2016£4,489£4,3262016/2017£4,488£4,3962017/2018£4,514£4,3932018/2019£4,504£4,4102019/2020£4,516£4,4472020/2021£4,958£4,7832021/2022£4,994£4,8782022/2023£5,469£5,3212023/2024£5,923£5,779[1] This calculation only includes institutions that have students receiving total programme funding. Some institutions receive only high needs funding – their students are not included in this calculation. The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). This resulted in £1.34 billion of investment in the 2023/24 Funding Year.In 2023/24, the government has devolved approximately 60% of the AEB to 9 Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents, allocation of the AEB to providers, and for reporting funding in devolved areas. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas. In ESFA AEB areas the department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision (excluding associated learner and learning support) in the 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years. In addition, the department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in 6 sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics.Spend by the department on further education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports. The department is unable to provide average funding per learner as funding is determined by a combination of factors including funding rates, funding formulas, earnings method and support funding. Primary Education: Per Capita Costs Lord Taylor of Goss Moor: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the average real-terms, per-pupil funding for primary schools in (1) England and (2) Cornwallin each year since 2005. Baroness Barran: The table below provides per pupil funding units from 2013/14 to 2023/24, which represent the funding provided by the government for schools in Cornwall each year.The school funding system changed significantly between 2012/13 and 2013/14, which is when the schools block was first introduced. The department does not have comparable data for primary schools from 2005 to 2012/13.From 2013/14, the department has supplied data on the “schools block per-pupil unit of funding”. This covers both primary and secondary schools together. The department does not have separate data for primary pupils for this period.The funding system changed again in 2018/19 when the National Funding Formula (NFF) was introduced. With the introduction of the NFF, funding was provided by reference to primary and secondary schools separately. The table below shows both per primary and per secondary pupil funding amounts.The scope of the per pupil figures pre and post-2018 in the table below are not directly comparable. In particular, the central services provided by local authorities was split out from the schools block funding in 2018/19, and instead funded separately through the central school services block from that year onwards.The figures in the table below are provided on a cash basis. The department also published real-terms statistics on schools funding at the national level which does not distinguish by phase. The department used the GDP deflator to calculate real-terms funding levels. Further information can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-funding-statistics, and the GDP deflator can be found online at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/school-funding-statistics-methodology. YearDSG Unit of FundingEnglandCornwall2013-14Schools Block per-pupil Unit of Funding£4,550.54£4,396.582014-15Schools block per-pupil unit of funding£4,555.02£4,396.582015-16Schools block unit of funding£4,612.11£4,464.042016-17Schools block unit of funding (SBUF)£4,636.43£4,467.432017-18Schools block unit of funding (SBUF)£4,618.63£4,428.262018-19Schools block primary unit of funding£4,057.87£3,957.13Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,228.74£4,992.962019-20Schools block primary unit of funding£4,098.82£3,989.71Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,294.78£5,030.282020-21Schools block primary unit of funding£4278.92£4,218.40Schools block secondary unit of funding£5495.88£5,187.282021-22Schools block primary unit of funding£4,610.68£4,573.43Schools block secondary unit of funding£5,934.86£5,623.442022-23Schools block primary unit of funding£4,731.72£4,751.53Schools block secondary unit of funding£6,100.01£5,784.422023-24Schools block primary unit of funding£4,954.27£4,988.31Schools block secondary unit of funding£6,421.94£6,117.31The NFF takes account of a wide range of factors that affect the costs schools face, including the particular challenges faced by small schools in rural areas through the sparsity factor. This recognises that some schools are necessarily small because they are remote and do not have the same opportunities to grow or make efficiency savings as other schools, and that such schools often play a significant role in the rural communities they serve.In recent years, the government has made changes to the sparsity factor which have seen the total amount allocated, nationally, increase from £26 million in 2020/21 to £97 million in 2023/24. In 2023/24, 108 of Cornwall’s 268 schools (40.3%) are in receipt of this funding. The change in Cornwall’s schools’ sparsity funding over time is illustrated in the table below:Financial YearTotal Sparsity Funding Allocated to Cornwall Through the NFF2018/19£1,094,8682019/20£1,144,8282020/21£1,161,3412021/22£1,884,7612022/23£4,196,3072023/24£4,265,424Note: In financial year 2022/23 the sparsity calculation was changed Education: Finance The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to allocate additional fundingin the period2025–30 tosecondary and post-16 education providers to address the lag before the new National Funding Formula takes effect. Baroness Barran: As confirmed in the Implementing the Direct National Funding Formula (NFF) government consultation response, published in April 2023, the department remains committed to introducing a ‘direct’ NFF in which individual schools’ budgets are calculated by reference to the national formula, rather than via 150 local formulae. This will require a new legislative framework and the government plans to bring the necessary legislation forward in a future parliamentary session. The government consultation response can be accessed at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1153128/_Implementing_the_direct_national_funding_formula_government_consultation_response.pdf.Under the NFF, as it operates now, schools are funded on the basis of their pupil numbers in the previous October census. This is known as a ‘lagged’ funding system and operates in this way to give schools more certainty over funding levels to aid their planning. It is particularly important in giving schools that see year on year reductions in their pupil numbers time to reorganise their staffing and costs before seeing the funding impact. Where schools are experiencing significant growth in pupil numbers, local authorities can use the growth funding they are allocated to support schools to manage the increase in pupil numbers before the lagged funding system has caught up.The direct NFF, once introduced, will continue to base funding for schools on the previous October census. As such, there will be no change in the operation of this aspect of the funding system.The NFF is not used for post-16 funding. The 16-19 funding formula also uses lagged student numbers as a basis for funding allocations. Subject to affordability, additional funding is made available to institutions delivering 16-19 education (including up to 24 for those with high needs), to support them with additional costs if they have higher than expected student recruitment. Each year the department reviews the early data from institutions and award in year growth payments. For the 2023/24 academic year, the department is publishing the rules for calculating in year growth awards early, providing a guarantee that growth will be funded based on departmental rules, giving certainty to providers to aid with their financial planning. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Windsor Framework: European Convention on Human Rights Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofthe impact that withdrawing from theEuropean Convention on Human Rightswould have on the Windsor Framework. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government remains committed to a human rights framework that is up to date, fit for purpose, and works for the people of the UK. We have a longstanding tradition of ensuring rights and liberties are protected domestically and of fulfilling our international human rights obligations. Home Office Visas: Skilled Workers Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany Global Talent Network visas have been issued to date. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany Global Entrepreneur visas have been issued to date. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) India Young Professionals Scheme visas, (2) Entrepreneur visas (Tier 1), (3) Investor visas (Tier 1), (4) Global Talent visas, and (5) High Potential Individual visas, have been issued to date. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office publishes data on Entry clearance visas in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ which can be found at www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseGlobal Talent visas issued to end of September 2023 = 8,707 main applicants with a further 6,380 dependantsEntrepreneur visas issued to end of September 2023 = 10,213 main applicants, with a further 16,451 dependantsIndian Youth Mobility visas issued to end of September 2023 = 1,956Investor visas issued to end of September 2023 = 5,104 main applicants with a further 8,785 dependantsHigh Potential Individuals to end of September 2023 = 3,062 main applicants with a further 419 dependantsGlobal Talent Network and Global Entrepreneur figures are included in the Global Talent and Entrepreneur respective responses above. Immigration Controls Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) strengthen, and (2) protect, the UK's borders. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office priority will always be to keep our citizens safe and our borders secure and we will not compromise on this.Border Force officers work tirelessly to protect our borders at 140 sea and airports right across the UK, working closely with law enforcement agencies to share intelligence.The Home Office has a clear long-term vision to transform the UK Border.This includes making visible changes to security, flow and passenger experience by harnessing new technical solutions for automation and focusing Border Force Officers' expertise on high harm cases. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Fuel Poverty: Rural Areas The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to address fuel poverty in rural areas, bearing in mindthat many rural households are not on the gas grid, in the winter of 2023and 2024. Lord Callanan: We are supporting rural homes and homes off the gas grid through targeted energy efficiency schemes including the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) and Home Upgrade Grant. The Home Upgrade Grant delivers energy efficiency upgrades to low-income households living in the least energy efficient homes off the gas grid. The Warm Home Discount scheme provides low-income and vulnerable households across Great Britain, including rural areas, with a £150 rebate off their winter energy bill. This year, low income or vulnerable rural households may also be in receipt of the £900 Cost of Living Payment which is being paid across three instalments. Department for Culture, Media and Sport Sports: Women Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with sports governing bodies on the availability of female-only categories of competition that exclude all males. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government has discussed the Sports Council Equality Group’s guidance on transgender participation with sports governing bodies on multiple occasions.When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear a way forward is needed that protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.It is ultimately for all individual sports’ national governing bodies to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations, whilst making sport inclusive for all. Football: Women Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Football Association about the implications for fairness and safety for women in football of their policy developments on the inclusion of transgender people. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Football Association has previously attended a roundtable meeting about participation in sport by transgender people, hosted by His Majesty's Government, where we set out the position below.When it comes to competitive sport, HM Government believes that fairness has to be the primary consideration. HM Government is clear that a way forward is needed which protects and shows compassion to all, whilst being clear that the integrity of competition must be maintained.Where sex does have an impact on the fairness of competitive women’s sport, domestic governing bodies and international federations must provide clear direction to protect the integrity of women's sport.It is ultimately for all individual sports’ National Governing Bodies, including the Football Association, to decide on the specific appropriate initiatives to make women’s sport fair and safe in their organisations whilst making football inclusive for all.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2023-11-24

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 infrastructure. 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. Department of Health and Social Care Dengue Fever Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government what data they hold on the (1) incidence, and (2) impact, of dengue fever on different demographic groups in the UK. Lord Markham: Dengue case numbers in the United Kingdom were provided annually to the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control until 2019, which is the most recent data available. This information showed there were 827 dengue cases in the UK in 2019. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) holds data on dengue infections in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, comprised of laboratory reports from the UKHSA’s Rare and Imported Pathogens Laboratory at Porton Down. However, the UKHSA does not routinely receive information on outcomes and clinical details, including information on symptoms, deaths and risk groups for these cases. In the event of an apparent increase in dengue cases, the UKHSA would undertake additional investigations. European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are still (1) engaged with, and (2) submitting reports to, the memorandum of understanding on communicable diseases agreed with theEuropean Centre for Disease Control on 1 December 2021. Lord Markham: Future cooperation with the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) was included in the United Kingdom’s mandate for the future relationship with the European Union and reference was included in the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement. On 1 December 2021, the Director of the ECDC and the Chief Executive of the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen the collaboration between the ECDC and the UK on matters of communicable disease prevention and control.Conversations about the future relationship with the ECDC are ongoing. To ensure effective, continued engagement, a joint action plan with objectives and performance metrics is under discussion. The UKHSA and the ECDC aim to meet once a year to review activities within the scope of the MoU. The UKHSA is committed to maintaining technical and expert collaboration on matters related to serious cross border health threats with its international partners, including the ECDC. Primodos Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are supporting the pharmaceutical company Bayer in seeking to strike down an attempt by victims of Primodos to have their case heard; if so, why; and whether they will seek to establish an independent mediation process to ascertain whether there is a causal link between Primodos and birth defects. Lord Markham: The Department is, with others, defending court proceedings which were issued in December 2019 by claimants who contend that hormone pregnancy tests (HPTs), such as Primodos, caused birth defects.The Department has made an application to strike out the claim by individuals which allege that HPTs caused them harm, which is due to be heard in May 2023. The scientific evidence has been reviewed on a number of occasions and most recently by the Commission on Human Medicines Expert Working Group on Hormone Pregnancy Tests. The Expert Working Group concluded that the available scientific evidence did not support a causal association. It is therefore not considered appropriate to establish an independent mediation process. Fish: Contamination Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps, if any, the Food Standards Agency are taking to ensure there is no public health risk arising from eating fish caught in UK waters which have been contaminated by sewerage outflows. Lord Markham: When the Food Standards Agency is notified of a potential food incident, such as sewage spills, which may lead to a food safety risk, it works with local authorities to take appropriate action to protect public health. Fish and fishery products sold for consumption in the United Kingdom must meet the requirements of food hygiene legislation. Local authorities are responsible for enforcement and carry out official controls, such as inspection and taking samples for laboratory testing, to verify that food business operators comply with the legislation.Food businesses are responsible for ensuring the food sold is safe to eat and that fishery products comply with the relevant health standards. There is currently no evidence that fish caught in UK waters are unsafe to eat. Primodos Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish all the documents they hold relating to victims of Primodos. Lord Markham: All documents relating to hormone pregnancy tests, such as Primodos, other than those subject to legal privilege, have been published in an online only format at GOV.UK. Primodos Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their issuing of an apology to Primodos victims in 2017, what plans they have to support those victims to seek justice through the courts. Lord Markham: The Government has no plans to do so. Strokes: Mechanical Thrombectomy Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to meet the target of 10 per cent of eligible stroke patients receiving thrombectomy by 2022 as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan. Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to increase the opening hours of thrombectomy centres nationally to improve access to stroke treatment. Lord Markham: Thrombectomy is available in 24 centres in England, with two additional non-neuroscience centres currently under development. The latest data shows that 2.8% of patients are receiving a thrombectomy following a stroke.Integrated Stroke Delivery Networks and thrombectomy providers are developing services to provide access to thrombectomy in England 24 hours a day, seven days a week. To increase the number of specialists qualified to provide the treatment in the National Health Service, the General Medical Council aims to extend accredited training for additional medical specialists such as neurosurgeons, neurologists and stroke physicians to train in the delivery of mechanical thrombectomy for the treatment of acute ischaemic stroke.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2022-10-13

Home Office Domestic Abuse: Finance baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what (1) national, and (2) local, measures are in place to monitor the availability of funding for women’s organisation working with (a) victims, (b) survivors of, and (3) children affected by, domestic abuse. baroness williams of trafford: The Government works inter-departmentally and with the Domestic Abuse Commissioner and domestic abuse organisations to understand funding requirements for these organisations at the national level. Levels and types of funding provided from Government Departments to organisations is monitored by those respective Departments. Details of systems in place at local level, for example through local authorities, are not held centrally.The Designate Domestic Abuse Commissioner has agreed to undertake an in-depth exploration of the current community-based support landscape over 2020/21 which will inform our understanding of the availability of funding for domestic abuse organisations. The precise scope and timing of the review is a matter for the independent Commissioner. The review is expected to take some 12 monthsA ministerial-led National Steering Group will be established to monitor and evaluate delivery of the new duty on tier one local authorities in England to provide support to victims of domestic abuse, and their children, within safe accommodation (as provided for in Part 4 of the Domestic Abuse Bill). Tier one local authorities will be required to monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of their strategies for the provision of such support.The National Steering Group will include representatives from local government, Police and Crime Commissioners, health bodies, specialist domestic abuse service providers and housing associations. The Domestic Abuse Commissioner will also be a member. Immigrants: Domestic Abuse baroness uddin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans are in place to mitigate the impact of any increase in the incidence of domestic abuse on those women who have no recourse to public funds. baroness williams of trafford: The Government is committed to supporting people, including those with no recourse to public funds, through this crisis. We are taking a compassionate and pragmatic approach and will continue to review the situation to consider if more can be done.Following increases in calls to domestic abuse helplines and online services, the Home Secretary announced an additional £2m to bolster organisations’ capacity on April 11. This is in addition to £28m of Government funding for domestic abuse charities to help survivors of domestic abuse and their children by providing more safe spaces, accommodation and access to support services during the coronavirus outbreak.We have also launched a campaign to raise awareness of domestic abuse and signpost victims to the support services available. The campaign, under the hashtag #YouAreNotAlone, aims to reassure those affected by domestic abuse that support services remain available during this difficult time. Details of these services can be found at www.gov.uk/domestic-abuseA £3.2 billion package of funding has been allocated to local authorities to help them respond to pressures across all the services they deliver and support any individual on the basis of any genuine care need that does not arise solely from destitution. For example, where there are community care needs, migrants with serious health problems or family cases.People granted leave under the family and human rights routes can also apply to have a no recourse to public funds condition lifted or for access to benefits if their financial circumstances change. Offences against Children lord pearson of rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their response to the petition Release the Home Office's Grooming Gang Review in full, published on 24 April, how many victims of grooming gangs they estimate there have been in the UK since 1998; how much financial support they are providing to each victim per annum; which Minister was responsible for clearing the wording of that response; what plans they have to hold a debate to consider that petition in Parliament; whether they intend to publish any research into such gangs; and if not, why not. baroness williams of trafford: There is no official definition of ‘grooming gang’ offending and no means of delineating data on offending that might be described in this way from other forms of child sexual exploitation. The Government has estimated that there were approximately 6,850 victims of organised child sexual exploitation in the UK in 2015. This estimate includes all forms of child sexual exploitation and does not distinguish between rape and other sexual offences. It includes organised child sexual exploitation committed by groups and gangs within a range of contexts.We are determined that all victims and survivors of child sexual abuse, whether they are a child or an adult, can access the specialist support they need. In 2019/20 the government through a number of funding streams provided over £7m for non-statutory organisations providing support to victims and survivors of child sexual abuse across the country. Victims and survivors can access these services throughout their lifetime to help them cope with and, as far as possible, recover from the abuse they have suffered.We are increasing funding. For example, last month the Ministry of Justice and Home Office launched the Support for Victims and Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse Fund, doubling the value of last year's fund and providing £2.4m over two years to voluntary sector organisations providing direct support to victims and survivors at a national level. Home Office will also shortly be launching a new £2.8m transformation fund to promote and embed best practice in child sexual abuse victim support.On 19 May, the Home Office announced its plans to publish a paper on group-based child sexual exploitation later this year. The paper, which will be published following engagement with subject matter experts, will bring together the insights gained from the Home Office’s work and set the direction for future policy and research. In announcing these plans the Home Secretary said ‘What happened to these children remains one of the biggest stains on our country’s conscience. It is shameful. I am determined to deliver justice for victims and ensure something like this can never happen again.’The Home Office’s response to the petition was cleared by the Home Secretary. It has now been revised and re-issued to reflect this decision.It is for the Petitions Committee to decide whether a petition should be put forward for debate Windrush Generation: Compensation lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people who have made claims under the Windrush Compensation Scheme have so far received payment; and how much money they have allocated tobe used by that scheme. baroness williams of trafford: Information on the total number of applications made to the Windrush Compensation Scheme that have so far received payment is available to view on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/windrush-compensation-scheme-data-february-2020. Updated data will be published shortly. Information relating to estimated costs including compensation payments are referred to in the Home Office’s Impact Assessment No: HO 0329 – dated 29/01/2020, available to view at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/864199/Windrush_compensation_policy_Impact_Assessment.pdf Windrush Compensation Scheme - Feb 2020 (Excel SpreadSheet, 121.87 KB) Windrush Compensation Policy Impact Assessment (PDF Document, 484.07 KB) Department for Education Teachers: Coronavirus lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether disciplinary measures (1) can, and (2) will,be instigated against teachers who refuse to return to work on the grounds that they fear contracting COVID-19. baroness berridge: The department’s guidance on implementing protective measures explains who should and should not attend nurseries and schools, and sets out the measures that should be followed for staff that are either clinically vulnerable or clinically extremely vulnerable, or who live with someone in either of these groups. This guidance can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings/coronavirus-covid-19-implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings.Whilst other staff should be able to come into school, it is natural that some staff will be worried about doing so even if the risks for them are very low. In agreeing the best approach for their schools, headteachers and school leaders should work closely with employees and unions, where appropriate. School leaders will be in the best position, knowing their staff and school circumstances, to decide how to proceed in individual cases. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Burkina Faso: Terrorism baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Burkina Faso about protecting civilians displaced by terrorist activity, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. baroness sugg: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 26 May 2020.The correct answer should have been: The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of terrorist violence in Burkina Faso and the tragic consequences for the population. The number of displaced people due to instability continues to rise. As of March 2020, just under 800 000 people were recorded as displaced in Burkina Faso. The UK condemns the violence and is committed to working with all partners, including the G5 Sahel countries, to support those most in need and tackle the long-term drivers of instability in the region. In MarchFebruary, the Minister for Africa attended the first meeting of the Sahel Alliance General Assembly and G5 Leaders' Summit, where he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to improved security and increased development in the Sahel. We are also deeply concerned by reports of abuses and violations of human rights in Burkina Faso, including by armed groups and the Burkinabe security forces. We welcome the Government of Burkina Faso's commitment to investigate recent abuses and hold those responsible to account, including following the attack on Malian refugees on 2 May and the deaths of 12 detainees in mid-May.The UK is supporting Burkina Faso by providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis. Over £23 million of UK humanitarian aid will go to Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2021, including to help tackle food insecurity and treat acute malnutrition.We are also funding a number of programmes that help provide access to education in emergencies and support women's sexual and reproductive health. The UK is supporting the security response through non-combat assistance to the French-led counter-terrorism mission Operation BARKHANE, in the form of three CH47 chinook helicopters. The UK is also committed to helping the G5 Sahel Joint Force reach full operational capability - bilateral funding has gone towards the provision of non-lethal military equipment and support for the human rights compliance framework. In response to COVID-19, the UK has committed up to £744 million of UK aid to combat the virus and to reinforce the global effort to find a vaccine. In the Sahel, the UK is seeking to make sure existing programmes adapt to new needs and is working with partners like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank to ensure that countries in the region, including Burkina Faso, get the support they need to respond to COVID-19 and manage its impact. baroness sugg: The UK is deeply concerned by the ongoing reports of terrorist violence in Burkina Faso and the tragic consequences for the population. The number of displaced people due to instability continues to rise. As of March 2020, just under 800 000 people were recorded as displaced in Burkina Faso. The UK condemns the violence and is committed to working with all partners, including the G5 Sahel countries, to support those most in need and tackle the long-term drivers of instability in the region. In MarchFebruary, the Minister for Africa attended the first meeting of the Sahel Alliance General Assembly and G5 Leaders' Summit, where he reaffirmed the UK's commitment to improved security and increased development in the Sahel. We are also deeply concerned by reports of abuses and violations of human rights in Burkina Faso, including by armed groups and the Burkinabe security forces. We welcome the Government of Burkina Faso's commitment to investigate recent abuses and hold those responsible to account, including following the attack on Malian refugees on 2 May and the deaths of 12 detainees in mid-May.The UK is supporting Burkina Faso by providing life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the crisis. Over £23 million of UK humanitarian aid will go to Burkina Faso between 2019 and 2021, including to help tackle food insecurity and treat acute malnutrition.We are also funding a number of programmes that help provide access to education in emergencies and support women's sexual and reproductive health. The UK is supporting the security response through non-combat assistance to the French-led counter-terrorism mission Operation BARKHANE, in the form of three CH47 chinook helicopters. The UK is also committed to helping the G5 Sahel Joint Force reach full operational capability - bilateral funding has gone towards the provision of non-lethal military equipment and support for the human rights compliance framework. In response to COVID-19, the UK has committed up to £744 million of UK aid to combat the virus and to reinforce the global effort to find a vaccine. In the Sahel, the UK is seeking to make sure existing programmes adapt to new needs and is working with partners like the World Bank, International Monetary Fund and the African Development Bank to ensure that countries in the region, including Burkina Faso, get the support they need to respond to COVID-19 and manage its impact. British Nationals Abroad: Coronavirus baroness anelay of st johns: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance they are giving to UK citizens who are being repatriated to the UK as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic who do not have access to accommodation where they can self-isolate if necessary. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Where a person is unable to self-isolate, the Government will assist them in finding a facility in which to do so. If you cannot safely self-isolate in your own accommodation, you should tell a border force official as you arrive at the UK border who can direct you to the booking system.The Government has made in excess of £3.2bn of funding available to local authorities in England to assist them in managing the pressures arising out of the pandemic. Syria: Armed Conflict the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Amnesty International Syria: 'Nowhere Is Safe For Us’: Unlawful Attacks And Mass Displacement In North-West Syria, published on 11 May, which states that Russia and Syria have deliberately hit hospitals on the UN ‘do not target’ list and that there is “strong evidence of Russia’s direct involvement in unlawful air strike”. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We assess that Amnesty International's report provides useful further evidence of unlawful attacks by the Assad regime and Russia on civilian targets in Idlib. It therefore complements recent reports by the UN Commission of Inquiry and the UN Board of Inquiry. It is inexcusable that hospitals have been attacked despite their coordinates being provided to Russia and others by the UN deconfliction mechanism. The UK continues to call for accountability for these crimes and for all parties, including the Assad regime and Russia, to respect the ceasefire in Idlib and to abide by International Humanitarian Law. We also continue to support those displaced by the recent offensive, as documented in the Amnesty International report. USA: START Treaty lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about the possible renewal of the New START Treaty next year. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We recognise the contribution the New START Treaty has made to international security by increasing transparency and mutual confidence amongst the two largest Nuclear Weapons States. The Treaty has delivered a reduction of strategic nuclear arsenals, enhanced notably by its robust verification mechanism. However, we are also clear that New START has limitations. It does not include new Russian systems. Nor does it place any limits on China's growing nuclear arsenal. We therefore support the US Government's trilateral strategic arms control initiative.We have regular discussions with the Government of the United States on these issues and have made clear that we support the continued implementation of New START. We have also encouraged the US to extend the Treaty while negotiating any successor agreement. China: START Treaty lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to whether the government of China should be party to any future New START Treaty. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We recognise the contribution the New START Treaty has made to international security by increasing transparency and mutual confidence amongst the two largest Nuclear Weapons States. The Treaty has delivered a reduction of strategic nuclear arsenals, enhanced notably by its robust verification mechanism. We support its continued implementation and have encouraged the US to extend New START while negotiating any successor agreement. However, we are also clear that New START has limitations. It does not include new Russian systems. Nor does it place any limits on China's growing nuclear arsenal. We therefore support the US Government's trilateral strategic arms control initiative. Confidence Building Measures lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to try and establish confidence building measures between nuclear powers since the termination of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. lord ahmad of wimbledon: During our coordination of the P5 Process, the UK hosted a range of discussions between the five Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Nuclear Weapon States, including a dialogue aimed at increasing our mutual understanding of each other's nuclear doctrine, and hosting a conference of the five Nuclear Weapon States in London on 12-13 February 2020. At that meeting, all five states underlined the importance of reducing nuclear risk and promoting stability, and agreed that dialogue on strategic risk reduction should continue. Department of Health and Social Care North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust: Coronavirus lord hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many ambulance drivers employed by the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust have (1) died, and (2) been placed in intensive care, due to COVID-19. lord bethell: Data on the numbers of ambulance drivers who have died and been placed in intensive care due to COVID-19 is not held centrally. Airports: Coronavirus baroness mcgregor-smith: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish a summary of the advice and scientific evidence from Public Health England on the utility of health screening at airports during the current phase of the COVID-19 outbreak. lord bethell: Transparency, including on the evidence informing the views of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE), is vital in helping to maintain the public’s trust and grow our collective understanding of the disease, while also helping to explain how scientific advice to the Government is being formed. The Government is working to publish evidence documents and studies, including from Public Health England, which have formed the basis of SAGE’s discussions and advice to Ministers, regularly, and will publish more evidence in the coming weeks. Coronavirus: Protective Clothing lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of whether wearing (1) non-surgical facemasks, and (2) glasses, alongside social distancing measures in closed public places, reduces the respiratory spread of COVID-19. lord bethell: After careful consideration of the latest scientific evidence from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, the Government confirmed face coverings can help to reduce the risk of transmission of COVID-19, in some circumstances. Evidence shows a face covering can help to reduce the spread of droplets and therefore the potential infection of others. From 11 May 2020, the public were advised to consider covering their mouth and nose when in enclosed spaces, such as public transport or shops. Social Services: Learning Disability baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) adults with a learning disability living in a care setting, (2) people over the age of 70 living in a care setting, and (3) people over the age of 70 not in a care setting, were issued a shielding letterin relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. lord bethell: Those identified as extremely clinically vulnerable are put on the Shielded Patient List (SPL), based on a set of specific conditions set out by the Chief Medical Officer. The SPL has been developed based on national data and local clinical judgement.We only hold sufficient information on the SPL to allow us to identify those people who are clinically extremely vulnerable, to ensure that they have the right guidance and support to help them shield. We do not have additional data on whether that are currently in care settings or not. This means we are unable to identify adults with a learning disability in a care setting from the SPL, nor split the over 70s on the SPL between those in care settings and those not.The SPL does include date of birth, so as of 7 May we know that 944,134 people aged 70 and over were on the SPL, and therefore should have received a shielding letter. Dental Services: Coronavirus baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the financial sustainability of NHS dental services. lord bethell: NHS England is continuing to fund dentists for their National Health Service contracts while the requirement to deliver a given amount of treatment is suspended. As part of the agreement dental practices will provide remote urgent advice, redeploy staff to provide urgent face to face care in one of the 550 urgent dental centres and redeploy other staff to support the wider NHS on COVID-19. NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that NHS dentistry outside urgent care centres will begin to restart from 8 June with the aim of increasing levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety. Care Homes: Coronavirus lord birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government which agency has the lead responsibility for supplying COVID-19 testing kits to care homes. lord bethell: Public Health England (PHE) and the Department are working closely together to respond to outbreaks of COVID-19 in care homes.PHE's health protection teams (HPTs) play a vital role locally in responding to any outbreak in care homes, providing tailored infection control advice to allow staff to protect themselves and their residents. From the outset, HPTs have been arranging testing for residents when an outbreak is reported at a particular care home.The Department is offering a test to every staff member and resident in every care home in England, whether symptomatic or not. By 6 June, every care home for the over 65s will have been offered testing for residents and staff. Coronavirus: Disease Control baroness kennedy of cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their latest estimate of the positive effect of social distancing on decreasing the spread of COVID-19; and what estimate they have made of the possible negative effects as restrictions are gradually lifted. lord bethell: On 26 March 2020 the Government introduced a series of social distancing measures based on scientific advice. These are strict measures, but they are measures that we must take in order to protect the National Health Service, slow the spread of the virus so the NHS would not be overwhelmed, and save lives. Helped by these measures, we have started to reduce the spread of the disease and ensured that the NHS was not overwhelmed.On 16 April, the First Secretary of State (Rt. Hon. Dominic Raab MP) outlined, in line with scientific advice, five criteria that would be considered as part of assessing the necessity of the measures and whether they could be eased. These consider NHS capacity, death rates, transmission rates, availability of personal protective equipment, and avoidance of a second peak of the virus that overwhelms the NHS.The Government will continue to review the measures, assessing them to ensure that they continue to be necessary and proportionate based on available scientific evidence. Dental Services: Coronavirus lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capability of dental practices to continue to operate after the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that the public have access to full dental services when COVID-19 restrictive measures are relaxed to allow routine dental treatment to resume. lord bethell: National Health Service dentistry was reorganised in late March along with other NHS primary care services to minimise face to face care to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic. Dentists were asked to suspend all routine treatment and instead to offer urgent advice and, where required, prescriptions for antibiotics by telephone. Urgent treatment was made available through urgent dental centres (UDCs) set up in each NHS region.As of 25 May, there are currently over 550 UDCs open. Patients are triaged into UDCs by their own dentistry or through NHS 111. The UDCs are expected to provide, where urgently needed, the full range of dental treatment normally available on the NHS.NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that NHS dentistry outside UDCs will begin to restart from 8 June with the aim of increasing levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety. Care Homes: Coronavirus baroness altmann: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they haveof the number of people discharged from NHS hospitals into care homes who had(1) not been tested, or (2) tested positive, forCOVID-19. [T] lord bethell: Information is not available in the format requested.The attached table shows a count of the finished discharge episodes, with the number of diagnosis confirmed by test and diagnosis not confirmed by test for all discharges listed by destination for each month in 2020.The data shows the number of completed episodes and not the number of people as some individuals may have been admitted and discharged on more than one occasion during the period.The data is provisional and is subject to review. HL4545-Baroness Altmann-Supporting data.xlsx (Excel SpreadSheet, 18.86 KB) Exercise Cygnus lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took, following the conclusion of Exercise Cygnus, to review the level of additional pressure the voluntary sector could absorb from the social care sector during a pandemic. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took, following the conclusion of Exercise Cygnus, to review the work needed to develop a method for (1) mapping capacity of, and (2) providing strategic national direction to, voluntary resources during a pandemic. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took, following the conclusion of Exercise Cygnus, to review the level of engagement in the voluntary sector in advance as well as the capacity of that sector to assist in the event of a pandemic. lord bethell: Working across Government and with stakeholders, the lessons from Exercise Cygnus have informed our preparedness, such as development of draft legislation support to the response to a future influenza pandemic, and strengthening health, care and voluntary sector plans to surge and flex beyond normal operations. Learning the lessons from preparedness exercises, as well as other sources of expertise has ensured that the United Kingdom remains well prepared for infectious disease outbreaks. Dental Services: Coronavirus lord lee of trafford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to discuss with the Care Quality Commission the steps that need to be taken for dental surgeries to safely reopen for emergency dental care during the COVID-19 pandemic. lord bethell: National Health Service dentistry was reorganised in late March along with other NHS primary care services to minimise face to face care to contain the spread of COVID-19 during the peak of the pandemic. Dentists were asked to suspend all routine treatment and instead to offer urgent advice and, where required, prescriptions for antibiotics by telephone. Urgent treatment was made available through urgent dental centres (UDCs) set up in each NHS region.As of 25 May there are currently over 550 UDCs open. Patients are triaged into UDCs by their own dentistry or through NHS 111. The UDCs are expected to provide, where urgently needed, the full range of dental treatment normally available on the NHS.NHS England and NHS Improvement and the Chief Dental Officer held two workshops in collaboration with the Care Quality Commission and dental sector, at how soon wider NHS dental services can safely reopen.NHS England and NHS Improvement announced on 28 May that NHS dentistry outside urgent care centres will begin to restart from 8 June with the aim of increasing levels of service as fast as is compatible with maximising safety. A copy of the letter is attached. Letter on resumption of dental services (PDF Document, 136.22 KB) Coronavirus: Hydroxychloroquine lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of taking hydroxychloroquine to treat COVID-19; and what plans they have to supplyhydroxychloroquine to members of the Cabinet. lord bethell: Clinical trials are currently under way in the United Kingdom and internationally to test whether existing medicines, including hydroxychloroquine, are safe and effective for treating COVID-19. An assessment of the effectiveness of hydroxychloroquine will be made following the conclusion of the trials.There are no plans to supply hydroxychloroquine to members of the Cabinet. Coronavirus: Children lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risks posed by any emergence of a Kawasaki-like disease in children who may have been exposed to COVID-19. lord bethell: Since March 2020 surveillance of multisystem inflammatory syndrome, Kawasaki disease and toxic shock syndrome has been underway in the United Kingdom. The British Paediatric Surveillance Unit and Public Health England have commenced a study which aims to understand the incidence, presenting features, laboratory features, management, clinical course and the outcome of this potentially new syndrome characterised by hyperinflammation which is temporally associated with COVID-19.The study is scheduled to run until March 2021, or until sufficient case reports have been notified to allow data analysis. Care Homes: Coronavirus lord warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance about COVID-19 has been given to supported living facilities since 15 March to enable residents and staff of such facilities to be protected; and how many residents of such facilities have died or are suspected to have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began. lord bethell: Previously, Public Health England published guidance for supported living providers. This was withdrawn on 13 May and updated guidance for the sector is being developed.Guidance on the provision of home care was published on 22 May and is available in an online only format at GOV.UK. This may also be relevant to supported living settings where domiciliary care is provided.The Care Quality Commission advised that it is not possible to isolate death notifications where providers register for multiple service types. Therefore, they have analysed deaths reported by providers who are registered to provide supported living services only.Between 10 April and 15 May 2020, there were 39 deaths notified - 18 of which have been COVID-19 related, whether suspected or confirmed. It is important to note that this may not offer a complete picture of all deaths in supported living settings. Exercise Cygnus: Voluntary Work lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they took following the conclusion of Exercise Cygnus to ensure that the contribution of the voluntary sector was more apparent in pandemic plans and communications activities. lord bethell: The lessons from Exercise Cygnus continue to inform our preparedness, including strengthening health, care and voluntary sector plans to surge and flex beyond normal capacity.Government departments and agencies are working with organisations across the voluntary and charity sector to ensure the sector’s valuable expertise contributes to better outcomes for people affected by the crisis. Social Distancing baroness ritchie of downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to modify social distancing measures. lord bethell: The Government published its roadmap which set out its plan to return life to as near normal, and as quickly and fairly as possible in order to safeguard livelihoods and protect the National Health Service. To do that it has set out a plan for recovery and a timetable for lifting restrictions. A copy of Our Plan to Rebuild: The UK Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy is attached.The Government amended the social distancing regulation on 1 June. The amendments include spending time outdoors, including private gardens in groups of up to six people from different households, following social distance guidelines and visiting and car showrooms and outdoor markets.The Government will continue to review the measures and will make amendments to ensure that they continue to be necessary and proportionate. At all times, we have been consistently guided by scientific and medical advice to ensure that we do the right thing at the right time. Our Plan to Rebuild (PDF Document, 1.72 MB) Coronavirus: Death baroness thornton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that COVID-19 related fatalities of (1) NHS staff, (2) social workers, and (3) care workers, are accurately reported. lord bethell: On 29 April 2020 the Government introduced a new daily death reporting protocol which includes deaths that have occurred in all settings where there has been a positive COVID-19 test such as hospitals, care homes and the wider community.The number of deaths of National Health Service healthcare workers is verified from direct reports from NHS employing and non-NHS organisations. This information is investigated and triangulated by NHS England to give a high level of confidence of validity.The Office for National Statistics also publishes statistics on deaths involving COVID-19 by occupation, including rates and counts of deaths of social workers and care workers. Hospitals: Admissions lord kennedy of southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide finer resolution data on hospital admission statistics in England to aid understanding of optimal (1) admission, (2) treatment, and (3) resource allocation, strategies. lord bethell: Data on Hospital Episodes Statistics is published online by NHS Digital and the latest available data is for 2018/19. Annual data for 2019/20 is due to be published in October 2020.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-06-08

British Embassy, Beijing: DfID Staff Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the present level of the Department for International Development establishment at the British Embassy in Beijing; how many are employed on a permanent basis or on contract; what are their terms of reference; and what was the comparable number of personnel five years ago. Baroness Amos: The Department for International Development has five members of staff at the British Embassy in Beijing at present. All are on contracts of between two and three years. Their terms of reference are to manage the department's portfolio of bilateral development projects in China. DfID also funds three locally recruited members of staff, on annual contract to the Diplomatic Service Bureau, who provide administrative support. A fourth post is under recruitment. There were no DfID staff in post five years ago. Prior to May 1999 bilateral projects were administered by Diplomatic Service staff in the Embassy as part of their wider duties, supported by locally recruited staff. Mozambique: Helicopters for Relief Work Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) how many helicopters are now available for relief work in Mozambique; (b) how many helicopters or trained pilots they have made available; and (c) how many helicopters have been offered by the Ministry of Defence. Baroness Amos: There are now over 50 helicopters assisting in the relief operation in Mozambique. DfID inputs into the air operation have been: (i) US$1 million to support the continued air operations of the South African Defence Force; and (ii) direct provision of an additional 14 helicopters to the relief effort (including four from the Royal Air Force and four aboard RFA Fort George). Sudan: Debt Cancellation Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to relieve Sudan's debts to Britain. Baroness Amos: Britain cancelled Sudan's aid debts in 1979. Relief for export credit debt is available for countries that qualify for the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative. Sudan is eligible for HIPC but does not yet qualify. The ongoing civil war continues to devastate the Sudanese economy. Sudan: Humanitarian Need Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their assessment of the present humanitarian need in Sudan; and what steps they are taking to address the situation. Baroness Amos: The World Food Programme has launched a $58 million appeal this year for 1.7 million people in need of emergency food in the Sudan. Non-government organisation (NGO) sources confirm that food supplies are relatively good at present and rates of malnutrition low. Western Upper Nile and Northern Bahr el Gazal are two areas of potential concern because of limited access. DfID and its international and NGO partners will continue to keep the situation under close review and respond as necessary. Sudan: Diversion of Humanitarian Aid Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the percentage of British, European and other humanitarian aid to Sudan that is diverted by the parties of the civil war. Baroness Amos: No definitive figures are available on the proportion of humanitarian assistance diverted. We continue to watch this very closely and to press the UN and non-government organisations (NGOs) for action to improve the targeting of humanitarian aid and the cessation of diversions. The recent expulsion of some of the largest relief agencies operating in southern Sudan raises further concerns over the transparency and accountability of future humanitarian operations. Sudan: NGO Activity Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which British non-government organisations based in Britain are active in Sudan. Baroness Amos: The following NGOs, all British-based or with British offices, have worked in Sudan this financial year with DfID funding: British Red Cross/International Committee of the Red Cross. Care. Concern. Goal. Medicins Sans Frontieres. Save the Children Fund. Tear Fund. Other groups may also be working with funding from other sources. On 1 March 2000, a number of NGOs withdrew from areas of South Sudan controlled by the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army because they were unwilling to sign an agreement controlling their activities. Sudan: NGO Activity Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which British and foreign non-government organisations which are active in Sudan received funding directly or indirectly from the British Government in the fiscal years 1997-98 and 1998-99; and whether they will provide details of the funding provided by each organisation. Baroness Amos: A table listing those non-governmental organisations which, during 1997-98 and 1998-99, received funding from DfID for projects in Sudan is attached. DfID contributions to non-governmental organisations in Sudan in 1997-98 and 1998-99 1997-98 1998-99 Total NGO £ £ £ ACROSS -- 35,186 35,186 Aktion Afrika Hilfe 183,961 -- 183,961 British Red Cross/International Committee Red Cross -- 2,250,000 2,250,000 Care 135,396 605,717 741,113 Christian Aid -- 124,716 124,716 Goal 16,433 452,479 468,912 Medecins Sans Frontieres 555,149 2,837,204 3,392,353 Merlin -- 731,419 731,419 Ockenden Venture 34,736 48,420 83,156 Oxfam 880,801 87,000 967,801 Save the Children Fund 698,085 743,731 1,441,816 Tear Fund -- 48,691 48,691 World Vision 27,883 286,395 314,278 Total 2,532,444 8,250,958 10,783,402 Sudan: NGO Activity Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any non-governmental organisation has been directly involved in supplying and transporting arms and ammunition, including anti-aircraft weapons and landmines, to combatants in the civil war in Sudan. Baroness Amos: We have detected no evidence of non-governmental organisation (NGO) involvement in these activities. An EU arms embargo was initiated in 1994. We expect this to remain for as long as the civil war continues. Ethnic Monitoring in Business Baroness Whitaker: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to encourage best practice in ethnic monitoring among private sector employees. Baroness Blackstone: The Government, in partnership with the Commission for Racial Equality and others, are actively promoting voluntary ethnic monitoring as best practice to business. Employers are being encouraged to monitor both applicants for jobs and their workforce. This approach is being promoted in a number of ways, including by the Race Relations Advisory Service (RREAS), which works with employers to guide them in implementing race equality strategies. Nearly half of all employers who have worked with RREAS have introduced ethnic monitoring systems. Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Grant Baroness Whitaker: asked Her Majesty's Government: What the increased Ethnic Minority and Traveller Educational Achievement Grant will be spent on; and what targets have been set for 2000-01. Baroness Blackstone: The Ethnic Minority and Traveller Achievement Grant is designed to raise standards for those ethnic minority and traveller pupils at risk of under-achieving and to meet the particular needs of pupils for whom English is an additional language. We are making available more money than ever before as part of our drive to raise the academic achievements of those ethnic minority groups at risk of under-achieving. For 2000-01, £162.5 million will be available to local education authorities and schools to improve the attainment of ethnic minority, Traveller and refugee pupils--an increase of 7 per cent on the amount available for these purposes in 1999-2000. The formula used to allocate the ethnic minority achievement element of the grant in 2000-01 protected each authority's total grant in 1999-2000, while distributing additional funds on the basis of need. As a condition of grant, local education authorities are required to submit detailed action plans to the Government for approval. These action plans must set out strategies for raising achievement, include information about the academic performance of ethnic minority pupils, and set targets for raising attainment levels. To assist in raising the achievement levels of ethnic minority pupils, we have recently published a new document, Removing the barriers. The document sets out a range of measures that have been successful in raising achievement at school level, in a form that is eaily accessible for busy teachers. We are also planning to develop a consultancy service for schools to help them address the needs of children from a minority ethnic background. In addition, we will be disseminating information on good practice through a new website and setting up regional networks to help teachers share knowledge and expertise with each other. Portable Humanitarian Mine Detector Development Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will make funds available to the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency to develop a portable humanitarian mine detector. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Defence Evaluation and Research Agency has considerable expertise in mine detection. We are investigating options for funding research and development of a low cost portable humanitarian mine detector, including the possibility of funding from the central Capital Modernisation Fund, as part of our drive to exploit the use of defence resources for wider public benefit. We expect to make a decision shortly. Kosovo: Postal Service Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether full postal service has been restored both within Kosovo, and to and from the rest of the world; and, if not, when will it be. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The postal service to Kosovo has not yet been fully restored. UNMIK are hoping that it will be restored in the near future. UNMIK: Salaries and Expenses Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the salary levels and expenses enjoyed by UNMIK personnel are appropriate Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The salary levels and expenses of UNMIK staff are set in accordance with established UN methodology, at levels required to attract suitably qualified staff. UN salary rates are set by the International Civil Service Commission and are endorsed by the General Assembly. Bosnia and Herzegovina: Electoral Law Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the proposals from the Balkan Action Council of Washington DC, dated 22 December 1999, for improving the electoral law of Bosnia-Herzegovina. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We fully support the efforts of the Office of the High Representative and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) to produce an election law which furthers the cause of democratic electoral reform in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), within the limits of the BiH constitution. The revised draft law (presented to the BiH Parliamentary Assembly 25 January), which the UK supports, addresses some of the Balkan Action Council's concerns. We continue to urge the parties in the Parliamentary Assembly of BiH to pass the revised election law. Albanian Prisoners in Serbia Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make representations on behalf of up to 2,000 Albanians, including Dr Flora Brovina and Mr Albin Kurti, currently held in Serbian prisons, many without charge; and in particular whether they will seek access for the International Committee of the Red Cross. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The UK does not have diplomatic relations with the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) so is unable to make effective representations to the FRY authorities on behalf of the Albanian prisoners (believed to be some 1,540) held in Serbia. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as an impartial body, has access to the Kosovar prisoners. Through its contacts with the authorities, the ICRC is making strenuous efforts to ensure that those facing prosecution benefit from the legal safeguards laid down in international law. We strongly support their important role in this matter. The UN representative in Kosovo, Bernard Kouchner, has frequently made public calls for the release of the Albanian prisoners in Serbia. ABM Treaty: US/Russian Discussions Lord Jenkins of Putney: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they share the reported doubts of other NATO countries as to the legality of the proposed United States National Missile Defence system. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The reported doubts to which my noble friend refers have been raised in relation to the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty. The interpretation of that treaty is a matter for the parties to it. The United Kingdom is not a party to that treaty, but we hope that the discussions now in progress between the United States and Russia will ultimately reach a successful conclusion. Burma: Genocide Charges Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are giving consideration, under Article 2 of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to the institution of genocide charges against the Burmese military leadership. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We are deeply concerned about human rights violations in Burma and are at the forefront of international action to press the military regime to improve the situation. But no international criminal tribunal exists at present which has competence to hear genocide charges against the Burmese military leadership. It is because of the need to end impunity for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide wherever they occur that the UK strongly supports the establishment of a permanent International Criminal Court. Sudan Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the staff complement at the British Embassy in Sudan is up to the number and rank that it was prior to the withdrawal of Embassy personnel following the American missile attack on the al-Shifa medicine factory in August 1998. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We now have a fully operational Embasssy in Khartoum, back to the complement we had in August 1998. It is active, not least, in promoting peace in the Sudan. Sudan Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will provide details of the dialogue between the European Union and Sudan, the basis for this interaction, dates and details of any meetings that have taken place as part of this dialogue, and the results to date of this process. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The EU/Sudan Dialogue was resumed on 10 November 1999. Further meetings took place on 16 January and 30 January with EU Heads of Missions. The objective of the dialogue is to promote a constructive debate on issues of concern to the EU, including peace, human rights and regional stability. Sudan Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their assessment of the November 1999 political and peace agreement signed between Sadiq al-Mahdi's Umma party and the government of Sudan. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We welcome any agreement that helps progress towards a comprehensive peace settlement in the Sudan. We hope that this agreement will do that. Only a comprehensive peace settlement will allow the Sudanese to rebuild their lives. We encourage all parties to the conflict there to work towards that end. Sudan/Eritrea/Uganda Agreements Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their assessment of the friendship and co-operation agreements recently reached between Sudan, Eritrea and Uganda; and what they are doing to support these agreements. Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: We have welcomed the agreements reached by Sudan with Eritrea and Uganda which have the potential to improve significantly regional stability. The key to their success will be their implementation. We shall do what we can to encourage full implementation. Gambling Review Body Lord Shepherd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to announce the membership of the Gambling Review Body. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Further to the reply my right honourable friend the Home Secretary gave in another place (House of Commons Official Report, col. 537W on 16 February), my honourable friend the Under-Secretary of State at the Home Office (Mr O'Brien) appointed on 10 March the following people to be members of the Gambling Review Body: Mr David Bishop Mr Mihir Bose Professor Jeffrey Gray Mr Peter Dean CBE Sir John Hoddinott QPM Mr Anthony Mackintosh Ms Phillipa Marks Ms Sara Nathan Ms Anesta Weekes QC Mr Jonathan Wolff Between them, the members will bring a wealth of experience in many areas relevant to the review, such as business, law, economics, psychology, accountancy and law enforcement. Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will wind up the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under the original criminal injuries compensation scheme established in August 1964, compensation was assessed by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board (CICB) on the basis of common law damages. That scheme was superseded from 1 April 1996 by a tariff-based scheme administered by two new bodies, the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (CICAP). The board was then left with the residual task of dealing with all outstanding claims lodged before 1 April 1996. There were some 110,000 such cases. By the end of the current financial year, the board will have resolved over 100,000 of those cases and its work will largely be done. The board will accordingly be wound up on 31 March 2000. Any residual old scheme cases still outstanding at that time will be transferred for resolution by legally qualified members of CICAP in accordance with the transitional provisions of the 1996 scheme. Present estimates are that around 6,000 cases will be transferred. The panel will be set the target of clearing them within two years. The panel is being strengthened considerably to ensure that it can cope with this additional workload without prejudicing its capacity to deal with appeals made under the 1996 scheme. I am sure that Ministers in previous administrations would wish to join me in extending a sincere vote of thanks to all board members, past and present, for the care and dedication with which they have dealt with claims over the past 35 years. Immigration Detainees Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many persons are held in detention under the Immigration Acts; of these how many are held pending deportation; whether as many as 6,000 persons have been detained during any recent 12-month period; how many current detainees are held in HM Prisons; and how many of those in prison were asylum-seekers, with undecided cases. Lord Bassam of Brighton: A total of 990 persons were detained in immigration detention centres and prison establishments in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers on 31 January 2000. Of this total, 515 persons were held in prison establishments. This figure is not recorded in such a way as to identify those who were held pending deportation or those in prisons who had applied for asylum at some point. It may be helpful to know that a snapshot report showing the number of persons recorded as being held in detention in the United Kingdom, solely under Immigration Act powers, by place of detention, is placed in the House of Lords Library each month. From administrative data, it has been estimated that approximately 15,000 persons were detained for the first time under Immigration Act powers during 1999. This figure covers persons held in immigration detention centres, prisons and police cells and, in addition to persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers, includes persons detained under dual immigration and police powers. The estimate may under-record the numbers held in police cells and prisons, particularly those in the north of England. The figure is not intended to be a measure of all persons who spent time in detention during the year, as it counts only the first time a person enters detention and therefore does not include persons held during 1999 who were initially detained in an earlier year. The figure covers both those persons who have applied for asylum at some stage and those who have never applied for asylum, many of whom will have been detained for only a very short period of time. The latest reliable snapshot of detained asylum seekers relates to those asylum applicants detained in immigration detention centres, prison establishments and police cells solely under Immigration Act powers as at 30 December 1998 for port applicants and 4 January 1999 for in-country applicants. On those dates, 741 such persons were recorded. The location of those detainees is not recorded reliably and it is not therefore possible to state how many were held in prisons. Data recording problems mean that an updated figure is not currently available. Plymouth City Council: Early Voting Pilot Scheme Baroness Fookes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have agreed to the pilot scheme on early voting put forward by Plymouth City Council under the terms of the Representation of the People Bill, including the proposal for identification of all voters by the production of poll cards. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The application to run an early voting pilot scheme made by Plymouth City Council, including an identity requirement for those voting early, has been given provisional approval. Asylum Seekers: Support Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What arrangements they have in place to review regularly, with local authorities and the charities involved, the working of the cash, voucher and other support systems for asylum seekers. Lord Bassam of Brighton: We intend that reviews of the sort referred to will be made on an on-going basis by the National Asylum Support Service, as part of the service's normal operational work. We have already established excellent lines of communication with both local authorities and voluntary sector groups, which will enable us to consult them as part of the review process. Asylum Seekers: Support Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will put in place arrangements to review, at least every six months, the adequacy of cash and voucher support for asylum seekers; and Whether they will put in place arrangements to review, at least every six months the working of the voucher scheme for asylum seekers, with particular reference to (a) the cost of administering the scheme; (b) its effectiveness in meeting the needs of asylum seekers; and (c) the social experience of those compelled to use vouchers; and Whether they will review the voucher system for asylum seekers to ensure that the vouchers can be used where it is most economic to shop and that change in cash will be available when purchases are made. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The entire asylum support scheme, including the voucher system, will be kept under constant review within the National Asylum Support Service, as part of the service's normal operational work. Where this review process discloses any need for amendments in the way the scheme is operated, we shall take the necessary steps to make these. Asylum Seekers: Support Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What arrangements they have in place to ensure that all dispersed asylum seekers (a) are only sent to destinations where their religious, dietary and cultural needs can be met; (b) are provided with the funds for travel to places where specialist legal advice is available; and (c) are, together with other immigrants in a similar position, financially enabled to travel to Croydon to pursue work permits when the issue of these is delayed. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Arrangements are being set into place at the present time, both within the new National Asylum Support Scheme, and by liaison with the voluntary sector, to ensure that asylum seekers are dispersed to areas where their needs can be met. Where an asylum seeker has a specific need he or she will be able to state this when seeking support and this will be taken into account when the question of dispersed destination is under consideration. With regard to specialist legal advice, we are satisfied that, as dispersal occurs, so legal practitioners in the dispersed areas will respond to the changed needs for specialist advice, drawing knowledge from the centre as is presently done in other fields of law. Unless a decision on his/her asylum application has not been reached within six months, an asylum seeker is not allowed to work and, therefore, the question of obtaining a work permit does not arise. Currently, asylum seekers may obtain work if their application has not been decided within six months. This concession does not involve the issue of work permits, which are the responsibility of the Department for Education and Employment. Asylum Applications: Individual Consideration Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are their latest plans to ensure that any fast track treatment of asylum seekers does not conflict with the obligation to consider all applications fully and fairly on their individual merits; and how they will avoid making presumptions that applications are unsubstantiated. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The law requires that the circumstances of each asylum claim, including those dealt with under any fast track procedures, are carefully considered on an individual basis. All asylum applications made in the United Kingdom are carefully considered to establish whether the person has a well founded fear of persecution under the terms of the 1951 United Nations Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Asylum Seekers: Oakington Detention Centre Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the role of the new detention centre at Oakington with regard to any plans they have for fast track treatment of asylum seekers. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The role of Oakington is to strengthen our ability to deal quickly with asylum applications, many of which prove to be unfounded. Applicants will be required to remain at Oakington for a period of about seven days while their claims are considered. There will be provision for legal advice to be available on site. Asylum Seekers: Dependants Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, how many dependants accompanied the applicants for asylum in each of the years recorded in table 4.1 on page 66 of Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 1998 (cm 4431); and Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, how many dependants accompanied the applicants for asylum in each of the months recorded in Asylum Statistics: December 1999 United Kingdom, published by the Research Development Section. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Information regarding principal applicants and dependants, in each of the years 1990 to 1998, is given in Table 7.1 of the Home Office Statistical Bulletin Asylum Statistics United Kingdom, 1998, a copy of which is available in the Library. Information on principal applicants and dependants is published on an annual basis only. It is planned that the figures for the calendar year 1999 will be included within the next Asylum Bulletin, which is due to be published in June of this year. Asylum Seekers: Removals and Voluntary Departures Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, how many asylum seekers are known to have been removed or to have departed voluntarily in each of the months recorded in Asylum Statistics: December 1999 United Kingdom, published by the Research Development Section. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Provisional information relating to removals and voluntary departures for December 1998 to December 1999, under port and enforcement procedures of persons who have applied for asylum at some stage, is given in the table. Failed asylum seekers are only removed once all their rights of appeal in the United Kingdom have been exhausted. It should be noted that the figures may include some persons who withdrew their asylum application or appeal before a decision or determination had been reached. Removals and voluntary departures of asylum applicants, excluding dependants, by month December 1998 to December 1999 Month Removals and Voluntary Departures (1), (1), p December 1998 720 January 1999 650 February 1999 585 March 1999 615 April 1999 600 May 1999 625 June 1999 610 July 1999 660 August 1999 630 September 1999 685 October 1999 710 November 1999 635 December 1999 640 (1) For port asylum applicants, voluntary departures are included up to and including the point of notification of the decision on the asylum application and those persons who have had their asylum application refused and leave the country before they have exhausted their rights of appeal. (1) For in-country applicants, the figures include voluntary departures following enforcement action but exclude all other voluntary departures. p Figures are provisional, revised and rounded to the nearest five. Immigration Offenders: Tracing and Removal Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, whether they consider that an agency other than the police is needed to carry out, or to assist the Immigration and Natonality Department to carry out, the removal of asylum seekers whose applications have been refused. Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. Immigration officers have been provided with new powers of arrest, search and seizure under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999. We are currently piloting a scheme under which specially trained immigration officers are tracing and effecting the arrest of immigration offenders without the assistance of the police. This will deliver improved effectiveness and, while the Immigration Service will always need the co-operation of the police, will reduce our dependency on them. We intend to extend the scheme on completion of the pilot. Involving a third agency would nullify any such gains. Asylum Seekers: Voucher Scheme Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, whether they will ensure that, under the voucher scheme, asylum seekers tendering vouchers for goods of a lesser value are given change in cash or vouchers to the full value of the difference. Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. We are giving each asylum seeker a voucher exchangeable for £10 cash and the goods vouchers given will be in small denominations. We would expect this to allow voucher payments to be rounded up to the amount required, rather than vouchers being proffered in excess of the value of the goods purchased. We shall, in any event, keep the progress of the voucher scheme under close scrutiny, and will remain ready to make any adjustments that experience show to be necessary. Asylum Seekers: Statement of Legal Rights Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on asylum seekers on 1 March, whether they will arrange (a) for all asylum seekers to receive a clear written statement of their legal rights, accompanied by a verbal explanation if they are illiterate, as soon as practicable after their application has been made; and (b) ensure that no inference unfavourable to such asylum seekers shall be drawn by any court for anything said or omitted to be said by them at any interview given prior to their receipt of it. Lord Bassam of Brighton: We are currently studying the report by the National Association of Citizens Advice Bureaux in which this recommendation features, and will make known our response in due course. New Millennium Experience Company: Advertising and Design Contract Awards Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many contracts were awarded by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) to (a) advertisers and (b) designers; and what is the total cost to the NMEC of those contracts to date. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: M & C Saatchi were appointed by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) in August 1997 to develop an integrated communications campaign, including creative development, media planning and sales promotion in support of the Millennium Experience and its associated national programme. Their appointment followed a competitive process, through OJEC. As stated in the OJEC advertisement, the estimated total value of the contract is up to £16 million. NMEC has contracted no other advertisers. Design contracts for exhibit zones, entered into by NMEC, were also subject to OJEC procedures in August 1997. The total value of these contracts is about £17.1 million (excluding VAT), subject to normal resolution procedures. New Millennium Experience Company: Advertising and Design Contract Awards Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many contracts were awarded by the New Millennium Experience Company to (a) advertisers and (b) designers were granted after a process of competitive tendering; and how many of those contracts were still in place on 31 January 2000. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All contracts awarded by the New Millennium Experience Company to advertisers and designers were granted after a process of competitive tendering. The advertising contract with M & C Saatchi is still in place. The designers have completed their services under the agreements. The contracts are still in place in the sense that NMEC either owns the products of their services or is licensed to use them. Child Support Reduced Benefit Directions Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many child support cases of reduced benefit direction went to appeal in 1999; and how many appeals were won; and Whether they believe that there would be a reduction in levels of child poverty if all child support reduced benefit directions were not implemented until confirmed by an appeal tribunal. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The number of cases with reduced benefit directions that went to appeal in the period April 1999 to February this year was 373. Of these, 99 were successful. The underlying purpose of a reduced benefit direction is to encourage parents with care to apply for child support, unless they have good cause for failing to do so. Delaying the imposition of this penalty until the case had been heard by an appeal tribunal would reduce this incentive effect. It is likely that the result would be substantially more parents with care seeking to avoid child support action, with a consequent increase in levels of child poverty. More than 80 per cent of parents with care who applied for income support in the last year were happy to co-operate with the Child Support Agency. This means that there are now far fewer reduced benefit directions imposed and that the Child Support Agency is able to pursue regular maintenance for more children. Over 1 million more children stand to gain from our proposed child support reforms, including 600,000 in the poorest families on income support who will see the benefit of maintenance for the first time through the introduction of a child maintenance premium. Child Support Reduced Benefit Directions Earl Russell: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they undertake ethnic monitoring of families subject to child support reduced benefit directions; and, if so, what is the ethnic composition of those families. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: Monitoring of child support reduced benefit directions by ethnic origin is not carried out. The information requested is therefore not available. However, should any parents with care have difficulty in understanding the good cause procedures because English is not their first language, interpreters can be made available. Sheep and BSE Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether sheep under four years of age could be contaminated with BSE by consuming meat and bone meal; and, if not (a) what purpose is served by the introduction of a compulsory identification scheme and its attendant costs; and (b) whether they will raise the age at which specified sheep offal has to be removed from 12 months to 24 months. Baroness Hayman: Sheep under four years of age will not have consumed meat and bonemeal, as this has been banned from ruminant feed since July 1988, and all animal feed since March 1996. Sheep identification is a requirement of EU law, in particular that sheep are eartagged or tattooed before leaving the holding of birth with a mark which identifies the animal's holding of birth. The Government are currently considering proposals to implement this requirement. The costs of any such move must be balanced against the value of lost exports of live sheep and sheepmeat if animals are not correctly identified in accordance with EU law. The Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC) regularly reviews SRM controls and has not recommended any relaxation in respect of sheep. Pakistani Basmati Rice Lord Ahmed: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are planning to re-grade Pakistani Basmati rice; and whether they would define it as pure, traditional or hybrid. Baroness Hayman: There is at present no legal definition of Indian or Pakistani Basmati rice in the UK, although there is an industry code of practice, which lays down a general specification. However, in the light of technical developments which provide new ways of distinguishing one variety of long grain rice from another, the code may need to be updated. We will continue to work with the industry to ensure that all parties responsible for the trade in Basmati rice are involved and that consumers are not misled. Arable Area Payments: Field Margins Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, under the new European guidance on the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) of the Common Agricultural Policy, in cases where field boundaries do not exceed two metres the Ordnance Survey areas will continue to be allowed for the Arable Area Payments Scheme; and whether in cases where field boundaries do exceed two metres, it is the excess over two metres or the whole width of the boundary which has to be excluded from the claimed area; and, if the latter, why fields with wider boundaries are not to be allowed the new standard of two metres under customary agricultural practice. Baroness Hayman: According to the IACS Regulations, farmers can claim arable area payments on fields which are fully utilised according to customary agricultural practice. Guidance from the European Commission, endorsed by the European Court of Auditors, indicates that payments can be claimed on the full Ordnance Survey of area of a field as long as the field margins do not exceed two metres in width. The regulations also provide that, where a field is not fully utilised, only the cropped area can be claimed. This means that, where part or all of a field margin exceeds two metres, the full width of that part of the margin has to be deducted from the area claimed. In view of the concerns that have been expressed about the implications for the environment of reducing the width of field margins, my officials are in discussion with the European Commission on what can be considered as traditional agricultural practice. Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group: Report Lord Evans of Watford: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the report of the independent Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group will be published. Baroness Hayman: We are pleased to announce that the Salmon and Freshwater Fisheries Review Group's report was published on 9 March 2000. The group has carried out a very thorough and wide ranging examination of salmon and freshwater fisheries policy and legislation in England and Wales. We now intend to seek the views of interested parties; the consultation period will run until 31 July 2000. Copies of the report have been placed in the Library of the House. Epichlorohydrin: Stabiliser Use in Sheep Dips The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answers by Baroness Hayman on 22 February (WA 28) and 28 February (WA 52), and the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 March 1993 (WA 31-32), in which other diazinon-based sheep dips epichlorohydrin was used as a stabiliser; and when it was removed from these formulations. Baroness Hayman: Epichlorohydrin was used by the manufacturer of diazinon to stabilise this chemical, which was then incorporated as the active ingredient in various sheep dips by a number of different sheep dip manufacturers. Epichlorohydrin was withdrawn from the formulation of diazinon by the manufacturer in 1981. It was used by some individual sheep dip manufacturers subsequent to 1981 but records show that epichlorohydrin has not been used in any formulation of currently-authorised diazinon sheep dips since 1992. Records of products removed from the market subsequent to 1981 are incomplete and it is not possible to establish whether or when epichlorohydrin was withdrawn from those products. Road Building Schemes: Cost-benefit Analysis Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) what value is put on work time and leisure time respectively in the cost-benefit analysis of new road-building schemes; and (b) whether the same values are used in assessing whether permission should be given to those who wish to dig up roads; and, if not, why not. Lord Whitty: In the cost-benefit analysis of new road building schemes, leisure time is valued at £3.98 an hour in 1999 prices and values. Work time values are based on the cost of work time to employers. For car drivers, an average value of £16.28 an hour in 1999 prices and values is used. Decisions on road maintenance take account of the expected delays to traffic, valuing them at the same rates as are used for the analysis of new road building. Public utilities and other undertakers have statutory rights to carry out street works to access their apparatus. Decisions about when and where to carry out street works are usually determined by commercial factors or customer service obligations. Undertakers do not normally need permission, except in certain protected streets. There is no requirement for them to assess the cost of delays to traffic caused by their work. However they must co-operate with street authorities (normally the highway or roads authorities) and other undertakers; and street authorities may give directions as to the timing of street works if they are likely to cause serious disruption to traffic which could be avoided or reduced if the works are carried out only at certain times (such as nights or weekends). River Don Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made in cleaning up the River Don in South Yorkshire from the effects of polluted minewater; whether any fresh breakouts of minewater are causing the Environment Agency concern; and in particular what steps are being taken by the agency to tackle the recurring pollution in Cranberry Holes Brook and its threat to the fish in the River Don. Lord Whitty: Since the Bullhouse Minewater Treatment Plant came into operation in September 1998 there have been significant improvements in the downstream chemical and biological quality of the River Don, and in the number of fish in the river. Around the time the plant was commissioned, a number of ochre-coloured seepages appeared in the Cranberry Holes Dyke, most likely caused by groundwater movements resulting from the presence of the minewater treatment lagoon. The agency is monitoring these seepages and, if necessary, the dyke will be assessed for treatment. The agency does not currently consider the seepage a significant threat to fish in the River Don. Hedgerows: Revised Draft Regulations Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have reached any conclusions regarding the publication of revised draft regulations relating to hedgerows or whether the evaluation of the review group's recommendations which was under way in October 1999 is still continuing. Lord Whitty: We are currently evaluating the results of research by ADAS, published in November last year, into the Hedgerows Review Group's proposals. In the light of that, we expect to publish revised draft regulations for statutory consultation later this year. Teenage Mothers: Supported Accommodation Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have invited organisations to apply for funding to provide care and support homes for teenage mothers; what guidelines have been issued to these organisations; and how many applications have been received and from whom. Lord Whitty: The Housing Corporation invited registered social landlords (RSLs) in England to bid for funding to develop around 15 pilot schemes whose aim would be to test alternative approaches for providing supported accommodation for 16-18 year-old lone parents. The following RSLs submitted bids: Circle 33 Croydon Churches Metropolitan Housing Trust Patchwork Community Hastings Community Sovereign Christian Alliance Girls Friendly Nottingham Community Tuntum Cygnet Housing Luton Churches Beth Johnson Accord Bromford Caldmore Area West Pennine St. Vincent's Manchester Methodists The Housing Corporation is now working with the Department of Health's Teenage Pregnancy Unit to select from the bids a number of schemes as pilots. GM Maize: Evaluation Programme Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in considering allowing the commercial planting of genetically modified maize, they intend to observe the criterion laid down last year (H.L. Deb., 27 May 1999, col. 1129) of limiting such planting of 20 fields for each crop per year. Lord Whitty: Genetically modified maize has received Europe wide consent for general cultivation, but the Government reached an agreement with the biotechnology industry, through the industry body SCIMAC, in November 1999, that no commercial planting of GM crops will take place outside the Farm Scale Evaluations programme until at least 2003. The agreement with industry does not set specific limits for the number of GM fields that can be grown in any year, but SCIMAC have agreed to limit planting to the number of fields recommended by the independent Scientific Steering Committee overseeing the evaluations. This is expected to be about 20-25 fields of each crop each year and giving a total of around 60 to 75 fields of each crop over a three-year period. GM Maize: Evaluation Programme Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: How they intend to ascertain that planting of genetically modified crops is limited to 20 fields once the commercial release of seed has taken place. Lord Whitty: The Government reached an agreement with the biotechnology industry, through the industry body SCIMAC, in November 1999, that no commercial planting of GM crops will take place outside the Farm Scale Evaluations programme until at least 2003. The agreement with industry does not set specific limits for the number of GM fields that can be grown in any year, but SCIMAC have agreed to limit planting to the number of fields recommended by the independent Scientific Steering Committee overseeing the evaluations. This is expected to be about 20-25 fields of each crop each year and giving a total of around 60 to 75 fields of each crop over a three year period. GM and Non-GM Crops: Distinction Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: What training inspectors can receive to allow them to distinguish genetically modified from non-genetically modified crops; and whether suspected genetically modified crops exceeding the 20-field limit would be destroyed. Lord Whitty: The current range of herbicide tolerant GM crops are only distinguishable from non-GM crops by their reaction to a particular herbicide or by analysis of their genetic content. At present this involves taking samples back to the laboratory. However, analytical methods for use in the field are being developed. Inspectors receive appropriate training. GM crops may only be grown if an appropriate consent has been given in accordance with European Directive 90/220. Where applicable, enforcement action could be taken against a farmer growing a crop without a valid consent. Magnox Fuel Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have contingency plans for dealing with the spent fuel from Magnox nuclear reactors in the event that the British Nuclear Fuels Limited Sellafield plant is unable to take such spent fuel for reprocessing. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: As the owner of the UK's Magnox nuclear power stations, BNFL is responsible for managing the spent fuel from UK Magnox reactors. I understand that BNFL intends to continue reprocessing Magnox fuel, because that is the best technical method for dealing with it. Life Peerages: Interim Appointments Committee Lord Craig of Radley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the interim Appointments Commission will be asked to recommend four or five individuals twice a year (as foreshadowed in the PricewaterhouseCoopers Executive Search advertisement in The Sunday Times of 6 February) for life peerages; whether these will be created as independent Peers to sit in the Upper House for life; and whether those peerages recommended by the interim Appointments Commission will be in place of the life peerages awarded by Her Majesty in the Birthday and New Year Honours Lists on the recommendation of the Prime Minister, commencing with the Birthday Honours list this year. Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Government will maintain the Cross-Bench representation at approximately the present proportion of life Peers. We envisage that this means it will be necessary to create approximately the same number of peers as has been the case at the same time as the Birthday and New Year Honours Lists in the recent past. The non-political persons recommended for peerages by the Appointments Commission will be expected to sit as independent life Peers in the House of Lords. The peerages recommended by the interim Appointments Commission will replace the life peerages awarded by Her Majesty in parallel with the Birthday and New Year Honours Lists on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The commission itself will have to consider whether it can properly produce recommendations for peerages to coincide with the publication of the Birthday Honours List in June. Committee on Standards in Public Life: House of Lords Investigation Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government: On what subject the Committee on Standards in Public Life will focus its next study. Baroness Jay of Paddington: The Committee is today announcing that, after consultation with the Government, it proposes to undertake a review of the present arrangements governing the conduct of members of the House of Lords and consider the need for any change. It will report later this year.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-03-13a

Baroness Scotland of Asthal: An anonymised copy of the Home Office memorandum of 18 December 1894 will be placed in the Library of the House.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-11-15a

Foreign and Commonwealth Office UK Membership of EU Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 14 March (HL6444), (1) whether the European Commission, the Committee of Permanent Representatives, the European Parliament and the European Court of Justice are all legally bound to adhere to the deal agreed at the February European Council before the Treaties are changed to reflect its decisions, and (2) when they expect that Treaty change to take place. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The International Law Decision contains legally binding and irreversible provisions specifying how certain articles in the EU Treaties should be interpreted. That interpretation will apply to all EU institutions, including the European Parliament and the European Commission. The Court of Justice of the European Union has confirmed that it is required to take such Decisions into account when interpreting the Treaties. The Committee of Representatives is composed of officials representing Member States, all of which are legally bound by the International Law Decision. The President of the European Commission and the President of the European Parliament have endorsed the Decision and committed themselves to facilitate the passage of the relevant EU secondary legislation for those aspects that require implementing legislation. The Decision includes a legally binding and irreversible commitment that the Member States will at the next opportunity, and subject to compliance with their respective constitutional requirements and the procedures in the EU Treaties, amend the EU Treaties to address key UK concerns. UK Membership of EU Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 14 March (HL6444), whether future Governments of the other EU member states are bound by the deal agreed at the February European Council. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Decision of the Heads of State of Government, meeting within the European Council, on 18 and 19 February 2016 was agreed to by all Member States and is a legally binding International Law Decision that has been registered with the UN as an international treaty. Turkey: Press Freedom The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last raised the importance of the freedom of the press with the government of Turkey, in particular in the context of Turkey's application for EU membership and other current negotiations. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), did so on 7 March when he met Turkey’s Prime Minister, Ahmet Davutoğlu, and underlined the importance of protections for a free press and human rights in Turkey. The Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), set out the UK’s concerns on freedom of expression when he met his Turkish counterpart on 12 March. The Minister for Europe, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), discussed media freedoms and rule of law issues when he met Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Şimşek on 12 March. We continue to underline the importance of freedom of expression and all fundamental freedoms as part of our broader dialogue with the Turkish government. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Israel concerning the right of return of Syrian refugees who were originally displaced from their homes in Palestine when the state of Israel was formed. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not had any discussions with the Israeli authorities on this issue. It is the British Government’s policy that a final status agreement between the two parties should include a just, fair and agreed settlement for refugees. Department for International Development UN High-level Panel on Access to Medicines Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the mandate of the UN Secretary General’s High Level Panel on Access to Medicines and its potential to improve access to affordable and quality medicines across the world. Baroness Verma: The UK is committed to ensuring access to low cost, effective medicines in the developing world, providing a range of other significant inputs to increasing access to essential medicines. A new £1 billion fund – the Ross Fund - was recently announced with the aim of developing, testing and delivering a range of new products to help combat the world’s most serious diseases, such as malaria, Ebola and TB in developing countries. We support the provision of essential medicines and other health products through innovative global partnerships such as the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, UNITAID, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Medicines Patent Pool (MPP). We work to strengthen systems weaknesses, such as weak supply chains or poor procurement, which deter private investment, keep medicines prices high or lead to misuse or waste of medicines. We also place a great emphasis on research and development of new vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for conditions that affect millions of poor people. For example, the UK is a leading investor in public-private Product Development Partnerships (PDPs), designed to stimulate research and development (R&D) where market incentives are insufficient. We support the aims of the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines. For it to fulfil its potential to improve access to affordable and quality medicines it will need to take a balanced approach, building and urge them to build on the WHO Global Strategy and Plan of Action (including underlying in-depth reports and discussions), and engaging withe existing global partnerships, and use its influence to galvanise Member States, public and private sectors around a common approach to this important issue. Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual cost to the UK of the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative; which ten countries have benefited most financially from the scheme; and which countries have performed best in terms of debt servicing and repayment. Baroness Verma: To date 36 countries have benefited from the HIPC Initiative. As a result, many developing countries have seen a marked improvement in their debt position and growth over the last 15 years. The recipients that have benefited most by committed volume are: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ghana, Ethiopia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Zambia, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia and Uganda.Many countries saw substantial reductions in their debt servicing as a result of HIPC debt relief. The largest reductions in terms of the ratio of debt service to exports were Burundi, Central African Republic, Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Malawi, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and, Sierra Leone which all saw a fall of more than 10%. *No heading* Lord Cashman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of including representatives from the Department for International Development in discussions and representation at the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference that will take place in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July. Baroness Verma: The UK will send a delegation to the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference taking place in Montevideo in July. We are committed to working with those countries that will be represented at the conference, and others, to combat discrimination and violence against LGB&T people. This forms an important part of our wider international human rights work. DFID is assessing the benefits of including representatives from the department at the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference through discussion with key lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGB&T) organisations and with other government departments. The Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference will provide an opportunity to share information, best practice and lessons learned with partners and to discuss how to better coordinate international efforts to support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGB&T people worldwide. Ministry of Justice Joanna Dennehy Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much legal aid has been, and is likely to be, paid to Hugh Southey QC and the solicitors representing Joanna Denneby in her claim that segregation in jail breaches her human rights. Lord Faulks: A civil legal aid certificate was granted to the solicitors to complete work within the scope of the certificate, up to a maximum value of £15,000. The Legal Aid Agency have not granted authority for a QC to be instructed under the legal aid certificate to represent Joanna Dennehy in this case, therefore the instructed counsel will not be paid at QC rates. We robustly defend compensation claims as far as the evidence allows, and have successfully defended two thirds of prisoner claims over the last three years. As previously announced, we have launched a crackdown on claims against the Prison Service to identify opportunities to cut payouts and legal costs. Prisoners should not get legal aid unnecessarily, and we have already stopped funding for cases that can be dealt with through existing complaints processes. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Tree Planting Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether planting more trees in England is one of their policies and what assessment they have made of whether planting more trees constitutes a public benefit. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government is committed to planting 11 million trees during this Parliament, primarily through the Rural Development Programme’s Countryside Stewardship scheme. In July 2012 the Independent Panel on Forestry reported to the Government that England’s woods and forests provide significant public benefits, including through improving water quality and biodiversity as well as access and recreation. The Government recognised these benefits in its Forestry and Woodlands Policy Statement of January of 2013 which included the response to the Independent Panel Report. Litter Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical role they have played in the Clean for the Queen initiative. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Clean for the Queen campaign, organised by Country Life and Keep Britain Tidy, was the biggest community-led clean-up the country has ever seen. Keep Britain Tidy distributed 200,000 bags to collect litter; more than 1,500 Costa, McDonald’s, Greggs and KFC stores took part; events were held as far north as Isle of Lewis and as far south as Jersey and Guernsey; and more than 100,000 volunteers took part. We hope the campaign will help lead to a lasting legacy of a cleaner, tidier Britain.Defra supported the initiative with a grant of £9,500 towards providing resource packs to help support and encourage schools to participate in the campaign, and to support monitoring and evaluation of the impacts and effectiveness of the campaign. The Department for Communities and Local Government also spent £5,000 on promoting the initiative through Facebook. Having ownership of social media ensured the Department was able to engage with the public effectively, and be proactive and responsive when necessary in its social communications.In the lead-up to the initiative, Ministers from Defra and the Department for Communities and Local Government wrote to every Member of Parliament with an English constituency and every English unitary and district local authority, to encourage their participation and leadership in this worthwhile campaign.Ministers from both Departments took part in litter pick events in London and Nuneaton. Staff from both Departments also took part in a joint litter pick in Westminster. Department for Communities and Local Government Localism Act 2011 Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review the operation of the general power of competence contained in the Localism Act 2011. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Conservative-led coalition government gave a commitment that a post-implementation review of the provisions of the Localism Act 2011, including the provisions relating to the general power of competence, would be undertaken within three to five years following implementation. We will honour that commitment. Social Services: Living Wage Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the public purse as a result of the introduction of the National Living Wage for social care workers in each of the seven authorities in the Northeast Local Economic Partnership area in the next financial year. Baroness Williams of Trafford: No such estimate has been made. The Spending Review took account of the costs of implementing the National Living Wage and set out a sustainable basis for local authorities to discharge their functions. The Government outlined a package of support, providing up to £3.5 billion a year by 2019-20, to ensure councils are able to support some of their older and most vulnerable residents. HM Treasury Business: Taxation Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much (1) employer National Insurance, and (2) Corporation Tax, was paid in each year since 1997 by (a) companies employing over 250 people, and (b) small and medium-sized businesses. Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Information about Corporation Tax receipts from 1997-98 to 2014-15 can be found in the table below. YearCorporation Tax Receipts (£bn)1997-9830.41998-9930.01999-0034.32000-0132.42001-0232.02002-0329.52003-0428.52004-0534.02005-0642.42006-0744.92007-0847.02008-0943.92009-1036.62010-1143.02011-1243.12012-1340.52013-1440.32014-1543.0 Information for Employers’ National Insurance Contributions and figures for Corporation Tax for companies employing over 250 people and small and medium-sized businesses is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Cabinet Office Immigration Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the immigration assumption in the latest Office for National Statistics high migration projection of the population of the UK; by how much, in that projection, the population of the UK is projected to increase by 2029; and approximately what proportion of that projected increase will be the result of (1) future immigration, and (2) the children of future migrants. Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Referral Letter (PDF Document, 163.77 KB)

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-03-31

Lord Bach: There are many separate statutory provisions available to Defra officials ("inspectors") providing for entry and inspection or search of business premises and homes located in England and Wales. There is no single code of enforcement and investigation powers akin to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and a comprehensive and exhaustive list of all of the statutory provisions currently in force is not readily available but I mention some examples below. (Chapter Eight of The Law of Entry, Search and Seizure (4th Edition) (2005) by Professor Richard Stone of Lincoln University is a very useful guide to the law and sets out the sorts of powers that exist). Without a power to enter and inspect or search the relevant premises, business premises or where appropriate home, the law could probably not be properly enforced. Most legal provisions creating obligations or restrictions on activity will therefore have entry powers in the enforcement provisions. For a recent example which came into force on 17 November 2005 see the Salmonella in Broiler Flocks (Survey Powers) (England) Regulations 2005 SI No. 2927, Regulation 5(3)(a) of which provides a power to enter premises to take samples of faecal material from broiler chickens. Premises and business premises Generally, inspectors have a routine right to enter premises, including land, at all reasonable hours for the purpose of ascertaining whether legal requirements are being complied with. It is normally an offence to refuse entry. In some cases inspectors must have reasonable grounds to believe that a state of affairs exists before seeking to enter such premises—see, for example, Section 19(2) of the food and environmental protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides. Use of reasonable force and warrants to enter business premises Sometimes reasonable use of force can be used to achieve entry and inspection or search of business premises—see for example paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 of food and environmental protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides. But where entry is refused and a power to use reasonable force is not available a warrant to enter and inspect or search can normally be sought from a magistrates' court—see for example Section 16(5) of the Animal Health Act 1981, as inserted by Section 7 of the Animal Health Act 2002, in relation to "animal treatment entry warrants". Before granting a warrant to enter the magistrate must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the relevant regulations. Reasonable use of force can normally be used to execute such entry warrants. Domestic premises Where inspectors wish to enter and inspect or search domestic premises, and this is usually when a criminal offence is suspected, the law invariably requires a search warrant. The magistrate granting the warrant must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the regulations. Where such entry warrants are used for investigative purposes the occupier must be informed of his legal rights in accordance with paragraph 6.7 of Code B to the Code of Search (2004) issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-12-09b

Allotments Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 6 June (WA 198), what statutory powers are available to the London Development Agency to evict allotment holders from Manor Gardens allotments; and which of these powers the agency intends to use. Lord Davies of Oldham: The London Development Agency (Lower Lea Valley, Olympic and Legacy) Compulsory Purchase Order 2005 was confirmed by the relevant Secretary of State in December 2006. The London Development Agency (LDA) therefore intends to use this order to acquire any interest plot holders of the Manor Gardens Society allotments may have in the land they currently occupy. The LDA has not considered any other statutory powers available to it to acquire these interests as it is not considered necessary in this circumstance. It is currently working with the allotment users to agree a relocation programme to the interim site proposed in the London Borough of Waltham Forest. Aviation: Night Flights Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many times in each of the past five years the number of night flight movements has exceeded the existing movements cap at (a) London Heathrow Airport; (b) London Gatwick Airport; and (c) Stansted Airport; and, for each occasion, what was the date of the breach; by how many movements the cap was exceeded; why the excess movements occurred; and whether the Secretary of State for Transport authorised the breach of the limit in advance. Lord Bassam of Brighton: There have been no breaches in the night movements limits over the past five years. Night flights at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are subject to a strict movements and quota count points regime. The quota count points regime relates directly to an aircraft's noise classification on take-off or landing, and is used as an additional measure to encourage the use of quieter aircraft. Under exceptional circumstances, dispensations from the night restrictions may be granted. Such circumstances include: delays to aircraft which are likely to lead to serious congestion at the aerodrome or serious hardship or suffering to passengers or animals; delays to aircraft resulting from widespread and prolonged disruption of air traffic; dispensations granted by the Secretary of State for Transport, and emergencies where there is an immediate danger to life or health. Aviation: Photographing of Passengers Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have given appropriate authorities at Gatwick Airport any guidance concerning the photographing of passengers for security reasons; if so, when and by whom it was given; for what reason; and whether they have taken into consideration the human rights implications of such photography when formulating any such guidance. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The photographing of passengers by Gatwick Airport is undertaken for immigration purposes and is not a requirement under the national aviation security programme. Gatwick introduced this requirement as a method for immigration control because departing domestic and international passengers are permitted to mix at the airport. Guidance and other considerations in respect of this activity are therefore a matter for the airport and the Border and Immigration Agency. Courts: Interpretation and Translation Baroness Thomas of Winchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they are taking to ensure that the revised guidance on arrangements for the use of interpreters and translators in the criminal justice system, issued by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform in January, is being implemented; and How they can ensure that suitably qualified interpreters and translators are used in criminal proceedings wherever possible; and What data are being collected to ensure that the arrangements outlined in the revised guidance on arrangements for the use of interpreters and translators in the criminal justice system are being implemented; and What action they propose to take against courts and police stations which fail to follow the revised guidance on arrangements for the use of interpreters and translators in the criminal justice system. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: All criminal justice agencies are parties to a national agreement issued by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform in January 2007, which is designed to ensure that suitably qualified interpreters and translatorsare used wherever possible. It is not a statutory instrument so compliance is voluntary. However, the signatory agencies, which include courts and police, have committed themselves to comply with it. There is currently no systematic collection of information on usage of interpreters by criminal justice agencies but this is one of the measures currently being considered by the Office for Criminal Justice Reform as part of its ongoing project to improve the supply of interpreters. As with all data collection requirements from central government, we would seek to minimise the burden on front-line services. Driving Standards Authority Viscount Simon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Driving Standards Authority has, since March 2007, imposed extended criminal record checks on all new and existing approved driving instructors; and why directly employed driving examiners have not been subject to the same criminal record checks. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Criminal history checks for potential and existing approved driving instructors (ADIs) were introduced as independent verification of statements made during the application process to become registered or to renew registration. Prior to the introduction of these checks, the ADI registrar relied on self-declaration of criminal history to assess whether a person satisfied the statutory requirement to be "fit and proper". The information coming to light during the checks allows for more informed decisions to be made to help better to protect the public, particularly the young and vulnerable. The level of risk posed by driving examiners is lower than that from ADIs. DSA driving examiners are not regularly involved in caring for, training, supervising or being in sole charge of children or vulnerable adults. Their contact with individuals tends to be a one-off, unlike ADIs who could have frequent and regular one-to-one contact while a person is learning to drive. As DSA employees, driving examiners are also subject to regular checks and supervision. Nevertheless, the DSA is considering the legislative framework under which it might seek criminal history disclosures for driving examiners. EU: Employment Legislation Lord Willoughby de Broke: asked Her Majesty's Government: What legal advice the Chancellor of the Exchequer has taken on his statement that he wants to ensure that the jobs available in Britain are available for British workers who are looking for jobs, in the light of European Union employment legislation and the single market. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Chancellor's statement referred to the role of local employment partnerships in providing help for benefit claimants. A number of major retailers have signed agreements to work with Jobcentre Plus to help long-term benefit claimants back into employment. Through local employment partnerships, employers will offer support and training to help benefit claimants into work, by offering work trials, subsidised employment as part of the New Deal, guaranteed interviews and mentoring. EU: Withdrawal Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the debate on the European Union (Implications of Withdrawal) Bill [HL] on 8 June (Official Report, cols. 1410—56), what is the reason for the difference between the £60 billion annual cost to the United Kingdom economy of European Union over-regulation as contained in the government report Global Europe: full-employment Europe and the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 May (WA 23) that the regulatory burden was £6.3 billion per annum. Lord Davies of Oldham: The government report Global Europe: full-employment Europe does not include a figure for the annual cost to the United Kingdom economy of European Union over-regulation. The figure of £6.3 billion refers to the estimated proportion of overall administrative burdens on business, charities and the voluntary sector in England which derive from EU legislation, excluding financial services legislation. This is based on data published by the Government on 11 December 2006, following an exercise conducted by the Cabinet Office to measure the cost to business, charities and the voluntary sector of providing information required under both international and domestic legal obligations. Female Genital Mutilation Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 4 June (WA 155), whether they will give separate guidance to victims and potential victims of female genital mutilation about the civil protection and civil remedies available to them. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Domestic Violence—A Guide to Civil Remedies and Criminal Sanctions covers options for victims not wishing to go to the police and use the Female Genital Mutilation Act 2003 which is government policy. Aside from procedural advice it would be inappropriate to offer separate guidance which may be seen as legal advice. Health: MRSA Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many cases of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus have been recorded in prisons in England and Wales in each of the past five years. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The mandatory surveillance of healthcare associated infections in England is conducted by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) on behalf of the Department of Health. Reports of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) isolated from blood cultures in English NHS acute trusts are reported to the HPA via a web-enabled surveillance system. Prisons are not currently included as a site in this surveillance programme. Nor are prisoners currently identified in surveillance data if they are treated for MRSA bacteraemia in an acute trust. Therefore, we do not have any accurate data on the rate of MRSA infection among prisoners in England and Wales currently or in the previous five years. Houses of Parliament: Costs Viscount Tenby: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the cost per Member for 2006-07 and the previous three financial years of (a) the House of Commons; (b) the House of Lords; and (c) the European Parliament; and What is the cost for 2006-07 and the previous three financial years of maintaining (a) the House of Commons; (b) the House of Lords; and (c) the European Parliament including (i) salaries, pensions, travelling allowances and secretarial expenses for Members; (ii) salaries, allowances and pensions and other costs of supporting staff; (iii) accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security; and (iv) all other administrative costs to parliamentary bodies and other relevant outgoings; and What was the number of sitting days of (a) the House of Commons Chamber; (b) the House of Commons, Westminster Hall; (c) the House of Lords Chamber; (d) the House of Lords Grand Committee; and (e) the European Parliament Plenary Session in the (i) 2005-06 Session; (ii) 2006 calendar year; and (iii) 2006-07 financial year. Lord Davies of Oldham: Precise comparisons between the cost of the European Parliament and the Houses of Parliament are difficult. The requested information is set out below. As with previous Answers to similar Questions, the House of Commons and House of Lords have provided data relating to costs on a resource basis, consistent with their resource accounts. The European Parliament has not adopted resource accounting and budgeting and all its cost figures have been presented on a cash basis. Per Capita Cost per Member £'000s 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 unaudited provision House of Commons (1) (3) 449 724 682 House of Lords (2) (3) 125 157 108 Figures for the European Parliament are available on its website (8). Annual Costs European Parliament The European Parliament outturn figures for calendar years 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005 and budget figures for 2006 and 2007 can be found on the European Parliament website (8). House of Commons £ millions 2006-07 Provisional Unaudited Outturn Salaries, pensions, for Members (4) 143.5 Salaries and pensions for admin staff 71.5 Accommodation costs, including rent, operating costs and security 87.4 Other administration costs 50.7 Total 353.1 Details of previous years' expenditure by the House of Commons can be found in the Members and administration resource accounts (5) House of Lords £ millions 2006-07 Provisional Unaudited Outturn Members expenses 15.3 Salaries and pensions for admin staff 17.5 Accommodation costs, including rent, operating costs and security 38.5 Other administration costs 37.1 Total 108.4 Details of previous years' expenditure by the House of Lords can be found in its resource accounts (6). Number of Sitting Days Sitting Days 2005-06 Session Calendar Year 2006 2006-07 Financial Year European Parliament Plenary Session (7) (8) 60 48 47 House of Commons Chamber 201 208 143 House of Commons, Westminster Hall 80 86 66 House of Lords Chamber 206 147 147 House of Lords, Grand Committee 85 62 50 (1) The figures are calculated on the 641 Members who actually sit in Chamber for 2006-07, 659 Members for 2005-06 and 731 for 2004-05. There are 646 Members of whom five decline to sit in Chambers.(2) The figures are calculated on the assumption that there are 722 Members.(3) From 2004-05 onwards the figures are based on the capital charge reducing from 6 per cent to 3.5 per cent.(4) Higher Member costs for 2006-07 represent an increase of 0.6 per cent in the assumption of Member take-up of allowances(5) House of Commons resource accounts can be found on its website (HC419, HC420, HC67, HC68, HC1239, HC1240): www. publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm/cmhocpap.htm#resource(6) House of Lords resource accounts can be found on its website (HL23, HL44, HL11, HL197): www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/Id/ldres.htm(7) European Parliament budget information and number of Members can be found on its website: www.europa.eu.int/eur-lex/budget/www/index-en.htm(8) www.europarl.org.uk/ Housing: Home Information Packs Lord Pearson of Rannoch: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the recent, current and proposed legislation concerning home information packs, waste disposal and the closure of post offices is required as a result of decisions made under European Union law. Lord Rooker: Neither home information packs (HIPs), nor the Government's recent announcement on the post office network, result from decisions made under European Union law. However, the energy performance certificate, which is a mandatory part of the HIP, is required under the EU directive on the energy performance of buildings. Recent, current and proposed legislation regarding waste disposal results from a combination of decisions made at European and domestic levels. Local Government: Standards and Code of Conduct Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a local authority can insist on its members, and those of town and parish councils in its area, taking part in compulsory training sessions on both standards and its code of conduct for councillors; and what sanctions it would have in the case of a failure or refusal by a councillor to comply with the code. Baroness Andrews: While it is for a council's standards committee to provide advice on training to members on standards and the code of conduct, there is no general requirement on members to undertake such training. A member who refuses to give the undertaking required by Section 52 of the Local Government Act 2000 to observe the code of conduct ceases to be a member of the authority. Sanctions for breaches of the code in less serious cases, imposed by councils' standards committees, include suspension from office up to a maximum of three months or requiring the member concerned to undertake relevant training. In more serious cases the national adjudication panel can impose a range of sanctions up to disqualification for a maximum of five years. The Standards Board for England has issued guidance and training material to assist local standards committees in their role of providing advice and training on the code of conduct to members. Railways: Liverpool Street Routes Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: At what percentage of capacity the following routes are operating, at both peak and non-peak times; (a) London Liverpool Street to Harwich Town; (b) London Liverpool Street to Norwich; (c) London Liverpool Street to Stansted Airport; (d) London Liverpool Street to Southend Victoria; and (e) London Liverpool Street to Braintree. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information requested is outlined in the table below: Route between London Liverpool Street and Services from London Liverpool Street % of Peak capacity used % of Off Peak capacity used Harwich 106.7 36.4 Norwich 101.4 40.9 Stansted Airport 60.5 23.7 Southend Victoria 66.2 26.1 Braintree 84.6 82.1 Schools: Special Educational Needs Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many schools have failed to produce accessibility plans, as required by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001; of those schools, how many are (a) Church of England, and (b) Roman Catholic primary schools; and what sanctions are in place for schools which fail to produce such accessibility plans; and How many children with disabilities or special educational needs have been refused entry to Church of England and Roman Catholic primary schools which have never produced accessibility plans as required by the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001; and Whether they have powers to intervene to help children who have been refused entry to schools, following a school's failure to produce an accessibility plan; and, if so, under what conditions the Secretary of State would intervene to help children who have been refused entry; and How much money they make available to make schools more accessible for children with special educational needs; and What representations they have received about the production of an accessibility plan by St Leonard's Church of England primary school in the London Borough of Lambeth; and What sources of funding exist for Church of England schools to make their schools more accessible for children with special educational needs; and whether church schools can be required to use the money given to Church of England dioceses to make their schools more accessible. Lord Adonis: The Government do not collect information centrally on schools' compliance with their duties under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. The department has received representations in relation to St Leonard's Church of England primary school which are being considered. The discrimination duties schools have under Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 mean that they must not discriminate against prospective disabled pupils in their admissions arrangements and should make reasonable adjustments to their admissions policies and procedures so that prospective disabled pupils are not disadvantaged by the school's admission arrangements. They should also make reasonable adjustments to the education and associated services they provide as appropriate. However, the duty which schools have to make reasonable adjustments for pupils and prospective pupils excludes the need to remove or alter physical features. Instead, schools are under a duty to plan strategically to increase their accessibility, over time, including making improvements to the accessibility of school buildings. Schools fulfil this planning duty by producing an accessibility plan and implementing it. However, as the planning duties are duties to bring about general improvements over time, such as improving the physical environment of the school, the duties do not oblige a school necessarily to remove and alter specific physical features by any specific point in time during the overall period. This means that a school which is meeting its commitments under the planning duties might not always be able to admit every disabled child requiring alterations to the physical environment of the school unless it is possible to make reasonable adjustments that fall short of physical alterations. To support schools in meeting their responsibilities under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995, the Department for Education and Skills has published a training resource for schools and local authorities: Implementing the Disability Discrimination Act in schools and early years settings. This includes a tool to help them to develop, review and revise their accessibility plans. Under Section 28M of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA), if the Secretary of State is satisfied that a responsible body has acted, or is proposing to act, unreasonably in the discharge of its duties under the relevant sections of the DDA (the preparation, resourcing, implementation and review of the accessibility plan), or has failed to discharge those duties, he may give that body such directions as to the discharge of the duty as appear to him to be expedient. Local education appeals panels consider claims of discrimination in relation to admissions to, and permanent exclusions from, local authority maintained schools. The Special Educational Needs and Disability Tribunal (SENDIST) hears all other claims about schools under the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA). More resources are going into schools to support children with SEN and disabilities—some £4.5 billion in 2006-07. Total revenue funding for schools has increased nationally by £1,440 per pupil in real terms since 1997. In addition, substantial funding has also been delegated to local authorities (LAs) through the schools access initiative—some £620 million up to 2007-08. The grant element for voluntary aided schools is delivered through the locally co-ordinated VA programme. It is up to each local authority to decide its priority schemes within the criteria of support. All schools receive a devolved formula capital grant and it is for the governing body to decide its priorities (which can include access requirements) for spending that grant. Scouts Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to celebrate or mark the holding of the 21st World Scout Jamboree at Hylands House, Chelmsford, Essex between 27 July and 8 August 2007. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Scout Association makes an enormous contribution to society and several Ministers will attend the 21st World Scout Jamboree this summer. Ed Miliband, Minister for the Third Sector, is the government champion for the scouts and in February 2007 pledged almost £1.5 million to the Scout Association for the centenary World Scout Jamboree. In addition to this, the Department for International Development is providing some support towards the global development area at the jamboree. Shipping: Ferry Operators Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which ferry operators and routes across the southern North Sea and Dover straits offer services for (a) roll-on roll-off freight; (b) unaccompanied trailers; and (c) unaccompanied swap bodies or containers; and how many daily services each provide for these categories of freight. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Selected international UK ferry routes in 2006 by type of cargo carried: excludes passenger only services and services with very small amounts of units/tonnage Route Lorry Unaccomp-anied trailer Port-to-port trailer/container General cargo Average monthly ferry sailings1 Dartford-Vlissingen v v v 60 Dartford-Zeebrugge v v v 92 Dover-Calais v v 2,948 Dover-Dunkirk v v 613 Felixstowe-Scheveningen v v 171 Felixstowe-Zeebrugge v N/A Harwich-Bremerhaven v v v N/A Harwich-Cuxhaven v v v N/A Harwich-Esbjerg v v v 27 Harwich-Hook of Holland v v 224 Harwich-Rotterdam v v v 141 Harwich-Turku v v v v 2 Hull-Helsinki v v v N/A Hull-Rotterdam v v v 82 Hull-Zeebrugge v v v 82 Immingham-Cuxhaven v v v 47 Immingham-Esbjerg v v v 51 Immingham-Gothenburg v v v 57 Immingham-Ostend v v v 63 Immingham-Rotterdam v v v 52 Ipswich-Ostend v v v 132 Killingholme-Hook. Holland v v 60 Killingholme-Ostend v v 17 Killingholme-Rotterdam v v v 52 Killingholme-Zeebrugge v v v 53 Newhaven-Dieppe v v 165 Purfleet-Esbjerg v N/A Purfleet-Rotterdam v v v 55 Purfleet-Zeebrugge v v v 130 Ramsgate-Ostend v v 421 Tilbury-Gothenburg v v v N/A Tilbury-Ostend v v v 31 1 Sailings include inward and outward movements. Transport: Infrastructure Lord Bilimoria: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the level of investment required in transport infrastructure for the United Kingdom to maintain its current level of competitiveness. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Sir Rod Eddington's recent independent study into the long-term links between transport and the UK's economic productivity, growth and stability made a number of recommendations for ensuring that transport better supports economic competitiveness. The Government will be providing their response to the Eddington study alongside the Comprehensive Spending Review in the autumn.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2007-06-21a

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Nissan Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the policy position on EU negotiations outlined by the Prime Minister in her Lancaster House speech will lead to financial obligations under the deal agreed with Nissan. Lord Prior of Brampton: The policy position outlined on EU negotiations will not lead to financial obligations to Nissan. Plutonium Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 12 December 2016 (HL3602), what progress has been made by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority to develop a plan for the disposition of plutonium; and whether they intend to review further options, including the building of a new reactor and fuel manufacture at Sellafield. Lord Prior of Brampton: Work is under way to gain a better understanding of these issues as regards research and development, and policy development. The Government is also working with international partners to learn from their experience. The Government will be in a position to proceed once it is fully confident that a preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money. Nuclear Decommissioning Authority Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the annual Nuclear Decommissioning Authority budget, and what percentage is spent on plutonium management. Lord Prior of Brampton: In Spending Review 2015, the Government committed £11bn net funding to Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) over five years (in addition to its forecast commercial income). The total planned expenditure for the financial year 2016 to 2017 is £3.2 billion. The costs of storing and protecting plutonium, both historically and in the future, have not been disclosed on the grounds of commercial sensitivities as well as national security. Government is satisfied with the provision made in the NDA’s budget to continue to make meaningful progress on the plutonium disposition programme. Plutonium Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the basis for the £2.4bn estimated cost of the future plutonium management and disposition solution in the National Infrastructure and Construction Pipeline 2016; and how they will define (1) affordability, (2) value for money, and (3) deliverability in respect of that solution. Lord Prior of Brampton: The overall aim of the UK’s plutonium management and disposition programme is to plan, develop and implement a management solution for separated civil plutonium in the UK until the inventory has been reduced to zero and is put beyond reach.The Government will it be in a position to proceed once it is confident that its preferred option could be implemented safely and securely, that it is affordable, deliverable, and offers value for money.Any final decision on a disposition solution will be based upon a business case which complies with the Treasury's Green Book guidance to ensure best practice and value for money. Tidal Power: Swansea Bay Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what volume of electricity a Swansea tidal lagoon would produce per annum and at what cost per MWh; and what would be its contribution towards security of supply during the morning and evening peak demand periods. Lord Prior of Brampton: If built, the tidal lagoon at Swansea Bay is anticipated to generate approximately 0.5 TWh/year. The levelised cost of the project (in MWh) would depend on a number of factors including the capital costs, operating costs, operating profile, load factor and financing rates. For reasons of commercial sensitivity I cannot comment on the specifics of the developer’s latest proposal. Its contribution to security of supply would be subject to a number of factors including the state of the tides. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Philippines: Telecommunications Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Philippines about the apparent failure to implement in full (1) the Public Telecommunications Policy Act 1995, (2) the Anti-Child Pornography Act 2009, and (3) the National Telecommunications Commission Circular No 01-01-2014; and when they expect to receive responses to any such representations. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government is working actively with the Philippines authorities to combat child sexual exploitation, including through implementation of the relevant legislation. The National Crime Agency has provided training on the forensic analysis of digital media and is assisting the Philippine Government with its national plan under the WePROTECT Global Alliance. The UK Government has committed £10 million in funding to the Alliance, as a clear demonstration of our policy of addressing child sexual exploitation through multilateral cooperation. Burma: Human Rights Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the extent to which a UN Commission of Inquiry into the situation in Rakhine State, Burma, would help to establish the facts about what is taking place in the State, and make recommendations to help to improve the situation. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK Government supports the Rakhine Advisory Commission led by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, which has the support of Burma's democratically elected government and the international community. The Commission's interim recommendations are expected in the spring and its final recommendations in the summer.A separate UN Commission of Inquiry could be authorised by the Security Council, the Human Rights Council or the UN Secretary General personally. We assess it is unlikely there would be sufficient international support for such a commission on the situation in Rakhine at this time. There are a number of countries that routinely oppose such commissions as a matter of principle, and have done so in the past. We consider the Annan Commission currently represents the most realistic way forward. Horn of Africa: EU Immigration Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the release of correspondence between the British embassy in Khartoum and the Sudan Unit in the FCO concerning the EU–Horn of African migration route initiative otherwise known as the Khartoum process (FOI 0733–16), whether they are concerned that the Sudanese regime will not allow access to UNAMID to monitor the implementation of the Khartoum Process; and what steps they are taking to ensure that humanitarian access is a prerequisite for further co-operation on migration. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Monitoring the implementation of the Khartoum Process does not fall under the mandate of the United Nations/African Union Hybrid Peacekeeping Mission in Darfur (UNAMID). The UK works closely with the current Chair (at present Ethiopia) and the Secretariat of the Khartoum Process Secretariat to maintain a map of current and proposed projects, and ensure effective coordination and monitoring. We continue to urge the government of Sudan to allow humanitarian access throughout Darfur and to enable UNAMID to carry out its core mandate to protect civilians.We are clear that engagement with the government of Sudan on migration issues does not mean that we will compromise on our stance towards Sudan's internal conflicts, human rights or the humanitarian situation. Rather, engaging with them provides another channel to raise concerns directly and address their cause. Most recently, during a visit to Khartoum in January the Permanent Under-Secretary to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Sir Simon McDonald, and the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development, Mark Lowcock, stressed the importance of tackling irregular migration in a way that was compliant with human rights. North Korea: Diplomatic Service Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether British Embassy staff in Pyongyang adhere to the directions of the Protocol Handbook for the Diplomatic Corps based in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the Protocol Handbook of the Diplomatic Corps issued by the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Staff at the British Embassy in Pyongyang adhere to local laws and regulations in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. Pakistan: Religious Freedom Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the forthcoming periodic review of human rights in Pakistan, whether they intend to ask the government of Pakistan to affirm its commitment to Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, including the freedom to change one’s belief or not have any kind of religious belief. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As my noble friend Baroness Goldie made clear in the House of Lords on 8 September 2016, "the Government remains firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief, as set out in Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights". We regularly raise our concerns about freedom of religion or belief with the government of Pakistan at a senior level. During his visit to Pakistan in November 2016, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Uxbridge and South Ruislip (Mr Johnson), discussed religious tolerance and the importance of safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), raised our concerns about religious minorities with Kamran Michael, Pakistani Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, the Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights during his visit to Pakistan in January 2017. The Government continues to urge Pakistan to honour in practice all its human rights obligations, including its commitment to Article 18 of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to uphold the rule of law. Guyana: Elections Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Guyana about the conduct of elections there, in particular regarding the case for an independent head of their Elections Commission. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK has been a strong and consistent advocate for free and fair elections in Guyana. We, and colleagues from other diplomatic missions and international organisations, closely monitored the run-up to, and conduct of, the general election in May 2015 and local elections in March 2016. Both were deemed free and fair. The process for selecting the new head of the Election Commission is clearly laid out in the Guyanese Constitution and the President is currently following that process. The British High Commissioner in Georgetown maintains a regular dialogue with the Government of Guyana at the highest level, including on issues such as the rule of law, good governance and tackling corruption, all of which are high priorities for the UK. Department for International Development Sierra Leone: Politics and Government Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they support governance in Sierra Leone. Lord Bates: The UK’s governance support in Sierra Leone is focused on increasing stability, accountability, and transparency. Our assistance includes helping the government to raise more domestic revenue, to improve its management of the public finances, and to strengthen the audit service. We are supporting communities to access more information about their rights and entitlements to public services, and have helped the government to establish a new system that allows citizens to report being asked for bribes. Over the coming year, we will be supporting Sierra Leone to hold peaceful, free and fair elections. We are also assisting the government to be able to manage preparations for any potential future Ebola outbreaks. Department for Education Higher Education Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House, in addition to the published summary, a copy of the responses to the call for evidence on accelerated courses and switching university or degree. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government does not believe it would be in the public interest to publish in full the responses to our recent Call for Evidence. To do so would risk damaging our relationships with universities by releasing information directly related to them and their operations, potentially limiting our capability to gather evidence from these institutions in the future. Higher Education Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education guidance on Academic credit arrangements in higher education in England, published in August 2008, how many universities have a published framework for credit transfer between institutions in England. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Unfortunately, the Government is not able to provide this information as we do not gather this data. The QAA Higher Education Credit Arrangements for England offers universities guidance that is not compulsory, so data is not collected. Schools: Construction Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they safeguard against new schools being built in areas of considerable surplus capacity. Lord Nash: Of the 268 mainstream free schools opened up to and including September 2016, 76% have opened in areas where there was a need for additional school places.Free schools are approved for a variety of reasons, including the need for new school places, the need for better quality places in the local area, to increase parental choice or to meet demand from local employers. More than a quarter of inspected free schools (reports published by 31st December 2016) are rated outstanding by Ofsted. .In all cases due consideration is given to the impact that opening a new school will have on local schools. Priority School Building Programme Lord Beith: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in which education authority areas in England new secondary or high schools have been built under the Priority Schools Building Programme on (1) existing sites, and (2) new sites. Lord Nash: The £4.4 billion Priority School Building Programme is rebuilding or refurbishing those school buildings in the very worst condition across the country. There are two phases of the programme covering a total of 537 schools.Under the first phase of the programme, building work is being undertaken at 260 schools. Of these, 177 schools have already opened in their new and refurbished buildings. This includes 98 secondary schools in 57 local authorities and all are on existing sites.The vast majority of schools within the first phase of the programme will be delivered by the end of 2017, two years earlier than originally planned. Ministry of Justice Assaults on Police Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision to fine a member of the public who was found guilty of assaulting PC Karl Cinavas at a polling station during the election count for a Police and Crime Commissioner; and whether, in the light of this event, they will review the charging and sentencing guidelines to discourage attacks on the police and elected representatives. Lord Keen of Elie: Sentencing is a matter for our independent judiciary, who take into account all the facts of the case. Sentencing guidelines specify that where an assault is committed against public sector workers or those providing a service to the public, this is an aggravating factor. This means offenders already face increased penalties, within statutory maximum terms. The charging standard is a joint document agreed by the police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to assist prosecutors and police officers in selecting the most appropriate charge. The charging decision in this case was made by the police. Ministry of Defence Employment: Veterans Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage employers to recruit service leavers and veterans. Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has a robust and effective resettlement system in place which includes the highly successful Career Transition Partnership (CTP). The CTP contract provides employers with unique access to the Service leaver talent pool. Employers can upload job opportunities to RightJob via the CTP website which receives over 50,000 unique hits per month, and promotes employment opportunities through regular e-bulletins sent to over 20,000 active clients. Through the resettlement contract, the CTP can link employers with the best Service leaver candidates for their vacancies. The CTP offers a high quality, no cost recruitment service for organisations looking to recruit highly motivated, skilled and experienced Service leavers.The Government has set out plans for Prison Safety and Reform in a White Paper, committing to recruit an additional 2,500 prison officers across the estate. The MOD is working collaboratively with the National Offenders Management Service (NOMS) to recruit Service leavers as prison officers to support this recruitment drive, in recognition of the number of valuable transferable skills that Service leavers can bring to the Prison Service. The CTP works closely with NOMS to promote careers in the Prison Service. A NOMS official will be attending CTP employment fairs and a number of prison open days for Service leavers will run during the coming months. Additionally, NOMS are developing a recruitment campaign targeted specifically at Armed Forces which will be supported by the MOD. Yemen: Military Intervention Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Defence on 19 December 2016 (HC Deb, cols 1215–1216), when they first became aware of the use of UK-made cluster bombs by Saudi Arabia in Yemen; and following assurances they have received from the government of Saudi Arabia that the use of such bombs has now stopped, what monitoring will take place. Earl Howe: Amnesty International wrote to the Prime Minister on 23 May 2016, and to the Ministry of Defence on 3 June 2016, on the alleged use of UK-produced BL-755 cluster munitions by the Saudi-led coalition in Yemen. That allegation was confirmed by the Coalition in their statement on 19 December 2016.We welcome the Saudi commitment to cease use of UK-manufactured BL-755 cluster munitions and have offered to assist with the destruction of any remaining stocks of the weapon. Army: Deployment Earl Attlee: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 18 January (HL4520), when was the last time the British Army deployed a largely fully formed and supported division into the field for divisional movement and manoeuvre training. Earl Howe: The last time an Army Division deployed for training purposes was Exercise White Rhino, which took place in West Germany in September 1989. The largest exercise since then was Exercise Saif Sareea II in 2001 when over 22,500 personnel were deployed to Oman. Army Reserve: Recruitment Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many soldiers were recruited to the Army Reserve in 2016. Earl Howe: Intake figures to the Army Reserve during the calendar year 2016 are currently being validated ahead of publication as official statistics on 9 February 2017. Wellington Barracks Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long the central heating and hot water systems at Wellington Barracks have been out of order; and when they expect them to be restored to working order. Earl Howe: The fault with the gas boosters to the boiler supplying central heating and hot water at Wellington Barracks was identified on Monday 23 January 2017 and restored to working order on Thursday 26 January 2017. Electric heaters and mobile hand washing stations were provided in the intervening period. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Food: Labelling Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the amount of food wasted because consumers equate or confuse best before dates with use by dates. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Research published in 2014 by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) shows that 48% (2.0 million tonnes) of avoidable household food waste arises because the food is not used in time. A date label was mentioned as the trigger for disposal for one third of such instances (around 660,000 tonnes; 16% of all avoidable food waste). The Food Standards Agency, Defra and WRAP are working to support industry, implementing more changes to help people waste less of the food they buy, through clearer date labelling and more effective storage and freezing advice. Updated industry guidance is expected to be published this year. International Whaling Commission Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 January (HLWS417), who, and under what authority, instructed EU member states to abstain from voting on a proposal by Japan, Cambodia and Ghana to create a fund to strengthen the capacity of governments of limited means to participate in the International Whaling Commission. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In the International Whaling Commission the EU Member States coordinate positions and are represented in negotiations by the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU, in this case the Netherlands. Following exit from the EU, the UK will no longer be required to operate in this way, and will negotiate on the basis of UK positions. HM Treasury Occupational Pensions Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they will introduce to enable workers earning under £11,000 a year to reclaim the 25 per cent government bonus that they are currently unable to receive when contributing to a net pay scheme, which they would be entitled to were they contributing to a relief at source scheme. Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to oblige employers who use a net pay pension scheme for their staff to reimburse their low paid workers for the money they lose as a result of not being in a relief at source scheme. Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they take to inform public sector workers who earn less than £11,000 a year that they will not receive tax relief on pension contributions into public sector pension schemes. Baroness Altmann: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to conduct an inquiry, or to collect or request data from pension providers, on the numbers of workers earning under £11,000 a year who are contributing to a net pay arrangement pension scheme and are not receiving the 25 per cent additional contribution that they should receive from the Government into their pension. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Pensions Regulator (tPR) provides guidance to employers on choosing a pension scheme for their staff in order to discharge their statutory obligations under automatic enrolment. This guidance covers the choice between net pay and relief at source schemes, and the implications of net pay schemes for employees who do not pay tax. All employers, including public sector employers, are expected to follow tPR’s guidance about providing their employees with relevant information on the arrangements for tax relief.The Government appreciates the concerns for low paid workers enrolled in net pay schemes. However, it has not been possible to identify any straightforward or proportionate means to align the effects of the net pay and relief at source mechanisms more closely for this population. In particular, it is not possible to know an individual’s final earnings until after the end of the tax year. While employers will know an employee’s salary from a single job, neither employers nor pension schemes are currently required to know whether an employee also has alternative sources of income. Requiring them to gather this information would create a disproportionate burden, and many employees may not wish to share this information with their employer. The Government does not therefore plan to oblige employers to reimburse their low paid employees if they are enrolled in net pay schemes, as this would not be possible to implement effectively. London Stock Exchange: Deutsche Borse Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risks to the UK’s financial capability and stability if clearing activity is transferred outside the UK following the takeover of the London Stock Exchange by the Deutsche Borse, as recommended by Dirk Schiereck, chairman of corporate finance at Technische Universitat Darmstadt, in a report commissioned by Deutsche Borse. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: I have nothing to add to the reply of my predecessor Lord O’Neil of Gately on 1 April 2016[1]. [1] http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Lords/2016-03-17/HL7153/ Previous answer given on 1 April 2016 (PDF Document, 23.33 KB) Credit Cards: Fees and Charges Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much revenue each Government department has raised in the last year from surpluses obtained by charging fees to access online services by credit card which are in excess of interchange fees charged by credit card issuers; and to what extent this has been off-set by instances in which interchange fees are not passed on. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. World Economic Forum Lord Palmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost of all UK Government attendance expenses for the Davos Summit. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Prime Minister, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and the Secretary of State for International Trade represented the Government at the 2017 Davos summit. Total verified UK Government attendance costs are not yet available. As part of the Government’s transparency agenda, total costs for Ministerial visits are published quarterly and the information requested is under preparation. It will form part of the next set of Departmental returns for the first quarter of 2017. Department for International Trade Overseas Trade: Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether promoting trade with Sudan is an official government policy, and, if so, when the policy of providing information to businesses only on request changed and what prompted this change. Lord Price: As part of our phased increase in direct engagement with the government of Sudan, the UK will consider opportunities to promote trade with Sudan, as trade can help to open up closed off political and economic systems. In this light, we are working with the World Bank, through the Sudan Multi-Partner Fund, to remove some of the barriers to private sector development through greater financial inclusion.We will continue to provide support to UK companies to understand the opportunities and challenges of operating in Sudan. However, we have been clear with the Government of Sudan that the current conflicts, human rights abuses, and business environment remain obstacles to a sizeable increase in interest from British companies, and continue to urge them to make progress on these issues. Department for Culture, Media and Sport Tourism Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the preparedness of the hospitality industry to cope with an increased number of domestic and overseas visitors resulting from the declining value of the pound, and of the availability of nationals of other countries to work in that industry. Lord Ashton of Hyde: We are pleased to see the number of inbound visitors growing, as this will support the growth of the hospitality sector. The Government is aware that the sector currently has a proportion of non-UK employees working within it. Officials are working closely with companies and representative groups to factor the long-term requirements of the sector into cross-Government thinking and to create the best workforce possible for the sector. This is particularly the case as we plan our exit from the European Union. Data Protection Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help people protect their personal data online. Lord Ashton of Hyde: The Government takes the protection of individuals’ personal data online as well as offline, seriously. The Information Commissioner is the UK's independent authority responsible for administering and enforcing information rights and provides guidance and advice to individuals and organisations on, among other things, the protection of personal data online. The Information Commissioner’s Office has a number of tools at its disposal to take action against those that breach the legislation. These powers include the ability to conduct audits, serve enforcement notices and impose civil monetary penalties of up to £500,000. The Government recently announced it would be implementing the forthcoming General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) by May 2018. Amongst other protections offered, the GDPR provides individuals with increased control over how their personal data is collected and used online. Department of Health NHS: Private Sector Lord Owen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of the Department of Health’s figure of £8,722,000 for the amount spent in purchasing services from Independent Sector Providers in 2015–16, what are the (1) contracts, (2) providers and (3) service categories concerned. Lord O'Shaughnessy: Information pertaining to contracts and service categories is not held centrally. National Health Service commissioners purchase services from a range of independent sector providers. NHS England records independent sector providers through coding identifiers; a sample of independent sector providers sourced from NHS England’s coding identifiers is attached, due to the large amount of data. Some providers do not have separate coding identifiers, therefore there are providers commissioned by NHS England which do not appear in the attached list. Example list of providers (Word Document, 34.87 KB) Health Services: Veterans Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken (1) to encourage all veterans to use NHS priority treatment services, and (2) to ensure that NHS Trusts promote awareness and understanding among healthcare professionals in relation to the treatment of veterans. Lord O'Shaughnessy: In England, the pages on the NHS Choices website dealing with healthcare of the armed forces community were restructured and refreshed during 2015, and continue to be updated on a regular basis to raise awareness of the specific services available to the veterans. This is designed to ensure standardisation of the health messages received from the Ministry of Defence, the National Health Service and service charities, to minimise confusion and create a single point of access for service users and families. Health Education England, with support from NHS England, have launched an e-learning programme for health and social care professionals to help increase understanding of the armed forces community and facilitate improved care and treatment. The programme is split across three areas of NHS care for current serving personnel, veterans and families. NHS England’s regional Armed Forces Network help to promote this learning and along with other communications pieces, a stand was hosted at the Royal College of General Practitioners’ annual conference in October 2016 to showcase this and other information on caring for serving personnel, service families and veterans. We encourage NHS trusts to appoint NHS Armed Forces Champions, and Health Education England are currently developing a package of training materials to facilitate the creation of Champions. The Department continues to work closely with NHS England, the Ministry of Defence and service charities to align and reaffirm key messages. Services in the rest of the United Kingdom are a matter for the devolved administrations. General Practitioners Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of new general practitioners required each year to cope with net migration. Lord O'Shaughnessy: Health Education England (HEE) is responsible for ensuring that there is sufficient future supply of staff, including those needed in specialist fields such as general practice, to meet the workforce requirements of the English health system. Each year, HEE produces a National Workforce Plan for England. This builds upon the needs of local employers, providers, commissioners and other stakeholders who, as members of its Local Education Training Boards, shape their local plans. Demand forecasting is currently the responsibility of employers; it is an integral part of business planning and forms part of the Sustainable Transformation Planning process, led by NHS England. HEE remains committed to increasing the number of general practitioner trainees. Last year, there were a record number of over 3,000 trainees appointed at ST1 level. Additionally, HEE is maintaining its focus on those areas where it has been traditionally hard to recruit. Last year, for example, the fill rate in the East Midlands increased from 63% to 95% and in the North East from 60% to 79%. Accident and Emergency Departments Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of hospital fatalities resulting from people not being admitted to accident and emergency departments since the beginning of December 2016; and what assessment they have made of whether any increase or decrease from usual numbers is a result of seasonal factors or demonstrates a long-term trend. Lord O'Shaughnessy: This information is not held centrally. NHS Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will now establish a Royal Commission on the NHS to examine its existing organisation and purpose and whether there are other models available to provide an improved national health system. Lord O'Shaughnessy: The National Health Service and wider health system has already examined what needs to be done to ensure the sustainability of the health and care system. This produced the NHS Five Year Forward View. The Government is backing this plan and has committed to increasing funding for the NHS by £10 billion in real terms by 2020-21 compared to 2014-15, enabling the NHS to deliver high quality care seven days a week. The Government believes that the answer to the challenges faced by the NHS lies in delivering more integrated services and keeping people well and independent for longer not in altering the fundamental principles than underpin the NHS.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2017-02-06

Department for Education Education: Travellers lord bourne of aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in improving education outcomes for Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities. lord agnew of oulton: The latest published data, including breakdowns for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) pupils, relates to 2019 at key stage 2 and 2018 at key stage 4. At both stages, the data showed a small improvement in headline attainment measures for this group compared to the previous year. At key stage 2, the percentage of GRT pupils attaining the expected standard in reading, writing and mathematics rose from 19% in 2018 to 20% in 2019. At key stage 4, the percentage achieving grades 9-4 in English and mathematics rose from 11.8% in 2017 to 13.1% in 2018.The government is taking significant steps forward to support attainment and progression for all pupils, including GRT pupils. Our education reforms, including those aimed at improving teaching; encouraging good attendance and behaviour; and strengthening the curriculum and examination system, are designed to improve opportunity and standards for all pupils. These reforms are underpinned by school accountability measures, which are intended to encourage schools to focus more closely on the attainment of all their pupils.Through the pupil premium; we are addressing low economic circumstances. This is a key factor that predicts future educational outcomes, and affects a high proportion of GRT children. Since 2011, we have provided over £15 billion of this additional funding, with a further £2.4 billion being distributed in this financial year. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Eritrea: Refugees lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the risk to Eritrean refugees of being forcibly returned to Eritrea by the government of Sudan contrary to the principle of non-refoulement. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We do not currently assess that Eritrean refugees are at risk of being forcibly returned to Eritrea by the Government of Sudan. The Government of Sudan hosts more than one million registered refugees, including almost 125,000 Eritreans. We continue to support efforts to improve conditions for refugees in Sudan of all nationalities. However, we are aware of recent reports of Eritrean and other migrants being apprehended by police in Khartoum and we appeal to the Government of Sudan to ensure that the fundamental rights of all migrants and refugees in Sudan are respected. We will raise this issue as part of bilateral discussions with the Government of Sudan. Colombia: Armed Conflict baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to the security of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities, especially the Embera–Wounaan, on the Pacific coast of Colombia, following reports of armed skirmishes between paramilitaries, the Army of National Liberation and Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia for control of the land. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware of reports of violence on Colombia's Pacific coast. The presence of organised armed groups, fighting for control of illicit economies, disproportionately affects a number of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities. Our Embassy regularly raises concerns about specific communities with the relevant state actors in Colombia. We support the Colombian government's deployment of further security forces to attempt to guarantee security. More widely, long-term security depends on socioeconomic development of the region and vice versa, key reasons why Her Majesty's Government remains steadfast in its support for the 2016 peace process and why the United Kingdom maintains significant development programming in Colombia. Colombia: Armed Conflict baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of collusion between the Colombian security forces and illegal armed groups. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We are aware that organised armed groups operate in parts of Colombia, and of occasional reports that some members of the security forces are complicit in these groups' activities. We support the Colombian government's efforts to root out any such collaboration, including via our specific programme work to foster good governance and tackle corruption in security forces.Colombia has made significant progress in its efforts to end the influence of paramilitary groups. We have seen little recent evidence of any widespread collusion between security forces and organised armed groups. Colombia: Armed Conflict baroness coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the UK's investment of funding to support the biodiversity hotspot on the Pacific coast of Colombia,of the (1) activities of paramilitary groups in the region, and (2) threat of displacement to the indigenous communities. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The United Kingdom recognises the unique biodiversity of Colombia's Pacific coast and is committed to helping Colombia safeguard its environmental assets. Although this region is not the focus of our programming, the United Kingdom has implemented some climate change-related projects in the region, as well as some Newton Fund research projects on biodiversity and sustainability.We are aware of reports of violence affecting certain areas in this region, and of the continuing presence of organised armed groups competing for control of illicit economies.The British Government takes into careful consideration such factors when designing projects and deciding which to fund, and we continually monitor the effect of such risks on our programme work in consultation with colleagues working in Colombia. We also make a thorough assessment of the impact of all of our projects, including on the human rights of local communities.We are steadfast in our support of the Colombian peace process, and UK-funded programmes across a range of issues from biodiversity to climate change help to improve the socio-economic conditions in rural areas and tackle the root causes of insecurity, building towards a sustainable peace. Australia: Fires baroness crawley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assistance, if any, they have offered to the government of Australia to deal with the bushfire crises. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The Prime Minister, Foreign Secretary and I have been in contact with our Australian counterparts to offer our condolences and stress our readiness to help in whatever way they need. I also met with FM Payne on the 3 January in Sydney and offered our full support.As set out by FCO Minister Heather Wheeler in her Oral Statement of 9 January, we have deployed a team of UK experts to Australia.The team includes a senior member of UK Fire and Rescue Service, a medical specialist in trauma and mental health, and a military liaison officer specialising in crisis response.They will work with Australian counterparts to establish what further UK support will be of most use to Australian emergency responders, and ensure that such contributions are fully integrated with Australian efforts. Sri Lanka: Politics and Government lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have, or seek, a two-state solution for Sri-Lanka. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government does absolutely not have or seek a two-state solution for Sri Lanka.​ Hong Kong: Demonstrations lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the arrest of medics treating protestors injured in the recent demonstrations in Hong Kong, what assessment they have made of the implications for international (1) humanitarian norms, and (2) human rights law, of any such detentions. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​We take any allegations relating to the arrest of medics treating protesters at demonstrations in Hong Kong extremely seriously. We expect the Hong Kong authorities to abide by international humanitarian norms and laws. We continue to be concerned about the situation in Hong Kong and have called consistently for a robust, independent inquiry into recent events as a step towards resolution of the situation. The only way to resolve this impasse is through meaningful and effective political dialogue. We will continue to raise our concerns with the Hong Kong SAR Government and the authorities in Beijing. Persecution of Christians across the Globe Independent Review lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to theWritten Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 7 January (HL6) about implementation of the Truro Review that “some of the recommendations will take longer to implement and many will require an ongoing effort to embed into the working practices of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other departments”, which recommendations they have in mind; and how long they expect the implementation of those to take. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The Government remains committed to implementing the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro's Review in full and in a way that will bring real improvements to the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief. Some recommendations will take longer to implement than others, including developing religious literacy training, which will need to go out to tender, and agreeing a consistent international approach to Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) across Government. In addition, developing and delivering tailored responses to FoRB violations at Post level will always be an ongoing process. Wang Yi lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the nine-year prison sentence given in China to Pastor Wang Yi of the Early Rain Covenant Church, the removal of his political rights for three years, and the confiscation of his personal assets. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised our concerns about the closure of churches in China, including the Early Rain Covenant Church which Pastor Wang Yi founded, directly with the Chinese authorities. On 2 January, I issued a tweet expressing serious concerns about the recent sentencing of Pastor Wang Yi to nine years in prison following a secret trial and called on China to uphold the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by China’s constitution and international law. More broadly, we remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. ​ Wang Yi lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether the trial of Pastor Wang Yi met standards of impartiality for a fair trial; whether they intend to raise his case with the government of China; and what assessment they have made of the suppression of the open practice of religious beliefs. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised our concerns about the closure of churches in China, including the Early Rain Covenant Church which Pastor Wang Yi founded, directly with the Chinese authorities. On 2 January, I issued a tweet expressing serious concerns about the recent sentencing of Pastor Wang Yi to nine years in prison following a secret trial and called on China to uphold the fundamental rights and freedoms guaranteed by China’s constitution and international law. More broadly, we remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. Ministry of Defence Sahel: Armed Conflict the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Mali and the wider Sahel region; what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about the number of US troops in West Africa further to reports that that government is considering a full or partial withdrawal; and what assessment they have made of the impact of any such withdrawalon the operational ability of UK military personnel in that region. baroness goldie: Her Majesty's Government is concerned about the security situation in Mali and the spread of insecurity across the region. We remain in close contact with our key partners, including the US and France, to share assessments and coordinate activity. No decisions on the status of US forces in West Africa have been formally communicated by the US Government to HMG. We assess that any possible withdrawal of US forces will have a minimal impact on our deployed forces, but we will keep this under close review. Department for Work and Pensions Children: Disadvantaged lord bird: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to prevent any increase in childhood deprivation. baroness stedman-scott: The Government is committed to delivering a sustainable, long-term solution to poverty in all its forms. This requires an approach that goes beyond a focus on income and tackles the root causes of poverty and disadvantage, to improve long-term outcomes for families and children.The evidence is clear about the importance of work, in particular full time work, in tackling child poverty and improving children’s educational outcomes. The absolute poverty rate (BHC) of a child, where both parents work full-time is only 4%, compared to 44% where one or more parents are in part-time work. Universal Credit helps by incentivising entry into work, offering smooth incentives to increase hours. We will therefore continue with our reforms to the welfare system so that it works with the tax system and the labour market to support employment and higher pay.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-01-15

Armed Forces: Coroners' Inquest Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the reports of new service inquiry panels will be made available to the families of any deceased Armed Forces personnel and any coroner's inquest into their death. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Where a service inquiry is held into the circumstances surrounding a death, the Ministry of Defence recognises that the bereaved families of service personnel have an interest in its conclusions. Ministry of Defence policy will continue to be to offer a copy of the inquiry report to the next of kin. Where there is an inquest, the coroner is normally passed a copy of the full report in confidence to assist him in the preparation of his own inquiry. Armed Forces: Coroners' Inquest Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether arrangements are in place for the new service inquiry panels to produce reports quicker than the single-service boards of inquiry; and, if so, what are the anticipated timescales. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The decision to convene a service inquiry will normally be made within five days of either the incident itself or, where applicable, receipt of the reports of other investigative agencies from which it can be determined if anything of consequence may be learned by convening a service inquiry. Service inquiries into air occurrences are convened within 48 hours of the incident. Once a service inquiry has been convened we aim to make the report available within 40 weeks. However, the length of time an inquiry takes is determined partly by the nature of the incident under investigation and partly by the complexity of the case. Service inquiries will include those into covert operations, technical investigations into aircraft crashes, and incidents in hostile environments including those at sea. The need to adjourn an inquiry pending a police investigation and difficulties securing witnesses while on operations or travelling overseas could also of course cause delay. Armed Forces: F35 Aircraft Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government: What impact the proposed changes in the way the prime contractor charges the F-35 joint programme office are expected to have upon (a) the United Kingdom contribution to the programme; and (b) the unit cost of F-35B aircraft for the Armed Forces. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The UK position is that we have an incremental acquisition strategy where we will seek approval to purchase Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) at key points in the JSF programme consistent with technical maturity and affordability. The next decision for the purchase of three aircraft to facilitate participation in the operational test and evaluation of JSF in the USA is currently planned for January 2009. Unit production costs for JSF are dependent on the number and timing of aircraft purchases for all partner nations and the delivery profile. Armed Forces: Operation Herrick 9 Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many troops in Operation Herrick 9 who are full-time members of (a) the Royal Marines, (b) the Royal Navy, (c) the Army, (d) the Royal Air Force, and (e) Her Majesty's Reserve Forces will be deployed in the current roulement; and what in-theatre role Royal Navy personnel will fulfil. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: The endorsed force-level figure for Operation Herrick 9 is 8,067 service personnel. The exact number of personnel in theatre will naturally fluctuate on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including leave (rest and recuperation), temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons, and the roulement of forces. Details of the force laydown were set out in my Written Ministerial Statement on 8 July 2008 (Official Report, cols. WS 29-30). Since many units contain individual augmentees from various services, it is not possible to provide precise numbers broken down by service, as these details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. As of 1 October 2008, there are some 690 reservists from all services deployed in Afghanistan. Personnel from the Royal Navy fulfil a wide variety of combat support and combat service support roles in theatre. In addition members of the Royal Marines routinely deploy on land operations in the combat role. Indeed, 3 Commando Brigade took over responsibility for Taskforce Helmand on 8 October this year. Armed Forces: Women Lord Moonie: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many technical trades are open to women in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army, and (c) the Royal Air Force; and how many women serve in technical trades in each service in absolute and proportionate terms. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: In the Royal Navy, with the exception of submarine and Royal Marine trades, all technical trades are open to females. There are currently 10,780 female sailors employed in 14 technical trades. This equates to 12.8 per cent of the officer corps and 17.6 per cent of other ranks. All technical trades include sea appointments. In the Army, all technical trades (51) are open to female soldiers. As the Army was the last service to transition to JPA the full extent of trade fields has not yet been validated and the data are not of sufficient quality to release publicly. However, there are currently 5,240 (72 per cent) female soldiers who are employed in arms and services that have a high percentage of technical trades within them. I will write to the noble Lord when this information has been validated on JPA. All 36 technical trades in the Royal Air Force are open to female personnel. Of the 5,110 female personnel, 860 (17 per cent) are employed in technical trades. Banking: Directors and Executives Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they will take to ensure that public money used to rescue financial institutions is not spent on excessive remuneration packages to the directors and senior executives of such companies. Lord Myners: As part of their investment, the Government have agreed a range of commitments with banks accessing the capitalisation scheme. The Government expect that no cash bonuses will be paid to directors in the current year. Going forward, and to ensure that taxpayers' interests as shareholders in the bank are protected, and the performance of the company enhanced, directors' remuneration will be linked to long-term value creation and take account of risk. The terms have been agreed on a case-by-case basis with banks accessing the recapitalisation scheme, although elements are common to all participating banks. Charity Commission Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they last reviewed the powers and performance of the Charity Commission. Lord Patel of Bradford: The powers of the Charity Commission for England and Wales were last formally reviewed in the development and passage of the Charities Act 2006. The Act gives the commission statutory objectives, functions and duties, and some new powers. There is also a statutory requirement for an evaluation of the Act to be commissioned by November 2011, and for the results to be reported to Parliament. The commission has a set of key performance indicators, agreed with HM Treasury, and reports against these each year in its annual report. In addition, the commission has appeared before the Public Administration Select Committee to give evidence on its performance and specific areas of work. Climate Change: Emissions Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Phil Woolas, on 9 June (Official Report, Commons, cols. 17-18), why the allocation of carbon dioxide emissions in European Union Emissions Trading Scheme installations in the cement and the food, drink and tobacco sectors rose by 60 per cent from 2006 to 2007 and that of the offshore sector by 52 per cent; and why actual emissions from those sectors rose by 57 per cent, 58 per cent and 45 per cent respectively. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: For Phase 1 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme (EU ETS), the European Commission approved two types of opt-outs for UK installations: one for installations with climate change agreements (CCAs) and the other for installations that were already in the UK Emissions Trading Scheme (UK ETS). Within the UK, a total of 389 installations chose to opt out, 330 on the basis of their CCAs and 59 on the basis of their involvement in the UK ETS. The UK ETS opt-outs were required to enter the EU ETS on 1 January 2007, when the UK ETS ended. Seven of these were cement-sector installations, 34 offshore installations and six food-sector installations. The allocated allowances and verified emissions of these UK ETS opt-outs account for the percentage differences from 2006 to 2007. When comparing 2006 and 2007 EU ETS results a comparable increase in the number of installations did not occur. The reason for this is that the UK ETS installations were all given EU ETS national allocation plan IDs and assigned zero allocations and emissions in the EU ETS in 2006. In 2007 the allocated allowances and verified emissions increased whilst the number of installations in the sector stayed the same. Cyprus: British Troops Lord Morris of Aberavon: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made in repairs and renovation of the Ledra Palace Hotel, Cyprus, which accommodates British troops, in the past 12 months; when expenditure on it has been incurred; and whether the accommodation is now appropriate. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Renovation and repair of the Ledra Palace Hotel continues. Repairs to the east and west wing roofs are complete; loose masonry on the building exterior has been removed; ground floor public areas, kitchens and dining facilities have been refurbished; electrical rewiring has been completed and the main power supply replaced; and air conditioning has been installed throughout the ground floor. Ten accommodation rooms have also been refurbished with a further 10 nearing completion. Current plans estimate that renovation work will be complete by around the end of 2009, and will meet accommodation standards for members of the Armed Forces in the UK. The work is being carried out by the Republic of Cyprus in an arrangement with the United Nations; we do not have visibility of the associated costs, but there is no direct cost to the UK for this work. Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the United Kingdom Stem Cell Initiative assisted with recommendations regarding provisions for therapeutic cloning in Australia; and to what extent members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority or officials in the Department of Health have provided advice on the regulation of such work to the Embryo Research Licensing Committee of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council. Lord Darzi of Denham: The United Kingdom Stem Cell Initiative was completed in 2005. Prior to that there were no links between officials working on the UK Stem Cell Initiative and the Embryo Research Licensing Committee of the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC). Neither have Department of Health officials provided advice to the NHMRC since then. I understand from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that members of the HFEA executive and the (then) chair, Suzi Leather, have had teleconferences with colleagues in the fertility regulatory sector in Australia including representatives from the Embryo Research Licensing Committee. These discussions have included the provision of information about the activities of a UK centre that had cell nuclear replacement research licence. HFEA members on the authority's Scientific and Clinical Advances Advisory Group have provided advice, at the NHMRC's request, on a proposed biological definition of embryo. In addition, the HFEA has informed us that it is possible that authority members may also have liaised with the NHMRC's Embryo Research Licensing Committee on the regulation of work involving therapeutic cloning in their individual capacities, rather than as representatives of the authority. Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 13 October (cols. WA 31-32), what assessment the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has made of the accuracy of its perceived risk to patients of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome based on a record of cancelled cycles, if it is significantly less than the actual incidence reported in the journal Human Fertility (vol. 10, issue 3, pages 183-87); and Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 13 October (cols. WA 31-32), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has not compared figures in its report of three years ago with those of a paper published a year ago, given that members of the authority were made aware of the figures described in the journal Human Fertility (vol. 10, issue 3, pages 183-87); and whether the authority will require a similar period of time to compare the figures in its report updated in August 2008. Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has informed me that it keeps a record of cancelled treatment cycles where the risk of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) has been reported. As I stated in my reply on 13 October 2008 (cols. WA 31-32), in 2007 this applied to 611 out of a total of 35,946 cycles. This gives an indication of the perceived risk of OHSS across the United Kingdom. The HFEA has advised me that it is of the view that there would be minimal value in assessing those national data on perceived risk against the actual incidence of OHSS in one fertility centre, as reported in Human Fertility (vol. 10, issue 3, pages 183-87). Professor Balen's report (published in 2005 and updated this year) compares the HFEA record of perceived risk of OHSS with larger data sets from across Europe. The HFEA commissioned Professor Balen to write a report on OHSS as part of its review of sperm, egg and embryo donation in 2004. The report provides an overview of OHSS, its incidence and the spectrum of the condition. The report is the result of an extensive literature review into OHSS, including the article in Human Fertility mentioned above. As a result, the HFEA does not intend to compare the figures in the Human Fertility article with the figures outlined in the report. Health: Drug Tariff Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many dispensing appliance contractors dispense appliances above the cap of 50,000 proposed by the Department of Health; and to how many patients these contractors provide services; and How much their ongoing review of Part IX of the Drug Tariff has cost in each year since it commenced. Lord Darzi of Denham: The highest band was 30,000 to 50,000 items and two dispensing appliance contractors dispense more than 50,000 prescription items per month. The department is now analysing responses to its final consultation, including views on the proposed cap to the infrastructure payment. About 450,000 people use stoma and urology appliances. The in-year costs for the review are shown in the table. These costs were for the services of professional advisers. The department's costs are part of its ongoing operational budget. Costs in 2005 and 2006 also covered the review of arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of chemical reagents and some dressings in primary care, as well as the provision of stoma and urology appliances and related services. 2005 £0.10 million 2006 £1.20 million 2007 £1.24 million 2008 year to date £0.63 million Health: Influenza Vaccines Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any of the influenza vaccines being offered on the National Health Service to individuals aged over 65 contain thimerosal. Lord Darzi of Denham: None of the influenza vaccines for the 2008-09 season contains thiomersal as an added preservative. One influenza vaccine (Fluvirin) states in its summary of product characteristics that it contains traces of thiomersal that are left over from the manufacturing process. Health: Wales Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government: What funding is available for patients from Wales requiring specialised treatment only available in hospitals in England. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Welsh Assembly Government provide local health boards with funding to meet the needs of the local population, and the Health Commission Wales (HCW) with funding to meet the needs of those requiring specialised care in Wales. The funding is allocated directly to these organisations to provide services based upon the principle of ensuring that patients receive the most appropriate level of care irrespective of where it is provided. Consequently, there is no specific funding allocated for patients requiring specialised treatment in hospitals in England that is not available in Wales. Revenue is provided to local health boards (LHBs) and the HCW annually to purchase the necessary care (specialist and non-specialist) for the residents of Wales. LHBs and the HCW have contracts with both Welsh and English providers to service the needs of the population. The way in which the money is spent is no different in either country—that is, in general, services are provided by block or cost and volume contracts for that care. Where there are requirements outside the block or cost and volume contract, individual patient contracts are used (with English providers requiring prior authorisation from Welsh LHBs). For instance, patients from north Wales who require cardiac surgery will have it carried out in the cardiothoracic centre in Liverpool, but it is paid for by the Health Commission Wales as part of the overall contract that the HCW has with the various providers in England. It is important to reiterate the key principle: there is no difference in the way the money is spent, irrespective of which side of the border, Wales or England, it is delivered. It is based on patient need and the most appropriate place for that to be met. Immigration: A8 Nationals Lord Roberts of Llandudno: asked Her Majesty's Government: What rights A8 nationals have to use jobcentre facilities. Lord McKenzie of Luton: All A8 nationals may access generic jobsearch services on exactly the same basis as other groups of employed or unemployed people as soon as they arrive in the country. Generic services include the job points located in Jobcentre Plus offices and the Jobseeker Direct telephone service. All Jobcentre Plus vacancies are also advertised on the internet. Once they have completed 12 months' continuous employment as a registered worker, A8 nationals who remain in the labour market have the same rights to access further Jobcentre Plus services, including benefit and personal adviser support, as other EEA and UK nationals. Modernising Scientific Careers Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) whether any independent research has been undertaken on the evidence base for the Modernising Scientific Careers proposals; and (b) if so, whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of this research. Lord Darzi of Denham: Building on recent publications, Modernising Scientific Careers is set in the context of a vision for a National Health Service that empowers patients and the public, works in partnership with staff, and has quality as the organising principle. The case for change was made in the next-stage review documents published in June 2008, High Quality Care for All and A High Quality Workforce, which set out the need to modernise healthcare careers as the NHS addresses the challenges for the future around: the changing nature of demand for healthcare services, including the effects of demography, changing public and patient expectations, more community-based care and technological advance; the changing nature of the supply of healthcare services, including changes driven by improvements to technology, changes in the composition of the workforce, their desired working patterns, and improvements to productivity, which also include the drive to promote more and better self-care and better use of the workforce; andthe changing nature of professional practice and the need to develop new skills and more team working, changes in accountability, leadership and independent practice and changes in the relationships between clinician and manager. Four key questions were at the heart of developing these proposals. First, how will the roles played by healthcare professionals change and what will be the implications for career frameworks? This has included looking at changing roles and career structures.Secondly, how should workforce planning be carried out to deliver trainees and a workforce of the right size, structure and skill? In answering this we have had to look at our core assumptions, the roles of different organisations as well as skills and resources.Thirdly, how should education be commissioned and funded to deliver trainees and a workforce of the right size, structure and skills? This has involved a review of how we commission and fund education and training as well as the capacity and capability required.Fourthly, how should we change the infrastructure and content of education to ensure the future workforce has the right skills? We have looked at education structures, regulatory structures and changes to selection processes. These questions were considered and addressed by four working groups made up of key stakeholders and leading thinkers. The output from these groups resulted in the commitments set out in High Quality Care for All and A High Quality Workforce. These documents also provide further reference to background evidence and research and both have already been placed in the Library. NHS: Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the seniority top-up fees scheme for NHS dentists began; how much has been subtracted from dentist fees each year to provide funding for it; and what they are proposing to do with the sums received after April 2009 when it is suggested that the scheme be abolished. Lord Darzi of Denham: Seniority payments were part of the remuneration arrangements introduced in 1990. An interim scheme was included in the 2006 statement of financial entitlements, when remuneration arrangements for general dental practitioners changed from a fee-based system to one based on annual contract values agreed between primary care trusts (PCTs) and dental providers. The interim scheme has run for the three years of the transition to local commissioning. Seniority payments are a direct charge against PCTs' financial allocations for primary dental services. With effect from April 2009, it is proposed there will be no new entrants to the scheme but those dentists already entitled to payments will continue to receive them. There will be no immediate savings as a result, as the change will not affect allocations to PCTs. Official Documents Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the answer by Lord Rooker on 15 July (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 1095), whether they will request all departments and agencies to produce graphs using a variety of structures rather than colours to differentiate lines, to make them intelligible when faxed or printed using only black ink. Lord Patel of Bradford: This must be for individual departments to determine. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they last reviewed the powers of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Lord Patel of Bradford: The Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 was last amended in July 2007, to enable the Parliamentary Ombudsman, the Health Service Ombudsman and the Local Government Ombudsman to undertake joint investigations. The Cabinet Office is in regular dialogue with the Parliamentary Ombudsman, and keeps her powers under review. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 13 October (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 489), on how many occasions since 1997 they have not given effect to the recommendations of the parliamentary commissioner for administration; and what were their reasons. Lord Patel of Bradford: The noble Lord has received information from individual departments for the period from 1997 up to May 2006. Unfortunately, information from May 2006 to date is not held centrally. Recycling: IT Equipment Lord Taylor of Holbeach: asked Her Majesty's Government: Over what period information technology equipment purchased by departments and agencies is written off; whether it normally remains in use until fully depreciated; whether there are controls over the replacement of equipment before it is fully written off; and whether equipment that is replaced is recycled. Lord Myners: Accounting for information technology equipment is covered by the financial reporting standard (FRS) 15 tangible fixed assets. Central government applies this standard with only minor adaptations and interpretations as detailed in the Government Financial Reporting Manual (FReM). Under FRS 15, departments as the user of the asset are responsible for assessing fixed asset lives—ie, the period over which the asset is to be depreciated. FRS 15 also requires that the useful life of an asset should be reviewed at the end of each reporting period. Controls over equipment in use, the replacement of that equipment and whether to recycle are decided by individual departments. Schools: Academies Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in the event that a preferred academy sponsor withdraws during the expression of interest or feasibility stage, government funding for the rebuilding of the school concerned will be withdrawn. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Academy buildings are now procured by local authorities (LAs) either as part of their Building Schools for the Future (BSF) programme or through the Partnerships for Schools national framework. Funding for the building project is not usually allocated for a project until it has moved beyond the feasibility stage and is in the implementation stage. However, were a sponsor to withdraw from an academy project once funding had been allocated, the LA, Partnership for Schools and the DCSF would decide whether to proceed with the refurbishment or new build for the academy either for the benefit of the predecessor school or schools, or for use by another academy or school project. Taxation: VAT Lord Willoughby de Broke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will support at the November Economic and Financial Affairs Council meeting the European Commission's proposal to amend VAT directive 2006/112/EC to allow member states flexibility on VAT rates for labour-intensive services. Lord Myners: The Government are generally supportive of the legislative proposal adopted by the Commission, consistent with its position of supporting the flexibility of member states to apply their own choice of VAT rates to further their domestic priorities and social objectives, provided that this does not materially affect the functioning of the internal market. Member states are currently discussing the Commission proposal, and whether any amendments should be made before it is considered by Ministers, at official level in Council working groups. The Government will take a view on the final text when it is submitted to Ministers by the presidency.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2008-10-22a

Department of Health and Social Care NHS England Baroness Manzoor: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the overall budget of NHS England, how many staff it has, and how it measures its own performance in driving the delivery of services in primary and secondary care. Lord Markham: The overall budget for NHS England in 2023/24 is £172.1 billion. NHS England publishes quarterly data on the number of staff working in National Health Service Support Organisations and Central Bodies. The latest data for June 2023 shows there are 16,328 full time equivalent staff employed by NHS England.In May 2023, NHS England published a delivery plan for primary care. Integrated care boards (ICBs) will lead the change for their local health systems as commissioners of primary care. The plan sets out how ICBs are expected to report progress, including though their public board reporting, with national and regional support being offered to any ICBs that are falling behind. A copy of the plan is attached.On elective care, the NHS published a delivery plan in January 2022 setting out a clear vision for how the NHS will recover and expand elective services over three years. This includes targets to reduce maximum waiting times, so that waits of longer than a year for elective care are eliminated by March 2025, prioritising diagnosis and treatment so that 95% of patients needing a diagnostic test will receive it within six weeks by March 2025 and transforming the way the NHS provides elective care. A copy of the plan is attached.On urgent and emergency care, performance measures include meeting the ambitions set out in our Delivery plan for recovering urgent and emergency care services, published in January 2023, including improving accident and emergency and ambulance performance to 76% of patients being admitted, transferred or discharged within four hours by March 2024, and improved ambulance response times for Category 2 incidents to 30 minutes on average over 2023 to 2024, with further improvement against both of these measures towards pre-pandemic levels in 2024 to 2025. A copy of the plan is attached.Attachment (pdf, 636.3KB)Attachment (pdf, 896.8KB)Attachment (pdf, 610.7KB) NHS: Private Sector Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government how integrated care boards assess the initial and continuing financial stability of private companies from which NHS services are commissioned, and what assessment they have made of the overall financial stability of private companies providing NHS services. Lord Markham: Integrated care boards (ICBs) assess the financial stability of companies subject to the current rules on procurement, including the Public Contract Regulations 2015. ICBs are responsible for their own due diligence and governance surrounding procurement, the award of contracts, and the assessment of suppliers for those purposes.The Department has not made a central assessment of the overall financial stability of private companies providing services to the National Health Service. NHS: Private Sector Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision by One Norwich Practices to stop providing services to the NHS, including a walk-in centre, becauseof financial problems, whether they will conduct an investigation into the board of that company and its management of services. Lord Markham: Norfolk and Waveney Integrated Care Board (ICB) and One Norwich Practices have been working constructively to identify appropriate alternative providers and develop plans to transfer services and staff. The ICB’s immediate priorities are to ensure that disruption to patient care is minimised and to protect the wellbeing of staff at One Norwich Practices. Once these immediate priorities are addressed, the ICB will be in a position to undertake its own internal review of the circumstances that may have contributed to One Norwich Practices’ insolvency.As a commissioner, the ICB is not in receipt of the financial information of its contractors, and the ICB is not responsible for the financial viability of any organisation, nor any subsequent arrangements, financial or otherwise, within a wider group of companies or partners with whom the ICB does not directly commission services. Intensive Care: Children Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the report Disagreements in the care of critically ill children published by the Department of Health and Social Care on 18 September, what changes they intend to make to the care of critically ill children and when they anticipate these will come into effect. Lord Markham: The Department is considering the recommendations made in the report and what actions can be taken to help avoid disagreements arising between the parents of critically ill children and clinicians treating them and, where this is not possible, resolve disagreements more quickly and compassionately. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Water: Standards Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to water quality, what assessment they have made of whether the replacements to the EU Water Framework Directive will result in the improved monitoring of water quality; whether they intend to create a UK specific Hazardous Watch List; and if so, whether this will consider antimicrobial resistance selection risk of chemicals in aquatic environments, as has been included in recent iterations of the EU Water Framework Directive’s Watch List. Lord Benyon: The Environment Agency (EA) has introduced a new long-term ‘river surveillance network’ monitoring programme for rivers to give a national overview of the state of England’s rivers. It does not replace the Water Framework Directive compliant monitoring which will still continue. This network is a key part of the ‘Natural Capital and Ecosystems Assessment’ which will provide a statistically robust assessment of the health of the water environment. The formalisation of a UK-wide Watchlist would be a matter for the UK and Devolved Administrations. In England the EA has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System for new substances of concern and monitors changes to the EU’s Watch List. The EA also works closely with the devolved agencies to share information and approaches to monitoring programmes for emerging chemicals of concern in the water environment, including pharmaceuticals which might contribute to Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR). Further, the UK has set out a 20-year vision for containing and controlling AMR through a One-Health approach. A cross-departmental project called Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (PATH-SAFE) was established in 2021 to understand how pathogens and AMR are spread in the environment and the agri-food system. This will inform future monitoring of the water environment and commitments within the UK National Action Plan on AMR. Antimicrobials: Drug Resistance Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the combined impacts of microplastics and antimicrobial pollutants in driving antimicrobial resistance emergence in the environment, and what steps they are taking to mitigate these impacts. Lord Benyon: Defra, the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency have a joint research programme on antimicrobial resistance in the environment. This includes examination of potential drivers of selection for antimicrobial resistance in environmental organisms. So far, this work has concentrated on the effect of antimicrobials and biocides so has not examined the additional role of microplastics, as this was not identified as likely to have a high impact and therefore be a high priority for the research. However, we continue to consider issues for further investigation as part of our ongoing research where emerging evidence suggests it is needed. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Homelessness: Rural Areas The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what processes are in place for counting and identifying instances of rural homelessness. Baroness Penn: The Government understands rural homelessness presents unique challenges which can differ from urban areas.We support local areas to put in place robust measures to identify people sleeping rough. This includes collecting monthly management information, alongside the official annual rough sleeping snapshot statistics, which support local authorities to understand better how people experience rough sleeping in their areas so they can design tailored local services.Homeless Link have been funded by DLUHC since 2010 to provide guidance to local authorities who conduct the snapshot and independently verify all local authorities’ snapshots. This includes advice about how areas should take different approaches depending on the characteristics of their area. Rough Sleeping (pdf, 4167.9KB)Support for people sleeping rough (pdf, 1166.6KB) Treasury Loans: Interest Rates Earl Attlee: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Financial Conduct Authority regularly undertakes spot checks of firms offering loans to ensure that the contract details accurately reflect the advertised annual percentage rate of the financial product. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) is responsible for regulating the consumer credit market. It is part of a robust regulatory system which is helping to deliver the government’s vision for a well-functioning and sustainable consumer credit market which meets consumers’ needs. The FCA oversees firms through its supervision strategy. In the FCA Mission – Approach to Supervision April 2019, the FCA set out that to make the best use of its resources and deliver the greatest public value, it takes a proportionate approach to supervising firms. It supervises most firms as members of a portfolio of firms that share a common business model. It analyses each portfolio and agrees a strategy to take action on firms posing the greatest harm. Firms are required by FCA rules to include a representative APR in certain circumstances. The FCA’s handbook (CONC 3.5) provides further rules and guidance on when a representative APR must be shown, how it should be denoted and the level of prominence it must be given. While not all consumers will get the advertised APR, they should be told in advance of entering into the agreement what APR they have been offered and this will be shown in the pre-contract information required to be given under the Consumer Credit Act 1974. If a customer is concerned that they may have been mis-sold a credit agreement, they may wish to consider making a formal complaint to the firm in question in the first instance. If they then feel that their complaint has not been dealt with satisfactorily, they are able to refer the matter to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) – an independent body set up to provide arbitration in such cases. Inflation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps theyare taking to maintain consistency in the recent downward trajectory of inflation. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Although recent data shows inflation has halved since it’s peak in October 2022, it remains the biggest challenge to the economy. There are three key things the government is doing to further reduce inflation:Remaining steadfast in our support for the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England as it takes action to return inflation sustainably to the 2% target.Taking difficult, but responsible fiscal decisions by resisting calls for reckless spending that would make inflation worse, reducing borrowing and introducing ambitious measures to support growth. This includes ambitious measures to help people get back into work, investing in clean, home-grown energy, and encouraging banks to pass on higher savings rates.Boosting labour supply, as labour market conditions are a key problem affecting UK businesses’ growth, as well as a significant driver of domestic inflation. Together, the packages at Autumn Statement and Spring Budget 2023 were the two largest increases to labour supply and potential GDP resulting from policy the OBR has ever scored. The IMF said in May that, in response to last year’s inflation shock, the government took “decisive and responsible” action to prioritise restoring price stability and achieve the right balance of fiscal and monetary response, while also focusing on growing the economy. The government remain committed to seeking the right balance between fiscal and monetary policy as the UK continues to navigate challenging circumstances. The OBR confirms policies at the Autumn Statement do not materially impact inflation or demand as we continue to support the MPC to return inflation to the 2% target. Cost of Living Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Autumn Statement made by the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 22 November (HC Deb cols 325–57), what assessment they have made of impact of the level of taxation on individuals struggling with the increased cost of living. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In recent years the government has taken significant action to support lower earners through the tax system. The significant increase to the NICs starting thresholds in July 2022 means that all workers can now earn £1,000 a month before paying any tax. A UK employee can earn more money before paying income tax and Social Security Contributions than an employee in any other G7 country. At Autumn Statement 2023, the Government cut the main rate of employee National Insurance by 2pp from January 2024, as well as cutting and reforming taxes for the self-employed from April 2024. As a result of above-inflation increases to thresholds since 2010, and the Autumn Statement 2023 NICs cut, an average worker in 2024-25 will pay over £1,000 less in personal taxes than they otherwise would have done. From April, a full time National Living Wage worker’s take home pay will be 30% greater in real terms than it was in 2010, due to successive increases in the National Living Wage and changes to personal tax rates and thresholds. Department for Business and Trade Trade Promotion: Uzbekistan Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government which directorate produces the list of invitees for the Uzbek–British Trade and Industry Council; and what are the criteria for selection for the invitees. Lord Offord of Garvel: The British Embassy have set up a registration site that is open to all interested parties. The event is published publicly on the GREAT website, and the Department for Business and Trade and Uzbekistan's Ministry of Investment work together to amplify and raise awareness of the event among businesses. No criteria is applied to those that wish to register and attend. Trade Promotion: Turkmenistan Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government which directorate produces the list of invitees for the Turkmenistan United Kingdom Trade and Industry Council; and what are the criteria for selection for the invitees. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Turkmen Government choose participants on their side, made up mainly of government ministries, but of late, with business representatives. On the UK side, the British Embassy in Ashgabat suggests companies that might be interested in joining, in consultation with the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and the Department for Business and Trade. Our criteria is to identify companies with an interest in exporting to the market. Trade Promotion: Kazakhstan Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government which directorate produces the list of invitees for the Kazakh–British Trade and Industry Council; and what are the criteria for selection for the invitees. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Kazakh-British Trade and Industry Council no longer exists. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Internet: Fraud Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of the risks of online scams, particularly for those with limited digital skills. Viscount Camrose: This Government is committed to protecting those who are most vulnerable to online scams.The Online Safety Act will require social media providers to take steps to safeguard their users from illegal scams and fraudulent advertising. In overseeing the framework, Ofcom must ensure that there are adequate protections for those that are most vulnerable to online harm.The legislation also expands Ofcom’s duty to promote media literacy under the 2003 Communications Act. The regulator is now required to raise the public’s awareness of how to keep themselves and others safe online. It will need to publish a strategy for achieving this, which must be updated every three years.In tandem, the Government is taking action to improve people’s media literacy more widely. In July 2021, we published the Online Media Literacy Strategy. This seeks to support the empowerment of internet users with the skills they need to make safe and informed choices online. Through the Strategy, the Government is funding multiple organisations to support the media literacy and critical thinking skills of vulnerable internet users. Ministry of Justice Residence Orders Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government how many transfers ofresidency orders have been issued by family courts in the past two years; and of those, (1) how many were issued following findings or allegations of parental alienation, and (2) how many were made in favour of a parent previously accused of child sexual abuse. Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany cases involving allegations of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a parent have been heard in private law family proceedings in the past two years; and how many findings of child sexual abuse were made in those proceedings. Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government how manycases involving allegations of parental alienation or alienating behaviours have been heard in private law family proceedings in each of the past five years; and how many findings of parental alienation or alienating behaviours were made in those proceedings. Lord Bellamy: Transfers of residency orders, incidences of findings of child sexual abuse in private law proceedings, and cases involving allegations of parental alienation or alienating behaviours are not recorded centrally. Such information could only be obtained by analysis of individual case files at disproportionate costs. Regarding the term “parental alienation”: as part of his judgment in the case of Re C, the President of the Family Division outlined that most family judges regard the label of “parental alienation”, and the idea that it “may be a diagnosable syndrome” as being “unhelpful”. He noted that instead the courts should focus on identifying any specific “alienating behaviours”.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2023-11-30

Home Office Deportation: Afghanistan Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people whose applications to stay in the UK had been refused were returned to Afghanistan in the past five years. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes data on the number of returns from the UK in each quarter in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly release’. The latest data are published in Ret_D02 of the Returns detailed tables. (See attached for information) This includes information on the number of people returned to each country. Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data relate to the year ending December 2020. Data to the end of March 2021 is due to be published on 26 August.The table below covers the period of Quarter 1 - 2017 to Quarter 1 2021 over the last five years. 2017 Q12017 Q22017 Q32017 Q42018 Q12018 Q22018 Q32018 Q42019 Q12019 Q22019 Q32019 Q42020 Q12020 Q22020 Q32020 Q42021 Q1Grand Total13905119121300512418116561045611036114451043992379004952972071495447950754565The Home Office seeks to return people who do not have any legal right to stay in the UK, which includes people who:enter, or attempt to enter, the UK illegally (including people entering clandestinely and by means of deception on entry);overstay their period of legal right to remain in the UK;breach their conditions of leave;are subject to deportation action; for example, due to a serious criminal conviction andhave been refused asylum.The published data relate to all returns, regardless of reason for return.Information on future Home Office statistical release dates can be found in the ‘Research and statistics calendar’Returns Data - DO2 (xlsx, 1582.2KB)

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2021-09-06

Cabinet Office War Memorials: Greater London Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord True on 28 April (HL7898), whether the Government Property Agency has received the list of works needed on the Royal Naval Division war memorial from Heritage England; if not, why not; and whether they have been hastened. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Remedial work has started and is ongoing. As our partners undertake remedial works, they have uncovered further defects and are continuing to carry out a full internal repair of the fountain and its pump system. Due to the location of the fountain, works were halted during the period of mourning, but have now resumed within the secure zone. Natural Disasters Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which recommendations from the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction have so far been implemented; and which they plan to implement in the future. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The UN Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (the Framework) was agreed and adopted in March 2015. Many of the principles underpinning the Framework are integral to ongoing UK work on resilience as part of integrated emergency management and the UK has a range of robust mechanisms in place for planning, responding and recovering from emergencies. The UK continues to play a leading role in the international risk reduction agenda through FCDO and the UK is committed to helping the most vulnerable anticipate and prepare for shocks and access support in disasters.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2022-10-07

Buses Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any bus routes have been withdrawn as a result of crime; and, if so, how many. Lord Adonis: The Government do not hold a record of withdrawn bus routes and so we are unable to say whether any routes have been withdrawn as a result of crime. These data will be available from the individual operator or, in some cases, the local transport authority. Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government in view of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission producing three reports on proposed rights for Northern Ireland, whether the process of considering human rights has built confidence in Northern Ireland. Lord Tunnicliffe: The UN in its 2009 Appeal for the OPTs reports that despite the removal of some obstacles to movement and access during 2008, data indicate an ever-increasing number of Israeli checkpoints in the West Bank, causing further social and economic fragmentation. We continue to lobby the Government of Israel on this issue. Somaliland Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the findings and recommendations of the European Union Democratisation Steering Committee mission which visited Somaliland in March 2009. Lord Tunnicliffe: A Democratisation Steering Committee Mission consisting of representatives from the European Commission and the Government of Sweden held meetings with the three political parties and the National Electoral Commission in February 2009. The Democratisation Steering Committee comprises all the donors to the Somaliland election process namely, the United Kingdom, the European Commission and the Governments of Denmark, Norway, Sweden and the USA. During this visit, the mission passed on messages expressing disappointment in the way that the voter registration exercise had been conducted and encouraged the political parties and National Electoral Commission to come to a political consensus on agreeing the way forward on finalising the voter list, the distribution of polling stations and the election calendar. Talks are still ongoing between the political parties and the National Electoral Commission to agree a consensual way forward on these issues. Somaliland Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they or the European Union are offering Somaliland technical or financial help to improve the reliability of their electoral register in time for the elections. Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) is providing financial and technical assistance to the Somaliland election process together with the European Commission and other donors. This assistance is channelled through the international non-governmental organisation Interpeace. It is enabling the National Electoral Commission to clean up and finalise the voter registration list by eliminating duplicate and incomplete records through the use of both fingerprint and facial recognition technology. Transport: Crime Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost of crime on public transport. Lord Adonis: The Department for Transport has commissioned research on the costs to society of crime committed on public transport in England. We will publish a summary of the research findings in due course. Zimbabwe: Refugees Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of South Africa about the situation of 4,000 Zimbabwean refugees following the closure of the Musina refugee camp; and what help they have offered. Lord Tunnicliffe: The UK Government have made no direct representations to the South African Government about the situation of Zimbabwean migrants following the closure of the Musina asylum reception centre on 2 March. A number of international organisations are providing a range of assistance, including temporary shelter and food, protection services, health and legal referral, family reunification and other integration assistance. The Department for International Development (DfID) is assisting vulnerable child migrants through our support (£930,000) to Save the Children (Save). Save has worked closely with government departments (Social Development, Home Office) at local and district level, and has advocated with national government to find ways of meeting the rights of vulnerable child migrants. This support will continue to November 2010. On 3 April 2009 the Government of South Africa announced the introduction of a special dispensation permit for Zimbabweans entering South Africa. This will allow Zimbabweans to stay in South Africa for a period of six months; it will confer on them the right to schooling or education; to work; and to access basic healthcare. It is expected that this will lessen the pressures that large numbers of Zimbabwean migrants have created, such as in Musina, and will regularise economic migrants, who have previously sought to claim political asylum.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2009-05-08a

Department for Business and Trade Companies: Registration Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government what free and fast track process is available for a householder to remove their address from the register at Companies House when that address has been used fraudulently by a company. Lord Offord of Garvel: If a person finds that their address has been used by a company without their authorisation, they should contact Companies House providing details of the address and supporting evidence. There is no charge for applying to the Registrar of Companies to remove a person’s address from the register if it has been used without consent. Companies House does not offer a fast-track process. Booker Group: Tesco The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on independent shopkeepers. The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to make an assessment of the impact of the Tesco-Booker merger on rural small businesses, such as post offices and village stores. The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the changes recently introduced by Booker on independent retailers. Lord Offord of Garvel: Investigations into mergers and anti-competitive practices are the responsibility of the Competition and Markets Authority, the UK’s independent competition regulator. I note that the CMA conducted an in-depth investigation into Tesco’s acquisition of Booker in 2017 and concluded that it did not raise competition concerns. Iron and Steel: Port Talbot Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of theamount of steel that will be able to be produced from Port Talbot following its conversion to electric arc furnaces. Lord Offord of Garvel: Tata Steel’s new Electric Arc Furnace will have a production capacity of approximately 3 million tonnes of crude steel per year. Department for Work and Pensions Pensioners: Universal Credit Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the 'Move to Universal Credit' for pensioners in receipt of tax credits in England and Wales. Viscount Younger of Leckie: No formal assessment has been made. We aim to ensure that pensioners in receipt of Tax Credits are migrated as smoothly as possible. At the point of migration, where applicable, transitional protection ensures individuals will not receive a lower Universal Credit (UC) or Pension Credit (PC) award than they received on Tax Credits. Pensioners: Universal Credit Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will provide an update on the situation for pensioners in receipt of tax credits ending in 2025 in relation to the 'Move to Universal Credit'; and what steps they will take to ensure that they will not be financially disadvantaged. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Pension Age Tax Credit customers will be asked to move to either Universal Credit or Pension Credit depending on their circumstances. We are committed to ensuring that the transition to Universal Credit or Pension Credit works as smoothly as possible for all individuals. We will bring forward legislation which ensures that pensioner households who move to Universal Credit or Pension Credit will receive Transitional Protection where applicable. Department of Health and Social Care Health Services: Private Sector Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what clinical regulation measures are in place to ensure that care and treatments provided by private medical insurers arethe most appropriate for a specific patient. Lord Markham: Private medical insurers do not provide care or treatment. However, they do purchase services from independent sector providers who are responsible for delivering healthcare. All providers of healthcare undertaking regulated activities, as defined in Schedule 1 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014, are regulated by the Care Quality Commission, and follow a set of fundamental standards of safety and quality, while the health and care regulators are responsible for regulating health and care professionals.Regulations 9 and 12 of the 2014 regulations set out the importance of person-centred care, and safe care and treatment. These regulations have the intention of ensuring that people using a service have care or treatment that is personalised specifically for them, preventing people from receiving unsafe care and treatment, and thereby precluding avoidable harm or risk of harm. Abortion: Telemedicine Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to medical practitioners dispensing telemedicine abortion pharmaceuticals to patients who are more than ten weeks pregnant. Lord Markham: Whilst no specific guidance has been issued, the 1967 Abortion Act is clear that treatment for termination of pregnancy at gestations over 10 weeks can only be performed in a National Health Service facility or a place approved for this purpose by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. HIV Infection: Plastic Surgery The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the risk of individuals contracting HIV from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures. Lord Markham: No assessment has been made of the risk of individuals contracting human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) from contaminated blood in unregulated cosmetic procedures. The Government is developing a licensing scheme for non-surgical cosmetic procedures in England. This will make it an offence for an individual to carry out non-surgical cosmetic procedures without a licence, and will require people who offer procedures to be suitably trained and qualified, hold appropriate indemnity cover, and operate from premises which meet the scheme’s standards of hygiene, infection control, and cleanliness.Following a public consultation on the scope of the scheme in 2023, the Department is working closely with stakeholders to develop detailed proposals for the licensing scheme. The scheme will complement existing legislative safeguards for certain skin piercing activities and other treatments, such as ear piercing, tattooing, acupuncture, and electrolysis. The Local Government Act 2003 and Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 give local authorities the power to register practitioners and premises, and to make and enforce byelaws. Where adopted, these byelaws protect the public by setting standards for the cleanliness and hygiene of premises, practitioners, and equipment, thereby reducing the risk of the transmission of blood-borne viruses such as HIV and hepatitis B and C. Social Media: Children Lord Lebedev: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with social media companies about protecting the mental health of under-16s, especially girls, using their platforms. Lord Markham: The Department met with TikTok and Meta in December 2022 and January 2023, to discuss the mental health of children and young people, including girls who are under 16 years old. Rare Diseases Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have any discussions with theNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) about continuing towork with the rare condition community to improve engagement and involvement in decision-making from small organisations. Lord Markham: Department officials regularly meet with colleagues in the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues. Taking into account the advice and experience of people using services, as well as their carers or advocates, alongside that of health and social care professionals, commissioners, providers, and the public, is a central principle that guides the NICE’s work.The NICE is committed to working with people who use health and social care services, their families, carers, and the public, as well as with voluntary and community sector organisations, and all of the NICE’s guidance is developed using a process that takes into account the opinions and views of the people who will be affected by them, to ensure their needs and priorities are reflected. The NICE gathers these perspectives through the membership of its committees, and through public consultations at various stages of guidance development. Stakeholders also have an opportunity to comment on the potential impact of the NICE’s guidance on health inequalities. Social Services: Finance Lord Swire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to build on the proposals in the report of Sir Andrew Dilnot’s Commission on Funding of Care and Support, Fairer Care Funding, published in July 2011. Lord Markham: As announced in the Autumn Statement 2022, we listened to the concerns of local government and made the decision to delay the rollout of charging reforms from October 2023 to October 2025. These reforms include the introduction of a cap on personal care costs, and a more generous adult social care means test. The Government has been considering what form the rollout of charging reform from October 2025 will take. Department for Education French Language: GCSE The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany pupils took French as a GCSE in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022 and (5) 2023. The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany pupils took Russian as a (1) GCSE, or (2) A-level, in (a) 2019, (b) 2020, (c) 2021, (d) 2022 and (e) 2023. Baroness Barran: The requested data can be found in the tables below.Total number of pupils entering GCSE French, German, and RussianCoverage: England (all schools)Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French 123,497124,942125,069124,707125,447German 41,54440,85937,11435,55233,570Russian 1,3531,6211,4481,9442,590(1) All schools include state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision(2) Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once. In 2021/22, with the return of the exam series, first entry rules were reintroduced for discounting. Further information can be found in the secondary accountability guidance. For more on the discounting methodology read the Discounting and Early Entry Guidance(3) Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified(4) Figures include attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years where discounting has been applied(5) In 2017, new reformed GCSEs (which use the 9-1 grade scale) were introduced into secondary school performance tables in a phased approach. Unreformed subjects continued to be graded using the A* to G system. From 2020 onwards all GCSEs are now reformed and use the 9-1 grading scale(6) For pupils at the end of KS4 in 2022/23, where pupils achieved qualifications in subjects between January 2020 and August 2021, we will not use results from these qualifications and these results are shown as covid impacted. The entries into the qualifications are still counted. Total number of pupils entering A level French, German, and RussianCoverage: EnglandAcademic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French7,3867,4087,3937,1516,308German2,7072,6512,4462,5212,119Russian693652596405621(1) Includes students triggered for inclusion in performance tables who completed A levels during 16-18 study, after discounting of exams. Includes pending awards(2) A change to the trigger rules was introduced in 2020/21 such that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study. The introduction caused a fall in cohort size, particular within the vocational and technical cohorts. A full impact analysis can be found in the methodology document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results). Children in Care: Education Lord Laming: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to improve the education of children in care. Baroness Barran: The government is committed to ensuring that looked-after children are supported to succeed in education and achieve positive outcomes. Every local authority must appoint a virtual school head (VSH), who has a statutory duty to promote the educational attainment of all children in their care. All maintained schools and academies must appoint a designated teacher to act as a source of advice and expertise about the needs of the looked-after children on the school’s roll. Looked-after children also have top priority in school admissions and attract pupil premium plus funding of £2,570 per child, up to age 16. This is managed by the VSH, who works with the child’s education setting to deliver objectives in the child’s Personal Education Plan. In February 2023, the department announced the national rollout of £24 million of pupil premium plus style funding to looked-after children and care leavers at post-16 for the next two years, from 2023/24. This funding, which builds on an initial £8 million pilot that launched in October 2021, gives VHSs the financial levers to positively impact the educational outcomes of looked-after children and care leavers in post-16 education. Education: Standards Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the proposedincrease in early years childcare provisioncould lead to a widening of the attainment gap. Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. The most recent Early Years Foundation Stage Profile results in 2022/23 found 67.2% of children had a good level of development, which is an increase of around 2 percentage points compared to the previous year. Additionally, the percentage of disadvantaged children with a good level of development had increased by 2.5 percentage points and the gap with their peers had narrowed by at least 0.5 percentage points. The department has commissioned an independent evaluation of the childcare entitlements expansion, which will explore the effects of the expansion on children’s development. Results will be made available on GOV.UK in due course. This is in addition to the existing significant programme of monitoring that includes pulse surveys with early years providers, polling with parents and annual large-scale surveys of providers and parents. The department will also continue to use the existing body of evidence from studies such as the Study of Early Education and Development and Effective Pre-school, Primary and Secondary Education to inform its work. German Language: GCSE The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many pupils took German as a GCSE in (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, (4) 2022, and (5) 2023. Baroness Barran: The requested data can be found in the tables below Total number of pupils entering GCSE French, German, and Russian Coverage: England (all schools) Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French 123,497124,942125,069124,707125,447German 41,54440,85937,11435,55233,570Russian 1,3531,6211,4481,9442,590 (1) All schools include state-funded schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools, pupil referral units and alternative provision. Alternative provision includes academy and free school alternative provision(2) Discounting has been applied where pupils have taken the same subject more than once. In 2021/22, with the return of the exam series, first entry rules were reintroduced for discounting. Further information can be found in the secondary accountability guidance. For more on the discounting methodology read the Discounting and Early Entry Guidance(3) Total number of entries include pupils who were absent, whose results are pending and results which are ungraded or unclassified(4) Figures include attempts and achievements by these pupils in previous academic years where discounting has been applied(5) In 2017, new reformed GCSEs (which use the 9-1 grade scale) were introduced into secondary school performance tables in a phased approach. Unreformed subjects continued to be graded using the A* to G system. From 2020 onwards all GCSEs are now reformed and use the 9-1 grading scale. (6) For pupils at the end of KS4 in 2022/23, where pupils achieved qualifications in subjects between January 2020 and August 2021, we will not use results from these qualifications and these results are shown as covid impacted. The entries into the qualifications are still counted. Total number of pupils entering A level French, German, and Russian Coverage: England Academic years: 2018/19 to 2022/23 2018/192019/202020/212021/222022/23French7,3867,4087,3937,1516,308German2,7072,6512,4462,5212,119Russian693652596405621 (1) Includes students triggered for inclusion in performance tables who completed A levels during 16-18 study, after discounting of exams. Includes pending awards(2) A change to the trigger rules was introduced in 2020/21 such that students were no longer automatically reported after two years in 16-18 study. The introduction caused a fall in cohort size, particular within the vocational and technical cohorts. A full impact analysis can be found in the methodology document (https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/methodology/a-level-and-other-16-to-18-results). Artificial Intelligence: Languages The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the impact of emerging artificial intelligence capacities on the necessity for foreign language learning. Baroness Barran: Studying a language can be extremely rewarding and exciting for children and young people. It can provide insight into other cultures and open the door to travel and employment opportunities. Whilst Artificial Intelligence (AI) can be useful in enhancing the experience of learning a language, and this should be explored further, it should not be seen as a replacement. The department wants to capitalise on the opportunities technology like AI presents for education, as well as addressing its risks and challenges. Responses to the call for evidence on generative AI in education highlighted the potential for this technology in generating language exercises and conversational prompts, for example. Language learning was one of the use cases tested as part of the department's Generative AI Hackathon project. The report of this project is due to be published shortly. The most important thing for a high-quality education is having a human expert teacher in the classroom. The emergence of this technology does not change that. Relationships and Sex Education: Sex Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with local authorities about the appropriateness of teaching materials indicating to children that someone can be (1) male, (2) female, (3) intersex, or (4) "another sex". Baroness Barran: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education was concerned to hear reports of inappropriate materials being used in schools and that contested topics are being taught as fact. This is why the department brought forward the first review of the RSHE statutory guidance, including appointing an independent panel to provide expert advice on what is appropriate to be taught in RSHE and at what age. Details on this panel and their role can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/relationships-health-and-sex-education-independent-review. Transparency is also important, and parents should be able to see what their children are being taught. The Secretary of State has twice written to schools to remind them that copyright law does not prevent them sharing external resources with parents and to clarify that any contractual clause that prevents schools from sharing materials is void and unenforceable. The department will ensure that the updated guidance fully reflects this very clear position. The Secretary of State’s letters to schools about sharing curriculum resources with parents can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/secretary-of-state-letter-to-schools-about-sharing-curriculum-resources-with-parents. A draft of the amended guidance will be published for consultation as soon as possible. Education: Standards Lord Hampton: To ask His Majesty's Government, given the finding byAction for Children in its report, Above and Beyond: How teachers fill gaps in the system to keep children learning, that teachers are supporting 3.3 million children who face barriers to their education because of issues outside of school,what plans they have to make schoolsthe fourth statutory safeguarding partner. Baroness Barran: The government recognises that education needs to play a greater role in local safeguarding arrangements. This reflects the part schools, colleges, early years and other education settings play in the lives of children and families, and their safeguarding responsibilities. In 2023, the department consulted on and strengthened its statutory guidance, titled ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children’, which clarified the roles and responsibilities of education settings, both strategically and operationally, in local safeguarding arrangements. As outlined in ‘Stable Homes, Built on Love’, the department is exploring how it can increase the role of education in multi-agency safeguarding arrangements. Turing Scheme The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government how many students applied to take part in the Turing Scheme in (1) 2021–22, (2) 2022–23, (3) 2023–24 and (4) 2024–25. Baroness Barran: Students cannot apply directly to the Turing Scheme. Education providers and other eligible organisations can apply to the scheme for funding towards the costs of their students’ international study and work placements. These organisations are responsible for planning placements on behalf of their students. This includes recruiting students and disbursing Turing Scheme funding to them.However, 21,353 pupils, learners, and students participated in international work and education placements in the 2021/22 academic year through the Turing Scheme. The scheme provided funding for 38,374 placements during the 2022/23 academic year, but the actual number of participants is not yet known. The department expects to publish data for the 2022/23 academic year this autumn.For the current academic year (2023/24) the Turing Scheme is providing funding for 41,175 pupils, learners and students across the UK. Final data will not be available until after the academic year ends on 31 August 2024 following the submission of providers’ final reports.No data is available for the 2024/25 academic year as applications from providers are currently being assessed. The department will inform providers about the outcome of their applications in June 2024 and will announce results publicly shortly thereafter. Music: Education Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the opportunities for children to learn to play a musical instrumentwhile at school. Baroness Barran: The government has a long standing commitment to ensure that high quality music education is not the preserve of the wealthy, but the entitlement of every single child, and that this is reflected in the government’s refreshed National plan for music education, which was published in 2022. This plan sets out the department’s strategy up to 2030 and its vision to enable all children and young people to learn to sing, play an instrument and create music together, as well as to have the opportunity to progress their musical interests and talents, including professionally. As part of the plan, schools are expected to teach music for at least one hour a week from Key Stages 1 to 3, to provide access to singing and instrument lessons and to offer a range of music experiences, such as music events and trips to professional concerts. The network of Music Hubs has a vital role to play in supporting schools to deliver this. Working together, schools and Music Hubs can ensure children have access to all the benefits of a wider musical education through instrumental lessons, loans and ensembles, as well as offering clear and affordable progression routes and continuing professional development to teachers around music. The government values the many achievements that the existing Music Hub network has made since 2012, including the work they now do with around 90% of all schools. This is why the department has invested around £380 million of funding in Music Hubs between 2016 and 2021 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high quality music education. Since 2021, the department has continued to provide £79 million a year for Music Hubs, on average around 40% of their income, with the remaining funding coming mainly from parents and schools. Further to this, as part of the plan published in 2022, the government announced a £25 million capital fund for musical instruments, which will be distributed across all Music Hubs from September 2024. This will allow schools and Music Hubs to continue to work together to ensure more children and young people have access to musical instruments, as well as access to a high quality music education and to develop their musical interests and potential. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office AUKUS Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions theForeign Secretary has had with the Ministry of Defence regarding future expansion of Pillar II of the AUKUS agreement. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign and Defence Secretaries regularly discuss AUKUS. For example, they did so during their joint visit to Australia in March ahead of the announcement on 8 April that AUKUS partners will undertake consultations in 2024 with others regarding engagement in individual Pillar II (advanced military capabilities) projects, including actively considering collaboration with Japan. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Ministers Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office are taking to ensure transparency in relation to ministerial recusals. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Under the terms of the Ministerial Code, Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises, or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their ministerial position and their private interests, financial or otherwise.There is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Interests judged, by the Independent Adviser on Ministers' Interests, to be relevant to a ministerial role are published in the List of Ministers' Interests, which is available on GOV.UK.As set out in the Ministerial Code, it is the personal responsibility of each Minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict, taking account of advice received from their Permanent Secretary and the Independent Adviser on Ministers' interests. Colombia: War Crimes Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Colombia about reparations for victims of sexual and gender-based violence during the armed conflict. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Colombia is a Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative (PSVI) and Women, Peace and Security National Action Plan focus country. Colombia is current chair of the UK-founded International Alliance on PSVI, a key forum for coordinating global action on conflict-related sexual violence. The UK contributed to the opening of a landmark case to address sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) from the armed conflict in the Special Jurisdiction for Peace (SJP), the authoritative transitional justice body providing reparations to SGBV victims. We continue to support this work, as well as assistance to victims and survivors seeking access to justice. Vladimir Kara-Murza The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty's Government what information they hold on Vladimir Kara-Murza, held in prison in Russia, and the state of his health. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government has consistently condemned the politically motivated conviction of Vladimir Kara-Murza and called for his release. The conditions in the Omsk penal colony are threatening Mr Kara-Murza's life and his health is deteriorating. He must be released on humanitarian grounds for urgent medical treatment.We continue to seek consular access to Mr Kara-Murza. Russia has repeatedly denied this, not recognising dual nationals as being in scope of our agreement on consular relations. Officials in London and Moscow continue to raise concerns for Mr Kara-Murza's health with the Russians. Mr Kara-Murza's family receive consular support. Freedom of Information Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have takenin response to the issuing of practice recommendations to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office bythe Information Commissioner’s Office, following its assessment that the information request handling processes of that department "donot conform to parts 1, 4 and 5 of the section 45 Freedom of Information Code of Practice". Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO takes its responsibilities under the Freedom of Information Act very seriously and will continue to strive to answer Freedom of Information (FOI) requests within the required timescales.We welcome the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) Practice Recommendations and have agreed to publish a full response by the 31 May 2024 as requested. We are considering all of their recommendations and are constructing a detailed implementation plan to improve our timeliness. Cabinet Office Ministers: Conflict of Interests Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey will publish the guidance provided to Ministers on recusing themselves from decision making; and what plans they have, if any, to review that guidance. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: As set out in the Ministerial Code, there is an established regime in place for the declaration and management of interests held by ministers. This ensures that steps are taken to avoid or mitigate any potential or perceived conflicts of interest. Under the terms of the Ministerial Code Ministers must ensure that no conflict arises or could reasonably be perceived to arise, between their ministerial position and their private interests, financial or otherwise. The Ministerial Code is the responsibility of the Prime Minister. There are no current plans to update the Ministerial interests’ provisions in the Code.Chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code provides detail on the procedure ministers must follow regarding their private interests. In particular it states, “it is the personal responsibility of each Minister to decide whether and what action is needed to avoid a conflict or the perception of a conflict”.More information about the process by which ministerial interests are managed is available in the Annual Report of the Independent Adviser on Ministers’ Interests and the List of Ministers Interests. These are available on GOV.UK. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Agricultural Products and Food: Import Controls Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that (1) border infrastructure is fully prepared, and (2) there are sufficient staff in place, to handle the increased controls on food and agricultural products starting from 30 April. Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government has worked with port and airport operators, traders, Port Health Authorities and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to make sure we have the right infrastructure, systems and resources in place. This has culminated in recent months with an extensive period of operational testing. Collaborating with several ports, Port Health Authorities, APHA and traders, we have used these tests to identify and resolve any remaining operational issues. We are confident that Border Control Posts infrastructure has sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of checks expected under the Border Target Operating Model. We are confident our systems are robust, dynamic, and effective, and we are confident inspection authorities are appropriately staffed and trained. Food: Import Controls Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the new border import controls being introduced on 30 April will impact food safety standards between the UK and EU; and if so, how. Lord Douglas-Miller: The Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) introduces proportionate controls that will protect the agri-food sector and public health. The implementation of controls on EU goods does not change the safety standards of imported food. It has reduced the risk of plant and animal pests and diseases reaching GB and potentially causing significant disruption to domestic production, as well as assuring the safety of all imported food. The UK’s agri-food exports depend on our reputation for high regulatory standards, and the BTOM will provide our export markets with assurance that we are taking appropriate steps to protect our biosecurity, so that our exports will not present an increased risk to our trade partners’ biosecurity. Treasury Debt Collection The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to regulate identity tracing agencies in relation to the recovery of debt. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government wants to see fair treatment of individuals in problem debt, and there is a range of work underway across government and regulators to promote responsible practices for debt recovery. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulates the collection of debt by lenders and certain debt collection agencies arising under credit agreements, consumer hire agreements and peer-to-peer loans. The FCA sets clear expectations for firms undertaking the collection of these debts, including the expectation for firms to establish the correct identity, where this is disputed. On 18 March 2024 the UK Regulators Network (UKRN), including the FCA, Ofgem, Ofwat and Ofcom, published joint guidance which sets out their expectations for firms’ debt collection practices across their respective sectors. This is to ensure that firms support customers in debt and that firms’ collection practices are not causing harm to customers. Public Sector Debt Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce public sector debt from its current level of 98.3 per cent of GDP. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The government is committed to sustainable public finances and reducing debt, while cutting taxes and boosting economic growth. This will involve managing public spending responsibly and increasing productivity through the Public Sector Productivity Programme, while maintaining high-quality public services. The government’s fiscal mandate is for Public Sector Net Debt excluding the Bank of England to fall as a percentage of GDP by the fifth year of the rolling forecast. In March, the independent Office for Budget Responsibility confirmed the government is on track to meet this rule, with debt falling from 93.2% (2027-28) to 92.9% (2028-29). Public sector net debt (“headline debt”) is also forecast to fall from 98.3% of GDP this year, to 94.3% in 2028-29. Mortgages: Interest Rates Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the extension of long-term fixed-rate mortgage options to borrowers. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The pricing and availability of mortgages is a commercial decision for lenders in which the Government does not intervene. However, lenders in the UK already do offer this type of mortgage product, and those looking to take out a long-term fixed rate mortgage are encouraged to shop around and speak to a broker to find the best possible product for them. Police and Crime Commissioners: Security Lord Wasserman: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherHis Majesty’s Revenue and Customs have issued any guidance to Police and Crime Commissioners concerning the taxation of their home security. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs cannot comment on the guidance issued to taxpayers on individual cases, including to Police and Crime Commissioners on the taxation of their home security. Small Businesses: Taxation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of HMRC's reported customer service issues on tax compliance among small businesses; and what steps they are taking to mitigate this impact. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Small businesses play a vital role in the UK economy. The majority want to meet their obligations and pay their fair share of tax, but many struggle to understand tax rules, lack confidence and find the process of complying burdensome. In response, HMRC is investing in approaches to help support including simplifying guidance whilst Making Tax Digital for VAT and data analytics have helped reduce errors. HMRC is also targeting investigations at those who bend or break the rules to help create a level playing field for the honest majority. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Digital Technology: Training Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of the population they estimate will be digitally literate by 2030. Viscount Camrose: This Government has been clear that ensuring that no one is left behind in the digital age is a key priority. The 2023 Consumer Digital Index found that 92% of UK adults have the ‘Essential Digital Skills for Life’.The National Curriculum subject of computing ensures that pupils become digitally literate so that they are able to use, express themselves and develop their ideas through information and communication technology, at a level suitable for the future workplace and as active participants in a digital world. Computing is compulsory in all Local Authority maintained schools across Key Stages 1 to 4.Media literacy is also included in the citizenship curriculum which is compulsory for all maintained secondary schools. Furthermore, under our ambitious Online Media Literacy Strategy, we have provided almost £2.5million in grant funding for projects designed to build the media literacy and critical thinking skills for users of all ages.The government has also introduced a digital skills entitlement in August 2020 for adults with no or low digital skills to undertake specified digital qualifications, up to Level 1, free of charge. Such qualifications enable people to gain the skills needed to participate in modern life, access further study, and find and progress in work. Broadband: Social Tariffs Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for reviewing the social tariff for broadband subscriptions, given Ofcom’s report of the low update of the current scheme. Viscount Camrose: The Government continues to work closely with Ofcom on the affordability of telecoms services, including social tariffs. In December, Ofcom’s Pricing Trends report, showed that 380,000 UK households now take up a social tariff, an almost 160% increase from the previous September, but just 8.3% of the total number of eligible households. The Government accepts that more is needed to ensure that low-income households are aware of social tariffs as well as other support that is available. However, it is also important to recognise that social tariffs may not be suitable for every household on Universal Credit, and commercial bundled packages - offering TV, broadband, landline and mobile services - may represent overall better value for money. The Government and Ofcom continue to press operators to do more to raise awareness of social tariffs to their customers, with the regulator recently publishing research into the barriers to communicating offers to eligible households. Digital Technology: Disadvantaged Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to update the Digital skills and inclusion policy published on 5 April 2017, and when they plan to publish an updated version. Viscount Camrose: The 2022 Digital Strategy outlined work across Government to promote digital inclusion and digital skills. HMG is investing £3.8bn in skills in England by 2024-25 and recently quadrupled the scale of Skills Bootcamps. Additionally, the Digital Skills Entitlement offers free basic digital skills training to adults in England. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology is responsible for coordinating cross-Government digital inclusion policy. Digital inclusion is a cross-cutting issue and responsibility for relevant policies, including monitoring and evaluation, sit within individual government departments. Artificial Intelligence: Safety Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government how the AI Safety Institute, launched in November 2023, will report its findings, risk analysis and recommendations to Parliament. Viscount Camrose: The Institute reports directly to the Secretary of State for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology, who will provide updates to Parliament in the usual way. The AI Safety Institute will publish, and make available to Parliament, its findings where it is appropriate to do so, given consideration on proprietary, sensitive, or national security-related information. Ministry of Defence Defence: Finance Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of GDP will be spent on defence in each financial year between now and 2030. The Earl of Minto: As detailed in Annex A of the Government’s publication “Defending Britain: leading in a more dangerous world”, the UK’s qualifying defence spend as a percentage of GDP up to 2030-31 is below. 2024-252025-262026-272027-282028-292029-302030-31% of GDP2.322.352.382.412.442.472.5 Wales Office Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales Baroness Smith of Llanfaes: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Welsh Government on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales. Lord Harlech: The UK Government has had no discussions with the Welsh Government on the implementation of the recommendations of the Independent Commission on the Constitutional Future of Wales.The Commission was established by and reported to the Welsh Government. The Counsel General shared an update on the Welsh Government's consideration of the Commission’s final report with the Inter-Ministerial Standing Committee in March.UK Government Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Ministers on a wide range of issues. Many such discussions focus on our joint work to support economic growth and jobs in Wales, including through delivering Freeports, Investment Zones and City and Growth Deals. Department for Transport Railways: Strikes Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effect on the economy of industrial action on Network Rail. Lord Davies of Gower: Strikes by RMT among their members at Network Rail in 2022/23 typically resulted in average industry-wide service levels of around 20%. These strikes have resulted in direct impacts on rail industry revenue and on the wider economy, for example due to people being unable to attend work. Given the move to flexible working post-pandemic, the impact of strikes on the economy is far lower, albeit the hospitality sector experiences particular impacts as set out by HospitalityUK.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-05-09

Agriculture: Terrorist Threat Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the light of the current foot and mouth outbreak, what is their evaluation of the vulnerability of agriculture to agro-biological warfare; and what arrangements are they making in their defence policy to deal with any such vulnerability. Baroness Hayman: Her Majesty's Government are alert to the potential threat to the UK of all forms of chemical and biological warfare. Contingency plans are maintained to minimise the consequences in the event of an attack. The most effective defence against the terrorist threat is good intelligence, efficient procedures to contol the entry of people and materials into the UK, and the means to respond effectively to incidents. This threat is being considered by an interdepartmental group led by the Home Office and including the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and the Ministry of Defence with a remit to establish the vulnerabilities, threats and risk to the UK as a whole. Planning assumptions will be reconsidered in the light of the results of these considerations. Brain Tissue Transplant Treatment for Parkinson's Disease The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many patients with Parkinson's disease were treated by the late Professor Edward Hitchcock of the Midlands Centre for neurosurgery and neurology, Birmingham, by transplanting foetal tissue into the brain. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Professor Hitchcock performed 55 brain tissue transplant procedures on patients with Parkinson's disease whilst at the Midland Centre for Neurosurgery and Neurology prior to its amalgamation into the University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust early in 1996. Brain Tissue Transplant Treatment for Parkinson's Disease The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the origin of the foetal tissue used in experimental operations on Parkinson's disease by Professor Edward Hitchcock; and whether the biological parents of the foetus were made aware of its use. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The foetal tissue used in experimental operations on Parkinson's disease by Professor Hitchcock was obtained from aborted foetuses. Consent was obtained from the biological mothers. Brain Tissue Transplant Treatment for Parkinson's Disease The Duke of Montrose: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessement has been made of the efficacy of the use of foetal tissue or stem cell tissue transplantation in the treatment of Parkinson's disease or Huntington's chorea; and at what hospitals or institutes this technique has so far been practised; and What evidence there is that the use of embryonic stem cell tissue may be more efficacious in the treatment of Parkinson's disease than the transplant of foetal tissue. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Chief Medical Officer's Report, Stem cell research: Medical progress with responsibility, published last year, considered the potential of embryonic stem cells as a source of new tissues for the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease. Such research is at a very early stage and it may be several years before therapeutic benefits are available. The Government are not aware of any hospital or institute currently involved in research using embryonic stem cell tissue in the treatment of Parkinson's disease and Huntington's disease in the United Kingdom. Wythenshawe Hospital Heart Transplant Unit Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will respond to the letter from Professor David Harnden (a copy of which was sent by Lord Morris of Manchester to Lord Hunt of Kings Heath) about the future of the Wythenshawe Hospital Transplant Centre; and whether they will place their response in the Library of the House. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We will respond to the letter from Professor David Harnden. The substance of the reply is on record. (Adjournment Debate in another place, Official Report, 27 March 2001, cols. 229WH-236WH). Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists: Ministerial Meeting Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What response there has been from the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists to the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath's indication, during the Committee stage of the Health and Social Care Bill on 15 March, that he would be happy to meet representatives of the society to discuss issues associated with the Feet First report; and whether they expect the meeting to take place soon. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have agreed to meet the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists and we are awaiting their response. Nigerian State Funds: Requests to Freeze Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, following the explanation given to them by the Nigerian authorities of the limited scope of Decree 53 of 1999, which concerns only the forfeiture of assets of certain persons in relation to the Ajaokuta claims, they are now in a position to help the Nigerian Government to freeze bank accounts controlled by the Abacha family and their associates. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Her Majesty's Government confirm that they received on 21 March 2001 a response from lawyers acting on behalf of the Government of Nigeria to the queries raised by them in September 2000. These are now being considered by Counsel acting on behalf of the Secretary of State, who will advise the Secretary of State in due course. Her Majesty's Government remain anxious to assist the Government of Nigeria and welcome the responses now received. They emphasise however that any action they take must be in accordance with United Kingdom domestic law in relation to such assistance. European Union Common Policies and Departmental Responsibilities Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will list those departments of state whose policies are not subject to common policies adopted by the European Union. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: All government departments have responsibility for some policy areas which are covered by common policies adopted by the European Union. Israeli Blockades in West Bank and Gaza Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they and their European Union partners are discussing the blockades in the West Bank and Gaza, and in particular the cutting off of roads to Bir Zeit University, with the Government of Israel; if so, with what result; and whether they consider that the blockades constitute violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and of other bilateral agreements. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We regularly discuss the situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories with our European Union partners. These discussions often focus on the Israeli policy of closures and the serious concerns we have about this policy on political, legal and humanitarian grounds. The Stockholm European Council reaffirmed the EU's position that Israel must lift the closures. It is hard to justify the closures purely on security grounds, as Israel has argued. The closures radicalise the Palestinian population and fuel violence in the Occupied Territories. They cannot, therefore, achieve their stated purpose. The internal closures are also imposed as a collective punishment. Both Prime Minister Sharon and Foreign Minister Peres have made clear that closures will be lifted in areas where there is no violence and strictly imposed where violence continues. The external restrictions, especially on the import of building materials and the export of agricultural products, would also seem to have no relevance to the maintenance of security. Collective punishments are prohibited under the Fourth Geneva Convention. We have called upon Israel to abide scrupulously by its legal obligations and responsibilities under the Fourth Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War of 12 August 1949. European Security and Defence Policy: NATO Access Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale on 19 March (WA 121), what is the difference between "guaranteed access" and the "presumption of availability" in respect of NATO assets; and whether they will list those NATO "capabilities and common assets" to which reference is made in the Answer. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Guaranteed access to NATO's planning capabilities means that the EU will have guaranteed permanent access to NATO's planning capacities without case-by-case NATO authorisation. Presumption of availability in respect of other NATO assets and common capabilities means that NATO will in principle be ready to provide such support, but will decide case-by-case on the release of assets for an EU-led operation. A list of the relevant capabilities and common assets has not yet been drawn up. European Human Rights Convention, Protocol 7: Ratification Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they intend to ratify Protocol 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government intend to ratify Protocol 7 when legislation revoking four family law rules has been passed. We await a suitable legislative opportunity. Diplomatic Passports Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many diplomatic passports have been issued in the last 12 months; and which countries the individuals to whom they have been issued represent. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: 1,891 British diplomatic passports have been issued in the last 12 months to representatives of Her Majesty's Government serving at British diplomatic missions overseas and their dependants. Diplomatic Passports Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: What meetings have taken place in the last 12 months between the Baroness Scotland of Asthal and Mr Keith Vaz MP concerning passports, and in particular diplomatic passport applications. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: None. Diplomatic Passports Baroness Seccombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the names of foreign nationals who have been granted diplomatic passports in the last 12 months. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: No foreign nationals have been granted British diplomatic passports: only British nationals are entitled to carry such passports. Telecommunications Sector: Third Generation Problems The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the light of recent reports of meetings between the Department of Trade and Industry and companies in the telecommunications sector to discuss difficulties associated with 3G (third Generation), how they intend to respond to the proposed European Commission initiative in this area. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: DTI officials meet regularly with all telecommunications companies, and discuss a wide range of technical and regulatory issues. The Government are always prepared to discuss issues of commercial and regulatory interest with the operators. The Commission Communication proposes three broad areas for discussion with member states and operators: (a) Getting the future regulatory framework right. This refers directly back to the ongoing negotiations under the 1999 communications review; (b) Deploying R&D and the eEurope programmes in support of 3G sevices; (c) Facilitating deployment of 3G networks under current legislation. Where the Commission comes forward with specific proposals, we will obviously discuss them with the Commission, other member states and industry. In the meantime, of course we have shared the Communication with companies in the sector, giving them every opportunity to give us their comments directly. Telecommunications Sector: Third Generation Problems The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: What the budgetary implications for the Treasury are in the event that the European Commission suggestion that payment for 3G (Third Generation) licences should be deferred is adopted. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The five operators who won 3G licences in the UK auction have all paid in full for their licences. The Commission's proposal is therefore not relevant to the UK. Partners in Innovation: Research Funding Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: (a) How many applications were received in 2000 for funding from the Partners in Innovation scheme, funded by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions to promote sustainable construction; (b) how many were successful; and (c) who were the successful applicants. Lord Whitty: My department initially sought first stage outline proposals and received 733 of these. Two hundred and fifty-nine were taken forward to the second stage, for which full proposals were required. Following the second stage appraisals, 115 proposals were successful in securing funding under the scheme. The Partners in Innovation prospectus made it clear that all research proposals should be able to demonstrate relevance to one or more of the key economic, social and environmental policy aims of sustainable construction. The successful applicants for Partners in Innovation 2000 funding (number of projects in brackets) were: ABS Consulting (1) Battle McCarthy (1) Bio Regional Development Group (1) British Council for Offices (1) Building Cost Information Service Ltd (2) Building Research Establishment (17) Building Services Research and Information Association (7) Cambridge Architectural Research Ltd (1) Centre for Window and Cladding Technology (1) CERAM Building Technology (1) Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (2) Chiltern International Fire (3) Co-Construct (2) Confederation of Construction Clients (1) Construction Industry Computing Association (2) Construction Industry Council (2) Construction Industry Research and Information Association (16) Construction Products Association (1) Construction Project Information Committee (1) Corus, Swinden Technology Centre (1) David Bartholomew Associates (1) Design & Build Foundation (1) ECD Energy and Environment Ltd (1) Energy for Sustainable Development (ESD) Ltd (1) ENSR (1) European Construction Institute (2) Gaia Architects (2) Glass and Glazing Federation (2) Greenfile Developments Ltd (1) HR Wallingford Group Ltd (6) Kingston University (1) Leeds Metropolitan University (1) Lovell Partnerships Ltd (1) Mortar Industry Association (1) Movement for Innovation (1) NBA Tectonics Ltd (1) Oscar Faber Group Ltd (3) The Palmer Partnership (1) Stanger Science and Environment (2) Steel Construction Institute (3) TRADA Technology Limited (7) Trend 2000 Ltd (1) University of Dundee (4) University of Luton (1) University of Northumbria (1) University of Strathclyde (1) University of Ulster (1) University of West England (1) Waste Management & Technology Centre (1) Social Housing Provision in Small Settlements Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many units of housing were provided by registered social landlords and/or local authorities in settlements of under 3,000 people in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. Lord Whitty: Registered social landlords provided 1,058 new units through the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme, and local authorities provided 489 new units through the Local Authority Social Housing Grant programme, in settlements of under 3,000 people in 1999-2000. I will write to the noble Baroness when the figures for 2000-01 are available. Tourist Attraction Admissions and Sales: VAT Lord Rotherwick: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the light of the foot-and-mouth crisis, whether they are considering a VAT reduction from 17.5 per cent to 5 per cent on admissions and sales at tourist attractions to help these businesses avoid bankruptcy. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government have no current plans to reduce VAT on admissions and sales at tourist attractions. Special Educational Needs Children: Support Funding Lord Northbourne: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the total cost and the average cost per child of providing support for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools, broken down by type of disability and need and by category of expenditure (capital costs/recurrent costs including additional staffing) in each of the next five years; and What proportion of the cost of special support services for children with special educational needs and disabilities in mainstream schools during each of the next five years will be borne by: (a) central government; (b) local education authorities (or local authorities); (c) the schools themselves out of existing budgets; (d) fees and charges paid by the parents of the children concerned; and (e) charitable donations raised by the school. Baroness Blackstone: The department's funding estimates do not distinguish between different types of pupil. It is for LEAs to allocate resources between schools with regard to local needs and circumstances. In the current year more than £22 billion is available for the education of school children, including children with special educational needs. Over £1 billion of this is used by LEAs to provide additional support for children with special educational needs. When allocating budgets to schools in 2000-01, LEAs also identified over £1.7 billion as notionally allocated towards special educational needs. However, it is for schools to decide exactly how they spend this funding taking account of their statutory duties towards children with special educational needs. Our plans allow for a real terms increase in overall education funding per pupil of nearly £750 by 2003-04 compared to 1997-98. This includes the 20 per cent of all pupils who have special educational needs, the overwhelming majority of whom are educated in mainstream schools. We are, however, also committed to a buoyant and vibrant specialist sector, which is demonstrated by the increased funding for pupils at special schools. Under this Government there has been an increase of 20 per cent in real terms funding per special school pupil between 1997-98 and 2000-01. Total capital spending on schools, including PFI credits, will be £8.5 billion for the period 2001-02 to 2003-04. This will add to the £5.4 billion invested since 1997. Capital spending includes the Schools Access Initiative, for which we have already announced £220 million funding over the next three years. This will improve access to mainstream schools for disabled children. We have also made £82 million of supported expenditure available for special educational needs in next year's Standards Fund (2001-02). This compares to £55 million this year. The fund can be used for a range of activities, including training for staff in special educational needs, improvements in speech and language therapy provision for children with communication difficulties, the provision of information and advice to parents, and the greater inclusion of children with SEN in the mainstream. As regards support services for children with SEN and disabilities in mainstream schools, these are not directly funded by central government. Funding for schools is allocated and distributed via Education Standard Spending to local education authorities (LEAs), which together with schools, have a duty to ensure appropriate provision for all children in their area, including those with special educational needs. It is for them to decide upon the provision of special support services, taking due account of local circumstances. In our policy paper, The Role of the Local Education Authority in School Education, issued last October, we made clear that there are a number of essential LEA functions which cannot and should not be discharged by schools. Examples of this include running high quality educational psychology and support teaching services and developing close inter-agency partnerships with health and social services. The relative amounts spent by schools and LEAs on SEN vary, reflecting different levels of delegated funding.

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lordswrans2001-04-04a

Academy for Healthcare Science Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much government funding the Academy for Healthcare Science (1) received in each of the past two years, and (2) will receive in each of the next three years. Earl Howe: In each of the past two years, the Academy for Healthcare Science has received funding from the multi professional education and training (MPET) budget as follows: 2010-11- £200,000; 2011-12-£250,000; andfor 2012-13 it will receive £100,000 departmental programme funding and a further £350,000 MPET funding. This funding is set against a number of programmes and projects that the academy is delivering for the system. Future funding to support the work of the academy is the subject of ongoing discussions. Armed Forces: Aircraft Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 25 June (WA 2), whether the Commando Helicopter Forces and other Royal Navy units were working to "4 in 20" if the separation was for operational reasons. Lord Astor of Hever: Harmony is defined differently by each service. For the Naval Service, this is 660 days separated service over a rolling three year period. This also applies to Commando Helicopter Force (managed by Joint Helicopter Command (JHC)). However, it is the intent of JHC that units do not deploy for more than one period in every five. Armed Forces: Redundancy Lord Craig of Radley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, when selecting personnel of the Armed Forces for compulsory redundancy, what consideration was given to the proximity of their immediate pension point. Lord Astor of Hever: When selecting personnel of the Armed Forces for compulsory redundancy no consideration was given to the proximity of the immediate pension point. As we reduce the size of the Armed Forces, our priority is to ensure that the services maintain the correct balance of those skills and experience, across the rank structures, which are required to deliver operational capability now and in the future, and it is this which has determined the redundancy fields. The Armed Forces redundancy schemes pay significantly larger tax free redundancy compensation lump sums to those who narrowly miss out on immediate incomes. Any pension rights that have been earned will also be preserved, meaning that an index linked pension and further tax-free lump sum become payable at age 60 or 65, depending on pension scheme. Whereas the majority of other ranks normally have to serve for 22 years before receiving an immediate income, the Armed Forces redundancy schemes reduce this requirement to 18 years. This is a concession of four years, which will enable many redundees to receive an immediate income for which they would otherwise not have qualified. Contraception Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of restrictions in access to contraception services in England; and how they will ensure that women of all ages in England are able to access a choice of contraception. Earl Howe: Government recognise that easy access to the full range of contraception provision is an important part of health care, helping people to make informed decisions about how to avoid unintended pregnancy and plan their families. Current legislation requires primary care trusts (PCTs) to provide open-access contraception services for all people in their local areas, and to provide reasonable access to all methods of contraception. It is for PCTs, with their knowledge of local need, to determine how they can best fulfil these legislative requirements. From 1 April 2013, local authorities will, through secondary legislation, be mandated to commission comprehensive, open access contraception advice and services, and confidential open-access testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, similar to those currently commissioned by PCTs. The Government will be publishing their sexual health policy document later this year which will set out the evidence base for how all sexual health provision can be improved. Creative Industries: Loans Lord Cotter: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of small and medium-sized enterprises in the creative industries they envisage will access finance under the economic stimulus package announced on 15 June. Lord Sassoon: The Bank of England and the Treasury are working together on the design of the scheme. Further details will be released in the coming weeks, but the scheme is not intended to be targeted at particular sectors of the UK non-financial economy. Egypt Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to make representations to the Government of Egypt concerning (1) the freedom of worship of the Coptic community, and (2) the welfare and civil rights of the Copts. Lord Howell of Guildford: In his letter of congratulations of 24 June 2012 to the President-elect of Egypt, Dr Mohammed Morsi, the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) highlighted the importance of national reconciliation and protection of human rights. In his statement of the same date the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) stated the importance for the new Egyptian Government of upholding human rights, including the rights of religious minorities. Ministers have raised the issue of sectarian violence in Egypt on a number of occasions with the Egyptian authorities. We have urged them to revisit policies which discriminate on the basis of religion, establish the conditions for pluralist and non-sectarian politics, and enshrine the freedom of religion for all faiths in the new constitution and in law. As transition continues in Egypt under Dr Morsi's presidency, we will continue to monitor the Government's approach towards all aspects of human rights, including those of religious minorities. Exports Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy towards export substitution in the United Kingdom economy. Baroness Wilcox: The UK is a strong supporter of free trade and investment. We have a very effective policy of promoting UK exports including through the work of UK Trade and Investment (UKTI), which provides information and advice to businesses about trading internationally and investing in the UK. Further detail on our strategy for securing the benefits of trade is set out in the trade and investment White Paper which can be viewed at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/international-trade-investment-and-development/docs/t/11-717-trade-investment-for-growth.pdf Extradition Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the United Kingdom's extradition laws and agreements. Lord Henley: On 8 September 2010, my right honourable friend the Home Secretary announced there was to be an independent review of the UK's extradition arrangements. This review was chaired by Sir Scott Baker. The review panel published their report on 18 October 2011. The review made a number of recommendations which the Home Secretary is currently considering. The Government will announce what action they will take in response to the review once the Home Secretary has completed her deliberations. Gambia Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific issues were raised by the European Union delegates at the eleventh Article 8 political dialogue session between The Gambia and the European Union on 6 June; and what responses were given by the Gambian delegates to each of the issues raised. Lord Howell of Guildford: Article 8 discussions with the Gambian Government cover a number of economic and developmental matters as well as a broad range of human rights issues. At the request of the Gambian Government, discussion is regarded as confidential between the two parties. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what actions they are considering to assist in bringing an end to the Gaza blockade, in line with their commitment to human rights and international law. Lord Howell of Guildford: In close co-ordination with our European Union (EU) partners and the office of the quartet representative, the UK regularly makes representations at both ministerial and official level to the Government of Israel on the urgent need to ease restrictions on Gaza. We are clear that Israeli restrictions on movements of goods and people do serious damage to the economy and living standards of ordinary people in Gaza. The current situation fosters radicalisation and empowers Hamas. An improved economy is not only essential for the people of Gaza, but firmly in Israel's security interests. The Secretary of State for International Development, my right honourable friend, the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell), and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) discussed these issues during their respective visits to the region in December 2011 and January 2012. Mr Burt subsequently raised this issue with Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Ayalon. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv also raised the issue with Prime Minister Netanyahu's Chief Negotiator, Yitzhak Molcho, and the Israeli Co-ordinator of Government Activity in the Territories, General Dangot, in March. We continue to discuss this issue with EU, other international counterparts and humanitarian organisations. EU Foreign Ministers issued conclusions from the Foreign Affairs Council on 14 May 2012 stating: "Fully recognising Israel's legitimate security needs, the EU continues to call for the immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons to and from the Gaza Strip, the situation of which is unsustainable as long as it remains politically separated from the West Bank. Despite limited progress, the EU urges the Government of Israel to take further meaningful and far-reaching steps allowing for the reconstruction and economic recovery of the Gaza Strip, including by allowing trade with the West Bank and Israel". Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the blockade on the prospects for the long-term future of the Gazan fishing industry. Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK regularly makes representations at both ministerial and official level to the Government of Israel on the urgent need to ease restrictions on Gaza. The Secretary of State for International Development my right honourable friend the Member for Sutton Coldfield (Mr Mitchell) and the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), discussed these issues during visits to the region in December 2011 and January 2012. Alongside our European Union partners, we have urged Israel to extend the fishing zone from 3 to 20 nautical miles, as stipulated in the Oslo Accords. We frequently emphasise the impact restrictions are having on industry in Gaza. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the treatment of Gazan fishermen, and the patrol boats sent to monitor their safety, by the Israeli Navy; and what mechanisms exist in international law to ensure their protection. Lord Howell of Guildford: We have made no specific assessment of the treatment of Gazan fishermen, the patrol boats sent to monitor their safety or any mechanisms in international law to ensure their protection. Government Departments: Apprentices Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprentices (1) under the age of 21, and (2) over the age of 21, were employed within the Ministry of Defence on 1 June, excluding agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Lord Astor of Hever: As at 1 June 2012 there were some 103 civilian apprentices under the age of 21 and some 127 over 21 employed within the Ministry of Defence. This excludes the large number of service personnel who are undertaking apprenticeships as part of their training. Health: Dementia Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the £66 million for research into dementia announced in the Prime Minister's challenge on dementia has been allocated; and what are the projects supported by that funding. Earl Howe: The combined value of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Medical Research Council and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) funding for research into dementia will increase from £26.6 million in 2009-10 to an estimated £66.3 million in 2014-15. Expenditure on dementia research over the next three years will support a range of research activity. Four new NIHR biomedical research units in dementia are being funded for five years from April 2012: National Health Service Organisation University Partner Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust University of Cambridge Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Newcastle University South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust King's College London Institute of Psychiatry University College London Hospitals University College London These research units and NIHR biomedical research centres which include dementia themed research will share their considerable resources and world leading expertise to improve treatment and care. The NIHR has completed a £17 million call for applied health research on dementia, as part of the programme of work to push further and faster progress in the prevention, treatment and cure of dementia. A full list of successful research bids will be announced soon. The ESRC and NIHR will be working together to support an initiative with up to £13 million funding available for social science research on dementia. The call for proposals will open in the week commencing 9 July and will fund national or international social science research in dementia which can make a significant contribution to scientific, economic and social impact. Additional work will be supported by the funders depending on the volume and quality of applications received. Health: Diabetes Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the number of people currently living with diabetes in the United Kingdom; of those, how many have not been diagnosed; what is the estimated annual cost to the National Health Service of the condition; and how much of the cost arises from complications that could be avoided by timely treatment. Earl Howe: We do not collate these figures for the United Kingdom, therefore data for England only has been provided. The Association of Public Health Observatories (APHO) estimated that in 2010 there were 3,099,853 people with diabetes. The National Diabetes Audit 2010-11 identified that there were 2,150,634 people with diabetes diagnosed and registered. The department's programme budgeting data provide an estimate for expenditure on diabetes of £1.55 billion in 2010-11. This figure does not capture all the expenditure on diabetes. The department does not have an estimate of the cost arising from complications that could be avoided by timely treatment. Internet: 4G Spectrum Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest timetable for the auction of the 4G spectrum; and whether that auction will specify that mobile telephony operators should guarantee a full rural coverage as part of their bid contract. Baroness Garden of Frognal: Ofcom remains on schedule for the auction process to start by the end of 2012. This is compatible with the spectrum becoming available to allow successful bidders to start rolling out 4G services in these bands. Coverage obligations were included in the recent Ofcom consultation which closed on 22 March. Ofcom proposed in that consultation to impose a coverage obligation on one 800MHz licensee extending to 98% of the UK population (and potentially 95% of the population of each nation), or requiring one 800MHz licensee to provide 4G coverage that matches existing combined 2G voice coverage and extends into existing "not spot" areas due to be covered by the Government's £150 million investment in new mobile network infrastructure (to the extent that that infrastructure can accommodate 4G equipment). Ofcom has proposed that this obligation be imposed on a single 800MHz licensee to ensure that consumers in rural areas, and those that visit those areas and require good coverage, are able to get good 4G coverage from the same operator in all areas. Ofcom also consulted on the option of imposing this same obligation on all 800MHz licensees. Ofcom is currently considering the responses received and is expected to make a statement in the summer. Iran Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the health and welfare of the journalist Mrs Narges Mohammadi and the poet Mr Mohammad Soleimani Nia imprisoned in Iran. Lord Howell of Guildford: We remain concerned by reports about Mrs Narguess Mohammadi's deteriorating health after being kept in solitary confinement in Evin prison, and about Mr Mohammad Soleymaninia, who we understand is being held in Evin prison without charge. We are appalled at Iran's continued persecution of human rights defenders and journalists. Iran should release both Mrs Mohammadi and Mr Soleymaninia immediately. I raised the case of Mr Soleymaninia and other imprisoned journalists and bloggers in a statement on 20 January 2012 condemning a wave of new arrests. We will continue to work with our international partners to hold Iran accountable for human rights violations and will continue to voice our concerns about all Iranians imprisoned for expressing their beliefs. Israel Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what procedures are open to them and other ratifying states to establish whether the Fourth Geneva Convention applies to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip; what uses they have made of such procedures, if any; and whether they intend to invoke articles 49, 71 and 147 in respect of actions by Israel. Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has determined that Israel has obligations as an occupying power with respect to the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip under applicable international law, including the Fourth Geneva Convention. In its advisory opinion of 9 July 2004 on the legal consequences arising from the construction of the separation barrier erected by Israel, the International Court of Justice affirmed the applicability of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs). The UK has a regular dialogue with the Government of Israel with regard to the implementation of Israel's obligations under international law with respect to the OPTs, including those arising under the Fourth Geneva Convention. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had contact with the joint Israeli-Palestinian Villages Group concerning the destruction of homes, water supplies and farm buildings in the West Bank; and, if so, what have been the results of that contact. Lord Howell of Guildford: Our officials in Israel have had no contact with the joint Israeli-Palestinian Villages Group. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel about video footage captured by B'Tselem of violence in the West Bank involving settlers in the presence of Israel Defense Forces soldiers on 19 May. Lord Howell of Guildford: We are increasingly concerned at the rise in violence by extremist Israeli settlers against ordinary Palestinians. We have regularly raised the issue of settler violence with the Israeli Government, calling on the Israeli authorities to prevent such acts and to ensure that any incidents are fully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) joined other European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers in issuing conclusions from the EU Foreign Affairs Council in May 2012, expressing "deep concern regarding settler extremism and incitement by settlers" and condemning "continuous settler violence and deliberate provocations against Palestinian civilians". The Foreign Affairs Council called on the Israeli Government to bring the perpetrators to justice and to comply with their obligations under international law. The UK issued a Ministerial Statement condemning the act of arson and vandalism against a mosque in the West Bank of Jaba on 18 June, commenting on the worrying trend of violence by extremist Israeli settlers, including the shooting of two Palestinians in May. Our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns with the Israeli Defence Minister on 4 June 2012 and with the office of the Israeli Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv and Consul-General to Jerusalem have arranged a further meeting with the Co-ordinator, General Dangot, at which they will raise a range of issues, including settler violence. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the alleged arson attack by Israeli settlers on the Zaid Bin Hareth Mosque on 19 June, what discussions they will hold with the Government of Israel concerning the role of the Israel Defence Forces in preventing crimes by settlers. Lord Howell of Guildford: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) issued a statement on 22 June condemning the act of arson and vandalism against the Zaid bin Hareth mosque in the West Bank village of Jaba on 18 June, commenting on the worrying trend of violence by extremist Israeli settlers, including the shooting of two Palestinians in May. We have regularly raised the issue of settler violence with the Israeli Government, calling on the Israeli authorities to prevent such acts and to ensure that any incidents are fully investigated and the perpetrators brought to justice. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend, the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) joined other European Union (EU) Foreign Ministers in issuing conclusions from the EU Foreign Affairs Council in May 2012, expressing "deep concern regarding settler extremism and incitement by settlers" and condemning "continuous settler violence and deliberate provocations against Palestinian civilians". The Foreign Affairs Council called on the Israeli Government to bring the perpetrators to justice and to comply with their obligations under international law. Our embassy in Tel Aviv most recently raised our concerns with the Israeli Defence Minister on 4 June 2012 and with the office of the Israeli Co-ordinator of Government Activities in the Territories. Our ambassador to Tel Aviv and consul-general to Jerusalem have arranged a further meeting with the co-ordinator, General Dangot, at which they will raise a range of issues, including settler violence. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel, as administrators of the Occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem, concerning the future of the Palestinian Bedouin living in Area C. Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK has encouraged the Israeli Government to comply fully with their obligations under international law and to ensure that any decision reached on the movement of Bedouin communities should be made with their full consent and not result in a forcible transfer. We, together with our European partners, will continue to follow the situation in Area C closely. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will initiate a joint EU demarche about the plan to relocate Palestinian Bedouin now living near Maale Adumin to a semi-urban site adjoining the Jerusalem municipal dump. Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are concerned about the Israeli Government's plans for the Bedouin of Khan al-Ahmar. We have raised these concerns with the Israeli authorities, including Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon. The UK will continue to encourage the Israeli Government to comply fully with their obligations under international law and to ensure that any decision reached on the movement of Bedouin communities should be made with their full consent and not result in a forcible transfer. This case illustrates the broader problems arising from the Israeli planning restrictions in Area C of the West Bank. The European Union (EU) have formally demarched Israel to outline our shared concern at worrying developments in Area C. These developments were a major theme of discussion at the EU Foreign Affairs Council on 14 May (www.eu-un.europa.eu/articles/ en/article_12170_en.htm), where Ministers expressed particular concern at plans for the forced transfer of Palestinian communities. We, along with our European partners, will continue to follow this issue closely. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will initiate discussions, directly or indirectly, with the Palestinian Bedouin of Area C of the West Bank and of East Jerusalem, and in particular with the Protection Committee for Bedouin Communities near Jerusalem, about their wishes for the future of their communities. Lord Howell of Guildford: We are in regular contact with representatives of the Bedouin community in Area C and have discussed the future of these communities. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) met with representatives of the Bedouin Community in Area C during his visit to the region between 8-11 January. Libya Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government which British war grave cemeteries were damaged in Libya in June; what damage was done; what representations they have made to the Government of Libya about the desecrations; and what is their assessment of the involvement of terrorist groups in the damage. Lord Howell of Guildford: Further damage occurred in the Benghazi War Cemetery on the evening of 11 June. The temporary markers installed after the earlier vandalism in February and one further stone headstone were broken. The UK strongly condemns this further act of vandalism. It is not known who carried out the attack. We have made clear to the Libyan Government the importance of securing the site and preventing damage. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is working to install permanent replacement for the headstones damaged in February. The Libyan authorities have agreed to pay for the cost of this restoration work and are now in contact with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to take this forward. Maintenance staff will continue to visit the cemetery. National Insurance Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many national insurance numbers have been issued to (1) nationals from the 10 countries that most recently joined the European Union (EU) since their accession, and (2) other EU nationals and non-EU nationals in the same period. Lord Freud: In May 2004 the Republic of Estonia, Czech Republic, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Republic of Latvia, Republic of Lithuania, Poland, Republic of Slovenia (the accession eight countries (A8)), as well as Malta and Cyprus joined the European Union. They were followed in January 2007 by Bulgaria and Romania (the accession two countries (A2)). The table below provides NINo registration data for each of the categories requested from April 2004. NI No Registrations to Adult Overseas Nationals entering the UK (Thousands) : Time Series - Financial Year Of Registration Date by World Area of Origin and nationality within EU Accession countries. 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 (Not complete to Dec 2011) EU Accession Countries Total 116,840 276,680 317,500 332,440 257,040 182,770 224,760 164,020 Rep of Estonia 1,700 3,020 2,050 1,380 1,700 1,830 2,390 1,690 Czech Rep 7,360 13,240 11,650 11,130 10,230 7,790 7,580 5,730 Slovak Re 11,110 27,510 28,600 29,990 24,090 13,250 11,670 7,610 Hungary 3,800 8,560 10,740 13,310 16,180 11,540 15,650 13,430 Rep of Latvia 6,320 14,400 11,030 7,790 10,450 23,200 27,260 15,150 Rep of Lithuania 15,540 30,940 23,920 19,030 17,620 23,420 40,840 27,150 Poland 61,120 171,080 220,430 210,660 134,360 69,940 81,180 62,340 Rep of Slovenia 820 500 530 540 540 330 310 240 Malta 470 610 660 590 600 410 550 340 Cyprus 780 1,110 1,070 1,110 1,320 860 1,390 1,000 Bulgaria 4,520 2,830 2,850 13,960 15,990 12,510 13,940 10,750 Romania 3,290 2,880 3,980 22,950 23,950 17,680 22,000 18,590 European Union 80,710 97,840 102,750 107,470 120,140 91,360 134,960 103,710 Non European Union 237,800 288,530 285,590 293,190 308,930 298,620 345,180 197,860 Source:100% extract from National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Some additional disclosure control has been applied. Totals may not sum due to rounding method used. Data are cumulative from 1 January 2002 unless otherwise specified (eg time-series, subset). 2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording and Pay As You Earn System. 3. Time Series-financial year of registration date years are financial based (1 Apr - 31 Mar). 4. World area of origin is based on a client's nationality. 5. Numbers of Bulgarian and Romanian NINo registrations (the A2 accession countries) are shown with the accession countries total for 2004-55 onwards. 6. The data are available on the department's website at: http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool. NHS: Mergers Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 20 June (WA 301), whether the considerations set out in that Answer would apply to any merger of an NHS foundation trust with one or more NHS trust that had not achieved foundation status. Earl Howe: The Health and Social Care Act 2012 provides that a merger between two foundation trusts would be a relevant merger to be considered by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for review under the Enterprise Act 2002. These provisions do not extend to foundation trust mergers with National Health Service trusts. NHS: Monitor Baroness Gould of Potternewton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the future role of Monitor will include public health. Earl Howe: Monitor's regulatory functions are not intended to apply to public health. Russia Lord Janner of Braunstone: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of Russia regarding the export of helicopters to Syria. Lord Howell of Guildford: On 18 June, in the margins of the G20 (the Group of Twenty Finance Ministers and Central Bank Governors), the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) raised with President Putin the issue of the MV Alaed shipping arms to Syria. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has also raised our concern over Russian arms exports to Syria with Foreign Minister Lavrov, most recently on 16 June in Kabul. We believe that all arms supplies to Syria perpetuate the cycle of violence. We continue to work with Russia to bring an end to the violence and bloodshed and to make progress on a political process. Sergei Magnitsky Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will impose travel restrictions on those who have been implicated in the death of the Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, and maintain such restrictions until any charges have been brought. Lord Henley: The Magnitsky case remains of serious concern to the UK Government and it is vitally important that the Russian Government ensure that justice is achieved in this case. The immigration rules allow for the refusal of entry in cases where there is independent, reliable and credible evidence that an individual has committed human rights abuses. In such cases, the individual will be routinely refused entry to the UK. The UK has a long-established practice of not commenting routinely on the details of individual visa cases. Sudan Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 25 June (WA 40-1), whether the UK Trade and Industry official who spoke at an event at the Sudanese embassy promoting business links with the United Kingdom spoke about levels of corruption in Sudan or Sudan's laws on contract and ownership. Lord Howell of Guildford: During the Middle East Association event on 30 May to promote its forthcoming trade mission to Sudan the UK Trade International (UKTI) official present did not talk about either topic. Teachers: Qualifications Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, for each year between 2006 and 2011, how many of the students who completed initial teacher training qualifications were graduates from Russell Group universities. Lord Hill of Oareford: Information on the institution from which trainee teachers gained their first degree is not collected centrally. The number of initial teacher training (ITT) trainees attaining qualified teacher status (QTS) through mainstream higher education institution (HEI) courses in Russell Group institutions in England is presented in Table A. Figures for academic years 2005-06 to 2009-10 are provided and represent the latest available information. Figures for 2010-11 are not yet available. Table A-The number of ITT trainees achieving QTS in England. 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 Total 33,100 34,090 32,980 33,110 34,680 Of which through mainstream courses at Russell Group HEIs 3,810 3,410 3,160 3,190 3,370 Source: Teaching Agency Performance Profiles Notes: 1 Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10. 2 Total category includes all mainstream and employment-based routes of ITT. 3 Figures for mainstream courses at Russell Group HEIs exclude employment-based courses where accreditation is provided by Russell Group HEIs. Uzbekistan Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made or will make to the Government of Uzbekistan about their stated intention of ending compulsory child labour in the cotton harvest; and whether observers from the International Labour Organisation will have access to the 2012 cotton harvest. Lord Howell of Guildford: We have no illusions about the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. Our annual human rights report sets out our concerns in detail, including our long-standing concerns about the use of child labour during the cotton harvest. There were some relatively positive indications that the Uzbek authorities made an effort in 2011 to reduce the number of children (particularly the youngest) working in the fields. We welcome this but remain concerned by the continuing gap between legislative measures taken by the Uzbek authorities and practical implementation. We continue to raise these concerns in discussions with the Uzbek Government, and through the European Union. It is not yet clear whether observers from the International Labour Organisation will have access to monitor the 2012 cotton harvest. There have been encouraging signs of greater dialogue between International Labour Organisation (ILO) representatives and the Uzbek authorities during 2012, including through a seminar held in Tashkent in early May at which ILO participated. Uzbekistan Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making representations to the Government of Uzbekistan about freedom of expression on the internet. Lord Howell of Guildford: We raise freedom of expression issues, including internet freedom, with the Uzbek authorities on a regular basis. In 2012 the UK funded a project focusing on freedom of expression in Uzbekistan, with particular focus on ensuring greater accountability by parliament to the media. We believe that constructive engagement offers the best chance of making progress and will continue to raise our concerns with the Uzbek Government. The European Union (EU) discusses freedom of expression with the Uzbek authorities in its annual human rights dialogue. The UK and EU are keen to step up co-operation on freedom of expression issues, and encourage Uzbekistan to take advantage of the expertise that exists in regional and international human rights organisations such as the Office for Security and Co-operation in Europe and United Nations Special Procedures. We will continue to raise concerns about freedom of expression on the internet as we take forward our broader discussions with the Uzbeks. Uzbekistan Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to protect human rights campaigners in Uzbekistan, including Elena Urlaeva and Tatiana Dovlatova. Lord Howell of Guildford: We closely monitor the human rights situation in Uzbekistan and regularly raise our concerns, including on individual cases, with the authorities. We do this bilaterally, including through meetings at ministerial and senior official level, and jointly with the United Nations, European Union and Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe. We also highlight critical cases in our human rights report which can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website. We regularly call on the Uzbek authorities to permit human rights defenders to carry out their legitimate activities without fear of prosecution or harassment. We have a range of human rights related projects, working where possible with local representatives of civil society and human rights defenders. Our embassy in Tashkent meets frequently with human rights defenders, including Elena Urlaeva and Tatiana Dovlatova. The recent release of several human rights activists, including Alisher Karamatov, is positive. However, many more human rights defenders remain behind bars, including Azam Formonov, who was arrested on the same day and on the same charges as Karamatov. We continue to raise individual cases and to encourage Uzbekistan to act in accordance with its international human rights obligations.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2012-07-04a

Home Office Immigration: Software Baroness Hamwee: To ask His Majesty's Government whether any systems or software supplied by Fujitsu are used inthe process of determiningimmigration status. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Fujitsu do not supply the Home Office with any systems or software used in determining immigration status. Immigration: Migrant Workers Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reducenet migration while maintaining access to skilled workers in critical sectors. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Skilled workers will continue to have access to the full range of routes available on the Points Based System. Details of the net migration measures announced in December are available here: https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/2024/02/01/reducing-net-migration-factsheet-december-2023/. Asylum: Mental Health Services Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) monitor the mental health of residents, and ongoing safeguarding concerns, and (2) reduce the risk of further suicides, on the Bibby Stockholm and at MDP Wethersfield; and what assessment they have made of the findings of the report Ghettoised and traumatised: the experiences of men held inquasi-detention in Wethersfield, published by the Helen Bamber Foundation and Humans for Rights Network on 15 December 2023, and their implications forhousing asylum seekers atMDP Wethersfield. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The welfare of asylum seekers is our utmost priority. The Home Office ensures that accommodation provided is adequate and meets the regulatory standards.The Home Office assesses an individual’s suitability to reside at the sites and only accommodates single adult males who are considered suitable to reside there. Guidance on the suitability criteria used can be found here: Allocation of accommodation.Each person’s suitability is assessed at regular intervals and if they are no longer suitable for any reason, they will be moved to alternative accommodation.The Home Office operates a Safeguarding Hub to support vulnerable individuals. Both the Home Office and its accommodation providers have robust processes in place to ensure that where someone is at risk, they are referred to the appropriate statutory agencies of the police, NHS, and social services, to promote appropriate safeguarding interventions.As well as making safeguarding referrals to the appropriate statutory agencies, other actions include attendance at adult protection meetings with the police and the Home Office liaise with external and internal partners to share information. The statutory agencies retain responsibility for all decisions on intervention activity.All asylum seekers in the UK may contact Migrant Help 24 hours a day, 365 days a year if they need help, advice, or guidance. This includes raising issues relating to safeguarding. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office World Health Organization: Finance Lord Strathcarron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, having regard to the relative burden of disease, of thelevel of investment in the World Health Organization's pandemic agenda,relative to efforts to counter endemic diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS. Lord Benyon: The UK provides the vast majority of funding to WHO as unearmarked flexible funding (£340 million in 2020-2024). Funding helps WHO deliver its General Programme of Work, supporting WHO reform and addressing UK global health priorities. This includes building resilient health systems around the world, especially in the poorest countries, and helping prevent and prepare for pandemics. Additionally, over its lifetime, the UK has been the 3rd largest contributor to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This funding has contributed towards saving 59 million lives, our recent pledge of £1 billion will continue to contribute to this effort. South Asia: Elections The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the governments of (1) India, and (2) Pakistan, to ensure that religious minorities are not denied their right to vote in upcoming elections in those countries. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We regularly engage with the Government of Pakistan to advance our key priorities and interests, including upholding democracy through inclusive elections. On 19 January, I raised the need for inclusivity in the upcoming elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani.  On 25 September 2023, the former Foreign Secretary raised the importance of credible, inclusive and timely elections with Pakistan's Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-haq Kakar. On 21 August, I wrote to Foreign Minister Jilani to raise concerns about the treatment of minority religious communities and underline the need to ensure all Pakistan's citizens are able to exercise their democratic rights. The British High Commission in New Delhi continues to monitor the rights of religious minorities across India, including in the context of elections. Turkey: Religious Freedom Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of UK citizens seeking to worship in Christian churches and Jewish synagogues in Turkey. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO routinely updates our travel advice, which provides guidance for British nationals on staying safe abroad, including in Turkey. Our travel advice notes that no travel can be guaranteed safe and in Turkey terrorists may target places visited by foreigners, including places of worship. The UK stands with Turkey against terrorism, and we welcome the Turkish authorities' swift response to security threats, such as the fatal shooting which took place at Santa Maria Church in Istanbul on 28 January. We support the rights of all minority groups in Turkey, including Christians and Jews. Russia: Oil Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government whether diesel oil products imported into the UK are refined from Russian crude oil; and what assessment they have made of the impact of sanctions on such imports. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: UK sanctions targeting Russian oil revenues are designed in line with existing World Trade Organisation (WTO) non-preferential rules of origin. More specifically, if a good such as diesel is produced in two or more countries, it is subject to substantial processing requirements as stated in Section 17(3) of the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Act 2018. In line with these rules, where Russian oil and oil products have been refined in a third country, they will only be considered Russian if the products have not been substantially processed. All importers of oil and oil products into the UK must provide proof of origin to relevant enforcement authorities, to demonstrate that goods are not of Russian origin. Our approach is in line with that taken by our partners, including the US and the EU. Russia: Tankers Lord Empey: To ask His Majesty's Government whether UK-based brokers are facilitating the insurance of vessels carrying Russian oil worldwide; and if so, whether they are planning to extend sanction regulations to prevent the Putin regime from funding its aggression in Ukraine assisted by UK based or controlled entities. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The oil price cap, implemented by a Coalition encompassing the UK alongside the G7 and Australia, operates globally by prohibiting UK and Coalition firms from providing services such as shipping, insurance and finance to facilitate the maritime transport of Russian oil and oil products, unless the oil was purchased at or below the price cap level. The UK has implemented a strong enforcement approach focused on prohibition, with the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) responsible for civil enforcement, and HMRC and the National Crime Agency jointly considering cases which may be appropriate for criminal prosecution. The Coalition has recently acted jointly to tighten price cap compliance rules and reserves the right to take further action to ensure its effectiveness if needed. Pakistan: Development Aid Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current annual level of overseas aid to Pakistan; what is the projected amount allocated for 2025; and how much of this aid is tied to promoting democracy; human rights, the rule of law, the protection of minorities, and development of civil society in Pakistan. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO's Official Development Assistance (ODA) allocation for Pakistan for FY 2023-24 is £41.5 million and for 2024-25 the tentative allocation is £133 million - as shared in the FCDO's 2022-23 Annual Accounts. 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, the rule of law and development of civil society. Exact spend for specific sectors is not yet available for 2023-24. Jimmy Lai Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the remarks of the UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, Dr Alice Gill Edwards' published on 31 January, regarding the alleged torture of witnesses in the ongoing Hong Kong trial of Jimmy Lai; what discussions they have held with Dr Edwards regarding her remarks; and what discussions they plan to hold with the governments of China and Hong Kong on behalf of the alleged victim. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of media reports and a submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Cruel, Inhumane, Degrading Treatment or Punishment alleging mistreatment of Andy Li while he was detained in mainland China. We take all allegations of torture and mistreatment very seriously and are looking into this further. Article 15 of the Convention against Torture, which China has ratified, prohibits the use of statements established to have been made as a result of torture in court proceedings. Diplomats from our Consulate-General are attending Mr Lai's court proceedings as the trial continues. UNRWA: Finance Baroness Janke: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the people of Gaza of the decision to suspend the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Baroness Janke: To ask His Majesty's Government how they expect the additional humanitarian aid for Gaza that they have called for can be distributed in light of the suspension of the funding of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is appalled by allegations that the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) staff were involved in the 7 October attack against Israel, a heinous act of terrorism that the UK Government has repeatedly condemned. The UK is pausing any future funding of UNRWA whilst we review these concerning allegations.However, 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. Jimmy Lai Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the attempt by prosecutors in Hong Kong to label foreign nationals as “co-conspirators” in the trial of Jimmy Lai; what significance they attach to the designation “co-conspirator”; and what representations they have made to the authorities in Hong Kong and Chinaregarding the “co-conspirator” designation. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Minister for the Indo-Pacific said on 23 January, it is unacceptable that British nationals have been named by the prosecution in Jimmy Lai's national security trial in Hong Kong. None are named as co-conspirators on Mr Lai's charge sheet. The Minister for the Indo-Pacific has met with several of the individuals and we have made clear our concerns to the Chinese authorities. We will not tolerate any attempts to intimidate, harass or harm individuals or communities in the UK. The National Security Law has no authority in the UK and we have no active extradition agreement with Hong Kong or China. Jerusalem: Cultural Heritage The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the government of Israel concerning the land dispute at Cows' Garden in the Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem in the Occupied Palestinian Territories; and if so, what the outcomes of those representations were. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: British officials met Armenian Community leader Hagop Djernazian in January 2024. The UK is monitoring the situation and is clear on the need to avoid any further rise in tensions. The UK's position on the status of Jerusalem is clear and long-standing: it should be determined in a negotiated settlement between the Israelis and the Palestinians, and Jerusalem should ultimately be the shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states. The UK is a strong supporter of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) and an advocate for the integrity of culturally important areas to be respected. The UK continues to take a strong stance against settler violence and urges Israel to take stronger action to stop settler violence and hold the perpetrators accountable. Ian Stones Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government when they first heard of the imprisonment of Ian James Stones in China; and what consularsupport they have provided to him. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) are unable to provide comment on this in line with relevant UK data protection legislation [Personal information charter - Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]. Gaza: Armed Conflict Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the protection of civilians during the Gaza conflict. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary and the Prime Minister have reiterated the vital steps needed for a sustainable, permanent ceasefire in their contacts with Prime Minister Netanyahu and other senior Israeli political leaders, including during the Foreign Secretary's visit to Israel on 24 January. There must be a reduction in civilian casualties. All parties must act within International Humanitarian Law. We want to see Israel take greater care to limit its operations to military targets and avoid harming civilians and destroying homes. UNRWA Baroness Janke: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to call for an immediate independent investigation into the killing of 150 staffof the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East since 7 October and suspend all trade with Israel until that investigation is complete. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The safety of humanitarian personnel and healthcare workers in Gaza is critical to enable aid to reach those who need it most. We regularly review advice about Israel's capability and commitment to International Humanitarian Law and we act in accordance with that advice. The Foreign Secretary underlined the need for Israel to take all possible measures to ensure the safety of aid and medical personnel, as well as that of medical facilities, during his visit to Israel on 24 January. Israel must ensure effective deconfliction in Gaza, ensure there are effective systems to guarantee the safety of aid convoys and humanitarian operations, and ensure the UN has the people, vehicles, equipment and fuel to distribute aid safely across Gaza. Jerusalem: Christianity The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with the government of Israel regarding the latter's plans to create a national park on the Mount of Olives; and what assessment they have made of the impact of these proposals on the Christian holy sites. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise that Jerusalem holds particular significance for many groups around the globe, especially the three Abrahamic faiths of Christianity, Islam and Judaism. We are committed to the Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all and an advocate for the integrity of culturally important areas to be respected. A final determination of the status of Jerusalem should be sought as part of a negotiated settlement between Israelis and Palestinians. It must ensure Jerusalem is a shared capital of the Israeli and Palestinian states, with access and the religious rights of all peoples respected. Palestinians: Curriculum The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of efforts by the government of Israel to reform the curriculum of Palestinian schools in East Jerusalem. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We regard East Jerusalem as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories and under Israeli military occupation. We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as the Occupying Power. Israel: Palestinians The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional resources they plan to commit to support civil society organisations in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories that are working cross-communally for peace and reconciliation. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK's position is clear: we are committed to making progress towards a two-state solution that guarantees security and stability for both the Israeli and Palestinian people. Since 7 October, we have announced £60 million of aid to trusted partners which will go towards helping Palestinian civilians.Development programmes in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) work to preserve the prospect of a negotiated two-state solution and to improve the lives of Palestinians throughout the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, in line with the UK's longstanding position. Through our Empowering Palestinian Institutions and Civil Society (EPICS) programme, we have an accountable grant with AMAN (the Coalition for Integrity and Accountability), which seeks to combat corruption and promote integrity, transparency and accountability in Palestinian society. It incorporates a number of civil society organizations working in the field of democracy, human rights and good governance.The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) OPTs-Israel Programme also supports Tech 2 Peace, I'lam - Arab Centre for Media Freedom, Physicians for Human Rights Israel, and Project Rozana which work to support engagement and dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians, building stronger constituencies and prospects for peace. We also support local organisations such as COMET-ME who work to keep Palestinians on their land in Area C of the West Bank, protecting the viability of a two-state solution. Burundi: Rwanda The Lord Bishop of Durham: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of relations between Rwanda and Burundi and the closure of the border between the two countries; and what steps they are taking to help prevent further escalation of tension in the region. Lord Benyon: We strongly condemn violence perpetrated by all armed groups and are alarmed by the recent incursions into Burundi by the RED-Tabara armed group. We urge restraint on all sides and for all parties to work urgently towards de-escalation. The FCDO raised our concerns over the border closure with the Burundian Ambassador on 17 January. We encourage the Government of Burundi to take a measured response and underline the need for dialogue. Israel: Palestinians The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what representationsthey have made to the government of Israel to ease its restrictions on the free movement of Palestinian people within the West Bank and from the West Bank to Israel. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, and we are concerned by the restrictions on the free movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. In our engagements with Israel, we have stressed to them the damage the restrictions on movement, access, and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians. Israel: Palestinians The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of travel restrictions, applied by the government of Israel on the free movement of Palestinian people within the West Bank and from the West Bank to Israel, on the economy of the West Bank; and what additional financial assistance, if any, they plan to provide to mitigate its effects. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We expect Israel to fulfil its obligations as an occupying power, and we are concerned by the restrictions on the free movement of Palestinians in the West Bank. In our engagements with Israel, we have stressed to them the damage the restrictions on movement, access, and trade are doing to the living standards of ordinary Palestinians.UK economic development programming works with the Palestinian Authority and the Government of Israel to help address the main constraints to growth, like water, energy and trade. Our work on economic development across the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) seeks to contribute towards maintaining the viability of a peaceful, negotiated two-state solution by supporting inclusive growth. Somalia: Politics and Government The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the security situation in Somalia, including the progress of the government of Somalia’s offensive against Al-Shabaab; and whether they are working with the EU in support of the EU-Somalia Joint Operational Roadmap, adopted in May 2023. Lord Benyon: The Federal Government of Somalia's campaign to tackle al-Shabaab (AS) has made significant progress in the past 18 months, though challenges in recent months have slowed that progress. Tackling al-Shabaab is a top UK counter-terrorism priority and we commend Somali Security Forces for their ongoing efforts. For enduring progress, the international community must support the Somali-led security sector to ensure liberated areas are stabilised.In November 2023, we signed the UK-Somalia Strategic Partnership which sets out shared, long-term objectives including support for Somalia's security sector for long-term stability. To this end, the UK engages with key partners such the EU, including in areas covered by both the UK-Somalia Strategic Partnership and the EU-Somalia Joint Operational Roadmap. Sahel: Politics and Government The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their strategy to support the central Sahel region in Africa and to assist Sahelian countries in addressing both the security challenges and longer-term structural challenges that they face. Lord Benyon: The UK combines development, diplomatic and defence approaches to respond to the instability in the Sahel and meet the needs of the most vulnerable. Our priorities are responding to humanitarian needs, building resilience, and addressing the root causes of insecurity and poverty (including supporting democratic political transitions).  The UK does not work through military transition governments, and we have most recently suspended direct support to Niger but we continue to provide humanitarian and development assistance to the people of the Sahel. Our development support includes education and reproductive health services for women. We support regionally led efforts to prevent the spread of insecurity. Department of Health and Social Care Respiratory Diseases: Intensive Care Baroness Wolf of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers byLord Markham on 4 January (HL1377) and 24 January (HL1768), under a realistic worst case scenario for Risk 54 (an unmitigated respiratory pandemic) in which 1.34 million people require hospital treatment, how many (1) additional mechanical ventilators, (2) non-invasive ventilators (BiPaP), and (3) NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) units, would be required in addition to those currently held by hospital intensive care units; and what would be the estimated cost, at current prices, of replacing the equipment held in the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve. Lord Markham: The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory contact and vector-borne pathogens, both influenza and non-influenza related. These plans are built on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.NHS England routinely monitor the total number of ventilators available against the number of ventilators in use. NHS England published Adult critical care surge plan guidance in December 2023 which sets out the actions to ensure capacity is mobilised at a sufficient rate to meet increases in demand. In response to any pandemic, NHS England would implement the published surge planning guidance to review capacity and demand within the current context of the situation. A copy of this guidance is attached.The Department’s COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve was established to operate for a set lifespan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which point it would close. Due to lower-than-expected demand for equipment from the stockpile by the National Health Service, the strategic pandemic intensive care unit reserve is now closing in March 2024 and there are no current plans to replace it. No estimate has been made of the cost of replacing it.Adult critical care surge plan guidance (pdf, 281.6KB) Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to outline atimeline for the implementation of Respiratory Syncytial Virus vaccination programmes for infants and older adults; and what plans they have to increase public awareness of the virus. Lord Markham: The Government is engaging the market on its requirements for products that would enable Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) programmes to be implemented for infants and older adults, following advice from the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in 2023. A final decision on these programmes will be taken following the outcome of this process. If any RSV programmes are agreed to, their implementation will be announced to the public and health professionals in due course.Whilst population wide immunisation is not currently available, the Government is increasing efforts to minimise the number of severe cases of RSV. This is currently done by a targeted immunisation offer to those known to be at highest risk of severe complications. The National Health Service has also published signs and symptoms of RSV, and advice on when parents should bring their children to seek medical attention. The UK Health Security Agency has also provided public health messaging on social, national, and regional media, highlighting the signs and symptoms of RSV and the steps that can be taken to reduce infections, including reducing risks to young children. Vaccination: Clinical Trials Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number and diversity of vaccines proceeding through clinical trials, and the resources that will be required to assess their clinical and cost effectiveness in a timely manner. Lord Markham: As part of its horizon scanning work, the Department works closely with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to stay abreast of vaccines under development and to factor them into future planning and prioritisation work as appropriate. This includes consideration of the expert and analytical resource that will be required to assess their effectiveness, both clinical and cost. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency also plays a role in considering vaccines proceeding through clinical trials and considers them for licensing as they become ready. Chickenpox: Vaccination Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to take forward the recommendation of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation to introduce a vaccination programme for chickenpox. Lord Markham: The Government is considering the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation’s recommendation, published on 14 November 2023, on including a chickenpox programme in the routine immunisation schedule for children.Potential changes to the immunisation programme need to be carefully scoped, taking into account a number of factors including product procurement, operational challenges and feasibility. The Government will decide whether to introduce a chickenpox programme when that careful work has concluded. Coronavirus: Vaccination Lord Framlingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to investigate any possible link between COVID-19 vaccinations and increasing numbers of premature deaths from heart and circulatory conditions since 2020. Lord Markham: There is no evidence linking excess deaths to the COVID-19 vaccine. Analysis from the Office for National Statistics, published on 25 August 2023, shows that people who died between 1 April 2021 and 31 May 2023 and who had a COVID-19 vaccine, had a lower mortality rate than those who had not been vaccinated.Each COVID-19 vaccine is only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety and quality set by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). No medicine or vaccine is completely risk-free, but the MHRA continually monitors the safety of the vaccines through a comprehensive vaccine surveillance strategy. This monitoring strategy is proactive and based on a wide range of information sources, with a dedicated team of scientists continually reviewing information to look for safety issues or any unexpected, rare events. Any information indicating a possible new safety concern is thoroughly evaluated, including through a review by the independent expert working group for COVID-19. Updated advice for healthcare professionals and patients is issued where appropriate. NHS: Standards Lord Warner: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of NHS acute hospital trusts in England met (1) their four-hour targets for A&E waiting times, and (2) their 62-day target for cancer treatment, in (a) 2009–10, and (b) 2022–23. Lord Markham: The information is not available in the format requested, as the National Health Service does not routinely report the proportion of providers meeting accident and emergency and cancer performance standards. Department for Education National Tutoring Programme Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what plansthey have to provide one-to-one and small group tuition in education settings following the conclusion of the National Tutoring Programme in August. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what plansthey have to provide COVID-19 catch-up learning for most disadvantaged pupils following the cessation of the National Tutoring Programme in August. Baroness Barran: The department acted swiftly in helping all children to recover from the impact of the pandemic and made available almost £5 billion for its ambitious multi-year programmes to support education recovery. These programmes were principally targeted at disadvantaged pupils, supporting the narrowing of the disadvantage gap to pre-pandemic levels as quickly as possible. Crucially, they were also designed to have a legacy beyond the multi-year period of exceptional and additional support.Over £1 billion has been invested in tutoring over four years through the National Tutoring Programme (NTP). This has seen nearly 5 million tutoring courses commence since the programme started in November 2020, including over 2 million in each of the last two academic years. In the current academic year, 346,000 courses have started up to 5 October 2023.The department anticipates that tutoring will continue to be a staple offer from schools, with schools using core budgets and pupil premium funding to provide targeted support for those children who will benefit.Raising attainment for pupils is at the heart of this government’s agenda. The department knows that disadvantaged children have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and are committed to narrowing the attainment gap.The department is continuing to support pupils’ needs by investing an extra £2 billion into core schools funding both this year and next year, over and above what it had already announced at the 2021 Spending Review. The department has also announced an additional £525 million this year to support schools with the teachers’ pay award, with a further £900 million in 2024/25. This means that by next year, school funding will be more than £59.6 billion, which is the highest ever level in real terms per pupil.Schools receive the pupil premium to enable them to provide extra support to improve disadvantaged pupils’ academic and personal achievements. Pupil premium funding will rise to over £2.9 billion in 2024/25, which is an increase of £80 million from 2023/24. This represents a 10% increase in per pupil rates from 2021/22 to 2024/25.Additionally, the department is investing in 55 Education Investment Areas, where outcomes in literacy and numeracy are the poorest, including £86 million in trust capacity funding to help strong trusts to expand into areas most in need of improvement.Furthermore, students in 16-19 education during the 2024/25 academic year will continue to receive the additional 40 learning hours that the department is funding to help them catch up on the vital teaching and learning they need to progress. It is estimated that the additional hours will support the recovery of approximately one month of lost learning per academic year. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Rivers: Sewage Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the evidence presented in the BBC Panorama programme, The Water Pollution Cover-Up, broadcast in December 2023, on sewage pollution in rivers. Lord Douglas-Miller: Due to the seriousness of the incident at Cunsey Beck, Windermere and the fact that a definitive pollution source had not been identified, the Environment Agency (EA) asked the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) to review their response to the incident.The EA recognise things should have been done better, that is why improvements have been made to water quality monitoring in the area, including installing sensors that monitor river quality in real time. Learning has been shared within the Environment Agency to inform future responses. Under operator self-monitoring, introduced in 2009, water and sewerage companies are responsible for collecting and analysing samples of their discharges to the environment. They have a legal duty to report any breach of their permits. A failure to self-report will be taken into consideration when enforcement options are being considered. The EA assesses and records every incident report it receives – between 70,000 and 100,000 a year. They attend those incidents where there is a significant risk, with a target to attend all Category 1 and 2 serious pollution incidents.Water companies cannot downgrade an incident category. When a pollution event occurs, the initial incident categorisation is set by the Environment Agency based on the initial information, often based on a ‘worst case scenario’. The incident is given a final categorisation by the EA once the case has been fully investigated. In June 2023, the EA launched its Water Industry Transformation Programme, outlining that it would be transforming the way it regulates the sector, embedding a new approach that targets resource and interventions to uncover non-compliance and drive better performance from the water industry. This includes looking at how incidents are investigated and how they are categorised. Water: Meters Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are supplied with metered water; and what percentage of all households this represents. Lord Douglas-Miller: There was a total of 24,009,150 household properties based on data reported by companies in England through their annual review of the Water Resources Management Plan for the year 2022/23. Of this, the total number of metered household properties was 14,299,320 and a further 374,860 were metered household void properties. As a result, for 2022/23 59.6% of household properties across English water companies were metered excluding void properties or 61.1% household properties were metered including void properties. Note - a void household property is a household property that is connected to public water supply but not currently being billed by the water company as they have been classified as empty. Water Supply Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government how many households in England are supplied with private sources of water; and what percentage of all households this represents. Lord Douglas-Miller: In England, in 2022, local authorities reported 34,904 private water supplies serving 956,429 people, approximately 1.7% of the population. These figures include commercial premises such as farms, bed and breakfast accommodation, hotels, sporting clubs, manufacturers and other businesses as well as shared supplies which could supply 2 properties or a hamlet. We do not have separate figures for domestic supplies to households and the figures only include private water supplies that local authorities are aware or have been made aware of. There is no requirement for private water supply owners or occupiers to report themselves to their local authority. Water Charges: Disadvantaged Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that water bills are due to rise by an average of six per cent from April, whatsteps they are taking to provide additional support to households facing financial pressures. Lord Douglas-Miller: I am very mindful that consumers are concerned about their bills. For this reason, the Government expects all water companies to ensure customers are aware of the support schemes available – including bill discount schemes, payment holidays, adjusting payment plans and support for customers in managing their personal finances. I encourage customers to access the Consumer Council for Water’s Advice Hub, which has information and useful tools to help customers reduce their bills or access financial support. To support people with the cost of living, the Government has put in place a substantial package of support. Further information can be found at GOV.UK. River Thames: Flood Control Lord Stone of Blackheath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the correlation between (1) the release of floodwater from the Jubilee River channel as occurred in 2014 and 2024, and (2) subsequent levels of floodwater and property damage, and the extent to which vulnerable local people were unable to receive social services. Lord Douglas-Miller: The Jubilee Flood Relief Channel is part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme (MWEFAS) that reduces the risk of flooding to approximately 3,000 properties in Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton. The Jubilee Flood Relief Channel always has some water flowing through it. In flood conditions, we split some of the water away from the River Thames through the Jubilee. The Jubilee provides extra space for this water before it rejoins the River Thames at Datchet. It is not designed to reduce flood risk to communities upstream or downstream of the scheme. It does not adversely impact communities downstream. We operate weir gates at Taplow to control the amount of water being split into the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel. As the flow in the River Thames increases, we open the gates gradually in small increments to allow water to flow through the channel. The Environment Agency reviews the performance of their Flood and Coastal Risk Management assets to ensure they continue to perform as designed to protect homes and communities. Following flooding in 2003, river modelling was completed to re-examine any impacts from the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel on downstream communities. The results showed that there would be very little difference in the flows at Windsor, and the downstream water levels, with and without the Jubilee Flood Relief Channel being operated. In February 2014 over 1000+ properties flooded internally across the Thames area, with the greatest numbers of these of these in the Lower Thames in Berkshire and Surrey. The flooding was very prolonged and lasted from February 2014 through to March, with many communities impacted along the Thames, such as at Datchet, Wraysbury, Egham, Chertsey, Staines and communities further downstream through Surrey. There were no reported properties flooded internally in Windsor in 2014.In January 2024, Storm Henk resulted in heavy and widespread rainfall falling on saturated ground in a short space of time. There had been flooding in some local areas in December 2023 primarily affecting tributaries of the River Thames. The total volume of flow which passed down the Jubilee flood relief channel appears similar to 2014. The Environment Agency is currently receiving and collating reports on the number of properties that may have been impacted. Current information indicates around 300 properties may have flooded internally across the Thames Area. Following a significant flood incident, the Environment Agency reviews all areas of incident response including partnership working to understand impacts and actions to better prepare for future events. We are currently undertaking this following the January 2024 flooding. Our Environment Agency online portal Citizen Space holds a suite of useful information relating to the Jubilee River including videos and fact sheets and can be located under Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme. Agriculture: Vacancies Lord Rosser: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of labour shortages in the farming sector; what measures they are taking to manage such shortages; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of such measures. Lord Douglas-Miller: Defra is working closely with our food and farming sectors and across Government, to understand labour demand and supply, and help our world-leading growers, farmers and food producers access the labour they need, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. To reduce the risk of seasonal labour shortages in horticulture and the poultry sector, the Government announced last May that there would be 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture sector in 2024, with a further 2000 for seasonal poultry workers, ensuring these sectors can plan their workforce needs for the year ahead with confidence. This provides sufficient visas for growers to access all the workers they need, and if more visas are necessary within the year an additional 10,000 could be released. Reports on the Seasonal Worker visa route are available at GOV.UK. To help support the issue of labour shortages and inform future decisions on labour across the sector, the Government commissioned John Shropshire to carry out an Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain throughout 2022 and 2023. John Shropshire’s Review considered how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour could contribute to tackling labour shortages in our sectors, including farming. This report was published on 30 June 2023 and the Government response – which will also be informed by the Review of Automation in Horticulture – is expected to be published in early 2024. The Government response will consider all ten of the recommendations made in John Shropshire’s Review, covering the four themes of Recruitment & Retention, Skills, Data and Automation. At the same time as the response, the Government will set out how it will support the sector to access the labour it needs alongside actions to reduce the sector’s reliance on migrant labour including via our work on automation and promoting domestic labour procurement and training. Treasury Russia: Ukraine Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) military, and (2) non-military, departmental budgets have been allocated for all forms of support for the war in Ukraine in the financial year 2024–2025. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The UK’s total support for Ukraine committed since February 2022 now amounts to almost £12 billion, including £4.1 billion of fiscal support via World Bank loan guarantees. The Prime Minister recently announced £2.5 billion of military assistance for Ukraine in financial year 2024-2025. No Department is being asked to contribute to this package, the funding will be drawn from the Reserve. The exact amount of non-military support in 2024-2025 remains to be confirmed. Wales Office First Minister of Wales Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times since taking office the Prime Minister has met the First Minister of Wales; and whether the Prime Minister plans to meet the current First Minister before the latter’s retirement. Baroness Swinburne: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL1907 on 1 February 2024. I also refer the Noble Lord to my Rt Hon Friend the Prime Minister’s comments about the First Minister’s retirement at Prime Minister’s Questions on 13 December 2023. Details of the Prime Minister’s future official meetings and visits will be announced in the usual way. Department for Transport Tankers: English Channel The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the number of ships in the ‘dark fleet’ passing through the English Channel carrying Russian oil and oil products in (1) 2020, (2) 2021, (3) 2022, and (4) 2023. Lord Davies of Gower: Definitions of the ‘shadow fleet’ or ‘dark fleet’ vary and so it is not possible to provide accurate figures in relation to the English Channel. This practice has emerged since the introduction of the Russian Oil Services ban and Oil Price Cap Exception by the Price Cap Coalition of the G7, the European Union and Australia in December 2022. However, the Joint Maritime Security Centre provides Department for Transport officials with daily vessel tracking reports for Vessels of Interest within or thought to be heading towards the UK Marine Area. This can include ships where a Russian link is identified, or where the vessel has transited from a Russian port, or engaged in a Ship-to-Ship transfer with a vessel which has departed from a Russian port. Tankers: Insurance The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether emergency planning is in hand in the event of an uninsured tanker leaking oil in British waters. Lord Davies of Gower: Regardless of the insurance status of a vessel, the UK has well-established plans/protocols for the response to an oil spill. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is the National Competent Authority for at-sea pollution response. MCA Counter Pollution and Salvage (CPS), under the direction of HM Coastguard, are custodians of the national pollution response resources which comprise specialist oil containment and recovery equipment and dispersant. These are supported by manned aircraft for spill surveillance, verification and quantification and aerial dispersant spraying capability. Personnel and resources are in place 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year and provide an incident management and response capability anywhere within the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone. Regular exercises are undertaken to test national multi-agency spill response procedures.Whilst shoreline pollution response is led by local authorities and devolved nations, MCA CPS will support pollution response along the UK shoreline using nationally held containment and recovery capability held in the stockpiles.Incident management, specialist response teams, and liaison personnel are also available and will be activated by the MCA as required. As with at-sea pollution response, regular engagement with local authorities in response exercises is undertaken. The resources held by the MCA are commensurate with a Tier 3 national response requirement as described within the National Contingency Plan for Pollution from Shipping and Offshore Installations. Tankers: English Channel The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they keep recordsof the occasions when oil tankers in the English Channel have turned off their transponders. Lord Davies of Gower: This data is not regularly collated in this form. The Joint Maritime Security Centre provides regular reporting on vessels of interest in the UK Marine Area. High Speed 2 Line Lord Framlingham: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of completing the first phase of HS2; and what is the projected completion date. Lord Davies of Gower: As set out in the Network North command paper, for the historic Phase 1 scope DfT officials have estimated a provisional range of £45 billion to £54 billion.Given these cost assessments were made before the decision was taken to cancel Phase 2, the Department has asked HS2 Ltd to consider the revised scope of the project and provide an action plan on how it will deliver this at the lowest reasonable cost. We will be able to provide more information in due course.Delivery remains on track for the initial high-speed services between Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street by 2029 to 2033. An updated delivery-into-service range for services to Euston will be provided in due course. Railways: East of England Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government whenthey will provide the full funds to upgrade the rail junctions at Haughley and Ely; and on what timetable they expect the works to be completed. Lord Davies of Gower: The recently announced Network North programme of investment included confirmation of government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and upgrading Haughley Junction, and the substantial benefits this will bring, including a doubling of passenger services on the Ely to Kings Lynn and Ipswich to Peterborough routes together with additional freight paths into the Port of Felixstowe. Network Rail have developed the scheme to Outline Business Case stage; next steps will involve further investment case development and delivery planning. Motorcycles: Carbon Emissions Lord Fox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Transport on 28 November 2023 (3453),what plans they have to grow and develop the supply chain for L-Category vehicles this year. Lord Fox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary at the Department for Transport on 28 November 2023 (3453), how much they will invest ingrowing and developing the L-Category supply chain this year. Lord Fox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 28 November 2023 (3453),what support they plan to give the L-Category community this year. Lord Fox: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Transport on 28 November 2023 (3453), what assessment they have made of their current role in theL-Category community. Lord Davies of Gower: The Government has ongoing engagement with the UK’s L-category industry and rider group representatives, particularly in support of its transition to zero emissions. The Government welcomed the Motorcycle Industry Association (MCIA) and Zemo Partnership’s joint action plan when published in February 2022 and has been supporting its delivery where appropriate. In support of actions 2 and 3 the Government made up to £350,000 of funding available for research and development projects to develop and grow the zero emission motorcycle component and system supply chain in the UK. In response to action 6, the Department is engaged with the MCIA’s recent licensing review proposals for all battery electric L-Category vehicles. The Department continues to work with the recently established “Powered Light Vehicle Community” to address action 9. North Wales Coast Line: Electrification Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect work on electrifyingthe rail line between Crewe and Holyhead to start; what estimate they have made of the cost of this work; and when they expect the project to be completed. Lord Davies of Gower: We are working closely with the rail industry to develop and deliver on the Government priorities outlined in the Prime Minister’s Network North announcement, which includes an unprecedented £1 billion investment to fund the electrification of the North Wales Main Line. We are in the early stages of planning the next steps for the North Wales electrification scheme, including the costs and programme for development and delivery. We will share further information when that work is complete. Roads: Repairs and Maintenance Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the condition of the road network in England, particularly with regard to potholes, and (2) the efficacy of measures designed to address such road maintenance issues. Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsums they have provided for the purposes of road maintenance to (1) Oxfordshire, and (2) Gloucestershire, county councils in the most recent financial year for which figures are available; and what assessment they have made of the extent to which this money has actually been spent on road maintenance. Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis their estimate of the percentage of the road network in England that is a danger to motorists as a result of inadequate road surface maintenance. Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the costs to motorists arising from potholes. Lord Mawson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the efficacy of local authority processes whereby motorists claim for vehicular damage arising from a lack of adequate road surface maintenance. Lord Davies of Gower: Local highway authorities including Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire County Councils have a duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980 (as amended) to maintain the highways network in their area. Dealing with any compensation claims due to possible defects, including potholes, on the highway network is entirely the responsibility of the relevant highway authority, and the Department has made no formal assessment of this matter. The Department is providing over £1 billion of highway maintenance capital grant funding to local authorities in the current financial year. This funding goes to eligible local highway authorities across England, outside of London and the mayoral combined authorities who are in receipt of City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements. As a result of the funding increases announced at Budget 2023 and in the Prime Minister’s Network North programme, local highway authorities in England are generally receiving around 30% more highway maintenance funding from the Department for Transport in the current financial year than in the previous financial year. The Network North programme includes an unprecedented increase of £8.3 billion for local highway maintenance over the period up to 2033/34 to help fix the blight of potholes on our local highway networks up and down the country. Funding allocations for all eligible local authorities are published on gov.uk. Gloucestershire County Council received a total of £29.1 million of highway maintenance capital grant funding, and Oxfordshire County Council a total of £27.2 million, in the 2023/24 financial year. In each case this was an increase of around 30% compared to the 2022/23 financial year. The Department for Transport has asked local highway authorities to publish on their websites by 15 March 2024 plans setting out how the additional Network North highway maintenance funding will be used, and thereafter quarterly reports on how the funding has been spent. The Department takes the condition of local roads very seriously. Well-planned, proactive, and good quality maintenance works are vital in preventing prevent potholes and other defects from forming. Councils that do this effectively get better value for every pound spent. To ensure transparency in the condition of our local road networks, road condition statistics are published annually by the Department and are available on gov.uk. The Government is working with the British Standards Institution and the Transport Research Laboratory to develop a new data standard for assessing road condition to help local authorities identify, assess, and deal with road defects, including potholes. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Cheshunt Lakeside: Insolvency Baroness Taylor of Stevenage: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the collapse of Cheshunt Lakeside Developments Ltd with reported debts to Broxbourne Borough Council of over £1 million and to Homes England of £18.7 million; and what is the likelihood of recovery of those debts. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Local authorities are independent bodies and Broxbourne Borough Council's recovery of debt is in the first instance a matter for the council. Nonetheless, the Government stands ready to speak to any council that has concerns about its ability to manage its finances or faces pressures for which it has not planned.Homes England is working closely with the insolvency administrators for Cheshunt Lakeside development site. The Agency is keen to see a workable solution that allows housing delivery to continue. Until the sale of the site has been concluded, the Agency is not able to comment on any potential loss in relation to its recoverable loan. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Trawsfynydd Power Station: Construction Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current assessment of the suitability of constructing a small modular nuclear reactor at the nuclear power station in Trawsfynydd in Gwynedd. Lord Callanan: Trawsfynydd could be a candidate for new nuclear in future and is one of a number of potential sites that could host new civil nuclear projects, subject to National planning policy, regulatory approvals and technical assessments. As a first step towards developing a new nuclear National Policy Statement, Government is consulting on a proposed policy for determining how new nuclear power stations will be sited beyond 2025, including the potential for Small Modular Reactors and other advanced nuclear technologies. Whilst no decision on sites has been taken, Great British Nuclear is working with Government to support access to potential new nuclear sites, and is open to discuss potential opportunities with site owners. Department for Business and Trade Horizon IT System: Prosecutions Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how muchfunding they approved for prosecutions of sub-postmasters by the Post Office, if any. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government has not provided funding for prosecution of sub-postmasters. Horizon IT System Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what information they have about the application by the Post Office in 2019to recuse Mr Justice Fraser from the High Court case of Bates and Others vs Post Office Ltd. Lord Offord of Garvel: This is a matter which we expect that the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry under Sir Wyn Williams will examine. The Government is cooperating fully with the Inquiry’s work and should not pre-judge its findings. Horizon IT System: Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration Lord Framlingham: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Offord of Garvel on 30 January (HL1629) which noted that the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman does not have “any live investigations relating to the Post Office Horizon scandal”, whether any sub-postmaster contacted the Ombudsman in relation to this matter at any time since its inception. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO) reports to Parliament directly and is held to account through the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee. Therefore, the Department for Business and Trade is unable to respond on their behalf. PHSO has confirmed that they were contacted regarding a complaint from a sub-postmaster in relation to the Post Office Horizon scandal.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-02-14

Northern Ireland Civil Service: Smoking at Work Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: During the month of January 2005, how many cases there were of Northern Ireland civil servants being warned or fined for smoking at work. Baroness Amos: During the month of January 2005 there were no cases where civil servants have been formally warned i.e. in writing, or fined for smoking at work. Responsibility for the issuing of informal or verbal warnings rests with the line manager and such information could be obtained only at disproportionate costs. Northern Ireland Civil Service: Official Cars Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What grades of senior civil servants in Northern Ireland are entitled to official cars and drivers; and how much this facility has cost for each year for each department since 1 January 2000. Baroness Amos: Official cars for use by the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration are mainly provided by the Central Transport Unit of the Department of Finance and Personnel. Primarily they are for the use of Ministers. However, officials at grade seven level and above are permitted to use this facility to ensure that the cars are used to full capacity. Information on cost by department is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. The costs of providing an official car service through the Centralised Transport Unit, for each of the past five financial years, for the 11 departments are as follows: Year Total cost of car pool £k 2000–01 465 2001–02 942 2002–03 528 2003–04 447 2004–05* 394 *to 31 January Official cars for Northern Ireland Office staff are provided on the basis of business need and not on the basis of their grade. Northern Ireland Office costs are as follows: Year Cost £k 1999–2000 323 2000–01 397 2001–02 323 2002–03 264 2003–04 505 Northern Ireland: Ombudsmen Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many ombudsman-type positions, including sectoral oversight commissioners, exist in Northern Ireland; for how long each post has existed; who occupies each position; what are the salary and remit for each post; and what was the budget for each year from 2001 to 2005. Baroness Amos: At 10 March 2005, there were two ombudsmen and two oversight commissioners in Northern Ireland, as follows: Body/Date Created/Current Office Holder/Remuneration/Expenditure 2000–04 and Budget 2004–05 Remit Assembly Ombudsman for Northern Ireland/Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints 1969 Dr T. J. Frawley (both posts) £109,892 per annum 2001–02–£950,000 2002–03–£951,000 2003–04–£1,061,000 2004–05–£1,199,000 The remit for both posts is to investigate complaints from aggrieved persons of injustice caused by maladministration. The Assembly Ombudsman deals with complaints, in the main, against Northern Ireland government departments, their agencies, the North/South implementation bodies and the administrative actions of a number of tribunals. The Northern Ireland Commissioner for Complaints deals with complaints against a wide range of public bodies including district councils, health and social services trusts, education and library boards, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive and housing associations. Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland November 2000 Mrs Nuala O'Loan £91,383.88 per annum 2000–02–£7,821,378 2003–04–£6,822,381 2004–05–£5,045,000 2002–03–£6,848,512 To exercise powers conferred by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 to secure the efficiency, effectiveness and independence of the police complaints system; and the confidence of the public and members of the police force in that system. Criminal Justice Oversight Commissioner June 2003 The right honourable Lord Clyde £600 per day (when on oversight business) 2003–04–£29,262 2004–05–£500,000 To provide independent scrutiny of the implementation of the changes in criminal justice arrangements and structures flowing from the Government's decisions on the criminal justice review and the provisions of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. Office of the Oversight Commissioner for Policing May 2000 Mr Al Hutchinson £600 per day (when on oversight business) 2001–02–£653,823 2002–03–£785,930 2003–04–£735,175 2004–05–£800,000 To oversee the implementation of the changes in the policing of Northern Ireland as set out in the recommendations of the Patten report. (Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 refers). Northern Ireland Police Ombudsman Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 February (WA 77), whether the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland has written to the Prime Minister, the Lord Chancellor or any other Law Officer commenting on, objecting to, or in any way expressing displeasure with or dissent from comments made by a resident magistrate in respect of a case in which her office was involved; if so, on what occasions; and under what circumstances. Baroness Amos: The Police Ombudsman has advised that her office has not written to the Prime Minister, the Lord Chancellor or any other Law Officer commenting on, objecting to, or in any way expressing displeasure with or dissent from comments made by a resident magistrate in respect of a case in which her office was involved. On one occasion the ombudsman did consider that one of her staff was inaccurately criticised, in court, by a magistrate and sought clarification from the magistrate through correspondence. In the absence of a response the ombudsman wrote to the Lord Chancellor with regard to the matter. Northern Ireland: Freedom of Information Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Northern Ireland departments charge for the provision of information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; which do not; and on what basis the decision to charge is made. 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 the 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. Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is appropriate for employees of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to issue policy statements. Baroness Amos: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body and is therefore entitled to issue statements that are within its remit. IRA Terrorists: Criminal Records Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 3 March (WA 33) on "IRA terrorists: criminal records", what was the nature of the conference in Dublin on 16 November 2004, which Ministers and officials attended from Northern Ireland; whether the subsequent press report in the Irish Times is accurate; and whether in the event of the reform of the rehabilitation of offenders legislation, terrorists would be among those who benefited. Baroness Amos: There was no ministerial attendance. Any proposed reform of the rehabilitation of offenders legislation would not distinguish in its application between former paramilitary and other ex-offenders. However, for offenders who remain on life licence, their convictions would not be considered to be spent. Northern Ireland: A1 Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many (a) fatalities; (b) serious injuries; and (c) other collisions there have been on the A1 in Northern Ireland on the dual carriageway section between Sprucefield and Loughbrickland, in each of the past five years. Baroness Amos: The PSNI has 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 Northern Ireland: A1 Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many (a) fatalities; (b) serious injuries; and (c) other collisions there have been on the A1 road in Northern Ireland at Loughbrickland, where the single carriageway section begins at the land border with the Irish Republic, in each of the past five years. Baroness Amos: The PSNI has 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 the Carnbane roundabout at the north side of Newry city and the border with the Republic of Ireland. 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 59 Number of persons killed 6 Number of persons seriously injured 14 Number of persons slightly injured 114 Northern Ireland: A1 Lord Laird: 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. 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 18,050 18,990 17,720 18,000 17,600 I trust this is helpful. Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7 September 2004 (WA 105), (a) what and how much 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; (b) what happened to that property, and (c) what arrangements exist for return of this funding if NIACRO ceases to exist or no longer requires the property. 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 about which I informed the noble Lord 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. Northern Ireland Civil Service: Public Holidays Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 27 January (WA 171), on which days or dates the 1.5 extra public and privilege holidays are taken by Northern Ireland civil servants compared to civil servants in Great Britain; and whether this figure takes account of different bank holidays. Baroness Amos: The additional 1.5 days' public and privilege holidays taken by Northern Ireland civil servants and NIO staff working in Northern Ireland is the overall net effect of a number of differences. The following table provides the details. Bank, Public and Privilege Holidays NorthernIreland CivilService andNIO Home CivilServants inEngland andWales Home CivilServants inScotland New Year's Day - - - 2 January - St Patrick's Day - Maundy Thursday Afternoon - Good Friday - - Easter Monday - - Easter Tuesday - Early May Bank Holiday - - - Spring Bank Holiday - - - HM The Queen's Official Birthday - - 12 July - 13 July - Late Summer Autumn Bank Holiday - - - (1.5 Days)additional 0.5day in lieu ofMaundyThursdayafternoon Christmas Day - - - Boxing Day - - - Third Day at Christmas - - - Total 12 10.5 10.5 Northern Ireland: Visit of President McAleese Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the security and other costs of the visit to Northern Ireland of the President of Ireland on 24 February. Baroness Amos: Information on the security costs of President McAleese's visit to Northern Ireland on 24 February 2005 is not readily available and could be compiled only at disproportionate cost. All other costs associated with the visit were borne by the organisations visited. Waterways Ireland Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: As a result of the allegations of bullying and harassment at Waterways Ireland, what legal costs from the organisation's budget were incurred; and by whom and when. Baroness Amos: I am advised by the chief executive at Waterways Ireland that the body incurred costs of £4,089.01 for legal advice in respect of these allegations. The advice was provided to the chief executive in the period between February 2003 and February 2004. Nepal The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: What representations they have made to the government of Nepal about the continued detention of political leaders, the suppression of the media, and the alleged extra-judicial killings and human rights violations carried out by the Royal Nepalese Army and by Maoist rebels. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Following the takeover of power by the King on 1 February, my honourable friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Douglas Alexander) summoned the Nepalese Ambassador to express our grave concern at developments. The UK also issued a statement with European Union (EU) partners highlighting our concerns about restrictions on liberty and calling for human rights to be respected. Our ambassador raised our concerns directly with the King on 8 February and raised similar concerns in conjunction with other EU member states' ambassadors, with the new Nepalese Foreign Minister on 7 February. We understand that many of the political leaders have now been released from detention, although we remain concerned for other political and human rights activists who have been detained since the King's takeover. Restrictions on political reporting and commentary in the media are gradually being relaxed although there is still an outright ban on military reporting that does not come direct from official military sources. In the absence of independent reporting, through the media and through non-governmental organisations, it is very difficult to get confirmed reports of extra-judicial killings or human rights abuses by the Royal Nepalese Army or the Maoists. However, we continue to be deeply concerned about Nepal's poor human rights record and condemn all abuses, whoever the perpetrator is. Our ambassador is now seeking an early audience with the King to encourage him again to restore the fundamental rights as a first step towards restoring democracy and democratic-process. We will be taking the issue up at the United Nations Commission for Human Rights. Small Arms: South-East Europe Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are co-operating with the United Nations Development Programme and the Serbian Government on proliferation and trafficking in small arms and ammunition in south-east Europe. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: South-east Europe is a priority region for our small arms and light weapons (SALW) activities, which include extensive funding for projects to counter the proliferation of small arms and ammunition. We co-operate closely with both the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Serbian Government in this work. In recent years the UK has been the lead donor to the UNDP for global SALW activities, contributing £7.5 million. The UNDP supports the south-east Europe clearinghouse for the control of small arms and light weapons (SEESAC), including a recent contribution of £130,000 of its UK funding. SEESAC's work in the region is important and innovative, including the development of micro-disarmament standards, a SALW awareness support pack, SALW survey protocols and comprehensive destruction projects. Our support in the region also includes over £500,000 for a UNDP project to destroy SALW and ammunition in Bosnia-Herzegovina and help for the Serbian Government in drafting a new export control act, that should come into force at the end of March 2005. Iraq: British Nationals Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they keep data relating to United Kingdom civilians currently working in Iraq; and, if so, whether they will provide the number and geographical detail of those engaged there directly or indirectly on contracts. 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 whom are in and around Baghdad. Bangladesh: Asylum Seekers Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are currently allowing in-country appeals by refused Bangladeshi asylum seekers. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Any asylum claim that is refused will attract an in-country right of appeal unless it is certified as clearly unfounded. Since 24 February 2005 asylum claims made by nationals of Bangladesh have not been certified as clearly unfounded with reference to Section 94(3) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, which relates to the Secretary of State's duty to certify asylum claims from designated countries unless he is satisfied that they are not clearly unfounded. Their asylum claims may, where appropriate, still be certified as clearly unfounded under Section 94(2) of that Act, which provides for the certification of clearly unfounded claims on a case by case basis irrespective of the country of origin. Control Orders Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a person under house arrest or the subject of a control order will be entitled to stand as a candidate at a general election or any other election; and, if so, whether they will be able to enjoy privileges such as free postage where these are available to other candidates. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: A person subject to a control order under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 would not be disqualified from standing for election under electoral law, assuming that he was otherwise eligible to stand (for example, on grounds of age or nationality), and would be eligible for any relevant considerations associated with this. The extent to which a person subject to a control order would be able to undertake election activities in the same way as other candidates would, however, depend on the terms of the control order to which they were subject. Cohabitation Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the consultation by the Law Commission of England and Wales regarding cohabitation will consider whether opposite-sex and same-sex couples who cohabit should be given improved legal protection with rights and responsibilities similar to those of couples who marry or enter a civil partnership. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Law Commission published its ninth programme of law reform on 22 March. This programme includes a project on cohabitation which will focus on a review of the remedies available to opposite and same-sex cohabiting couples on the termination of their relationship by separation or by death. The project will place special emphasis on reducing potential financial hardship suffered by cohabitants or their children in those circumstances. It will include comparison with the relevant law applicable to cohabitants in other jurisdictions. Open University:Funding of Part-time Students Lord Steel of Aikwood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What decision they have made to ensure continued funding of part-time students at the Open University. Lord Filkin: The Government will continue to fund the Open University for all its students. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) undertook a review of part-time provision, in relation to the OU and Birkbeck College. The council announced its findings on the 1 March. These included an intention to develop a widening participation measure from the 2006–07 academic year, designed to ensure that part-time students who are not able to afford higher fees should not be disadvantaged. The council also determined that any new measures concerning part-time provision should be applied across the entire sector. Tax-exempt Savings Plans Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: When a review of the premium limits of tax-exempt savings plans was last conducted; and what increases to these plans there have been since 1992. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: In line with all taxes and reliefs the premium limits for tax-exempt savings plans are reviewed on an ongoing basis. In particular recent estimates of the cost of extending the annual premium limits was included in Answers to parliamentary Questions from Members of the House of Commons given on 4 and 22 February 2005. The premium limit for tax-exempt savings plans was increased from the 1992 level to the current level on 1 May 1995, the day on which the Finance Act 1995 was passed. Inward Foreign Direct Investment Stock Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the figures for inward foreign direct investment stock as a percentage of gross domestic product in 1990 and 2003 for each of the members of the European Union (as shown in Chart 2.5 on page 15 of the Treasury's Long-term global economic challenges and opportunities for Europe); and what were the comparable percentages for 1996 or 1997. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The inward foreign direct investment stock as a percentage of gross domestic product in 1990, 1996, 1997 and 2003 is presented for each member of the European Union (with the exception of Belgium and Luxembourg) in the table below: Inward direct investment stock (percentage of GDP) Country 1990 1996 1997 2003 Austria 6.1 7.7 8.5 23.7 Denmark 6.9 12.2 13.2 36.1 Finland 3.8 6.9 7.8 28.6 France 7.1 12.9 13.9 24.7 Germany 7.1 8.3 9.1 22.6 Greece 6.7 9.7 10.7 9.8 Ireland 71.5 58.2 56.5 129.7 Italy 5.3 6.1 7.0 11.8 Netherlands 23.3 30.7 32.4 65.6 Portugal 14.8 17.7 18.1 36.3 Spain 12.8 17.7 17.8 27.4 Sweden 5.3 12.9 16.8 47.5 United Kingdom 20.6 19.2 19.0 37.4 Source: United Nations Conference on Trade and Development website (www.unctad.org). Note: No figures were available for Belgium or Luxembourg individually. Stamp Duty: Disadvantaged Areas Relief Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the estimated yield of £340 million to the Exchequer in 2005–06, from ending disadvantaged areas relief from stamp duty land tax, as set out in the 2005 Budget, included the yield from ending relief from duty on leases; if so, how much that was of the total it represented; and, if not, what is the estimated additional yield from ending relief on lease duty. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: This estimate includes the yield from ending relief for new leases, which accounts for around £25 million of the total. Stamp Duty: Disadvantaged Areas Relief Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: What elements make up the differences between the estimated yield to the Exchequer of £340 million in 2005–06, as set out in the 2005 Budget, from ending disadvantaged areas relief from stamp duty and the previous estimate of the cost of relief of £1 billion. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Disadvantaged areas relief (DAR) on commercial transactions is estimated to cost £870 million out of the estimated total cost of DAR of £1 billion in 2004–05. The estimated yield from abolition of DAR on commercial transactions is lower than the cost of relief because the latter includes the effect of the substitution of DAR for other stamp duty land tax (SDLT) reliefs (such as group relief), the claiming of DAR in respect of transactions undertaken in earlier years, and the effect of additional transactions generated by the relief. None of these elements of the cost of relief claimed will form part of the yield from abolition of DAR on commercial transactions. Because the cost of these individual elements is highly uncertain, the estimated yield from ending disadvantaged areas relief in 2005–06 is based upon the estimated historic yield from commercial transactions, projected forwards to 2005–06, and the proportion of transactions taking place in disadvantaged areas prior to the introduction of the relief. Banks: Charges for Services Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will request the United Kingdom clearing and retail banks to limit rates of interest on unauthorised overdrafts to a figure not exceeding 12 per cent. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The setting of charges for services is a commercial decision for each individual bank. The banking code sets standards of good banking practice for banks and building societies to follow. The banking code requires that signatories give their customers details of any charges for the day-to-day running of their account when they open it, and that they inform their customers personally if they increase any of these charges or introduce a new charge, at least 30 days before the change takes effect. The signatories to the code are also required to tell customers the charge for any other service or product before they provide that service or product, and at anytime the customer asks. If an individual is unhappy with the service provided by their current bank they may wish to consider changing provider. The Government believe that increased competition is the key to giving consumers effective choice and innovative services at a fair price and in practice, account providers compete through the terms of the services they offer to customers. Northern Ireland: Pensioner Households Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: In what way pensioner households in Northern Ireland will benefit from the Budget proposal for a council tax refund of £200. 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 Financial Inclusion Fund Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: How much money they now expect the Financial Inclusion Fund to spend on improving face-to-face money advice provision; and over what period. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The 2004 Pre-Budget Report announced a Financial Inclusion Fund of £120 million over the 2004 spending review period. In particular, the fund will support the Government's aim to increase access to forms of affordable credit and to see a significant increase in the capacity of free face-to-face money advice. Further details will be announced shortly. Civil Service: Relocation of Posts Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many of the 7,800 "relocations of Civil Service posts" described in paragraph 6:16 on page 138 of Budget 2005 (HC 372) are to locations within London and south-east England, in addition to the 450 posts to be moved by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to Milton Keynes. [HL Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: A total of 460 posts out of the 7,800 described in Budget 2005 are relocating within London and the south-east England regions: 10 to Hastings during 2004–05 and 450 planned to Milton Keynes. Fashion Industry Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the contribution of the British fashion industry to United Kingdom exports in (a) 2003, and (b) 2004. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Published trade statistics do not make the distinction between, for example, fashion clothing and other clothing. A report A Study of the UK Designer Fashion Sector, produced for the Department of Trade and Industry and the British Fashion Council by Malcolm Newbery Consulting in 2003, gave the following estimates and percentages in terms of clothing exports in 2001. The department has no plans to update this report. Exports of designer clothing £390 million (14 per cent. of UK clothing exports) Exports of branded clothing £1,610 million Designer plus brands £2,000 million (75 per cent. of UK clothing exports) Applied Construction Research Baroness Perry of Southwark: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 21 February (WA 178), what they expect to spend on (a) research underpinning building regulations; and (b) other applied construction research in (i) 2004–05; and (ii) 2005–06. 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. Post Office Card Account Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 28 February (WA 8), why the personal invitation document has to be taken to a local post office when many are presented by friends and relatives on behalf of elderly, sick or housebound would-be clients. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Customers who opt for a Post Office card account are issued with a letter, the personal invitation document (PID), from the appropriate government department, inviting them to apply for a card account. Post Office Limited is required to ensure that only genuine benefit, pension and tax credit recipients open a card account. To ensure this, customers or an authorised agent must present the PID in their local Post Office branch where they will be handed a Post Office card account application form, which customers are required to complete. However, a card account holder can appoint a permanent agent who can have limited access to that account, including access to funds. Fairtrade Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they have taken or will be taking to commend United Kingdom companies which, by supplying their offices with products carrying the independent Fairtrade Mark, use their buying power to support third world growers. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government support the Fairtrade movement, through funding by DfID of over £1 million from 2002 to 2007, to raise business and consumer awareness of fairly traded products. The commitment of UK companies, towns and cities to Fairtrade is acknowledged through the awarding of Fairtrade town status by the Fairtrade Foundation. The Government congratulate Manchester and Salford on becoming the joint 100th Fairtrade Towns, and welcome that a further 220 locations are actively running Fairtrade Towns campaigns. Consumer Credit Act 1974 Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why, in the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (Electronic Communications) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/3236), the deemed date of service of a communication is different under Section 176A(1) and Section 69 of the Consumer Credit Act 1974. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Section 176A of the Consumer Credit Act 1974—inserted into the Act by the Consumer Credit Act 1974 (Electronic Communications) Order 2004—augments the existing rules in Section 176 of the Act governing the service of documents with specific provisions dealing with the transmission of electronic documents. Section 176 is subject to the general rules that items sent by post are deemed to have been delivered on the day following posting. The intention was to retain this assumption in respect of electronic transmission. However, as the general rule does not apply to electronic communications, a specific provision to that effect was required. The "next day" approach was adopted because it avoids the need to make assumptions about office hours and typical transit time. The civil procedure rules contain a similar rule in respect of faxed documents. The different approach in respect of Section 69 is again to replicate existing provisions in the Consumer Credit Act that apply to paper-based transmission. The amended Section 69(7) specifically stated that a notice of cancellation by the borrower is deemed to have been served at the time of posting. Regulation 2(5) therefore replaces Section 69(7) with a new provision which states that a cancellation notice will be treated as having been served either at the time of posting or at the time of transmission. Historically the Consumer Credit Act has made this distinction between the deemed receipt of cancellation notices and the delivery of other communications to ensure that a borrower who wishes to cancel an agreement is able to do so with the confidence that the cancellation will be effective within the statutory cooling-off period. Government Departments: Scientists and Engineers Baroness Wall of New Barnet: asked Her Majesty's Government: In light of the 2004 science and innovation public service agreement target, what have been the total numbers of scientists and engineers employed in government departments and public sector research establishments, including post-doctoral and other training contracts, in each of the past 10 years; how many of these employees were recruited in each of the past 10 years; and how many of these employees left the public service in each of the past 10 years. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Scientists and engineers are employed by individual government departments and their PSREs. The departments are also responsible for maintaining the information on the total numbers recruited and retained. The Office of Science and Technology (OST) does not hold this information centrally. I will, therefore, ask departments to write to the noble Lord directly. The latest available figures on the total numbers of scientists and engineers employed in government departments were collated by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), and published in Forward Look 2003. Government Departments: Scientists and Engineers Baroness Wall of New Barnet: asked Her Majesty's Government: In light of the 2004 science and innovation public service agreement target, what information is held across government on their scientific and engineering skill base; and what assessment has been made of the science and engineering skills needed to enhance Her Majesty's Government's contribution to the science and innovation investment framework. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: It is for departments and their public sector research establishments (PRSEs) to determine what skills they require, and the number of skilled personnel employed, according to their business needs. The Office of Science and Technology (OST) is in the process of working with departments to define the key skills that all scientists and engineers require, in line with the professional skills in government programme. Defra: Inspector Posts Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many inspector posts were created between July 1997 and July 2001 by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and how many have been created since by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, both in response to legislation and through regulations giving the Secretary of State powers to create such posts. Lord Whitty: Records show that, from July 1997 to the creation of Defra, a net three inspector posts were created by MAFF, which included a loss of five in plant health and seeds. Since the creation of Defra, 21 inspector posts have been created. The most significant areas were sea fish industries (seven posts) and plant health and seeds (five posts). In addition, the Rural Payments Agency at December 2000 was performing inspection work which equated to 359 inspector staff-years. The equivalent figure is currently 272. Transport Policy: Mr Rod Eddington Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the terms of employment under which Mr Rod Eddington will be employed as a strategic adviser to the Government on transport policy from September 2005; how much he will be paid; and what are the anticipated costs of his office accommodation and secretarial support. Lord Davies of Oldham: Rod Eddington's role is to advise on the longer-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth. Rod Eddington, the Secretary of State and the Chancellor will decide how this work can be undertaken most effectively and at what cost. Mr Eddington will not be paid a salary for his work. Transport Policy: Mr Rod Eddington Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will reimburse any travel expenses of Mr Rod Eddington incurred while undertaking his role as a government transport adviser from September 2005; and whether they will estimate the annual level of such expenses. Lord Davies of Oldham: Rod Eddington's role is to advise on the longer-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth. Rod Eddington, the Secretary of State and the Chancellor will decide how this work can be undertaken most effectively and at what cost. Transport Policy: Mr Rod Eddington Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, the Lord Birt, was consulted prior to the announcement on 16 March that Mr Rod Eddington was to become a government adviser on transport policy from September 2005. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Prime Minister is fully supportive of Rod Eddington's appointment. This is an opportunity to bring a fresh look and a business perspective to transport investment going forward and advise on the longer-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth. Transport Policy: Mr Rod Eddington Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Prime Minister's strategy adviser, the Lord Birt, will continue to provide advice on transport-related issues, following the announcement that Mr Rod Eddington will advise the Government on transport policy from September 2005. Lord Davies of Oldham: Lord Birt, advised by the Strategy Unit, will continue to make valuable contributions to the shaping of government policy, including where appropriate, transport. Transport Policy: Mr Rod Eddington Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: To which Minister and department it is anticipated that Mr Rod Eddington will provide advice following his appointment as a government adviser on transport policy from September 2005. Lord Davies of Oldham: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport has appointed Rod Eddington who, supported by officials from both the Department of Transport and Her Majesty's Treasury, will advise him on the longer-term impact of transport decisions on the UK's productivity, stability and growth. Road Traffic Signs Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is a requirement for United Kingdom road signs to display distance in kilometres as well as in miles; and whether they plan to (a) implement dual signage in the United Kingdom; or (b) replace current signs with metric road distance signs. Lord Davies of Oldham: There is no requirement or provision in UK legislation for traffic signs to display distances in kilometres as well as in miles. The Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions (2002 SI No 3113), and corresponding legislation in Northern Ireland, provide only for the use of miles, fractions of miles or yards. A European directive agreed in 1980, as amended in 1989, provides for the continuation in use of the mile and yard on road traffic signs for distance and speed measurement until a date to be fixed by the UK government. Disabled People: Parking and Set-down Facilities at Transport Interchanges Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether local authorities are ensuring ample parking and set-down facilities for disabled people at transport interchanges; and whether they are considering any further action in this regard. Lord Davies of Oldham: Parking and setting down facilities for disabled people at transport interchanges is a matter for the relevant operator, owner or local authority to consider and address in relation to local circumstances. The Department for Transport has issued advice on these issues both in Traffic Advisory Leaflet 5/95 which covers standards and provision of parking for disabled people and in Inclusive Mobility—A Guide to Best Practice on Access to Pedestrian and Transport Infrastructure. Specific advice for the rail industry has also been issued by the Strategic Rail Authority in its code of practice—Train and Station Services for Disabled People and additional source of advice is British Standard 8300, Design of Buildings and their approaches to meet the needs of disabled people. Greenhouse Gas Emissions Earl Peel: asked Her Majesty's Government: What measures they have identified to reduce greenhouse gas emission from the transport sectors in order to comply with the overall Kyoto emission target of an 8 per cent. reduction from 1990 levels. Lord Davies of Oldham: The transport White Paper The Future of Transport: a network for 2030, published in July 2004 and available via the Department for Transport's website, summarised in some detail the main steps the Government are taking to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases from the transport sector. The review of the UK climate change programme, details available via www.defra.gov.uk, is considering the scope for additional measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector and other sectors, and a new programme is due to be published in the summer. Blood Products Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: On what date the Department of Health commissioned its review of internal papers on the issue of self-sufficiency in blood products, consequent upon the Lord Owen's disclosures on failure to implement a commitment made to Parliament while he was a health Minister; and when they expect the outcome of the review to be published. Baroness Andrews: An informal review to clarify the facts surrounding the drive for United Kingdom self sufficiency in blood products in the 1970s and 1980s was commissioned in July 2002. Work will be completed shortly. Abortion Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the comments made by Cardinal Cormack Murphy O'Connor on the reduction of the time limit for abortion from 24 to 20 weeks. Baroness Andrews: It is accepted parliamentary practice that proposals for changes in the law on abortion come from Back Bench Members and that decisions are made on the basis of free votes. The Government have no plans to change the law on abortion. NHS: Intensive Care Cots for Infants Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to increase the number of intensive care cots for infants. Baroness Andrews: It is for National Health Service primary care trusts to determine the number of intensive care cots for infants which are necessary to ensure availability and access to meet local needs. An extra £20 million has been provided yearly for neonatal intensive care services, and an extra £25 million yearly for paediatric intensive care services, which provide for the older infant. This is in addition to the primary care trusts' general funding allocation which is set to increase over the next five years and which may also be used to increase capacity where needed. NHS: Education and Training Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the National Health Service service increments for teaching are restricted to medicine and dentistry; or whether they are also available for nursing and midwifery practice-based education. Baroness Andrews: The National Health Service service increments for teaching funds are currently restricted to medicine and dentistry. NHS: Education and Training Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they plan to prepare nurses and allied health professionals to undertake new roles, such as that of nurse consultant, through funded periods of supervised practice and education. Baroness Andrews: Post-registration training needs for National Health Service staff are decided against local NHS priorities, through appraisal and clinical governance processes. Training needs analyses are informed by local delivery plans and the needs of the service. Access to training is affected by a number of factors such as the availability of funding, whether staff can be released, the availability of appropriate training interventions, mentors and assessors. It would not be practical for the centre to be prescriptive on this.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-03-24b

Department of Health and Social Care Milk: Health Education Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to promote the benefits of drinking milk to children and young people. Lord Markham: Milk and dairy products make a valuable contribution to the nutrient content of the diet, providing protein and B vitamins for example. They are also an important source of calcium, which is especially important for children to help build healthy bones and teeth. In the United Kingdom, exclusive breastfeeding is recommended for around the first six months of a baby’s life with continued breastfeeding throughout the first year. Following this, the Government encourages the population to consume some lower fat milk and dairy products as part of a healthy, balanced diet. This is reflected in the UK’s national food model, the Eatwell Guide, a copy of which is attached.The Healthier Families and Start4Life websites both include information in an online-only format to parents of young and primary school aged children on the consumption of lower fat, unsweetened milk as part of a healthy balanced diet.The Eatwell Guide principles, including consumption of milk and dairy products, underpin the School Food Standards and Public Health England’s example menus and guidance for early years settings, available on GOV.UK in an online-only format.Eatwell Guide (colour edition) (pdf, 8001.9KB) School Milk Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to encourage wider take up of the Nursery Milk Scheme in early years settings and among childminders. Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatplans they have to review administrative barriers for childminders seeking to claim from the Nursery Milk Scheme. Lord Markham: The Nursery Milk Scheme allows early years childcare settings such as childminders, nurseries and some schools, to reclaim the cost of providing one-third of a pint of milk to children under five who attend their childcare setting for at least two hours per day. It is not compulsory for childcare settings who are eligible to join the Scheme, but all are welcome to do so.The Nursery Milk Scheme is currently run by the NHS Business Services Authority under a direction given by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care. There are no current plans to changes the way in which the Scheme operates. Fractures: Health Services Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of fracture care in areas where there is no full fracture liaison service. Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has published multiple best practice clinical guidelines on assessing and managing fractures, including assessing and managing the risk of fragility fractures in people aged 18 years old and over with osteoporosis. These include details on drug treatments and lifestyle information. NICE guidelines are not mandatory, although health and care commissioners are expected to take them fully into account.Some local health systems may offer secondary fracture prevention support without using fracture liaison services. Examples might include medication management for people at risk of osteoporosis, falls prevention services and frailty programmes. Health Services: Waiting Lists Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government why consultant-led community services activity is no longer to be recorded on the main elective waiting list. Lord Markham: Most community activity is non-consultant led and therefore reported outside of the Referral to Treatment (RTT) dataset. There were inconsistencies in the previous reporting of consultant-led community services, so to improve consistency and accuracy of reporting across community services, the referral-to-treatment guidance has been updated to clarify the reporting expectations for consultant-led community data.This change allows for consolidated reporting of consultant-led and non-consultant-led community services data within published community datasets. The aim is to encourage more consistent and accurate reporting across elective pathways, enabling better insights into community services and activity across the country. Patient rights to treatment within 18 weeks for consultant led services will not change under this proposal and long waits will still be visible within the published statistics; they will simply appear in the community data and not RTT. Health Services: Waiting Lists Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of referral-to-treatment cases which will be taken off the main elective waiting list as a result of new guidance from NHS England. Lord Markham: Following the changes made to the national Referral to Treatment (RTT) reporting guidance on 2 February 2024, internal data from NHS England indicates that the impact on the overall RTT waiting list will be a decrease of approximately 37,000 pathways across National Health Service acute providers. These pathways are within the community paediatric specialty, which is the only specialty that is explicitly identified as being a community pathway in the NHS dataset.Patient rights to treatment within 18 weeks for consultant led services will not change under this proposal and long waits will still be visible within the published statistics; they will simply appear in the community data and not RTT. Fractures: Health Services Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of England has a full fracture liaison service. Lord Markham: According to figures from a Freedom of Information request by the Royal Osteoporosis Society cited in an All-party Parliamentary Group inquiry report in 2021, 51% of National Health Service trusts in England provided a fracture liaison service in the same year. A copy of the report is attached.Inquiry report (pdf, 1771.4KB) Mental Health Services: Finance Lord Stevens of Birmingham: To ask His Majesty's Government when before 1 April they will confirm whether NHS mental health funding will increase as a share of overall NHS expenditure in 2024/25, as required by section 3(2) of the Health and Care Act 2022. Lord Markham: Information on mental health funding within the National Health Service will be made available once NHS planning guidance is published. Long Covid Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of (1) the overall burden of Long Covid, (2) the number of new cases being identified each month, (3) the percentage of sufferers who are able to receive specialist treatment, and (4) the provisions available for long-term support and assistance. Lord Markham: The Government does not currently routinely record the total amount of people with long COVID or new cases identified. However, the most recent data from the Office of National Statistics shows that for the 4-week period ending 5 March 2023, 1.9 million people, or 2.9% of the population, in private households in the United Kingdom reported experiencing long COVID symptoms; 83,000 people first had, or suspected they had, COVID-19 less than 12 weeks previously, 1.73 million people had symptoms for 12 or more weeks, 1.3 million people for at least a year and 762,000 for at least two years; and 1.5 million people reported day-to-day activities adversely affected. Of these, 381,000 reported that their ability to undertake day-to-day activities had been limited a lot.Whilst no specific assessment has been made of the percentage of long COVID sufferers who are able to receive specialist treatment, activity data released by NHS England shows that, for the month of December 2023, there was a total of 1,104 initial specialist assessments completed during the month and an additional 8,696 follow-up appointments were carried out. In total, since the data was first published in July 2021, 101,998 patients have received an initial specialist assessment. A further 347,837 follow-up appointments have taken place.NHS England has invested £314 million to expand long COVID treatment in the National Health Service and rehabilitation services, establishing 100 long COVID services for adults and 13 specialist paediatric hubs for children and young people. These assess people with long COVID and direct them into appropriate care pathways which provide appropriate support and treatment. Commissioning of post-COVID services will transition from the long COVID national programme to integrated care boards by the end of March 2024. Funding for long COVID services in 2024/25 is expected to be allocated based on the 2023/24 distribution.The NHS and wider scientific community are working at unprecedented pace to better understand long COVID, supported by £50 million in research funding. Fractures: Health Services Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the reply byLord Markham on 19 January 2023 (HL Deb col 1926), what is meant by “different versions” of the fracture liaison service. Lord Markham: The Government and NHS England recognise the value of quality-assured secondary fracture prevention services, including Fracture Liaison Services (FLS). Some local health systems may offer secondary fracture prevention support without using FLS. Examples might include medication management for people at risk of osteoporosis, falls prevention services and frailty programmes. Pregnancy: Air Pollution Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what research they have (1) commissioned, and (2) published, on the impact of exposure to air pollution on foetal development during pregnancy. Lord Markham: The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), formerly Public Health England, contributed to a report by the Royal College of Physicians’ and Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health that examined the impact of exposure to air pollution across the course of a lifetime. It states that from the earliest stages of development DNA is susceptible to changes arising from exposure to air pollution. During critical periods of development, any interference can harm organs and tissues or change their developmental trajectory so that their function is impaired. The susceptibility of the development of lungs and the brain to air pollution are highlighted in the report.UKHSA also provides the scientific secretariat to the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants, which is currently preparing a report considering the evidence linking maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, with preterm birth, low birth weight and stillbirth. Air Pollution: Public Health Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish guidance on how people can protect themselves from the harms of air pollution. Lord Markham: The Government makes a wide range of information available to the public through the UK-Air website and on social media. This includes a five-day forecast, latest local measurements from nationwide monitoring networks and health advice informed by the work of the Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants.Air quality forecasts are communicated using the Daily Air Quality Index (DAQI). The DAQI informs the public about air pollution levels in their area and provides health advice in the form of recommended actions that can be taken by the general public and susceptible individuals. As part of the Air Quality Information System review, the Government are conducting an evaluation assessing the appropriateness and effectiveness of the current DAQI. Air Pollution: Ethnic Groups Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to work with health professionals to address the disproportionate impact of air pollution on Black and racialised communities. Lord Markham: The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence has published guidance on air pollution which includes recommendations on advice health professionals can provide to people who may be affected by poor air quality. A copy of the guidance is attached.NHS England focuses on reducing healthcare inequalities at both national and system level in the most deprived and underserved communities, through its Core20PLUS5 programme. This programme sets out a target population comprising of the poorest 20 percent of the population, along with ethnic minorities and inclusion health groups.Air pollution (pdf, 353.2KB) Cabinet Office Foreign Investment in UK: National Security Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to recommendations made by the House of Commons Business and Trade Sub-Committee on National Security and Investment on 9 February in their submission to the Government’s call for evidence ahead of reforms to the UK’s investment-screening regime, what steps they are taking to strengthen the screening processes under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 to better align with the investment rules of UK allies. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is grateful for each response to the recent Call for Evidence on the National Security and Investment Act, including the submission from the Business and Trade Sub-Committee. The Government is now analysing all the responses and will respond publicly in due course.The NSI Act brought the UK’s approach to investment screening in line with many of our allies. Whilst the vast majority of acquisitions pose no national security risk, where the government does identify risk, it will not hesitate to act. Political Parties: Freedom of Information Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation to extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to include registered political parties. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has no plans to extend the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to registered political parties. Home Office Asylum: Appeals Lord Bailey of Paddington: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the asylum seekers' appeal system is not intentionally undermined, with the result that rejected applications are subsequently accepted. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Where a person has been refused asylum and makes further submissions, there will only be a right of appeal if the further submissions amount to a fresh claim. There will be a fresh claim only if the further submissions have not previously been considered and, taken together with the previously considered material, created a realistic prospect of success. In the vast majority of cases where there is a right of appeal, the Home Office is represented by Presenting Officers who are specially trained on immigration law and practice, including cross-examination, to ensure any credibility issues are raised before the tribunal, and that decisions are robustly defended at appeal where it is right to do so. Asylum: Northern Ireland Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for asylum applications in Northern Ireland of the decision in the application for judicial review by Aman Angesom [2023] NIKB 102 of 18 October 2023. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: This judgment found in favour of the SSHD in respect of our policy to disperse asylum seekers on section 95 support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, from Northern Ireland to Scotland. Where individuals in asylum accommodation are relocated, their asylum claims will continue to be processed in line with legislation and policies in place, irrespective of place of residence in the UK. Immigration: Legal Representation Lord Bailey of Paddington: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that immigration lawyers and law firms are not involved in (1) coaching claimants, or (2) encouraging them to make false statements to deceive the immigration system. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office Professional Enablers Taskforce was created in March 2023 to investigate the activities of all Professional Enablers, who may be using their expertise or position to abuse the immigration system. This includes legal professionals and immigration advisers.Where unethical and illegal practices are identified and evidence exists that obligations have been breached, the taskforce may refer legal practitioners to the relevant regulatory body or to law enforcement partners, where criminality is evident for consideration of sanctions or penalties. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Nigeria: Boko Haram and Islamic State Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between Boko Haram and Islamic State of West Africa Province in Nigeria's northern states, and perpetrators of violence in Nigeria's central states. Lord Benyon: It is likely that some criminal networks engage in illicit trade, including trading of weapons, with terrorist groups in Nigeria, including in its northern states. This is distinct from intercommunal violence, which occurs particularly in Nigeria's Middle Belt and is driven by lack of economic opportunities, disruption to traditional ways of life created by environmental degradation and historical grievances. Through our UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership, we are working with Nigeria to respond to shared threats and are supporting Nigeria to tackle insecurity and promote human rights. Nigeria: Internally Displaced People Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the second-order effects of mass displacement in central Nigeria, especially on (1) educational outcomes, (2) the use of narcotics among young people, and (3) the risk of trafficking. Lord Benyon: Displacement in Nigeria has a significant impact on children, who are often no longer able to attend school and therefore lack education provision for an extended period of time. This can also increase vulnerability to trafficking and other safeguarding issues. While the UK funds development initiatives in some Middle Belt states, our humanitarian assistance is aligned with the UN Humanitarian Response Plan which focusses on North-East Nigeria, which is most impacted by displacement. The UK is also supporting Nigeria's National Drugs Law Enforcement Agency to increase the local law enforcement agencies' capacity and capability to disrupt narcotics flow across Nigeria, in line with human rights standards. Nigeria: Violence Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the sources of weapons used by perpetrators of recent violence in Plateau State, Nigeria. Lord Benyon: The proliferation of weapons is exacerbating security challenges across Nigeria, although exact sources of weapons used in the recent violence in Plateau state remain uncertain. We are supporting Nigeria to address the proliferation of weapons by providing x-ray image interpretation training to the Nigerian Drugs Law Enforcement Agency to assist them with detecting weapons and weapon parts when screening baggage, fast parcels, and air freight. Furthermore, we are supporting Nigeria to strengthen its borders, including through the Collaboration Against Trafficking and Smuggling (CATS) programme. This programme operates along the Nigerian-Niger border and aims to build the capability of the border agencies to tackle cross-border human trafficking and smuggling. Nigeria: Abduction Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that rates of kidnappings for ransom have increased in central Nigeria. Lord Benyon: The UK Government condemns the abduction and captivity of all persons for ransom. We are aware of a rise in kidnappings in central Nigeria. It is difficult to provide a definitive figure because of differing recording practices across agencies and because not all kidnaps are reported to the Nigerian authorities. At the latest UK-Nigeria Security and Defence Partnership (SDP) dialogue in February, we strengthened our commitment to providing mentoring and capacity-building support to the agencies with a mandate to tackle the threat of kidnap. This will help reduce harm to victims and hold those responsible to account. Sudan: Children Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of remarks byClare Nicolet, head ofMédecins Sans Frontières's emergency response in Sudan, that "we estimate that at least one child is dying every two hours in one IDP camp. Our current estimate is that there are around 13 child deaths each day”; and what is their response. Lord Benyon: The humanitarian situation in Sudan continues to deteriorate, with almost 18 million people now thought to be in acute food insecurity and 700,000 children already acutely malnourished. The UK is providing more than £38 million in humanitarian funding in 2023-24. The lack of humanitarian access to Internally Displaced People (IDP) camps continues to make it extremely difficult for humanitarian organisations to provide the necessary levels of assistance. Department for Transport High Speed 2 Line: Old Oak Common Station Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 20 February (HL2422), whether there are committed sources of funding in place for continuing work on (1) preparing for tunnelling main bores from Old Oak Common towards Euston, and (2) installing boring machines for above main bores; and, if not,why construction is continuing without a committed funding source in place. Lord Davies of Gower: The project to deliver Old Oak Common station is fully funded, which includes funding for enabling works and site preparation to allow for tunnel boring machines to be launched to construct the Old Oak Common to Euston tunnels.As previously stated, the scope and cost estimates for this section of the route are subject to review following the announcement. As set out in Network North, we will appoint a development company to manage the delivery of the station and will harness the future growth that the station will unleash to support its development, to ensure we get the best possible value for the British taxpayer and ensure that funding is underpinned by contributions from those people and businesses its development supports. Railways: East of England Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Gower on 14 February (HL2133), what are the minimum and expected timescales for the following stages of Ely Area Capacity Enhancement and upgrading of Haughley Junction: (1) the final business case, (2) the Ministerial decision to proceed to implementation, (3) the issuance of a Transport Work Act Order, (4) the commencement of works, and (5) the completion of works. Lord Davies of Gower: The recently announced Network North programme of investment included confirmation of government’s support for the Ely Area Capacity Enhancement (EACE) programme and the substantial benefits this will bring, including a doubling of passenger services on the Ely to Kings Lynn and Ipswich to Peterborough routes together with additional freight paths into the Port of Felixstowe.Network Rail have developed the scheme to Outline Business Case stage; next steps will involve further investment case development and delivery planning. Railway Stations: Stonehouse Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will announce their decision on the Strategic Outline Business Case 'Restoring Your Railway Stroudwater Station' submitted in September 2022; why that decision has not yet been made; and what is the intended purpose of the planned Ministerial visit to Stroudwater Station. Lord Davies of Gower: The Department for Transport is in receipt of a Strategic Outline Business Case for the proposed reopening of Stonehouse (Bristol Road) railway station, also known as Stroudwater station. The Department is not yet in a position to provide details on next steps for the scheme, but hopes to be able to do so in due course. Ministers conduct visits for a wide range of reasons, including to help them appreciate local issues in person. High Speed 2 Line: Buckinghamshire Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they were aware that trees wouldbe felled in Sheephouse Wood when they agreed £40m funding for a tunnelto mitigate the impact on wildlife in Sheephouse Wood. Lord Davies of Gower: Wildlife mitigations adjacent to Sheephouse Wood include physical measures to protect the local bat population, as well as a green overbridge, and landscaping for public access. Given that the HS2 route in this area is overground rather than in tunnel, a number of trees along the perimeter of Sheephouse Wood have had to be removed to fulfil safety requirements alongside an operational railway. These trees were removed with the necessary permissions from Natural England, and HS2 Ltd informed the Department for Transport in advance of the works taking place. The requirement to deliver these works was included in the overall funding allocations for the HS2 project. Department for Culture, Media and Sport Sports: Transgender People Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of Sport England’s approach to supporting the implementation of the UK Sports Councils’ Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport, published on 30 September 2021. Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the UK Sports Councils’ Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport, published on 30 September 2021,in protecting female sport. Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Sport England in relation to the UK Sports Councils’ Guidance for Transgender Inclusion in Domestic Sport, published on 30 September 2021. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport regularly meets Sport England and UK Sport to discuss a range of issues relating to participation in sport, including participation by transgender people.In ‘Get Active: A strategy for the future of sport and physical activity’, HM Government set out our view that, when it comes to competitive sport and particularly women’s sport, competitive fairness and safety have to be the primary considerations. These considerations cannot be reconciled with self-identification in the female category in gender-affected sport alone.The Sports Councils’ Equality Group’s transgender inclusion guidance was published after extensive consultation and a review of scientific research. It makes clear that inclusion, fairness, and safety cannot always be balanced in gender-affected sport. It therefore encourages national governing bodies to consider the specific factors at play in their sport, and to use scientific, peer-reviewed evidence to help make decisions in an open and transparent way. The Government will continue to engage with Sport England and national governing bodies to ensure that this guidance is being implemented. Radio Frequencies: Rural Areas Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the impact of the closure of longwave radio on 31 March on people living in rural areas. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The BBC is not ending long-wave transmissions of BBC Radio 4 on 31 March 2024. The Corporation announced in 2022 that it would be ending the separate programming for Radio 4 on long wave only and moving to a single Radio 4 schedule.The BBC has been communicating this change to ensure that listeners know how they can still hear Radio 4 programmes which are only broadcast on long wave on other BBC radio services or other platforms.Under the BBC’s 2016 Royal Charter and Agreement, it is a matter for the BBC to determine how long to continue with its long-wave transmissions. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Hill Farming: Environmental Land Management Schemes The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what further steps they plan to take to support and protect upland and hill farmersto offset any lossof income they face under the new environmental land management schemes. Lord Douglas-Miller: Upland farmers play a vital role in managing some of our most important and iconic landscapes, which are valued and recognised by the public. In addition to farming, the management of upland landscapes can provide many environmental benefits and ecosystem services, including clean air and water, carbon sequestration and flood risk management. Upland farmers are well placed to benefit from our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, which are designed to maintain sustainable, productive land which delivers for both farmers and the environment. The schemes under ELM have been designed to be as accessible and attractive to as wide a range of farmers as possible. We continue to work closely with a range of environmental and agricultural stakeholders to collaboratively design our new approaches to ensure they are fit for purpose. Support for small farmers, including upland farmers, includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Management Payment. At the recent National Farmers Union Conference, the Prime Minister announced that this payment will be doubled to a maximum of £2000 per year. At the Conference the Prime Minister also announced the biggest ever package of grants this year, to boost productivity and resilience, which will total £220 million. Upland farmers will be eligible to benefit from this, through increases to the Improving Farming Productivity scheme and the Farming Equipment and Technology fund. And the Prime Minister announced that the Government is also increasing funding for grassroots mental health support, because we know what a tough job farming is; and providing funding to support food producers by redirecting surplus food into the hands of those who need it. This builds on support already in place for upland farmers. Upland farmers can get paid for over 130 relevant actions under Countryside Stewardship and the SFI from 2024. This will include new moorland and upland peat actions, with considerably higher payments for moorlands in good environmental condition. They can also extend their Higher Level Stewardship agreements for five years if they have one that can run alongside any Countryside Stewardship or SFI agreement they have, allowing them to get paid for more actions and take advantage of recent price increases. And they can apply for Countryside Stewardship Wildlife Offers for a range of management options that focus on providing habitats for farm wildlife. Upland farmers in Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty or National Parks can apply for the Farming in Protected Landscapes programme, which funds farmers to support nature recovery, mitigate the impacts of climate change, provide opportunities for people to discover, enjoy and understand the landscape and its cultural heritage, or protect or improve the quality and character of the landscape or place. And upland farmers can continue to benefit from the Landscape Recovery scheme, creating the landscape scale and tailored environmental land management change we need for our targets. So far 56 successful projects have been selected for Rounds 1 and 2 of Landscape Recovery, demonstrating the Government’s commitment to funding that delivers environmental benefits in harmony with food production. Defra will open a third round of Landscape Recovery in 2024. Processed Food: Labelling The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in light of recent research by University College London, to ensure that ultra-processed foods, particularly meat-alternative products, are (1) clearly labelled, and (2) not categorised in the green ‘healthy’ category of the traffic-light food labelling system. Lord Douglas-Miller: The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. Prepacked food has to show: (1) a list of ingredients; (2) the net quantity of the food; (3) the quantity of certain ingredients used; (4) ingredients causing allergies or intolerances; (5) a best before or use by date; (6) any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use; (7) country of origin where required; (8) origin of the primary ingredient (where required); (9) instructions for use where necessary and (10) other labelling as required.In addition, the name of the food (or of any ingredients) should be accompanied by details of the physical condition of the food or the specific treatment which it has undergone (for example, powdered, refrozen, freeze-dried, quick-frozen, concentrated, smoked) in all cases where omission could mislead the purchaser. This means that consumers are able to examine the label on any food and determine whether it meets their particular requirements.While nutrition labelling is mandatory on most prepacked food, front of pack 'traffic light' nutrition labelling remains voluntary, and it is for the individual business to decide on which foods the information will be most useful to consumers. Manufacturers and retailers are encouraged to provide front of pack nutrition labelling on as many of their products as possible where the information is meaningful for consumers. Research has shown that consumers expect to find front of pack nutrition labelling on pre-prepared convenience foods, ready meals and other processed products.The Department of Health and Social Care published guidance in 2013 on applying voluntary front of pack nutrition labelling. The traffic light score for each product is set against thresholds for ‘green’, ‘amber’ and ‘red’, and should be applied on an individual basis relating to the nutritional content and are used to represent whether a product is ‘high’ (red), ‘medium’ (amber) or ‘low’ (green) in specific, individual nutrients (total fat, saturated fat, total sugars and salt). The guidance can be found here and attached.FoP nutrition label guide (pdf, 1336.7KB) Department for Business and Trade Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government whoare the members of the statutory inquiry established to investigate the Post Office Horizon scandal; and who chairs that inquiry. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry is chaired by Sir Wyn Williams FLSW, a former High Court judge, who is supported by an Inquiry team including counsel, solicitors, assessors, and the Secretariat. The statutory roles to the Inquiry which support the Chair are Counsel to the Inquiry (Jason Beer, KC), Solicitor to the Inquiry (Segun Jide) and Secretary to the Inquiry (Leila Pilgrim). There are two assessors to the Inquiry (Erika Eliasson-Norris and David Page) who have been appointed to provide advice to the Chairman on their area of relevant expertise regarding the Inquiry. Post Office: Incentives Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government when the 'Transformation Incentive Scheme' authorising payment of bonuses to the Post Office senior employees for co-operating with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry was designed, approved, and implemented; and which Ministers approved it. Lord Offord of Garvel: While Ministers at the then Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and HM Treasury Ministers signed off on the 2021/22 Transformation Incentive Scheme (TIS) they did not authorise the payment of bonuses. Determining whether targets have been met and bonuses should be awarded is the responsibility of Post Office Limited’s Remuneration Committee. The timeline of approvals is set out in both Post Office Limited’s Review of the Transformation Incentive Scheme (TIS), also known as the Amanda Burton Report, and HM Government’s Review Of The Governance Relevant To Post Office Limited's Senior Executive Remuneration. Post Office: Incentives Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the names and bonus amounts paid to Post Office senior employees under the ‘Transformation Incentive Scheme’ for co-operating with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. Lord Offord of Garvel: This is a matter for Post Office Ltd as the Department does not hold this information. Government understands that all current Post Office employees who received the bonus have voluntarily returned the remuneration associated with the sub-metric relating to the Post Office’s support for the Inquiry. ​Nick Read (Post Office CEO) took a further step and voluntarily returned the full bonus payment attributed to the overall Inquiry metric. Horizon IT System: Convictions Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the sub-postmasters wrongfully convicted because of flawed Horizon computer evidence are yet to have their convictions overturned, allowing for payment of compensation. Lord Offord of Garvel: 700 postmasters were prosecuted by Post Office and a further 283 were prosecuted by others based on Post Office evidence, totalling 983 convictions. As of 13 February, there are now 102 overturned wrongful convictions. On 10 January, the Prime Minister announced that the Government intends to bring forward legislation to overturn the convictions of all those convicted in England or Wales on the basis of Post Office evidence during the Horizon scandal. Horizon IT System: Compensation Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the (1) highest, and (2) lowest, compensation payments made to sub postmasters wrongly prosecuted by the Post Office to date. Lord Offord of Garvel: Postmasters with overturned Horizon convictions are offered a fixed sum award of £600,000 to settle their claim, however those who wish to can continue to have their claim individually assessed. The amounts awarded to individuals are not revealed out of respect for their privacy, but the total so far paid to people whose convictions have been overturned is over £35 million. The small number of postmasters who were prosecuted but not convicted are eligible to claim compensation via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme or GLO scheme. Department for Education Education: Autism Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the National Autistic Society's Cullum Centres; and what consideration they have given to rolling out the Cullum model in mainstream schools across the country. Baroness Barran: The department works closely with the National Autistic Society (NAS) and is aware of the Cullum Centres and the evaluation currently being undertaken by Goldsmiths, University of London, but has made no assessments of the Centres to date. The department engages regularly with NAS and other autism stakeholders to understand the issues faced by autistic children and young people and to understand possible solutions. The department supports local authorities to provide sufficient school places for all children, including autistic children, through capital funding. The department has published over £1.5 billion of High Needs Provision Capital Allocations for the 2022/23 and 2023/24 financial years. This funding is allocated to local authorities to support them to deliver new places and improve existing provision for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), including those with autism, or who require alternative provision (AP). This funding forms part of the department's transformational investment of £2.6 billion in new high needs provision between 2022 and 2025 and is on top of the department’s ongoing delivery of new special and AP free schools. Reaching over 70% of schools and further education (FE) colleges, the Universal Services programme helps the school and FE workforce to identify and meet the needs of children and young people with SEND earlier and more effectively. The programme will also help the schools to successfully prepare children and young people for adulthood, including employment.  Universal offers online training, professional development groups, bespoke school and college improvement projects, sector-led research, autism awareness training and an embedded focus on preparation for adulthood, including employer-led webinars for college staff. The programme commenced in May 2022 and runs until Spring 2025, with a budget of nearly £12 million. The department has begun collecting data from local authorities on available capacity in special schools, SEND units and resourced provision, along with corresponding forecasts of demand for these places. This data will help the department to effectively support local authorities to fulfil their statutory duty to provide sufficient specialist places. Education: Autism Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing national guidance on how to adapt school environments to support the needs of autistic pupils. Baroness Barran: I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 12 February 2024 to Question 11638. Education: Autism Lord Touhig: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current level of training on autism that teachers receive; and what consideration they have given to introducing whole school staff training on autism. Baroness Barran: I refer the noble Lord to the answer of 22 February 2024 to Question 14564. Treasury Economic Situation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor and mitigate the impact of potential recessionary pressures on household finances and consumer confidence. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: According to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics, economic output contracted in Q3 and Q4 of 2023. Consumer confidence has since strengthened, and in January 2024 it reached its highest level since January 2022.The OBR has forecast growth in each year of its November 2023 forecast, and confirmed that the combined impact of the Autumn Statement and Spring budget policies provides a permanent 0.5% increase in the level of potential output by the end of the forecast.Since 2022, the government has demonstrated its commitment to supporting the most vulnerable by providing one of the largest support packages in Europe. Support for households to help with the cost of living is worth £104 billion over 2022-23 to 2024-25, or £3,700 per household on average.The government continues to monitor developments in the economy and consider the implications for its policies. Salt and Sugar: Taxation Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation contained inThe National Food Strategy, published on 15 July 2021, to introduce a Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: There are no current plans to introduce a Sugar and Salt Reformulation Tax. The Government published its response to the National Food Strategy on 13 June 2022, setting out the approach to working with the food industry to create a healthier food environment for all and investing in innovative approaches to address weight and diet related ill health.However, the Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) encourages producers to remove added sugar from soft drinks. It has been very successful in this aim, with a reduction of sugar in soft drinks of 46% between 2015 and 2020.The Government remains committed to helping people live healthier lives. Having a fit and healthy population is essential for a thriving economy, and reducing sugar and salt in food remains a priority for the Government through the voluntary reformulation and reduction programme.The Government keeps all taxes under constant review and welcomes representations from stakeholders to inform policy development. Import Controls: EU Countries Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 13 February (HL2022), what discussions they have had with representatives of channel ports regarding the introduction of EU import controls, and (1) whether these were written or oral discussions; (2) what dates these discussions were held; (3) what points of concern were raised, if any; and (4) what their response was to those concerns. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Government officials conducted in-depth engagement to develop the Border Target Operating Model. A wide selection of stakeholders involved at the border were invited to contribute, including representatives of channel ports. There were over 10,000 registrations for workshops and seminars over the engagement period in spring and summer 2023 and over 200 stakeholders provided written feedback. This included a range of border locations and other stakeholders involved in movements of goods across the channel. The Government responded to a range of questions on the requirements for safety and security controls for EU imports, due to be introduced from 31 October 2024. The Government is continuing to engage with stakeholders across affected sectors in all parts of the United Kingdom and the EU to ensure that they understand the changes outlined in the Border Target Operating Model. Baroness Neville-Rolfe also met with members of the ports industry in November 2023 to discuss the Border Target Operating Model. Imports: EU Countries Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the economic impact of safety and security declaration requirements for EU imports. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As is standard for such changes, any necessary impact assessment of the changes will be published alongside the legislation. Duty Free Allowances: Tourism Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to reinstating tax-free shopping for tourists, and what stage the review by the Office for Budget Responsibility has reached into the potential benefits of doing so. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is welcoming industry submissions on the VAT Retail Export Scheme and the associated airside scheme (tax-free shopping). The Government will continue to accept representations and consider this new information carefully, alongside broader data.The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is independent. It has announced it is reviewing the costing of the abolition of tax-free shopping in 2020. The OBR has stated that it will aim to publish it’s conclusions alongside the Spring Budget. Imports: EU Countries Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions, if any, they have held with EU countries regarding the introduction of safety and security declaration requirements for EU imports on 31 October, and what were the contents of any such discussions. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Government officials engage regularly with officials from EU Member States to discuss new customs-related requirements, including safety and security declarations. This has included official visits to Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Denmark and Ireland with further engagement planned for Italy, Spain, Poland and Germany in 2024. Baroness Neville-Rolfe visited Belgium to discuss import controls with the Belgian Government and industry in early February 2024. Partners have been extremely helpful in communicating these requirements using their own stakeholder communication channels, and providing suggestions for further guidance that could be helpful. More formal communication of these changes to EU Member States took place in the Trade Specialised Committee on Customs Cooperation and Rules of Origin, the minutes of which can be found on gov.uk. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Energy: Carbon Emissions Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the merits of an environmental duty on all relevant regulators, including the Planning Inspectorate, to ensure regulation that is proportionate to the need for more low carbon energy to improve the UK's energy security. Lord Callanan: Under the Planning Act 2008, the Planning Inspectorate deploys an Examining Authority which examines and makes recommendations to the Secretary of State on whether to consent to Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects, giving regard to relevant environmental matters in accordance with accompanying regulations and guidance. The updated National Policy Statements (NPSs) define low carbon infrastructure as a “Critical National Priority”. This means that when due account has been taken of relevant environmental legislation, remaining residual impacts are unlikely to outweigh the urgent need for this infrastructure. Strengthening our NPSs is one of several measures we are taking forward to improve the planning system.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-02-28

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.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-12-05a

Chinook Helicopter Accident Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the senior Royal Air Force reviewing officers overturned the findings of the president of the RAF board of inquiry investigating the Chinook helicopter accident on the Mull of Kintyre; and what were their justifications for doing so. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Under the rules of procedure for boards of inquiry, the higher authority is responsible for convening the inquiry and reviewing its findings. In the case of the Chinook accident on the Mull of Kintyre, the Convening Officer and his Air Officer Commanding in Chief (the reviewing officers) reluctantly concluded that the pilots had continued to fly their aircraft towards the Mull below safety altitude in unsuitable weather and in direct contravention of both visual and instrument flight rules. In allowing their aircraft to do this, the pilots had not exercised the skill, care or judgment they were known to possess. Consequently, the conclusion was that the pilots were grossly negligent. Chinook Helicopter Accident Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why Squadron Leader R Burke was not allowed to give evidence to the Royal Air Force board of inquiry, the Air Accidents Investigation Board and the Scottish Sheriff's fatal accident inquiry concerning the Chinook accident on the Mull of Kintyre. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The two inquiries and the team from the Air Accident Investigation Branch investigating the Mull of Kintyre accident were allowed access to all relevant evidence. Chinook Helicopter Accident Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the Ministry of Defence will not reopen the inquiry to hear the evidence of Squadron Leader R Burke concerning the Chinook helicopter accident on the Mull of Kintyre. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We are always prepared to consider any relevant new evidence. We have considered the points Mr Burke has raised but found nothing to justify reopening the findings of the RAF board of inquiry. Chinook Helicopter Accident Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 11 July (WA 21) regarding the Chinook helicopter crash in June 1994, whether the conclusion by the board of inquiry as to the most probable cause of the accident and the speculation as to the sequence of events immediately preceding the accident can be reconciled with the requirements that a finding of negligence must only be made "where there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever". Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: It is possible to be certain of the cause for something happening even though the precise details of events leading up to it are less definite. The decision of the RAF board of inquiry into this accident was that there was no doubt that the actions of the two pilots were the direct cause of this crash and that this amounted to gross negligence. Chinook Helicopter Accident Lord Jacobs: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 11 July (WA 21) regarding the Chinook helicopter crash in June 1994, whether the words "probable" and "absolutely no doubt whatsoever" are in contradiction to each other. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Not when taken in context. At the earlier stages of the inquiry a range of scenarios, or possible causes, were considered. The conclusion arrived at was that, irrespective of the precise detail of the sequence of events, there was no doubt that the aircraft had been flown in a way that constituted negligence. Chinook Mark 2/2A Helicopter Baroness Park of Monmouth: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the cost of a helicopter in the Chinook Mark 2/2A fleet. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Chinook Mk2 is a modified Chinook Mk1 and there are, therefore, no procurement costs available for this variant. The Chinook Mk2A was procured in 1995 at a unit cost of some 20.2 million US dollars. This figure excludes the cost of engines, which were provided by the Ministry of Defence from existing stock holdings. The replacement cost of a Chinook engine is currently some 2.1 million US dollars. Chinook Mark 2/2A Helicopter Baroness Park of Monmouth: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the cost of supplying and fitting each cockpit voice and flight data recorder to the Royal Air Force Chinook Mark 2/2A fleet. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Excluding one-offs and ground station costs, the cost to supply and fit Health and Usage Monitoring Systems (which include cockpit voice and flight data recorders) to each aircraft of the RAF Chinook Mk2/2a fleet is £320,000 (at 1999 prices). Chinook Mark 2/2A Helicopter Baroness Park of Monmouth: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Chinooks being used in Sierra Leone are part of the Mark 2/2A fleet: and whether they are being equipped with cockpit voice and flight data recorders; and Whether Chinooks operating in Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq respectively are from the Mark 2/2A fleet; and whether they are being equipped with cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Chinook helicopters recently used in Sierra Leone and Kosovo, and currently used in Northern Ireland, are Mark 2 aircraft which were not fitted with cockpit voice and flight data recorders. Chinook helicopters have not operated in Iraq since the Gulf War in 1991. A programme to fit cockpit voice and flight data recorders to the Chinook Mark 2/2A fleet as part of the Health and Usage Monitoring System (HUMS) should be completed by August 2001. Badger Culling Trial Lord Brett: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will bring further areas into the badger culling trial recommended by Professor Krebs so as to address questions about the incidence of tuberculosis in cattle. Baroness Hayman: The Government have now identified two more badger culling trial areas. One will be located in Gloucestershire and the other in Devon. This brings to 10 the number of areas in the trial, in line with the advice of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG), overseeing the trial. The Government are committed to a wide-ranging strategy aimed at finding a science-based solution to TB in cattle. The badger culling trial is an important element of that strategy, designed to establish what role, if any, badgers play in the spread of TB in cattle; and whether localised culling of badgers helps to reduce TB in cattle herds. The trial is subject to strict welfare safeguards, including independent audit, and will not endanger badger populations. The ISG expect results to be available by the end of 2004, possibly earlier depending on the strength of any association between TB in cattle and badgers. Rockall Fisheries Zone Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action they propose to take to protect stocks of haddock from over-fishing after the re-classification of the area of Rockall as no longer within the fishery limits of the United Kingdom or the European Union. Baroness Hayman: The Rockall fisheries zone (RFZ) was relinquished in 1997 when the UK acceded to the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Article 121(3) of UNCLOS prevents "rocks which cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own" being used to generate exclusive economic zones. Maintenance of the RFZ would not therefore have been compatible with UNCLOS and so would have been open to legal challenge. Unregulated fishing in this area risks undermining EU management measures aimed at conserving stocks. That is why, at the Fisheries Council in June, we called upon the European Commission to press for the adoption of specific management measures by the North East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC) to constrain fishing in the area. We were supported by a number of other member states, The European Commission has undertaken to pursue the necessary action in NEAFC. Antiviral Drugs Pricing Lord Rea: asked Her Majesty's Government: With particular reference to the high costs of antiviral drugs for treating hepatitis C and HIV, whether they intend to review price mechanisms and monopolies among pharmaceutical companies. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The prices of branded medicines are controlled indirectly by the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme (PPRS), which limits the profits which companies can make from the sale of these products to the National Health Service. Within this ceiling on overall profits, companies have freedom of pricing with a high price on one product being balanced by a lower price on others. A new scheme was introduced in October 1999 under which the prices of medicines covered by the PPRS were reduced by 4.5 per cent. overall, representing savings to the NHS of around £200 million per year. The new scheme incorporates an inquiry into the extent of competition in the supply of branded medicines to the NHS, which will inform the mid-term review of the PPRS, which will be undertaken after April 2002. Pharmaceutical companies often concentrate their research in particular therapeutic areas in which there may well be few suppliers. New products benefit from intellectual property protection which rewards and encourages research. In this particular area there has been a tendency for products to be launched at a common European price. Although their relative prices in different countries may be affected by currency fluctuations and controls of the kind exercised by the PPRS, they are at a similar level in other European countries. Merrywood School, Bristol Lord Cocks of Hartcliffe: asked Her Majesty's Government: On what date the Secretary of State for Education and Employment made the decision to close Merrywood School, Knowle West, Bristol. Baroness Blackstone: The Secretary of State approved the proposal on 10 April 2000. Notting Hill Carnival: Attack on Mr Alexis Condon Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the attack by a gang of black youths upon Mr Alexis Condon and five others at about 11.30 pm on 28 August at the Notting Hill Carnival has been classified as a racially motivated crime. Lord Bassam of Brighton: I understand from the Commissioner that this incident was not classified as a racist crime. Kosovo: Return of Refugees Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action they are taking together with other governments and international organisations to ensure that refugees and displaced people from Kosovo who are members of minority ethnic groups such as the Roma, Ashkalia and Serbs are not directly or indirectly encouraged to return to Kosovo without understanding the reality of the situation which awaits them; and What action they are taking together with other governments and international organisations to ensure that the return of refugees and displaced people to Kosovo is genuinely voluntary, co-ordinated with the authorities on the spot, and effectively related to the security situation and to the economic and social capacity to absorb returnees with meaningful prospect of a decent lifestyle; and What action they are taking together with other governments and international organisations to discourage the return of refugees and displaced people to Kosovo during the winter months. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government recognises that the security situation of ethnic minorities such as Roma, Ashkalia and Serbs in Kosovo remains precarious. All asylum applications are considered on their individual merits and returns would not be enforced or encouraged unless it was considered safe to do so. This approach is consistent with United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) advice and is followed by most other European governments. Information about the situation for these groups in Kosovo is widely available from a range of sources, but clear advice would be given to any individuals applying for the Home Office voluntary returns programme. Returns to Kosovo from this country will be on a phased and managed basis and we encourage other host countries to adopt a similar approach. Every assistance has been provided to those people who wish to return to Kosovo permanently, in the form of two voluntary assisted return programmes. If necessary, we enforce the return of those who, following any appeal, are judged to have no humanitarian or protection reasons for needing to remain longer in the United Kingdom. Such returns will take account of all the circumstances at the time, including the weather conditions in Kosovo. Arrangements have been set up to inform the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) in advance of Kosovans being forcibly returned to Kosovo. Roma: Anti-discrimination Measures Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: What measures they intend to take to give effect to General Recommendation XXVII of August by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on the elimination of all forms of racial discrimination against Roma and to improve the situation of Roma and their protection against discrimination. Lord Bassam of Brighton: I should emphasise that Roma within the United Kingdom already receive the protection that current legislation provides. The Race Relations Act 1976 makes it unlawful for anyone to discriminate against another on racial grounds. A Bill currently before Parliament will amend the 1976 Act by extending it to the functions of public authorities not currently covered by the Act, including the police service, and will put a statutory duty on public authorities to promote racial equality. It is also an offence to incite racial hatred against the Roma community by virtue of Part III of the Public Order Act 1986. And racist violence and harassment towards members of the Roma community falls under the new racially aggravated offences in the Crime and Disorder Act 1998. The Government are investing £14 million each year through the Standards Fund to promote the access, regular attendance and higher levels of achievement of Roma pupils. And legal requirements have been placed on schools with regard to the admission procedures for Roma children. There has also been investment in the production of books and learning materials which portray the Roma as a positive and rich culture that has a legitimate place in United Kingdom and European society. Intensive programmes of in-service training for teachers are provided by the Traveller Education Services, which most Local Education Authorities have had in place for a number of years. The Government also announced that they would be making available over the next three years £17 million to help local authorities to improve and refurbish a limited number of existing Gypsy and Traveller sites. Details of the scheme will be published later this Autumn. The United Nations and Council of Europe have become increasingly concerned at the problem of discrimination against the Roma community in Central and Eastern Europe. We are committed to ensuring that this issue is properly addressed at the World Conference on Racism in South Africa next year. There is also a substantial programme of work run by the Council of Europe to address this problem, which the United Kingdom Government has actively supported. We have provided funding for projects in the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The Department for International Development is involved in a number of programmes aimed at encouraging central and local governments to address the needs of Roma communities, and the Home Office is in the process of arranging a major programme of race awareness training for police in the Czech Republic. Home Detention Curfew Scheme Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government: On what date the early release of prisoners under Home Detention Curfew supervision came into effect; what are the criteria for release; and what has been the effect on the size of the prison population. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Home Detention Curfew (HDC) scheme was introduced on January 28 1999. Prisoners serving sentences of more than three months, and less than four years, are eligible to apply for HDC. In order to be released under the HDC scheme, the prisoner must have a suitable address to return to and in which the electronic monitoring device can be installed. In addition, prisoners are subject to a rigorous risk assessment which looks at their suitability for release on HDC, including the risk of reoffending. Only about 30 per cent of eligible offenders have been placed on HDC to date. There are some statutory exclusions to the scheme. These include, amongst others: violent and sex offenders serving an extended sentence (i.e. one which will involve extended supervision) under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998; prisoners serving a sentence for failing to return to custody following a period of temporary release; prisoners who have at any time been returned to prison for comitting an offence before the at risk period of a sentence has expired. There are normally 2,000 prisoners on HDC at any one time who would otherwise be in prison. Domestic Burglary Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many incidents of domestic burglary in England and Wales were recorded in each of the most recent ten years for which statistics are available; and how many were cleared up annually over the same period. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The requested details are as follows: Year Offences Recorded Offences Cleared Up 1990 529,161 132,995 1991 624,946 147,360 1992 708,231 141,770 1993 727,276 147,241 1994 678,882 154,348 1995 643,645 152,207 1996 602,128 141,782 1997 519,265 133,057 1998-99 473,349 105,782 1999-00 442,602 65,874 The change in counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998 had a minimal effect on the number of burglaries recorded. There was a change in counting rules for clear-ups on 1 April 1999 which introduced more precise and rigorous criteria for detecting crimes, including no longer counting most detections resulting from interviewing convicted prisoners. This resulted in a fall in the number of recorded clear-ups as about a third of the clear-ups in 1998-99, for example, were as a result of interviews of convicted prisoners. Criminal Justice Functions: Devolution Lord Windlesham: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any Home Office functions in the field of criminal justice have been devolved to the National Assembly for Wales or to the Scottish Parliament. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Yes. Responsibility for pensions regulations in respect of police officers in Scotland was devolved to the Scottish Parliament. The Home Office remains responsible for criminal justice in England and Wales. Before devolution, the Scottish Office had lead responsibility for criminal justice in Scotland and details of the matters for which the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales are now responsible can be found in the Scotland Act 1998, the Government of Wales Act 1998 and Transfer of Functions Orders made under those Acts. The effects of the devolution legislation in Scotland and Wales are summarised in Devolution Guidance Note 11: Ministerial Accountability under Devolution, the publication of which was announced by my noble and learned friend the Lord Chancellor in answer to a Question on 27 July 2000, Official Report, col. WA 73. A copy was placed in the Library and the text may also be viewed on the Cabinet Office website, www.cabinet-office.gov.uk, under The Government Machine.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-10-03a

Department for Education Tourette's Syndrome: Children and Young People Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the effectiveness of support for children and young people with Tourette’s Syndrome as outlined in the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision Green Paper published in 2022, and how is that measured. Baroness Barran: Through delivery of the Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) and Alternative Provision Improvement Plan, which was published in March 2023, the department is establishing a single national system that delivers for every child and young person with SEND, so that they enjoy their childhood, achieve good outcomes, and are well prepared for adulthood and employment.Pupils at school with medical conditions should be properly supported so that they have full access to education. In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and has published statutory guidance intended to help governing bodies meet their legal responsibilities. This guidance sets out the arrangements they will be expected to make based on good practice. Schools should ensure they are aware of any pupils with medical conditions and should have policies and processes in place to ensure these can be well managed.Tourette's is a complex neurological condition and children and young people with it may also have other learning difficulties. As a result, schools must use their best endeavours to make sure a child or young person gets the special educational provision they need, which includes monitoring the progress of pupils regularly and putting support in place where needed, such as arranging diagnostic tests where appropriate. Free School Meals: Eligibility Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their policy on the proactive use of data by local authorities to identify and register all children eligible for free school meals. Baroness Boycott: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment, if any, they have made of the potential merits of permitting the proactive use of data by local authorities to identify and register all children eligible for free school meals. Baroness Barran: Maximising the take-up of free school meals is important in ensuring that as many eligible children as possible benefit from a healthy and nutritious meal. The department aims to make it as simple as possible for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this, an Eligibility Checking System has been provided to make the checking process as quick and straightforward as possible for schools and local authorities. The department has looked at this issue and considers there to be merit in local authorities exploring initiatives to maximise take up and to better understand the barriers that prevent such take up, whilst ensuring adherence to legal and data protection constraints. Department of Health and Social Care Patients: Safety Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the comments by the Royal College of Nursing that the fall in each of the past three years in applications to university nursing coursesis a direct threat to patient safety, and what actions they are taking to improve patient safety in England. Lord Markham: The number of applicants continues to outstrip the places on offer. Nursing training places are competitive, and lead to an attractive and important career in the National Health Service.Record numbers of nurses are now working in the NHS, and the first ever NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, backed by over £2.4 billion of funding, will add 24,000 more nurse and midwifery training places by 2031.Over the last decade, the Government and system partners have delivered major initiatives to advance patient safety in the NHS. This includes implementing the first NHS Patient Safety Strategy, establishing the independent Health Services Safety Investigations Body to address the most serious patient safety incidents, and appointing the first Patient Safety Commissioner to champion the patient voice in relation to the safety of medicines and medical devices. Dental Services: Finance Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate from the British Dental Association that only 700 of approximately 8000 NHS contract holders in England will benefit from the increase in payment per unit of dental activity. Lord Markham: On 7 February 2024, we published Our Plan to Recover and Reform NHS Dentistry. The Dentistry Recovery Plan will make dental services faster, simpler, and fairer for patients and will fund around 2.5 million additional appointments or more than 1.5 million additional courses of dental treatment.Units of dental activity (UDA) rates vary around the country but in recognition of the fact that where rates are lowest it is harder for dentists to sustain their National Health Service work, we announced in Our Plan to Recover and Reform NHS Dentistry that we will raise the minimum UDA value to £28. This will mean that almost 1,000 contracts will see an uplift to their UDA rate this year, supporting them and making treatment of NHS patients more sustainable. We have also developed guidance to support local commissioning by integrated care boards, including how they can consider addressing UDA rates locally to support better delivery of dental care for patients. The plan also includes a number of other commitments to make NHS dentistry more attractive and sustainable, including new patient payments and Golden Hellos.We are developing further recommendations for dental contract reform to properly reflect the care needed by different patients, and to remunerate practices more fairly. We expect to develop options for consultation with the dental profession in advance of a further announcement later this year. Any changes would be phased in from 2025 onwards. Hospices: Children Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether integrated care boards (ICBs) have been informed of the details of the Children’s Hospice Grant for children’s palliative care, including (1) the amounts awarded to each ICB, and (2) the distribution method to be used. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when integrated care boards (ICB) in the West Midlands can expect to be informed of the details of the Children’s Hospice Grant for children’s palliative care, including (1) the amounts to each ICB, and (2) the distribution method to be used. Lord Markham: NHS England currently supports palliative and end of life care for children and young people through the Children and Young People’s Hospice Grant. Last year, NHS England confirmed that it will be renewing the funding for 2024/25, once again allocating £25 million of funding for children’s hospices using the same prevalence-based allocation approach as in 2022/23 and 2023/24. This prevalence-based approach ensures funding matches local need. Funding will be distributed via integrated care boards (ICBs) in line with National Health Service devolution.All ICBs in England, including those in the West Midlands, were notified of the amount of funding that each ICB will receive during week commencing 19 February 2024. Additionally, all ICBs in England, including those in the West Midlands, will be notified of the distribution method to be used very shortly.The Department and NHS England hope to be able to provide the greater clarity that the sector is seeking on this important funding stream to children’s hospices in the coming weeks. Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report published by the Health Services Journal on 5 February that NHS England regional teams were pressurising hospitals to focus energies on treating patients with less serious conditions to improve performance against the four-hour waiting time target. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the safety and health of patients most at risk of any pressure from NHS England regional teams to focus energies on treating patients with less serious conditions to improve performance against the four-hour waiting time target. Lord Markham: No such assessment has been made. NHS England wrote to systems and trusts on 25 January 2024 reiterating the need to improve accident and emergency performance for all patients requiring emergency care and emphasised some of the known best practice in emergency department processes to ensure delays to patient care are minimised.Access to National Health Service care and treatment will always be based on clinical priority. Medical Records: Data Protection Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 19 February (HL2438), why NHS England has disregarded requests from independent advisors to the Advisory Group for Data for the version control on the Terms of Reference to be updated to reflect the full circulation of the document and the timing of that circulation. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 19 February (HL2438), whether they plan to respond positively to the request by NHS England’s Advisory Group for Data to see the next draft of the Terms of Reference before it progresses to the next stage of ratification. Lord Markham: NHS England has confirmed that it has updated the version control for the draft document, to reflect drafts as issued together with reviewer comments, including the date issued. NHS England, through the Privacy, Transparency and Trust team in the Delivery Directorate, has received feedback on the drafts, and will publish a final version in due course, following approval by or on behalf of the NHS England Board.NHS England has confirmed that the Chair of the interim Advisory Group for Data has already been sent an updated interim version issued on 5 February 2024 and will share the next version with the group, in line with the commitment made to the group as outlined in the minutes of the meeting on 11 January 2024, before it progresses to the next stage of ratification. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Sudan: Famine Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Clingendael, From Catastrophe to Famine: Immediate action needed in Sudan to contain mass starvation, published on 8 February, which warned that "Sudan’s trajectory towards a catastrophe is certain; the risk of famine is very high”, and that “According to the most likely scenario, seven million people will face catastrophic levels of hunger by June 2024”; and what steps they are taking to coordinate an international response. Lord Benyon: 17.7 million people in Sudan (37 percent of the population) are now thought to be experiencing acute food insecurity. This is likely to worsen in the coming months. As much as 70 percent of the population could be experiencing acute food insecurity by June. Some experts are warning of the risk of famine. We are providing £38 million in humanitarian aid to support people in Sudan this financial year (2023-2024). The UK is pushing for a concerted international community response. We also continue to put pressure on the parties to end the fighting and to abide by their commitments under International Humanitarian Law and to allow lifesaving humanitarian aid to reach the Sudanese people. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Fisheries: Nature Conservation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey are takingto ensure thatfishing rights and conservation efforts comply withthe Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU. Lord Douglas-Miller: The UK and EU are required under the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) to cooperate with a view to ensuring that fishing activities for shared stocks are environmentally sustainable in the long term and contribute to achieving economic and social benefits. The UK complies with the requirements of the TCA and ensures that all of the actions taken are in accordance with those requirements. This includes meeting on an annual basis to set the total allowable catch for shared stocks, based on the best available scientific advice, including advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Seas on maximum sustainable yield. The UK derives its annual quota based on shares agreed within the TCA. Since 2021, four sets of these annual consultations have been held with the EU under the TCA. It is for the UK to decide which fisheries management measures are applicable in UK waters, and this is done in line with UK domestic obligations including those under the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, having regard to the objectives and principles outlined in the TCA Article 494. The Specialised Committee on Fisheries, established under the TCA, has met seven times, and provides a joint forum for cooperation between the UK and EU on fisheries issues, helping ensure that conservation efforts comply with, and support the shared objectives of, the TCA. Cereals: Production Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to support UK farmers to increase the production of wheat, barley, oats, and other cereals. Lord Douglas-Miller: Our fantastic British farmers are world-leaders and carefully plan their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. It is not Government policy to determine which crops farmers should prioritise to include in their crop rotation, but we will continue to support farmers, so they can make the right decisions for them and the productivity of their land. At the NFU conference, the Government announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the farming sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, the Water Management grant, the adding Value grant. Lastly the Farming Equipment and Technology fund can fund productivity items from a specified list of equipment, including eligible drills, fertiliser applicators, and grain dryers, which is due to open in the coming weeks. Defra’s Genetic Improvement Networks (GINs) on Wheat, Oilseed Rape and Pulses crops aim to improve the main UK crops by identifying genetic traits to improve their productivity, sustainability and resilience. Across the GINs we have already successfully identified genetic traits that have improved resilience to climate change and common pests and diseases, and we are working with breeders to incorporate these traits into elite UK crop varieties. Agriculture: Skilled Workers Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government whattheir latest assessment of the agriculture industry’s ability to attract skilled staff. Lord Douglas-Miller: The Government encourages all sectors to make employment more attractive to domestic workers in the United Kingdom through offering training, careers options, wage increases and to invest in increased automation technology. Defra is working closely with industry and across the Government to make sure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce. In 2022, the Government commissioned an independent review of labour shortages in the food supply chain. It considered how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages, following a survey of businesses across the food chain and a series of round-table meetings. The report was published on 30 June 2023. The government is considering the 10 recommendations from the report and will respond shortly. Enabling an innovative, productive and competitive food and farming industry which invests in its people and skills to drive growth is a key priority for the Government. Attracting bright new talent into agricultural and horticultural careers and having a skilled workforce in place is vital for the future of UK food and farming. By raising awareness of agriculture as an exciting and attractive career path, people will understand the opportunities available to them in the farming and land management industry. Pigs: Livestock Industry Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they aretaking to support pig breeders in the UK. Lord Douglas-Miller: The British pig sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high quality pork meat. It operates in an open market and the value of commodities is established by those in the supply chain. Defra continues to support the pig sector through a range of measures. Outdoor pig breeders may now apply to the Sustainable Farming Incentive and may access free business planning advice from independent advisers through the Farming Resilience Fund which is open until March 2025. They are also eligible to apply for our productivity and innovation grants via the Farming Investment Fund. This includes the £200 million that is available to support livestock farmers to manage slurry through the Slurry Infrastructure grant and the Farm Equipment & Technology Fund. Following feedback from the pig sector, we increased the storage capacity that pig farmers can apply for in Round 2 of the Slurry Infrastructure grant from six to eight months’ covered storage capacity. Pig breeders are also eligible to apply for support through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. This includes access to bespoke health and welfare advice through a fully funded vet visit and, as announced at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) conference earlier this month, imminent access to a second round of grants toward the cost of 59 equipment and technology items supporting improvement in the health and welfare of pigs. At the NFU conference, the Prime Minister confirmed we will introduce a regulatory framework for contracts with producers in the pig sector later this year, following the supply chain fairness review of the UK pig supply chain that was undertaken in 2022. Dutch Elm Disease The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of the efficacy of sanitary felling in slowing the spread of Dutch elm disease. Lord Douglas-Miller: Dutch Elm Disease is a highly destructive vascular wilt disease of several species of elm. We do not take statutory action against Dutch Elm Disease as it is widespread across most of Great Britain. There is no effective cure available for Dutch Elm Disease, but early sanitation felling, or removal of infected trees and branches, can slow the spread of the disease. There is evidence that sanitation felling was used as a control method in the 1970s in specific areas such as Brighton and Hove which now houses the National Elm Collection, a well curated collection of hundreds of trees, containing cultivars of both susceptible and resistant species. Annual losses during this decade were variable but overall considered to be lower than areas where measures such as sanitation felling were not in place. No official and specific assessment has been made on efficacy as local authorities make their own decisions on implementing control measures. However, local authorities such as Brighton with significant healthy elm populations that may still be implementing these enhanced control methods could hold more information on the use of sanitation felling at a local level. Defra is currently prioritising investment in scientific research which aims to develop a more resistant and diverse elm population, to support the return of mature elms to the landscape nationwide. This includes mapping and gathering data on resistant elms across Great Britain, surveying their genomic diversity, evaluating the durability of disease resistant cultivars and establishing the current distribution of the two vector beetle species. Defra is also funding work with the John Innes Centre who are undertaking inoculation trials and propagating the most tolerant trees to establish new seed orchards with enhanced resistance to Dutch Elm Disease. Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis their timetable for the (1) introduction, and (2) implementation, of activity regulations under the Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023. Lord Douglas-Miller: The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities abroad. Future decisions on which specific animal activities will fall in scope of the advertising ban will be evidence-based and subject to Parliamentary scrutiny. Sufficient, compelling evidence will be required to demonstrate why any specific advertising ban is needed. This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to ensure progress as soon as is practicable. Electrical Goods: Recycling Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government why they are planning to require larger retailers to accept used electrical items for recycling, including products originally bought from other retailers, rather than using existing local authority facilities and specialist scrap metal recycling units. Lord Douglas-Miller: Large retailers selling electrical products already have an obligation under the UK Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2013 to take back equipment for recycling, including products originally bought by other retailers, on sale of an equivalent item. The cost of recycling that waste equipment, and the cost of collection and recycling equipment deposited at local authority household waste recycling centres, is met by importers and manufacturers. With independent research from Material Focus indicating that at least 500,000 tonnes of waste electricals were lost through being thrown away, hoarded, stolen, or illegally exported every year, the government is consulting on proposals to make it easier for householders to responsibly recycle their waste electrical equipment, through whichever route they find most convenient. Deposit Return Schemes Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what materials their proposed deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland will include; and whether they intend to add further materials after the scheme is operational. Lord Douglas-Miller: The position on materials in scope in the Deposit Return Scheme for drink containers (DRS) was first published in March 2022 in the consultation response on an Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging; and reiterated in January 2023 in the DRS consultation response. Deposit Return Schemes Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent discussions they have had with packaging manufacturers regarding the scope of their proposed deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland; and whether they intend to revise the scope of that scheme following any such discussions. Lord Douglas-Miller: Conversations with packaging manufacturers on scope of materials in the deposit return scheme have been consistent with the position that was outlined in the Government’s consultation response in January 2023 (see attached).Introducing a DRS (pdf, 319.0KB) Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Peers: Correspondence Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to reply to the letter dated 15 September 2023 fromLord Berkeley to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Leader of the House of Commons, regarding the governance of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I apologise for the delay in responding to my Noble Lords’ correspondence. The department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence from Noble peers. A response issued on 27 February 2024. Department for Transport Fisheries: Conditions of Employment Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatis their latest assessment of working conditions in the UK fishing fleet. Lord Davies of Gower: The Government maintains a strong interest in the living and working conditions within the fishing industry. The International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Work in Fishing Convention (ILO 188) was implemented into UK law in 2018. The Government continues to monitor living and working conditions in the fishing industry through the Maritime and Coastguard Agency’s (MCA) survey and inspection programme for fishing vessels. The Government chairs a twice-yearly tripartite working group comprising of Government, fishing vessel owner representatives and fishers’ representatives to monitor living and working conditions and the implementation of ILO 188 in the UK. It is now just over five years since the legislation to implement the standards of the ILO 188 Convention was made. The Government conducted a statutory review of the legislation in 2023 and the post implementation report will be published later this year. Treasury Public Sector: Borrowing Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, what effect the surplus reported by the Office for National Statistics on 21 February has had on determining the forthcoming Budget statement. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Chancellor will present the Spring Budget on Wednesday 6 March alongside an updated official forecast from the independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), which will consider wider economic developments and latest government policy. Mortgages: Older People Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to identify the primary factors contributing to the recent decline in mortgage lending to borrowers aged over 55 in the UK. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is regularly in contact with mortgage lenders on all aspects of their mortgage business to understand their position and current lending conditions. Companies: Stocks and Shares Baroness Moyo: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more British companies to list in the UK instead of abroad. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The UK’s vibrant and dynamic capital markets are some of the strongest and deepest globally and the UK remains Europe’s leading hub for investment. Despite market turbulence globally in 2023, companies raised more capital in the UK than the next two highest European exchanges – Frankfurt and Amsterdam – combined.The government is building on this, with an ambitious programme of reforms to boost IPOs and improve the competitiveness of UK markets. This includes delivering on the recommendations of Lord Hill’s UK Listing Review, and the commitments in the Chancellor’s Mansion House and Edinburgh reforms.These reforms will make it easier for firms to list and raise more capital quickly in the UK. These reforms have been welcomed by industry and will ensure that the UK continues to support innovative firms to list and grow on UK markets. Financial Services: Climate Change Baroness Drake: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 25 January (HL Deb col 843), what assessment the Bank of England has made of the accuracy of the new Low Demand scenario and Fragmented world scenario published by the Network for Greening the Financial System, and whether these satisfactorily address whatBaroness Vere of Norbitonreferred to as "the challenges of the model ... [including the fact that] there is a higher number of independent transmission channels than previously thought and a lack of historical data", and the need to "anticipate a firm's reaction to climate change over the longer term". Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HM Treasury and the Bank of England welcome work by the NGFS to evolve and improve their climate scenarios. The NGFS scenarios have been designed in collaboration with an expert group of climate scientists and economists and are widely recognised throughout the global community. However, while the scenarios provide a useful starting point for considering how climate risks could evolve under a set of plausible outcomes, they should not be treated as forecasts, and despite significant progress in modelling capabilities, do not account for every potential implication of climate change. The Bank of England worked with the NGFS to publish a guidance note in January 2024, which sets out how users should apply and adapt the scenarios within their work, including caveats to be mindful of, and where they may wish to tailor the intensity of the scenarios. The Bank continues to support the development of climate scenarios as a member of the NGFS’ dedicated “Scenario Design and Analysis” Workstream. The NGFS have strived to address many of the difficulties associated with climate modelling to date and continue to make further improvements with each iteration (for example, the latest Phase IV incorporated the impacts of additional physical hazards) in line with improving scientific understanding and computational capabilities, to ensure the scenarios continue to provide an important public good for public and private stakeholders. National Income Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have of the underlying cause of the fall in gross domestic product per head in every quarter of 2023, as reported by the Office for National Statistics on 15 February, and what action they are taking to reverse this trend. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The economy has faced an unprecedented series of shocks, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the impact of Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. These have led to challenging economic circumstances. Looking over a longer timeframe, since 2010 GDP per capita has increased by 12%. Real household disposable income per capita - a more comprehensive measure of household living standards - has grown more than France and Italy since 2010. Fishing Vessels: Insurance Lord Teverson: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps the regulators of the UK insurance industry are taking to prevent UK insurers from offering insurance cover to operators of fishing vessels of any nationality that turn off their Automatic Identification Systems while fishing on the high seas. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government’s policy is that Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) should always be in operation when ships are underway or at anchor, however if the master believes that the continual operation of AIS might compromise the safety or security of the ship or where security incidents are imminent, AIS may be switched off. Insurers make decisions about the terms on which they will offer cover following an assessment of the relevant risks. This is usually informed by the insurer’s claims experience and other industry-wide statistics and standards. The Government does not intend to intervene in these commercial decisions by insurers as this could damage competition in the market.

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lordswrans2024-02-29

Carer’s Allowance Baroness Sherlock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people claimed Carer's Allowance in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15 to date. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in receipt of Carer's Allowance also received Working Tax Credit in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2014–15 to date. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people who were previously in receipt of Carer's Allowance and work 16 hours per week but lost that entitlement as a result of the increase in the National Minimum Wage from 1 October 2014. Lord Freud: The number of people who are entitled to receive Carer’s Allowance (CA), including those who receive no actual payment, for 2013/14 is published and available at: http://tabulation-tool.dwp.gov.uk/100pc/tabtool.html The figure for 2013/14 is 1,071,220. Information for 2014/15 is not yet available. Source: DWP 100% Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (Caseload) Notes: 1. The figure is rounded to the nearest 10 and is an average of the four quarters, May 2013 to February 2014 and this is the latest available information. The information requested, for the number of Carer's Allowance recipients also receiving Working Tax Credit and also those who may have lost entitlement to Carer’s Allowance due to the increase in the National Minimum Wage, is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Combined Cadet Force Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the change in funding arrangements for Combined Cadet Force units in independent schools will await the outcome of the review into the Ministry of Defence's way ahead over Cadet Forces by Major-General Tom Beckett. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many independent schools have responded to Major-General Crackett's letter about change in funding arrangements; and how many have said they expect their Combined Cadet Force units to have to close. Lord Astor of Hever: The Government places great value on the benefits delivered by membership of Combined Cadet Forces (CCFs), which is why we are expanding the number of CCFs in state schools through the Cadet Expansion Programme, and why we have consulted Heads of schools with CCF units to work out a sustainable funding model for CCFs for the future. The consultation period closed recently and no decisions on future CCF funding arrangements have yet been taken. In his letter earlier this year consulting with Heads of CCF schools, Major General Crackett made it clear that there would be no changes to the funding of existing CCF units before September 2015. We are now in the process of considering the feedback received during the consultation process. 162 independent schools responded to Major General Crackett's letter about CCF funding arrangements. We will provide a summary of the consultation responses when we announce how we intend to proceed. Crime: Statistics Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to issue guidance to police forces in England and Wales to the effect that, when publishing statistics or issuing any statement referring to persons being from “the Asian Community”, use should instead be made of the official 18-point classifications from the National Census. Lord Bates: As this is a matter for local Police and Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables, the Home Office has no plans to issue guidance to police forces in England and Wales on using 18-point classifications from the National Census when publishing statistics or issuing any statement referring to persons being from “the Asian Community”. Dementia Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to integrate social care systems in pursuit of good outcomes for those diagnosed with dementia. Earl Howe: Access to a timely and seamless package of care and support is essential for people with dementia and their carers to live well with the condition. On 28 February 2014 the Secretary of State published his ambition that everyone diagnosed with dementia should receive high quality post-diagnosis support, including seamless care, with health and social care professionals working together to provide the best care and support. The Better Care Fund is the biggest ever financial incentive for the integration of health and social care. Central Government requires at least £3.8 billion of health and social care budgets to be pooled via the Better Care Fund, with local areas choosing to add another £1.5 billion to pooled budgets across the country. From April 2015, councils and the National Health Service will be able to use the Better Care Fund to work with each other and the voluntary sector. Local areas can use some of this to improve outcomes for people with dementia, such as for example providing access to dementia advisors, reminiscence services and counselling. More generally, the Better Care Fund plans set out areas’ schemes for delivering integrated health and social care, many of which will benefit people diagnosed with dementia. Dementia Baroness Crawley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to ensure that a person diagnosed with dementia, and their family, has a clear path to assistance, support and advice. Earl Howe: On 28 February the Secretary of State set out his ambition for high quality, compassionate care and support for people with dementia and their carers following a diagnosis of dementia. Our ambition is for people with dementia and their carers to have: - a timely assessment of their condition and a diagnosis so that they can access the right care at the right time;- someone who can help and advise, such as a Dementia Advisor, who will support them and their carer to access the services they need;- a plan of care that will be tailored to meet their specific needs;- support so that they can remain independent for as long as possible after diagnosis;- access to high-quality personalised information that will help them understand and manage their condition;- access to services such as reminiscence and counselling, that will support them and their carer to live well with dementia;- co-ordinated care towards and at the end of life;- timely access to support for carers; and- seamless care, with health and social care professionals working together to provide the best care and support. EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council Lord Steel of Aikwood: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Scottish Fisheries Minister, Richard Lochhead MSP, was invited to attend the European Council on Fishing on 10 November; and if not, why not. Lord De Mauley: Scottish Government ministers, as well as those of the other Devolved Administrations, are regularly part of the UK delegation to meetings of the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council. They work closely with Defra ministers to agree shared UK positions and UK ministerial statements. Mr Lochhead attended the Council meeting on 10 November as part of the UK delegation. He also attended the Secretary of State’s introductory meeting with new Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Commissioner Karmenu Vella. EU Budget: Contributions Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were their estimates of the United Kingdom contribution to the European Union budget in 2014–15 prior to the communication of the increased contribution of £1.7 billion now sought by the European Commission. Lord Deighton: The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) forecast of March 2014, estimates the UK’s net contribution to the EU Budget for 2014-15 as £9.1 billion. Full information can be found in Table 2.21 of the OBR’s “economic and fiscal outlook supplementary fiscal table”[1]. [1] http://budgetresponsibility.org.uk/economic-fiscal-outlook- march-2014/. EU Budget: Contributions Lord Williamson of Horton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total amount of the rebate on the United Kingdom's contribution to the European Union budget from the commencement of that rebate until the year in which the United Kingdom Government agreed its reduction; and what was the total amount of the rebate from that year to date. Lord Deighton: The value of the UK rebate included in EU Budgets over the period 1985 to 2007 was £54 billion. The value of the rebate over the period 2008 to 2013 was £23 billion. This information has been published by HM Treasury in reports entitled European Union Finances (previously called European Community Financessince) since 1980 and are available in the Libraries of both Houses. Reports dating back to 2000 (with data back to 1995) are also available on the Government’s website [1]. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/eu-annual- statement and http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20130128125455/http:/www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/int_eu_statefraud.htm . EU External Trade: USA Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the investor-state dispute settlement system in the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership will not be dealt with by United Kingdom courts. Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The Transatlantic Trade and Investment partnership (TTIP) will be an agreement with 28 EU countries and the US. In the case of the UK, it has over 90 existing bilateral investment treaties with other countries across the world, UK domestic courts and the UK legal system remain the main route for resolving the overwhelming majority of disputes that foreign investors may have with the actions of the UK Government. Investment protection provisions and Investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) clauses in trade and investment treaties are nonetheless valued by investors for providing certainty and protection from discriminatory action by host governments. Well-formulated investment protection and ISDS provisions have the potential to encourage investment while placing effective safeguards on the Government’s ability to regulate in the public interest. The Government believes it is in the UK's interest to create modern investment provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) to both encourage investment and create a potential model for future trade and investment agreements with other countries. As such, we would want the ISDS mechanism in TTIP to be in line with best practice, including the new The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Rules on Transparency in Treaty-based Investor-State Arbitration. Eurostar Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan take to prevent the disposal for scrap of any of the North of London Eurostars. Lord Deighton: Eurostar is run on a commercial basis and is free to make its own decisions about how it operates. This includes decisions around the acquisition and disposal of its rolling stock. We are therefore unable to comment on Eurostar’s specific plans for the North of London trains. Health Services: Older People Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action are they taking to deal with the effects of an ageing population. Earl Howe: The Government published a one year update report on 30 June 2014 in response to the House of Lords Committee on Public Service and Demographic Change Report in 2013 entitled Ready For Ageing? This update report is a comprehensive guide to the work the Government is doing to start to tackle current and future issues on ageing. It reflects a number of reforms that have either been established or are underway in the last year that will make a real difference to older people now and to future generations. The report is attached and can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/325095/41526_2902508_Cm_8872_Prepare_for_Ageing_ accessible.pdf Housing Revenue Accounts: Tower Hamlets Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 October (HL1902), whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the correspondence encouraging the London Borough of Tower Hamlets to revise its bid for funding from the Local Growth Fund Housing Revenue Account Borrowing Programme 2015–17. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: I have today placed copies of the relevant letters - a letter from the Minister for Housing to all stock holding local authorities dated 7 July 2014; a letter from officials to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets also dated 7 July 2014; and a second letter to the authority dated 5 August 2014 - in the Library of the House. The Greater London Authority, which has an operational involvement in the programme in London, also had discussions with the Council, but such correspondence/information is not held by my Department. This Answer included the following attachments Minister of Housing 7 July 2014 (PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter1_Redacted.pdf) London Borough of Tower Hamlets 7 July 2014 (PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter2_Redacted.pdf) London Borough of Tower Hamlets 5 August 2014 (PQ428929 HL2302 - Letter3_Redacted.pdf) Immigration: Middle East Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to offer additional places in the United Kingdom for those who have already left Syria and Iraq and are seeking medical treatment, to study, or to be reunited with their family. Lord Bates: The Government is deeply concerned about the situations in Syria and Iraq, and is taking action to help those displaced by these crises. The Government believes that humanitarian aid and actively seeking to end the conflicts are the most effective ways for the UK to help the majority of those displaced. To date we have committed £700 million to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, and £23 million in aid to Iraq, helping to support hundred of thousands of people. We also support efforts to find a political solution to the Syrian conflict, and we are working with the Iraqi government and the international community to tackle the threat posed by ISIL and promote an inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq which will protect all Iraqi citizens. To complement our humanitarian aid, we operate the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation scheme to relocate the most vulnerable displaced Syrians who cannot be supported effectively long term in the region to the UK. The scheme prioritises help for those in need of medical care, as well as women and children at risk and survivors of torture and violence. Beneficiaries are granted five years’ Humanitarian Protection with all the rights and benefits that go with that status, including access to public funds, access to the labour market and the possibility of family reunion. We also operate an immigration concession for Syrian nationals who are already legally present in the UK to enable them to extend their stay or switch immigration category without leaving the UK. Under our normal asylum rules, the Government also carefully considers each asylum application lodged in the UK, including those made by Syrian and Iraqi nationals, on its individual merits, to ensure we grant protection to those who genuinely need it. Those recognised as refugees are granted five years’ leave, with rights to family reunion and access to free medical care. The Government believes that this approach is the best way to help Syrian and Iraqi nationals who have left their countries, and we therefore have no current plans to extend these measures. Joint Strike Fighter Aircraft Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to allow air to air transfer of fuel between F35B aircraft in the United Kingdom inventory. Lord Astor of Hever: The UK has no plans to conduct air to air refuelling between F-35B aircraft. Kosovo Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Kosovo about reported attacks on people of Serbian origin in that country; what was the result of any such representations; what assessment they have made of the impact of any such attacks on those seeking to return after the war; and whether they have raised the reported attacks in Klina, Kosovo-Polje and Dakovice with the authorities there. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK regularly raises incidents of ethnically motivated violence with the Government of Kosovo and local authorities. In addition, the UK along with our international partners continues to call for more action at the central and grass roots level to tackle issues from the past that impede better inter-ethnic relations. In a written statement to the media, Prime Minister Thaci condemned the recent attacks against Kosovo-Serbs and other ethnic-minorities. Other representatives from both the government and opposition condemned the attacks, which were seen locally as being linked to the recent incident at the football match between Serbia and Albania. There has also been condemnation of these attacks by some of the mayors in the areas where these incidents took place. The recent spike in attacks against Kosovo-Serbs and their property will have a short term impact on those seeking to return, and some returnees may wish to leave. But such security incidents, specifically those that are ethnically motivated, are not common. In this case, they seem to be connected to the fallout from the recent football match rather than relating to inter-ethnic disputes within a community and should be seen in the broader context of recent efforts. The UK is the biggest bilateral donor supporting the return of Kosovo-Serbs to Kosovo. In addition to helping the returnees, British Government funding also contributes towards community projects that help smooth the returns process in difficult return environments. Other representations by the UK have resulted in increased recruitment of ethnic minorities into the Kosovo Police to further build trust in Kosovo institutions. M1 Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost to the British economy of roadworks on the M1 during 2014–15. Baroness Kramer: The total estimated congestion cost for journeys through all road works on the M1 was £55 million for the five month period April to August 2014 (the most recent data available for financial year 2014/15). Rights of Accused Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the prescribed legal limits to the use of the power to conduct electronic surveillance of conversations between lawyers and their clients; and what are the safeguards against the misuse of those powers. Lord Bates: Interception of communications and intrusive surveillance can only be carried out by a very limited number of authorities in the interest of national security, for the prevention or detection of serious crime or to safeguard the economic well-being of the United Kingdom where it relates to national security. Warrants to intercept communications must be authorised by a Secretary of State. Where there is a possibility that privileged communications may be intercepted, the statutory code of practice on the interception of communications sets out additional safeguards. Any warrant application which is likely to result in legally privileged communications being obtained should include, in addition to an explanation of why it is necessary, an assessment of how likely it is that communications which are subject to legal privilege are to be intercepted. It should also state whether the purpose (or one of the purposes) of the interception is to obtain privileged communications. The Secretary of State is able to impose additional conditions if he or she considers it necessary, such as regular reporting to allow them to exercise discretion over whether the interception should continue to be authorised. The safeguards for intrusive surveillance are the same as those for interception. The case must include an assessment of how likely it is that legally privileged material may be obtained, the authorising officer or Surveillance Commissioner is able to impose additional conditions if he or she consider it necessary, such as additional reporting. In cases where legally privileged communications have been obtained, the matter should be reported to the Interception of Communications Commissioner or Surveillance Commissioner (for intrusive surveillance) and the material made available for inspection if requested. The Commissioners can and do inspect this material. Sahel Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current state of border control and management in the Western Sahel-Sahara region of Africa. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The long distances, challenging geography and harsh climatic conditions mean that policing cross-border activity in the Western Sahel-Sahara is a significant challenge for the states of the region. Whilst taking into account the historic patterns of trade across this region, we are working with our partners, including the EU through Common Security and Defence Policy Missions, with local communities and with regional organisations, to develop plans to build states’ capacity to manage their borders effectively. UK Membership of EU Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the conclusions of Where's the Insider Advantage? A review of the evidence that withdrawal from the EU would not harm the UK’s exports or foreign investment in the UK, published by Civitas. Lord Livingston of Parkhead: The Civitas report aims to identify whether there are advantages to the UK of being an ‘EU insider’ in terms of setting the rules of the Single Market. The report focuses on growth in UK exports as the measure of this benefit. It does not account for the broader positive impacts of the Single Market on the UK, including enhanced competition and innovation at home. The report refers to Switzerland as an example of a county that has negotiated Free trade Agreements (FTA) as a non-member of the EU. The impact on the UK’s exports of withdrawal from the EU would depend on whether the UK could negotiate similar trade agreements’ to those it currently has as a member of the EU. It would also depend on the FTA that it could negotiate with the EU itself. Switzerland has to pay to be part of the EU single market and to negotiate sector by sector, but does not determine the rules. Unmanned Air Vehicles Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any United Kingdom legislation that applies to the use of drones of less than 20 kilograms. Baroness Kramer: Yes. The use of small unmanned aircraft of less than 20 kilograms is specifically covered by two articles within the Air Navigation Order, which legislate for the ‘general’ flying aspects and the flight of those equipped for surveillance. As well as these specific articles, a more general article which prevents a person ‘causing or permitting an aircraft to endanger the safety of any person or property’ also remains applicable. Utilities: Road Works Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the way in which utility companies work with local authorities to minimise disruption to residents as a result of works they have to undertake. Baroness Kramer: The Government has made no specific assessment, although under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991, the street authority has a duty to co-ordinate all works on its road network in order to minimise inconvenience to road users, and utilities have a duty to co-operate with them in doing that. Utility companies have statutory powers to carry out works to maintain or install their apparatus in the street to provide the services that we all rely on. The Government works closely with both local highway authorities and utilities to help them deliver those duties effectively. The Traffic Management Act 2004 also places a ‘Network Management Duty' on authorities to keep traffic moving as far as practical and enables authorities to introduce permit schemes for street works to help them to do that. In 2012, the Government increased the penalties that local authorities can impose where street works by utility companies overrun their agreed duration, up to a maximum charge of £10,000 a day. We are also carrying out a trial of ‘Lane Rental’ on Transport for London and Kent County Council’s networks. This allows authorities to charge utilities to work on the busiest roads at the busiest times. We are currently looking at the impacts of those schemes.

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lordswrans2014-11-19a

Adoption The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will ensure that the children of parents misdiagnosed with fabricated or induced illness, Münchausen's syndrome by proxy, or borderline personality disorder are not subject to the recently announced fast-track adoption procedures. Lord Hill of Oareford: This Government are not introducing new fast-track adoption procedures. We are however working with the courts and local authorities so that more looked-after children, for whom adoption is the right plan, are placed with prospective adopters more quickly. That may include greater use of concurrent planning, where a child is placed with foster carers who are also approved as adopters so that the child has a permanent and stable placement if he or she is not able to return to his or her birth parents. The decision that a child in care cannot safely return home must be made in the light of the best available evidence as to the capacity of the birth parent(s) to safeguard and promote the child's welfare including, where appropriate, medical evidence. Agriculture: Foot and Mouth The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have funded since 2001 to validate pen-side test kits that verify the presence of foot and mouth disease virus; and whether there are any validated kits available in the United Kingdom. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Defra provided grants to the Institute for Animal Health (IAH) Pirbright. These grants funded a series of projects relating to the development of diagnostic technologies for FMD. 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 £99,835 £245,558 £304,748 £321,045 £319,163 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 £311,427 £317,280 £328,267 £415,058 £446,094 The IAH estimate that an average of 20-25 per cent of the total was related to specific research into pen-side test kits. Further core strategic funding was provided by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to the IAH to complement FMD research grants. Part of this funding was allocated for the rapid, pen-side FMDv detector kit and is listed below: 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 £3,900 £17,800 £2,900 Pen-side tests are not currently used as a conclusive diagnostic tool in GB, as the current technology and equipment does not support the determination of negative results in all circumstances. Therefore any samples taken from suspect animals will always need to be submitted for testing at the National Reference Laboratory for FMD, which is IAH Pirbright. The potential benefits of using pen-side tests in the future will be kept under review as the technology advances. There is currently one lateral flow device commercially available, this device was trialled successfully on one farm during the 2007 UK FMD outbreak, in conjunction with tests carried out at IAH, to diagnose FMD. Barbara Hofschröer Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what communications they have had with police and social services authorities in North Yorkshire about the case of Mrs Barbara Hofschröer and over what period; whether, and if so how, the case was referred to Interpol; and what action they now propose to take to resolve the issue. Lord Henley: The Home Office has had no direct communication with the police or social services authorities in north Yorkshire in relation to the case of Mrs Barbara Hofschröer. The extent to which the Home Office can become involved in police complaint cases is clearly set out in legislation and the Government are unable to act in a way that is not in accordance with that. This means the Home Office is not able to act as an avenue of appeal, and has no power to influence or intervene in any investigations or decisions made by the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Corporate Governance and Accountability Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to improve companies' reporting of environmental and social risks. Baroness Wilcox: The department is currently consulting on proposals to improve the quality of narrative reporting by companies, including on environmental and social issues. I would be happy to consider any specific points that the noble Lord wishes to raise as part of the consultation. Crime: Metal Theft Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: DECC does not hold data that would allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts. Data are collected by the Energy Networks Association through its Security Incident Reporting System (SIRS) database. These figures show that the number of incidents of metal theft per year has increased from 5,288 in 2010 to 6,757 as of 17 November 2011 but do not allow an estimate to be made of the proportion of power cuts that are due to metal thefts. Although Ofgem collect data on customer minutes lost attributable to a range of causes, metal theft is currently not separately identifiable and therefore these data do not allow an estimate to be made. Ofgem are looking to address this by introducing metal theft as a separate cause. Egypt Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations against any proposal for the military to nominate a majority on the council to draft a new constitution for Egypt. Lord Howell of Guildford: The Egyptian constitutional declaration of 30 March specifies that the members of both Houses of Parliament should meet in a joint session, following an invitation from the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, to elect a constitutional assembly. We continue to encourage the Egyptian authorities to implement the commitments they have made on the handling of the transition process in Egypt and ensure that process leads to a constitution widely accepted by the people with robust guarantees for the human rights of all. Egypt Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been invited to send observers to the parliamentary and presidential elections in Egypt. Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is committed to supporting the process of political transition in Egypt, including the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The Egyptian authorities have informed our ambassador in Cairo that diplomats and foreign media can have limited access to polling stations. Our embassy in Cairo will witness the election process informally, in line with these conditions. Through the UK's Arab Partnership Fund, we are also supporting the Carter Center to observe the parliamentary elections, and are working with the Thomson Reuters Foundation and BBC World Service Trust to support impartial electoral coverage by building the capacity of both independent and state media. Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 7 November (WA 8), how have the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority confirmed that gamete providers whose resulting embryos were used in research without their consent were promptly notified by licensed staff at the centres concerned. To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 19 October (WA 71-2), what steps were taken by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to ensure that gamete providers were informed that embryos were used in research without their consent at centre 0102 between 20 December 2005 and 2 May 2006; what were the circumstances in which this came to light; which concerns associated with properly informed consent pertained to Research Licence R0075 and Research Licence R0133 at the time; and what has been the history of relations with the HFEA of the Person Responsible for Research Licence R0075 and the Nominal Licensee for Research Licence R0133. Earl Howe: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the issues to which the noble Lord refers came to light during the inspection, in respect of research licences R0133 and R0075, on 2 May 2006. The findings of the inspection were considered by a HFEA licence committee on 26 July 2006. The inspection report and minutes of the Licence Committee are published on the HFEA's website at: http://guide.hfea.gov.uk/guidefinspection Report.aspx?code=102&s=1&&nav=4&archive=1. The HFEA has advised that the available records do not set out in any detail the steps taken by the authority with regards to the centre informing the gamete providers. The HFEA has also advised that it does not comment on its relationship with any person responsible or nominal licensees. Energy: Biofuels Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether bioliquids will be included in the renewable heat incentive. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: As stated in the renewable heat incentive policy document (published in March), we are considering whether to support bioliquids as part of developing the second phase of the scheme. Energy: Electricity Lord O'Neill of Clackmannan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (a) how many phantom megawatts have been purchased by the National Grid from short-term operating reserve aggregators in the past year; and (b) what effect that has had on the price of electricity for consumers. To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of phantom megawatts on the security of supply of electricity in the United Kingdom. To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce an independent auditor of the delivery of contracts between short-term operating reserve aggregators and National Grid. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The system operator, National Grid, procures balancing services in order to balance demand and supply and to ensure the security and quality of electricity supply across the GB transmission system. These balancing services include short-term operating reserve (STOR). National Grid has contracts, monitoring processes and penalties in place to minimise the risk of paying for capacity that cannot deliver when required. In addition Ofgem places commercial incentives on National Grid to ensure it balances the system efficiently and provides value for consumers, which it assesses regularly. The Government have not assessed, audited or monitored the performance of STOR providers, or the participation of publicly owned generators in STOR and do not plan to introduce an independent audit. Energy: Suppliers Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 16 November (HL13188) concerning the price of energy, how they define small suppliers". Baroness Stowell of Beeston: For the purpose of exempting small energy suppliers from participation in certain environmental and social programmes, the Government have set a threshold based on customer numbers. Firms with fewer than 250,000 customers are not required to participate in the warm home discount scheme. In addition the Government announced in June that suppliers with fewer than 250,000 customers would not be required to contribute to the carbon emissions reduction target and the community energy saving programme for the final year of these schemes. Energy: Tariffs Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the suitability of Ofgem's retail market reform tariff simplification proposals for small energy retailers. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Government support Ofgem's proposals to simplify tariffs so that consumers can compare prices between suppliers more easily. Ofgem is due to publish its detailed proposals for tariff simplification in a consultation document at the end of this month. The consultation will include an assessment of the impact of the proposals on suppliers, including small suppliers. Ofgem's retail market review also included proposals to boost wholesale liquidity in the electricity market, which will make it easier for small suppliers to compete in the retail market. Energy: Tariffs Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of liquidity in the wholesale power markets in relation to Ofgem's retail market reform tariff simplification proposals. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The Government believe that consumers deserve the best possible deal, which means effective competition in the marketplace. Poor wholesale market liquidity is acting as a significant barrier to entry in electricity wholesale and retail markets. A key aim of electricity market reform (EMR) is to encourage new entrants. Ofgem has published its proposals aimed at addressing poor liquidity and expects to reach conclusions at the end of this year. We are working closely with Ofgem to ensure that taken together EMR and Ofgem's reforms reduce barriers to entry and deliver the necessary improvements in wholesale market liquidity. Exports Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms exist to ensure that export policy is aligned with the United Kingdom's foreign policy. Lord Howell of Guildford: The Export Control Organisation (ECO) of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is the UK licensing authority for strategic exports. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office acts in a policy advisory capacity, providing the ECO with advice and analysis on the foreign policy aspects relevant to consideration of export licence applications against the consolidated European Union and national arms export licensing criteria. More detailed information can be found in the United Kingdom Strategic Export Controls Annual Report 2010, laid before Parliament on 18 July 2011. This annual report can also be found at http://www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/publications/annual-reports/strategic-export-controls-annual-report-10. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessments they have received of the nutritional state of children in Gaza. Baroness Northover: The situation in Gaza remains fragile, with 66 per cent of the population dependent on food aid. While we have not received any assessments specifically on the nutritional state of children in Gaza, we are aware that children's growth and health are particularly susceptible to the effects of an inadequate diet. Our support to the World Food Programme will provide food vouchers to 5,750 poor households. For just $18.50 per person, these vouchers cover 70 per cent of a household's food needs for a month. Gift Aid Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by the Minister for Civil Society, Mr Nick Hurd, on 17 October (Official Report, Commons, col. 719W), whether the concept of service in return for custom is recognised by the Charity Commission with respect to gift aid contributions. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Gift aid is one of a number of fiscal benefits available to charities. Gift aid increases the value of donations to charities and community amateur sports clubs (CASCs) by allowing them to reclaim basic rate tax on qualifying donations. Higher rate and additional rate tax payers can themselves claim tax relief on their donations. Donors can receive benefits in connection with their donation as long as the value of the benefit does not exceed the gift aid benefit limits set out in the gift aid legislation. Charity and donor tax exemptions and reliefs are administered by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, rather than the Charity Commission. Health: Bowel Disease Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the NHS outcomes framework will help people who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease, and in particular Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. Earl Howe: The NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12, published in December 2010, signalled the direction of travel for the National Health Service in focusing on outcomes. The framework was designed to cover a balanced set of national outcome goals, which reflect the breadth of treatment activity that the NHS is responsible for delivering. Although there are not specific outcome indicators for inflammatory bowel disease, Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis in the NHS outcomes framework, we would expect progress to be captured under Domain 2: Enhancing the Quality of Life for People with Long-term Conditions. This domain of the framework deliberately takes a generic approach to long-term conditions to ensure that no patients are excluded. However, the Secretary of State will not be setting out how these outcomes should be delivered, it will be for the NHS Commissioning Board to determine how best to deliver improvements by working with clinical commissioning groups. The NHS Commissioning Board will have various tools and levers at its disposal to help deliver improved outcomes, which include the library of National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) quality standards; the commissioning outcomes framework, which the NHS Commissioning Board will use to hold clinical commissioning groups to account; and other payment mechanisms between the NHS Commissioning Board, commissioners and providers. A quality standard on the management of ulcerative colitis is currently being developed by NICE. The tools and levers available to the NHS Commissioning Board are described more fully in both the NHS Outcomes Framework 2011-12, and Liberating the NHS: Legislative Framework and Next Steps, which can be accessed via the following links: www.dh.gov.uk/prod_consum_dh/groups/dh_digitalassets/@dh/@en/@ps/documents/digitalasset/dh_123138.pdf. www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_122661. Copies have already been placed in the Library. House of Lords: Hansard Lord Hennessy of Nympsfield: To ask the Chairman of Committees what assessment he has made of the possibility of providing greater electronic access for the public to historic Hansard data on Millbank Systems' experimental web domain; what plans have been made to host the information on the parliamentary website; and what steps are being taken to digitise data that are not currently available on the experimental website. Lord Brabazon of Tara: The Historic Hansard web pages and search engine are hosted on Millbank Systems' web domain on behalf of Parliament and are available to all users of the web. The service is supported on a "best endeavours" basis. PICT and staff from the departments of Information Services of both Houses are currently investigating the options for maintaining and enhancing the current service, and for placing the technical support arrangements on a more sustainable footing. Work is also under way to safeguard the Historic Hansard XML data and page images through the digital preservation project, which is led by the Parliamentary Archives. One of the options under consideration for Historic Hansard would involve integrating the historic web pages with the archive of more recent Hansard material on the website and enabling users to browse and search across the full Hansard record in a more seamless fashion. The timescales, benefits and costs of that approach are being assessed. This project, along with others, has been included in a digitisation programme, which will review requests to digitise parliamentary material currently only available in hard copy. Digitised content from these projects will be added to the main parliamentary website or through partnership websites so that it is easier for users to access the material. More information about the various projects included in this programme of work will be published on the intranet in due course. Israel and Palestine Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they will take to reinforce the joint United States-United Kingdom protest to the Government of Israel about their withholding of tax collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Lord Howell of Guildford: On 14 November the Israeli cabinet voted to continue to withhold the transfer of tax revenues owed to the Palestinian Authority. We have made clear to the Israeli Government at the highest levels that this move, which could result in the collapse of the Palestinians Authority, is in no one's interest, particularly Israel itself given the importance of continued co-operation between the Israeli Defence Forces and Palestinian Authority Security Forces. We will continue our concerted efforts with the US and European partners to convince the Israeli Government to release the tax revenues without delay. Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill [HL] Baroness Worthington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Justice, Kenneth Clarke, on the compatibility of the provisions of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill with the rights under the European Convention on Human Rights, how the proposals are compatible with rights to access to justice; and what similar assessment they have made in respect of the Bill's compatibility with the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms. Lord McNally: In respect of legal aid, the Bill protects the fundamental right of access to justice, which is guaranteed by the Human Rights Act 1998, and any rights to the provision of legal services that are enforceable EU rights, through the areas retained in scope within Schedule 1 to the Bill, and through the exceptional funding provision in Clause 9 of the Bill. The exceptional funding provision in Clause 9 will ensure that in individual cases, where the failure to provide legal aid would be likely to amount to a breach of an individual's convention rights (within the meaning of the Human Rights Act) or enforceable EU rights, exceptional funding for that individual will be available, subject to a merits and means test. The European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights does not confer new rights: rather, it reaffirms fundamental rights recognised in European Union law and which therefore form part of the United Kingdom's European Union obligations. The Government's view is that the Bill is compatible with those obligations. It follows that the obligations in relation to the rights set out in the charter have also been met. North Korea Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their response to the recent findings of the head of the United Nations Office of Co-ordination for Humanitarian Affairs, Baroness Amos, on food shortages, famine and malnutrition in North Korea following her visit to that country. Lord Howell of Guildford: We welcome the recent findings from Baroness Amos' visit to North Korea. Baroness Amos' assessment notes chronic poverty, underdevelopment and poor infrastructure. There are clearly signs of malnutrition where one in two people are stunted in growth and the daily diet contains no protein or oil/fat. The United Nations (UN) recently completed a crop and food assessment that indicated the harvest this year would have little effect on improving food supply. Food production itself is extremely poor, where the land is underfertilised and overfarmed without the benefit of mechanical equipment. Baroness Amos has urged the authorities in Pyongyang to lead efforts to address the humanitarian situation by undertaking a thorough policy review on nutrition and investment, and establishing trust with the international donor community by providing reliable data and granting access for all UN agencies and non-governmental organisations. Both are courses of action we would support. We believe that the Department for International Development's investment in the various multilateral organisations working in North Korea represents the best way for the UK to make a financial contribution towards helping alleviate the situation in the country. Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 27 October (WA 182) which stated that human rights law applies to all parts of the United Kingdom, why there is a separate Human Rights Commission for Northern Ireland. Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Belfast agreement, which the noble Lord's party voted for, provides for the establishment of a Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Shutt of Greetland on 17 October (WA 27), whether the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, as the Irish Government's nominee to the United Nations Human Rights Council, remains subject to rules of procedure that prevent him discussing the human rights situation in the Republic of Ireland, and whether those rules will require him to recuse himself when any Northern Ireland issues are discussed. Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government cannot comment on the rules of procedure of the UNHRC on which the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission serves in an independent capacity. The noble Lord may wish to write directly to the chief commissioner on this matter. Patrick Finucane Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any contact with the Finucane family since the meeting between the Prime Minister and Mrs Finucane on 11 October. Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government have had no contact with the Finucane family since their meeting with the Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on 11 October. I understand from the press release made by the Pat Finucane review on 10 November that they have recently written to the Finucane family seeking a meeting with them at the earliest opportunity. The Government remain hopeful that they will co-operate with the review. Patrick Finucane Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Sir Desmond de Silva QC has begun his examination of available materials in the Patrick Finucane case. Lord Shutt of Greetland: Sir Desmond de Silva was appointed as chairman of the Pat Finucane review on 13 October 2011, and has been asked to provide a full public account to the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland by December 2012 for the purpose of its publication. The review is entirely independent of Government. How the work of the review is taken forward is a matter for Sir Desmond. Planning Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they will provide on the preparation of local plans and other development plan documents following the withdrawal of Planning Policy Statement 12, in particular relating to the preparation of core strategies, adopted proposals maps, area action plans and supplementary planning documents. Baroness Hanham: Planning Policy Statement 12 remains in place until such time as it is replaced by the national planning policy framework. The draft national planning policy framework aims to strengthen local decision making and reinforce the importance of local plans. We will therefore work closely with local authorities to ensure that appropriate transitional arrangements are in place before the new framework comes into force. We are considering options for planning guidance generally in light of responses to the consultation on the draft national planning policy framework. Planning Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Communities and Local Government Plan-making Manual is still in place as advice to local planning authorities; whether they intend to withdraw, revise or replace the manual; and, if so, when this will take place. Baroness Hanham: The Plan-Making Manual is best practice guidance to local authorities on the production of development plan documents. It is still in place. Questions 4(a) and 4(b) to the consultation on the draft national planning policy guidance asked what light-touch guidance should accompany the new framework, and what organisations are best placed to provide it. We are now reviewing the responses to that consultation. Police: Demonstrations Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many people were in attendance at the demonstration as part of the annual march against deaths in custody on 30 October; how many police officers were deployed for this event; how many arrests were made; for how long people were kettled in Whitehall, and why; how many complaints have been made about the actions and behaviour of the special Territorial Support Group officers; and what threat to public order this event represented. To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the police tactics and behaviour at the demonstration against deaths in custody on 30 October will contribute to (a) improved community-police relations, and (b) the avoidance of any future disturbances as a result of perceived police brutality against minority ethnic and deprived communities. Lord Henley: The policing of demonstrations and marches are operational matters for the police. Complaints about police officer conduct are matters for the relevant police force, the associated Police Authority and the Independent Police Complaints Commission. Police: Discipline Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers have been disciplined for gross misconduct on the grounds of race or sex discrimination during the past five years; with what outcomes; and in which constabularies. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any police officers have been dismissed from the service on the grounds of racial discrimination or racist conduct; and, if so, how many and in which constabularies. Lord Henley: The Home Office does not hold this information. Police: Discipline Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to propose any new process in the appointment of members to a police authority service who have resigned from other police services. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the arrangements under which a complaint made against a member of the police is not investigated if that member resigns from the force. Lord Henley: The Police Conduct Regulations (2008) contain the standards of professional behaviour that police officers are expected to maintain. Failure to reach those standards can lead to disciplinary action being taken by their police force. Misconduct investigations and proceedings are ended if the officer concerned resigns, because the disciplinary action available in these circumstances (management advice, written warning or dismissal) is only relevant to a serving officer. However, resignation does not prevent alleged criminal activities from being pursued. Officers who resign can still be arrested, questioned, have their person or property searched and, if the circumstances warrant, be charged and prosecuted. All officers are vetted prior to appointment. Such checks with a former force should show a previous record of an outstanding misconduct investigation at the point of resignation. Any decision to appoint would then have to be made in that context, and following any further inquiries on that point. Guidance on vetting: the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and ACPO's national vetting policy for the police community was updated in august 2010. Investigations launched following a complaint by a member of the public can be discontinued only with the permission of the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), and resignation does not prevent an investigation from being carried out, a report from being prepared, conclusions from being reached or indeed a complaint from being substantiated. Police: Operational Independence Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to protect the operational independence of the police in England and Wales. Lord Henley: The operational independence of the police is a fundamental principle of British policing. The Government took a power in the Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act for the Secretary of State to issue a statutory protocol, which the Home Secretary laid before Parliament on Monday 21 November 2011. This protocol sets out, in one place, how chief officers will interact with their police and crime commissioner (PCC) and their wider policing partners in order to provide open, transparent and accountable policing for our communities. The protocol reasserts the Government's position that each chief constable is accountable to the law for the exercise of police powers, and to the PCC for the delivery of efficient and effective policing, management of resources and expenditure by the police force. At all times the chief constable, their constables and staff, remain operationally independent in the service of the communities that they serve. Railways: Franchises Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will enable franchisees in new rail franchises to follow the recommendations of Sir Roy McNulty's independent rail value for money study Realising the Potential of GB Rail. Earl Attlee: The Government are committed to a major reform of rail franchising that will benefit both passengers and taxpayers. In line with, and supported by, the recommendations of Sir Roy McNulty's independent rail value for money study, our reforms will create longer, less prescriptive franchises that will give the industry more freedom to innovate. In addition, they will provide more incentives to invest and reduce costs, at the same time as addressing passenger needs. They will also encourage greater partnership working between train operators and Network Rail. The circumstances surrounding different franchises are not the same. Each franchise will therefore need to be designed on a case-by-case basis as we move forward with our franchise renewal programme over the coming months. Rhinoceroses Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make further representations to the Government of Vietnam regarding the illegal trade in black rhino horns and its impact on the rhino population. Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK is very concerned about the plight of the rhino in the wild and the relatively recent surge in trafficking in its horn. The UK raised this at meetings of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) standing committee earlier this year, and at a workshop we chaired and co-funded in South Africa in September. Vietnam was represented at the workshop. Under this workshop, and a CITES working group, called for by the UK, we expect to continue to liaise with the Vietnamese authorities on urgent steps to address trafficking in rhino horn. One of the main areas of concern is the poaching and smuggling of rhino horn from the Republic of South Africa. Our embassy in Hanoi has offered to support the South African Embassy in Hanoi to explore the possibility of joint working to tackle the smuggling of black rhino horn. Additionally, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office helped fund a project with the Wildlife Conservation Society to conduct a baseline study on wildlife trade and consumption in Vietnam. The study secured $1 million of Global Environmental Facility (World Bank) funding to reform Vietnamese wildlife management policies and practices, and to strengthen biodiversity conservation. That project will commence in March 2012 and will encompass traditional medicine, the main use of black rhino horn in Vietnam, where it is believed to be a cure for cancer. Schools: Collective Worship Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will undertake a consultation on collective worship in schools with a view to updating their 1994 guidance on the matter, covering, inter alia, the extent of references to a supernatural being and the provision of information on the right to withdraw children from collective worship. Lord Hill of Oareford: We have no plans to update the 1994 guidance on collective worship. Schools: Funding Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding per pupil in voluntary aided schools will be less than the funding per pupil in an academy in the same local authority area if the local authority central spend equivalent element of an academy's general annual grant is disregarded. Lord Hill of Oareford: We aim to fund academies at the same level as equivalent schools in the same local authority area, and the academies funding system is designed to achieve this. Academies' funding agreements specify that their funding should be equivalent to their maintained peers. They are therefore funded according to the local funding formula that applies to maintained schools, including voluntary aided schools. There may be legitimate differences within this formula in recognition of voluntary aided schools' specific responsibilities and costs. Surveillance: Telecommunications Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the statement by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on 8 November that "The Government actively discourage all trade with Iran. We take any reports of exports being misused overseas seriously. It does not appear that the exporter has broken the law", (a) what steps they took to discourage Creativity Software from trading with Iran, and when; (b) what consideration they have given to reports detailing the use of British exports in Iran; (c) which Ministers were involved in that consideration; (d) whether the Government's Law Officers were consulted in determining whether the law had been broken; and (e) whether they intend to ban Creativity Software from further exports of telephone intercept equipment to Iran. Baroness Wilcox: Surveillance equipment, including telephone intercept equipment, covers a wide variety of equipment and software that is generally not controlled in view of the legitimate commercial applications for which it can be used. Creativity Software is under no obligation to apply for export licences unless the equipment is controlled. In those circumstances, these applications are considered on a case-by-case basis against the consolidated EU and UK export licensing criteria in the light of prevailing circumstances and paying particular attention to allegations of human right abuses. The UK will not issue licences where we judge there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used to facilitate internal repression. UK Border Agency: Staff Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government in which overseas diplomatic missions staff of the UK Border Agency are based; how many are in each mission; and how many of those have full diplomatic status and how many are locally employed non-United Kingdom passport holders. Lord Henley: The requested figures are shown in the table placed in the House Library. It is UK Border Agency policy not to disclose staff figures of blocks lower than five, hence some of the figures cannot be disclosed and the lines in the table are blank. It is not possible to identify which staff have full diplomatic status except at disproportionate cost. In addition to UK based British nationals employed overseas, British passport holders are employed overseas as locally engaged staff. It is not possible to identify these except at disproportionate cost. Source: Staffcount 14 November 2011 The data are based on management information. It is provisional and subject to change. Post UK Based Headcount LE Headcount Total Abu Dhabi 41 133 174 Abuja 35 69 104 Accra 13 27 40 Addis Ababa Algiers Almaty 6 Amman 7 16 23 Amsterdam Ashgabat Asmara Athens Baghdad Bahrain Baku Bandar Seri Begawan Bangkok 14 25 39 Banjul Barcelona Beijing 19 43 62 Beirut 6 Belgrade 12 Belmopan Bogota 19 Bridgetown Brisbane Bucharest Budapest Buenos Aires Cairo 10 14 24 Canberra Caracas Castries Chennai 22 63 85 Chisinau Chongqing Colombo 13 Copenhagen 6 Dakar Damascus Dar Es Salaam Dhaka 11 36 47 Doha 6 Dubai 6 Dublin 8 Dushanbe Frankfurt Freetown Gaborone Georgetown Guangzhou 11 19 30 Guatemala Hanoi Harare Havana Helsinki Ho Chi Minh City Hong Kong 9 Islamabad 18 86 104 Istanbul 15 33 48 Jakarta 9 Jerusalem Kampala Khartoum Kiev 6 12 18 Kigali Kingston 19 Kinshasa Kuala Lumpur Kuwait 10 La Paz Lagos 13 25 38 Lilongwe Lima Lisbon Ljubljana Luanda Lusaka Madrid 11 Manila 20 39 59 Melbourne Mexico City Miami Milan Minsk Montevideo Moscow 24 34 58 Mumbai 22 63 85 Muscat Nairobi 14 28 42 New Delhi 44 93 137 New York 49 Nicosia (South) Oslo Panama City Paris 25 Phnom Penh Podgorica Port Louis Port Moresby Port of Spain Prague Pretoria 27 45 72 Pristina Pyongyang Rabat 9 Rangoon 6 REG-Euro-Med Reykjavik Riga Rio de Janeiro 9 9 Riyadh 6 12 18 Rome 22 Santiago Santo Domingo Sarajevo Seoul Shanghai 8 21 29 Singapore Skopje 7 Sofia Stockholm 8 8 Suva Taipei Tallinn Tashkent 6 Tbilisi Tehran 6 19 25 Tel Aviv Tirana 8 Tokyo Tunis Ulaanbaatar Valletta Vienna Warsaw 13 Washington Wellington Yaounde Yerevan Zagreb Grand Total 523 1,398 1,921 It is UK Border Agency policy not to disclose staff figures that would identify blocks of staff below or equal to five as this could in some circumstances identify individuals. Vets: Nurses Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce measures to make veterinary nursing a profession regulated by statute in order to offer the public a better assurance of the quality of service they receive and to safeguard the health and welfare of animals cared for by veterinary nurses. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are no current plans to introduce statutory regulation of veterinary nurses. It is a matter for the RCVS to develop the detail of such proposals and present them to the department, at which point we would consider if it was appropriate to bid for parliamentary time. Defra and the RCVS maintain a close dialogue on many aspects of veterinary regulation.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2011-11-22a

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: How much the United Kingdom has spent in each of the last 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. 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. Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: 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. 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 the provisions of 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. 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 Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Any change in Defence Logistics Organisation and Defence Procurement Agency manpower as a result of their merger into the Defence Equipment and Support Organisation will have no impact on the Royal Navy's fleet transformation process. 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

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2007-02-19a

Abortion Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department of Health, Jane Ellison MP, on 6 March (HC Deb, col 948W) on abortion, whether they consider that publication of the Department of Health's interpretation of the requirements of the Abortion Act 1967 is likely to have any significant impact on the willingness of medical practitioners to authorise abortions under the Act; and what is the basis for any such assessment. Earl Howe: The purpose of the guidance is to clarify for medical practitioners what is required of them when making a decision under the Abortion Act. Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recommendation of the Council of Science and Technology that genetically modified crops should be licensed at a national level. Lord De Mauley: An EU proposal is currently under discussion that would give Member States more power to decide whether to accept GM cultivation in their own respective territories. The Government is supporting this initiative, because we want GM crops that have passed a robust safety check to have fair access to the market. Air Quality Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the launch of legal proceedings by the European Commission against the United Kingdom in respect of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) levels, what action they propose to take to reduce NO2 values. Lord De Mauley: The UK has met all EU air quality limits except those for nitrogen dioxide, where the majority of EU Member States face significant challenges. This is largely as a result of the underperformance of EU diesel emission standards. The UK has previously submitted plans under the Air Quality Directive 2008/50/EC setting out the measures being taken to meet EU limit values for nitrogen dioxide as quickly as possible. The UK is investing significantly in transport initiatives that will reduce air pollution, especially in our towns and cities. These include: over £900 million to support the uptake of ultra-low and zero emission vehicle technologies between 2010 and 2020, £2 billion for the electrification of the rail network, £600 million for the Local Sustainable Transport Fund, £107m to support cycling and £106.5 million to support the purchase of new low emission buses and fund the cleaning up of older buses. The UK Government remains committed to working towards full compliance with current EU air quality standards. We are currently considering our response to this first stage of legal proceedings from the European Commission. Apprenticeships Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering how public procurement policies can be used to increase the number of apprenticeship opportunities. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to require companies bidding for large public contracts to offer apprenticeships. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government supports apprenticeships across the economy as they can contribute to encouraging growth. It is government policy to award contracts on the basis of overall value for money, which means the optimum combination of cost and quality over the lifetime of the project. Our reforms to procurement helped save taxpayers £3.8bn last year alone. Conditions relating to apprenticeships should be included only when it is proportionate to do so. This is for individual departments to decide. Apprenticeships Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprenticeships that were part of the Train to Gain scheme have been (1) transferred to their apprenticeship programme, and (2) classified as new apprenticeships. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Train to Gain was introduced in April 2006 to support employers in improving the skills of their employees and to contribute to improved business performance. It provided advice to businesses on skills needs and how to source training to meet those needs as well as funding for some training. In the 2009/10 academic year there were 574,900 Train to Gain starts. The abolition of the Train to Gain programme was announced in the Spending Review October 2010. At the point of change Train to Gain learners would have been expected to complete their training under the Train to Gain scheme. Investing in Skills for Sustainable Growth set out the need for Government investment to be focused on delivering high quality provision such as Apprenticeships. Apprenticeships are a separate programme supported by Government. Following a full scale review of Apprenticeships in 2012, we are well on our way to reforming to the Apprenticeship programme to make it even more rigorous and responsive, introducing a minimum duration and putting employers in the driving seat in designing Apprenticeship standards. Atos Healthcare Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Atos Healthcare is seeking to opt out of or end its contract to provide assessment services for Disability Living Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance benefit applications. Lord Freud: The Department is in discussions with Atos Healthcare regarding its contract; Atos Healthcare continues to be committed to and obliged to deliver the services under the contract until such time as the contract ends. Bank of England Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the appropriateness of the Bank of England investigating its own management of its activities in foreign exchange markets and its regulation of those markets; and whether they consider that such inquires should be led by an independent third party. Lord Deighton: The Oversight Committee of the Bank of England's Court has appointed Lord Grabiner QC to lead its investigation into the role of Bank officials in relation to conduct issues in the foreign exchange market. The investigation, supported by Travers Smith LLP, will focus on matters relevant to the current Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) investigation into trading on the foreign exchange market and specifically whether, during the period July 2005 to December 2013, any Bank officials were involved in the manipulation of the foreign exchange markets or were aware of any such action. Bank of England Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the oversight role played by the Court of the Bank of England in matters relating to the management of the Bank of England. Lord Deighton: The Financial Services Act 2012 strengthened the governance arrangements of the Bank of England to take account of its expanded responsibilities. Under these arrangements, a new Oversight Committee has been created, made up of the Court's non executive directives, which is responsible for overseeing the Bank's policy performance and operational and financial effectiveness. The government believes that the Oversight Committee, which has considerably extended powers, represents an important step in improving the management of the Bank of England. As with all the new structures that have been introduced, the government continues to monitor their progress and development. BBC World Service Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Deputy Prime Minister on 12 March (HC Deb, cols 315–6) concerning proposals to initiate BBC World Service transmissions to the Korean peninsula, whether the approval of “new services” remains the prerogative of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. Baroness Warsi: As stated in my response to an oral question on 12 March, Official report, column 1753, the Secretary for State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), will continue to approve the opening and closing of the World Service language services, as he does at present, based on recommendations put to him by the World Service. Children: Drugs Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are in place to ensure that schoolchildren are not criminalised in connection with drug offences. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: In dealing with any offence committed by a child or young person aged 10 to 17 years old the police have a range of options available to them: a. take no further action;b. use a community resolution, for example an instant apology and reparation for a minor first time offence;c. use a youth caution;d. use a youth conditional caution; ore. charge the child or young person with the offence. Where a youth caution is given the police constable must refer the child or young person to the youth offending team. Where the child or young person has previously been referred or previously been given a youth conditional caution the youth offending team must assess them and, unless considered inappropriate to do so, arrange their participation in a rehabilitation programme. Under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974, youth cautions are considered spent as soon as they are delivered. Youth Conditional Cautions are spent within three months of the date on which they are given. While cautions are still recorded by the police, they help to keep children and young people out of the court process and do not leave them with a criminal record. In September 2012, the Department for Education and the Association of Chief Police Officers published advice for schools on managing drugs and drug-related incidents on school premises. It states that school staff are best placed to make a decision on the most appropriate response to a drug-related incident, including whether to involve the police. The advice includes a model drug policy framework which recommends that schools have “agreed criteria for if and when police should be informed, and what action is expected if police involvement is requested.” Civil Service: Trade Unions Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have asked departments to end the system of check- off for trade union subscriptions for civil servants. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The deduction of Trade Union subscriptions from payroll through check-off is a matter delegated to individual Departments in the Civil Service. Cyprus Lord Northbrook: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the unification of Cyprus on the people of Cyprus and its effect on regional stability. Baroness Warsi: The reunification of Cyprus would once again see both communities living and working together peacefully. A comprehensive settlement would bring significant economic benefits through increased opportunities for trade, investment and tourism. It would strengthen regional stability by removing an obstacle to Turkey’s EU membership, enabling greater EU-NATO co-operation, and opening up the possibility of new energy and economic partnerships in the region. The United Kingdom will continue to support the Cypriots’ efforts to end the division which has affected their island for too long. Dredging Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in each of the last five years, their annual plans of expenditure in respect of dredging were approved by ministers; and if so, what alterations of, or observations on, such plans were made as a result. Lord De Mauley: Defra allocates funding to the Environment Agency and other flood risk management authorities to reduce the risks of flooding and coastal erosion. The Department requires that funding is deployed to ensure the best possible value for money in terms of the economic damage of flooding avoided and properties protected. Defra does not dictate which methods should be used to reduce flood risk as each catchment and locality is different. Energy: Power Stations Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the expected timetable from now until completion of the nuclear power stations which they have authorised at (1) Hinkley Point, and (2) Sizewell. Baroness Verma: EDF’s current aim is for the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station to begin generating electricity in 2023. The UK Government and EDF Group reached commercial agreement on the key terms of a proposed investment contract for the Hinkley Point C, details of which were published on 21 October 2013. Furthermore, the publication of the Opening Decision on the Hinkley Point C State aid case by the European Commission is another important step forward in the consideration of the case and an investigation is a standard part of the State aid process for cases like Hinkley. The Commission have opened a public consultation on 7th March 2014 on their Opening Decision and Government welcome all to participate in this. No date has been set for Sizewell C to begin generating electricity. But EDF completed last year the first stage of the local consultation which is necessary before an application for development consent can be made. EU: Imports Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which categories of United States exports of goods to the United Kingdom are free of European Union tariff and non-tariff barriers; and what was their aggregate value in the last year for which figures are available. Lord Livingston of Parkhead: As official detailed measures of non-tariff barriers are not available it is not possible to estimate the value or categories of US exports to the UK that are free of tariff and non-tariff barriers. Around 31% of US agricultural product lines and 26% of non agricultural product lines face no EU tariffs. Exports Lord Renton of Mount Harry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of United Kingdom exports, excluding oil and gas, went annually to other countries in the European Union 10 years ago, five years ago, and last year. 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 Renton, dated March 2014 As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question to Her Majesty’s Government asking what percentage of United Kingdom exports, excluding oil and gas, went annually to other countries in the European Union ten years ago, five years ago and last year. [HL5925] Total exports of goods and services to European Union (EU) countries and countries outside the EU are published in Tables B6 and B6B of the United Kingdom Economic Accounts (UKEA). http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/naa1-rd/united-kingdom-economic-accounts/q3-2013/tsd-united-kingdom-economic-accounts-q3-2013.html The attached table shows the value and percentage of exports to EU countries. The second part of the table presents these estimates excluding oil as requested. Unfortunately gas cannot be excluded. UK Exports of goods and services to EU and non-EU countries 2003 to 2012 £ million and per cent 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Goods and services to EU28 countries 155115 159743 176247 210185 191382 Goods and services to non-EU28 countries 137966 146078 163596 177400 189134 Total goods and services 293081 305821 339843 387585 380516 Percentage exports to EU28 countries 52.9 52.2 51.9 54.2 50.3 Goods and services excluding oil1 to EU28 countries 145661 149309 163543 194372 176131 Goods and services excluding oil1 to EU28 countries 132929 140420 156559 170619 181988 Total goods and services excluding oil 278590 289729 320102 364991 358119 Percentage exports excluding oil to non-EU28 countries 52.3 51.5 51.1 53.3 49.2 UK Exports of goods and services to EU and non-EU countries 2003 to 2012 £ million and per cent 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Goods and services to EU28 countries 213237 193918 211002 232236 223453 Goods and services to non-EU28 countries 216521 208253 236267 260648 270845 Total goods and services 429758 402171 447269 492884 494298 Percentage exports to EU28 countries 49.6 48.2 47.2 47.1 45.2 Goods and services excluding oil2 to EU28 countries 192035 177893 189543 205480 196049 Goods and services excluding oil1 to EU28 countries 205866 199710 226438 249438 258758 Total goods and services excluding oil 397901 377603 415981 454918 454807 Percentage exports excluding oil to non-EU28 countries 48.3 47.1 45.6 45.2 43.1 Source : ONS 1 exports of oil to EU (series SIHY) and non-EU countries (series SIJK) have been deducted from total exports Finance: Boiler Room Scams Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to combat “boiler room” scamming from overseas. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government takes “boiler room” scams, where fraudsters cold-call investors and use pressure sales tactics to offer worthless, overpriced or even non-existent shares, very seriously. They are believed to be responsible for millions of pounds of investment fraud. They often involve criminals operating overseas targeting victims in the UK. The Government is committed to tackling serious and organised crime. In 2013 we established the National Crime Agency (NCA) to lead the UK's fight to cut serious and organised crime. Organised criminals operate across international jurisdictions. As a result, we are seeking to bolster international coordination and cooperation in response to the threat they pose. In February 2014 we saw the culmination of a significant international law enforcement operation across the UK, Spain and other parts of Europe, and the USA, which targeted those suspected of boiler room operations. The operation saw the NCA, the City of London Police and others working in partnership to make over 100 arrests of those believed to be responsible for millions of pounds of investment fraud. Action Fraud and the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) play an important role in such activity. Action Fraud receives reports on these crimes and passes them to the NFIB run by the City of London Police. The NFIB analyses the reports, draws out links between cases and sends out actionable intelligence packages for forces to investigate. The NFIB also issues intelligence assessments to inform the police response Flooding Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the financial promise to flood victims by the Prime Minister includes help where there is inadequate insurance cover. Lord De Mauley: The Government has put in place a range of support measures to help all victims of flooding return to their homes and businesses as quickly as possible. The measures are intended to supplement, not replace, existing insurance arrangements. Legislation to introduce affordable flood insurance to those households at the very highest risk of flooding is currently going through Parliament as part of the Water Bill. Flooding Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the financial promise to flood victims by the Prime Minister includes help in preventing damage from possible future floods. Lord De Mauley: To help homeowners and businesses better protect their properties against the future risk of flooding, the Government has announced a Repair and Renew Grant scheme. The scheme is due to be launched on 1 April 2014. The Repair and Renew Grant will be available to all those who experienced internal property damage from flooding between 1 December 2013 and 31 March 2014. Homeowners and businesses can apply for grants of up to £5,000 to cover the costs of assessing, purchasing and installing appropriate resistance and/or resilience measures, helping to reduce the likelihood and impact of flooding. Local authorities in flood-affected areas will administer the scheme. Flooding Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the financial promise to flood victims by the Prime Minister covers all parts of the United Kingdom. Lord De Mauley: The Government has announced a £300 million package of measures. Some will apply across the UK, while others will apply to England only. This is because many areas of flood response are devolved. Flooding Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister has ordered any extensions or changes, including any kind of prioritisation, to be considered in relation to his financial promise to flood victims; and if so, when. Lord De Mauley: The Government has committed financial help to those affected by this winter’s flooding. A package of measures has been announced including specifically targeted support for householders, businesses and farmers. Details of the schemes can be found on the government website at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/publications/flood-support-schemes-funding-available-from-central-government As part of this package several changes and extensions to existing measures have been made in order to help ease the burden on those affected by flooding. Up to £4 million will be available to local authorities in support of council tax discounts for homes that have been flooded. For eligible businesses, full business rate relief can be provided for three months and the Time To Pay scheme also gives affected businesses an extra three months to pay the business taxes they owe to HM Revenue and Customs. Defra has already announced changes to existing schemes to help businesses access EU funds for flood hit areas. For example, applications can be made to the European Fisheries Fund to help replace fishing gear damaged or lost in this winter’s storms, and the Farming and Forestry Improvement scheme will now fund and prioritise items for those in flood-hit areas to help build resilience against future flooding. Flooding Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they have initiated through the Environment Agency to mitigate flooding (1) on the Somerset Levels, (2) in the Thames Valley, and (3) in the Severn Valley; and whether their plans have changed as a result of the flooding over the winter months. Lord De Mauley: The Somerset Action Plan reflects on the recent flooding on the Somerset Moors and Levels and sets out measures to reduce flooding including the dredging of eight kilometres of the rivers Parrett and Tone. Major schemes are planned to mitigate flooding in the Thames Valley including Oxford and below Maidenhead to Teddington. The plans will be reviewed in light of the flooding to ensure that the latest evidence is used in the planning and design of schemes and securing approvals and funding. A significant number of schemes along the Severn Valley were constructed after the 2007 floods. These schemes prevented widespread property flooding over the winter even though river levels were similar to 2007 in places. Gibraltar and Spain Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the government of Spain about the possible fining and prosecution of anyone who uses Gibraltar's bunkering facilities; and what was the outcome of any such discussions. Baroness Warsi: We have not held general discussions with the Spanish government on this issue. However, on 26 June 2013, the Spanish Environment Ministry wrote to one of the companies involved in supplying bunkers in British Gibraltar Territorial Waters (BGTW). That letter alleged the company was carrying out activities contrary to a Spanish Royal Decree. It warned the company to cease this activity or the Ministry would initiate unspecified sanctions against them. Our Embassy in Madrid protested against this action pointing out that the company operated under a licence issued by the Gibraltar Port Authority and rejecting any effort by Spain to exercise control over BGTW as a violation of British Sovereignty. The Embassy followed this up with the Spanish government at Ministerial level in July 2013. The Spanish government replied on 1 August, rejecting our protest and claiming that the waters adjacent to Gibraltar are Spanish – a claim we unreservedly reject. Since then we have heard no more about this matter and the company concerned continues to operate. We are in contact with the bunkering industry in Gibraltar, which remains confident of its ability to conduct business. These actions have no impact on the strength of UK sovereignty over BGTW, nor on the right of bunkering vessels to operate in BGTW under Gibraltar's laws. The Government of Gibraltar is the only authority able to set and apply laws within BGTW. Government Departments: Staff Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of the Department for International Development in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles. Baroness Northover: Staff right across DFID are responsible for maximising the value for money and impact of DFID’s work, which is at the heart of the Accounting Officer’s responsibilities. The distinction requested cannot be measured in such precise percentages. Government Departments: Staff Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are currently employed for more than 50 per cent of their working week to support the Permanent Secretary of HM Treasury in his role as Accounting Officer; and what are their job titles. Lord Deighton: The Permanent Secretary to the Treasury is supported in all his duties by three full time members of staff. The Treasury Officer of Accounts has eight full time staff that support and advise the Permanent Secretary to the Treasury and all other Permanent Secretaries across Government in the delivery of their Accounting Officer duties. In addition, a significant number of staff across the department will support the Permanent Secretary on specific Accounting Officer decisions and governance issues as and when they arise. Government Departments: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Viscount Younger of Leckie: In the period 1 Jan 2013 – 31 Dec 2013, there were 123 new recruits to the Civil Service who joined the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (this figure excludes new recruits joining UKTI in 2013). Information on the proportion of these new recruits who were graduates is not available as the Department’s recruitment and selection is based around the Civil Service Competency framework rather than educational qualifications. The information on how many of the 123 new recruits are graduates could only be provided at disproportionate costs as it would mean each individual being contacted separately. Government Departments: Surveys Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what customer, user and satisfaction surveys were conducted in the last 12 months in the Department of Energy and Climate Change and the agencies that report to it; which of them have been reported to the management board in the last 12 months; and which were commissioned by the management board. Baroness Verma: The Department of Energy and Climate Change has conducted 15 quantitative customer, user and satisfaction surveys in the last 12 months, the details of which are appended below. The results of all these surveys have been, or will be, published on gov.uk/decc. The Department of Energy and Climate Change does not have any agencies which report to it. No surveys were commissioned by the DECC Executive Committee: surveys are managed within individual policy areas, programmes and projects, with results reported to relevant internal boards 1. DECC Public Attitudes Tracker survey Quarterly waves 2. Quantitative research into public awareness, attitudes, and experience of Smart Meters Two waves 3. Smart Meters Early Learning Project Consumer Survey* One-off survey 4. DECC Community Energy Survey One-off survey 5. Green Deal Supply Chain research One-off survey 6. Non-Participants in GD Supply Chain One-off survey 7. Green Deal Household Tracker Three waves 8. Green Deal assessments research Three waves 9. Green Deal assessments research: Wave 1 follow up One-off survey 10. Green Deal customer journey research One-off survey 11. Research to explore consumer response to the potential use of winter fuel payments to invest in energy efficiency home improvements One-off survey 12. Questions on GfK Omnibus survey exploring ways to paying for energy saving home improvements* One-off survey 13. Questions on GfK Omnibus survey on Energy Performance Certificates and cash back incentives* One-off survey 14. Survey of applicants to the non-domestic Renewable Heat Incentive* One-off survey 15. Renewable Heat Premium Payment 2 evaluation* Two surveys of participating households * Publication date to be confirmed. Gross Domestic Product Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of European Union regulations requiring black market activities, including prostitution and illegal drug dealing, to be taken into account in the calculation of the United Kingdom gross domestic product. 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 Stoddart, dated March 2014 As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking, what is Her Majesty’s Government’s assessment of European Union regulations requiring black market activities, including prostitution and illegal drug dealing, to be taken into account in the calculation of the United Kingdom gross domestic product. (HL5890) Inclusion of black market activity within the calculation of the United Kingdom National Accounts is in line with international requirements. These standards are known as the ‘System of National Accounts (SNA) and are agreed by national accounting experts across the world under the guidance of the United Nations, OECD, IMF and the World Bank. They are designed to reflect economic reality and ensure consistency of treatment between countries. Countries have different laws and these laws can change over time, so including all economic activity (regardless of its legality) leads to greater consistency and comparability both in the long-run time series and between countries. Within the European Union, these worldwide standards are legally enshrined in a Regulation known as European System of Accounts 2010 (ESA 2010) which becomes operational in September 2014. The UK is legally obliged to comply with the ESA10 regulation from that time and hence will be consistent with the latest version of the SNA (SNA08). Health and Nutrition Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what investigations they are undertaking into the nutrition and health of children and vulnerable adults when sanctions are imposed on individuals who lose their benefits. Lord Freud: The Department does not monitor nutrition. Health: Maternity Services Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research has been conducted on the impact of early engagement with maternity services by vulnerable women. Earl Howe: A range of research has been conducted which demonstrates that women who access antenatal care late have poorer outcomes than those who access it at an earlier stage. The Confidential Enquiry into Maternal and Child Health report, Saving Mothers Lives: Reviewing maternal deaths to make motherhood safer 2003-2005, published in 2007, found that 20% of the women who died from direct or indirect causes either accessed maternity care after 20 weeks gestation, missed over four routine antenatal visits, did not seek care at all or actively concealed their pregnancies. In addition, a national survey of maternity care by the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in 2006 found that women from ethnic groups, a deprived background or who are single parents are more likely to recognise their pregnancy later, and therefore access care later and have poorer outcomes. The Family Nurse Partnership is the Government's flagship programme for engaging with vulnerable first time young mothers. Known as Nurse Family Partnership in the United States of America, it has been developed by Professor David Olds and colleagues at the University of Colorado on the basis of over 30 years of extensive research. Three large scale randomised control trials have tested the programme with diverse populations in different contexts starting in Elmira, New York in 1977, then in Memphis Tennessee in 1988 and in Denver, Colorado in 1994. These have shown a range of benefits for children and mothers over the short, medium and long term. Long term follow up of the children and mothers in these studies continues. A large-scale independent randomised control trial that will rigorously evaluate the programme's effectiveness in the English context is due to report initial findings later this year. Health: Prescriptions Baroness Meacher: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Department of Health monitors the extent to which National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidelines are being adhered to in respect of prescriptions. Earl Howe: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance is based on a thorough assessment of the available evidence and is developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. Clinicians are expected to take NICE guidance fully into account in their prescribing decisions but it does not replace the judgement of clinicians to determine the most appropriate treatment for individual patients. NICE guidance is not mandatory for clinicians and the Department does not monitor its implementation. Health service commissioners are legally required to fund those treatments recommended by NICE in its technology appraisal guidance. The latest report on the, Use of NICE appraised medicines in the NHS in England was published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 21 January 2014. The report looks at the use of medicines recommended by NICE in relation to the estimated number of eligible patients, where possible, and variation in use of medicines over time. The report is available at: www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13413 The most recent release of NICE Technology Appraisals in the NHS in England, Innovation Scorecard (to September 2013) was published by the Health and Social Care Information Centre on 5 March 2014. The Scorecard uses National Health Service and industry data to provide patients and the public with information on the treatments available within their local hospitals and NHS services. It is available at: www.hscic.gov.uk/catalogue/PUB13669 Higher Education: Overseas Students Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the introduction of a health surcharge for non-European Economic Area students, to what extent they have looked at the policies of competitor countries. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Compared to the UK, our competitor countries operate a very different healthcare system in which private medical insurance for students and working migrants is a common requirement. The Government published an Impact Assessment in October 2013 that includes a comparison of the costs of basic medical health insurance in some of these countries. The health surcharge will apply to most temporary migrants, including students, who come to the UK for more than six months. The proposed surcharge rate is a lower cost over the period of stay than the cost of basic private medical insurance in these competitor counties. Housing Benefit Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons received housing benefit in each of the last 10 years, broken down into those who were (1) pensioners, (2) of working age but not in employment, and (3) in work. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of housing benefit claimants are in work; and what was the equivalent figure in 2000. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of housing benefit claimants live in (1) social housing, and (2) private sector housing. Lord Freud: Detailed statistics on Housing Benefit since 2008 can be found at: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk This includes the number of Housing Benefit (HB) recipients who a) are living in social or private rented accommodation b) those who are in employment and not on a passported benefit and c) those in receipt of HB by age. Please note: the economic status of all HB recipients is not available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The information is only available for HB recipients whose claim is not passported: that is for those who do not receive Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance (Income-Based), Employment and Support Allowance (Income-Based), or Pension Credit (Guaranteed Credit). Guidance on how to extract the information required can be found at: https://sw.stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Stat-Xplore_User_Guide.htm Housing Benefit caseload by working age / pension age split prior to 2008 can be found in table 2c of the publication, Outturn and forecast: Autumn Statement 2013 available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/benefit-expenditure-and-caseload-tables-2013 Immigration Bill Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research has been undertaken on the potential health impacts of the proposed changes in the Immigration Bill on vulnerable migrants, including pregnant women and children. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government's assessment of the potential impact of the health provisions in the Immigration Bill on vulnerable groups is set out in the Home Office response to its public consultation Controlling Immigration — Regulating Migrant Access to Health Services in the UK and the Policy Equality Statement contained therein. The consultation response is available online at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/migrant-access-to-health-services-in-the-uk Immigration: Deportation Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when deportation will follow the end of a prison sentence served by a foreign national; whether they always arrange the necessary documents as soon as the release date is known; and to what extent problems arise from statelessness or the failure of other states to cooperate. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Home Office considers for deportation or other immigration enforcement action all foreign national offenders (FN0s) who are sentenced a period of imprisonment following a criminal conviction. Deportation is considered in the following circumstances: For Non European Economic Area (EEA) Nationals There is a duty on the Secretary of State to deport a non-EEA foreign national who is sentenced to a period of imprisonment of 12 months or more. In addition, the Home Office considers deportation action in cases where a non-EEA national is sentenced to 12 months or more as an aggregate of two or three sentences over a period of five years, or where there is a custodial sentence of any length for a drug offence (other than possession), or where a Court has recommended deportation. For EEA nationals The deportation consideration process in the cases of EEA nationals takes account of the Immigration (EEA) Regulations 2006 and any human rights considerations on a case-by-case basis. Deportation will normally be pursued where the person is sentenced to two years' imprisonment or more, or 12 months' imprisonment for a sexual, drug or violent offence. Where an EEA offender receives a shorter sentence, deportation will be pursued where it can be justified in accordance with the Immigration (EEA) Regulations, taking into account the particular circumstances of the case. These regulations state that deportation action must be proportionate and that an individual must represent a “genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat affecting one of the fundamental interests of society”. Documentation and removal We make every effort to ensure that a person's removal or deportation coincides, as far as possible, with completion of sentence, including arranging travel documentation to facilitate this. This process can sometimes be delayed as a result of non-compliance by an FNO, such as the adoption of false identities, nationality swapping, refusing to engage with the Home Office, or refusing to engage with foreign embassies. The UK has now established safe routes and re-documentation arrangements with a significant number of countries which is aiding our ability to return foreign nationals. Internet: Social Media Sites Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to reduce crimes linked to Twitter and Facebook. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Actions that are illegal offline are illegal online, including on social media and robust legislation is in place to deal with offences such as internet cyber-stalking, and grossly offensive, obscene or menacing behaviour online. Guidelines for prosecuting cases involving social media communications were issued by the Director for Public Prosecutions last year. The College of Policing also wrote to all Chief Officers outlining training and guidance on tackling online abuse. These guidelines should be used by the police when investigating offences. Prevention is a key part of the Government's commitment to tackling trolling, cyber-bullying, cyber-stalking and other forms of abuse and misuse of social networking sites. This includes working with industry, academia, charities and parenting groups to develop tools and information for users aimed at keeping society safe online. Iran Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for increasing diplomatic involvement with Iran in order to resolve the conflict in Syria; and whether they intend to take such steps. Baroness Warsi: We would welcome a more constructive approach from Iran in Syria, and have urged them repeatedly both to endorse the Geneva communiqué, and to use their influence with the Assad regime to secure unhindered access for humanitarian assistance for the Syrian people. However, as things stand, Iran continues to support the Syrian regime and affiliated militias, in contravention of UN Security Council Resolution 1747. Such actions prolong the conflict. We will continue to press Iran, including through our expanded bilateral engagement, to support a peaceful political resolution to the Syria crisis. Israel Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the Israel Defence Force has been responsible for illegal use of lethal force on unarmed civilians; if so, what steps they will take to bring the soldiers responsible, and those giving them orders, to justice; and whether they will present any evidence about killings to the International Criminal Court. Baroness Warsi: The UK supports accountability for violations of international humanitarian law. Israel is not a State Party to the International Criminal Court. The Court does not currently have jurisdiction over any alleged crimes committed by the Israeli Defence Force in Gaza or the West Bank. However, we make frequent representations to the Israeli authorities about Israeli Defence Force use of live fire in both Gaza and the West Bank, as well as about the process for investigating such incidents. Israel The Lord Bishop of Truro: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the recent announcement by the Jerusalem municipal authorities of their approval of building permits for 558 new units in East Jerusalem, in Har Homa, Neve Yaakov and Pisgat Zeev. Baroness Warsi: The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), raised the issue of settlements during his visit to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories between 13-14 March. Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv has reinforced our concerns repeatedly over plans to expand Israeli settlements in and around East Jerusalem at the highest levels. These plans, if implemented, could put at risk the territorial contiguity between East Jerusalem and the southern West Bank. John Anthony Downey Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they sought the extradition of Mr John Downey from the Republic of Ireland prior to his arrest at Gatwick Airport in May 2013 and subsequent trial for offences related to the Hyde Park bombing in 1982; and if not, why not. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: After John Downey was identified as a suspect for the Hyde Park bombing it was established that he was resident in Ireland. In the seven year period following the bombing, on a number of occasions consideration was given to the possibility of seeking Mr Downey's extradition from the Republic of Ireland but various evidential and legal difficulties prevented this from happening. In 1989, because of those legal difficulties, the decision was taken that it was not appropriate to seek Mr Downey's extradition. The reasons for this decision were explained at paragraph 22 of Mr Justice Sweeney's judgment of 21 February 2014, which is available on the judicial website. Mental Health: Funding Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they expect to be the impact of the decision by the National Health Service to cut the level of funding given to the mental health sector. Earl Howe: The Department has, for the first time, set a clear objective for the National Health Service that mental and physical health services must be treated equally. My. hon. Friend, the Minister of State, Department of Health (Norman Lamb), recently made it clear that he thinks that the decision by NHS England to cut the tariff for mental health and community providers in a different way from acute providers was flawed. However investment in mental health services, such as over £450 million for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme, continues. The Department will hold the health system to account for delivering real progress on parity of esteem in the NHS. Closing the Gap, launched in January this year, indicates the importance of equity between mental and physical health for this Government. The Department will scrutinise commissioning plans of clinical commissioning groups and the draft budgets of mental health trusts to make sure that they reflect the central importance, as set out in the Government's Mandate to the NHS, of making measurable progress towards parity of esteem. Mental Health: Funding Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they commit annually to mental healthcare. Earl Howe: The Department has, for the first time, set a clear objective for the National Health Service that mental and physical health services must be treated equally. However, we do not allocate funds directly to mental health services. Decisions about expenditure on NHS services are, and should be, decided locally. NHS England published expenditure data from their programme budgeting dataset for 2012-13 on 21 February 2014. This shows expenditure on mental health in 2012-13 was £11.28 billion. Figures for previous years are not comparable because of the ways in which the data are collected. My hon. Friend, the Minister of State, (Norman Lamb) has made it clear that the decision by NHS England to cut the tariff for mental health and community providers in a different way from acute providers was flawed. However, investment in mental health services, such as over £450 million for the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme, continues. The Department will hold the health system to account for delivering real progress on parity of esteem in the NHS. Closing the Gap, launched in January this year, indicates the importance of equity between mental and physical health for this Government. The Department will scrutinise commissioning plans of clinical commissioning groups and the draft budgets of mental health trusts to make sure that they reflect the central importance, as set out in the Government's Mandate to the NHS, of making measurable progress towards parity of esteem. Migrant Domestic Workers Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to permit migrant domestic workers to change employers without breaching the immigration rules. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The overseas domestic worker route was reformed in April 2012 to restore it to the original purpose, which is to enable domestic workers to accompany their overseas employer on a visit to the UK. The Government is carefully considering all of the recommendations made in the report of the Modern Slavery Bill Evidence Review which included reference to considering reinstating the right to change employer. Mohamad al-Arefe Lord Lamont of Lerwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Mr Mohamad al-Arefe, who has been banned from the Schengen area, has been given a visa to enter the United Kingdom. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We do not routinely comment on individual cases. This is because of obligations in law to protect personal information. NHS: Patient Services Lord Teverson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the comments by the Chairman of the Care Quality Commission that “Parts of the NHS have developed a culture that doesn’t listen—or worse, that stigmatises and ostracises those who raise concerns or complaints”. Earl Howe: The Government's response to the Francis Inquiry, Hard Truths: The Journey to Putting Patients First was published on 19 November 2013 and demonstrates our commitment to supporting NHS organisations to create a culture of openness in the NHS and supporting staff and patients who raise concerns or complaints. This Government supports the right of staff working in the NHS to raise concerns and expects all NHS organisations to support staff that wish to do so. We expect all NHS organisations to have in place whistleblowing policies that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA). As part of its new inspection process the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is considering its approach to examining how to use complaints and whistleblowing to effectively assess quality, improve people's experience with CQC, and encourage improvement in the wider system. The new Chief Inspector of Hospitals, Professor Sir Mike Richards, will have an important role in ensuring hospital inspections are not just seen as a ‘tick box' exercise. They will ensure that not only is the organisation complying with the law and putting policies into place; but that the culture of the organisation actively promotes the benefits of openness and transparency; encouraging the raising of concerns by staff with whistleblowing seen as a positive step to improving public and patient safety through the quality of the services provided. Government actions to improve openness include: - Putting in place a statutory duty of candour as a CQC registration requirement on all providers registered with the CQC in secondary legislation. This is a major step towards implementing a key recommendation from the Francis Report. The duty of candour will place a requirement on all CQC registered providers of health and adult social care to be open with patients and service users about failings in care. The CQC will decide when to take enforcement action for a failure to meet the duty of candour, including whether to bring a prosecution. The CQC is using staff surveys and the whistleblowing concerns it receives as part of the data in its new intelligent monitoring system and since September the CQC's new inspection system includes discussions with hospitals about how they deal with, and handle, whistleblowers;- Establishing Healthwatch England and local Healthwatch organisations in all upper-tier local authorities in England. The latter are intended to promote a local consumer voice to ensure that the views of service users and the public inform the improvement of local health and care services;- Professional regulators are consulting on a new professional duty of candour which will provide protection for staff when they raise concerns promptly;- The Government amendment made to the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 strengthened the position of whistleblowers so that an individual now has the right to expect their employer to take reasonable steps to prevent them suffering detriment from a co-worker as a result of blowing the whistle. The Government now requires the inclusion of an explicit clause in compromise agreements to make it clear that staff can make a protected disclosure in the public interest; and- Working with the professional regulators to introduce a new explicit and consistent professional duty of candour for doctors, nurses and other health professionals, making clear a requirement to be open, whether the incident is serious or not. Health professionals will have to be candid with patients about all avoidable harm and the guidance will make clear that obstructing colleagues in being candid will be a breach of their professional codes. Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the Medical Research Council in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Viscount Younger of Leckie: From 1 January – 31December 2013 the Medical Research Council (MRC), recruited 625 staff, of which approximately 550 were graduates. This includes recruits to the MRC’s head office and its research units and institutes. Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the National Environment Research Council in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Viscount Younger of Leckie: From 1 January 2013 – 31 December 2013, the Natural Environment Research Council recruited 177 employees, of whom 53 are graduates. Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the Office for Fair Access in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Office for Fair Access appointed 4 new members of staff. All 4 of them were graduates. Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the Skills Funding Agency in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Skills Funding Agency recruited 48 employees in 2013. Of this figure, 22 were graduates. Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Viscount Younger of Leckie: During 1 January – 31 December 2013 the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority recruited 105 people, 73 of whom had a degree . Non-departmental Government Bodies: Staff Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees were recruited by United Kingdom Trade and Investment in 2013; and, of that number, how many were graduates. Lord Livingston of Parkhead: UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) is not an employer in its own right; for the majority of its human resource requirements it draws on civil service staff employed by one or other of its two parent departments - the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO). In the period 1 Jan 2013 – 31 Dec 2013, there were 26 new recruits to the Civil Service who joined UKTI via external recruitment. Information on the proportion of these new recruits who were graduates is not available as UKTI recruitment and selection is based around the Civil Service Competency framework rather than educational qualifications. The information on how many of the 26 new recruits are graduates could only be provided at disproportionate costs as it would mean each individual being contacted separately. Overseas Aid Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 5 March (WA 319), whether they have provided funding in Kenya for meetings between tribal rainmakers and meteorologists; and, if so, how much was spent and what were the outcomes of those meetings. Baroness Northover: Before 2010 DFID funded a project to help Kenyan farmers access modern scientific weather forecasts. As part of this project workshops were held between scientists and members of local communities. Total funding for workshops was £24,000. This project ended September 2010. Pensions Lord True: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the European Union for the abolition of taxpayer funding of the pensions of MEPs; and when they last made any such representations. Baroness Warsi: This Government believes that MEP pensions should, as with those of British Parliamentarians and Civil Servants, be kept under review and, if necessary, reformed to ensure that they do not become a inappropriate burden on taxpayers. The Government has made it clear that we expect all the EU Institutions, including the European Parliament, to make very substantial savings on pay and pensions expenditure. The Government has also, through the Public Service Pensions Act 2013, created the scope for some British MEP pensions, where the MEP continues to receive their salary directly from the British Government, to be reformed in line with the wider changes in public service pensions. Any decision on the reform of these pensions will be made by the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (IPSA). Police: Promotion Lord Dear: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the recommendation of the Winsor Review, they intend to introduce accelerated promotion for some entrants to the police service in England and Wales; and, if not, why not. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what importance they place on the Winsor Review recommendation that accelerated promotion should be introduced for some entrants joining the police service in England and Wales. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recommendation of the Winsor Review, what progress they have made with the introduction of accelerated promotion for some entrants to the police service in England and Wales; and what is the likely date of the introduction of such a programme. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: From autumn 2014 the police will, for the first time, have the opportunity to bring in talented and experienced leaders from other walks of life to senior ranks and, through the fast-track to inspector scheme, attract top graduates to policing. The College of Policing will provide those individuals with world-class training. We have committed to funding a cadre of new direct-entrant superintendents from this autumn until spring 2018. Those coming in will bring a fresh perspective and will open up policing culture. I also refer the noble Lord to the written statement by the Minister of Policing, Criminal Justice and Victims, Damian Green on 14 October 2013, Official Report, columns 39-40 WS Railways: London Midland Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sanctions have been applied in the last 12 months for poor quality performance on the Birmingham Cross City line by London Midland. Baroness Kramer: We have applied no sanctions against London Midland in regard to performance on the Birmingham Cross City line; we do not disaggregate performance by the train operators to that level. In the autumn of 2012 London Midland experienced a high number of cancellations, largely due to issues with availability of train crew. As a result, they breached the terms of their Franchise Agreement, and a remedial plan and package of benefits was agreed with the Department. As the Secretary of State for Transport announced to the House on 20 December 2012, this package included passenger benefits of: 500,000 discounted tickets, free travel for season ticket holders (worth up to c.£5.4m), capital investment, and additional driver training investment worth a combined £6.25m. Skills Funding Statement Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 February (WA 224) and the Skills Study Statement 2013–16, of the 22 per cent of learners participating in the skills system, the 12 per cent in apprenticeships, the 21 per cent of those carrying out workplace learning in small and medium-sized enterprises, the 26 per cent in education, training and retraining, the 21 per cent undertaking community learning, and the 36 per cent “supporting the justice system”, from black and minority ethnic communities, what proportion are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller backgrounds. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 February (WA 224) and the Skills Study Statement 2013–16, of what “supporting the justice system” consists. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 24 February (WA 224) and the Skills Study Statement 2013–16, how many persons from Gypsy, Roma or Traveller backgrounds have been accepted into traineeships so far in each year the programme has run; and what is the target for 2014–15. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Table 1 shows the proportion of Gypsy or Irish Travellers participating in the Skills System in 2012/13 compared to the proportion of all Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic Groups (BAME). Table 1: Adult (19+) Equality and Diversity in the Skills System, 2012/13 Gypsy or Irish Traveller BAME Supporting the Justice System 0.91% 36% Community Learning 0.09% 21% Education, Training and Re-training 0.09% 26% Workplace learning in SMEs 0.02% 21% Apprenticeships 0.03% 12% Total Skills System 0.10% 22% Source : Individualised Learner Record using New Challenges, New Chances (NCNC) definitions. Notes 1. Ethnicity codes within the ILR match those used in England & Wales for the 2011 Census. 2. Ethnicity is based upon self-declaration by the learner. 3. BAME figures are taken from Figure 8a of the Skills Funding Statement 2013-2016 https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/278529/bis-14-p172a-skills-funding-statement-2013-2016.pdf ‘Supporting the Justice System’, as identified within the Skills Funding Statement, measures offenders that participated in Skills Funding Agency funded learning while in the adult prison system. These offenders were funded via the Offenders' Learning and Skills Service (OLASS) budget. 2013/14 is the first year of Traineeships. We do not have a reliable estimate of learners on the programme at present. The funding agencies are working with providers to ensure that they are following the guidance and we will publish information in due course. We have not set a target for Traineeships as this is a demand-led programme. We have made funding available but the number of places will be dictated by the number of employers who choose to offer a place and the number of eligible young people who wish to take one. Ukraine Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the level of financial support provided to Ukraine by the United Kingdom (1) directly, (2) through the European Union, and (3) through the International Monetary Fund; what measures will be put in place to ensure that such support is not misused by the interim administrators; and whether the United Kingdom's contribution will be met through extra taxation or by further borrowing. Lord Deighton: The IMF is engaging with the Ukrainian authorities on their request for support. Any IMF contribution to a financial assistance package will be subject to a vote at the IMF Board. The UK lends to the IMF as an institution and not to particular programmes; therefore it is not possible to provide an exact estimate of the UK's contribution to individual IMF programmes. The IMF currently has available lending resources of $415.3 billion to meet any new programme commitments. The European Commission has proposed a package of assistance to Ukraine totalling €11 billion over the years 2014 to 2020: The majority consists of lending that would be provided by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which are already involved in Ukraine.The package also includes a Commission proposal to provide €1 billion of Macro-Financial Assistance (MFA) to Ukraine, in addition to a loan of €610 million that has previously been approved by the EU but not yet disbursed. These loans would be funded through the European Commission borrowing from capital markets with the EU Guarantee Fund for External Actions acting as a guarantee. The loans can only be provided if an IMF programme is agreed, and some disbursements would be dependent on Ukraine meeting the agreed policy conditionality set out in a Memorandum of Understanding.There is also €1.4 billion in grants from the EU budget over the period 2014 to 2020, covering commitments from within the Multiannual Financial Framework agreed by the Prime Minister last year. The Foreign Secretary has already announced that the UK Government is providing a package of technical assistance of up to f10 million to support economic and political stability in Ukraine. DFID is assessing needs in Ukraine, and has had a team in Kyiv in discussion with Ukrainian authorities and other international partners to plan how the UK can support the reform efforts. Ukraine Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the European Union's offer to Ukraine of an Association Agreement on the subsequent crisis in that country and its relations with Russia. Baroness Warsi: Russia’s violation of Ukrainian territorial integrity is wholly unjustified. As the Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), said on 10 March, we must stand up to aggression, uphold international law and support the Ukrainian government and the Ukrainian people, who want the freedom to choose their own future. As the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), told Parliament on 4 March, the decision to sign the Association Agreement is Ukraine’s. We believe that a closer relationship between Ukraine and the EU, and the greater stability this would bring to Ukraine, would be good for Ukraine, the EU and Russia. At a meeting on 17 March, the EU agreed to proceed to the signature and conclusion of the remaining parts of its Association Agreement with Ukraine. UNICEF Baroness Nye: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether UNICEF in Burma is renting office space from former General Nyunt Tin; if so, at what annual cost; and whether they have had any discussions with UNICEF regarding the decision to rent those offices. Baroness Northover: DFID is not responsible for UNICEF’s choice of office space or its cost. We have not had discussions with UNICEF regarding its choice of office space. Vehicles: Low Carbon Emissions Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what incentives, other than the existing grant, are provided to encourage people to buy ultra-low carbon dioxide cars. Baroness Kramer: As well as the Plug-in Car Grant, the Government is providing funding for grants for electric vehicle chargepoints, including at people’s homes and locations such as train station car parks and on the public sector estate. We have also established a favourable taxation system for company car tax and vehicle excise duty to help nudge more motorists towards these vehicles. There are also numerous local incentives such as congestion charge exemption in London and free parking. Vehicles: Low Carbon Emissions Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of how many ultra-low carbon dioxide cars are currently owned by public sector organisations. Baroness Kramer: Over 5% of those taking up the grant for business use are public sector organisation.

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lordswrans2014-03-24a

South Downs: Restoration and Access Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the objectives of their plans to bring farmland in the South Downs into public ownership under proposals being prepared in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and by certain agencies associated with that department; and What is the estimated cost of their intention to bring farmland into public ownership in the South Downs in each of the next five years under proposals being prepared by officials in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and by agencies associated with that department; and Whether their intention to bring farmland into public ownership in the South Downs under proposals being prepared in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and by certain agencies associated with that department, will include compulsory purchase; and How many hectares of farmland are to be purchased in the South Downs with public money in each of the next five years under proposals being prepared by officials in the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions and by agencies associated with that department; and Which organisations have been consulted, formally or otherwise, about their intention to bring farmland into public ownership in the South Downs under proposals being prepared by the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions or by agencies associated with that department. Lord Whitty: Her Majesty's Government have no current plans to bring farmland into public ownership in the South Downs. The Countryside Agency has submitted a bid to DETR for additional funding for a new restoration initiative involving research and piloting demonstration projects, building on and integrated with existing initiatives to restore open downland and provide access to it in the South Downs. This could involve a number of mechanisms, of which targeted land purchase on the open market might be one. However, detailed proposals have not yet been developed. The Countryside Agency is currently discussing its preliminary ideas with a range of local organisations. Merseyside Objective 1 Single Programming Documents Lord Inglewood: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will ensure that the Merseyside Objective 1 Single Programming Document will be submitted to the European Commission for approval on 20 June. Lord Whitty: The outstanding issues on all the Objective 1 Single Programming Documents are in the process of being resolved and they are on course to be submitted to the European Commission in time for approval at the June Committee meeting. Waste Incineration Directive The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by the Lord Whitty on 9 April (H.L. Deb., col. 699) on what dates there were communications between officials of the Department of the Environment (and later the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions) and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on the draft Incineration of Waste Directive and in particular upon the matter of small incinerators specialising in disposal of animal carcasses; between which individuals any such communication took place; and in what terms. Lord Whitty: All the information requested could only be provided at disproportionate cost. The Air and Environment Quality Division of the Department of the Environment, and subsequently of the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions, has included the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in all inter-departmental contact on the proposal for a waste incineration directive since the European Commission's initial soundings on its first working paper in February 1994. This includes the period of discussions of the "working paper on the incineration of waste" in meetings of national experts convened by the European Commission from April 1997 to summer 1998. There was numerous and frequent correspondence between DETR and other interested departments, including MAFF, following the German Presidency's decision to take the draft waste incineration directive to Council Working Group at the start of its term of office in January 1999. Meetings of interested government departments, including MAFF, concerning the proposal were also held on 25 January, 19 March and 14 May 1999. DETR and MAFF officials additionally met bilaterally on 16 April 1999. MAFF concerns about the implications of the proposal for animal carcass incinerators were raised in a letter from the Minister of State of 16 February 1999 and were discussed at all the subsequent meetings involving the two departments. The Council of Ministers is currently considering the European Parliament's amendments to the waste incineration directive Common Position, including those affecting the scope, at official level. DETR and MAFF remain in close contact during these negotiations. Agricultural Buildings and Council Tax Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will take into account the difficulty of obtaining planning permission for the conversion of uninhabitable farm properties before making the owners of those properties liable for council tax. Lord Whitty: Non-domestic agricultural buildings are exempt from non-domestic rates and council tax does not apply. Also, if a domestic property is derelict it will not constitute a dwelling for the purpose of the council tax. Where an unoccupied dwelling is entered on the council tax valuation list but requires or is undergoing major repair works or is undergoing structural alteration, it can benefit from up to a year's exemption. We believe this is a reasonable period of exemption, after which the dwelling is subject to 50 per cent council tax whilst it remains unoccupied. Government guidance in PPG 7--The Countryside--encourages the re-use of rural buildings and should be taken into account by local planning authorities in preparing development plans and in individual development control decisions. In preparing the Rural White Paper we are considering whether that guidance might be strengthened or clarified, consistent with the principles of sustainable development. Tourism and the Planning System Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions will publish the report of their research findings on the impact that the planning system has on the development of tourism. Lord Whitty: The research project on Planning for Leisure and Tourism is now in its final stages. We hope to publish the report soon. Mobile Phones: House of Lords Rules Lord Williams of Elvel: asked the Chairman of Committees: What are the rules governing the use of mobile phones within that part of the Palace of Westminster controlled by the House of Lords. Lord Boston of Faversham: The following rules relating to the use of mobile phones in the House of Lords were agreed by the Offices Committee in July 1997 [HL Paper 20, Session 1997-98): Mobile telephones must be silent in all public areas of the House including the Chamber; mobile telephones may be used only in offices or where conventional telephones are located, and mobile telephones may not be used while moving round the Palace. Mobile telephones may not therefore be used in Refreshment Department premises or the Library. Husbandry Panel on Cattle TB: Report Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will publish the report of the independent Husbandry Panel on Cattle TB. Baroness Hayman: The panel's report is published today. Copies are being placed in the Parliamentary Libraries and will be made widely available. I would like to thank Dr Clive Philips, the panel chairman, and his colleagues for their work. The Government will now consider the panel's recommendations in consultation with the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB and other interested parties before deciding how best to take them forward. Genetically Modified Crops: Objections Process Lord Beaumont of Whitley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why Members of Parliament should be charged the sum of £30 when lodging an objection to the introduction of a genetically modified crop with the Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions. Baroness Hayman: No charge is made to anyone objecting to the DETR or the FSA about the approval of GM crops or foods. If any new information is provided which calls into question the relevant safety assessments, this would be considered carefully and appropriate action taken. The Novel Foods applications process has, from December 1999, been made yet more open by the publication of UK applications for novel foods on the Internet. The fee in question appears to relate to the statutory requirement under the national list regulations for making written representations about proposed national list decisions and applies equally to GM and conventional varieties. The requirement pre-dates the advent of GM plant varieties and was introduced to help meet the cost of operating the representations and hearings arrangements in the national list system. The national list system does not itself address the safety aspects of GM traits. This is dealt with under quite separate legislation. No GM plant variety may be proposed for addition to the national list until the appropriate GM consents have been obtained. Sentencing Decisions: Home Office Review Lord Peston: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to introduce new sentencing arrangements. Lord Bassam of Brighton: As part of our objectives of reducing crime and dispensing justice fairly, we have already put in place a comprehensive programme of work to reduce the rate of reoffending. This includes ensuring that the prison and probation services work more effectively together; improving the enforcement of community penalties; developing programmes, in custody and in the community, which are known to reduce reoffending (based on the "what works" strategy) and building on the opportunities which new technology opens up. Together these developments present an opportunity to consider possible new forms of sentences which better protect the public and reduce reoffending. In particular, they open up the possibility of a more flexible sentencing structure in which the boundaries between custodial and community penalties are less rigid. However, the current legal framework established in the Criminal Justice Act 1991 may not be best suited to an approach of this sort. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has therefore decided to review that framework. The review will complement that of the criminal courts being conducted by Lord Justice Auld. Its terms of reference will be: "In the light of the Government's objectives to protect the public by reducing crime and reoffending, and to dispense justice fairly and consistently, to consider what principles should guide sentencing decisions; what types of disposal should be made available to the courts in order to meet the overarching objectives; the costs of different disposals and their relative effectiveness in reducing reoffending; what changes therefore need to be made to the current sentencing framework, as established by the Criminal Justice Act 1991, so as more effectively to reduce reoffending, including any transitional and consequential arrangements; and the likely impact of any recommendations in terms of costs and the effects on the prison population. In particular, the review should bear in mind the desirability of promoting flexibility in the use of custodial and community based approaches." The review will be led by a senior official from the Home Office. I want it to be a rigorous, evidence based exercise. It will operate in an open way, involving and seeking views from as wide a range of interests as possible. My right honourable friend the Home Secretary expects it to take about 12 months from now to produce recommendations, which will then be the subject of formal consultation. European Parliament Elections: Review Baroness Mallalieu: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they expect to complete the review of the 1999 European parliamentary elections. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The review has been completed and copies have today been placed in the Library. Journalists' Sources of Information: Protection Baroness Jeger: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is any public demand that judicial proceedings should not be brought against editors and writers who, in accordance with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights, refuse to submit their sources of information to the police; and, if so, what is their response. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government know of some recent concern in relation to police investigations into alleged offences under the Official Secret Acts. Sections 11, 13 and 14 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 afford "journalistic material" special protection. It is recognised in Section 9 of the Act, however, that there are occasions when it will be right to allow the police to seek an order from a circuit judge for the production of such material. Failure to comply with a production order will leave it open for the judge to punish the person concerned for contempt. This procedure is compatible with Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which, in its third paragraph, recognises that freedom of expression carries with it duties and responsibilities. It sets out areas where that freedom may be subject to restrictions if they are provided by law and necessary in a democratic society. Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights makes similar provision. It is quite proper for the police to use these powers to investigate allegations of criminal wrongdoing and they should do so free from government direction or interference. It is also right for the courts to determine where the balance should lie between journalistic freedom and the other interests recognised both by the covenant and the convention. Exports Invoiced in Dollars Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government: What proportion of total exports of goods and services worldwide they estimate to be invoiced in dollars or dollar-related currencies either by virtue of destination or by type of product or service. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Information is not available on the proportion of total exports of goods and services that are invoiced in dollars or dollar-related currencies. Customs and Excise are engaged in a project which is examining the feasibility of the production of this information for trade in goods. However, no results are available yet. Export Receipts Paid in Euros Lord Howell of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government: What proportion of total export receipts are paid in euros or euro-participating currencies. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Information is not available on the proportion of total export receipts that are paid in euros or euro-participating currencies. Customs and Excise are engaged in a project which is examining the feasibility of the production of this information for trade in goods. However, no results are available yet. . Royal Parks Review Baroness Anelay of St Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 3rd February (WA 52) that they would publish their decisions regarding the conclusions and recommendations of the Review of the Royal Parks "as soon as Ministers had the opportunity to consider them", when they intend to publish their decisions on this matter. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The review has not yet been completed. Further work is being done following consideration of the draft report prepared by the independent consultant. Ministers have not yet seen the report. Once they have done so and reached decisions on the review's recommendations an early announcement will be made in Parliament. BSE Research Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are aware of any experimental results that show that, when cattle infected with BSE are used in the preparation of substances used in making human vaccines and injectible medicines, no infectious material reaches the final product; and, if not, whether they propose to sponsor any such research. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Research into the pathogenicity and epidemiology of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy has been extensive. Last year this Government spent over £26 million on research on Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies. There has been no specific research to detect these agents in medicines. However, when bovine materials are used in the manufacture of some human vaccines and some injectable medicines, manufacturers are required to comply with the European Note for Guidance on Minimising the Risk of Transmitting Animal Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents via Medicinal Products. This requires careful sourcing of the bovine materials such as from countries where there have been no reported cases of BSE, the nature of the animal tissue used in the manufacture, and the production process and its control. For injectable products that do not include bovine material as an ingredient in the finished product, purification processes designed to remove the material are used. The manufacturers of such products are required to provide validation of those processes to the Medicines Control Agency. For products that include bovine material in the finished product, compliance with the guidance minimises any risk of the presence of BSE infected material at any stage of the manufacturing process. Young Asylum Seekers Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Department of Health will issue revised guidelines on the care of young asylum seekers; and Whether they will put arrangements in place to identify young asylum seekers better and to provide the statistical information necessary to plan better and more effective local services; and What consideration is being given to placing young asylum seekers as close as possible to their relatives or community. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have commissioned a review of possible different models of care for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and to consider what changes might be made to the current guidance. This should be completed in the summer. Officials at the Home Office and the Department of Health are currently working together to improve arrangements between the two departments in relation to unaccompanied asylum seeking children, and this piece of work includes considering the production of a database of information on unaccompanied asylum seeking children. It also includes discussion with the local authority associations about how to ensure up-to-date information about the numbers of such children supported by local authorities. Both elements of the work should be completed by the summer. The issue of placing unaccompanied asylum seeking children as close as possible to relatives and their community is being considered in these processes. Mycobacterium Bovis Infections The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many cases of human infection by Mycobacterium bovis have occurred since the inception of tuberculin testing of cattle in the United Kingdom; and how many occurred as a result of ingestion of infected cows' milk and how many from infected meat. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: In the 1950s, prior to controls being undertaken, cattle to human transmission was thought to be responsible for over 2,000 human deaths a year and many more non-fatal infections. The main route of transmission was believed to be milk. Following the introduction of pasteurisation of milk and controls in cattle including the tuberculin testing of cattle, the numbers of confirmed human Mycobacterium bovis infections have fallen to around 40 a year, averaging 1.2 per cent of confirmed tuberculosis cases between 1993 and 1998. Many of these infections are in older people and are thought to represent reactivation of old disease. When infection occurs in children it is recently acquired. Between 1994 and 1998 only one of 342 (0.3 per cent) confirmed cases of TB in children aged 0 to 14 years was identified as Mycobacterium bovis. It is not clear whether this particular infection was contracted from infected milk or meat. Following the Krebs report on TB in cattle, the Chief Medical Officer and the Chief Veterinary Officer have set up quarterly liaison meetings to review the number of cases of Mycobacterium bovis in humans and animals. Severely Disabled People and Income Support Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their policy in relation to the cases of severely disabled people whose income support is reduced by as much as £18 per week to pay for essential social services provided by their local authorities; and what action they have taken, or will be taking, in such cases. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Our White Paper Modernising Social Services recognised that the scale of variation in discretionary charges for non-residential care is unacceptable. We are considering all the options for changing the current system, and will consult representatives of service users, carers, local authorities, and other interested parties. Millennium Dome: Future Baroness Thornton: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the final shortlist for the proposed uses for the Millennium Dome after the Millennium Celebrations will be announced. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government has announced today that two proposals have been selected to go through to the final stage of the competition. Detailed proposals and indicative financial offers were invited from the bids shortlisted in January. These two bids were chosen from a strong field of the five bids remaining in the competition. The bids in the final shortlist are Dome Europe, an advanced leisure, business and retail attraction, proposed by the Principal Finance Group of Nomura International plc, and Legacy plc, a high technology industrial campus of workspace, leisure and retail uses, proposed by Robert Bourne. In reaching this decision, the Government has evaluated the bids against the published criteria and has taken into account the views of umbrella organisations in the area and the public responses to a national consultation exercise held in April. Details of the public consultation results have been placed in the Libraries of the House. We will now work with the bidders to develop these proposals further and will proceed to a decision in the summer on the winning proposal. EU Employment and Social Affairs Council Lord Dubs: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the outcome of the Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8th May. Baroness Blackstone: My right honourable friend the Minister for Employment, Welfare to Work and Equal Opportunties represented the UK at the Employment and Social Affairs Council held in Brussels on 8th May. There were two items on the agenda: the Broad Economic Guidelines 2000 (BEGs), prepared by Economic and Finance Ministers (ECOFIN) in accordance with Article 99 of the Treaties establishing the European Community; and Article 13 (non-discrimination). In the discussion on the Broad Economic Guidelines, the UK supported the emphasis on structural reform but argued that more attention should be given to tackling social exclusion. The Presidency undertook to write to ECOFIN summarising the views of the Employment and Social Affairs Council and said that he had received an assurance that ECOFIN would not be invited to finalise its draft of the BEGs until it had received the views of the Social Affairs Council. The Presidency reported on the negotiations on the two proposed Directives and the action programme brought forward under Article 13 (non-discrimination). The Presidency noted that a number of issues remained to be resolved but hoped to register progress at the SAC on 6th June. Armed Forces Discipline Acts: Consolidation Lord Brett: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made on the consolidation of the Service discipline Acts. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: We recognise the importance of updating the legislation governing discipline in the Armed Forces. It has been the intention for some time to consolidate the Army and Air Force Acts 1955 and the Naval Discipline Act 1957. We have been taking stock of the consolidation in the light of the changes to the present legislation made by the Armed Forces Discipline Bill and the likelihood of further changes in the quinquennial Armed Forces Bill in the next Session. A further consideration is the Government's intention, indicated in the Strategic Defence Review, to replace the three present Acts with a single tri-service Act. It is planned that the substantive development of this important project should get under way as soon as the quinquennial Bill is enacted and that, when the work is complete, the resulting legislation should be introduced when the parliamentary timetable allows. As a consequence, legislation consolidating the present Acts would be likely to have an effective life of only a few years. We have therefore concluded that the most sensible approach would be to subsume consolidation within the development of the tri-service Act, the purpose of which will be to provide legislation that better meets the requirements of the three services in an increasingly joint environment.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-05-16a

Magistrates' Courts: Enforcement of Fines Lord Clarke of Hampstead: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have with regard to the enforcement of fines imposed by the magistrates' courts. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Too many fines are not paid. In the year 2002–03, an unacceptable 45 per cent of fines were not paid. In some areas the level of default was as high as 60 per cent. The authority of the courts must be enforced. We are announcing today a new approach to the collection of fines. First, fines will no longer be written off. They will be chased until they are paid, no longer being written off, as they often are, after twelve months. Secondly, we will make it easier to deduct the fine directly from the offender's pay or benefits. Thirdly, if the offender really cannot pay, we will allow the fine to be paid off by unpaid work in the community. Fourthly, where courts have been ineffective in the collection of fines we will allow the private sector to be brought into the collection of fines. Fifthly, we will introduce a new offence of failing to provide details of income and expenditure to allow deduction orders to be made. Sixthly, we will consider allowing deductions for earlier payment, but we will increase the fines for late payment. Seventhly, we will work with the courts to ensure that there are incentives for those individual fine officers who collect fines effectively. This seven-point plan will be driven personally by the ministers in DCA. They will intervene personally with any magistrates' courts committees that continue to perform badly. Fine enforcement is a priority. The DCA's job is now actively to ensure the courts are effective in fighting crime. A report on the annual performance data was placed in the Libraries of both Houses today entitled Fine Enforcement Performance in 2002–03. The report shows that performance overall was poor, with the 42 independent magistrates' courts committees (MCCs) failing to deliver the overall national target of a payment rate of 68 per cent. The Government commissioned an independent review, A Review of Magistrates' Courts Enforcement Strategies, which we are also placing in the Libraries of both Houses today. North/South Ministerial Council: Interim Procedures Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the decision of 19 May of the North/South Ministerial Council concerning the future general round pay increases for all staff employed by the Language Implementation Body was taken in line with procedures issued on 5 December 2002 entitled Ministerial Decision Making Interim Procedures. Lord Williams of Mostyn: As the noble Lord is now aware, the paper was intended to apply only to the Irish Language Agency of the North/South Language Body and action to rectify this will now be taken in accordance with the interim procedures. North/South Ministerial Council: Interim Procedures Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Who is responsible for ensuring that the interim procedures for the North/South Ministerial Council entitled Ministerial Decision Making Interim Procedures dated 5 December 2002 are correctly implemented. Lord Williams of Mostyn: The interim procedures were drawn up by officials to facilitate decision-making by Ministers under the agreement made between the British and Irish Governments of 19 November 2002. Implementation of the procedures is an administrative matter for officials in the relevant departments. SARS Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: In which nations from which there will be athletes for the Special Olympics based in Northern Ireland, there have been cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome; and what precautions are being taken to stop an outbreak of SARS in Northern Ireland. Lord Williams of Mostyn: Cases of SARS have been reported in four of the countries from which there will be athletes for the Special Olympics based in Northern Ireland, viz the United States, Sweden, Spain and Australia. None of these countries is listed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as a SARS-affected country requiring restrictions on international travel. SARS is a serious public health issue and the approach of the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS) Northern Ireland has been to act quickly to strengthen its public health surveillance systems and make sure that the health service is prepared should a case occur in Northern Ireland. The department is represented on the national SARS taskforce, which itself works closely with the WHO. The taskforce agrees all relevant control measures and these are then implemented locally. As early as 14 March the Chief Medical Officer, Dr Henrietta Campbell, contacted all relevant healthcare professionals with detailed information on the symptoms of SARS, and what to do if they encountered a case. Updated guidance based on advice from WHO has been issued at regular intervals since, both to professionals and to people travelling abroad. The department has established a SARS section on its website which is regularly updated. It has also provided and made arrangements for posters to be displayed at appropriate points in airports and seaports. There have been no SARS cases so far in Northern Ireland. In conjunction with the Centre for Communicable Disease Control (CDSC) (NI), the department is urgently developing a contingency plan for SARS or other emerging infection. A Northern Ireland taskforce is being established to monitor the situation and to implement the contingency plan. Teacher Training Qualifications Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 15 January (WA 47–48) concerning teacher training qualifications, what progress has been made by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland towards recognising all teacher qualifications from the United Kingdom. Lord Williams of Mostyn: A further meeting of the joint working group was held on 20 March 2003 and work on a range of issues is still ongoing. The next meeting of the working group is scheduled for September 2003. Woodwork Classes Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: What has been the capital investment for the provision of woodwork classes in each of the past 10 years at (a) Ballynahinch and (b) Kircubbin. Lord Williams of Mostyn: The department does not hold records relating to the period before colleges were incorporated in 1998. Since then £80,000, in 2001–02, has been invested in woodwork at Ballynahinch, for the purchase of a new machine. There has been no such investment at Kircubbin. Renal Isotope Scanning Facilities Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps they have taken in the past 12 months to reduce the waiting list for paediatric renal isotope scans in Northern Ireland; whether all possible facilities are currently in use; and, if not, why. Lord Williams of Mostyn: Extra funding has recently been made available to provide for the operation of all renal isotope scanning facilities in Northern Ireland. This will improve waiting times for children who require this important service. Crown Prosecution Service: Cases of Sally Clark and Trupti Patel Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What steps are being taken by the Crown Prosecution Service to address issues raised in the judgment of the Court of Appeal in the case of Sally Clark and the acquittal of Trupti Patel. Lord Goldsmith: The Crown Prosecution Service will only bring a prosecution if there is sufficient admissible evidence to provide a realistic prospect of obtaining a conviction and a prosecution is in the public interest. It will continually review cases to ensure that such tests are met. In the appeal of Sally Clark the Court of Appeal focussed on the non-disclosure of potentially significant evidence by Dr Williams and the use and presentation of statistical data by Professor Meadow. The Solicitor-General and I have met the DPP to discuss the implications of the appeal. Since the written reasons of the Court of Appeal were made available in the case of Sally Clark, and following the acquittal of Trupti Patel, the Crown Prosecution Service has undertaken a number of measures. First, interim guidance has been sent to all chief crown prosecutors requesting that all cases be identified in which either Dr Williams or Professor Meadow are witnesses. The defence is then to be served with a copy of the judgment in the Sally Clark case and its attention is drawn to sections of the judgment touching on his evidence. Further and fuller guidance will be provided to prosecutors as soon as possible. This will apply to both present and future cases. With respect to previous cases in which Dr Williams has given material evidence, the Crown Prosecution Service is presently considering the implications of the Sally Clark judgment and is in discussion with other relevant agencies, including the police and Home Office. I intend to establish a group comprising these agencies to consider whether any cases resulting in a conviction in which Dr Williams has given important evidence require a more in-depth review. The Home Office Pathology Advisory Board will I understand publish new codes of practice and procedure for pathologists, which will take account of the judicial comments on the methodology employed by Dr Williams in the Sally Clark case. Once published, the codes will be distributed to pathologists. In its published judgment, the Court of Appeal raised no criticism of the Crown Prosecution Service for its handling of the prosecution of Sally Clark, neither did the judge criticise the CPS for bringing the prosecution in respect of Trupti Patel. Montserrat: Housing Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will review the housing strategy for Montserrat to cater for the 1,600 people still awaiting permanent housing. Baroness Amos: Very substantial progress has been made with housing on Montserrat since the volcanic crisis. Currently, all except five persons (who are refusing shelter) are housed. DfID has funded over 1,000 dwelling units at a cost of £19.25 million through various schemes, such as direct build, materials grants, sheltered housing, institutional housing and soft mortgages. A final phase of DfID assistance for housing those who stayed on Montserrat during the crisis, making a further £10 million available, has been agreed. While there are some on the Government of Montserrat's housing register who want better housing, the priority focus (agreed with the Government) is on improving the housing situation of the most vulnerable and needy. The Montserrat Government's current housing register shows about 350 resident households, or approximately 700 people, seeking help with permanent housing in the northern 'safe' zone. The programme of assistance currently in place will reduce this to nil households. Liberia: Humanitarian Situation Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What response they have made to the recent humanitarian crisis in Liberia. Baroness Amos: The humanitarian situation in Liberia has deteriorated significantly in recent weeks. Increased fighting between government troops and rebel opposition forces came to within 5 kilometres of Monrovia between June 6 and 10. This led to the displacement of 200,000 civilians into Monrovia. There are reports of cholera and measles in Monrovia, and there are already food shortages. UN expatriate staff have been evacuated. Following the ECOWAS-brokered ceasefire on 17 June, it is essential that, as soon as possible, the Liberian parties arrange access to all areas from which humanitarian agencies have been excluded by fighting. On 16 June, we allocated £1.5 million for support to humanitarian agencies in Liberia. Of this, £500,000 has been allocated to the ICRC emergency appeal for Liberia. This is in addition to £550,000 which was committed to the same appeal earlier in the year. We have also allocated £374,065 support to Merlin for the provision of emergency health care in Monrovia and other areas. This will supplement £450,000 committed to Medecins Sans Frontieres for secondary health care provision in Monrovia in 2002. We expect to allocate the remaining balance to support other funding requests that strengthen the geographical and sectoral coverage of the relief programme. We are in regular contact with a number of organisations operating to meet humanitarian needs in Liberia, including Oxfam, Save the Children UK, Medecins Sans Frontieres and World Vision. We expect to receive and fund proposals from these organisations in the near future. House of Lords: Monitoring of Members' Communications Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have a policy on the bugging of telephone calls and monitoring of other communications of Members of the House of Lords. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I refer the noble Lord to the answer in another place by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to my honourable friend the Member for Thurrock on 30 April 2003, (Official Report, col. 292). Asylum Applicants and Immigration Detainees Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many asylum applicants and immigration detainees were held in H M Prisons at the most recent date, including how many at H M Prison Liverpool; and what plans they have for improving conditions in that prison. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The latest published information on the number of people held in Prison Service establishments is for 29 March 2003 and shows those detained solely under Immigration Act powers. The requested figures are contained in the table. Persons recorded as being held in Prison Service Establishments at 29 March 2003 Total Detainees Of whom, Asylum seekers(1) Liverpool 5 5 Other prison establishments 245 125 Total 250 130 Figures are rounded to nearest five. (1) Persons detained solely under Immigration Act powers who are recorded as having sought asylum at some stage. The Prison Service is drawing up an action plan which will address each of the recommendations for improvement made in the recent report on HMP Liverpool by Her Majesty's Chief Inspector of Prisons. The action plan will be approved, and monitored, by the Prisons Minister, my honourable friend, the member for Wythenshawe and Sale East (Mr Goggins). Information on Immigration Act detainees as at 28 June 2003 will be published towards the end of August 2003 on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http;//www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html. RAF Fylingdales: Arrests Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many arrests have been made in the vicinity (within one mile) of RAF Fylingdales for contravention of the byelaws or other Acts relating to that installation and its environs in each of the last six years; how many of these arrests have resulted in a prosecution; and what were the results of each prosecution. Lord Bach: The information requested relating to Ministry of Defence Police arrests within one mile of RAF Fylingdales is shown in the table below. Financial Year Byelaw Offences Other Offences Total 1997–98 0 0 0 1998–99 0 0 0 1999–2000 0 1 1 2000–01 11 6 17 2001–02 0 17 17 2002–03 0 9 9 Crown Prosecution Service case records are held by category of offence, rather than by a specific offence. The information requested could therefore only be obtained at disproportionate effort and cost. Food Supplements: Permitted Nutrients Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the case of each nutrient or nutrient source currently permitted for sale in the United Kingdom but omitted from the list of nutrients permitted for use in food supplements under the provisions of the Food Supplements (England) Regulations, what action they intend to take to secure their addition to the schedules to those regulations prior to July 2005. Lord Warner: The lists of permitted nutrients and nutrient sources in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 can be extended if additions are made to the permitted lists in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC on which the regulations are based. These annexes remain open pending safety assessment of additional substances. Industry is currently working to compile safety dossiers for some of the substances currently omitted from the annexes. The Food Standards Agency, in recognition of the difficulties associated with dossier production, and the timescale for dossier submission, is pressing the European Food Safety Authority for an urgent, substantive meeting with relevant parties to discuss dossier requirements. Chiropodists/Podiatrists: Supply of Medicaments Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the difficulties experienced by the podiatry profession in obtaining the medicaments on their approved list due to the Medicines Control Agency requiring product licences; and what consideration they are giving to restoring the prescribing rights of allied health professions and access to medicaments and drugs approved for podiatric use since 1968; and Whether they are content that the 9,000 chiropodists/podiatrists registered with the Health Professions Council have to refer patients to their general practitioners simply to obtain the medicaments previously directly available to them for use when delivering care. Lord Warner: There has been no change in the long-standing provisions under medicines legislation which allow chiropodists/podiatrists to sell or supply a specified range of medicines direct to their patients. If there are any specific new difficulties, the Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency (formerly the Medicines Control Agency) would consider them if details were sent. Doctors and Dentists: Remuneration Lord Graham of Edmonton: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will respond to the recommendations on general dental practitioners, dentists in salaried primary dental care services, general medical practice registrars and salaried general medical practitioners employed by a primary care organisation. Lord Warner: We are responding on behalf of my right honourable friend the Prime Minister to the supplement to the thirty-second report of the Review Body on Doctors' and Dentists' Remuneration (DDRB) which is being published today. Copies of the report are available in the Printed Paper Office and the Library. The supplement covers general dental practitioners (GDPs), those in the salaried primary dental care services, general medical practice (GMP) registrars and salaried GMPs employed by a primary care organisation. The DDRB will report later on general medical services. We are grateful to the chairman and members of the review body for their hard work in dealing with their remit groups. The review body has recommended an increase to the out of hours supplement payable to GMP registrars which is in line with our pre-existing commitment to this group. It has also recommended a pay range for salaried GMPs employed by primary care organisations for the first time. Salaried dentists accepted a three-year pay offer in March, linked to a review of salaried dental services. For GDPs, the DDRB has recommended an increase in the fee scale of 3.225 per cent. from 1 April 2003 and an increase in the National Health Service commitment scheme of £9 million for Great Britain. The review body's pay recommendations are being accepted in full and without staging. Meat and Livestock Exports Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will identify the countries to which: (a) British farm and other livestock can now be exported; and (b) British meat and meat products can be sent; and what are the probable dates for the lifting of all remaining restrictions. Lord Whitty: Tables showing the countries to which British Livestock, genetic material and meat and meat products can be exported have been placed in the Library of the House. Most third countries stopped import of live animals of susceptible species and their products when foot and mouth disease (FMD) was confirmed in February 2001. Since January 2002 when the OIE declared the UK free of FMD, MAFF/Defra has been working hard to reinstate these export markets. Significant progress has been made in respect of meat and meat products, but it has proven more difficult to persuade countries to reopen markets to live animals and genetic material. Defra is working closely with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, British Trade International and the Meat and Livestock Commission (MLC) to target the key markets that have been identified by industry and encourage those governments that have a ban in place to lift it and also agree the necessary certification. In addition to the import ban imposed as a result of FMD, a significant number of countries are still refusing to accept imports of UK animals, meat and products for other disease-related reasons. The despatch of goods containing bovine material is subject to strict requirements, as laid down in the Bovines and Bovine Products (Trade) Regulations 1999, as amended. It is currently illegal to export cattle, beef or beef products from the UK unless they have been produced under either the date-based export scheme (DBES) (for beef from cattle reared and slaughtered in the UK) or the XAP scheme (using foreign origin beef). Tables 3-6 detail the latest information on other countries' bans on British beef. A top priority for the UK is to secure moderate BSE risk status (and the abolition of DBES), which will then enable the UK to trade on a level playing field with other member states. Now that the OIE (World Organisation for Animal Health) has amended the thresholds for categorising countries according to BSE risks we are looking to secure the benefits of moderate risk status as early as possible in 2004. We have written to the Commission to outline our proposals, stressing the great importance the UK attaches to this issue, and have been encouraged by the Commission's positive reception. Defra publishes lists of available export health certificates by country for specific meat and meat products on its website (http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/int-trde/prod-ex/certlist.pdf). The website also includes details of the restrictions imposed by third countries. Defra continues in active liaison with the industry to press all these remaining countries at all levels to lift their restrictions. Defra is unable to state when this will be successful. Fly-tipping Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they believe that the performance of the Environment Agency has been adequate in combating fly-tipping. Lord Whitty: The Environment Agency's performance in dealing with fly-tipping has been adequate to date, considering the resources and legislative powers that have been made available to it. Levels of fly-tipping are however growing due to a variety of reasons. This is why the Government are considering a range of measures to help the Environment Agency and local authorities to deal more effectively with the problem. Some of these measures have been included in the Anti-social Behaviour Bill currently before Parliament. We will publish details of others which we will bring forward at the next legislative opportunity. Fly-tipping Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the ratio of prosecutions to offences in connection with fly-tipping. Lord Whitty: National data on the number of incidents of fly-tipping are not available. However, in 2002 the Environment Agency recorded 967 incidents of fly-tipping. Prosecution action was recommended in 212 of those cases. 137 formal warning letters were issued in other cases. The Environment Agency took 99 prosecutions for fly-tipping in England and Wales in 2002, but the date the offence occurred may pre-date 2002. More accurate data on fly-tipping incidents will be available from 2004 following the introduction of a new national enforcement database, which will record incidents and actions taken by both the Environment Agency and local authorities. Horse Passports (England) Order 2003 Viscount Astor: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to fund the £500,000 required to set up the database to implement the Horse Passports (England) Order 2003. Lord Whitty: The Government have agreed to support the establishment of a database of all equines in Great Britain though this is not a direct obligation arising from the horse passports legislation. We are working closely with the equine industry to develop a database which meets the requirements of both government and industry. The Government have agreed in principle to fund the start-up costs of a database, subject to the further detailed work on costs and benefits that is now being undertaken. Horse Passports (England) Order 2003 Viscount Astor: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has agreed to provide staff to manage or assist the management of the database required for the Horse Passports (England) Order 2003. Lord Whitty: Arrangements for the ownership, management and staffing of the proposed national equine database are currently being discussed with representatives of the equine industry. National Parks Lord Clark of Windermere: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether Circular 84/50 dated 15th March 1950, regarding National Park boundaries, is "extant". Lord Whitty: Our research has been inconclusive. We have found no evidence that the circular is still in force but equally no evidence of its cancellation. As the circular dealt mainly with the immediate tasks of the then National Parks Commission, it was probably cancelled long ago. It does not appear in the main current reference works and, even if still technically extant, it should certainly be regarded as defunct.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2003-06-25a

Department for Business and Trade Post Office: Subsidies Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have given to the Post Office in subsidies in each of the years since 2000. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Postal Services Act 2011 established Post Office Limited as a company independent of Royal Mail Group. The following table sets out the subsidies awarded by Government to Post Office Limited since the 2011/12 Financial Year. The funding covers annual network subsidy payments, investment funding and from 2021/22 funding for Horizon compensation payments. Financial YearTotal (£m)2011/121802012/134102013/144152014/153302015/162802016/172202017/181402018/192282019/20922020/21502021/22233 (of which £52m was a commercial loan)2022/23137 Recovery Loan Scheme Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Johnson of Lainston on 1 February (HL1695), what assessment they have made of the impact of not renewing theRecovery Loan Scheme on small businessesin deprived areas who have previously been turned down for loans by high street banks. Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government, further tothe Written Answer byLord Johnson of Lainston on 1 February (HL1695), what assessment they have made of the impact of not renewing theRecovery Loan Scheme on small businessesin deprived areas who have received loans from Community Development Financial Institutionsafter being turned down for loans from high street banks. Lord Offord of Garvel: Lenders are currently offering over £100 million of additional lending per month through the British Business Bank’s Recovery Loan Scheme (RLS), with 85 per cent of facilities going to small and micro businesses. RLS is particularly effective at serving alternative and social lenders, with more than three quarters of lending delivered through smaller lenders, including Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI). Since launch, RLS has enabled almost £50 million of CDFI lending: over 90% of the businesses which borrowed from CDFIs in 2023 had been turned down by another lender, and half were based in the UK’s most disadvantaged areas. Electric Vehicles: Import Duties Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have takento establish the UK position regarding tariffs on Chinese electric vehicle imports; whether they will adopt similar tariffs to the EU; and what is their impact assessment of the effect of increased tariffs on the UK automotive industry. Lord Johnson of Lainston: My officials continue to liaise closely with industry to understand any future impact of an EU tariff and will continue to monitor developments closely. Industry have been advised that they may apply to the Trade Remedies Authority to investigate the potential need for an anti-dumping or anti-subsidy trade remedy measure. Horizon IT System Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government when they first became aware of the prosecutions being brought against sub-postmasters for alleged deficits arising from deficiencies in the Horizon software system. Lord Offord of Garvel: This is a matter for the statutory Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. It would be wrong to prejudice its work. 983 Post Office-related convictions have been identified during the relevant period. Not all of these will be directly related to the Horizon system. Insolvency Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reports that corporate insolvencies rose to their highest level in 30 years last year, what steps they are taking to assist companies that are struggling. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Government delivered nearly £27 billion of Business Grant Support during the pandemic and continues to support UK small businesses via a substantial business rates package worth £4.3 billion over the next 5 years. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme protects eligible businesses from excessively high energy bills over winter periods. The British Business Bank supports 12.4bn of finance through targeted interventions such as The Recovery Loan Scheme and Pay as You Grow for businesses under the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, offering repayment options where required. Additional SME support is available via GOV.UK, the Business Support Helpline and local Growth Hubs. Department of Health and Social Care Diffuse Intrinsic Pontine Glioma: Medical Treatments Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations of the APPG Report Brain Tumours–Pathway to a Cure, and in particular recommendation 6 with reference to paediatric cancer diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. Lord Markham: The Department welcomed the All-Party Parliamentary Group report and will continue to work through its recommendations with the Department of Science, Innovation and Technology, UK Research and Innovation, the Medical Research Council, and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).With regards to recommendation six, the NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including childhood brain tumours and paediatric diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma. The usual practice of the NIHR is not to ring-fence funds for specific disease areas, as research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. 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. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.We rely on researchers to submit high-quality research proposals. Given the relatively small brain tumour clinical research community, we have been taking action to grow the field. The NIHR is working closely with the Tessa Jowell Brain Cancer Mission in hosting customised workshops for researchers, and training for clinicians, to grow capacity for brain cancer research, attract new researchers, develop the community, and support researchers to submit high-quality research funding proposals.The NIHR is committed to the involvement, engagement and participation of children and young people in research, supporting researchers and funders, as well as empowering children and young people to lead their own journey with research.The NIHR, together with the United Kingdom health departments, the Little Princess Trust and Cancer Research UK, jointly fund Experimental Cancer Medicine Centres (ECMCs) to support the most promising innovations into the cancer medicines of tomorrow. For 2023 to 2028, the NIHR is providing £21.6 million in funding for the ECMCs in England, the ECMC Paediatric Network, and the Network Programme Office. Additionally, the NIHR Clinical Research Network cancer portfolio has a dedicated children and young people’s cancer subspecialty, which has a subspecialty lead who promotes and supports research within their local National Health Service trusts.The Department has also now set up the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to progress our mission to deliver world-leading cancer services. This dedicated work focusing on cancers affecting children and young people will explore research and innovation, which may include targeting research funding, reviewing children’s access to clinical trials, gaining greater access to data, and informing future therapies and treatments. Health Services: Waiting Lists Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 31 January (HL1876),stating that “If a patient dies whilst on an elective waiting list, the corresponding patient pathway should be removed from the list and recorded appropriately”,how many corresponding patient pathways entries have been removed from the records after the death of a patient. Lord Markham: The data requested is recorded, however it is not reviewed routinely or centrally and is therefore subject to less validation than official statistics. Issues regarding the quality and completeness of this data mean it is not at an adequate level to inform a response. Alcoholism and Drugs: Rehabilitation Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to investigate claims made in the Observer on 4 February that the Narconon rehabilitation centre offers a rehabilitation programme linked to the Church of Scientology and that some former patients have suffered extreme reactions as a result of the programme. Lord Markham: We are aware of the recent claims in the Observer, raising concerning reports about the Narconon rehabilitation centre. Narconon is a private treatment provider, which has declared its regulated activity as dormant with the care quality commission (CQC). If an organisation was found to have failed to notify that they were undertaking a regulated activity, CQC would take regulatory action as necessary. We are in active discussion with the CQC about the regulation of this centre and appropriate next steps. Alcoholism and Drugs: Rehabilitation Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Care Quality Commission has assessed, or plans to assess, the Narconon drug rehabilitation programme to ensure that it is safe for patients. Lord Markham: Narconon is registered and regulated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC), for the regulated activity of accommodation with personal care. The CQC do not regulate the drug rehabilitation programme provided or judge its effectiveness.Narconon is a private treatment provider, which has declared its regulated activity as dormant with the CQC. The rating for this provider has been suspended while the CQC gather information to determine any next steps. If a provider is found to have failed to notify the CQC that they were undertaking a regulated activity, the CQC would take regulatory action as necessary. Coronavirus: Vaccination Lord Strathcarron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the answer byLord Evans of Rainowon 11 January (HL Deb col 98), what assessment they have made of whether it is appropriate to describe COVID-19 vaccinations as “very safe” given that the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency's Blue Guide, says that "advertising which states or implies that a product is 'safe' is unacceptable"; and whether they intend to publish the evidence base that supports the claim that the COVID-19 vaccinations are “very safe.” Lord Markham: All vaccines used in the United Kingdom must be authorised by the UK’s independent medicines’ regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). Each COVID-19 vaccine is only authorised once it has met robust standards of effectiveness, safety, and quality. As with all vaccines and medicines, the safety of COVID-19 vaccines is continuously monitored, and the advice from the MHRA remains that the benefits of vaccination in preventing COVID-19 and serious complications associated with COVID-19 outweigh any currently known side effects in the majority of patients. Information on the characteristics of each vaccine is published by the MHRA on the GOV.UK website. The MHRA’s Blue Guide relates to the advertising and promotion of medicinal products, and in general, debates in Parliament about vaccination are considered to be outside its scope. Department for Work and Pensions Welfare Assistance Schemes Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government how many English local authorities do not run a local welfare assistance scheme, and what assessment they have made of the impact on low-income residents in these local authority areas if the household support fund is not extended beyond this April. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Local Authorities in England have the flexibility and power to use the funding they receive from the annual Local Government Finance Settlement. We do not have robust data on the number of Local Authorities providing a local welfare scheme. The Government is putting significant additional support in place for those on the lowest incomes from April. Subject to Parliamentary approval, working age benefits will rise by 6.7% while the Basic and New State Pensions will be uprated by 8.5% in line with earnings, as part of the ‘triple lock”. To further support low-income households with increasing rent costs, the government will raise Local Housing Allowance rates to the 30th percentile of local market rents, benefitting 1.6m low-income households by on average £800 a year in 24/25. Additionally, the Government will increase the National Living Wage for workers aged 21 years and over by 9.8% to £11.44 representing an increase of over £1,800 to the gross annual earnings of a full-time worker on the National Living Wage. The current Household Support Fund runs until the end of March 2024, and the government continues to keep all its existing programmes under review in the usual way. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Bees: Conservation Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they are taking to support the bee population. Lord Benyon: Recovering nature is a priority for this Government, which is why we have set legally binding targets to halt and then reverse the decline in species abundance, reduce the risk of species extinction and restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitats. Action under the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver our biodiversity targets will address key pressures impacting pollinators including habitat loss, fragmentation and degradation, use of some pesticides, climate change and land use intensification. Our 2014 National Pollinator Strategy sets out a 10-year plan to help pollinators survive and thrive. It delivers action across four themes: strengthening evidence; restoring habitats and species; sustaining pollinator health; and engaging wider society. A Defra-led working group is considering future priorities for pollinators beyond 2024. Agri-environment schemes are a key mechanism for recovering bees and other pollinators, in particular through the ‘Wild Pollinator and Farm Wildlife Package’. Between 2014 and 2019, an estimated 30,000ha of bee-friendly habitat was delivered through this scheme. We have also collaborated with research institutes and volunteer organisations to set up the Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership to improve our understanding of pollinators and pollination services, and raised the profile of pollinators through our annual Bees’ Needs Week, which raises awareness of key actions we can all take to protect pollinators. Bees’ Needs Week 2024 will run from 8-14 July. Defra supports the honey bee population specifically through the work of the National Bee Unit inspectorate, which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. While bee health is a devolved matter, Defra and the Welsh Government work together on bee health and, in 2020, we jointly published the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 (copy attached).Healthy Bees Plan 2030 (pdf, 283.3KB) Department for Education Schools: Medical Equipment Lord Storey: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration has been given to making it compulsory to have EpiPens in all schools. Baroness Barran: In 2014, the government introduced a new duty on schools to support pupils with all medical conditions and published the ‘Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions’ statutory guidance for schools and others. This guidance does not specify which medical conditions should be supported in schools. Instead, the guidance focuses on how to meet the needs of each individual child and how their medical condition impacts on school life.Schools also have duties under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to their practices, procedures and policies to ensure that they are not putting those with certain long-term health problems at a substantial disadvantage.Under the Medical and Healthcare Regulatory Agency Human Medicines (Amendment) Regulations 2017, all schools are able to buy adrenaline auto-injector (AAI) devices without a prescription, for emergency use in children who are at risk of anaphylaxis, but their own device is not available or not working. The Department for Health and Social care published guidance on using an emergency AAI in schools which can be found in the attached document. HL2350_Adrenaline_auto_injectors_in_schools (pdf, 438.3KB) STEM Subjects: Girls Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the confidence gap between girls and boys studying STEM subjects at school. Baroness Barran: The department supports a range of work to improve the uptake and attainment in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects to give everyone, regardless of their background or where they live, the opportunity to pursue an education and career in STEM. To support this, the department has committed substantial funding to programmes designed to help facilitate this. As part of the department’s significant investment in the National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE), the ‘I Belong’ programme is available to secondary schools. Focused on Key Stage 3, ‘I Belong’ aims to improve schools’ awareness of the barriers to girls’ engagement with computing and it is designed to support them to improve the take up of computer science qualifications within their school. This is in addition to the wider work of the NCCE to improve the quality of the teaching of computing across all key stages, through the provision of free teaching resources and high-quality continuing professional development. The department also funds the Isaac Physics programme, an online platform of GCSE and A level physics materials developed by Cambridge University designed to increase the numbers of students, particularly from typically underrepresented backgrounds, studying physics in higher education. Additionally, Maths Hubs deliver the department's Teaching for Mastery programme, which is bringing teaching practice from high performing East Asian jurisdictions to primary and secondary schools across England. The programme aims to reach 75% of primary schools and 65% of secondary schools by 2025. Mastery teaching is characterised by whole-class teaching, where all pupils are given equal access to the curriculum and they are encouraged with the belief that by working hard they can succeed. The Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) provides support for all teachers and students in England as well as additional, targeted support in areas of low social mobility so that, whatever their location, background or gender, students can choose their best post-16 mathematics pathway and access high-quality teaching. The AMSP has a particular focus on supporting girls into mathematics and runs a variety of enrichment and engagement sessions specifically for girls. The department also supports the STEM Ambassadors programme which is a nationwide network of 30,000 registered volunteers from over 7,000 STEM and related employers. Last year, STEM Ambassadors spent 250,000 hours in primary and secondary schools across the UK raising awareness of the diverse range of STEM careers and enabling young people to explore and develop their skills and interest in STEM. Approximately 48% of Ambassadors are women and 17% are from minority ethnic backgrounds, providing young people with a variety of role models. Cabinet Office Lobbying: Registration Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have considered taking steps to reduce the single tiered registration fee to the Office of the Registrar of Consultant Lobbyists for small consultant lobbyists or businesses working with charities below the level levied on larger companies working with profit making organisations; and, if not, why. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government believes it is right that registrants contribute to the costs of administering the lobbying register and we continue to keep the registration fee level under review. There are currently no plans to introduce a banded fee structure. We look forward to the findings of the Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee on the operation of the Lobbying Act 2014 and will respond in due course. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Artificial Intelligence: Disinformation The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to update the lawwithsafeguards to prevent the creation and distribution online of manipulated and faked images. Viscount Camrose: The Government recognises the challenges that digitally manipulated media and faked images can pose and the Government’s legislative response has been designed to tackle the most egregious forms of this content. This content will fall in scope of the Online Safety Act where it constitutes illegal content, including illegal misinformation or disinformation, or content which is harmful to children. Where companies become aware of illegal content in scope of the Act, they will need to take steps to remove it. For example, the False Communications Offence, which commenced on 31 January 2024, captures manipulated and faked images where the sender of such content is aware it is untrue and intends to cause non-trivial psychological or physical harm to the recipient. The Foreign Interference Offence has also been added as a priority offence in the Act, forcing companies to remove a wide range of state-sponsored disinformation, including manipulated media and faked images. The Online Safety Act has also introduced new intimate image abuse offences, which commenced on 31 January. These now mean it is illegal to share without consent or threaten to share intimate images, including AI created or manipulated intimate images. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Diplomatic Service: Training The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to put in place mandatory training for diplomats on Freedom of Religion and Belief. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In July 2021, the Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), Fiona Bruce, MP, and I, launched the FCDO International Academy's training module "Religion for International Engagement," delivering recommendation 11 of the Bishop of Truro's review of FCDO support for persecuted Christians. The training is essential for FCDO diplomats, and highly recommended for all FCDO staff. The training is also available to all civil servants. Developing Countries: Genito-urinary Medicine Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to achieve universal access tosexual and reproductive health and rights as per Sustainable Development Goal target 5.6. Lord Benyon: The White Paper on International Development reaffirmed the UK's commitment to deploy policy and investment to advance and strongly defend universal access to comprehensive Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) in line with Sustainable Development Goal target 5.6.The UK Government is committed to driving progress and demonstrating leadership on SRHR globally as a major donor, through our diplomatic network and in collaboration with partners. For example, the UNFPA Supplies Partnership averted 8 million unintended pregnancies, 2.2 million unsafe abortion and 170,000 maternal and child deaths in 2022, with the UK as their largest donor. The Women's Integrated Sexual Health (WISH) Programme supported 9.5 million women to use modern methods of contraception and averted over 45,000 maternal deaths, 5 million unsafe abortions and over 16 million unintended pregnancies from the programme's inception to 2021. In May 2023, the UK joined other G7 leaders in re-asserting the critical role of comprehensive SRHR in our efforts to achieve gender equality, explicitly recognising the need for access to safe and legal abortion as well as post abortion care. Home Office Radicalism Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 23 January (HL1524), under what circumstances (1) a human rights, social justice, or environmental activist, and (2) an individual expressing socialist views, crosses the threshold for Prevent referrals as ‘left wing extremist’; and whether such an individual needs to be planning, involved in or threatening acts of violence in order to be so considered. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Frontline professionals, when deciding whether to make a referral, should consider whether they believe the person they are concerned about may be on a pathway that could lead to terrorism. In determining whether a concern meets the threshold for referral to Prevent, it is important to consider the harm posed to the person, as well as whether accessing support through Prevent might stop potential wider societal harm committed by the person. A risk-based approach should always be followed, using professional judgement and curiosity. There is no single model of a person’s radicalisation journey or single profile of a radicalised person. There may be times when the precise ideological driver is not clear. Yet, like any safeguarding mechanism, it is far better to receive referrals which turn out not to be of concern than for someone who genuinely needs support to be missed.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-02-15

Animal Welfare: Dogs' Tails Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What representations they have had from the British Veterinary Association on the issue of docking working dogs' tails; and what reply they are sending. Lord Bach: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has received several written representations from the British Veterinary Association (BVA). In addition, officials have met the BVA on more than one occasion to discuss tail docking. The Government have made their position on tail docking clear—for example, in debate in the other place on Report on the Animal Welfare Bill (Official Report, 14 March 2006, col. 1330). Any response to the BVA would not differ from this position. Armed Forces: Joint Strike Fighter Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have power under the Export Control Act 2002 to forbid the outward transfer from the United Kingdom, and subsequent onward transfer, of aerospace technology provided to the United Kingdom from the United States in connection with the joint strike fighter project; and, if so, whether they will lay appropriate secondary legislation before Parliament. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government have full powers under the Export Control Act 2002 and its secondary legislation to control exports of strategic goods, including military aerospace technology, from the UK where the technology is controlled by the UK military list or the EC dual-use goods regulation. Asylum Seekers: Pakistani Christians Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will accommodate Christian asylum seekers from Pakistan whose families have been murdered by Islamic extremists. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Caseworkers in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate (IND) of the Home Office consider each asylum claim on its individual merits and will grant refugee status where the claimant can demonstrate that they qualify under the terms of the 1951 refugee convention. If an applicant's claim does not meet the criteria set out in the refugee convention, caseworkers will consider whether there are other humanitarian or discretionary reasons why he/she should be allowed to remain in the UK, in particular arising from our obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Blasphemy Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any plans to bring forward legislation to repeal the law of blasphemy. Lord Bassam of Brighton: We have no plans to initiate such work. British Citizenship Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will update the information for solely British ethnic minorities of Indian origin published on the website of the British consulate-general in Hong Kong to state that any child born in Hong Kong after 3 December 2004 to parents, both of whom are British nationals overseas or British overseas citizens (under the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986), or to parents, one of whom is such a person and the other is a citizen of India, automatically acquires British overseas citizenship at birth, and is entitled to register for full British citizenship under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981 provided the birth has not been registered at an Indian consulate. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The information offered on our consulate-general in Hong Kong website is meant only as a brief guide and it is not a comprehensive statement of law or policy. The consulate-general endeavours to ensure that the information on its website offers clear advice on the eligibility of children born in Hong Kong to be registered as British citizens under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. The content of the consulate-general website is intended to reflect Home Office current policy. British Citizenship Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their estimate of the number of persons of Nepali origin from Hong Kong who may qualify for British citizenship under (a) the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997, and (b) Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: We do not differentiate between the ethnic origin of British nationals. Our consulate-general in Hong Kong is unable to offer an accurate estimate of the number of persons of Nepali origin who may qualify for registration as a British citizen under either Act. British Citizenship Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, having regard to the fourth data protection principle and the fact that some individuals who were believed to be dual British and Indian or Nepali nationals are in fact solely British, they will update the records held in the other nationalities field of the central register of British nationals overseas to remove data indicating that individuals simultaneously hold both British national overseas status and Indian or Nepali citizenship. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Yes. This action will be taken by the British consulate-general Hong Kong following the successful registration of British national overseas applicants, of Indian or Nepalese origin, as British citizens under the provisions of the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997. Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many full payments of the 2005 single farm payments they hope to make before the partial payments commence. Lord Bach: By close of business on 26 April, 52,922 claims to the 2005 single payment scheme had been paid. As my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs announced on 19 April 2006, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is currently working on a system to make substantial partial payments. The partial payments system will be deployed as soon as operationally possible. The RPA's intention is that all those who are eligible will receive full or substantial partial payments by the end of June. Prior to the implementation of the partial payment system, the RPA will continue to make full payments as claims are fully validated, with historic claimants having priority. Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many farmers still have non-validated claims for single farm payments outstanding. Lord Bach: As of 26 April, just under 57,000 or 47 per cent of claims were still not fully validated. Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will invite the European Commission to extend the deadline of June 2006 for the completion of the 2005 single farm payments. Lord Bach: The intention remains for the Rural Payments Agency to make either full payments or substantial partial payments to eligible claimants by the end of June. None the less, elements of some payments may be paid after that date. With that in mind and to safeguard the interests of UK taxpayers, a request has been made to the European Commission to extend the EU regulatory payment window. Data Protection Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What monitoring of the working of the Data Protection Acts they have undertaken; and whether they have in mind any proposals to amend the legislation. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The responsibility for monitoring the working of the Data Protection Act 1998 lies with the Information Commissioner, who has a statutory duty to promote good practice and to give advice to any person (including the Government) as to the operation of the Act. In addition, my department receives correspondence from a variety of individuals and organisations on issues arising from the day-to-day operation of the Act. We have no immediate plans for amending the legislation, but my department, together with the Home Office, is currently considering whether custodial sentences would be an appropriate sanction for unauthorised disclosure of personal information. Deportation Baroness D'Souza: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress they have made in agreeing and implementing memoranda of understanding with countries in the Middle East and north Africa for the deportation of foreign nationals considered to pose a threat to the security of the United Kingdom. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Memoranda of understanding concerning the provision of undertakings or assurances in respect of persons subject to deportation have been signed with Jordan, Libya and Lebanon. Copies of all three documents are in the Libraries of the House. A monitoring body for Jordan has been appointed, and we hope to finalise the monitoring arrangements for Libya and Lebanon shortly. A number of requests for assurances or undertakings under these memoranda have been, or will be, made in respect of persons subject to deportation action on grounds of national security. Discussions are continuing with other countries in the region. It would not be in the interest of those discussions to go into the details of their current status. Drivers: Motoring Offences Viscount Goschen: asked Her Majesty's Government: For each of the last 10 years for which figures are available (a) how many people were convicted of motoring offences, including those resulting from automatic cameras; and (b) how many parking fines were issued. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Available information for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland is given in the tables. Table A: Findings of guilt at all courts, for motoring offences1, England and Wales, 1995–2004 -- Number of offences Year Total 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). Dyslexia Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to increase resources for people with dyslexia in the London area. 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. Fishing: Salmon Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: What active liaison they have with the Governments of Iceland, Greenland and the Faroe Islands concerning the continuance of their self-imposed embargo on drift netting to protect common salmon feeding grounds within their jurisdiction. Lord Bach: Iceland and Denmark (in respect of Greenland and the Faroe Islands) are parties to the NASCO convention, as is the EU. UK officials play an active role in the EU delegation to NASCO, to promote the conservation, restoration, enhancement and rational management of salmon stocks. These activities have included annual negotiations with Denmark (in respect of Greenland and the Faroe Islands), which have secured a reduction in the fishery at west Greenland to the current subsistence level (with a zero quota) and the current cessation of long-line fishing in Faroes waters. The Faroe Islands have never operated a drift-net fishery for salmon, and Iceland has no salmon fisheries in its marine waters. Fishing: Salmon Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: What recent representations they have made to the Government of the Irish Republic regarding the introduction of a self-imposed embargo on drift-netting in order to protect and restore salmon stocks in the north Atlantic; and what were the results of those representations. Lord Bach: The National Salmon Commission in Ireland has recently been determining the management regime for its fishery, based on the advice of its scientific committee. We have provided assistance to the commission as regards the way in which we and the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (UK) organised the buyout of the majority of the North-East Coast Salmon Driftnet Fishery. We are also prepared to offer help to the working group which the Irish Marine Minister has set up to consider the implications for the net fishery of reducing the total allowable catch (TAC) to a level which would enable conservation limits to be respected. In our view, this long-standing problem should properly be resolved in an EU context (rather than in a wider international forum such as the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), and we believe that there is now the will on all sides to do so. Fishing: Salmon Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 10 February (WA 125), what liaison they maintain with the North Atlantic Salmon Fund (NASF); and whether they support NASF's objective to protect stocks of Atlantic wild salmon. Lord Bach: Her Majesty's Government are fully committed to the conservation of north Atlantic salmon stocks and are ready to work with organisations such as NASF. However, while we are in agreement on objectives, we do not always agree on the means which should be adopted to achieve them. Hazardous Substances Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the European Union directive on the restriction of hazardous substances, to be effective from 1 July 2006, will ban the use of electrical components in church organs with lead pipes; and, if so, what advice they will give to a church which has contracted to purchase a new organ of traditional construction with lead pipes and utilising an electric blower. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Department of Trade and Industry has sought clarification from the European Commission as to whether pipe organs fall under the scope of the directive. If the Commission concludes that they do, the department stands ready to work with the industry to build a suitable exemption request. Immigration: Mustapha Abdulhusein Ebrahim Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will publish in the Official Report paragraphs 14 to 18 of the statement dated 18 December 2003 submitted by the chief caseworker for nationality casework in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Department to the High Court of Justice, Queen's Bench Division, in the case of Mustapha Abdulhusein Ebrahim v Secretary of State for the Home Department. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The statement was produced for legal proceedings which were subsequently withdrawn and, on that basis, will not be published in the Official Report. Israel and Palestine: UN Resolution 442 Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will propose at the next General Affairs and External Relations Council on 15 May an approach by the European Union to the Government of the United States concerning the commencement of Israel's military withdrawal from the Palestinian West Bank, as required by United Nations Resolution 442. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: We, along with our EU and other international partners, continue to press for Israeli compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 242. But we have no plans to propose this at the next General Affairs and External Relations Council. Israel: Mordechai Vanunu Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel to rescind the extra 12 months' movement restriction imposed on Mordechai Vanunu following the end of his 18 years' incarceration. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: On 27 April 2006, our embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the decision to extend the movement restrictions for Mr Vanunu. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv previously raised our concerns in September 2005 when the restrictions were extended. We recognise that Israel has a right to protect its national security but are concerned that the restrictions are excessive. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of specific recommendations, HM Treasury has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Lord McKenzie of Luton: HM Treasury does not maintain central statistics of this nature and it is not possible to check individual files without incurring disproportionate cost. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Treasury Solicitor's Department has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Lord Goldsmith: The Treasury Solicitor's Department has had three cases upheld by the Parliamentary Ombudsman since 1997. The department has not located papers on two of the cases, which predated 2001, but can confirm that the recommendation of the ombudsman was followed in the third case. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Department for Constitutional Affairs and its predecessors have refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Since 1997 the DCA and its predecessors have declined to give full effect on two occasions to recommendations made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman. These were both in relation to complaints made under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The ombudsman's reports on these two cases are in the Library. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its predecessors have refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Lord Bach: Neither the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) nor its predecessors have collated figures on the number of occasions where they have refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. While a definitive reply could be provided only at disproportionate cost, we believe that there have been no cases since Defra was established in 2001. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of specific recommendations, the Department for Work and Pensions has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman; and Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 29 March (WA 126), on how many occasions since 1997, and in respect of which specific recommendations, the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: On only one occasion since 1997 has the department, its executive agencies or NDPBs refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. This occurred in the case of her report Trusting in the pensions promise published in March this year. The Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (OPRA) was one of the department's NDPBs. OPRA was replaced in April 2005 by the Pensions Regulator. People Trafficking Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will ratify the Council of Europe trafficking in human beings convention. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government are currently considering signature of the Council of Europe convention against trafficking in human beings. We have concerns that some of the provisions it contains, such as the granting of automatic reflections periods, may serve to make it attractive for people to claim to have been trafficked. This would make it even harder to identify genuine victims. A consultation period with UK stakeholders on our response to human trafficking has recently ended: its results are being collated and will help inform the eventual decision. It is worth noting that while 26 member states have signed the convention, none has actually ratified it. Police: Arrest Warrants Baroness D'Souza: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many applications for arrest warrants have been made since 1998 to magistrates concerning allegations of crimes contrary to the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 or Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988; and How many arrest warrants have been issued since 1998 by magistrates in respect of allegations of crimes contrary to the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 or Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Information is not held centrally on the number of applications for arrest warrants or arrest warrants issued by magistrates for crimes contrary to the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 or Section 134 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988. Police: Arrest Warrants Baroness D'Souza: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are considering changing the law and procedure relating to the issue of arrest warrants; if so, for what reason; and what changes are being considered. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government are considering a range of issues relating to the issuing of arrest warrants in international cases following recent experience of such cases but they have not yet concluded what changes, if any, are required to existing legislation. Prisons: Records Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Under which headings the prison records of all those given custodial sentences are kept; for how long they are kept; and where they are kept after a prisoner is released from custody. 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 Race Relations Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have made an assessment of the extent to which their policies and practices in relation to asylum seekers, refugees and immigration might indirectly run counter to the provisions of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 on the promotion of good relations. Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary in May 2005 published a revised Associate Race Equality Scheme for the Immigration and Nationality Directorate of the Home Office, which sets out how it will assess its policies and practices in respect of the duties under the Race Relations Act 1976, as amended by the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, including the promotion of good relations between persons of different racial groups. Race equality impact assessments of policies and practices in relation to asylum seekers, refugees and immigration are undertaken in accordance with the Race Equality Scheme and informed by guidelines published by the Commission for Racial Equality. In particular, such assessments were carried out in respect of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006, which implements measures contained in the Government's five-year strategy on immigration and asylum. The full race equality impact assessments and the Race Equality Scheme itself have been published on the Home Office's website. Schools: Special Educational Needs Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in view of the recent allegations concerning the treatment of a pupil at Woodlawn Special School in North Tyneside, they intend to introduce guidelines on the cleansing of special needs pupils. Lord Adonis: Schools and all other settings registered to provide education will already have hygiene or infection-control policies as part of their health and safety policy. This is a necessary statement of the procedures the school will follow if a child accidentally wets or soils him or herself. A guide called Including Me: Managing Complex Health Needs in Schools and Early Years Settings was launched by the Health Needs in Education Consortium, including Mencap, the Council for Disabled Children and the Royal College of Nursing, supported by DfES in November 2005. The guide gives practical advice and solutions to help children who have complex health needs, and contains guidance on continence, facilities and procedures for personal care. The department has no plans to introduce further guidelines on cleansing. Seals Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have proposals to prohibit the trade in harp and hooded seal products. Lord Bach: Council directive 83/129/EEC (as amended) already requires EU member states to prohibit the commercial importation of skins (and other listed products) of whitecoat harp and blueback hooded seal pups. This seals directive is implemented in the UK by the Import of Seal Skins Regulations 1996. There have been calls to impose a wider prohibition on trade in seal products and the department is currently looking into this issue, together with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Trade and Industry. Smuggling Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: How much they estimate is lost annually in revenue in Northern Ireland through (a) fuel laundering; (b) cigarette smuggling; and (c) alcohol smuggling. Lord McKenzie of Luton: No estimates have been produced on the revenue lost annually in Northern Ireland through fuel laundering, cigarette smuggling and alcohol smuggling. Taxation: Companies Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 8 March (WA 145), when the report entitled Tax on the Boardroom Agenda—The Views of Business, dated February 2006, was published; and whether they will place a copy of that report in the Library; and What action they intend to take in response to the conclusions of the report entitled Tax on the Boardroom Agenda—The Views of Business that "there is a clear desire for tax simplification for large corporates" and "whilst it is not dominant, a lack of trust [between HM Revenue and Customs and large corporates] appears to be a recurring theme". Lord McKenzie of Luton: The report entitled Tax on the Boardroom Agenda—The Views of Business was published on the HMRC website on 11 April 2006, and is available in the Library. The report concluded that chairmen of UK-based large corporates are willing to engage with HMRC at a senior level, on a number of key strategic issues. These issues will be addressed as part of the following initiatives: The publication of HMRC's large business service operating model on 18 April 2006, Working with Large Business, Process 1—Working with Customers, describes how HMRC aims to work in an open, collaborative relationship with its large business customers. On Budget day 2006, the Chancellor announced a review of HMRC's links with large business, to be led by Sir David Varney. The outline plans published on 12 April 2006 demonstrate that the review will meet business's desire for further dialogue and demonstrate HMRC's responsiveness and willingness to engage on key strategic issues. The new forum will provide an excellent opportunity for HMRC and business to take stock of their relationship and to review how they can work better together to ensure that the UK has a modern, responsive tax administration which meets the needs of both the authorities and business. HMRC has created a new Large Business and Employers Customer Unit whose remit is to develop a better understanding of the needs of large business, across a range of strategic and operational issues, and to use this understanding to inform, challenge and influence behaviour across HMRC and HM Treasury. Taxation: Company Returns Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 18 April (WA 220), whether they (a) have accepted the recommendation in the report HMRC Online Services that the XBRL computer language should be used for the filing of company tax returns; (b) have considered the degree to which XBRL is currently used by businesses of all sizes; (c) have considered the additional costs to businesses of all sizes of being required to use XBRL; (d) have compared the relative costs and merits of XBRL with alternative methods of company tax return filing from the perspective of the companies which will be affected; and (e) consider that the partial regulatory impact assessment issued by HM Revenue and Customs on 22 March adequately deals with the costs and burdens associated with the compulsory use of XBRL. Lord McKenzie of Luton: (a) The Government announced on Budget day that they accepted Lord Carter's recommendations and that, subject to the right systems being in place, companies would be required to file online using XBRL from April 2010. (b) XBRL is being developed by an international non-profit consortium of approximately 450 major companies, organisations and government agencies. XBRL is already being put to practical use in a number of countries and its use is growing rapidly around the world. (c) XBRL is a technical coding system which would be largely invisible to the product user. The majority of company accounts and computations are already prepared using software packages. HMRC does not expect the cost of software packages to be significantly increased by the incorporation of XBRL because of market pressures and because this is functionality that software providers are already developing. Lord Carter's recommendation will help to drive that development. (d) HMRC does not anticipate that use of XBRL will involve additional cost or burden for companies. XBRL is designed to streamline financial reporting at all stages, from the point where individual financial transactions take place and are recorded by a company's business software systems, through to audit and accounts preparation processes, and on to tax and regulatory reporting. There is no competing standard for financial reporting. The potential benefits of XBRL to small businesses were recognised by the ACCA in 2004 in its paper Using information and communication technologies to reduce the compliance burdens faced by small businesses—A Proposal by ACCA. (e) HMRC will be working with representative bodies on the detailed implementation of Lord Carter's recommendations, and comments have been invited on the estimated costs and benefits identified in the partial RIA. Transport: Bus Lanes Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 19 April (WA 247), whether they alerted local authorities to the necessity of establishing an appeals service in order to commence bus lane enforcement outside London. Lord Davies of Oldham: When we consulted on the draft legislation to implement the provisions in the Transport Act 2000 for the civil enforcement of bus lane contraventions, attention was drawn to the regulations dealing with the appointment of adjudicators and the associated appeals procedures. In the light of pre-consultation discussions, the appeals service was expected to be an extension of the one already established for the civil enforcement of parking contraventions. Waste Management Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: In light of the £5,000 penalty to be introduced under the European Union waste directive for householders who burn plastic waste, what is the definition of air pollution for these purposes to which householders and those responsible for monitoring compliance should refer. Lord Bach: The change to Section 33 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 brought in by the Waste Management (England and Wales) Regulations 2006 will make it an offence to treat, keep or dispose of household waste within the curtilage of a dwelling in a manner likely to cause pollution of the environment or harm to human health. "Pollution of the environment" is defined in Section 29(3) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 as, "pollution of the environment due to the release or escape (into any environmental medium) from (a) the land on which controlled waste is treated, (b) the land on which controlled waste is kept, (c) fixed plant by means of which controlled waste is treated, kept or disposed of, of substances or articles constituting or resulting from the waste and capable (by reason of the quantity of concentrations involved of causing harm to man or any other living organisms supported by the environment)". Yorkshire: Objective 1 Funding Lord Mason of Barnsley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which particular projects in Doncaster, Barnsley, Sheffield and Rotherham have benefited from Objective 1 funding since its inception; and how much each project has received. 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

lordswrans2006-05-02b

Avian Flu Lord Turnberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Department of Health has examined the potential for passive antibodies to attenuate the disease in those exposed to avian flu; and Whether any progress has been made in the deployment and use of passive antibodies in preventing the human spread of avian flu. Lord Warner: The Department of Health has been advised by the Health Protection Agency that passive immunisation for avian flu would require the supply of human immunoglobulin with high levels of antibodies against avian flu. The effectiveness of passive immunisation to treat or prevent the spread of avian flu virus from person to person or to reduce the severity of illness in those infected with avian flu is not known. Benefits: Single Parents Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in light of recent research by Dr Libertad Gonzalez which suggested a direct link between the welfare system and the number of one parent families, they propose to change the level of benefits available to single mothers. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We have no such plans. There are now around a million lone parents in work and the lone parent employment rate is up 11.3 percentage points since 1997. Our New Deal for Lone Parents programme has helped nearly 458,000 lone parents into work and the success of the programme has been a major contributing factor to the increase in lone parent employment in every region, the reduction in the number of children in workless households, and the reduction in child poverty. From next April we will be piloting a scheme to provide additional help to lone parents whose youngest child is aged 11 or over. Together with quarterly work-focused interviews, eligible lone parents in the pilot will be paid a work-related activity premium of an additional £20 a week for up to six months if they agree to take active steps to return to the labour market. Paid employment helps families and individuals and improves life chances for children and we are determined to break into the cycle of intergenerational poverty by giving all children better opportunities. Compensation Lord Goodhart: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to make any contribution to the costs incurred by the parties in the case of Barker (Respondent) v Corus (UK) plc (Appellants) (formerly Barker (Respondent) v Saint Gobain Pipelines plc (Appellants)), following the retrospective reversal by the Compensation Act 2006 of the decision of the House of Lords in that case. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government remain ready to consider the proposal that they should make a contribution towards any costs reasonably incurred by the parties to this case in connection with the appeal to the House of Lords, where the Government's action reversed the relevant aspect of the appeal. Further consideration will be given to the matter once an order for costs has been made in the case. Electoral Law Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is possible to hold two separate elections on the same day for vacancies in the same ward or division rather than a joint election for two vacancies; if so, what is their assessment of the advantages and disadvantages of this procedure; in how many cases it has happened in recent years; and what advice they give to local returning officers regarding this procedure. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: It is possible for separate elections to be held on the same day for more than one vacancy in the same ward or division of the same local authority or parish council, as electoral law does not require that a combined election be held in these circumstances. It would be for the returning officer to decide how the elections are run. We have not carried out a formal assessment of holding such elections separately. An advantage might be that it would be clear to electors that there was more than one vacancy to be filled. The disadvantages would be that there would be duplication of election processes, such as printing of separate ballot papers for each vacancy, which would add to the cost of running the elections and make the procedure more complicated for electoral administrators and electors. Information is not recorded on cases where such elections have been held separately. The Government have not issued any advice to local returning officers concerning this procedure. Israel and Palestine: Borders Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make further representations to persuade Hamas ministers to recognise the state of Israel within the boundaries established prior to the Six-Day War in 1967. Lord Triesman: We remain deeply concerned that neither the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, nor Hamas as a movement, has committed to the quartet's (EU, US, UN and Russia) three principles: to renounce violence, recognise Israel; and accept all previous agreements and obligations. We have no plans to make any representations to the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority. We have suspended all political contacts with it since June 2005. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister made clear during his visit to the region on9-11 September, we would be ready to re-engage with a Palestinian Government who are based on the quartet principles. Israel and Palestine: Gaza Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the legality of the economic blockade of the Gaza Strip under international law. Lord Triesman: We, along with our EU partners, continue to call on Israel to resume transfers of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues which are essential in averting a crisis in the Palestinian territories. Israel collects customs revenues for the Palestinian Authority under the terms of the 1994 Paris protocols. Israel suspended these payments after the opening of the Palestinian Legislative Council on 18 February. We also continue to make representations to the Israeli Government regarding the closure of the Gaza crossing points, in particular Karni. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv last raised this issue with the Israeli Prime Minister's foreign policy adviser on 5 October. The closure of the crossing points, especially around the agricultural seasons, has a detrimental effect on the Palestinian economy. We hope that both parties will act on their commitments under the November 2005 movement and access agreement. We have no plans to make representations to the Israeli Government regarding the legality of these matters. Ministry of Defence: Property Lord Whitty: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Andrews on 24 October 2005 (WA 160) on Ministry of Defence property, why the document DAO (GEN) (07/05) contains no reference to affordable housing; and where is their policy on provision of affordable housing in public asset disposals set out. Baroness Andrews: The primary purpose of HM Treasury's DAO (GEN) (07/05) is to update government accounting users on the application of clawback requirements on the disposal of publicly funded assets. This policy exists to safeguard the disposing body's financial interest and helps to ensure value for money for taxpayers. The Ministry of Defence, in common with all other central government bodies, follows government accounting rules which require disposing bodies to obtain market value when disposing of surplus assets. The Ministry of Defence will work in liaison with local authorities when considering its disposal strategies for surplus sites, including the provision of affordable housing. Defence Estates has a framework agreement with English Partnerships (November 2004) to facilitate the reuse of former defence sites. The agreement sets out how the agencies will work together to maximise the potential of surplus Ministry of Defence property to help deliver the objectives of the Government's Sustainable Communities Plan (February 2003). NHS: Compensation and Legal Costs Lord Steinberg: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the cost to the National Health Service of £175 million for compensation and legal costs as stated by the National Health Service Litigation Authority includes all outstanding cases to the end of the past financial year. Lord Warner: The NHS Litigation Authority 2005-06 accounts report expenditure of £591,586,000 on clinical and non-clinical negligence claims in the past financial year. The accounts include a provision, as at 31 March 2006, of £8,344,980,000 for all outstanding cases including an estimate for incidents that have occurred but not been reported. Palestine: Hamas and Fatah Lord Dykes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will take steps to promote the resumption of peace talks and co-operation between Hamas and Fatah in Palestine; and, if so, whether such steps would include easing European Union restrictions on aid disbursements. Lord Triesman: We welcome Palestinian President Abbas's efforts to form a national unity government to end the division which has led to violence in Gaza. My right honourable friend the Prime Minister discussed the formation of a national unity government with President Abbas during his recent visit on9-11 September. We want to see a Palestinian Government with whom we can engage and do business with, which means one with a programme based on the three quartet (EU, US, UN and Russia) principles: renunciation of violence; recognition of Israel; and acceptance of previous agreements and obligations, including the road map. Although we support a resumption of talks between Hamas and Fatah, we will continue to disburse aid to the Palestinian people through the "temporary international mechanism" until the Palestinian Authority moves towards accepting the quartet's three principles. The UK is providing aid to the Palestinian people at the same level as in 2005. The EU has significantly increased its financial support to the Palestinian people compared to 2005. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has made clear, if the Palestinian Government are based on the quartet's three principles, we will engage. Prisoners: Foreign Nationals Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 21 July (WA 48-9), whether the review of the failings which led to the release of 1,013 foreign national prisoners without consideration of possible deportation has commenced; whether conclusions have been reached to indicate which individuals were responsible for the failings; and whether action has been taken against those found culpable. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Secretary of State for the Home Department explained in his Oral Statement of 9 October on the prison estate that the Director General of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate had written to the Home Affairs Committee on the same day. This letter contains a progress update on the 1,013 cases released without deportation consideration and also further information on the review which is taking place into how this occurred. A copy of this letter has been made available in the Library of the House. Public Expenditure: Scotland Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will provide a detailed analysis of public expenditure in Scotland, excluding locally financed local government expenditure. Lord McKenzie of Luton: Table 7.17 of the publication Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (Cm 6811) breaks down identifiable public spending in Scotland by function for 2004-05 and shows the contributions made by devolved administrations, local authorities and UK government departments. Details of local authority spending in each of the countries of the United Kingdom by function are shown in Tables 5.7 and 5.8 of Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (Cm 6811). Railways: Community Railways Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 10 October (WA 140), whether they intend to commit resources to the Development Strategy for Community Railways. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government plan to continue to commit support to community rail as at present. They would consider specific proposals for specific developments on community railways on their merits. Railways: NAO Report Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have responded to the National Audit Office report Maintaining and improving Britain's railway stations, which was published in July 2005. Lord Davies of Oldham: Yes. Her Majesty's Government responded by Treasury minute on 26 April 2006. Copies are available in the Library of the House (reference: Cm 6775). Railways: West Midlands Franchise Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the West Midlands Passenger Transport Authority will not be a co-signatory of the new West Midlands rail franchise. Lord Davies of Oldham: As set out in both the Transport and Rail White Papers, the Government are keen to devolve greater decision making to local and regional bodies. Local decision making can be effective and efficient only where the body making the decision is exposed to the financial implications of that decision. The published Department for Transport (Dft) guidance note The new system for the role of English Passenger Transport Executives (PTEs) in the rail franchising process sets out how PTEs can procure changes to local rail services in their areas without being co-signatories to franchise agreements. Centro PTE is seeking to make an economic case for retaining co-signatory status in relation to the West Midlands franchise. In order to establish the costs of such status more clearly, a view will be sought on the cost implications from the successful bidder for the franchise prior to conclusion of the franchise agreement. Sudan: Darfur Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: What reports they have received about the recent heavy fighting in Darfur, involving the Sudanese army and the Janjaweed militia; and what information they have about the numbers of recent fatalities and casualties. Lord Triesman: There are credible reports that in recent weeks Arab militia forces, the "Janjaweed", have been acting in close co-operation with the Government of Sudan air force and armed forces in attacking non-signatory rebel groups in Darfur. We have consistently made clear to the Government of Sudan that they must stop the fighting and implement the peace agreement, including by disarming the Janjaweed. My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development intends to raise this with the Government when he travels to Sudan later this month. No reliable figures exist for the numbers of conflict-related dead and injured. Exact figures are unlikely ever to be known. But every death, casualty or rape in Sudan is a tragedy. That is why we are pressing the Government of Sudan and the rebel groups to stop the fighting; to agree to the deployment of a UN force in Darfur; to co-operate in bolstering the African Union in the interim; to commit to and implement the Darfur peace agreement; and to ensure full humanitarian access for the UN and non-governmental organisations in Darfur. Sudan: Darfur Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: What role they are playing to ensure that an international peacekeeping presence in Darfur will be sustained; and whether they envisage a role for British and NATO troops in such a peacekeeping force. Lord Triesman: The UK is continuing to support the African Union (AU) mission in Darfur (AMIS). We were its first donor and have to date provided £52 million of assistance. This has been used for budgetary support, to purchase vehicles and other equipment, and to airlift troops to and from Darfur. The AU is now planning to increase the size of AMIS by two battalions (approximately 1,200 troops). We stand ready to assist it in this. Meanwhile, at our urging, the UN is helping to bolster AMIS prior to any transition to a UN force. We are considering contributing additional UK personnel as part of the UN assistance package to the AU, before a UN peacekeeping force deploys as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1706. Sudan: Darfur Lord Alton of Liverpool: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the eye witness account of Paul Salopek in the report he was compiling for National Geographic magazine about the situation in Darfur, his subsequent arrest and imprisonment by the Sudanese authorities; and what representations they are making to the Government of Sudan about this matter. Lord Triesman: While reporting on the culture and history of the Sahel for National Geographic magazine, Paul Salopek, a freelance journalist, crossed the border from Chad into Sudan without a visa. He was arrested and imprisoned on 6 August on charges of entering the country without a visa, passing information illegally and espionage. Following representations by the US Government to the Government of Sudan, Mr Salopek, a US National, was released on 9 September. Traffic Management Act 2004 Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many consultations on the permits scheme contained within the Traffic Management Act 2004 have taken place; how many are still to take place; and what is the reason for any duplication that may have occurred during this process. Lord Davies of Oldham: A consultation entitled "The Traffic Management Act 2004 secondary legislation on Notices, Directions and Restrictions Permit Schemes and Fixed Penalty Notices and Revision of Section 74 of the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (Charges for Unreasonably Prolonged Occupation of the Highway)" was issued on 1 February 2005. However, there were no draft regulations for permit schemes as part of this consultation. Responses to this consultation were received which included wide-ranging views on the concept of permit schemes. The Permits Working Group was reconvened to consider these responses and further consider proposals for the operation of permit schemes. The requirement to consult on draft regulations means that a further consultation, which is to commence shortly, will be necessary.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-10-17c

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Cyprus: Diplomatic Service Baroness Mobarik: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the British High Commissioner to Cyprus has visited the Muratağa, Sandallar and Atlilar memorial in Northern Cyprus; and, if not, what plans they have to visit. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We recognise that the events of 1974 and the preceding period continue to cast a long shadow over Cyprus. We regularly engage with Cypriot civil society organisations to appropriately remember those who lost their lives, families and loved ones during the period. The UK continues to support the Committee for Missing Persons by providing financial support, including for DNA testing. Nagorno Karabakh: Cultural Heritage The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Azerbaijan regarding the protection of Armenian heritage in Nagorno–Karabakh following the recent destruction of the St John the Baptist Church and the Ghazanchetsots cemetery in Shusha, and the nearby village of Karin Tak/Dashalti. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are clear that the preservation of religious and cultural sites in the region is an important issue and we take seriously reports of the destruction of churches or other sites of religious significance. We are aware of allegations from both Armenia and Azerbaijan that cultural and religious sites have been deliberately damaged over the course of the conflict. British Embassy in Baku have raised the topic of religious and cultural destruction and the need to protect such sites with the Azerbaijani government consistently and at the most senior levels. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Flats: Insulation The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government which types of defect data they collect when assessing the prevalence of non-cladding defects in residential buildings. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Department receives quarterly updates from Registered Providers of social housing on progress towards remediating buildings for which they are the Responsible Entity. This includes data on buildings with external and/or internal life-critical fire safety defects. In addition to unsafe cladding, relevant defects may include but are not limited to: compartmentation between dwellings or between dwellings and common parts; inadequate fire stopping or fire barriers; incorrect or missing fire escape signage; inadequate or defective fire detection and alarm systems; unprotected means of escape; and inadequate or defective firefighting equipment or installations.The Department also receives quarterly updates from developers that have signed the developer remediation contract. This too includes data on buildings with external and/ or internal life-critical fire safety defects. Buildings: Fire Prevention The Earl of Lytton: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to ensuring that building owners, whether freeholders, commonhold associations or enfranchised leaseholders, who are required to remedy non ‘life-critical fire safety defects’ have an automatic remedy against the person responsible for the defective construction. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Interested parties including freeholders, leaseholders, commonhold associations or enfranchised leaseholders can potentially look to pursue a previous freeholder, developer and any associated company or person for remediation costs through a remediation contribution order. They also have the potential to pursue developers, contractors, or manufacturers where they are liable for defects which meant one or more dwelling in the building was not fit for habitation when the relevant works were completed. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Forests: Conservation Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will introduce secondary legislation under Schedule 17 to the Environment Act 2021. Lord Benyon: The Government is committed to bring forward secondary legislation under the Environment Act 2021 on forest risk commodities imminently. Darwin Plus: Finance Lord Randall of Uxbridge: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have anyplans to continuefinancing Darwin Plus at £10 million per year after the current commitment ends in 2025. Lord Benyon: Running since 2012, the Darwin Plus programme has invested over £55 million in more than 320 projects across the UK Overseas Territories. The UK Government has recently expanded the Darwin Plus programme to better meet the needs of the UK Overseas Territories. In 2023, Darwin Plus introduced a new local scheme aimed at building capacity, and a new strategic scheme for fostering great innovation, ambition and collaboration in and between territories, both of which are now funding live projects. Post March 2025, Darwin Plus funding will be subject to outcomes of the next Spending Review. Department for Business and Trade Companies: Registration Lord Mann: To ask His Majesty's Government how many fake companies were registered in each of the last 12 months for which there are records, unbeknownst to the householder at the address used. Lord Offord of Garvel: Companies House does not have a means of accurately measuring the volume of companies used for illegitimate purposes or an approved statistical method to estimate it. However, Companies House does act on reports of unexpected activity that may indicate that an incorporated entity is being used illegitimately. Following the commencement of the Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 on 4 March Companies House has begun to act proactively cleanse the Register of Companies of disputed information. It has also been empowered to proactively share information with law enforcement partners where potentially illegitimate activity is identified. Exports Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of figures by the Office for National Statistics which show UK services exports grew 63 per cent in real terms between 2010 and 2023, while goods exports grew only seven per cent, what steps they are taking to boost the export of goods. Lord Offord of Garvel: The Department for Business and Trade is backing British businesses to export by knocking down trade barriers and signing new trade deals.In 2022, the Government committed to resolving a ‘hit list’ of priority barriers worth more than £20 billion over five years. Since the start of 2022, we have resolved barriers all over the world estimated to be worth over £15 billion (over a five-year period) to UK businesses.Businesses can access the department’s wealth of export support options on great.gov.uk, including trade advisers, Export Champions, the Export Academy, our International Markets network and UK Export Finance. Scaffolding Lord Patten: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of occasions on which scaffolding around domestic and commercial buildings was erected illegally in England in the most recent year for which figures are available, and whether this figure is decreasing or increasing. Lord Johnson of Lainston: The Department for Business and Trade does not hold this data. Northern Ireland Office Casement Park: Regeneration Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current assessmentof the total capital cost of the rebuilding of Casement Park. Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what level of financial commitment they have made to the Casement Park rebuilding project. Lord Caine: EURO 2028 is a fantastic opportunity for the UK and Ireland to showcase world-class sport as hosts. The UK Government is continuing to work closely with the Department for Communities regarding the cost and delivery of Casement Park whilst also having proper regard for value for money for the taxpayer. We remain committed to ensuring EURO 2028 leaves a lasting legacy across the UK. Home Office Asylum: Housing Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what planning estimate they have made for the number of people who have arrived by irregular routes and need to be accommodated in the UK because they have not been sent to a safe third country or returned home, for the end of each month from April to December 2024. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office routinely publishes information on a quarterly basis, including on the number of supported asylum seekers in accommodation, all irregular modes of entry into the UK, and the level of returns. Manston Asylum Processing Centre: Inquiries Lord Bradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what action they have taken to establish the statutory inquiry into the Manston migrant processing centre. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: Following a decision to launch a statutory inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, the Home Office is taking steps to establish the Inquiry. In accordance with the Inquiries Act 2005, the Department will make a formal statement to Parliament, which will include details of the Chair and Terms of Reference, in due course. Visas: Public Order Offences Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany individuals who are not British citizens have had their visitor or other visas rescinded as a result of criminal activities associated with public order offences since 7 October 2023. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office does not publish data on UK visa holders who have had visas rescinded as a result of criminal activities associated with public order offences at the current time. Women and Equalities Intersex: Human Rights Lord Stevenson of Balmacara: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to give effect to the recent United Nations Human Rights Council resolution affirming the rights of intersex people; and what istheir planned timetable for addressing the rights violations experienced by people born with variations in their sex characteristics, including genital-normalising operations carried out on intersex children. Baroness Barran: The UK recognises the fundamental importance of protecting the human rights of all people, including those with variations in sex characteristics (VSC), and we await the OHCHR report on the human rights of intersex people.It is important to understand the experiences of people living with VSC in the UK and to use this insight to shape policy. In this vein, the Government is currently monitoring and considering evidence and research specific to people living with VSC. Department for Education School Day Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing for pilot projects for schools to assess the feasibility of extending the school day. Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what evaluation, if any, they are undertaking of pilot projects by schools of extending the length of the school day. Baroness Barran: Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only. All schools have the autonomy to make decisions about the content, structure and duration of their school day to best support their pupils’ education. The government has however set a non-statutory expectation that all state-funded mainstream schools will deliver at least a 32.5 hour school week by September 2024. Most schools already meet this expectation. Extending the compulsory school day, or offering enrichment activities around the school day, may help children, particularly the most disadvantaged, to improve attainment, social skills and raise aspirations. It may also help parents with childcare. Should a school be considering making changes to the duration of its day, it should act reasonably and consider the impact on those affected, including pupils, parents and teachers. The government is not providing funding for, nor conducting evaluation of, pilot projects for schools looking to extend the length of the school day. The department is aware of schools taking innovative approaches to structuring their school day and is always interested to hear from schools who are trialling new approaches. Higher Education: Freedom of Expression Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the deadline of 1 August for implementation of the provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, given that the Office for Students has yet to publish guidance on the new complaints scheme relating to freedom of speech. Baroness Barran: The main provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will come into force on 1 August 2024. Provisions surrounding the new regulatory framework and overseas funding will come into force on 1 September 2025. There is currently no intention to delay the commencement of these provisions, the department will lay the required secondary legislation to meet these implementation dates.The department will work in collaboration with the Office for Students (OfS) to implement the Act, to allow time for the sector to update their policies and codes of practice. The department meets regularly with OfS to understand progress.The OfS have already launched three consultations related to:The regulation of students’ unions (closed).The new free-to-use complaints scheme (closed).Its proposed approach, regulatory advice and guidance on the duties related to freedom of speech and academic freedom. (open until 26 May 2024).The proposed guidance is intended to help providers, constituent institutions and students’ unions to navigate the new free speech duties that the OfS expects to regulate from 1 August 2024. The department understands that the OfS intends to publish the final version on or before 1 August 2024.A provisional implementation timetable is available on the OfS website: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/quality-and-standards/freedom-of-speech/changes-to-regulation/. Higher Education: Freedom of Expression Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to ensure that the Office for Students will provide guidance on the complaints scheme under the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 in a timely manner, in compliance with the provisions of the Act. Baroness Barran: The main provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will come into force on 1 August 2024. The Office for Students (OfS) has already carried out consultations related to the regulation of students’ unions and new complaints scheme rules in December 2023. The department meets regularly with OfS to understand its progress on the implementation of the Act. The OfS also launched a consultation on 26 March 2024 on its proposed approach, regulatory advice and guidance on the duties related to freedom of speech and academic freedom. The proposed guidance is intended to help providers, constituent institutions and students’ unions to navigate the new free speech duties that the OfS expects to regulate from 1 August 2024. The department understands that the OfS intends to publish the final version on or before 1 August 2024. Students: Equality Baroness Hunt of Bethnal Green: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the total number of individual named (1) current, and (2) former, students' records held by the Department for Education collected in equality monitoring, broken down by (a) religious affiliation, (b) sexual orientation, (c) gender identity, and (d) disability. Baroness Barran: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA – now part of Jisc), is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector. The latest published statistics refer to the 2021/22 academic year.The department holds individual-level HESA data for all HE students in each academic year from 1995/96 to 2021/22. From 1998/99, the students are able to be identified by name.The HESA data includes information on student’s disability status, religion or belief, gender identity and sexual orientation, although, gender identity, sexual orientation and religion or belief (for English, Scottish and Welsh HE providers) were not collected prior to 2012/13. Note that gender identity differs to biological sex which has been collected across all academic years since 1995/96.The estimated figures below are derived by counting every student that started a HE course in the UK since 1999/2000, as well as the total number of enrolments (entrants and continuing students) in the academic year 1998/99. The figures exclude students with a missing first and last name, but includes students who are not part of the standard registration population. Therefore, these figures will differ from HESA’s publications. Additionally, students that disclose sensitive characteristics for the first time in any year after their first year of study are not counted under the estimated number of students with known sensitive characteristics, and students that have started more than one course since 1998/99 are counted once for each enrolment.The department is estimated to hold the names of 28,927,337 students that started a HE course in the UK between 1998/99 and 2021/22. For 27,424,867 of these names, the department holds information on at least one of the following sensitive characteristics - disability status, religion or belief, gender identity or sexual orientation.Of the estimated 28,927,337 names held by the department, 27,373,886 (95%) of them have a known disability status, 7,403,109 (26%) have a known religion or belief, 6,164,770 (21%) have a known gender identity and 6,388,972 (22%) have a known sexual orientation.Student numbers broken down by personal characteristics over time are available through HESA’s open data pages, which can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/sb265/figure-5. HESA’s publication archive for earlier years can be found here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/publications.While individual identifiers are retained by the department for matching purposes, at all times the department will minimise the processing of, and access to, instant or meaningful identifiers. Access to named data within the department is restricted to a small number of data professionals with responsibility for matching this data with other sources and creating pseudonymised, or aggregated, versions of the data which are subsequently used for research and statistics. Department for Culture, Media and Sport Churches: Repairs and Maintenance Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government whatforms of financial support are available from the Government, and arms-length bodies such as National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England, for fabric repairs to local church buildings, excluding cathedrals. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: HM Government makes available £42 million per annum through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. This reimburses VAT on eligible repair works over £1,000.The National Lottery Heritage Fund invests Lottery players’ funding to sustain the UK’s heritage. The Fund runs open-access grant programmes, to which local churches can apply, providing their project meets its four principal investment themes: saving heritage, protecting the environment, inclusion access and participation, and organisational sustainability. Applicants must take all four principles into account in their application, although the strength of focus and emphasis on each principle is for them to decide and demonstrate.Historic England provides grants for churches in specific circumstances: where the congregation has a long-standing moral objection to Lottery funding and can provide evidence of that; where the building is not eligible for any National Lottery Heritage Fund grant programme; where it relates to exceptional emergency funding to stabilise the condition of a place of worship; or to prevent further deterioration in the next two years and where the applicant can demonstrate that discussions have already begun with the National Lottery Heritage Fund. To be eligible for a grant, a place of worship must be a grade I or II* listed building, or a grade II listed or unlisted building within a Conservation Area or London Borough. Religious Buildings: Conservation Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government whatsteps Historic England are taking to reduce the number of places of worship on the Heritage at Risk Register. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Since 2009 Historic England has provided grants to enable churches and other religious denominations to employ support officers to advise, encourage and help local congregations to maintain and repair their places of worship and remove them from the Heritage at Risk Register. In 2022–23 the nine support officers in post directly supported 234 congregations and ran 22 training events, attended by 355 delegates, in addition to tailored training at individual places of worship.Historic England architects, surveyors, engineers and technical advisers are also available to provide advice to help congregations address specific structural and repair problems across England. As a statutory consultee in both the national planning and ecclesiastical exemption processes, Historic England also provides formal advice on proposals for works to historic buildings, including informal advice pre-application and statutory responses in both legal frameworks. This expertise and assistance helps to remove places of worship from the Heritage at Risk Register. Football: Charitable Trusts Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the value to communities of a Football Community Trust operating locally. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The community arms of local football clubs are instrumental in fostering more active and resilient communities. By harnessing the power of the sport, these trusts promote social cohesion, improve public health, and make a positive impact on people’s lives.HM Government recognises and supports the contributions of these trusts in helping to strengthen communities and get more people active, in line with the. Government’s own priorities. Religious Buildings: Conservation Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government how many places of worship have been on the Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register for five years or more. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: There are 644 entries assessed as places of worship which have been on the Historic England Heritage at Risk Register for at least five years. There are also two other entries assessed as buildings or structures which affect places of worship. National Lottery Heritage Fund: Religious Buildings Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany applications for funding were received by the National Lottery Heritage Fund from local parish churches, chapels and meeting houses (excluding cathedrals) in total in each of the last five financial years in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The National Lottery Heritage Fund received 607 applications from England over the last 5 years.From 2019 to 2020, there were 187 applications.From 2020 to 2021, there were 86 applications.From 2021 to 2022 there were 115 applications.From 2022 to 2023 there were 123 applications.From 2023 to 2024 there were 96 applications.The National Lottery Heritage Fund received 25 applications from Scotland over the last 5 years.From 2019 to 2020, there were 6 applications.From 2020 to 2021, there were 4 applications.From 2021 to 2022 there were 5 applications.From 2022 to 2023 there were 3 applications.From 2023 to 2024 there were 7 applications.The National Lottery Heritage Fund received 94 applications from Wales over the last 5 years.From 2019 to 2020, there were 25 applications.From 2020 to 2021, there were 36 applications.From 2021 to 2022 there were 17 applications.From 2022 to 2023 there were 9 applications.From 2023 to 2024 there were 7 applications.The National Lottery Heritage Fund received 18 applications from Northern Ireland over the last 5 years.From 2019 to 2020, there were 4 applications.From 2020 to 2021, there were 3 applications.From 2021 to 2022 there were 6 applications.From 2022 to 2023 there were 4 applications.From 2023 to 2024 there was 1 application. Tourism: Religious Buildings Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned any research into the tourism potential of local parish churches, chapels and meeting houses. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government has not commissioned any specific such research, but the International Passenger Survey (2019) found that 21% of inbound visits to the UK included visiting religious buildings, which are an important part of our national heritage.Additionally, as part of the Discover England Fund, VisitEngland supported the National Churches Trust to create a number of new visitor experiences and to help them work more closely with destination management organisations to improve their visibility in the visitor economy. A number of these experiences and things to do, in and around the Trust’s churches, were held on the Explore Churches website (www.nationalchurchestrust.org/explore). Visit England continues to support and work closely with the National Churches Trust. Religious Buildings: Conservation Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government how many places of worship are currently on the Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: Of the 4,871 entries on the 2023 Historic England Heritage at Risk Register, 943 are places of worship. Two other entries are also assessed as buildings or structures which affect places of worship.The Heritage at Risk Register aims to protect and manage the historic environment. Historic England works with owners, ‘friends of’ groups, developers, and others to find solutions for historic places and sites at risk across England, ensuring their survival for the benefit of present and future generations. Churches: Repairs and Maintenance Lord Redesdale: To ask His Majesty's Government whatamount of financial support was provided to local church buildings, excluding cathedrals, for fabric repairs in 2022–2023 by the Department for Digital, Culture Media and Sport and arm’s length bodies, such as the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England. Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has funded church buildings through the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme, which makes available £42 million per annum. This scheme provides grants towards VAT paid on repairs and maintenance to the nation's listed places of worship.In the period from 2022 to 2023 a total of £16,949,526 was provided to local churches, excluding cathedrals, for conservation and maintenance work from this scheme.Additionally, the National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded £15,759,986 to places of worship in England over the same period.Historic England also provided public funding in this period for local churches through different funding programmes. A total of £218,286 was granted for urgent emergency works to church buildings in England in use for worship. In addition, grants were made through Historic England to churches, chapels and one tabernacle which are no longer in use for worship to a total of £902,453. Department of Health and Social Care Alcoholic Drinks: Labelling Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to meet their 2020 commitment to a consultation on alcohol calorie labelling. Lord Markham: The Government has previously announced an intention to consult on whether to introduce mandatory calorie labelling on alcohol. We are currently considering the evidence base, and have commissioned a National Institute for Health and Care Research study on understanding the impact of alcohol calorie labelling on alcohol and calorie selection, purchasing, and consumption.The Government is taking a wide-ranging approach to addressing alcohol-related harms. As part of the NHS Health Check, information on alcohol consumption is provided to support people to make healthier choices. The Department continues to promote the United Kingdom’s Chief Medical Officers’ Low Risk Drinking Guidelines in England through online platforms. This provides the public with the most up-to-date scientific information, to help people make informed decisions about their own drinking, including the health harms of alcohol consumption. Public Health Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of new scientific discoveries in the field of longevity and radical life extension in order to better public health; and whetherthey have a strategy to promote longevity science. Lord Markham: We continue to monitor new research that shows promise for improving the health of the public. The Department commissions research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR's strategy, Best Research for Best Health: The Next Chapter, highlights the need to fund research which responds to demographic pressures, including an ageing population. The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including ageing. Rare Diseases: Health Services Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan tohold discussions with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence aboutits appraisal system to ensure it is sufficiently flexible to respond to treatments and medicines for rare diseases. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to have any discussions with theNational Institute for Health and Care Excellence about employingadditional flexibility for rare condition medicines to take into considerationtheimplications of having a small population and potentially more expensive medicines. Lord Markham: The Department regularly meets with the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) to discuss a range of issues including access to and availability of medicines. NICE’s methods and processes for health technology evaluation have been proven to be suitable for medicines for rare diseases where companies price their products responsibly, and NICE introduced a number of changes to its methods and processes in 2022 that ensure that its processes are appropriate to the evaluation of emerging new technologies.NICE also operates a highly specialised technologies programme for the evaluation of a small number of medicines for the treatment of very rare diseases. As of 31 March 2024, NICE has recommended 88% of medicines licensed for the treatment of rare diseases for some or all of the eligible patient population, which is comparable to NICE’s approval rate for all medicines.The Innovative Medicines Fund, building on the success of the Cancer Drugs Fund, provides a mechanism for consistent and transparent managed access process for companies offering promising non-cancer medicines at a responsible price. The Fund has already provided early access for National Health Service patients to several innovative new treatments, including for patients with rare diseases such as graft-versus-host disease and Wolman disease. Diabetes: Children Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent children from developing diabetes at an early age. Lord Markham: The Government is delivering an ambitious programme of work to help children and families maintain a healthier weight, which can prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes.The Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL) is contributing to reductions in levels of childhood obesity by encouraging soft drinks producers to remove added sugar from products. Levels of sugar in SDIL products have reduced by 46%, removing over 46,000 tonnes of sugar.The Department supports three million children through the Healthy Food Schemes, which encourage and contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. Health Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish a health prevention strategy. Lord Markham: The Major Conditions Strategy outlines our approach in tackling six groups of major health conditions, by creating a health and care system that is faster, simpler, and fairer, focusing on prevention, proactive care and more person centred care. Since announcing the Major Conditions Strategy in January 2023, we have been working with a range of stakeholders in the health and care system, including those with lived experience, to identify what would make the most difference in tackling the six major conditions groups that account for around 60% of ill-health and early death in England.We aim to publish the final strategy in summer of this year. Maternity Services: Training Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether NHS England, integrated care boards, and NHS Trusts have ensured that all maternity and neonatal staff have had the training, supervision, and support as required. Lord Markham: Regulated healthcare professionals need to meet the education and training standards set by their profession’s regulator. It is the responsibility of individual employers to ensure that their staff are trained and competent to carry out the role for which they are employed, and for making decisions about the ongoing professional training and development requirements of their staff. This includes responsibility for investing in the future of their staff, through providing continuing professional development funding.Mandatory training for maternity staff is outlined in Core competency framework Version 2: Minimum standards and stretch targets, which provides both the minimum standards and stretch targets. Compliance with the core competency framework is overseen by integrated care boards and is incentivised through the Maternity Incentive Scheme which is administered by NHS Resolution. A copy of the framework is attached.Support for staff working in maternity and neonatal services is provided by Professional Midwifery Advocates and Professional Nurse Advocates. This is a non-statutory model of clinical supervision. There are 1400 Professional Midwifery Advocates and approximately 300 Professional Nurse Advocates working in trusts in England.Core competency framework Version 2 (pdf, 164.3KB) Diabetes: Children Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of high rates of childhood obesity on future diabetes rates; and what assessment they have made of the impact that this will have on the NHS's future spend on diabetes. Lord Markham: NHS England has data from national diabetes audits showing the increasing numbers of young people being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes over the past five years. NHS England knows that 93.5% of children with Type 2 diabetes that are under the care of paediatric diabetes units are overweight or obese, with a body mass index above the 85th centile after correction for age and gender.Core20PLUS5 – Children and Young People includes diabetes as a key clinical area and has two key areas of clinical focus, namely to increase access to real time continuous glucose monitoring and insulin pumps for children and young people in the most deprived quintiles and from ethnic minority backgrounds, and increase the proportion of children and young people with Type 2 diabetes receiving all the care processes recommended in guidance from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence.Key diabetes health metrics, such as blood glucose levels, are poorest in young adults aged between 19 and 25 years old. To address this age-related health inequality, 15 ‘Transition and Young Adult’ pilots were established by the NHS Diabetes Programme in 2022-2025 to test models of care for young adults with diabetes and those transitioning from paediatric to adult diabetes services. The pilots will be evaluated to inform the evidence base on how to best deliver care and improve outcomes for this group. Patients: Safety Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether thePatient Safety Incident Response Framework has been fully implemented throughout the NHS to support learning and compassionate responses to families following any incidents. Lord Markham: Compliance with the Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) is now a contractual requirement for all services commissioned under the NHS Standard Contract. Implementing the PSIRF is an ongoing process and organisations’ approach to patient safety incident response can and should evolve over time. Work is also underway to explore implementation of the PSIRF in wider services within the National Health Service, such as primary care. Health Services: Standards Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the public consultation on updating the NHS constitution, published on 30 April, is available in languages other than English, and if so, in which languages. Baroness Coussins: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the public consultation on updating the NHS constitution is brought to the attention of individuals whose first language is not English. Lord Markham: The Department is committed to supporting people from all backgrounds in accessing the NHS Constitution consultation, in part by ensuring the consultation is well publicised and reaches multiple audiences, including those whose first language is not English.While there are no plans to publish the consultation in additional languages, the Department is working at pace to publish an easy-read version. The simplified language will make the information more accessible for a broader audience, which may support those whose first language is not English, to access and respond to the consultation. Department for Transport Motorways: Safety Measures Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofreports that the safety equipment installed on smart motorways has a high failure rate. Lord Davies of Gower: Smart motorways operate using a range of safety systems and are designed not to be reliant on one single piece of roadside technology for safe operation. National Highways has worked hard to deliver a significant improvement in the performance of stopped vehicle detection (SVD), with all schemes now meeting performance requirements.In their annual safety report published in December 2023, the ORR confirmed that SVD technology is now meeting performance requirements for detection rate, detection time, and false detection. The ORR will continue to monitor SVD performance closely. Further, National Highways is investing more than £300m to maintain roadside technology and improve its performance during Road Period 2 (2020-2025). This includes £105m targeted at improving its systems and technology on All Lane Running (ALR) sections of smart motorway. Roadside technology on ALR smart motorways is given high priority. National Highways has well-rehearsed contingency plans for both planned and unplanned outages. These include lowering speed limits, increasing patrols by its traffic officers, enhanced monitoring of CCTV, and using pre-positioned vehicle recovery to speed up attendance and clearance of stranded vehicles. Motorcycles: Driving Licences Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have made an assessment of how the Motorcycle Industry Association’s proposals to incentivise the progressive access licensing route would impact road safety. Lord Davies of Gower: In December 2023, officials met with motorcycle stakeholder representatives to listen to and discuss various motorcycle initiatives including ideas for reform. Discussions continue, and a roundtable with Ministerial attendance is scheduled for the 8th of May. Motorcycles: Licensing Lord Moylan: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how a simplified licensing process for powered light vehicles would impact (1) the uptake of powered light vehicles, (2) the accessibility of cheaper forms of personal mobility, and (3) the decarbonisation of road transport. Lord Davies of Gower: The Government has collected robust evidence on the use of different regulatory regimes, including licensing, to support the previously announced Low-speed Zero Emission Vehicle category. Any assessment of evidence would be published as part of a consultation on regulations before they come into force and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows. The Government has made no assessment of how changes to licensing might impact the uptake of L-category vehicles. Department for Energy Security and Net Zero Nuclear Fusion Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of progress being made towards the development of nuclear fusion, and by what date they estimate thatelectricitygenerated in this mannermay be available to consumers. Lord Callanan: The Government’s STEP Programme, the Spherical Tokamak for Energy Production, will design, develop, and build by the 2040s a prototype fusion power plant capable of delivering energy to the UK grid. The Government has already committed over £240 million towards the first phase of STEP which will develop a concept design for the prototype plant. Hosted in West Burton, Nottinghamshire, STEP will play an important role in demonstrating the commercial viability of fusion energy and galvanise the UK fusion sector. Fusion Energy is anticipated to play a significant role in the UK’s energy production from the 2050’s and beyond. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Eutelsat OneWeb: Finance Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their (1) current, and (2) expected future, equity stakein US satellite technology company Eutelsat OneWeb (formerly OneWeb). Viscount Camrose: Eutelsat OneWeb is a UK-based subsidiary of Eutelsat Group. The Government has no plans to change its 10.89% shareholding in Eutelsat Group at this time. Eutelsat OneWeb: Finance Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government, according to their business plan justifying their investment in US satellite technology company OneWeb in 2020, what projection they made of the value of the company at the end of 2024. Lord Mendelsohn: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will publish (1) their original investment case, including financial projections, for the purchase of a $500 millionstake in US satellite technology company OneWeb in 2020; and (2) an updated business case and financial projections for their investment in the company. Viscount Camrose: As was the case under previous governments, any investment case informing Government's decision to invest in OneWeb, including financial projections, remains commercially sensitive. As a publicly traded company, Eutelsat Group regularly publishes its financial results, including market guidance on their outlook and financial objectives, and the latest were published on 16 February 2024.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-05-08

Alan Turing Lord Grade of Yarmouth: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will reconsider their decision not to grant a posthumous pardon to Alan Turing. Lord McNally: Dr Turing's conviction, essentially for homosexual activity, was the result of an offence which we would now consider discriminatory and which has now been repealed. This was a shocking and inappropriate fate for someone who had contributed so much to science and to the defence of his country. However, it is long-standing Government policy that pardons under the Royal Prerogative of Mercy should be reserved for cases where it can be established that the convicted person was innocent of the relevant offence, and not to undo the effects of legislation which we now recognise as wrong. Lord Sharkey introduced a Private Member's Bill in the House of Lords on 25 July which would grant a statutory pardon to Dr Turing, and the Government will consider their response to this Bill in due course. BBC: Royal Charter Lord Donoughue: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, and if so on what terms, the BBC is required to be balanced in its coverage of policy issues under the BBC's Royal Charter and accompanying agreement. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Article 4a of the charter sets out the BBC's public purpose of "sustaining citizenship and civil society". This is clarified further in Clause 6 of the agreement: "the Trust must, among other things, seek to ensure that the BBC gives information about, and increases understanding of, the world through accurate and impartial news, other information, and analysis of current events and ideas". Clause 15 of the agreement requires the trust to have regard to the purposes of public service broadcasting as set out in Section 264(4) of the Communications Act 2003 and the desirability of those purposes being fulfilled in a manner compatible with Section 264(6). Clauses 43 (content standards), 44 (accuracy and impartiality) and 45 (the Fairness Code) of the agreement also require the BBC to be balanced in its coverage. Benefits Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 13 November (WA 268-9), whether they have previously considered recording or retaining details of benefit claimants' nationality, immigration status or their nature of residency on a computer system; if not, why not; and, if so, why the practice ceased. Lord Freud: Information about a claimant's nationality, immigration status, and residency may be relevant to the determination of a claim to benefit, depending on the benefit being applied for. Where this information is relevant, the information is gathered during the claim process and, for certain benefits, is recorded on the appropriate departmental system. It is not, however, retained in a format that can be extracted for analysis, or management information purposes. With the introduction of universal credit from 2013, the Government will be considering ways to record nationality, immigration status, and residency at source. Broadcasting: Digital Radio Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Garden of Frognal on 12 December 2011 (WA 207), what are the proportions of radio listening through digital platforms in each of the last eight quarters; what funding they are currently providing for a switchover to digital broadcasts; and whether they will meet their target of 50 per cent of all radio listening being digital in the short or medium term. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The proportion of radio listening through digital platforms in each of the last eight quarters can be found in the following table. This information is published quarterly by Radio Joint Audience Research (RAJAR) and can be found at the following link: http://www.rajar.co.uk/. Year 2010 2011 2012 Quarter 4th 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 1st 2nd 3rd % listening via digital platforms 25.0 26.5 26.9 28.2 29.1 29.2 31.5 31.3 No Government funding is currently being provided to support a radio switchover to digital, as no decision has been taken at this time to implement a radio switchover policy. Government will make an in-principle decision on whether or not to proceed with radio switchover in 2013. As shown in the table, 31.3% of current listening is to digital and projections suggest that it will reach, and surpass, 50% within the next three to five years. Bureau of Investigative Journalism Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 29 November (WA 72), whether members of the staff of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism located at City University London qualify for an educational public sector superannuation scheme. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Employees of the Bureau of Investigative Journalism are not university employees and are therefore not eligible for membership under the Universities Superannuation Scheme. Burma Baroness Goudie: To ask Her Majesty's Government why Burma is not included in their initiative to prevent sexual violence in conflict. Baroness Warsi: Despite the best efforts of the international community, the Government believe there is more that can-and must-be done to combat the use of sexual violence in conflict, particularly to address the culture of impunity for these crimes that has been allowed to develop. The Foreign Secretary's Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative (PSVI), launched in May, aims to replace the culture of impunity with one of deterrence by increasing the number of perpetrators brought to justice both internationally and nationally; strengthening international efforts and co-ordination; and supporting states to build their national capacity. We are determined to raise the profile of this issue internationally and to highlight these abhorrent crimes wherever they occur. As part of the initiative, we have established a team of experts who can be deployed to conflict areas to help combat this problem. These deployments will be to those countries where we have assessed there is the greatest opportunity to work with local organisations to build national capacity and to effect long-term reform to tackle impunity and provide support to survivors. While Burma is not one of the immediate countries, there may be future opportunities for UK PSVI support. We are very concerned by the continuing reports of sexual violence in conflicts by the military in Burma's conflict areas. The Burmese Government have done little to investigate these allegations. The Government therefore welcome the recent UN General Assembly resolution on the human rights situation in Burma, which represents a clear commitment by the Burmese Government to work with the international community to take the necessary measures to ensure accountability and end impunity, including by undertaking a full, transparent and independent investigation into all reports of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law, including allegations of targeted rape and other forms of sexual violence. We will continue to raise this issue with the Burmese authorities at every opportunity; directly with the Burmese Government at ministerial level and through our embassy in Rangoon. We will also continue to raise our concerns about the allegations of the use of sexual violence in conflict with our international partners and with the UN. Civil Service: Secondments Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many senior civil servants at the Ministry of Defence are on secondment to companies or organisations in the United Kingdom; how many were seconded to such companies or organisations in 2011; and to which companies and organisations they are or were seconded. Lord Astor of Hever: At present the Ministry of Defence has three members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) on secondment to companies or organisations in the United Kingdom. In 2011, two members of the SCS began secondments, with BMT Defence Services and Babcock Marine. They have been joined this year by one member who is on secondment to the charity Catch 22. Civil Service: Staff Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ministers of the current Government have overruled or vetoed the appointment of senior civil servants; and, if so, how many times. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: As was the position under previous administrations, the Prime Minister, as Minister for the Civil Service, approves all permanent secretary appointments and all new entrants to director general posts within the Senior Civil Service in England. It has not been the practice to publish details of internal deliberations. Communications: 3G Mobile Network Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will take steps to facilitate the roll-out of a 3G mobile network with the Isles of Scilly; and, if so, when. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Government recognise the benefits of mobile phone coverage and are working with the mobile industry to deliver the Mobile Infrastructure Project (MIP) to fill gaps in mobile coverage. The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is in the process of procuring a MIP provider to deliver the required infrastructure and once that process has been completed, will begin selecting the areas to be covered. However, the ability of mobile networks to achieve coverage in an area is predicated on both business considerations and on the operators being able to gain access to suitable sites in order to achieve the coverage improvements. This could prove difficult on Scilly where a large amount of land is subject to planning protection. Drones Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Astor of Hever on 26 November (WA 7) concerning the use of drones, whether there are unarmed drones in the airspace of countries other than Afghanistan; and, if so, for what purpose. Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence operates a number of unmanned aircraft systems in UK airspace, together with international partners, where necessary for training and trials purposes. Economy: Forecasts Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of forecasts published by HM Treasury on 21 November in Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts, whether they forecast that total government borrowing in the period 2010-11 to 2015-16 will exceed the borrowing target set in the 2010 Comprehensive Spending Review, and, if so, by how much. Lord Newby: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces official forecasts for the public finances. The OBR published its latest Economic and fiscal outlook on 5 December. Table 4.341, below, compares the OBR's December forecast with the June Budget 2010 forecast, which underpinned Spending Review 2010. £ billion Outturn Forecast 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 2016-17 2017-18 Surplus on current budget June 2010 forecast -88 -65 -40 -17 March 2012 forecast -98 -95 -74 -52 -30 1 Change 3 6 0 -10 -20 -27 December 2012 forecast -95 -89 -74 -62 -51 -26 -8 Net investment June 2010 forecast 27 24 20 21 21 March 2012 forecast 28 -3 23 23 22 22 Change -1 -5 2 2 1 1 December 2012 forecast 27 -9 25 26 23 23 23 Net borrowing June 2010 forecast 116 89 60. 37 20 March 2012 forecast 126 92 98 75 52 21 Change -5 -11 2 13 21 28 December 2012 forecast 121 80 99 88 73 49 31 1 http://cdn.budgetresponsibility.independentgov.uk/December- 2012-Economic-and-fiscal-outlook23423423.pdf Energy: Electricity Lines Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many kilometres of overhead electricity lines have been removed in National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty as a result of Ofgem funding; and what has been the cost of that programme to date. Baroness Verma: This is a matter for the network companies and the independent regulator, Ofgem. Spend on undergrounding existing distribution lines in areas of outstanding natural beauty and national parks can be found in Ofgem's electricity distribution annual reports1 2. According to the reports from 2005-10 the total spend in 2007-08 prices was £23 million against an allowance set by Ofgem of £75.2 million. For 2010-11 the spend was £2.91 million (in 2010-11 prices) against an allowance of £65.8 million for the whole 2010-15 price control. Figures on length of line undergrounded are not included in these reports. No existing transmission lines were undergrounded in these areas over this time period. However, Ofgem has consulted on including a provision for mitigating the visual impact of existing transmission infrastructure within certain designated areas in the next transmission price control (2013-21). It is currently considering stakeholder views and expects to publish its final proposals later this month. 1 http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/ElecDist/PriceCntrls/ DPCR5/Documents1/Electricity_Distribution_Annual_Report_for_2008-09_and_2009-10v2%5bl%5d.pdf. 2 http://www.ofgem.gov.uk/Networks/ElecDist/PriceCntrls/ DPCR5/Documents1/Electricity_Distribution_Annual_Report_ for_2010-11.pdf. EU: Trade Agreements Lord Taverne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the value of the European Union's current trade agreements with non-European Union countries to the United Kingdom economy and United Kingdom businesses. Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Government do not have estimates of the impact of all four of the EU's current free trade agreements (FTAs), with Chile, Mexico, South Africa and South Korea on the UK. For the most recent agreement, with South Korea, it has been estimated that the total economic benefit to the UK from the EU-South Korea FTA will be around £0.5 billion or a 0.05% increase in UK GDP. The projected gain in the EU's exports to Korea as a result of the EU-South Korea FTA is between 62% and 82%. For the earlier trade agreements, impact assessments were not carried out as the likely benefits were expected to be in line with those estimated for the EU as a whole. An evaluation of the impact of these FTAs on EU trade estimated that in 2008, they had increased the EU's exports to Chile by 148% and to South Africa by 63% compared to what they would have been without the FTAs. Whilst they did not find any significant increase in the EU's exports to Mexico, this was because the lengthy transition arrangements in the FTA meant that EU exporters were unlikely to have seen much benefit from the FTA by 2008. Food: Aspartame The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 22 November (WA 408), whether they will place in the Library of the House all the papers of the Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food and the Environment in relation to the safety of aspartame for the period from 28 March 1990 to the end of July 1992. Earl Howe: The Food Standards Agency (FSA) will review the relevant papers of the Food Advisory Committee and the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment with a view to placing the requested information in the Library. FSA officials are currently collating the information and I will write to the noble Countess, in due course, to inform her of the outcome of that process and place a copy of the letter in the Library. Government Departments: Staff Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have (1) received official warnings, and (2) faced disciplinary procedures, following breaches of security in each year since 1997. Lord De Mauley: Since 1997, core Defra has initiated disciplinary investigations and/or issued warnings against individuals due to security breaches as follows: Year Information 1997 There are no data available for this period 1998-2008 No disciplinary investigations or warnings issued 2009 One individual investigated under disciplinary procedure and issued with a warning 2010-2011 No disciplinary investigations or warnings issued 2012 One individual investigated under disciplinary procedure and issued with a warning 2012 One individual investigated under disciplinary procedure. No warning has been issued to date as the investigation is ongoing. Government Departments: Staff Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs were prosecuted for (1) speeding offences, (2) passing a traffic light at red, and (3) driving in a bus lane during its hours of operation, while driving a ministerial car, in each month since 1997. Lord De Mauley: Since its formation in June 2001, core Defra has not employed staff to drive ministerial cars. This function is provided by the Government Car Service, which is provided by the Department for Transport. Government Departments: Staff Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made any estimate of the savings to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs of each staff member working at least one day per week from home; and whether they will place in the Library of the House any evidence that enabled them to reach any conclusion in the matter. Lord De Mauley: Core Defra has not made an estimate of savings that would be made if each staff member worked at least one day per week from home. Government Departments: Staff Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many staff employed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are registered with that department as being disabled, broken down by grade, for each of the past five years for which figures are available. Lord De Mauley: Employees do not have to register that they have a disability with core Defra, but are asked voluntarily to declare their disability status. Information on the number of declared disabled employees by grade in core Defra is provided in the table below. Grade 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 AA 10 8 ** 5 ** AO 34 30 27 31 28 EO 31 30 30 42 35 HEO 31 32 35 53 43 SEO 9 8 8 11 12 Grade 7 13 14 18 23 17 Grade 6 8 8 10 11 ** SOS ** 5 6 8 ** Unknown* n/a n/a n/a n/a ** * Employees shown as being in an unknown grade on 31 March 2012 are former Regional Development Agency employees whose grade had yet to be assessed. ** Numbers below five are not shown for reasons of confidentiality. Government Departments: Trade Unions Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Department for Work and Pensions civil servants are (1) paid as departmental trade union side staff, and (2) are working for or seconded to unions; which trade unions are involved; and what is the estimated cost of those employees' salaries and associated employment expenses, broken down by union. Lord Freud: The departmental trade union side (DTUS) in the Department for Work and Pension (DWP) has one full-time chair and two full-time secretaries. They are all employed by DWP. Although they are officials of the Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), in accordance with DWP's Employee Relations Framework, DTUS represent all three of our recognised unions for the purposes of negotiation and consultation. They are executive officers (Band C) grade and the estimated combined cost of their gross annual salaries including superannuation costs and employer's national insurance contributions is £88,173 p.a. All travel expenses are met by PCS. There are no DWP employees working on secondment to trade unions. Government: Ministerial Meetings Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many official meetings ministers have had so far in 2012 with representatives of (1) the British Tamil Forum, and (2) the Global Tamil Forum. Baroness Warsi: Details of Ministers' official meetings are published on a quarterly basis and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications? departments%5B%5D=department-for-communities-and-local-government&publication_type= transparency-data. Details for the quarter from June to September 2012 will be published in due course. Health: Cancer Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 1 November 2011 (WA 236), what were the findings of the full evaluation of the impact of the Be Clear on Cancer lung cancer campaign launched on 10 October 2011. Earl Howe: The final evaluation report of the Be Clear on Cancer pilot lung cancer campaign is due to be published in 2013. The initial findings from the pilot showed improved public awareness of the symptoms of lung cancer and increased confidence in recognising symptoms. There was also a 23%. increase in the number of people who visited their general practitioner (GP) with relevant symptoms and an increase in referrals for chest x-rays and chest computerised tomography scans when compared with the same period in the previous year. 94% of the public and 87% of GPs surveyed supported the campaign and agreed that it was important. Health: Obesity Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to alert the public to the dangers of obesity and to issue dietary and physical exercise advice in both the broadcast and printed media. Earl Howe: Change4Life was launched in January 2009. It encourages everyone in England to "Eat well, move more, live longer". Originally developed as part of the childhood obesity prevention strategy, it targeted parents of children aged 5-11 and now seeks to inspire a broader audience from new mums to middle-aged adults. The campaign encourages positive behaviour change across a wide range of behaviours including: 5 A DAY;Move more;Sugar Swaps;Cut back on fat;Choose Less Booze; andWatch the Salt. The campaign uses the full range of communication channels including advertising across television, radio, press and online, partnership activity, public relations, local supporter activity and face-to-face. Change4Life continues to maintain a high level of trust with the public. More information on Change4Life can be found in the Change4Life Three Year Social Marketing Strategy which has been placed in the Library. Health: Typhoid Fever Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure adequate supplies in the National Health Service of typhoid fever vaccine. Earl Howe: Typhoid vaccination is not part of a national routine immunisation programme. Typhoid vaccine is purchased directly by general practitioner surgeries from suppliers for their patients and is not procured centrally by the department. The department is working with vaccine manufacturers to understand the current supply issues and help resolve any immediate shortages, by liaising with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency where appropriate. Health: Warfarin Lord Colwyn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients on long-term Warfarin prescriptions use self-monitoring technology. Earl Howe: Information on the number of people prescribed a particular medicine, or who are self monitoring their condition, is not collected. Health: Warfarin Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) local general practitioner practices, (2) primary care trusts, and (3) hospitals, currently offer Warfarin patients the option to self-monitor their condition; and whether they have any plans to encourage this further. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is a payment for general practitioners to provide anticoagulation tests in their practices; what is the amount of any such payments; and whether they have made an assessment of whether those payments act as a disincentive to general practitioners from encouraging patient self-monitoring. Earl Howe: The department does not collect information on the number of Warfarin patients offered the option to self-monitor their condition or on the payments made to general practitioners (GPs) for the provision of anticoagulation tests in their practices, which are services over and above the core requirements of the national GPs contract. The facility for self-monitoring of Warfarin patients and the provision of anticoagulation tests in GP practices are both local commissioning matters for primary care trusts to decide, including any assessment of the disincentives of such arrangements. From 1 April 2013, this responsibility will rest with the NHS Commissioning Board and clinical commissioning groups. The Government's mandate to the NHS Commissioning Board includes an objective to ensure the National Health Service becomes dramatically better at empowering patients to manage and make decisions about their own care and treatment. Achieving this objective would mean significant progress towards 3 million people with long-term conditions being able to benefit from telehealth and telecare by 2017 by supporting them to manage and monitor their condition at home, and reducing the need for avoidable visits to their GP practice and hospital. To support this objective the department will be consulting imminently with the General Practitioners Committee of the British Medical Association on changes it is proposing to make to the national GPs contract for 1 April 2013 in the absence of a satisfactory negotiated settlement. This includes further details of a proposal to introduce a new enhanced service to help patients with long-term conditions monitor their health. Housing Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the schemes for finance for (1) bringing empty houses back into use, and (2) renovating existing substandard houses, that they are providing or facilitating in England; and, in each case, how many and what type of housing units are involved; what is the nature and the origin of the finance; and when they expect that the housing will be re-occupied. Baroness Hanham: This Government have a comprehensive empty homes strategy, to refurbish and get empty homes back into productive use; this is in contrast to the last Administration, whose policies were focused on the demolition of homes. The Government have already committed £160 million to bring empty homes back into use. £100 million of this funding will be paid directly to local authorities, registered housing providers and community groups to bring around 7,350 empty homes back into use as affordable housing. £60 million will be allocated to 23 local authority areas which suffer from significant clusters of empty homes. This will produce a further 3,650 homes, resulting in a combined total of over 11,000 empty homes being brought back into use by April 2015. On 26 November, the Department for Communities and Local Government launched a second bidding round to bring a further 5,000 empty homes back into use using a share of £300 million announced in the Housing and Growth Package. Combined with existing empty homes commitments, this funding will take our overall target to over 15,000 empty homes or properties being brought back into use as housing by April 2015. We are further supporting local authorities to take a lead. Under the new homes bonus, local authorities also earn a financial reward for bringing a long-term empty home back into use. To date this has provided an income to local authorities of £59 million for almost 51,000 homes brought back into use. Our reforms on council tax flexibilities and the new empty homes premium will also allow councils to remove the tax subsidies being given to empty homes and instead use the funding to keep the overall rate of council tax down and support frontline services. My department's refurbishment schemes are also assisting the improvement of social housing and getting empty homes back into use. During the current spending review, the Government have allocated £1.6 billion to the Decent Homes Backlog programme to provide a grant to local authorities to support them in bringing 127,000 poor quality council homes up to the Decent Homes standard by April 2015. In addition, following a number of large-scale voluntary transfers, the Government have made Gap Funding Grants to private registered providers to enable stock to be brought up to Decent Homes standard. The total amount of gap funding will be £500 million during the current spending review, the majority of which is provided via the Homes and Communities Agency. Since 2012 the department provided gap funding direct for projects in London (totalling £25 million over 2012-14). It is expected that gap funding outside London will have contributed to making 43,500 homes decent between 2011 and 2015. We do not have comparable figures for London. By the end of April 2015, 18,500 homes will have been renovated through Housing Private Finance Initiative schemes. The Government's grant funding contribution does not differentiate between new build, refurbishment, related infrastructure, other capital and financing costs, so we are unable to give a breakdown of the costs. The above three schemes (Decent Homes, Gap Funding and Private Finance Initiative) cover a range of housing types. The rate at which properties are reoccupied following refurbishment will depend on a range of circumstances. Internet: 4G Spectrum Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish details of the auction of 4G spectrum capacity; when they expect to make a decision on licences; and when they expect to receive payment from successful bidders. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The matters raised are operational ones for the independent regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Ofcom announced on 30 November that the date for the submission of applications to be included in the auction would be Tuesday 11 December. On 7 December, Ofcom published further guidance for parties wishing to take part in the auction of 800 MHz and 2.6 GHz spectrum. It includes further details on matters such as payment of deposits, pricing increments and business continuity. This document is available from http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/ spectrum/spectrum-awards/. The document sets out a timeline for the auction process in days from the initiation of the auction. This initiation date has not yet been announced. There are a number of occasions throughout the auction process when applicants or bidders must make a payment to Ofcom. These are all specified in the regulations which are available from the link provided. Internet: Broadband Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many homes in the United Kingdom are unable to receive broadband services. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Ofcom's Communication Infrastructure Report 2012 stated that current generation broadband is available in close to 100% of premises in the UK. Ofcom estimated that 1.3% of UK premises were in potential broadband hotspots, but noted that where broadband is not available via fixed access networks, customers may have access via other technologies such as satellite and mobile services or local community schemes. More information is available from http://stakeholders. ofcom.org.uk/market-data-research/other/telecoms-research/broadband-speeds/infrastructure-report-2012/. Internet: Broadband Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of planning rules on the roll-out of superfast broadband in the areas referred to in clause 7 of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Clause 7 (now Clause 8) of the Growth and Infrastructure Bill will support the Government's aim to have the fastest broadband of any major European County by 2015. A detailed assessment of the impacts of this clause is contained in the impact assessment is available online at http://services.parliament.uk/bills/2012-13/growthandinfrastructure/documents.html. This makes clear that separately, the current planning prior approval requirements for the installation of fixed communications apparatus in protected areas are not conducive to achieving that aim as they can cause uncertainty and delay which can impact adversely on investment decisions and costs. Jobcentre Plus: Vacancies Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many vacancies were listed in Jobcentre Plus branches in each of the 32 London Boroughs and the City of London in each of the past five years. Lord Freud: I will arrange for copies of the information to be placed in the Library of the House. Judicial Review Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the 1,100 applications for judicial review, referred to by the Prime Minister in his speech on 19 November to the Confederation of British Industry, were related to planning. Lord McNally: The Prime Minister referred to 11,000 cases for judicial review in his speech to the CBI. The Administrative Court received 11,056 applications for permission to apply for judicial review between 1 January and 31 November 2012. Of these, 169 applications related to planning. Life Sciences Baroness Masham of Ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they intend to make of the implementation of actions set out in the UK Strategy for Life Sciences. Lord Marland: Progress to date in implementing the strategy was sent to stakeholders in a letter dated 20 August 2012. The letter was published on the Department for Business. Innovation and Skills website at: http://www.bis.gov.uk/assets/biscore/innovation/docs/1/12-1123-life-sciences-strategy-update-august-2012.pdf. A "One Year On" report updating on progress in implementing the Strategy for UK Life Sciences was published on 10 December 2012. Middle East Peace Process Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure through the Middle East Peace Quartet arrangements that the expenses and activities of the Office of the Quartet representative are properly monitored and accounted for. Baroness Warsi: The Government are in regular contact with the OQR, which undertakes a broad work programme focused on supporting the Palestinian economy and institutions in the West Bank (including East Jerusalem) and Gaza. Details of the OQR's work can be found in the OQR's Ad Hoc Liaison Committee (AHLC) report of September 2012. The OQR submits such reports to the AHLC on a bi-annual basis and maintains a regular dialogue with the international community, including the UK. Ofcom: Switching Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of Ofcom's progress in reviewing switching in the communications market since it announced its consumer switching review in April 2010. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Whilst no such assessment has been made, we are aware that the Office of Communications (Ofcom) is currently conducting a wide-ranging strategic review of switching to ensure that the consumers' experience of switching is made easier and stress free, both for now and in the future. This review covers the processes for switching broadband, landline, pay TV and mobile providers. According to Ofcom's analysis of consumer experience, switching of fixed line and broadband services has been identified as the area of greatest concern and Ofcom has therefore decided to focus on these as a priority. Earlier this year, Ofcom consulted on various options intended to make changing landline and broadband providers, delivered over BT's network, easier for consumers. Ofcom is currently considering the responses it has received and expects to set out next steps early next year. Ofcom anticipates that once the switching processes for landline and broadband have been resolved, it will then also consider whether switching reform is necessary across other services. Shipping: Frigates Lord Davies of Stamford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which Type 23 frigates are currently in service in the Royal Navy; what are their dates of commissioning; and what are their planned out-of-service dates. Lord Astor of Hever: There are 13 Type 23 frigates currently in service with the Royal Navy. The following table shows the date each ship was commissioned and its currently planned out-of-service date. Type 23 Frigates Name Date Commissioned Out-of-Service Date MS ARGYL May1991 2023 HMS LANCASTER May 1992 2024 F-IMS IRON DUKE May 1993 2025 HMS MONMOUTH September 1993 2026 MS MONTROSE June 1994 2027 EHIMS WESTMINSTER May 1994 2028 MS NORTHUMBERLAND November 1994 2029 E-IMSRICHMOND June 1995 2030 F-IMS SOMERSET September 1996 2031 MS SUTHERLAND July1997 2033 HMS KENT June 2000 2034 MS PORTLAND May 2001 2035 MS ST ALBANS June 2002 2036 Taxation: Income Tax Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been taken out of the income tax system by the increase in income tax thresholds since 2010 in (1) North East England, (2) Yorkshire and the Humber, and (3) North West England. Lord Newby: By 2013-14, the cumulative effect of the Government's increases for personal allowance for those aged less than 65 years, since 2010-11, will lift 2.2 million people out of the income tax system. A breakdown by country and region is shown in the table below. Government Office Region Number taken out of Income Tax (Thousands) North East 90 North West and Merseyside 249 Yorkshire and the Humber 192 East Midlands 167 West Midlands 194 East of England 200 London 255 South East 283 South West 191 Wales 109 Scotland 183 Northern Ireland 64 Address abroad / unknown 34 Total 2,210 These estimates are based on the 2009-10 Survey of Personal Incomes, projected to 2013-14, using economic assumptions consistent with the Office for Budget Responsibility's December 2012 economic and fiscal outlook. Taxation: Tax Relief Baroness Miller of Hendon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 12 November (WA 260), whether transfer pricing, base erosion and profit-shifting are scrutinised by HM Revenue and Customs against the criteria of being "wholly, exclusively, and necessarily" incurred before allowing them for tax relief. Lord Newby: Section 54 of the Corporation Taxes Act 2009 requires that expenditure for which a deduction is claimed for corporation tax purposes is incurred wholly and exclusively for the purposes of the company's trade. HM Revenue and Customs considers that test as part of its normal risk assessment process when reviewing corporation tax returns However, the requirement is of very limited use, in the context of transfer pricing and the countering of base erosion and profit shifting, as it is an all or nothing test. It considers the purpose of the expenditure rather than the quantum and a payment from a company which is a member of a group to another company within the same group will be very unlikely to fail that test. United Arab Emirates Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will encourage the Government of the United Arab Emirates to ratify the United Nations Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; what representations they have made regarding persons held in that country without charge and with no trial date; and what responses they have received. Baroness Warsi: The Government are committed to the protection and promotion of universal human rights. We raise these issues with the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on a regular basis, including at ministerial level through the UK-UAE task force, led by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt). We have consistently underlined, across the region, the importance of respect for the right to peaceful protest, freedom of speech and the internet, freedom of assembly and the rule of law. Emirati Ministers have assured us that those arrested will be treated according to UAE law and that due process is being followed in all cases.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2012-12-11a

Official Secrets Act: Defence of Necessity Lord Marlesford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will describe the essence of the defence of necessity in cases involving the Official Secrets Act indicating the origins of this defence and the main cases in recent years in which it has been used. Lord Goldsmith: Necessity is a common law defence which applies to all crimes. The origin of the defence of necessity in Official Secrets Act cases arises from the case of David Shayler, who was prosecuted for an offence under Section 1 of the Official Secrets Act 1989. In that case the Court of Appeal decided that in addition to the defences specifically provided by the Act the defence of duress or necessity of circumstance was available to defendants charged with an offence contrary to Section 1 of the 1989 Act. The essence of the defence is that it is available when a defendant commits an otherwise criminal act to avoid an imminent peril of danger to life or serious injury to himself or towards somebody for whom he regards himself as responsible. That person need not be named and may not be identifiable. If it is not possible to name the person it must be possible to identify them by reason of the threat to them which may be avoided by the defendant taking action. The defendant has a responsibility for them because he is placed in a position where he has a choice whether to take or not to take the action which will avoid them being injured. The act done should be no more than is reasonably necessary to avoid the harm feared and the harm resulting from the act should not be disproportionate to the harm avoided. The defence of necessity has been used in the case of David Shayler and was raised by the defence in the case of Katharine Gun. Bangladesh Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assurances were given to the last two meetings of Bangladesh donors by Ministers of the Bangladesh Government regarding the implementation of the Chittagong Hill tracts accord; whether they consider that those assurances have been implemented, and how they intend to pursue this matter at the next donors' meeting. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: During the 2002 and 2003 meetings of the Bangladesh Development Forum, donors expressed concerns over the Government of Bangladesh's handling of the Chittagong Hill tracts. They expressed particular concern at the slow pace of implementation of the Chittagong Hill tracts peace accord. Given this, we are disappointed with the continued lack of progress on implementation of the peace accord, and are concerned at the increasing unrest in the region including violent clashes between rival tribal groups, settlers and the military. In advance of the 2004 Bangladesh Development Forum in May we will be discussing with donor colleagues the most appropriate way to raise these concerns during that meeting. Rebo Passports Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they provide assistance or redress for foreign nationals in the event that their passports have been lost or mislaid by the Home Office; and, if so, of what sort. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Where the Immigration and Nationality Directorate accepts liability for the loss of a foreign national's or British citizen's passport, the person concerned is provided with a letter confirming the loss. This can be presented to the relevant Embassy or High Commission in the United Kingdom or the United Kingdom Passport Agency, to assist in obtaining a replacement document. Advice is also given about making a claim for compensation. The directorate offers ex-gratia payments for the cost of a replacement passport and any other reasonable expenses associated with obtaining the replacement document, including any expenses or losses occasioned by the individual being unable to travel as planned. A claim for redress must be supported by appropriate documentary evidence, eg. receipts, to show that the costs were reasonable and had been necessarily incurred. Electoral Commission Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: On how many occasions in how many counties since 2000 the Boundary Committee of the Electoral Commission has proposed two or three-member electoral divisions when recommending new boundaries; and whether they will give details of all such proposals together with the electorate of each such proposed division; and which proposals have not been approved. Lord Rooker: Prior to 2002 no recommendations were made for multi-member electoral divisions. Since April 2002 Government have no responsibility for the electoral arrangements of local authorities, which are now a matter for the Electoral Commission. It is the commission's responsibility to consider, and if it thinks fit implement, proposals for electoral arrangements put forward by the Boundary Committee. The noble Lord may therefore wish to write directly to the chairman for information regarding this issue. John B Fire and Rescue Authorities Lord Howie of Troon: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the national 1985 standards of fire cover will be withdrawn and replaced by fire cover arrangements based on the individual integrated risk management plans drawn up by fire authorities in England and Wales; and who will be responsible from that date for ensuring that the new fire cover arrangements are as efficient and effective as the 1985 standards. Lord Rooker: The recommended standards of fire cover will be superseded from 1 April 2004 when fire and rescue authorities implement their first agreed integrated risk management plans. These plans will detail locally determined response standards on the basis of authorities' assessment of risks to the community. Fire and rescue authorities have responsibility for making provision for firefighting purposes to efficiently meet all normal requirements. The Audit Commission will be responsible for assessing performance and will introduce a new inspection regime for the Fire and Rescue Service in co-operation with the Fire Service Inspectorate. Armed Forces: Fitness Tests Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government: What percentage of new recruits to the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force passed the initial fitness tests in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what were the equivalent figures over the past 10 years. Lord Bach: The information is not held centrally in the manner requested. Nevertheless, I am able to provide the following details. Naval Service All RN recruits are required to undertake a pre-joining fitness test which must be passed before entering the Service. Pass rates in the potential Royal Marines course average out at 50 to 55 per cent. Army All Army recruits must pass the initial fitness test in order to complete recruit training. Failure to complete a fitness test results in the recruit being retrained and retested. RAF All RAF recruits undertake the fitness test in week one of phase 1 training and again at the end of phase 1. During the period April to December 2003, the pass rates were 80 per cent and 88 per cent respectively. All recruits are expected to attain the standards of the RAF fitness test before the end of phase 2 training. Armed Forces: Swimming Tests Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government: What percentage of new recruits to the Army, Navy and Royal Air Force passed the initial swimming tests in the most recent year for which figures are available; and what were the equivalent figures over the past 10 years. Lord Bach: The information is not held centrally in the format requested. The following information is available. Naval Service All naval recruits have passed their initial swimming tests. RN recruits have to pass this element of their training before moving into the fleet. It is mandatory for a Marine to have completed the battle swimming test before he can be operationally deployed. Army Army recruits are not required to pass the military swimming test (MST). The MST may be completed at any time during a soldier's service and is recorded on each soldier's record of service. RAF The RAF has tested the swimming ability of new entrants only since June 2003. Between June 2003 and March 2004, some 1,775 recruits undertook their initial RAF swimming test, and 357 (20 per cent) could not achieve the required swimming standard. Rebo Ministry of Defence: Fire Services Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they plan to privatise the fire fighting section of the Ministry of Defence; if so, on what basis and when; and what benefits they expect as a result. Lord Bach: The airfield support services project is seeking the most cost-effective and viable solution for the provision of airfield support services, including wider fire services, without compromising operational capability and/or safety. No decision has yet been made about the outcome of this project and we will do so only following full and careful consideration of all the options. Although we are moving towards this point, I am not yet in a position to say exactly when this will be. Freedom of Information Act 2000 Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their timetable for the publication of guidance by the Department for Constitutional Affairs on the exemptions from the right of access and on procedural matters under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Lord Filkin: On 1 March 2004, my department issued eight draft exemption guidance chapters to the freedom of information practitioners' group. The representatives on the group are from Whitehall bodies. As soon as chapters of guidance have been cleared by the practitioners' group, they will be made available on the department's website, www.dca.gov.uk, so that practitioners within government and in the wider public sector can see the broad thrust of advice before publication. Work on the remaining guidance chapters is continuing and the department aims to issue the complete set of guidance in final edited format by September 2004. Copies of the guidance will be made available in the Libraries of both Houses at that time. Electoral Bodies: Employment of Staff Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people (full-time equivalent) were employed in 2000 for purposes relating to elections (a) by the Home Office, (b) by boundary commissions for England and Wales, and (c) by any other relevant organisations; and how many were employed at most recent date for which figures are available (a) by the Home Office, (b) in boundary commissions for England and Wales, (c) by the Local Government Boundary Committee, (d) by the Electoral Commission other than the Local Government Boundary Committee, and (e) by any other relevant organisations. Lord Filkin: I attach two tables on the number of full-time staff employed for purposes related to election issues. Table A covers those organisations named in the Question except the Electoral Commission, which is an independent body accountable directly to Parliament. It also assumed responsibility for the Local Government Boundary Committee for England in April 2002. As the Government have no responsibility for either the commission or the committee, the noble Lord may wish to write to the chairman of the Electoral Commission on the matters he raises. Table B covers other relevant government organisations. Staff employed (full-time equivalent) for purposes relating to elections -- Table A—Government Departments listed in Question Department 2000 2001 2004 Home Office 8.25 7.6 – Parly. Boundary Commission for England 15 (also covered Wales) – 15 Local Government Commission for England(1) 38 – – Local Government and Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Wales – – 0.71 (1) Functions, staff and responsibilities transferred to the Electoral Commission on 1 April 2002. It now forms the basis of the Boundary Committee for England a statutory Committee of the Electoral Commission Table B—Other Relevant Organisations Department 2000 2004 Dept for Constitutional Affairs – 22 Office of the Deputy Prime Minister(1) 1 14 Government Office for London 5 1 Scotland Office 0.9 3.8 Less than Less than Wales Office 1 1 Northern Ireland Office 3 3 Parly. Boundary Commission for Scotland 1.2 3.6 Parly. Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland 0 4 Local Government Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland 0 0 (1) Estimate. The ODPM did not exist in 2000 (the predecessor department was DETR). There was one FTE dealing with the periodic electoral reviews of the LGC. There may have been others on election matters but records of staff are not kept on a function basis. Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many civil servants currently work in the dental section of the Department of Health; and how many have worked in a similar capacity during the tenure of the last four Chief Dental Officers. Lord Warner: Ten Civil Service whole-time equivalent posts are currently assigned within the Office of the Chief Dental Officer, Professor Raman Bedi. As part of the Change Programme within the Department of Health, 14 whole-time equivalent Civil Service posts moved on 1 August 2003, with the associated functions, into a special health authority set up in shadow form to support dentists and the National Health Service in the run-up to the reform of NHS dentistry provided for in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003. This special health authority will replace the Dental Practice Board in due course. Both the Office of the Chief Dental Officer and the special health authority (shadow arrangements) are supported by a number of contractors and staff seconded from other organisations such as the NHS to work on specific projects. At 31 July 2003 just prior to the establishment of the special health authority (shadow arrangements) a total of 21 whole-time equivalent posts (excluding the post of Chief Dental Officer) were assigned to work on dentistry supported by a number of contractors and seconded staff. Additional support was provided as necessary by staff from the support divisions such as finance and human resources and from senior managers in the department. Arrangements for this additional support remain unchanged under the departmental change programme. The total number of civil servants working on dentistry has varied around 20 posts or so during the tenure of the three previous Chief Dental Officers supported by staff from elsewhere in the department and contractors or seconded staff as necessary. Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which primary care trusts the Ministers with responsibility for dentistry have met in the past nine months regarding access to National Health Service dentistry in their areas. Lord Warner: The Minister of State with responsibility for dentistry, as well as meetings with Strategic Health Authorities' chief executives and others, has met with four primary care trusts regarding access to NHS dentistry over the past nine months: 10 July 2003—Greater Peterborough Primary Care Partnership 12 August 2003—Lambeth PCT 26 February 2004—North East Lincolnshire PCT 3 March 2004—Isle of Wight PCT Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What has been the ratio of National Health Service dentists per head of population in each year since 1997. Lord Warner: The available information is for the number of National Health Service dentists (headcount) per 10,000 population and is given in the table for September in each of the years 1997 to 2002. NHS dentists cover dentists working in the general dental service (GDS), hospital dental service, community dental service, personal dental service (PDS) and salaried service of the GDS. Dentists working in more than one dental service are included in each service apart from dentists working in both PDS and GDS who are counted in the GDS only. Information for 2003 is not yet available. The information is based on dentist numbers and is not on a whole-time equivalent basis, which is not available. Dentists in the GDS are able to vary the amount of their dental work and to vary their NHS commitment. National Health Service: Number of dentists per 10,000 of population in England—September each year Year England 1997 4.21 1998 4.29 1999 4.38 2000 4.44 2001 4.57 2002 4.58 Note: Population data are based on 2001 census mid-year estimates. Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will list the current pilot sites which are testing the new National Health Service dentistry-based contract. Lord Warner: The NHS Modernisation Agency is currently working with a number of field sites who volunteered to test out the ideas and principles outlined in Options for Change (August 2002). The learning from these sites will inform the new contract that primary care trusts will be negotiating with dentists for 2005. However, Options for Change field sites are not directly testing the new contract that will replace current arrangements as this is still being consulted on. The Options for Change field sites are spread in terms of size and location, from a single practice in Barnsley to the whole of the south-west strategic health authority area. Up to the end of February 2004, over 150 dentists in around 60 practices have actually gone live with more due to follow shortly. The 28 specific field sites that are looking at new ways of remuneration are: Stockport Cannock Chase Barnsley Stratford upon Avon Sheffield Oldham Bolton Sheffield Manchester Nottingham Birkenhead Maltby York Taunton Salford Bury Lancaster Hereford St Austell Hornchurch Gloucestershire Ashington, Northumberland West Cumbria Manchester Leeds Nottingham Ealing Manchester Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What the current salary is for a community dental service dentist with: (a) one year's experience; (b) two to five years' experience; (c) five to 10 years' experience; and (d) over 10 years' experience. Lord Warner: Salary scales for the community dental service (CDS) are published by the Department of Health each April via an advance letter. The level of remuneration is determined by the annual review and recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Review Body. Based on the community dental officer salary scale published on 1 April 2003, a CDS dentist would earn: £29,365 after one year's experience and £31,815 to £39,165 after two to five years' experience. The community dental officer salary scale has eight spine points, so a dentist with eight years' experience on the 1 April 2003, would earn £46,515 subject to satisfactory performance. Additionally, a CDS dentist who had progressed through the remaining three paybands to the top of the clinical director of CDS scale on 1 April 2003 could expect to earn £64,610, subject to satisfactory performance. Dental Services Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What discussions the Department of Health has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Homelessness Unit regarding the provision of dental services to homeless people. Lord Warner: The Government are committed to rebuilding and restoring National Health Service dentistry to improve the oral health of the whole nation, including its most vulnerable members. One function of the community dental service is to provide dental care and treatment for people with special needs, including homeless people, from fixed-site and mobile outreach clinics. Forty-six NHS dental access centres located in areas of poor oral health provide dental services for patients who may not otherwise access dentistry. Under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003, every primary care trust will have a new duty to provide primary dental services to the extent it considers necessary to meet all reasonable requirements within its area. Children's Fund Lord Northbourne: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the total amount of grants made by the child support fund in each of the past five years. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Children's Fund programme was launched in November 2000. The programme paid out £15.9 million in 2001–02 and £99 million in 2002–03. Final outturn figures for 2003–04 are not yet available although to date the programme has spent £163 million out of commitments totalling £198 million. — clean International Sports Federations Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was UK Sport's budget for encouraging and maintaining United Kingdom influence within international sports federations; and how much was spent on the international representatives' grant aid programme for each year since 1997–98; and How many United Kingdom individuals are in senior positions on international sports federations; what are their names, positions and organisations; and what funding they have received from UK Sport for each year since 1997–98. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: UK Sport's budget for encouraging and maintaining United Kingdom influence in international sports federations is as follows: 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 International Federation support (£000) 11 100 100 131 168 148 International representatives' grant aid programme (£000) 230 375 360 390 390 390 Note: Data for the first year following UK Sport's inception (1997–98) are not available as the organisation's accounts were managed by Sport England and have been archived. There are currently 61 UK individuals in senior positions on international and European federations. Senior positions are defined as president, vice-president, treasurer, executive board member or council member. I am arranging for copies of a list of the names, positions and organisations of the 61 senior post holders to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Grants from the international representatives' grant aid programme budget are not made directly to individuals but to their sport's national governing body. Housing Benefit Lord Campbell-Savours: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many private tenancies in the Borough of Allerdale are in receipt of housing benefits; and How many private tenants in the Borough of Allerdale are in receipt of housing benefits. Baroness Hollis of Heigham: The number of private tenants in Allerdale local authority in receipt of housing benefit at August 2003 is 6,400. The number of private tenants (excluding registered social landlord tenants) in Allerdale local authority in receipt of housing benefit at August 2003 is 1,000. Source: Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent caseload stock-count August 2003. Notes: 1. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. The figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Housing benefit figures exclude any extended payment cases. 4. Information is not available on the number of tenancies for which benefit is payable. Parliamentary Ombudsman Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to introduce legislation to enable the public to have a right of direct access to the Parliamentary Ombudsman for complaints of maladministration. Lord Bassam of Brighton: As my honourable friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office made clear in the other place on 9 March (Offical Report, cols. 1379–80) discussions with the Parliamentary Ombudsman on this issue are continuing. Aircraft: Seat Spacing Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government: What conclusion the Joint Aviation Authorities reached on the need for common European standards for airline seat spacing; and whether their findings took account of the impact of the ageing and increasing longevity of Europe's population. Lord Davies of Oldham: I refer the noble Baroness to the Answer on 16 September 2003 (Official Report col. WA 172). The Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) did not reach a conclusion on the need for common European standards for airline seat spacing. The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) assumed responsibility for the design standards of most aircraft manufactured and operated in the European Union on 28 September 2003; this includes standards for airline seat spacing. The agency's draft rulemaking programme for 2005–07 recognises that the issue of seat spacing needs to be investigated, including the potential relationship to deep venous thrombosis (DVT). International Ship and Port Facility Security Code The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many vessels there are in the United Kingdom flag fleet; and how many have been issued with a security certificate under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code; and What resources they have allocated to ensure that all vessels in the United Kingdom are issued with security certificates under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code by 1 July 2004. Lord Davies of Oldham: There are over 600 UK flagged ships that are affected by the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code. The Department for Transport's Security Directorate (TRANSEC), in conjunction with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), has the policy lead and is responsible for introducing the ISPS code requirements. TRANSEC is responsible for UK ports and passenger shipping, and the MCA is responsible for non-passenger shipping, under a policy framework set by TRANSEC. Both TRANSEC and the MCA have recruited and trained new staff to ensure that they have adequate resources to fulfil the task of assessing and approving ship security plans, and are already issuing international ship security certificates to passenger and non-passenger ships. For security reasons it is not appropriate to disclose the number of ships that have already been issued with a certificate, however the vast majority now have approved plans. The Government expect that all UK flagged ships will comply with the required ISPS standards by the deadline date of 1 July 2004. International Ship and Port Facility Security Code The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will compensate the owner of a United Kingdom flag vessel who suffers financially if upon inspection that vessel is found to have a flawed security certificate issued under the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. Lord Davies of Oldham: As the designated authority under the ISPS code the Department for Transport has developed a rigorous ship security plan approval regime for the UK flagged fleet. Clear guidelines and deadlines have been issued to industry to submit their ship security plans to the Department for Transport's Security Directorate (TRANSEC) for passenger ships and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) for non-passenger ships for examination and approval. Once a plan has been approved, it must be verified on board the ship prior to issuing an international ship security certificate (ISSC). Any ship that does not comply with the UK's standards for implementing the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) code will not be issued with a certificate. Once an ISSC has been issued, the responsibility for ensuring continued adherence to the ship security plan will fall on the ship. UK flagged ships will be subject to compliance inspections, but the Government will not be in a position to compensate any operator that fails to maintain an adequate level of security. International Ship and Port Facility Security Code The Earl of Caithness: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many ports in the United Kingdom need to be assessed to meet the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code; how many have already been assessed; and how many have been certified as complying with the code; and What guidance and timescale they have issued to ports and port operators with regard to the implementation of the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code; and What resources they have allocated to ensure that all ports and port operations meet the requirements of the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code by 1 July 2004. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport's Security Directorate (TRANSEC) has the policy lead and is responsible for introducing the International Ship and Port Facility Security (ISPS) Code requirements to approximately 600 UK port facilities by the deadline date of 1 July 2004. TRANSEC has recruited and trained new inspectors to ensure they have adequate resources to fulfil the task of assessing port facilities and approving port facility security plans. For security reasons it is not appropriate to set out in detail the number of port facilities that have already been assessed or the number of port facility security plans approved. However, all of the major UK ports including the passenger operations have been assessed and port facility security assessment (PFSA) reports have been prepared. UK ports have two months from the date of receiving the PFSA reports in which to prepare and submit their plans. Along with the individual PFSA reports, industry has been provided with port facility security instructions and security standards for passenger, container ro-ro, other bulk cargo, and chemical oil and gas port facilities. These will form the basis of their port facility security plans. A port facility security plan template has also been made available to assist companies to prepare their plans.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2004-03-17a

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office North Korea: Human Rights Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of BBC reports that North Korean teenagers have been sentenced to hard labour for viewing K-drama, when they last raised violations of human rights directly with the North Korean Ambassador to the UK and the North Korean regime, and what response they received. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is deeply concerned about the appalling human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and the many reports of serious and wide-ranging human rights violations in the country, including the recent report by the BBC. The UK regularly raises our concerns about the DPRK's dire human rights record through its embassy in London and we remain committed to using all bilateral and multilateral channels to hold the DPRK to account, and urge the DPRK to address its human rights record to bring about permanent change and improvements for the people of North Korea. Zimbabwe: Commonwealth Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to any proposals for Zimbabwe to be readmitted as a member of the Commonwealth. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The decision on whether Zimbabwe re-joins the Commonwealth is for all Commonwealth members. The UK will review all final election observation reports, as well as the Secretary-General's report on membership readiness, before making any further assessment of Zimbabwe's readiness for readmission to the Commonwealth. Evan Gershkovich and Press Freedom Lord Kempsell: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about securing the release of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, and what steps they are taking to promote media freedom globally. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have called for Evan Gershkovich's immediate release. Senior UK officials regularly raise his case with Russian counterparts. The UK also remains in close contact with the US, which is providing consular support. The UK has condemned the Russian state's systematic repression of media freedom in various fora, including the UN Human Rights Council, General Assembly and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). As a co-founder of the Media Freedom Coalition, the UK is committed to media freedom and holding to account those who violate or restrict it. Fifty coalition countries work together to promote and protect media freedom globally. North Korea: Conflict Prevention Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a recent Joint Analysis of Conflict and Stability assessment has been made for North Korea; and if so, what plans they have to place a copy of this assessment in the Library of the House. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We regularly review the situation on the Korean Peninsula. The UK is committed to securing peace and we are clear that North Korea's nuclear and weapons programmes must be dismantled to ensure stability in the region. The Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF) issues an annual report covering threats to conflict and stability worldwide. Further reports and assessments of a specific nature are released on a case by case basis. North Korea: Conflict Prevention Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will raise the current escalation in North Korea at the next session of the Security Council. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK consistently condemns the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's (DPRK) persistent ballistic missile testing which breaches multiple UN Security Council (UNSC) resolutions and threatens regional peace and stability. The UK joined partners in calling for UNSC consultations on 18 January, where Ambassador James Kariuki condemned the DPRK's violation of UNSC resolutions and complete disregard for the international non-proliferation regime. We will continue to call out the DPRK's illegal actions until it returns to full adherence to its international obligations. Home Office Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sharpe of Epsom on 20 December 2023 (HL1278), on what basis the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) marked its reportInteraction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 "in confidence" and did not publish it, given that the working protocol between the Home Secretary and the ACMD states that "The ACMD will publish its advice concurrent with its presentation to Ministers,unless there are pressing public or health protection reasons, or other reasons,for not doing so." Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As the ACMD is an independent Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Home Office, the basis for publication of its reports is a matter for the ACMD. Home Office: Written Questions Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Sharpe of Epsom on 20 December 2023 (HL1279), whether they will now answer the question put; namely,what steps they are taking to inform parliamentarians about the two reports cited in the original question. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As set out by the response to Written Answer HL767 and HL1279, the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) marked the document titled “Interaction and relationship between the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 and the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016” “in confidence”. The Government has no plans to publish the document. The current Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, referred to in the response to question HL1279 is available on gov.uk at the following link: Working Protocol between the Home Secretary and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Cycling Lord Hogan-Howe: To ask His Majesty's Government what data or survey information the Department for Transport holds on (1) pedal cyclists breaching road traffic regulations, and (2) near misses or injuries caused by cyclists to pedestrians. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office collects and publishes data on Fixed Penalty Notices and other outcomes for motoring offences as part of the “Police Powers and Procedures: Other PACE powers” statistical bulletin. The most recent data, for 2021, are available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1118166/fixed-penalty-notices-and-other-motoring-offences-statistics-police-powers-and-procedures-year-ending-31-december-2021.odsThe Home Office collects data through a national fixed penalty processing system (PentiP), which includes some information on offences of pedal cyclists breaching road traffic collections. However, these data are not routinely published within the motoring offences statistics and are therefore not quality assured. Additionally, data are not collected on whether there were near misses or injuries sustained during an incident.The Home Office has also been informed by the Department for Transport that they do not hold data regarding either part of the question.fixed penalty notices and other motoring offences (xlsx, 11151.5KB) Home Office: Standards Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the efficacy of the Home Office. Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The efficacy of the Home Office is regularly assured through a number of accountability mechanisms. These include Home Office questions and the Home Affairs Select Committee in Parliament.The annual report and accounts provide a financial and narrative summary of the activities of the Department.They are published yearly on gov.uk, offering a review of the Home Office's vision and priorities for the year, and are subject to review by the National Audit Office. The latest one to be published covers 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2023. Cabinet Office Immigration: Overseas Students Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students. Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority. Please see the letter attached from the National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority. The Rt Hon. the Lord TyrieHouse of LordsLondonSW1A 0PW 24 January 2024 Dear Lord Tyrie, As National Statistician and Chief Executive of the UK Statistics Authority, I am responding to your Parliamentary Questions asking what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were foreign students (HL1764); and what proportion of the (1) gross, and (2) net, migration figures for 2022 were dependents of foreign students (HL1765).Your questions can be answered by using data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). These data can be found in our year ending June 2023 edition of our Long-term international immigration, emigration and net migration flows, provisional dataset [1]. This includes data up to June 2023. Specifically, for long term migration [2] by reason, including study visas, please see table 3 of the aforementioned dataset. Please note that the estimates within the dataset are still provisional.For the year ending December 2022, estimates for both students and dependants are available for non-EU migrants. We do not currently have comparable figures for EU and British nationals.For the year ending December 2022, total immigration was 1,234,000, of which 1,030,000 were non-EU migrants. For the year ending December 2022, 315,000 students immigrated long-term, 31% of all non-EU migrants. In addition, 93,000 student dependants immigrated long-term, 9% of all non-EU migrants. For the year ending December 2022, total emigration of all nationalities was 489,000 and emigration of non-EU migrants was 157,000. 72,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study visa leaving (46% of all non-EU emigrants) and a further 12,000 were non-EU migrants who initially arrived on a study dependant visa leaving (8%). To calculate net migration for students and their dependents, we take the number of individuals who emigrated – who initially arrived in the UK on a study visa (or study-dependant visa) – away from the number of individuals who immigrated on a study visa (or study-dependant visa). This comes with some caveats. It compares immigration to emigration within the same period, so the migrants counted are a summary of both past and current behaviours at a fixed point in time. Individuals counted as an emigrant in this method could have transitioned to a different visa type during their time in the UK. This means that this measure could present a distorted view of the true causes for migration, for example where someone studies and then works. For the year ending December 2022, net migration of non-EU migrants was 873,000. 243,000 was net migration for study visas, 28% of all non-EU net migration and 82,000 were study dependants, 9% of all non-EU net migration. Figures used to answer your questions in this response have been included in Table 1.Table 1: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending December 2022Year ending Dec 2022All nationalitiesAll Non-EU migrantsNon-EU StudentsNon-EU Student dependantsImmigration1,234,0001,030,000315,00093,000Emigration489,000157,00072,00012,000Net migration745,000873,000243,00082,000 The most up to date information is from year ending December 2023. This has been provided in Table 2 in case helpful. Table 2: Immigration, Emigration and Net Migration for year ending June 2023Year ending June 2023All nationalitiesAll Non-EU migrantsNon-EU StudentsNon-EU Student dependantsImmigration1,180,000968,000282,00096,000Emigration508,000200,00088,00027,000Net migration672,000768,000194,00069,000 Because of the increases seen in the immigration of students in the recent time periods, we would expect emigration to continue to rise as those students come to the end of their studies. However, research in our Reason for international migration, international students update: November 2023 article [3] suggests that more recent cohorts of students are staying in the UK for longer. We will continue to monitor this trend to see how it evolves over time.When accessing any of our files, you may find it helpful to read the 'notes, terms and conditions' contained within them.Yours sincerely,Professor Sir Ian Diamond[1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/datasets/longterminternationalimmigrationemigrationandnetmigrationflowsprovisional[2] We continue to use the UN definition of a long-term migrant: a person who moves to a country other than that of their usual residence for at least a year. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/bulletins/longterminternationalmigrationprovisional/yearendingjune2022#glossary[3] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/populationandmigration/internationalmigration/articles/reasonforinternationalmigrationinternationalstudentsupdate/november2023 UK Statistics Authority (pdf, 164.9KB) Public Sector: Procurement Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Neville-Rolfe on 11 December (HL589) where they stated that "before laying the National Procurement Policy Statement in Parliament a Minister of the Crown must carry out such consultation as the Minister considers appropriate", how they intend to consult relevant stakeholders, such as providers of goods and services, prior to laying that statement. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Cabinet Office will develop and deliver its approach to consultation in line with the requirements in Section 13 of the Procurement Act. Cybersecurity Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to reports thatspending on overseas cyber security programmes doubled last year, what assessment they have made of the impact of that increased spending on the cyber safety of (1) citizens, and (2) businesses. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Programming on cyber security plays an important role in protecting commercial opportunities and sustaining UK competitiveness in a key growth sector as well as helping organisations and citizens better manage cyber risks. The Financial Year 2022/23 Annual Report on the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund highlighted increased spending and the transfer of a wide range of skills overseas to support UK cyber security objectives. This included public awareness campaigns and training with national Computer Security Incident Response Teams, ensuring critical assets overseas are better protected from cyber-attacks. As a result, UK Government-funded projects have led to the arrest of cyber criminals across Africa, improved threat intelligence sharing in the Indo Pacific, and supported the implementation of a new national Cyber strategy in Georgia. Department for Business and Trade Accountancy: Software Lord Field of Birkenhead: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that accounting software used in the UK is free of flaws and defects, such as those experienced with the Horizon system. Lord Johnson of Lainston: Like business software in general, accounting software is not directly regulated in the UK. The directors of a UK company must prepare accounts that give a true and fair view of its assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss. This builds on requirements that the company keeps adequate records for preparation of accounts. It is for the company to ensure software supporting these requirements does not cause them to fail to be met. Where accounting software is not fit for purpose, a company may have contractual remedies for breach of quality by the supplier, depending on the contract terms. Recovery Loan Scheme Lord Kamall: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the Recovery Loan Scheme which is due to expire in June; and if so, when this will be announced, and when it will be extended until. Lord Johnson of Lainston: As at 30 June 2023, businesses had drawn more than 20,000 facilities, totalling more than £4.34bn, through the Recovery Loan Scheme.We are consulting with lenders and business representative organisations on how best to continue to support businesses, including on the role of a government-backed loan guarantee scheme. Any such scheme would be announced in Parliament in due course. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Combined Authorities: Audit Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the auditing arrangements for combined authorities. Baroness Penn: All combined authorities are legally required to have an audit committee. The Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016, and the Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information Audit Committees) Order 2017, set the requirements for audit committees in combined authorities. These arrangements ensure that there is independent assurance of combined authorities governance, internal control and risk management arrangements, as well as the statutory financial reporting process.Separately, combined authorities, in line with the requirements on all local authorities, are required to publish audited annual financial accounts. Combined authorities are not immune to the cross-system challenges currently facing the local audit market. The government working with system partners has developed proposals to tackle the exceptional circumstance of the current backlog and ensure a return to timely delivery of high-quality financial reporting and external audit in local bodies. We will consult on these imminently. Treasury Taxation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the feasibility of cutting taxes in the upcoming budget, further to the report, Public sector finances, UK: December 2023, published by the Office for National Statistics on 23 January, and having regard to the overall stability of the economy. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is committed to sustainable public finances and has taken responsible decisions to keep debt falling and borrowing at a sustainable level.Autumn Statement 2023 confirmed that inflation has been halved and underlying debt is forecast to fall. The Chancellor is now delivering on his commitment to cut taxes – making full expensing permanent so businesses can invest for less. In addition, the Chancellor’s reforms to NICs will cut taxes for 29 million working people. These reforms will grow the economy, and make the tax system simpler for businesses and individuals. The Chancellor announced in December that he has commissioned the Office for Budget Responsibility to prepare an updated economic and fiscal forecast to be presented to Parliament alongside his Spring Budget on 6 March 2024. Revenue and Customs: Criminal Investigation Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 22 January (HL1443), inwhat circumstances His Majesty's Revenue and Customs would seek account details from banks for specified categories of tax payers beyond individuals already suspected of fraud. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) can ask for bank account details when reasonably required by the officer for the purpose of checking the taxpayer’s tax position, or for the purpose of collecting a tax debt of the taxpayer, as set out in Schedule 36 Finance Act 2008 information and inspection powers. They also have data-gathering powers that enable them to collect data from certain third parties to use in compliance activities and that includes requesting from financial institutions information relating to accounts of recipients of bank and building society interest, as detailed in Schedule 23 Finance Act 2011. Operationally, when investigating, HMRC work on a case-by-case basis after identifying where tax is most at risk of not being paid, and design tailored, targeted and proportionate interventions to address it. They may need specific information to check a person's tax position where it may be incorrect, whether this inaccuracy was deliberate or erroneous. The vast majority of people co-operate with requests for such information and this collaborative approach enables HMRC to check the person's tax position quickly and effectively. Where this does not happen, they may use their legal powers to obtain the information directly from financial institutions. Tax Evasion: Prosecutions Lord Sikka: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people and corporate bodies have been investigated, charged, and prosecuted for facilitating tax evasion under the Criminal Finances Act 2017, and what the outcomes of these investigation and enforcement activities have been in each case. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Criminal Finances Act 2017 came into effect on 30 September 2017 and are new offences applicable to organisations that fail to prevent the facilitation of tax evasion from that date onwards. Updates on the number of HMRC interventions are provided bi-annually on Gov.UK pages Number of live Corporate Criminal Offences investigations - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) The Criminal Finances Act 2017 is specific legislation in relation to corporates and not individuals, so the element of the question pertaining to individuals is not applicable and no information can be provided in that respect. However, as per a previous PQ HL6278 asked on 8th March 2023, tackling enablers of tax fraud remains a top priority for HMRC. HMRC is working with partners across the world to take action against enablers. Ministry of Defence Yemen: Military Intervention Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government which military assets, such as airports, the government of Saudi Arabia has made available to other members of the NATO Alliance currently mounting operations against the Houthi. The Earl of Minto: His Majesty's Government can confirm that Saudi Arabia have not made any military assets available to any NATO members in any operations against the Houthis. NATO: Expenditure Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of gross domestic product each member of the NATO Alliance spends on defence. The Earl of Minto: NATO allies' defence spending data, including as a percentage of GDP, is published on the NATO website. The latest figures are from July 2023 and are due to be updated in February 2024. Department of Health and Social Care Breast Cancer: Screening Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1800), why the improvement plan for the NHS breast screening programme is not set to be published. Baroness Merron: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1798), why there are no timescales for reaching the achievable target of 80 per cent for breast cancer screening. Lord Markham: NHS England has developed an internal national plan in collaboration with key stakeholders to improve uptake within the breast screening programme from 2023 and beyond. This plan will encompass a series of evaluative projects which are expected to report by April 2024 There is currently no intention of publishing the internal plan, but it is available on the NHS Futures Platform. This is a collaboration platform that empowers everyone working in health and social care to safely connect, share and learn across boundaries. NHS England and the Department are working in collaboration to establish a set of improvement objectives. Rather than a timescale for reaching the target of 80%, each region has a local improvement plan and are working to reach the agreed efficiency standard following restoration of services post COVID-19 pandemic. It was agreed that a quantified focus on reducing variation was preferable to setting timescales. Audiology: Paediatrics Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government how manypaediatric audiology departments in England meet the 42-day waiting list target for an initial hearing assessment for babies and children. Lord Markham: National Diagnostic Waiting Times data is published monthly by NHS England. The latest data for November 2023, combining both adult and paediatric services, shows that 37% of patients are waiting more than six weeks for audiology assessment. Cancer: Research Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government why, of the G7 nations, only the UK is represented by a charity and not a government agency in the G7 Cancer initiative. Lord Markham: The G7 Cancer Alliance is an initiative of the French National Cancer Institute, not a formal initiative of the G7 forum. As such it is made up of governmental and non-governmental organisations from G7 countries, with Cancer Research UK representing the United Kingdom. The Department works closely with research funding partners, such as Cancer Research UK, the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), that fund research on new scientific discoveries. The Government works together with international partners in various fora to tackle some of the biggest health challenges of our time, including cancer. The Department recognises the importance of international cooperation on health research and has recently launched the Cancer Research Transatlantic Development and Skills Enhancement award through the NIHR, and in cooperation with the Medical Research Council and the United States National Cancer Institute. Overall, NIHR expenditure on cancer research was nearly £122 million in 2022/23, the biggest funding allocation for any single disease area. Contraceptives: Taxation Baroness Northover: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to their policy paper2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth: summary of the heads of agreement, published on 20 November 2023, what assessment they have made of any potential detrimental impact on women's health if thetax on the contraceptive implant Nexplanon is increased to 35 per cent. Lord Markham: The 2024 voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing, access and growth (VPAG) introduces a new way of controlling the cost of older medicines that is explicitly pro-innovation and pro-competition. We do not anticipate this resulting in a detrimental impact on women's health or, given the available mitigations, on the supply of medicines.Medicines for women’s health will be subject to the VPAG in the same way that all other medicines are. They will be subject to the top up payment percentage only when they have not seen a sufficient price decline since the active substance lost market exclusivity.In exceptional circumstances, where a product would otherwise be uneconomic to supply, companies can apply to the Department for a price increase or for an adjustment to the top up payment percentage that applies. Audiology: Paediatrics Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government how manypaediatric audiology departments there are in England in total; and how many of those currently meet the UK Accreditation Services Improving Quality in Physiological Services Accreditation standards. Lord Markham: There are 134 paediatric audiology services nationally and of those, approximately 20% are accredited by the United Kingdom Accreditation Service for Improving Quality in Physiological Services. NHS England has a dedicated programme of work that will support the increase of accreditation for audiology services nationally. Audiology: Paediatrics Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made by NHS England’s National Paediatric Hearing Improvement Programme; and what findings it has found following its review of data for newborn babies in England. Lord Markham: The Paediatric Hearing Services Improvement Programme is focussed on delivering several strategic interventions over a short, medium and long-term period. Some of the key areas of focus include: supporting the audiology workforce with training and education,; supporting services to achieve accreditation with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS); and supporting paediatric audiology services regarding review of patient records, including ensuring that children identified as requiring reassessment are prioritised.NHS England’s Newborn Hearing Screening Programme investigation indicated areas for improvement in:- the quality of practice;- workforce training and education;- data, results and report management;- quality assurance;- the peer review process; and- UKAS Improving Quality in Physiological Services accreditation. Wales Office Wales Office: Senedd Cymru Lord Wigley: To ask His Majesty's Government when the Prime Minister last visited Senedd Cymru, and on how many occasions during 2023 he had discussions in person with the First Minister of Wales. Baroness Swinburne: The Prime Minister visits all parts of the United Kingdom regularly. Details of official visits can be found on the gov.uk website as part of the government’s transparency agenda. The Prime Minister also undertakes party political visits across the United Kingdom. The Secretary of State for Wales, the Minister for Intergovernmental Relations and the Prime Minister undertake constructive engagement with the Welsh Government and the Senedd Cymru, with relevant meetings as appropriate. Details of future official visits will be announced in the usual way. Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Life Sciences: Respiratory Diseases Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how they are measuring progress on the respiratory mission, announced as part of the 2021 Life Sciences Vision, and (2) what progress has been made Viscount Camrose: The Government has engaged with stakeholders to define and develop the scope of work to be undertaken under the Respiratory Mission. Meanwhile, the Government has committed funding to support respiratory research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the Medical Research Council. This investment is aligned to the aims and ambitions of the proposed Respiratory Mission, outlined in the Life Science Vision, to reduce the morbidity and mortality associated with respiratory disease. Life Sciences: Respiratory Diseases Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will (1) appoint a chair to lead the respiratory mission within the Life Sciences Vision, and (2) provide funding to enable the delivery of the respiratory mission as it has done in the case of the cancer, obesity and mental health missions. Viscount Camrose: The Government has engaged with stakeholders to define and develop the scope of work to be undertaken under the Respiratory Mission, which aims to reduce the mortality and morbidity from respiratory disease in the UK and globally. At this point a chair of the Respiratory Mission has not been appointed. Life Sciences: Health Services Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government when they will publish detailed implementation plans, covering those health missions within the Life Sciences Vision, as undertaken at its launch in July 2021. Viscount Camrose: Four of the healthcare Missions published in the 2021 Life Sciences Vision: Dementia, Cancer, Obesity and Mental Health, as well as the Addiction Mission (announced as part of the 2021 Drugs Plan, ‘From harm to hope’) have recruited Chairs, have comprehensive delivery plans and objectives, and are beginning to make substantial investments to operationalise these. Progress on the delivery of the Missions, and the related investments, have and will continue to be made available online at a regular cadence.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2024-02-01

16-19 Bursary Fund Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much government funding has been made available for the Education Maintenance Allowance and its replacement Bursary Fund each year since 2010. Lord Nash: The amount of government funding allocated to the Education Maintenance Allowance and the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund each year since 2010 is set out in the table below. The Bursary Fund budget is £180m per academic year. Financial Year Education Maintenance Allowance 16 to 19 Bursary Fund 2010 to 2011 £564m 2011 to 2012 £317m £77m* 2012 to 2013 £159m** 2013 to 2014 £180m 2014 to 2015 £180m 2015 to 2016 £180m * Part-year funding in the transitional year. ** Amounted to £180m over the full academic year. The academic year straddles two financial years. 16-19 Bursary Fund Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are evaluating the impact and take-up of the 16 to 19 education Bursary Fund. Lord Nash: The 16 to 19 Bursary Fund was introduced in September 2011. It provides financial support to young people who face significant financial barriers to participation in education or training post-16. An independent evaluation of the Bursary Fund commenced in April 2012 and runs until early 2015. The two strands of the evaluation examine, firstly, the effectiveness of its administration by schools, colleges and providers, and secondly, its impact on participation and attainment, especially for the poorest and most disadvantaged young people. There are two published process reports on the administration of the scheme, which include results from institutional and student surveys. An interim impact report has also been published. Final reports from both strands are due to be published early in 2015. All published reports are available, along with copies of the research briefs, on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/evaluation-of-the-16-to-19-bursary-fund-year-1-report#history Banks: Finance Lord Sharkey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what data they collect or intend to collect on the sale of contingent convertible bonds by banks regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority. Lord Deighton: HM Treasury does not collect any data on the sale of contingent convertible bonds by banks regulated by the Prudential Regulation Authority, and does not currently have any plans to do so. Children: Internet Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that children are taught the skills to use and to critique digital technologies in order to use the internet safely and knowledgeably. Lord Nash: It is essential that we have a generation of pupils who have the knowledge and skills they need to become active creators of digital technology, not just passive consumers. This is why the Government introduced the new computing curriculum, which has been taught in schools since September 2014. It provides a core of computer science knowledge as well as ensuring that children understand how computer networks such as the internet operate. From key stage 1, children must also be taught how to use technology safely and respectfully, how to keep personal information private, and where to go for help and support when they have concerns about content or contact on the internet or other online technologies. Pupils in secondary schools will be taught a range of ways to use technology safely, respectfully, responsibly and securely, including protecting their online identity and privacy. They will learn how to recognise inappropriate content, contact and conduct and know how to report concerns. All schools, including primary schools, are encouraged to teach children about the dangers of social media in an age-appropriate way. Crime Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the level and effectiveness of the United Kingdom's co-operation with the Irish Republic in tackling cross-border serious and organised crime. Lord Bates: Crime, and especially organised crime, does not respect borders. International co-operation is therefore essential. The relationship with the Republic of Ireland is particularly important given its land border with a part of the United Kingdom. The relationships between the law enforcement agencies in Northern Ireland, who are devolved to the Northern Ireland Executive, as well as bodies such as HM Revenue and Customs, Border Force and the National Crime Agency which are UK-wide bodies, and their counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, are very good. A North South cross border organised crime conference was held on 1-2 October involving all the major bodies. This is one example of the desire to develop that co-operation further. There are also plans for a cross border forum on human trafficking and forced labour in January of next year. East Coast Railway Line Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the annual profits to be made by the successful bidders for the East Coast rail franchise. Baroness Kramer: The level of profit bid by Inter City Railways Limited is commercially sensitive. It is not guaranteed and is commensurate with the risks associated with a franchise of this size and nature. The Government has put in place a profit cap and profit sharing mechanism to prevent any possibility of “over-compensation”. Embassies Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many embassies or consulates they have closed in each year since 2010. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not closed any Embassies over this period but has suspended operations in Tehran, Damascus and Tripoli for security reasons. Overall, the total number of FCO posts (Embassies, Consulates-General, Consulates, Multilateral Missions and Trade and Investment Offices) worldwide has risen from 257 to 267 since 2010. However, in order to help fund expansions elsewhere, we have closed a number of Consulates in Europe and elsewhere, as new technology has enabled us to deliver services in different ways. The FCO has closed the following Consulates-General and Consulates since 2010: 2010: One: Consulate-General Geneva, Switzerland2011: Two: Consulate-General Lille, France; Consulate-General Venice, Italy2012: Three: Consulate-General Basra, Iraq; Consulate Florence, Italy; Consulate Funchal, Portugal 2013: One: Consulate Pattaya, Thailand The FCO has also downgraded the following Consulates-General and Consulates to Trade and Investment Offices since 2010: 2012: Two: Consulate-General Lyon, France; Consulate Naples, Italy 2014: One: Consulate Bilbao, Spain EU Budget: Contributions Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 November (HL2610), what are the gross contributions during the same periods. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Data for the years 2009-10 to 2013-14 can be found in Table C.1 of HM Treasury’s Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses of July 2014, attached[1]: The 2014-15 forecast can be found in Table 2.19 of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s Economic and fiscal outlook supplementary and fiscal tables—December 2014, attached[2]: This Answer, as a precedent, included the following attachment [1] [2] Transactions with EU (Stoddart of Swindon tables.docx) Financial Services Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the fund management industry in the light of the finding by the Financial Services Consumer Panel that it has “underlying structural deficiencies” which are working to the detriment of retail investors. To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will introduce a single figure for costs including management and trading costs to be required of investment managers when reporting to investors. Lord Deighton: The government is committed to ensuring that customers are treated fairly when they make investment decisions and are able to get the best outcomes from their investments. Ensuring that customers can easily understand and compare products is an important part of this. The Government noted the Financial Services Consumer Panel’s contribution to the debate on these issues, including introducing a single figure for costs, and will consider the recommendations made. Financial Services Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take in respect of “active managers” following an index despite charging for stock picking expertise; and whether they intend to impose fines for the mis-selling of such products and to pursue a clawback of costs and bonuses. Lord Deighton: This is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which is operationally independent from Government. This question has been passed on to the FCA. They will reply directly to the noble Lord by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House. Financial Services Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce legislation obliging financial companies to protect against cyberbreaches, money laundering and fraud. Lord Deighton: The UK already has a comprehensive anti-money laundering and counter financing of terrorism regime. The international money laundering standards set by the Financial Action Task Force form the basis of EU legislation, which is incorporated into various pieces of UK law, predominantly the Money Laundering Regulations (2007) and the Proceeds of Crime Act (2002), both of which apply to financial institutions. The UK Government has no plans to introduce legislation obliging financial companies to protect against fraud. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), which regulates most financial institutions, expects firms within its supervisory remit to establish, implement and maintain adequate policies and procedures to reduce the risk that they may be used for financial crime. This includes money laundering, anti-bribery and corruption, and fraud. The Government works very closely with the financial sector through such initiatives as the CISP (Cyber Security Information Sharing Partnership) and CERT-UK (the UK’s national Computer Emergency Response Team), and has participated in cyber security exercises with the sector to test defences, such as the Waking Shark II exercise held earlier this year. In addition, the Treasury is working with the relevant Government agencies, the Bank of England (including the Prudential Regulation Authority) and the FCA to respond to the Financial Policy Committee’s recommendation to work with core parts of the UK financial sector to put in place a programme of work to improve and test resilience to cyber attack. Free Movement of People Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union country; and how many citizens of each of those countries have immigrated to the United Kingdom. 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 Laird, dated December 2014 As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens are resident in each European Union country; and how many citizens of each of those countries have immigrated to the United Kingdom. [HL3428] ONS does not collect information regarding British citizens resident in other EU countries. However, Eurostat publishes figures on population by citizenship for EU countries, which are available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/portal/page/portal/population/data/database Table 1 shows population estimates of UK citizens for each EU country based on its 2011 Census results. These are not ONS estimates. ONS collects data on country of birth and nationality from the Annual Population Survey (APS). The APS is the Labour Force Survey (LFS) plus various sample boosts. It is a household survey and so does not include people living in most types of communal establishment. Table 2 shows estimates of the number of EU nationals resident in the UK, for the latest period for which data is available which is January to December 2013. Estimates are shown in the table alongside their margin of error. This refers to the 95 per cent confidence interval and is a measure of the uncertainty associated with making inferences from a sample survey. 2014 estimates will be published in August 2015. Table 1: Estimated population of UK citizens resident in each EU country, Census 2011. Country Estimate Austria 8,431 Belgium 24,975 Bulgaria 2,605 Croatia 334 Cyprus 24,046 Czech Republic 5,182 Denmark 14,700 Estonia 310 Finland 3,454 France 157,062 Germany 96,200 Greece 15,388 Hungary 2,602 Italy 22,673 Latvia 243 Lithuania N/a Luxembourg 5,480 Malta 6,652 Netherlands N/a Poland 2,058 Portugal 15,774 Republic of Ireland 112,090 Romania N/a Slovakia 605 Slovenia 386 Spain 308,805 Sweden 18,119 Note : These are not ONS estimates. Estimates are based on the census results for each country, reference dates vary between countries, ranging from 31/12/2010 (Finland) to 31/12/2011 (Sweden). Source : https://ec.europa.eu/CensusHub2/ Table 2: Estimated population resident in the United Kingdom by nationality, January 2013 to December 2013 Figures in thousands Country Estimate +/- CI Austria 15 5 Belgium 16 6 Bulgaria 49 10 Croatia 5 3 Cyprus 34 8 Czech Republic 42 9 Denmark 22 6 Estonia 6 3 Finland 10 4 France 147 17 Germany 126 15 Greece 41 9 Hungary 72 12 Italy 133 16 Latvia 88 13 Lithuania 156 17 Luxembourg 2 2 Malta 8 4 Netherlands 66 11 Poland 726 37 Portugal 136 16 Republic of Ireland 329 25 Romania 128 16 Slovakia 55 10 Slovenia 4 3 Spain 90 13 Sweden 35 8 Source : Annual Population Survey (APS), ONS http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/taxonomy/index.html?nscl=Population+by+Nationality+and+Country+of+Birth#tab-data-tables Free School Meals Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Welsh Government’s initiative on free breakfasts in primary schools; and what steps they will take to ensure that more schools provide breakfast clubs for pupils. Lord Nash: The Government has not made a formal assessment of the Welsh Government’s initiative on free breakfasts in primary schools. Provision of breakfast was one of the issues considered in the independent School Food Plan. In response to the Plan’s recommendations, the Government is now funding the setting up of self-sustaining breakfast clubs in 184 schools in England which have free school meal entitlement of 35% or higher. Gibraltar Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide a summary of the range of regulatory and other measures which have been taken by the government of Gibraltar to counter money laundering and all forms of financial criminality. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Measures to tackle money laundering and international financial crime in Gibraltar rest with Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar (HMGoG). HMGoG informs us that Gibraltar has anti money laundering legislation in full compliance with its EU obligations and has been independently reviewed by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and others. We understand that Gibraltar is well advanced on meeting the FATF recommendations and preparing for the future 4th anti-money laundering directive. Gibraltar’s Financial Intelligence Unit is a member of the international Egmont Group and shares information with all members of the Group. HMGoG has recently produced a full update on its international measures to fight financial crime, and we will place a copy in the Library of the House. Notably, Gibraltar has entered into the equivalent of 125 tax information exchange agreements and is committed to automatic tax exchange with the UK, the USA and some 90 other countries via the Common Reporting Standard. Gibraltar: Spain Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the most recent visit of the European Union Monitoring Commission to the Gibraltarian border with Spain concerning the flow of traffic; and whether they will publish and place in the Library of the House the letters which the Commission has sent to them and to the government of Spain concerning the cross-border traffic. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Following the technical visit by the team of European Commission experts to the Gibraltar-Spain border, the Commission wrote to the authorities on both sides with further recommendations and sought an additional update within three months. The European Commission has publicly stated that it considers that checks giving rise to waiting several hours to cross the border are disproportionate and has also expressed concerns about the lack of action from Spain to tackle the delays. By contrast, the Commission has welcomed the steps taken by Her Majesty’s Government of Gibraltar (HMGoG) to address its recommendations, including infrastructure upgrades aimed at improving risk-based profiling of travellers crossing the border. HMGoG has since replied to the European Commission with their update. We will place a copy of the letter from the European Commission to the UK in the Library of the House. The Commission has not shared their letter to the Government of Spain with us. Gibraltar: Spain Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in improving the flow of traffic across the border between Spain and Gibraltar in the last six months. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While it is encouraging to see that delays at the border between Gibraltar and Spain have continued to improve over the last six months, disproportionate checks by the Spanish authorities are still in place and continue to unjustly impact on the lives of ordinary EU citizens. Gibraltar: Spain Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether proposed ad hoc talks involving them and the governments of Spain and Gibraltar are to take place; and if so, at what level and with what agenda. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), proposed ad hoc talks involving official and expert level participants in April 2012. The aim is to improve regional cooperation on issues of mutual interest. We are working with the other participants to agree details, including the date and agenda, and are optimistic that talks will be able to take place soon. Gifted Children Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to replace the Gifted and Talented programme. Lord Nash: The Department for Education has no plans to replace the national Gifted and Talented programme. Our plan for education is to raise standards at all schools so every child, including the most gifted, can achieve their full potential. It is a fundamental responsibility of every school in England to ensure that their most gifted pupils receive an education that engages and stretches them at school, as well as inspiring them to reach their full potential. Schools are best placed to know and respond to the individual needs of their pupils, including the most able. The Government has freed schools from the constraints of excessive ring-fencing and bureaucracy. Schools leaders are free to decide how best to use their funding to provide extra support to talented children, including using the pupil premium to support gifted disadvantaged pupils. In addition, we have given teachers the freedom to tailor lessons so that every child is prepared for life in modern Britain, and Ofsted holds schools to account for how well they meet the needs of the range of their pupils, including the most able. Insurance Bill (HL) Special Public Bill Committee (HL) Lord Palmer: To ask the Chairman of Committees what will be the remuneration of the specialist adviser to the Special Public Bill Committee on the Insurance Bill. Lord Sewel: Specialist advisers to House of Lords Committees are typically paid a daily rate of between £240 and £280 pro rata. Certain expenses, including travel, are also met. The specialist adviser to the Special Public Bill Committee on the Insurance Bill will be remunerated within these parameters. I am grateful for the valuable public service provided by those people who act as specialist advisers to House of Lords Committees. Large Goods Vehicles: Speed Limits Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Kramer on 1 December (WS 65), what is the evidence that “actual average speeds are unlikely to change” as a result of increasing the speed limit for heavy goods vehicles on dual carriageway roads from 50 to 60 miles per hour. Baroness Kramer: The Government conducted an impact assessment on raising the national speed limit for heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes on dual carriageway roads. The impact assessment has been deposited in the libraries of both Houses, and has been published on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/increased-speed-limit-for-heavy-goods-vehicles-over-75-tonnes-dual-carriageway The impact assessment outlines that based on observed speeds, taken from National Statistics, heavy goods vehicles on dual carriageway roads travel at an average of 53mph in free-flow conditions. On motorways, the HGV speed limit is 60 mph but the average speed travelled by heavy goods vehicles is also 53 mph. We believe that professional HGV drivers are likely to have the same behavioural response to road conditions as car drivers, and will drive at the same speed or more slowly on dual carriageways than on motorways. It is implausible that HGVs would choose to drive faster on dual carriageways than on motorways. In addition, HGVs are required by EU Directive 2002/85/EC to fit speed limiters to vehicles set at 56mph. Large Goods Vehicles: Speed Limits Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any increase in road accidents resulting from the heavy goods vehicle national speed limits on dual carriageway roads increasing from 50 to 60 miles per hour. Baroness Kramer: The Government conducted an impact assessment on raising the national speed limit for heavy goods vehicles over 7.5 tonnes on dual carriageway roads. The impact assessment has been deposited in the libraries of both Houses, and has been published on the GOV.UK website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/increased-speed-limit-for-heavy-goods-vehicles-over-75-tonnes-dual-carriageway. The impact assessment estimates that raising the heavy goods vehicle national speed limit to 60mph on dual carriageways will not result in actual changes in heavy goods vehicle speeds, because these vehicles already travel at the same speed on motorways (with a 60mph limit) as on dual carriageways, and it is implausible that they would choose to drive faster on dual carriageways than on motorways. It is therefore not expected to have any impact on road safety. Leasehold Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take following the Competition and Markets Authority market study into the residential property management service sector in England and Wales. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: With more than 4 million properties across England subject to a long lease, leaseholders are a vital part of a growing housing market. This Government has already increased protections for leaseholders, with limits being placed on the amount of service charges recoverable from local authority leaseholders where the works are funded by Government grant, as well as a requirement for every property manager to belong to an approved redress scheme. We will now work closely with the Competition and Markets Authority to consider what further support the Government can offer. Housing is a devolved issue for Wales. I understand that the Competition and Markets Authority will be pursuing the issues arising out of its market study separately with the Welsh Government. Middle East Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits to Israel of operation Protective Edge; and to what extent the United Kingdom has benefited from the testing of weapons during that action. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government has not made any assessment of the impact on the Israeli economy, beneficial or not, of Operation Protective Edge. The UK has not benefitted in any way from the ‘testing’ of weapons. North Korea Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union ?on the People’s Democratic Republic of Korea issued on 24 November. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the statement by the International Democrat Union (IDU) on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK). The UN General Assembly’s Third Committee has sent an important signal that systematic and widespread human rights violations will no longer be ignored by the international community. We join the IDU in urging all members of the UN to vote for the final adoption of this resolution, which strikes an appropriate balance between pursuing accountability for human rights violations and encouraging the DPRK to address international concerns through engagement and concrete actions. Occupational Pensions Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are measuring compensation levels in the investment management industry and any changes due to auto-enrolment. Lord Deighton: Compensation levels in the investment management industry are already governed by the Remuneration Code (“the Code”) which is part of the FCA Handbook. Investment firms must ensure that their remuneration policies do not encourage staff to sell inappropriate products or give rise to a conflict of interest. Firms are also required to ensure that remuneration is structured through an appropriate and suitable balance between fixed and variable compensation where the variable part is subject to forfeiture if losses or misconduct come to light after the award has been made. Firms managing funds that accept payments from auto-enrolment schemes must adhere to the Code. Passports Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British passports have been issued to previously non-British citizens in each of the last 10 years. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British passports have been withdrawn, cancelled or confiscated in each of the last five years. Lord Bates: Records are not held centrally in the formats requested. A passport may be subject to confiscation by police and authorised persons under statutory provisions in relation the investigation of crime or in connection with immigration matters. That would be an operational decision for the agency concerned and figures are not collated centrally. People may be refused a British passport or may have their existing passport withdrawn on a number of grounds, including that their grant or continued enjoyment of a passport is contrary to the public interest. The number of passports revoked by HMPO in each of the last five years is as follows: 2009: 5122010: 6462011: 6622012: 1,5212013: 1,174 Russia Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of France about the pending delivery of the Vladivostok to the Russian Navy; and what response they have received. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Military exports to Russia are regularly discussed among EU members. In addition to the EU decision to establish a sanctions regime that encompasses military exports to Russia, all EU Partners have been considering their export policies again. We have remained in contact with French officials and fully support their decision to further suspend the Mistral contract. This sends a very strong signal to Russia that its continuing actions in Ukraine are not acceptable. Schools Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new (1) academies or free schools that are part of a chain, (2) stand-alone academies or free schools, (3) voluntary aided schools, and (4) community schools, have opened since May 2010. Lord Nash: Between May 2010 and 1 December 2014: 2476 academies and free schools opened as part of a chain and a further 1985 stand-alone academies and free schools opened. 58 voluntary aided schools and 72 community schools also opened. Slovenia Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union on Slovenia issued on 24 November. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is aware of the statement adopted by the International Democrat Union on 21 November 2014, concerning the imprisonment of former Slovenia Prime Minister Janez Janša. Our Embassy in Ljubljana understands that Mr Janša is continuing to appeal the conviction that lead to his imprisonment on 20 June, and will continue to monitor the ongoing judicial proceedings of this case. Social Security Benefits: Fraud Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many localities, and at what cost, they have contracted with bus companies or public transport bodies to display advertisements on buses calling on people who know “benefit cheats” to inform the Department for Work and Pensions. Lord Freud: Advertising on buses was targeted in 25 local authority areas at a cost of £219,786. Students: Sponsorship Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to increase the sponsorship of students by employers. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government's view is that the best way to produce more employable graduates, with the particular ‘skill-sets’ required for the workplace, is for employers, either individually or jointly, to work directly with universities and colleges. They can and should help with course design and delivery, provide work placements, and, where appropriate, offer sponsorship for students. The Government is also promoting and making more funding available for higher apprenticeships which enables apprentices working with an employer to achieve up to degree and masters level as an in work progression route combining theoretical and applied skills. Sudan and South Sudan Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the violence suffered by civilians since the referendum in both Sudan and South Sudan. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Since the independence referendum of 2011, civilians in Sudan and South Sudan have continued to be victims of violence. Over 1.9 million South Sudanese have been displaced since December 2013 and the UN estimates that 6.9 million people across Sudan are currently in need of humanitarian assistance. To seek an end to this suffering, the UK is a strong advocate of the peace processes in both countries, a leading humanitarian donor, and a firm supporter of the UN Missions in Sudan and South Sudan. Tax Avoidance Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 20 November (HL2705), whether they have taken, or will take, any action in relation to any contracts for services by them or bodies funded by them entered into with auditors, accountants or financial advisers named in The Guardian on 6 November. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government is clear that aggressive tax avoidance is totally unacceptable. That is why we are closing loopholes, bringing in a General Anti-Abuse Rule, and investing additional funding to help HMRC promote tax compliance. The Government’s policy to promote tax compliance through public procurement is another tool that means government departments can exercise their power to exclude firms bidding for government contracts solely on the basis that they have been non-compliant in meeting their legal tax obligations. This issue will remain under constant review by HM Government. Taxation Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will clarify what constitutes tax evasion and tax avoidance. Lord Deighton: Tax evasion is illegal activity, where registered individuals or businesses deliberately omit, conceal or misrepresent information so they can reduce their tax liabilities. Tax avoidance is exploiting the tax rules to gain a tax advantage that Parliament never intended. It often involves contrived, artificial transactions that serve little or no commercial purpose other than to produce a tax advantage. It involves operating within the letter, but not the spirit of the law. For further information on this I refer the Noble Lord to Table 1.6 in the ‘Measuring Tax Gaps 2014’ publication available on gov.uk. Trade Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statement by the International Democrat Union on Trade issued on 24 November. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is not aware of a statement by the International Democrat Union on Trade issued on 24 November. Transport: Rural Areas Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of existing transport initiatives with regard to facilitating youth mobility in rural areas. Baroness Kramer: The Government set up a working group involving representatives from relevant organisations to look at existing and possible further initiatives to assist youth mobility in rural areas. I am pleased to say that this group is due to publish its conclusions and recommendation early in the new year. Ukraine Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of recent allegations that abductions, murders, illegal arrests and searches, and judicial repression have been carried out against the Tatar population of the Crimea; and whether they have requested that the United Nations send rapporteurs to that region. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are deeply concerned about human rights abuses being experienced by Crimean Tatars, including a new wave of disappearances, as noted in the latest report by the Office for the High Commissioner for Human Rights and by the Council of Europe’s Commissioner for Human Rights. The UK Permanent Representative to the UN in New York raised our concerns about the intimidation and harassment of Crimean Tatars, ethnic Ukrainians and all those who have refused Russian citizenship in Crimea in his statement to the UN Security Council on 12 November. We call on Russia to use its influence to ensure that the de facto authorities in Crimea do not violate the human rights and fundamental freedoms of any of those living there, and allow free and unconditional access by international humanitarian and human rights organisations to Crimea at all times. Ukraine Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 25 November (HL Deb, col 840), whether they supported the European Union’s attempts to bring Ukraine within its sphere of influence; and what assessment they have made of the effect of those attempts on the present situation in Ukraine. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: This Government is a strong supporter of a closer EU-Ukraine relationship. The signing of the EU-Ukraine Association Agreement in June is a significant step towards closer relations, and a commitment by Ukraine to European norms and values. In the long term this could lead to EU membership for Ukraine, if that is what its people and government want, and if Ukraine is able to implement the wide ranging economic, political and judicial reforms that would be necessary to meet the demanding conditions of entry. The crisis in Ukraine was not a result of the EU’s actions or the proposed signature of the Association Agreement in 2013. It is very clear where responsibility for the crisis lies—in Russia’s deliberate acts to destabilise its neighbour, its illegal annexation of Crimea and continued support of the separatists in eastern Ukraine. United Arab Emirates Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the UAE authorities regarding their conviction of Osama al-Najjar. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are aware of the sentencing of Osama al-Najjar, following alleged comments on twitter and other activities. While we have not made representations on this case, our views about the importance of freedom of expression as a universal human right are well known. We believe that people everywhere must be allowed to freely discuss and debate issues, challenge their governments and make informed decisions in accordance with international human rights law. Our broad strategic engagement with the United Arab Emirates provides an opportunity to openly discuss these issues. World War I: Debts Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any countries owe money to the United Kingdom as a result of the First World War; and if so, which and how much in each case. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 20 November (HL2727), concerning debt for the First World War, what are the arrangements for repayment of the United Kingdom’s debt to the United States; and why that information was not included in the answer to the original question. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 20 November (HL2727), concerning debt for the First World War, when was the most recent repayment made to the United States. Lord Deighton: At the end of World War I, debt was owed between the UK and other countries. However, 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. No satisfactory agreement was reached. In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nations since 1934. The most recent repayment made by the UK on its debt to the US from the First World War was made in the financial year 1932-33. More specific information on the date of this payment is not available. The UK included the First World War debt to the US as part of the National Debt up until 1944-45, however all First World War debts to and from other nations are now effectively considered as having lapsed. Therefore, as explained in the answer to the original question, no arrangements have been made for repayment of the debt. In addition, the government holds eight undated gilts in its debt portfolio, three of which stem from bonds originally issued to raise money to finance the First World War. The Chancellor has announced that two of these undated gilts, 4% Consolidated Loan and 3½% War Loan, will be redeemed, on 1 February 2015 and 9 March 2015 respectively. These gilts account for some 99% of the bonds originally issued to finance the First World War. The government has also announced a strategy to remove the remaining undated gilts from the debt portfolio when it is deemed value for money to do so. 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. Youth Services Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the quality of youth services; and what measures they plan to maintain the quality of youth workers. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Government works closely with national youth organisations to look at ways in which Government can support high quality youth work through our existing programme and policies. We are working to offer practical support to the youth sector at a time when local authorities continue to make difficult decisions on how to deliver services. Our support focuses on promoting delivery models for innovative youth services, including mutuals, and better measurement of the impact of youth services on the lives of young people. We also continue to ensure opportunities exists for young people to develop skills and confidence through programmes like National Citizen Service. Zimbabwe Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest assessment of the political situation in Zimbabwe regarding the relationship between Zanu-PF and the Movement for Democratic Change. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK remains committed to supporting the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people for a more democratic, stable and prosperous future. To this end, we actively engage with the Government of Zimbabwe, opposition parties and civil society and continue to call for constructive collaboration and dialogue between all groups.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2014-12-09a

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Weather: Forecasts lord jopling: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor the accuracy of weather forecasts issued by the Meteorological Office; and whether the accuracy of forecasts has (1) increased, (2) decreased, or (3) remained the same during the last five years. lord duncan of springbank: The core task of the Met Office is to deliver the Public Weather Service (PWS). The PWS Customer Group (PWSCG), which has an independent chair responsible to the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation, monitors the delivery of the PWS against agreed performance indicators and targets, including the accuracy of public facing forecasts. Over the last 5 years, the PWSCG has set targets each year for the accuracy of forecasts for maximum and minimum temperature, 3 hourly temperature, wind speed and wind direction at days 1, 3, and 5 ahead. During this period the accuracy of all these forecasts has increased. In addition, the Met Office has a performance indicator that compares the accuracy of its global forecast model against other global modelling centres to demonstrate that it is maintaining its position in global forecast accuracy. Over the last 5 years the Met Office has maintained its position as the leading national meteorological service. Fracking lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to revoke the moratorium on fracking. lord duncan of springbank: The Government have no plans to revoke the moratorium on shale gas extraction. The Government has always been clear that we will take a precautionary approach and only support shale gas exploration if it can be done in a safe and sustainable way, and that we will be led by the science on whether this is indeed possible. It remains our policy to be guided by the evidence and to minimise disturbance to those living and working nearby to shale gas exploration sites, and to prevent the risk of any damage. The moratorium will be maintained unless compelling new evidence is provided which addresses the concerns around the prediction and management of induced seismicity. Foreign and Commonwealth Office India: Nationality lord singh of wimbledon: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the comments bythe Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights that the Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 is fundamentally discriminatory against Muslims, what representations they are making to the government of India about ensuring equal treatment of people of all faiths when granting citizenship. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British High Commission in New Delhi and our network of Deputy High Commissions across India are following reports on the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens, as well as the Government of India’s response. We raise our concerns with the Government of India where appropriate. I discussed the Government of India’s intent with, and popular response to, the CAA with India’s Minister of State for External Affairs on 19 December 2019. The British High Commissioner in New Delhi also raised this issue with the Indian Government on 6 January. Department of Health and Social Care Accident and Emergency Departments: Standards lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the NHS to meet the four hour accident and emergency waiting time target. lord hunt of kings heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the NHS to meet the Consultant Led Treatment waiting time target. baroness blackwood of north oxford: Demand on the National Health Service hospitals continues to grow, with an increase in attendances to accident and emergency of over 6% in December 2019 compared to December 2018. Despite this increase in demand, the NHS continues to provide high quality care, and is seeing more people than ever before, in a timely manner.The NHS Long Term Plan sets out our plans for transformation and improvement across the NHS. In the shorter term, the NHS Accountability Framework for 2019-20 outlines how NHS England and NHS Improvement will continue ongoing service development so that performance is maintained and improved, including with the commencement of the redesign of outpatient services.Further to this, at the Government’s request, NHS England and NHS Improvement is also working with clinical leaders across the system to review our performance standards and will update on this in due course. Department for International Development International Crisis Group: Finance lord naseby: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the International Crisis Group is in receipt of any Government funding; and if so, whether that funding is provided to the charity (1) in general, or (2) for specific projects. baroness sugg: The International Crisis Group (ICG) receives DFID funding through UK Aid Connect. UK Aid Connect supports programmes led by consortia of diverse organisations to create solutions to complex problems facing the poorest people. ICG is a partner within the Smart Peace programme led by Conciliation Resources and receives funding to carry out particular work within that programme.Overall funding to the Smart Peace programme is £11.9m for the period 2018-2022. The consortium combines expertise in conflict analysis, community dialogue, elite mediation, evaluation, policy influence and behavioural science to deliver targeted and adaptive conflict resolution interventions in Central African Republic (CAR), Myanmar and Nigeria. Overseas Aid baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to retain (1) the Department for International Development as a separate Whitehall department, with a Secretary of State for International Development, and (2) the Independent Commission for Aid Impact. baroness sugg: All Machinery of Government changes are a matter for the Prime Minister.The integrated defence, security, and foreign policy review will create the opportunity to reimagine how the UK engages internationally in the context of Global Britain. DFID is proactively supporting this work. Department for Education Coventry University lord patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits to Coventry University of having, in addition to the vice-chancellor, five deputy vice-chancellors, eight pro-vice-chancellors and seven assistant pro-vice-chancellors. baroness berridge: Effective management of a university and meeting the demands of high-quality teaching, research and delivering quality outcomes for students is a complex task. Decisions on the structure of leadership teams or the job titles within any institutional hierarchy are an issue of institutional autonomy. However, students and taxpayers all contribute to our higher education system, and rightly expect value for money. We have set up the regulator, the Office for Students (OfS), to regulate the higher education sector and ensure it is delivering real value for money. Where issues with senior staff pay lead to concern, the OfS has power to carry out independent reviews of a provider’s governance to ensure that these arrangements are fit for purpose. Universities: Crime lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with UK Universities about reports that universities are not reporting crime statistics. baroness berridge: Criminal acts and misconduct are unacceptable in our world-leading universities, which should be safe and inclusive environments. Universities are autonomous institutions, and it is for each provider to determine what information should be collected and reported. Institutions have no statutory requirement to report crime statistics but have a responsibility to ensure students feel safe and able to report incidents, and to provide robust policies and procedures to address all forms of misconduct. Current recorded crime statistics cover incidents reported to police. Where an institution (or the victim themselves) report the matter to the police it will be recorded and therefore captured in crime statistics. The government is aware that third party organisations collate data relating to incidents reported as taking place in Higher Education Providers (HEPs) and officials monitor this information. The government expects providers to keep records of incidents disclosed to them and act swiftly to investigate and address them, with police involvement where necessary. Effective data collection processes enable HEPs to review and analyse reported incidents and complaints to inform continuous improvement. HEPs should continue to break down barriers to reporting, to ensure students and staff feel safe and able to report incidents. The government continues to work closely with Universities UK (UUK) on implementing its Changing the Culture framework. The most recent progress report, published in October 2019, showed that 72% of responding institutions had developed or improved recording of data on incidents with a more centralised approach. UUK are also supporting HEPs in handling misconduct and criminal offences, including working with the Police Association of Higher Education Liaison Officers to explore how to best support information sharing between police forces and universities, and government officials meet regularly with UUK representatives. Department for Work and Pensions Employment: Disability lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of job outcomes for disabled people that can be definitively attributed to the Disability Confident Scheme; and what methodology they used to support that estimate. lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of (1) total employers, and (2) the total workforce, in the UK who fall within the Disability Confident Scheme. lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence there is that organisations signed up to the Disability Confident Scheme (1) are more inclusive of disabled employees and jobseekers, and (2) employ disabled people in larger numbers, than employers who have not signed up to that scheme. lord shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the briefing by Kim Hoque and Nick BaconResponse to the UK Government's reforms of Disability Confident level 3, published in November 2019. baroness stedman-scott: The analysis and recommendations in ‘A Response to the UK Government's reforms of Disability Confident level 3’ are a useful contribution to the debate about the future policy development of Disability Confident. On 6 January 2020, Department for Work and Pensions officials met with the authors, Kim Hoque and Nick Bacon, and Philip Connolly of the Leonard Cheshire organisation, to discuss the report. In November 2018, we published the results of survey research commissioned from Ipsos MORI, which explored the effect that signing up to the Disability Confident scheme had on recruitment and retention attitudes towards disabled people. Half of all employers interviewed for the study said they had recruited at least one person with a disability, long-term health or mental health condition as a result of joining the scheme. Among larger employers, nearly two thirds reported the same. It was not technically possible to compare employers who are signed up to Disability Confident with other employers not signed up to the scheme but otherwise similar in every way. As at 31 December 2019, over 15,000 employers had signed up to Disability Confident. We are not able to accurately estimate the total workforce currently working for Disability Confident organisations. Department for International Trade WTO Dispute Settlement Body: Judges baroness hooper: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure the necessary appointments of new judges are made to the World Trade Organisation Dispute Settlement Body in order to be able to enforce any rulings on international trade disputes. the earl of courtown: The UK is a strong supporter of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) dispute settlement system. The UK continues to support resolution of the impasse and the appointment of dispute settlement appeal-adjudicators. The UK has actively participated in discussions at the WTO since January 2019 aimed at relaunching such appointments, and the Rt Hon Conor Burns MP, Minister of State, was personally at the WTO, on the first working day of 2020, to affirm our support for the international rules-based system.In December 2019, the Director-General of WTO announced that he would conduct more intensive consultations with WTO Members towards this goal. The UK will engage closely in these consultations.The UK has engaged on this issue in other fora such as the World Economic Forum, G7, G20, Commonwealth, and OECD Ministerial Council meeting. Trade Agreements: Japan lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they anticipatemakinga trade agreement with Japan. the earl of courtown: Our exit from the EU provides an unprecedented opportunity to strengthen our relationship with Japan, which is among the UK government’s priority countries for negotiating a bilateral trade deal. Both parties have agreed that they will work quickly to build a new economic partnership and we have already laid the groundwork for a future negotiation through our call for input which ran between 20 September and 4 November 2019.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-01-14

Department for Transport Unmanned Air Vehicles Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports of drone related incidents involving aircraft were made last year; and what was the location of each of those incidents. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The independent UK Airprox Board (UKAB) is responsible for assessing reported airprox in the interests of enhancing air safety. Reports of all airprox events are published on the UKAB website https://www.airproxboard.org.uk/. In 2016 there were 70 reported airprox incidents involving drones, the locations of which are summarised below and further details are included in the attached table. LocationNumber of reported airprox incidents involving dronesLondon Heathrow25London Gatwick4Manchester Airport3London City2London Stansted2Morton-in-Marsh2Odiham2Other30Total70 HL5043 - Table with further information (Word Document, 18.52 KB) Unmanned Air Vehicles Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with airport operators and airlines about measures to reduce the risks to aircraft from the use of drones. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government engages regularly with airport operators and airlines to discuss a range of safety and security issues, including the threat posed by drones. For instance, in November 2016 the Airport Operators Association chaired a meeting between its members and Government on the risks related to drones. Southern: Strikes Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding they have provided to support local authorities asked by the Department for Communities and Local Government on 22 December 2016 to take action to support contingency plans to minimise disruption as a result of strikes on Southern Rail. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: On 22 December, Department for Communities and Local Government Officials wrote to Local Authority Chief Executives in London, Surrey, Sussex, Kent and Hampshire and Local Resilience Forum Chairs in London, Kent, Surrey, Sussex, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, to request support for contingency plans aimed at minimising disruption for passengers as a result of the industrial action affecting Southern rail train services, in particular the ASLEF strike planned for the week commencing 9th January. The Government has not provided additional funding to local authorities specific to the request from the Department for Communities and Local Government for support to minimise disruption as a result of strikes on Southern Rail and were not asked for funding. A130 Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the purposes and plans for the coned off carriageway of the A130 trunk road between the A12 and the A13. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The A130 is a local road and its management is the responsibility of the local highways authority – in this instance Essex County Council. I understand that the section you are referring to has been coned off after issues were discovered during routine inspections. The additional lanes have been completed but remain coned off after a routine inspection highlighted issues with crash barriers along the route. Further investigation work over recent months has revealed a need to reconstruct the ground alongside the carriageway as a preventative measure to protect against the risk of slippage in the long-term. I understand work to resolve these issues is due to begin in March. Department for International Development Sudan: Humanitarian Aid Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress towards full humanitarian access to the Blue Nile and South Kordofan states following the meeting between of the UK Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan and the Sudanese Foreign Minister on 24 January. Lord Bates: Following the meeting between the UK Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan and the Sudanese Foreign Minister, Ibrahim Ghandour, the Minister has reconfirmed the government of Sudan’s commitment to improving humanitarian access to the two areas of Blue Nile and South Kordofan. We continue to encourage the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) to agree to proposals to guarantee direct medical support to the areas under their control as a way to unblock a broader agreement on longer term access. Department for Education Schools Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that schools are places where children feel free and safe to learn and grow; and how they intend to ensure that schools are not subject to overt or indirect pressure to play an active role in the operation and policing of immigration policies. Lord Nash: All schools are bound by requirements of the Equalities Act 2010. The Act makes it unlawful for the responsible body of a school to discriminate against, harass or victimise a pupil or potential pupil:in relation to admissions,in the way it provides education for pupils,in the way it provides pupils access to any benefit, facility or service, orby excluding a pupil or subjecting them to any other detriment.Further information on schools’ responsibilities under the Equalities Act is attached.The school an individual child attends will hold information about that child which will be used by the school to help ensure the child receives the best possible education. Every term the school is required, by law, to send some of this data to the Department for Education (DfE) via the school census. This process has been in place for more than 10 years and the information is used to provide a clear picture of how the school system is working, at local and national level. It helps us to make sure we are allocating funds where they are needed and that no groups of children are missing out on the education they deserve.This year we also asked schools for additional information on pupil nationality and country of birth as well as data on proficiency in English. The return of nationality and country of birth data is completely optional and parents are under no obligation to provide it if they don’t want to. These new data items on nationality, country of birth, and English proficiency will not be passed to the Home Office, or anyone else. They are solely for the Department for Education to use for research.Separately, where the police or Home Office have clear evidence that a child may be at risk or there is evidence of criminal activity, including illegal immigration, limited data including a pupil’s address and school details may be requested from the Department for Education. It is right that we share this data if it helps to keep a child safe from harm or to prevent a crime. This does not include nationality and country of birth information recently introduced into school census. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the DfE and the Home Office, which is available in the house library, sets out how this process works and the data which is shared. Advice_on_the_Equality_Act (PDF Document, 426.14 KB) Asylum: Children in Care Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children went missing from local authority care in England in (1) 2014, (2) 2015, and (3) 2016. Lord Nash: National statistics on numbers of unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC) who were looked after at 31 March are available in Table A3 of the attached document. Experimental official statistics on looked after children who went missing during the year are available in Table G1 of the same document.During the whole year ending 31 March 2015, 190 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were identified as having had a missing incident.During the year ending 31 March 2016, 640 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children were identified as having had a missing incident. Due to improvements in quality and completeness of the experimental statistics, figures for 2015 and 2016 are not comparable.These experimental official statistics were collected for the first time in the year ending 31 March 2015 and so figures are not available for 2014. Looked after children inengland including adoption (Excel SpreadSheet, 1.07 MB) Asylum: Children Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children under 12 years of age have been accepted into foster care in the UK in the past 12 months. Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many unaccompanied asylum-seeking children between 12 and 18 years of age have been accepted into foster care in the UK in the past 12 months. Lord Nash: In the year ending 31 March 2016, there were 50 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children under 12 years of age who were looked after in a foster placement in England and 1,560 between the ages of 12 to 18 years. The Department for Education only holds the information for England. The devolved administrations hold the information for the other constituent countries. Ministry of Justice Matrimonial Proceedings Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek the UK's continued participation in the scheme set out in EC Council Regulation 2201/2003 concerning jurisdiction and enforcement of judgments in matrimonial matters and the matter of parental responsibility (Brussels II Revised) following the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Lord Keen of Elie: The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has responsibility for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The Ministry of Justice, which has responsibility for Regulation 2201/2003 has been working closely with DExEU to consider options for the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The Government recognises the importance of the issues covered by this Regulation. We will work to ensure the best outcome for the UK. Family Proceedings Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek the UK's continued participation in Brussels II Revised and the Maintenance Regulation which give certainty of jurisdiction, ease of enforcement, co-operation between authorities, and protective measures pending resolution of family disputes, following the UK's withdrawal from the EU. Lord Keen of Elie: The Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) has responsibility for overseeing negotiations to leave the EU and establishing the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The Ministry of Justice, which has responsibility for both the Brussels II Revised and the Maintenance Regulations, has been working closely with DExEU to consider options for the future relationship between the UK and the EU. The Government recognises the importance of the issues covered by these Regulations. We will work to ensure the best outcome for the UK. Written Questions: Government Responses Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to answer Lord Bradley's Question for Written Answer HL3278 tabled on 16 November 2016. Lord Keen of Elie: I regret the delay in answering the Noble Lord's Question for Written Answer HL3278. An answer was given on Monday 30 January 2017. Probation Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the response by Baroness Buscombe on 24 January (HL Deb, col 429) concerning the review of the probation system, what the membership and terms of reference of that review will be. Lord Keen of Elie: The Ministry of Justice is conducting an internal review of the probation system. The review is considering all aspects of the probation system and we are engaging with both Community Rehabilitation Companies and the National Probation Service. As with our plans for prisons, we want a simpler, clearer system with specific outcome measures such as getting offenders into apprenticeships and work. We will set out our plans for the probation system once the review is concluded in April. Probation Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the response by Baroness Buscombe on 24 January (HL Deb, col 429) concerning the review of the probation system, whether the review will include services provided before prisoner release by community rehabilitation companies. Lord Keen of Elie: We are currently conducting a comprehensive review of the probation system. This is examining all aspects of the probation system, including resettlement services delivered by probation services in prisons to support offenders on release from custody. We will set out our plans after our review is concluded in April. Offences against Children Lord Paddick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to bring section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 into force. Lord Keen of Elie: The Government is committed to commencing section 67 of the Serious Crime Act 2015 and will do so as soon as possible. Ministry of Defence Electronic Warfare Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cyber attacks on (1) each of the Armed Forces', and (2) the Ministry of Defence, IT networks have been detected over the past year. Earl Howe: I am withholding the information as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Timber: Imports Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much timber with bark for firewood has been imported into the UK in each of the last five years. Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty’s Government from which countries timber with bark for firewood has been imported into the UK in the last five years. Lord Clark of Windermere: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the eco-system of importing timber with bark to the UK. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs collect and publish National Statistics for the United Kingdom on the level of imports of woodfuel under commodity code 44011000: ‘fuel wood in logs, billets, twigs, faggots or similar forms’. No record is made to differentiate the presence or absence of bark on imports of woodfuel. Figures for 2011-15, the latest figures for which complete data is available, are shown the Table attached. We recognise that wood can be a pathway for the introduction and movement of harmful plant pests. That is why a new Statutory Notification Scheme for importing solid woodfuel (firewood) came into force on 1 January 2017. This requires importers bringing firewood into England and Scotland from outside the UK to provide the Forestry Commission with at least three days’ prior notification of its arrival if it is coming by sea, road or rail, and four hours’ notice if arriving by air. The Welsh Assembly Government is expected to introduce a similar regulation. The scheme will enable the Forestry Commission to gather information about the firewood importing trade, and to carry out risk-based and random inspections of a selection of imports. This will help to ensure that the firewood or its associated wooden packaging meets British plant health landing requirements. TABLE OF IMPORTS 2011-2015 (PDF Document, 69.63 KB) Home Office Asylum: Housing Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to monitor the performance of contractors providing accommodation for asylum seekers. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Asylum seeker accommodation is provided through a suite of private providers. The performance of these providers is monitored via the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) regime, details of which are set out in their contracts and cover the provision of the whole service. These are monitored formally, on a monthly basis, at Contract Management meetings between the providers and representatives of UK Visas and Immigration. Drugs: Misuse Lord Ramsbotham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why publication of the new drugs strategy, which was expected to be in March 2016, has been delayed. Baroness Williams of Trafford: We are currently developing the new Drug Strategy, working across government and with key partners. The new strategy will be published soon. HM Treasury Tax Evasion Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek continued participation in EU-wide co-operation on exchanging information and tackling tax evasion following the UK's withdrawal from the EU, particularly in relation to the Mutual Assistance Directive 2010/24/EU which enables cross-EU border enforcement of tax debts. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Mutual Assistance Recovery Directive (MARD), which dates back to 1976, provides for Member States to assist each other in recovering tax debts. The Council of Europe-OECD Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters also provides for reciprocal assistance in tax collection between signatories of the agreement, as do some of the UK’s bilateral tax treaties. There may be specific European programmes, some of which may be partly but not wholly EU, in which we may still want to participate. The Government is still formulating its position and this will then be a matter for the EU exit negotiations. Northern Ireland Office Brexit: Northern Ireland Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what steps they are taking to ensure that the views of all communities in Northern Ireland are taken into consideration when Article 50 is triggered. Lord Dunlop: The Government will ensure that all views can be reflected in our analysis of the options for the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union and we are going to listen and talk to as many organisations, companies and institutions as possible to do this. We have set up a new Joint Ministerial Committee on EU Negotiations, which brings together constituent parts of the United Kingdom to discuss issues stemming from the negotiation process which may impact upon or have consequences for the UK Government, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government or the Northern Ireland Executive. The Committee met for the third time on 19 January. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has regular meetings with the political parties in Northern Ireland to discuss the implications of the decision to exit the European Union. In addition, he established a Business Advisory Group in September to ensure that the views of the business community are reflected in the process of exiting the European Union. The Secretary of State has also had positive engagement with representatives of the voluntary and community sector. All these views are being taken into consideration in the process leading up to the triggering of Article 50 and the preparations for the UK’s exit from the European Union. Belfast Agreement Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Supreme Court ruling in the case of R (on the application of Miller and another) v Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union and of the pending elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly, what discussions they have had with the government of Ireland regarding their roles as co-guarantors under the Good Friday Agreement. Lord Dunlop: The Government remains fully and firmly committed to preserving and maintaining the Belfast Agreement, its successors and the institutions. The Government keeps in regular contact with the Irish Government on a range of issues in accordance with the well-established three stranded approach. Most recently, the Prime Minister met the Taoiseach on 30 January in Dublin. Human Rights: Republic of Ireland Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Republic of Ireland has established a Human Rights Commission with a mandate and remit equivalent to that within Northern Ireland as provided for by paragraph 9 of the chapter on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in the Belfast Agreement 1998. Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Republic of Ireland has ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities as provided for by paragraph 9 of the chapter on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in the Belfast Agreement 1998. Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Republic of Ireland has implemented enhanced employment equality legislation as provided for by paragraph 9 of the chapter on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in the Belfast Agreement 1998. Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Republic of Ireland has introduced equal status legislation since 10 April 1998 as provided for by paragraph 9 of the chapter on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in the Belfast Agreement 1998. Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further active steps have been taken by the Republic of Ireland to demonstrate its respect for the different traditions in the island of Ireland since 10 April 1998, as provided for by paragraph 9 of the chapter on rights, safeguards and equality of opportunity in the Belfast Agreement 1998. Lord Dunlop: These questions are a matter for the Irish Government.However, it is my understanding that: the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission, like the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, is a UN ‘A status’ accredited National Human Rights Institution, structured and operated in accordance with the Paris Principles; that the Republic of Ireland ratified the Council of Europe Framework Convention on National Minorities in 1999; that the Republic of Ireland gave further effect to provisions of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in domestic legislation through the European Convention of Human Rights Act 2003, and that since 1998 a number of pieces of legislation have been introduced in the Republic of Ireland including the Employment Equality Acts 1998 and 2004.The UK Government remains committed to reforming our domestic human rights framework. We will consider further the Bill of Rights once we know the arrangements for our EU exit and consult fully on our proposals in the full knowledge of the new constitutional landscape that will create. The UK has a proud tradition of respect for human rights which long pre-dates the Human Rights Act 1998. Department of Health Care Homes: Oxfordshire Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capacity available in care homes in Oxfordshire for patients who are ready to leave hospital. Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) collects data on numbers of places in care and nursing homes in England as part of its regulatory work. We are informed by the CQC that there are 5,138 residential and nursing home places in Oxfordshire at present. The CQC does not collect occupancy data, so information on the number of places that are vacant is not available. Mental Illness: Children Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of figures recently released by NHS Digital, what action they are taking in response to the rising number of children being admitted to hospital suffering from anxiety. Lord O'Shaughnessy: Children and young people’s mental health is a priority area for this Government. We are committed to delivering the vision set out in the Future in Mind report, published in March 2015, which established a clear and powerful consensus about change across the whole system, including health, justice, social care and education. This Government will drive forward the transformation of children and young people’s mental health services to improve access and make services more widely available across the country so that where possible children can access support locally. In total the Government has made available an additional £1.4 billion over the course of this Parliament to support significant transformation in children and young people’s mental health so that there is easy access to the right support from the right service when it is needed. This includes implementing clear evidence based pathways for community-based care to avoid unnecessary admissions to inpatient care. Surrogate Motherhood Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to respond to the ruling of the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights in the case Paradiso and Campanelli v. Italy; and what assessment they have made of the implications of the case for surrogacy and family law. Lord O'Shaughnessy: The Government is not planning to make any response to the judgment, concerning Italian domestic law, by the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights. No assessment has been made of the implications of the case for United Kingdom surrogacy and family law. Colorectal Cancer: Screening Baroness Redfern: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reduce the age at which bowel cancer screening takes place from 60 to 50. Lord O'Shaughnessy: The NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme offers bowel cancer screening every two years to men and women aged 60 to 74, using a self-sampling kit, the Faecal Occult Blood (FOB) test. Anyone over the age of 74 can self refer themselves into the screening programme every two years. The programme initially offered screening to men and women aged 60 to 69 years old because the risk of bowel cancer increases with age, with over 80% of bowel cancers being diagnosed in people who are aged 60 or over. In the bowel cancer screening pilot, conducted in Coventry and Warwickshire and in Scotland in the late 1990s and early 2000s, over three times more cancers were detected in people aged over 60 than under 60, and people in their 60s were most likely to use a testing kit. In addition, there was not enough endoscopy resource to begin at a wider age range. Men and women aged over 70 have always been able to self-refer for screening every two years if they wish. The programme has now been extended to men and women aged up to 74. In November 2015, the UK National Screening Committee which advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy, recommended that the Faecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) should replace the currently used FOB test in the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme. Bowel cancer screening using the FIT self-sampling kit will be offered to men and women aged 60 to 74 every two years. Anyone over the age of 74 will still be able to self refer into the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme every two years. FIT is expected to increase screening uptake by around 10% and result in around 200,000 more people a year being tested, potentially saving hundreds of lives. FIT will be implemented from April 2018. In addition to FOB testing the NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme is currently rolling out Bowel Scope Screening (BSS), a one off examination which will play a significant role in preventing bowel cancer. Both men and women will be invited for BSS around the time of their 55th birthday. If people are not screened at 55, they can request BSS up to the age of 59. BSS finds and removes any small bowel growths (polyps) that could eventually turn into cancer. We believe the biggest impact we can have on saving lives from bowel cancer in England is implementing FIT in 2018 and roll-out of BSS to all men and women aged 55.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2017-02-07

A Roads: Restrictions Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many rural A class roads are subject to weight restrictions; how many restrictions apply; and what length of A roads is affected; and How many rural A class roads in Derbyshire are subject to weight restrictions; and over what length. Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested is not available. Betting Exchanges: Tax Treatment Lord Goodlad: asked Her Majesty's Government: In the context of the current review into the tax treatment of betting exchanges, what assessment they have made of the competition implications of introducing a tax regime for betting exchanges that differs from that of traditional bookmakers; and In the context of the current review into the tax treatment of betting exchanges, what assessment they have made of the impact on the betting exchange industry if the tax regime is changed. Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Pre-Budget Report on 5 December announced that the Government have concluded the review of the taxation of betting exchanges and will not be making changes to the current arrangements. Cabinet Office: Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will appoint a new Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster; and who has been providing political leadership in the Cabinet Office since the departure of the right honourable John Hutton MP. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The name of the next Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster will be announced in due course. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Jim Murphy) has been providing political leadership in the Cabinet Office since the departure of my right honourable friend the now Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (John Hutton). European Maritime Border Guard Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: What contribution the Royal Navy will make to the proposed European Maritime Border Guard Corps. Lord Drayson: On 30 November 2005 the European Commission proposed to the EU member states priority actions for improving migration management, one of which was to look into the feasibility of establishing a Mediterranean coastal patrols network. Discussion is at a very early stage. The Government will consider the proposals and adopt a position in due course. Driving Licences Lord Skelmersdale: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the statement by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 29 November (Official Report, col. 116), when they started work on discontinuing the requirement for the paper part of the photographic driving licence to be presented to a police station on request; and when they expect to complete this work. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency consulted on the future of the paper counterpart to the photocard driving licence between February and May 2004, with 82 per cent of respondents favouring its abolition. The counterpart will not be abolished before an electronic retrieval system is put in place to enable the police to immediately access endorsement information currently shown on the counterpart. Building and testing the computer infrastructure to deliver this access is likely to take between three to five years. Gulf War Illnesses Lord Roberts of Conwy: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Drayson on 21 July (WA 281), how many House of Lords Questions for Written Answer on illnesses contracted by British troops deployed to Iraq for the 2003 conflict, in the past 12 months, have not received a substantive Answer on grounds of disproportionate cost or effort. Lord Drayson: Between 1 December 2004 and 30 November 2005, the Ministry of Defence answered five such Questions in this way. Heritage Lottery Fund Lord Fearn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which parks in Merseyside (a) qualify for and (b) are receiving heritage lottery funding. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Heritage Lottery Fund's Public Parks Initiative provides funding for public parks, public gardens, seaside promenades, historic cemeteries and memorial gardens throughout the UK. To qualify for a grant a park project must: conserve and enhance heritage; encourage more people to be involved in, and make decisions about their heritage; and enable everyone to learn about, have access to, and enjoy their heritage. The following parks in Merseyside have received over £19 million of heritage lottery funding since 1995: The "Key" Park, The Serpentine, Blundellsands Whitby Park, Ellesmere Port; Birkenhead Park; Sefton Park, Liverpool; Taylor Park, St Helens; Hesketh Park, Southport; Sefton Park, Liverpool HMS "Invincible" Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: What specific steps have so far been taken to move HMS "Invincible" to a state of lower readiness; and how quickly the steps taken so far could be reversed. Lord Drayson: The steps so far taken to place HMS "Invincible" in a state of reduced readiness include the de-storing and de-fuelling of the vessel. As part of this work, most of her fluid systems, including the freshwater, saltwater, fuel oil and hydraulic systems have been isolated and drained in order to limit degradation. In addition, much of the high value and potentially vulnerable equipment, including the gas turbines, weapons and radar systems, has been removed for storage, repair or refurbishment for possible reuse. However, it is not practical or cost effective to remove all of the equipment and, for example, large items such as gearboxes and diesel generators are being individually preserved or stored in a dehumidified area within the ship's hull. It is estimated that it would take approximately nine months to reverse these steps. Home Office Communication Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 17 November (WA 155) and having regard to the Home Office communications published at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/concede–weakness, why they maintain that two sentences were not deleted prior to submission; and whether they will publish in the Official Report the two sentences. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The noble Lord's Question of 17 November (WA 155) asked about briefing that was put to the Minister of State for Immigration, Citizenship and Nationality on 19 January 2005. No substantive changes were made to the briefing prior to its submission. The Home Office communication published at www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/concede–weakness relates to a submission that was put to the Minister on 16 December 2004. The 16 December 2004 submission concerned the handling of a proposed application for judicial review of the decision taken on an application for registration as a British citizen under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997. The two sentences included in an early draft, but not in the final version, were as follows: "It nevertheless seems to me that there is force in Mr [X]'s arguments, and that the position is perhaps not quite so clear cut as we have held it out to be. Applications for registration under the 1997 Act continue to be received (there is no deadline for submission in the Act), and there may be some merit in allowing the matter to come before the courts." In the event, the proposed application for judicial review was not made. Identity Cards Lord Barnett: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the proposed Identity Card Scheme will become operational. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The timing of the issuing of the first identity cards will depend on the date of Royal Assent of the Identity Cards Bill as procurement of the components of the scheme cannot commence until then. The Government's current plans are that the first cards will be issued in 2008. Joint Combat Aircraft Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in the event that the United States decide not to proceed with the Short Take Off/Vertical Landing (STOVL) version of the joint strike aircraft, they plan to form the airwing for the new aircraft carriers from an alternative STOVL aircraft; and what the implications of the latter choice would be for carrier-borne United Kingdom aircraft using airfields ashore in the case of expeditionary deployments. Lord Drayson: Development of the STOVL variant of the Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), which is the solution to the UK Joint Combat Aircraft requirement, continues as planned. Assembly of the first STOVL development aircraft has commenced with its first flight planned for late 2007. It is too early to say what will emerge from the US Quadrennial Defence Review (QDR). So far as the STOVL JSF is concerned, however, while there is no doubt that it will remain under close scrutiny as the development programme transitions into production, we are not aware of any delay as a result of the QDR. Local Bus Services Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many people have used local bus services during the past five years in (a) the whole of Wales, and (b) Devon and Cornwall. Lord Davies of Oldham: The information is given in the table below: (million passenger journeys) Area 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 All years (a) Wales 116 104 110 111 114 555 (b) Cornwall/ Devon* 55 53 51 54 52 265 * Includes journeys originating in the unitary authorities of Plymouth and Torbay. M11 Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: In which meetings the decision was taken to abandon the widening of the M11; which Ministers were present; and whether they will publish the notes of the meetings. Lord Davies of Oldham: The conclusion that widening of the M11 between Junctions 8 and 9 was unlikely to be justified in the period up to 2021 was based on written advice from officials to Department for Transport Ministers following detailed analysis by the Highways Agency. National Insurance Contributions Baroness Hollis of Heigham: asked Her Majesty's Government: What percentage and what number of men in the United Kingdom, who will reach the age of 65 in 2005, 2010 and 2020 respectively, will have national insurance contributions of (a) 44 years or more; (b) 41 to 43 years; (c) 36 to 40 years; (d) 31 to 35 years; (e) 26 to 30 years; (f) 21 to 25 years; (g) 16 to 20 years. (h) 11 to 15 years; (i) 6 to 10 years; (j) 1 to 5 years; and (k) 0 years; and, for each of these groups, what percentage and what number have national insurance entitlement made by (i) credits, and (ii) paid contribution; and What percentage and what number of women in the United Kingdom, who will reach the age of 60 in 2005, 2010 and 65 in 2020 respectively, will have national insurance contributions of (a) 44 years or more; (b) 41 to 43 years; (c) 36 to 40 years; (d) 31 to 35 years; (e) 26 to 30 years; (f) 21 to 25 years; (g) 16 to 20 years. (h) 11 to 15 years; (i) 6 to 10 years; (j) 1 to 5 years; and (k) 0 years; and, for each of these groups, what percentage and what number will have (i) national insurance contributions provided by credits other than home responsibility protection (HRP); (ii) national insurance contributory years reduced by HRP; and (iii) national insurance contributions made from paid earnings. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information is not available in the format requested. Such information that is available is in the following tables. National Insurance contribution years for men and women reaching state pension age in the 2004–05 tax year -- United Kingdom (Thousands) All Men Women Total 602 282 321 0 years *1 - - *1 - 1 to 5 years 6 *1 - 6 2% 6 to 10 years 17 *1 - 16 5% 11 to 15 years 31 *1 - 30 9% 16 to 20 years 36 *2 - 34 11% 21 to 25 years 48 5 2% 43 13% 26 to 30 years 61 5 2% 56 17% 31 to 35 years 74 10 4% 64 20% 36 to 40 years 56 14 5% 42 13% 41 to 43 years 30 15 5% 16 5% 44 or more years 242 228 81% 14 4% Notes: - Nil or negligible * High degree of sampling error. 1. Figures are based on a 1 per cent sample and are shown to the nearest thousand. Figures may not add due to rounding. 2. Figures refer to the number of qualifying years accrued by men and women at state pension age in the 2004–05 tax year. For the purposes of this table, a year of home responsibilities protection (HRP) is treated as a qualifying year. (Although strictly HRP acts to reduce the requisite number of qualifying years needed for a full basic state pension (BSP), therefore men and women will not always require 44 and 39 qualifying years respectively). 3. For the reason noted in 2, and others, this table should not be used to infer entitlement to BSP. For example: the first and second contribution conditions must be satisfied to qualify for BSP. the table does not represent any entitlement to BSP that may be derived from a partner's contribution record. National Insurance contribution years for men and women reaching state pension age in the 2004–05 tax year1 -- United Kingdom (Thousands) All Men Women Total 602 282 321 National Insurance contributions made from paid earnings2 176 75 27% 101 31% National Insurance contributions provided by credits awarded since 1975 only, (other than home responsibilities protection (HRP)). *2 *1 - *1 - National Insurance contributory years reduced by HRP. *1 - - *1 - National Insurance contributory years accrued through a mixture of paid NI contributions, credits and HRP3. 424 206 73% 218 68% Notes: 1 The method of qualification cannot be determined for tax years prior to 1975. 2 Includes pre-1975 records, but it is not possible to distinguish between NI contributions and NI credits. 3 This includes people with: HRP and NI credits awarded from 1975; HRP and/or NI credits awarded from 1975 that also have pre-1975 records. - Nil or negligible * High degree of sampling error. 1. Figures are based on a 1 per cent sample and are shown to the nearest thousand. Figures may not add due to rounding. 2. The information has not been provided for each of the bands of qualifying years, as requested, because the small numbers involved are not statistically reliable. 3. The table should not be used to infer entitlement to basic state pension (BSP), as the first and second contribution conditions must be satisfied to qualify for any entitlement. Powers of Entry Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government: In what circumstances officials of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and of public bodies answerable to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, can search and enter the homes or business premises of United Kingdom citizens; and, in each case, what is the statutory authority for that power. Lord Bach: There are many separate statutory provisions available to Defra officials ("inspectors") providing for entry and inspection or search of business premises and homes located in England and Wales. There is no single code of enforcement and investigation powers akin to the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 and a comprehensive and exhaustive list of all of the statutory provisions currently in force is not readily available but I mention some examples below. (Chapter Eight of The Law of Entry, Search and Seizure (4th Edition) (2005) by Professor Richard Stone of Lincoln University is a very useful guide to the law and sets out the sorts of powers that exist). Without a power to enter and inspect or search the relevant premises, business premises or where appropriate home, the law could probably not be properly enforced. Most legal provisions creating obligations or restrictions on activity will therefore have entry powers in the enforcement provisions. For a recent example which came into force on 17 November 2005 see the Salmonella in Broiler Flocks (Survey Powers) (England) Regulations 2005 SI No. 2927, Regulation 5(3)(a) of which provides a power to enter premises to take samples of faecal material from broiler chickens. Premises and business premises Generally, inspectors have a routine right to enter premises, including land, at all reasonable hours for the purpose of ascertaining whether legal requirements are being complied with. It is normally an offence to refuse entry. In some cases inspectors must have reasonable grounds to believe that a state of affairs exists before seeking to enter such premises—see, for example, Section 19(2) of the food and environmental protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides. Use of reasonable force and warrants to enter business premises Sometimes reasonable use of force can be used to achieve entry and inspection or search of business premises—see for example paragraph 8 of Schedule 2 to the Food and Environmental Protection Act 1990 in relation to pesticides. But where entry is refused and a power to use reasonable force is not available a warrant to enter and inspect or search can normally be sought from a magistrates' court—see for example Section 16(5) of the Animal Health Act 1981, as inserted by Section 7 of the Animal Health Act 2002, in relation to "animal treatment entry warrants". Before granting a warrant to enter the magistrate must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the relevant regulations. Reasonable use of force can normally be used to execute such entry warrants. Domestic premises Where inspectors wish to enter and inspect or search domestic premises, and this is usually when a criminal offence is suspected, the law invariably requires a search warrant. The magistrate granting the warrant must be satisfied by information on oath that there are reasonable grounds for entry for enforcement of the regulations. Where such entry warrants are used for investigative purposes the occupier must be informed of his legal rights in accordance with paragraph 6.7 of Code B to the Code of Search (2004) issued under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. Rough Sleepers Lord Patten: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the numbers of rough sleepers (a) in Victoria Street opposite New Scotland Yard; and (b) in the environs of Westminster Cathedral are increasing or decreasing. Baroness Andrews: Westminster City Council has the responsibility for addressing rough sleeping in the local area. While the Government do not set targets to reduce rough sleeping in specific areas such as that in Victoria Street opposite New Scotland Yard and around Westminster Cathedral, there have been significant reductions in the level of rough sleeping across all of Westminster with the last published count on 8 March 2005 recording 133 rough sleepers across the borough, compared to 175 recorded in April 2004. Westminster acknowledges that rough sleeping around Victoria Street continues to be one of London's most visible and troublesome hotspots. From July 2005 Westminster moved to a buildings-based model of service delivery, with the emphasis on rough sleepers coming indoors for rapid assessment. The aim is to help vulnerable people into appropriate services that will enable them to sustain accommodation, to divert others new to the area, and bring about real reductions in people using the area to bed down at night. The Government's Homelessness and Housing Support Directorate continues to work with Westminster City Council to reduce rough sleeping in the area still further. Royal Public Finances: Transport Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the annual report 2004–05 on the royal public finances, how many journeys were taken on official business involving helicopters within the United Kingdom and costing more than £2,500, broken down by user. Lord Davies of Oldham: Details of journeys taken on official business involving helicopters are published annually in the annexe to the annual report on royal public finances. Information is provided on cost, user and purpose of journey. Copies of the 2004–05 report are placed in the Library of both Houses. Wales: Buses and Competition Law Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many applications to the Department for Transport have been made by bus operators in Wales for block exemptions from the provisions of current competition law since 1 January 2004. Lord Davies of Oldham: Competition law is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading. The only relevant block exemption order is in the Public Transport Ticketing Schemes Block Exemption Order. No application, to any authority, is required from operators if they are satisfied that the ticketing scheme being implemented falls within the terms of the block exemption. Guidance on the block exemption is available from the Office of Fair Trading.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-12-09c

Department for Transport High Speed 2 Railway Line Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the (1) internal diameter, (2) cross-sectional area, and (3) maximum design speed allowable, in each of the HS2 train running tunnels, and what assessment they have made of how those compare to equivalent running tunnels on high speed lines in France. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The design of HS2 tunnels has been considered in three separate groups, namely: Cut & Cover tunnels,Bored Tunnels with a maximum nominal line speed up to and including 230km/h,Bored Tunnels with a maximum nominal line speed of between 231 km/h and 360km/h. a, Cut & cover tunnels are twin cell tunnels with each cell measuring 7m wide x 9m high, giving a cross sectional area of 63m2 for a maximum nominal line speed of 360km/h. b, Bored tunnels with a maximum nominal line speed up to and including 230km/h have been designed with an internal diameter of 7.55m, giving a cross sectional area of 44.77m2. c, Bored tunnels with a maximum nominal line speed between 231 km/h and 360km/h have been designed with an internal diameter of 8.8m, giving a cross sectional area of 60.82m2. The cross sectional area of a tunnel is dependent is on a number of factors, including; maximum nominal line speed, tunnel length, railways structure gauge, railway system spatial requirements, aerodynamics including statutory requirements, operations and maintenance requirements including evacuation and safety. The impact of these factors has been assessed when determining the appropriate diameter/cross sectional area of each of the tunnels on the HS2 Phase 1 route. For this reason it is not appropriate to make a direct comparison between HS2 tunnels and those constructed in France or elsewhere in the world. High Speed 2 Railway Line Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of (1) the number of HS2 trains of each size required for HS2 Phase 1 and HS2 Phase 2, and (2) the total cost (a) of each type of train, and (b) for each phase. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Functional Response annexed to the Development Agreement outlines what HS2 Ltd will deliver to satisfy the Sponsor’s Requirements, including capacity requirements for both phases of the new railway. HS2 Ltd are in the process of completing their Rolling Stock Strategy which will contain greater detail on the fleet sizes expected to be procured. As part of the Spending Round announced in November 2015, the rolling stock funding envelope has been integrated with the relevant Phase specific infrastructure funding envelope as shown below. Phase One27.2Phase Two28.5Programme Total 55.7 Note. The above table shows information in £Billion at 2015 prices. Motorcycles: Noise Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to reduce the noise level of motorbikes travelling on public highways. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There are already a number of measures in place to control motorcycle noise with manufacturers required to meet strict noise limits which are then enforced by the police and through the annual MOTs. There are currently no plans for further measures. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the amount of litter currently on the verges of (1) the A13 trunk road between the Limehouse Link and the junction with the A130, and (2) the A12 between the junction with the A130 and the junction with the A14 at Ipswich, and what steps the Highways Agency is taking to monitor the cleanliness of those roads. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Due to the devolution of the highways network, it is necessary to be explicit on who has responsibility for litter on the verges. The A13 between the Limehouse Link and the Greater London Boundary, nominally the A1306 junction at Wennington, is the responsibility of Transport for London. Between the A1306 Wennington junction and the A1089 junction near Grays, this is the responsibility of Highways England, through its supplier, Connect Plus. For the A13 from the A1089 junction near Grays to the A130 junction near Basildon, this is the responsibility of the local authorities. The A12 between the A130 junction near Chelmsford and the A14 junction at Ipswich is the responsibility of the local authorities. Highways England is aware that litter is unsightly and detrimental to the environment and spends significant sums annually in ensuring it is cleared from the strategic road network each year. They are satisfied that Connect Plus grades the route and clears litter in accordance with the requirements of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 but is keen to work collaboratively with the local authority, Thurrock Council, to do more. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the arrangements with which the Highways Agency ensures that contractors responsible for keeping trunk roads clean fulfil their obligations, and whether they use photographic evidence to record the cleanliness of trunk roads. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Highways England as a Government Owned Company, is responsible for complying with the mandatory legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, which includes removing litter on England’s motorways and some trunk roads. Contractors have clear specifications, aligned to the Environmental Protection Act. Compliance is monitored by Highways England, with the use of photographic evidence as one possible method. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total expenditure, in the most recent year for which information is available, of the Highways Agency on keeping (1) trunk roads, and (2) motorways, clear of litter. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (EPA) Highways England is responsible for the management of litter on all England’s motorways and for a small portion of the all - purpose trunk roads. Local authorities are responsible for litter on all other roads, including the A roads within Highways England network. Highways England’s maintenance contracts are structured so that suppliers are paid a ‘lump sum’ for a wide range of general maintenance duties. These include sweeping, cleaning and litter clearance duties. Highways England does not disaggregate its budget and spend on these types of activities. Exact litter clearance costs cannot be extracted as the activity is performed on both a routine and ad-hoc basis to meet contractual requirements and the legal requirements under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Roads: Tunnels Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 March (HL6898), what assessment they have made of the Mont Blanc tunnel fire of 1999 and the implications of that fire and subsequent investigations, inquiries and trials for (1) the construction of a Trans-Pennine Tunnel or other long road tunnels, (2) the safety management of such tunnels, (3) the classes of vehicles that will be permitted to operate through such tunnels, and (4) the licensing and inspection of different classes of vehicles, especially heavy goods vehicles, in using such tunnels. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Trans Pennine Tunnel Study will include the consideration of international best practice in tunnel design and management to learn lessons from around the world. The design and development of a Trans Pennine Tunnel will comply with the current international standards that were changed as a result of the Mont Blanc fire. Roads: Tunnels Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 March (HL6898), how many road tunnels worldwide there are of a comparable length to road tunnels planned underneath the Peak District; and for each of those (1) how long they have been in operation, (2) what traffic speed they operate at, (3) how many lanes there are and whether they have a hard shoulder, (4) what levels of air pollution are found within them, (5) what their construction cost was, and (6) whether they were delivered on time and on budget. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are currently examining a number of corridors to identify potential links between Manchester and Sheffield. At this stage the precise length of any tunnel is unknown. The initial findings on the construction and maintenance of a potential tunnel were published in the Interim Report in November 2015. The next stages of the study will examine shortlisted options in more detail and will include the consideration of international best practice. The conclusions will be published later this year. Transport: Urban Areas Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 17 March (HL6801), what plans they have to introduce locally managed and self-financing schemes to deal with air pollution and the provision of urban bus services. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not have specific schemes focused on self-financing urban bus services and air quality. However the Government is investing significant funding to help local authorities improve air quality and reduce emissions of harmful pollutants. This includes provision to bus fleets. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) published an air quality plan for nitrogen dioxide in December 2015 setting out a comprehensive approach to meeting our ambition for the UK to have some of the cleanest air in the world, including by implementing a new programme of Clean Air Zones. Under the Plan, by 2020 the most polluting vehicles, including older polluting buses, will be discouraged from entering the centres of Birmingham, Leeds, Southampton, Nottingham and Derby. DEFRA has allocated funding to help these five cities implement Clean Air Zones. Additionally cities including Oxford, Norwich and Brighton have already taken steps to introduce zones to ensure the operation of cleaner buses in their areas. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Africa: Females Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the current increase in girls suffering "breast ironing" in Western and Central Africa, and especially in southern Cameroon. Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of the practice of "breast ironing" in Commonwealth countries of Africa, including Kenya and the Benin State of Nigeria, and if so, whether they have raised that issue with the governments concerned. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The British Government is aware of the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. There is little reliable data on the number of girls suffering this form of abuse, but we strongly condemn violence against women and girls in all its forms.The Government places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming and works through diplomatic and development channels to tackle the causes and drivers of violence against women and girls as a matter of priority. The manifestations of violence may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes.In Cameroon, Kenya and Nigeria we are continuing to engage with governments and local communities to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence against women and girls. In Cameroon our High Commission has been working closely with the Minister of Women’s Empowerment and the Family on campaigns in coordination with local religious leaders, to raise awareness and support community-led change to end the harmful practice of breast ironing. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the reported raids on Palestinian homes on 1 March. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this issue with the Israeli authorities. EU Staff Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are employed by the EU, including the European Court of Justice; and at what annual cost. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: In 2015, the EU and its institutions including the European Court of Justice employed 40,106 permanent members of staff. Further information on staff levels and administrative expenditure is available on the European Commission’s website.In 2013, the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), delivered a real-terms cut to the seven year EU budget framework for the first time in history and this deal continues to bring discipline to annual EU spending. As part of this deal, the UK secured some important reforms to administrative expenditure, including: a cash freeze to EU institutions staff salaries in 2013 and 2014, an increase in the retirement age for EU officials and a commitment by all EU institutions to reduce headcounts by 5% by the end of 2017. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Iron and Steel: China Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Bridges of Headley on 25 February (HL Deb, col 389), when they first made representations to the EU Commission as regards allegations of dumping of Chinese steel; when action was taken by the Commission; and what assessment they have made of whether the Commission took effective and prompt action. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The European Commission currently has 37 measures in place against steel products, 16 of which concern imports from China. The government makes regular representations to the European Commission concerning allegations of dumping of steel. The government judges each anti-dumping investigation on its merits, based on the evidence presented by the Commission and on representations from interested parties, including producers, users and importers. We have supported industry calls for action in recent cases, for example in the reinforcing bar case we have raised the steel industry’s concerns that the provisional duties were too low with the Commission. My Rt Hon Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills spoke with Commissioner Malmström about this and received assurance that the Commission will reconsider this during the definitive stage of the investigation, if industry can provide the necessary evidence. Given the current crisis in the steel industry, we continue to press the Commission for faster, more effective action to deal with dumping of steel. Student Unions Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Evans of Bowes Park on 23 February (HL6060), whether, in the light of clause 10 of the Trade Union Bill and the laws regarding pre-entry trade union membership, they will take appropriate action to ensure that student unions are bound by the same rules as other unions. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Student unions are not trade unions, as specified by Section 1 of the Trade Union and Labour Relations (Consolidation) Act 1992. Therefore, none of the reforms being provided by the Trade Union Bill will impact students’ unions. The Education Act 1994 already requires publicly-funded universities to take reasonable steps to ensure that their students’ union observes the right for students to opt out of membership. The Green Paper “Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice” sought public views on the role of students’ unions and what further steps could be taken to increase transparency and accountability to individual members. The Government plans to publish a White Paper in response in the spring. EU Law Lord Renwick of Clifton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by the Prime Minister on 22 February (HC Deb, col 22), how they reached the conclusion that the cost of EU regulation will be going down, not up. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister to Parliament on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. Under our new settlement the European Commission has agreed for the first time to set specific targets to reduce the overall burden on businesses in key sectors. The European Council Declaration on Competitiveness commits to ‘doing more to reduce the overall burden of EU regulation, especially on SMEs and micro enterprises’. To implement this, the European Commission has agreed to introduce a new burden review mechanism. It will conduct an annual survey of the burdens imposed on businesses at the EU level. This process will identify legislation that should be revised or repealed to bring costs down, and will mean that limiting the cost of regulation will be a priority when proposals are developed, negotiated and agreed. Department for International Development Developing Countries: Sustainable Development Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to engage with the UN Regional Commissions to develop Sustainable Development Goal indicators, and how they intend to involve civil society in that process. Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to engage with the UN Regional Commissions to develop family planning and sexual and reproductive health indicators to accompany the goals and targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to engage with other countries to develop family planning and sexual and reproductive health indicators to accompany the goals and targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Baroness Verma: We welcome the agreement of the United Nations Statistical Commission (UNSC) on a global indicator framework for the Sustainable Development Goals, which includes indicators on the extent to which needs for family planning; adolescent birth rate; sexual violence; early marriage; female genital mutilation/cutting; informed sexual and reproductive health decision making; and legal frameworks on access to sexual and reproductive health care and information have been met. As the UNSC has noted, the framework is a practical starting point, and further work will be needed on some of the indicators. The UNSC has asked the Inter-Agency Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDG) to take forward further work on the indicator framework. The IAEG-SDG is composed of member states and includes as observers regional and international organisations and agencies including the UN Regional Commissions. The Office for National Statistics expects to contribute to the development of SDG indicators via the relevant expert groups. Gaza: Overseas Aid Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 March (HL Deb, col GC297), whether they will provide a breakdown of the £45 million spent in Gaza since October 2014. Baroness Verma: In October 2014, the UK pledged £20 million in early recovery assistance at the Gaza Reconstruction Conference in Cairo. This included funding for reconstructive surgery and rehabilitation for those injured, clearance of unexploded ordnance, short term employment schemes, shelter and basic services, support to the private sector to reopen factories and businesses, funding for the UN’s new construction materials monitoring mechanism, technical assistance and direct support to the Palestinian Authority. The UK has disbursed this pledge in its entirety. Since then the UK has provided more than £25 million of additional support to Gaza for a range of activities, including basic service delivery and further support to the private sector. Palestinians: Overseas Aid Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 17 March (HL Deb, col GC298), how much new employment has followed the expenditure of £349 million by the Department for International Development for Palestinian economic development between 2011 and 2015. Baroness Verma: DFID’s support to the Occupied Palestinian Territories is delivering a range of results including enrolment of children in primary school, improvements to maternal health-care, humanitarian assistance and legal assistance to Palestinians at risk of eviction from their land. As part of this support, between 2011 and 2015, DFID provided over £3 million to the Facility for New Market Development Programme and Palestinian Market Development Programme, which has helped businesses expand into new markets and products, and supported the creation of over 2800 new jobs. DFID also provided £2 million to the UN Relief and Works Agency’s which supported the creation of over 45,000 short-term jobs for Palestinians in Gaza who have been affected by movement and access restrictions. Department for Education Academies: Admissions Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent academies from using selective processes to exclude certain pupils, such as paying comprehensive schools to take troublesome pupils or schools closing and re-opening with smaller intakes to achieve the exclusion of certain pupils. Lord Nash: The Government supports head teachers in using exclusion as a sanction where it is warranted. It is, however, appropriate for schools to consider other measures to improve a pupil’s behaviour before taking a decision to exclude. This can include directing a pupil off-site to be educated in specialist alternative provision in order to help improve their behaviour. The Department has no evidence of schools closing in order to re-open with the goal of establishing a lower published admissions number (PAN) or achieving the exclusion of troublesome pupils. A reduction in PAN can only take place after the admission authority for a school has undertaken a full consultation in accordance with the School Admissions Code. Anyone can object to the Schools Adjudicator and the adjudicator can prevent the PAN from being reduced if the reduction is unfair or otherwise breaches the Code. Apprentices Baroness Morgan of Huyton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to promote higher apprenticeships to inform pupils currently in key stage 3 of their future options. Lord Nash: Higher apprenticeships are widening access to the professions, providing the higher level technical skills employers need to improve productivity and giving young people who do not go to university an equally valid career route. The government is taking a number of steps to ensure that apprenticeship opportunities at all levels are widely understood by young people from a young age so that they can make better informed decisions at key transition points. Schools have a legal duty to secure independent careers guidance for all pupils from year 8 onwards. This must include information on apprenticeships. Statutory guidance which underpins the duty is clear that schools should cooperate with other providers to ensure that young people are aware of the full range of education and training options available to them. The government will be launching a new apprenticeships campaign in May aimed at young people, their influencers and employers – it builds on the previous successful Get In Go Far campaign. The government is funding The Careers & Enterprise Company to roll out and manage its Enterprise Adviser Network, which was launched in September 2015. This is a network of employer volunteers coordinated by Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) who are working in schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise strategies and increase the number and effectiveness of employer-school interactions.Apprenticeships take-up is one of the criteria that LEPs are using to prioritise this support and advisers will be helping schools with their activity to provide well-informed information on apprenticeships. However, the range of information that young people receive remains too narrow and we want to go further. The government intends to bring forward legislation at the earliest opportunity that will require schools to allow other education and training providers the opportunity to talk to pupils about their offer on school premises. Schools will be required by law to collaborate with colleges, university technical colleges and other training providers, including apprenticeship providers, in putting those arrangements in place. This will ensure that young people hear much more consistently about the merits of alternatives to academic and school-based routes and are aware of all the routes to higher skills and into the workplace. STEM Subjects: Primary Education Lord Hunt of Chesterton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the trend in the level of continuing professional development undertaken by teachers of STEM subjects in primary schools; what estimate they have made about the effect it will have on the standards attained by pupils; and whether they will provide funds to increase continuing professional development in the future. Lord Nash: It is for schools to determine the professional development their teachers need. The Government funds a number of programmes which make high quality, professional development available to primary teachers. This supports our commitment to making Britain the best place in the world to study science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects. The network of 35 Maths Hubs is working with many primary teachers to adopt effective south-east Asian ‘mastery’ teaching approaches to make sure that more children leave primary schools having met the expected standards in mathematics. The network of 44 Science Learning Partnerships provides support to primary teachers to improve their science subject knowledge and how they teach science including good quality practical work. Support to improve the teaching of the new primary computing curriculum is available through the Network of Teaching Excellence in Computer Science. All of these programmes are subject to ongoing evaluation to assess their impact. The Government remains committed to making sure primary school teachers continue to have access to high quality STEM professional development in the future. Department for Work and Pensions Personal Independence Payment Baroness Doocey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Personal Independent Payment claimants have so far been awarded the top level of mobility support; and of those, what percentage were awarded that support as a result of points from (1) the "planning and following a journey" activity, (2) the "moving around" activity, or (3) a combination of the two. Baroness Altmann: At the end of January 2016 there were 218,279 people in receipt of the enhanced rate mobility component of PIP. The latest available data on the proportion of awards of the enhanced rate mobility component by activity are in the table below: Activities/scoresProportion12 or more points on the “planning and following a journey” activity19%12 or more points on the “moving around” activity51%12 or more points on both “moving around” and “planning and following a journey”5%12 or more points from a combination of these activities.25% Notes:Figures relate to Normal Rules assessments only.Data at 31 December 2015. Occupational Pensions Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they used to decide on which radio channels to advertise the new workplace pensions; whether they are being advertised on BBC Radio; and if not, why not. Baroness Altmann: We select radio stations to reach the largest proportion of our employer target audience in a cost efficient manner. This is determined by RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research) listener surveys and using a sample audience profile that represents employers with less than 30 employees. We are unable to advertise on BBC Radio due to their commercial policy. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Agriculture: Forestry Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any studies that have been conducted in the UK about integrating the cultivation of trees, crops and livestock on the same agricultural area, and of the conclusions of those studies. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Natural England commissioned a report from the Organic Research Centre and Abacus Organics considering the potential for agro-forestry options in the Countryside Stewardship scheme. The Land Use Policy Group commissioned an independent review of the evidence on agro-ecology including a consideration of agro-forestry, which was published in June 2015. The Government has not yet made an assessment of these studies but officials will be exploring the evidence base for agro-forestry and how this measure might operate in practice within the Rural Development Programme. Agriculture: Forestry Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the only current option for English farmers who wish to plant trees with CAP support is to have forestry as a separate enterprise on their holding, with densities of around 400 trees per hectare, rather than integrate the trees into their arable or livestock areas in a less dense planting. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: English farmers can plant trees with Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) support either to create woodland habitat under the forestry measure of the Rural Development Regulation or to deliver a range of benefits such as landscape or the provision of nesting and habitat for farm wildlife under its agri-environment measure. Both these measures are available to farmers and other land managers as part of the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Tree-planting options do not require a minimum density (or number) of trees to be planted except when used to create new woodland. Agriculture: Forestry Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical examples of agroforestry have been visited by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs staff in England, and what assessment they have made of whether, in the light of the fact that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have recently included agroforestry options into their rural development schemes, doing so would be an effective measure for England. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Officials from Defra and Natural England have recently visited an example of agro-forestry near Peterborough funded in part from organic and agri-environment measures in Environmental Stewardship. This was a very positive and valuable visit. Officials will be exploring the evidence base for agro-forestry and how this measure might operate in practice within the Rural Development Programme. However, the budget for Pillar 2 is finite and funding agro-forestry may have opportunity costs for other measures. Agriculture: Forestry Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have received about the benefits of agroforestry in other European countries for soil conservation, biodiversity, productivity and the reduction of flooding. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Evidence and advice on agro-forestry is summarised in the Land Use Policy Group commissioned study “The Role of Agroecology in Sustainable Intensification (2015)” which reviewed the evidence on productivity, soils, biodiversity, etc. from other European countries (notably France and Germany) and North America. Agriculture: Forestry Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether agroforestry measures under the CAP could help provide an incentive for farmers to plant some trees on pasture as opposed to clearing scrub and trees from pasture, and what assessment they have made of whether CAP Pillar 1 Ecological Focus Areas or Pillar 2 Article 23 measures would be more appropriate for English needs. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Countryside Stewardship scheme provides options for farmers to manage both grassland and scrub in environmentally beneficial ways. Countryside Stewardship also provides opportunities to plant trees. These options can be used to deliver environmental enhancements and could contribute to agroforestry without needing to apply the Article 23 measure.CAP Pillar 1 Ecological Focus Areas can only include agroforestry where this is supported under Pillar 2 Article 23 measures (agroforestry). We have not implemented the agroforestry measure in England. Babesiosis Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications of the discovery in the UK of the tick-borne canine parasite Babesia canis and the associated disease babesiosis in dogs; what action they are taking to provide information to dog owners, breeders, vets and others who come into contact with dogs, including those who deal with stray dogs; and what assessment they have made of the possible introduction into the UK of species of Babesia that may also infect humans, and of the possible presence of, and risks presented by, ticks that can host and spread both Babesia and Borrelia pathogens. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Experts at the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Public Health England (PHE) are working together to investigate the locally acquired cases in Essex and this will include providing advice to the local authority, vets, pet owners and the public on what to do in the event of finding ticks on animals or observe clinical signs in pet dogs, through specialist press and public messages from the Defra, APHA and PHE communications teams. On the risks of introduction of pathogens such as Babesia and Borrelia to humans and potential spread by ticks, PHE is responsible for the monitoring of Lyme disease through surveillance of reference laboratory diagnosed cases and provides guidance on avoiding tick bites. PHE runs a “Tick Surveillance Scheme” for ticks found by members of the public, general practitioners, vets and those working with wildlife, so PHE can map tick species across the UK and monitor changes in distribution. Humans can be infected by Babesia microti, a rodent pathogen, and by Babesia bovis and Babesia divergens. Very few human cases have been reported in Europe or the UK, but virtually all have been related to B. divergens. In the US, human cases are caused by B. microti linked to white footed mice, a common rodent host of Borrelia burgdorferi in N. America. There are no reports of human infection with B. canis. HM Treasury VAT Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether levels of VAT in the UK can be reduced without the approval of the EU. Lord O'Neill of Gatley: Member States have full autonomy over VAT within an agreed EU framework. Member States can apply a standard rate of VAT no lower than 15 per cent and apply a reduced rate of VAT no lower than 5 per cent. Cabinet Office Households Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the change, if any, in the number of households in the UK with a (1) UK-born, and (2) non-UK-born, Household Reference Person between 2010 and 2015. Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the change, if any, in the number of households in London with a (1) UK-born, and (2) non-UK-born, Household Reference Person between 2000 and 2015. Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Referral Letter (PDF Document, 132.85 KB)

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-03-30

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 Badakhsham, Afghanistan; and Whether they intend to deploy any personnel to the multi-donor mission in Badakhsham, Afghanistan; and What other countries will be contributing to the multi-donor mission in Badakhsham, Afghanistan. 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 the Helmand province. 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. 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 paidat 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 the payment of charges for food or accommodation occupied in the operational theatre. 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. 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 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 was60 days, a 9 per cent decrease in delay from 66 days in 1997. 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. Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the formal terms of reference ofSir 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 forSir 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. 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 and80 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; 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) 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 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 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 0 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.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2007-01-09a

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Djibouti: Development Aid The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to Djibouti in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK does not have a bilateral aid programme with Djibouti. The UK does make contributions to multilateral programmes, such as the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), which has allocated funds to Djibouti. South Sudan: Development Aid The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much UK overseas aid they provided to South Sudan in (1) 2017, (2) 2018, (3) 2019, (4) 2020, and (5) 2021. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Statistics on the UK Government's international development work can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/statistics-on-international-development . The UK has provided the following amounts of bilateral and multilateral Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) to South Sudan between 2017 and 2020: £221,802,000 (2017), £178,127,000 (2018), £259,752,000 (2019) and £118,217,000 (2020). Final UK Aid spend for 2021 will be published in Autumn 2022.The UK remains a leading donor to South Sudan. We use our aid budget to work with the UN and partners to respond to South Sudan's humanitarian crisis, fund crucial health and education services, and support peacebuilding efforts. Our aid budget is complemented by our diplomatic work, which presses for the implementation of the peace agreement, constitutional reforms and good public financial management. These are essential for the wider progress towards stability and prosperity of South Sudan. Zimbabwe: Maternal Mortality Lord Oates: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking, together with partners in Zimbabwe, to help reduce the maternal mortality rate in that country. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK has supported and will continue to support essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, new-born, child and adolescent health and nutrition services in Zimbabwe. Alongside international partners, our 'Supporting a Resilient Health System' programme (£130 million, 2017-22) has benefitted 5.4 million women and children in Zimbabwe through delivering essential sexual, reproductive, maternal, new-born, child and adolescent health and nutrition services.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2022-10-06

The Senior Deputy Speaker High Speed 2 Railway Line Lord Berkeley: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the terms of reference of the proposed independent assessor to be appointed to compile the responses to a consultation on the environmental aspects of a bill for Phase 2b of HS2 between Crewe and Manchester; and what changes are being proposed to the hybrid bill process to incorporate this new role. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The role of the Independent Assessor in hybrid bill procedure is to summarise the issues raised in comments received on the environmental statement (and any supplementary environmental information subsequently deposited) relating to a hybrid bill and to make a report (or reports). The second reading of a hybrid bill cannot be moved until at least 14 days after the report relating to the environmental statement has been submitted.The procedure in relation to the Independent Assessor is well-established. It is set out in detail in House of Lords Private Business Standing Order 83A. HL SO 83A was agreed by the House of Lords on 25 July 2013, following a recommendation by the Procedure Committee (2nd Report, Session 2013-14, HL Paper 33). An Independent Assessor was appointed in relation to the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill and the High Speed Rail (West Midlands – Crewe) Bill.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2021-09-07

Department of Health and Social Care DNACPR Decisions: Coronavirus Lord Balfe: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reported increase in the use of Do Not Attempt Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation orders during the COVID-19 pandemic, what additional guidance they have provided to hospitals regarding consulting patients and their families prior to such ordersbeing issued; and when this guidance was distributed. Lord Bethell: Failure to consult people and their families on decisions around CPR causes significant distress and we have taken decisive action to prevent this from happening. NHS England and NHS Improvement clinical leaders issued a number of letters to the health and social care system throughout April and May 2020, and in March 2021, to clarify best practice around do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions.Joint guidance for clinicians from the British Medical Association, the Resuscitation Council UK and Royal College of Nursing reflects that agreement to a DNACPR is an individual decision and should involve the person concerned or, where the person lacks capacity, their families, carers, guardians or other legally recognised advocates. The Department reiterated this message in the Adult Social Care Winter Plan in 2020.The DNACPR Ministerial Oversight Group continues to review the resources available to ensure adherence to DNACPR guidance across the system. Sensitive and well communicated DNACPRs can and should be an important part of patient care and end of life experience. We are committed to taking continued action to ensure those decisions are managed and communicated well in all settings. General Practitioners: Coronavirus Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letters from NHS England and NHS Improvement to GP practices dated 17 March 2020 and 4 August 2020, when additional costs related to COVID-19 borne by dispensing GPs will be reimbursed. Lord Bethell: Dispensing practices continue to be reimbursed for additional costs related to COVID-19 in the same way as non-dispensing practices. At the beginning of the pandemic the COVID-19 support fund for general practice (GP) reimbursed practices for additional expenditure they incurred for absence cover, bank holiday opening and the costs of some consumables.  A further £270 million has been made available from November 2020 until September 2021, allocated to systems and ring-fenced exclusively for use in GP to ensure practices can continue to provide the necessary care for all patients. Veterans: Mental Health Services Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide additional mental health support for UK veterans of the war in Afghanistan. Lord Bethell: In England, veterans are able to access both mainstream and veteran specific services. There are several bespoke veterans’ services in place to meet the needs of military personnel, veterans and their families. This includes very strong mental health support, known as ‘Op COURAGE: The Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service’, which has received over 16,000 referrals to date. Together these services provide a complete mental health care pathway for veterans with individuals benefitting from personalised care plans, ensuring they can access support and treatment both in and out of hours.The Government has committed an additional £2.7 million to expand these services which will directly benefit at-risk veterans, some of whom may have been impacted by the recent events in Afghanistan. Department for International Trade Trade Promotion Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to streamline administration of support to the UK’s export scheme to help small firms access trade programmes more easily. Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: To make access to UK Export Finance (UKEF) support quicker and easier for firms, the General Export Facility is being delivered through leading high street lenders on a delegated basis, so that in many instances a guarantee can be granted automatically and with little waiting time. UKEF has also increased the amount that participating banks can administer automatically from £2 million to £5 million, allowing applications to be processed more quickly.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2021-09-13

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Iran: Human Rights lord carlile of berriew: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conduct of the government of Iran following the arrest of students Ali Younesi, Amir Hossein Moradi and 18 other individuals who expressed their objection to the policies of that government; and what representations they intend to make to the government of Iran about human rights breaches. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Iran's human rights record continues to be of serious concern to the UK. We remain deeply concerned by Iran's failure to uphold its international legal obligations. Many citizens have been arrested on unclear charges, arbitrarily detained and denied due process, all contrary to international human rights law.We regularly express our human rights concerns to the Iranian authorities and we continue to take action both bilaterally and with the international community, to press Iran to improve its poor human rights record. George Floyd lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the death of George Floyd. baroness sugg: The Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary have been clear that the death of George Floyd was appalling, inexcusable and deeply distressing. We are aware that a suspect has been charged and there is a federal review underway. We would hope and expect justice to be done.The violence we have seen is clearly very alarming. People must be allowed to protest peacefully - peaceful protest remains a vital part of a democratic society and we understand the strength of feeling around this issue. Palestinians: Recognition of States baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 19 May (HL3850), what (1) conditions they require to have been met before they recognise Palestine as a state; and (2) what steps they are taking to support Palestine to meet those conditions. lord ahmad of wimbledon: As I made clear in my answer of 19 May 2020 (HL3850), 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. The UK will continue to support a negotiated settlement leading to a safe and secure Israel living alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state. Israel: Geneva Conventions baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage the government of Israel to ensure that it meets the obligations of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the government of Israel meets the obligations of the Geneva Convention relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Time of War. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation. Israel: Palestinians baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conditions any Palestinian children who are being detained in Israel without a conviction are living in during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what steps they are taking to ensure that any such children are treated in line with international law and agreements. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We remain concerned by the impact that COVID-19 could have on Palestinian detainees, including children. We continue to make representations to the Israeli authorities to take steps which will reduce the risk of COVID-19 spreading in prisons whilst simultaneously respecting fundamental human rights. West Bank: Agriculture and Water baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports of the destruction of livestock pens and waterlines belonging to the al-Ras al-Ahmar and al-Baq’a Bedouin communities in the northern Jordan Valley. lord ahmad of wimbledon: While we have not made representations on these reports, we urge both sides to avoid taking actions which make peace more difficult to achieve. In all but the most exceptional of circumstances demolitions are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. The practice causes unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and is harmful to the peace process. Department for Education Pupils: Coronavirus lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on pupils attending illegal, unregistered schools. baroness berridge: Ofsted continues to investigate potential illegal schools including consideration of new intelligence. Where appropriate, Ofsted have liaised with local authorities and other statutory bodies to consider whether there is appropriate action that should be taken, for example, to close settings where people are gathering illegally during the COVID-19 outbreak. Ministry of Justice Prisoners: Coronavirus the lord bishop of rochester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners(1) have displayed, or (2)are currently displaying, symptoms of COVID-19; and of those, (a) how many, and (b) what proportion, have been tested. [T] lord keen of elie: As of Friday, 29 May our management information shows that there were 162 prisoners currently showing symptoms of Covid-19. Of those, 85 (52%) had been tested. Our records show that a further 3450 prisoners had previously displayed symptoms of Covid-19 where cases are now closed. Of those, 1447 (or 42%) had been tested. Tests are conducted on symptomatic prisoners on site, as directed and advised by PHE. The testing capacity and availability is dependent on local commissioning services, therefore the numbers of those tested varies by establishment. This means that the total number of cases at any establishment can include clinically diagnosed but untested cases, as well as those who have a confirmed COVID-19 positive result. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Property Development: Isle of Dogs lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government was made aware that the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government met Richard Desmond in November 2019 prior to theDepartment's decisions in respect of the Northern and Shell Corporation’s planning application for the development of Westferry Printworks. [T] lord adonis: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government informed the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government of his previous contacts with (1) Richard Desmond, and (2) executives of the Northern and Shell Corporation, prior to the Department's decisions in respect of the Northern and Shell Corporation in the past year; and if so, what action was taken in response. lord greenhalgh: Planning Ministers act in accordance with the MHCLG Guidance on Planning Proprietary Issues. This guidance is published (attached) on gov.uk and is available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/5998/2091742.pdf Guidance on Planning Proprietary (PDF Document, 66.08 KB) Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill lord randall of uxbridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of theAnimal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill 2019–21 sponsored by the Member of Parliament for West Dorset. lord goldsmith of richmond park: The Government is supporting the Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill as it makes its way through Parliament. The Bill will increase the maximum custodial penalty for animal cruelty from 6 months’ imprisonment to 5 years’ imprisonment. The new maximum penalty of five years is in line with campaigns by key stakeholders such as Battersea Dogs and Cats Home, Dogs Trust and the RSPCA. This is a positive step forward in improving animal welfare and will act as a serious deterrent against cruelty and neglect. Northern Ireland has already set the maximum penalty for animal cruelty offences at five years’ imprisonment, and the Scottish Government introduced the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Bill on 30 September 2019. The Welsh Government have confirmed that the new maximum penalty being proposed should apply in Wales. The increase to five years' imprisonment will provide one of the toughest sanctions in Europe, strengthening the UK's position as a global leader on animal welfare. This builds on recent positive action the Government has taken to improve animal welfare standards, such as a requirement for CCTV in all slaughterhouses and implementing one of the world's toughest ivory bans. For companion animals, we have introduced new updated minimum welfare standards for pet selling, dog breeding, riding schools, animal boarding and exhibiting animals; as well as a ban on the commercial third-party sale of puppies and kittens. Home Office Video Conferencing: Offences Against Children lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Zoom about protecting children and young people from incidents of video calls being interrupted by anonymous users to display images of child abuse. baroness williams of trafford: There has been a sharp increase in the use of online conferencing tools during the pandemic. The Government is aware of incidents of ‘zoombombing’. This is the unauthorised intrusion of individual/s into Zoom calls, on occasions accompanied by the sharing of explicit material and perpetrated by those taking advantage of meetings that are either not secured via a password or where the password has been widely shared.There is an ongoing criminal investigation and we are working to ensure best practice on how to configure these applications is shared as widely as possible.NCSC has published advice and encourages the public to use passcodes and only share them privately, to ensure online meetings are safe. Immigrants: Detainees the lord bishop of gloucester: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many residents of immigration removal centres (1) have displayed, or (2) are currently displaying, symptoms of COVID-19; and of those, how many have been tested. [T] baroness williams of trafford: The safety and health of people in the detention estate are of the utmost importance. We are following all Public Health England guidance and have robust contingency plans in place. All immigration removal centres have dedicated health facilities run by doctors and nurses which are managed by the NHS or appropriate providers. The Home Office, its suppliers and NHS England healthcare providers in immigration removal centres are following PHE guidelines for the management of COVID-19. Universal testing is not currently recommended under these guidelines for those in detention or those being released. Testing of individuals in immigration detention will be dependent on individual circumstances. To reduce the risk of COVID-19 in IRCs, all centres are following a reverse cohorting process which commenced on 20 April 2020. This requires new arrivals to be isolated from the main population for a period of 14 days to verify that each individual is asymptomatic. If a detainee shows symptoms during this time, they are be moved to protective isolation for seven days. As of 3 June 2020, there are no cases of COVID-19 in immigration removal centres.There have been two confirmed cases of COVID-19 in detainees, a third individual was identified but after his release from detention had been agreed. Local management information indicates that for the period 9 March to 31 May 2020, fifty-seven detainees have been placed in protective isolation for displaying COVID-19 or flu-like symptoms. There is currently one detainee in protective isolation after showing symptoms of COVID-19. Historic information on the number of COVID-19 tests conducted in IRCs is not held. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Music: Coronavirus lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether live music venues that cannot comply with physical distancing and therefore have no income will continue to be supported for the duration of physical distancing measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. baroness barran: We continue to work closely with the live music sector to understand the impact of Covid-19 on their activities and provide the necessary support.We have announced unprecedented support for business and workers to protect them against the current economic emergency. Support packages have been improved upon and further have been introduced as a result of continued sector engagement with Government, including: the introduction of the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, which has benefited businesses unable to access CBILS; the removal of a rateable value link for business rates relief for all eligible properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sector; and the extension of the CBILS so that all viable small businesses affected by COVID-19, and not just those unable to secure regular commercial financing, will now be eligible should they need finance to keep operating during this difficult time. 5G: Huawei lord maginnis of drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review the involvement of Huawei in developing the UK's 5G infrastructure. baroness barran: The final conclusions of the Government’s Telecoms Supply Chain Review in relation to high risk vendors were announced on 28 January. The Government has been clear, however, that as risks, threats and technology changes we need to keep the position under review. On the 15th May the US Department of Commerce announced that they were taking further action against Huawei. The National Cyber Security Centre is considering what the impact of the US sanctions might be. Theatres: Coronavirus lord randall of uxbridge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide support to the theatre sector following the COVID-19 pandemic. baroness barran: The Government will continue to support theatres through the unprecedented financial measures we have announced. DCMS has also worked closely with its arm’s-length bodies to deliver tailored support packages at speed, including the £160m Emergency Funding Package announced by Arts Council England, made possible by Government funding. Alongside this, DCMS continues to engage with the sector extensively in order to best understand the challenges faced. We are working closely with the Arts Council to consider the additional support that may be needed to support the long-term recovery of the cultural sector, including theatres. Swimming Pools: Safety lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures will need to be put in place before swimming pool operators can provide a safe environment to reopen. baroness barran: Swimming plays a crucial role in supporting people to be active and the Government is committed to reopening facilities, including swimming pools, as soon as it is safe to do so. We are holding regular discussions with representatives from the leisure sector to develop guidance for swimming pool operators, as well as other facility operators, to support them to open their facilities in a timely and safe manner once lockdown measures are eased. As with all aspects of the Government’s response to Covid-19, we will be guided by the science to ensure that as restrictions are eased people can return to activity safely.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-06-09

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office EU External Relations The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proposal made by the President of France on 9 May for the creation of a new "European political community" to promote cooperation between the EU and its neighbours; and what conversations they have held with (1) the President of France, and (2) other EU countries, in relation to the attendance of the UK at the first European Political Community Summit in Prague on 6 October. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Prime Minister attended the inaugural Summit of European Leaders in Prague on 6 October. The Prime Minister secured commitments on UK priorities, including demonstrating European support for Ukraine, and energy and illegal migration. The Prime Minister was clear in her engagement ahead of the Summit, including with President Macron on 20 September, that it should not create or duplicate institutional structures (e.g. NATO or the G7), it should be entirely separate from the EU with a non-EU country hosting next, and maintain a wide membership.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2022-10-12

EU External Aid Programme Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the shortcomings in the European Union External Aid Programme have only recently been discovered; why the Audit Office was not involved sooner; and whether they will seek to ensure that the sum pledged for clearing the Danube at Novi Sad and restoring full navigation is promptly and efficiently spent. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government have long been aware that the European Community's External Aid Programme is not living up to its potential. We produced a strategy in December 1998 for improving its effectiveness and efficiency and are currently taking this strategy forward in co-operation with the European Commission. Audit for EC development programmes is the responsibility of the European Court of Auditors, who produce a report in November each year. The National Audit Office scrutinises this report for Parliament in spring the following year. Ensuring that EC pledges are promptly and efficiently spent falls outside the remit of the National Audit Office. However, we fully support Commissioner Patten's recommendation that efforts should be made to speed up implementation of this proposal. Rajasthan The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will summarise the support they are giving this year to drought affected areas of Rajasthan; and through which organisations. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Department for International Development has already committed nearly £3 million for relief projects in response to the drought which is currently affecting regions of Afghanistan, Pakistan and India--including Rajasthan. £2 million of this support is being channelled through the World Food Programme for its regional response, and £500,000 through Oxfam for its activities in Gujarat and Rajasthan. Two DFID humanitarian specialists have recently returned from India and we are currently considering a further response in light of their assessments. In addition, unconnected with the drought situation, DFID has also committed funds for two innovative projects with the Rajasthan Government which aim to promote universal primary education in the state, including areas affected by the current drought. Electronic Trade and VAT Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice they make available to businesses as to their VAT liability on sales of information in electronic form over the Internet, and, in particular, as to how it should be established that "goods" have been exported outside the United Kingdom for VAT purposes; where a member of the public may find such advice; and whether the VAT enquiry lines provide the answers to the previous questions. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: There are no special rules for supplies over the Internet. Goods ordered over the Internet and delivered physically are treated like any other supply of goods; and supplies delivered electronically are treated as supplies of services. Information on supplies of goods and services are contained in the VAT General Guide (Notice No. 700). Information about supplies of services traded internationally is covered in Place of Supply of Services (Notice No. 741). Information on VAT and the export of goods is published in Exports (Notice No. 703). Proof of export will normally be satisfied through commercial documentation. Public Notices and information on the whole range of VAT issues are freely available from Customs & Excise Business Advice Centres. In order to assist businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. HM Customs & Excise are in the process of developing a site on the Internet which will provide a wide range of information to help business understand the VAT implications of trading electronically. Electronic Trade and VAT Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice they make available to businesses as to their VAT liability on sales of books where the selling price of the book includes a right of access to the same information on the Internet; where a member of the public may find such advice; and whether the VAT enquiry line provide the answers to the previous questions. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Printed books are zero-rated for VAT purposes. If the rights supplied are incidental to the supply of the book, the whole supply will be zero-rated. A separate supply of rights would take its own liability. Information on VAT is available through local Customs & Excise Business Advice Centres. Budget Press Releases The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: How they respond to the observations of the Institute of Chartered Accountants that press releases and related materials issued by the Treasury in the context of this year's Budget "are being given a political slant which obscures vital technical issues"; and whether the Budget press releases improve public understanding of the tax system. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Government have implemented a transparent and open framework for fiscal policy, and believe it is important to explain the reasons for tax changes and how they will work in practice. The Budget press releases and related materials, including the Financial Statement and Budget Report, the Economic and Fiscal Strategy Report, and technical notes provide full, clear and accurate information about the Government's policies. They are both informative and objective. Clean Vehicles Task Force: Report Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force will publish its final report. Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The Cleaner Vehicles Task Force, which was set up by the Department in 1997 to look at practical ways of reducing vehicle emissions is publishing its final report, The way forward--the final report of the Cleaner Vehicles Task Force today. The report covers five main areas: Transforming the market and achieving lower environmental impacts from vehicles in use through government incentives, development of technology, and through better public awareness; The role of fleets in improving environmental performance of current and new vehicles; Cleaner fuels and technologies--both conventional and alternative fuels and technologies; The role for low emission zones; and Making sure everyone plays their part--the importance of enforcement in maintaining improvements. There has already been progress on the Task Force's interim recommendations, published in the 1999 report Driving the Agenda. For instance, we announced in March that we would be spending £6 million this year on a Cleaner Vehicles Programme to take forward the Task Force's recommendations on retrofitting. Industry has acted too, with the motor industry adopting a label providing information about emissions on all new cars. We look forward to seeing rapid progress on the recommendations contained in this report. Copies of the final report, along with a background paper published by the Task Force on the environmental impacts of vehicle production and disposal and the reports of the Technology and Testing and Alternative Fuels sub-group, are available in the House Library. London Underground: Escalator Repairs Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action is being taken to reduce the delays in repairs to broken escalators at London Underground stations; and how many of these escalators have been out of operation (a) for over three months and (b) for over six months. Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: This is an operational matter for London Underground. To minimise service disruption, London Underground has carried out temporary repairs where possible, with the approval of Her Majesty's Railways Inspectorate. All stations are now open. Permanent repairs will be carried out as quickly as possible. On 16 May, 30 escalators had been out of operation for over three months, 12 for over six months. GM Trials: Bee-keepers and Fruit Growers Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they consulted representatives of bee-keepers and fruit growers before approving sites for trials of genetically modified crops; and, if not, why not. Lord Whitty: There has not been any specific consultation with representatives of bee-keepers or fruit growers about the siting of farm scale evaluations of GM crops. This is because the assessment of the Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment ascertained that the release would have no adverse effects on bees or the consumers of honey or fruit containing GM pollen. Mobile Concrete Pump Vehicle Licensing Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government: What advice is being given by the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency regarding the correct taxation class for a vehicle used to pump concrete or other building materials at a building site, when the vehicle is not used to carry any materials other than water used in conjunction with the machinery. Lord Whitty: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency has in recent years advised operators of mobile concrete pumps that their vehicles should be licensed in the mobile crane tax class, on the basis of legal advice. However, the DVLA is currently considering the implications of R v Reilly Concrete Pumping Limited, in which an operator was convicted under Section 37 of the Vehicle Excise and Registration Act 1994 after registering his vehicles in that class, to consider what advice it should now issue to operators of concrete pumps to ensure that their vehicles are correctly licensed. Mobile Concrete Pump Vehicle Licensing Earl Attlee: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it would be in the public interest for the Crown Prosecution Service to prosecute a vehicle operator when the operator had followed the advice of the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Lord Whitty: The Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency operates within the law and makes every endeavour to give vehicle operators the best possible advice on the appropriate tax class within which to license their vehicles. When the police send a case to the Crown Prosecution, it is reviewed to make sure that it meets the tests set out in the Code for Crown Prosecutors. If the Crown Prosecutor is satisfied that there is enough evidence to prosecute, then the public interest test must be considered. The advice received by defendants from DVLA would be one factor the prosecutor would take into account when considering whether a prosecution is needed in the public interest. However, the prosecutor must balance other factors for and against the prosecution in weighing the public interest. Each case must be considered on its own individual merits. The interpretation of the law is of course a matter for the courts, and the agency will revise its advice to operators in the light of decisions by the courts. Animal Carcass Incineration The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is their policy that there should be a small number of large capacity incinerators instead of a large number of small capacity incinerators for the disposal of domestic and farm animal carcasses; and, if so, what arrangements they propose to be made for the storage prior to collection, collection and transportation of carcasses and other animal waste products from farms, hunt kennels and veterinary surgeries with particular regard to the prevention of environmental pollution and disease contamination. Lord Whitty: It is not our policy that there should be a small number of large capacity animal carcass incinerators instead of a large number of small-scale animal carcass incinerators. Our policy on waste is set out in the draft waste strategy, A Way With Waste. This emphasises the priority the Government places on tough environmental standards for all types of incineration. It also makes clear that wastes should be disposed of as close to the point of production as possible, consistent with the need for effective environmental controls. We now expect the proposal to be adopted as a directive in the autumn, subject to the progress of the final stage of negotiation. The deadline for transposition into UK law will be two years after adoption. The proposal is therefore likely to apply to new plant from autumn 2002. Existing plant will not, however, have to comply until five years after adoption--ie autumn 2005. We are looking at implementation options which will minimise the burden on small scale animal carcass incinerators and pet crematoria while ensuring that there are appropriate environmental safeguards. Animal Carcass Incineration The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have evidence that all small capacity incinerators exceed the emission levels laid down in the draft Incineration of Waste Directive and, if only some makes of incinerator are unsatisfactory, whether those incinerators could not be replaced by machines that comply with the emission requirements. Lord Whitty: It is the Environment Agency's advice that it is likely that no animal carcass incinerators under 50kg/hr capacity would be fitted with the necessary emissions abatement equipment to meet the standards for dioxins and other pollutants in the proposed waste incineration directive. The cost-benefit analyses prepared for the Department by Entec UK Ltd (copies of which are in the House Library) in Appendix 1 pp. 58-59 noted a lack of emissions data for such plant, but assumed that equipment to abate nitrogen oxides, hydrogen chloride and heavy metals would be needed, plus a secondary combustion chamber to permit sufficient residence time to achieve the dioxins limit. Newbridge-on-Wye: Proposed Wood-burning Power Plant Lord Williams of Elvel: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are satisfied that the applicants for planning permission to construct a wood-burning power plant at Newbridge-on-Wye have given full and true answers to the Fourth Renewables Tranche questionnaire, particularly in respect of unreleased covenants affecting the land in question. Baroness Farrington of Ribbleton: Through OFGEM, the Department of Trade and Industry has very recently received a request to conduct an investigation under Section 59 of the Electricity Act 1989 on the accuracy of the completion of the Fourth Renewables Tranche questionnaire by the applicants seeking planning permission for a wood-burning power plant at Newbridge-on-Wye. The department has not yet decided whether an official investigation under Section 59 of the Act is to be launched. If it is decided to launch an investigation, then the points you raise would be fully addressed in any such investigation. Transport of Military Equipment Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What criteria are considered by the Ministry of Defence in deciding whether road or rail transport is used for the movement of military equipment within the United Kingdom.[HL Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: In some cases the mode of transport used may be predetermined to provide training in a particular method of transportation, especially in the case of practising rail movement for deployment. Apart from these, each request for transport is judged on its own merits. Factors considered include: the ability to achieve the required delivery date; the size of the load; the suitability and location of railheads; security and public safety considerations. An assessment is also made of extra effort caused by double-handling at road-rail interfaces and "out-of-gauge" operating considerations. Unless there are overriding reasons to use either road or rail, then the solution which offers the best value for money is normally selected. Warminster Garrison: Gas Appliances Lord Swinfen: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many married quarters in the Warminster garrison, managed by the Defence Housing Executive, have gas appliances; and how many complaints about these appliances there have been in the last year.[HL Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: All the 591 Service Families Accommodation (SFA) at Warminster garrison have gas appliances--i.e. gas cookers and gas heating/hot water boilers. Since May 1999 there have been four formal complaints about unsafe appliances. These complaints have all been satisfactorily resolved and gas certificates have been issued. The gas supply was turned off in each case while remedial action was taken. All the houses at Warminster are fitted with carbon monoxide monitors and none of the systems that failed the contractor's spillage test discharged enough carbon monoxide into each house to activate the alarm. NMEC Board Members: Meeting with Minister Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, has had any conversation with any member of the board of the New Millennium Experience Company on 21, 22 or 23 May; and whether he will publish a list of any such conversations. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: As sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), I am in regular contact with members of the NMEC board. On 23 May I met with a number of NMEC board members in the course of the afternoon. NMEC Board Members: Meeting with Minister Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport or the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, had a conversation with Mr Michael Grade on 22 or 23 May; and, if so, what was the subject of the conversation. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: As sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC), I am in regular contact with members of the NMEC board. On 23 May I met with a number of NMEC board members in the course of the afternoon, including Michael Grade. Special Advisers: Registration of Interests The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Leader of the House on 11 May (WA 235), whether there is a register of interests of the special advisers currently employed by the Government; and, if not, whether they have plans to institute such a register. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All civil servants, including special advisers, are required under the terms and conditions of their employment not to misuse their official position or information acquired in the course of their official duties to further their private interests or those of others. They should not receive benefits of any kind from a third party which might reasonably be seen to compromise their personal judgment or integrity. Where a conflict of interest arises, civil servants must declare the interest to senior management, who will determine how best to proceed. All such declarations are confidential between the employer and employee. We have no plans to make any changes to the existing system. Special Advisers: Political Donations The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is any requirement in the Civil Service Code for special advisers currently employed by the Government to declare any political donations they may have made over the last 10 years or any shareholdings they may have in companies that have made such donations; and, if not, whether they have plans to institute such a requirement. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: All special advisers are required to comply with the restrictions on their involvement in political activities set out in Schedule 1 (Part 2) to the Model Contract for Special Advisers. They are also required to seek advice on handling conflicts of interest. There is no requirement for any civil servant, including special advisers, to declare political donations made by them, nor have we any plans to introduce such a requirement. Ministerial Statements: Prior Media Briefing The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether informing the media of the contents of statements they intend to make to Parliament constitutes a breach of the terms of paragraph 27 of the Ministerial Code. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Paragraph 27 of the Ministerial Code makes it clear that, when Parliament is in session, Ministers will want to bear in mind the desire of Parliament that the most important announcements should be made, in the first instance, to Parliament. It is for individual Ministers to determine the timing and content of announcements. Millennium Dome: End-of-Year Celebration Lord Brabazon of Tara: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they expect to organise an end-of-year celebration in the Dome; and whether there have been any discussions with broadcasting bodies about broadcasting such an event. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The Government have no plans to organise an end-of-year celebration in the Dome. This is a matter for the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC). Mr David Quarmby Baroness Buscombe: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, Lord Falconer of Thoroton, has any plans to meet Mr David Quarmby. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: David Quarmby has been a member of the board of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) since 1997. In my role as shareholder of NMEC, I have met Mr Quarmby on many occasions and I will continue to do so. Millennium Dome: Sale Lord Astor of Hever: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the sole shareholder has considered accelerating the sale of the Dome before December 2000. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: There are no plans to accelerate the current timetable for the sale of the Dome. The Government plan to announce a preferred bidder this summer, with handover to be completed as soon as possible after 31 December 2000. NMEC: Trading Position Lord Dixon-Smith: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Answer by Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 24 May (H.L. Deb., col. 774) that it is a matter for the board of the New Millennium Experience Company to determine whether or not it is trading while insolvent, whether the sole shareholder of the Dome intends to call for an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss the trading position. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I have no plans to call an Extraordinary General Meeting to discuss the New Millennium Experience Company's (NMEC) trading position. Children in Care Baroness Young: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many girls in care became pregnant in 1999; and what percentage of girls in care became pregnant before they reached the age of 16; and How many children in care are known to be suffering from sexually transmitted diseases; and How many children in the care of local authorities are now housed in bed and breakfast accommodation. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Department of Health does not collect data on the number of children in care who become pregnant or who are known to be suffering from sexually transmitted diseases. While it was based on a fairly small-scale study, a National Children's Bureau report in 1992 found that a quarter of care leavers had a child by the age of 16. In March 1999, 1,100 looked-after children were placed in lodgings or living independently--this figure includes those housed in bed and breakfast accommodation, although that figure is not collected separately. NHS Use of Imported Human Tissues Lord Lucas: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether human body parts such as skin, tendons, heart valves, bones and dura matter are imported into the United Kingdom for use in the National Health Service; and if so, from which countries, with what safeguards, and at what annual cost. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Health Service is largely self-sufficient in tissues such as skin, tendon and heart valves, relying on material from tissue banks within the NHS. Exceptionally, small amounts of tissues are imported to meet individual patient's needs. Details of the quantity and cost of imported tissues are not held centrally. Tissue banks accepting material from overseas must make sure that the Committee of Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissues for Transplantation's "Guidance on the microbiological safety of human tissues and organs used in transplantation" has been followed by the bank of origin. If the tissues do not pass through a United Kingdom tissue bank, the clinician who uses the tissue is responsible for making sure the guidance has been followed. Dura mater is no longer used in the NHS. Mycobacterium Bovis The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: What scientific evidence there is that Mycobacterium bovis may be present in the milk of cows that have not been shown to be tuberculosis reactors. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are advised that the Food Standards Agency is not aware of any scientific evidence that Mycobacterium bovis may be present in the milk of cows that have not been shown to be tuberculosis reactors. Paediatric Pathologists and Toxicologists The Countess of Mar: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many paediatric pathologists and how many paediatric toxicologists are currently employed by public services in England and Wales. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The information requested is not collected centrally. We are aware of shortages of specialist paediatric pathologists. This is the result of a number of factors. There is an overall shortfall in those specialising in histopathology, there have been problems in establishing higher specialist training places, trainees do not wish to go into the discipline and it requires extra training over and above that required in histopathology. For 2000/01, we intend to establish 40 new higher specialist training places in histopathology, with new money from the Medical and Dental Education Levy. We have written to National Health Service trusts and health authorities explaining the importance that we attach to the delivery of extra training places in the light of commitments on improved cancer services. We are looking to Regional Offices to use their influence to encourage them to co-operate with Regional Postgraduate Deans in providing the necessary funding and establishing posts. At the same time, the Royal College of Pathologists and the Regional Postgraduate Deans are looking at ways to attract more higher specialist trainees into histopathology in general and paediatric training posts in particular. Soil Association Organic Status Awards Lord Vinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the new Food Standards Agency will take steps to examine and assess the scientific rationale used by the Soil Association when awarding organic status to various food products. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Lead responsibility for policy and legislation on standards of organic food production lies with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The Food Standards Agency has no plans to take the steps described in the near future. UN "Women 2000" Conference Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What contribution they are making to the United Nations conference "Women 2000: Gender, Equality, Development and Peace for the Twenty-First Century". Baroness Jay of Paddington: We have published today and will be placing in the Library two documents: Equality in practice and Women and Men in the UK: facts and figures 2000. Equality in practice is a short, practical document which shows how the UK Government are improving women's lives at home and overseas by focusing on five vital areas: women and the economy, making equality happen, education, health and the resolving of crime and violence. It also describes some of the work being carried out with partner countries and organisations in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. Women and Men in the UK: facts and figures 2000 tells the story of women and men's changing position in society. It highlights both change and continuity with facts and figures. It is a record of women's achievements and a reminder of what more still needs to be done. The UK Government are working to create a more just society, one in which women and men are equal. To achieve this, we have to understand what has and has not changed. These facts and figures are vital to inform our thinking and policy making. European Communities Select Committee Lord Shore of Stepney: asked the Chairman of Committees: In what year the Select Committee on the European Communities was first established and with what terms of reference; and when the present Sub-Committees A, B, C, D, E, and F of the European Union Committees were established and with what subject matters they are dealing. Lord Boston of Faversham: The Select Committee on the European Communities was established in May 1974, following the United Kingdom's accession to the EC the previous year. The committee's original terms of reference were: "To consider Community proposals, whether in draft or otherwise, to obtain all necessary information about them, and to make reports on those which, in the opinion of the Committee, raise important questions of policy or principle and on other questions to which the Committee consider that the special attention of the House should be drawn." The committee originally appointed five sub-committees. The number of standing sub-committees has varied over the years between five and seven. In addition, ad hoc sub-committees have been appointed to consider specific topics. The remits of the sub-committees have evolved gradually in line with changes in the European Communities/Union. The matters dealt with by the six sub-committees of what is now the European Union Committee are: A Economic and Financial Affairs, Trade and External Relations B Energy, Industry and Transport C Common Foreign Security Policy D Environment, Agriculture, Public Health and Consumer Protection E Law and Institutions F Social Affairs, Education and Home Affairs.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-06-06a

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Power Stations lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their reported plans to subsidise power stations which provide guaranteed emergency electricity supply when needed on winter weekday evenings, what estimate they have made of the length of time it will take coal and nuclear power stations to reach guaranteed output capacity; and how much notice these power stations will be given of the additional demand. lord prior of brampton: Where capacity margins narrow beyond a pre-determined threshold, automated Capacity Market Notices are issued to the market providing 4 hours advance notice that additional capacity may be required.Before bidding into the Capacity Market, participants must ensure they would be able to meet all the obligations that would fall to them in the event of successfully securing a Capacity Market agreement. Failure to fulfil these obligations during a stress event would result in clear and pre-determined penalties. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Eritrea: Human Rights lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they and neighbouring states are making in stemming the exodus of people from Eritrea; and what plans they have to secure the release of the reported large numbers of persons imprisoned for religious reasons. baroness anelay of st johns: There has been a reduction in the number of Eritrean nationals seeking asylum in the UK. Between January-September 2016, the number was 796, a 68% decline in applications compared with the same period in 2015 when the figure was 2807. There has also been a fall of about 50% in the number of Eritreans arriving in Italy.Tackling illegal migration to the EU from the Horn of Africa is a priority. The UK is engaging on this bilaterally, and in collaboration with international partners within the frameworks of the Khartoum Process and the EU Trust Fund. In addition, the UK is working to address the underlying causes of migration from Eritrea, including by supporting projects to promote professional development and employment opportunities to young Eritreans, and a programme to enhance judicial capacity and promote the rule of law.Within Eritrea, only four traditional religious organisations (Orthodox Christian, Sunni Muslim, Catholic, and the Lutheran Evangelical Church of Eritrea) have official approval to operate. We are aware of reports that a number of individuals from non-sanctioned religions remain in detention, including 54 Jehovah's Witnesses, although reliable information is very difficult to obtain. Details of their detention have not been publicly released by the Eritrean government. Our Ambassador and EU counterparts have called for the release of all prisoners detained for religious beliefs or, as a minimum, that they are brought before a court for public hearing and fair trial, allowing them to defend themselves against any charge. We continue to press the government of Eritrea for specific details of their detention and health status. Israel: USA baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions the Prime Minister had during her recent meeting with President Trump regarding the proposed US embassy move to Jerusalem. baroness anelay of st johns: The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and President Trump discussed a range of foreign policy issues during their meeting on 27 January. The UK's position on the location of our embassy has not changed. Sudan: Sanctions lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 23 January (HL Deb, col 425) concerning recent developments in Sudan, and in the light of the reported statement by the Sudanese Ambassador to London, Muhammad Abdallah al-Tom, to the Sudanese Media Centre of the impact of the lifting of US economic sanctions on Sudan on Sudanese–British economic and commercial relations, what assessment they have made of the impact of the lifting of US economic sanctions on Sudan on business relations between Sudan and the UK. baroness anelay of st johns: The UK welcomes the recent decisions made by the previous US Administration on Sudan related sanctions. The UK will consider opportunities to promote trade with Sudan; however, the business environment remains an obstacle to a sizeable increase in interest from British companies. We continue to urge the government of Sudan to make progress on these issues and on a cessation of hostilities in the Two Areas and Darfur and humanitarian access, which would enable the lifting of sanctions to become permanent. Sudan: Sanctions lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 23 January (HL Deb, col 425) concerning recent developments in Sudan, and in the light of the indictment of the leaders of Sudan by the International Criminal Court for genocide and crimes against humanity, including the use of chemical weapons and assaults on the civilian population, whether they are planning the removal of any sanctions against Sudan or the promotion of bilateral business interests. baroness anelay of st johns: ​We welcome the US decision to lift their bilateral sanctions on Sudan. The UK will continue to support the UN targeted sanctions relating to Darfur, as well as the EU arms embargo that remains in place across Sudan. In line with our policy of phased engagement, the UK will consider opportunities to promote trade with Sudan, as well as other areas of mutual interest, such as migration and countering violent extremism. North Korea: Forced Labour lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether staff of the British Embassy in Pyongyang have visited the Masikryong ski resort in an official capacity; and what is their assessment of reports that children are subject to forced labour at that resort. baroness anelay of st johns: Officials from the British Embassy in Pyongyang have visited the Masikryong ski resort for consular planning purposes. We are aware of reports since of child forced labour at the resort, which are deeply concerning. The UK Government has been clear that forced labour is a form of modern day slavery and must be brought to an end. In a statement to the UN Security Council on 9 December 2016, the UK's Permanent Representative to the UN condemned the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's use of forced labour at home and overseas. Israel: USA the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Prime Minister raised the issue of the location of the US Embassy in Israel with the government of the US during her visit to Washington on 25 to 26 January. baroness anelay of st johns: The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) and President Trump discussed a range of foreign policy issues during their meeting on 27 January. The UK's position on the location of our embassy has not changed. Syria: Politics and Government the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the evidence given by the Foreign Secretary to the International Relations Committee, when Foreign Office policy towards Syria changed (1) to allow for the possibility that President Bashar al-Assad could stand in a future election in Syria, and (2) to consider the possibility of an arrangement with Russia to combat Daesh and find a way forward over the future of Syria. baroness anelay of st johns: The UK's long-standing position is that there can be no sustainable peace in Syria while Asad remains in power. That remains our position. Syria needs a transition to a new, inclusive, non-sectarian government to achieve the credible political settlement that will bring long-term stability. This is set out in the Geneva Communiqué and endorsed by UN Security Council 2254. Any electoral process should be supervised by the United Nations and comprise all 11 million displaced Syrians, including those who have fled to other countries.The UK and Russia face a shared threat from terrorism in Syria and we both want to see the defeat of Daesh. We engage with Russia on wider Syria issues. When we believe that Russian actions are prolonging the suffering of the Syrian people, we will make clear our concerns. USA: British Nationals Abroad the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether British nationals applying for new ESTAs for travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Program will be subject to additional checks and requirements, including the disclosure of social media information and mobile phone contacts. baroness anelay of st johns: No - although the United States, like all sovereign nations, reserves the right to conduct border controls. USA: Immigration Controls the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they were first made aware of the measures contained in the executive order Protecting The Nation From Foreign Terrorist Entry To The United States, signed by President Trump on 27 January. baroness anelay of st johns: As the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May) said during Prime Minister's Questions on 1 February, we were not given advance notice of the Executive Order before it was signed on 27 January. Gambia: Commonwealth lord luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the application of The Gambia to rejoin the Commonwealth. baroness anelay of st johns: ​The UK welcomes President Barrow's declaration of his intention to rejoin the Commonwealth. The UK encourages President Barrow to begin the process as soon as possible and looks forward to working with his administration. Nagorno Karabakh baroness o'cathain: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of responsibility for the massacre perpetrated against civilians in the Azerbaijani town of Khojaly on 26 February 1992. baroness anelay of st johns: In the absence of an independent investigation into the incidents that took place during the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the UK has never made an assessment of responsibility.We strongly support the work of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe Minsk Group, and support any mechanism for a peaceful resolution to the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute which is acceptable to the parties. Attorney General Domestic Violence: Prosecutions lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of cases in which the Crown Prosecution Service’s (CPS's) decisions not to initiate prosecutions in cases of domestic violence have been successfully challenged, whether they will commission an inquiry into the policy and practice of the CPS in relation to that issue. lord keen of elie: Victims of domestic abuse can challenge a CPS decision not to prosecute their case, under the Victims’ Right to Review (VRR) scheme. In 2015-16, the CPS made 41,503 decisions in domestic abuse cases. 520 of these cases were appealed through the VRR scheme; 49 of which were upheld. Of the total number of domestic abuse decisions, the upheld rate was 0.12%. Of the number of domestic abuse VRR appeals, the upheld rate was 9.4%. An inquiry is not required because these volumes and proportions are small and the CPS is, in the majority of domestic abuse cases, accurate in its decision making. Department for International Development Syria: Humanitarian Aid lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the $12 billion pledged in February 2016 at the Supporting Syria and the Region Conference has so far been paid; and when they expect the full payment to be made. lord bates: At the 2016 Supporting Syria and the Region Conference, donors pledged $6 billion grants for 2016 and a further $6.1 billion for 2017-2020. The Department for International Development has set up a tracking mechanism that reports on the delivery of all the financial commitments made at the Conference.The most recent tracking report was published on 6 February 2017. It shows that of the $6 billion grants pledged for 2016, donors have spent $6.2 billion. We expect donors to fully spend their 2017-20 pledges by 2020 and continue to work with other London Conference co-hosts to urge donors to mobilise financial support to the crisis. Developing Countries: Abortion baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the US following President Trump's reinstatement of the global gag rule; and what assessment they have made of the effect of this on the work of the Department for International Development and British development aid organisations working with women seeking assistance with, or advice on, abortion. lord bates: The full implications of the reinstated and expanded Mexico City policy are not yet clear but we are closely following developments. DFID will consider the implications with our offices, with UK civil society and with donors. Palestinians: Syria baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to the 560,000 Palestinian refugees who have been displaced by the crisis in Syria. lord bates: The UK supports Palestinian refugees affected by the Syria crisis through the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA). This includes those who have fled to Jordan and Lebanon, as well as those displaced inside Syria. As part of DFID’s Syria Crisis Response, we have provided £79.8 million to UNRWA’s Syria Regional Emergency Appeals. In 2015 DFID’s funding to UNRWA provided food assistance every 3 months to over 67,000 people inside Syria, and over 4,000 in neighbouring countries. Our support also facilitated over 150,000 visits to primary health care services inside Syria, and more than 15,000 visits in Jordan and Lebanon. UNRWA continues to meet immediate needs through a range of programmes, including the delivery of essential relief items such as blankets, clothing, and cooking equipment. Libya: Prisons lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will press for UN and other humanitarian agencies to be given full access to prisons and detention centres in Libya, starting with those holding refugees and migrants in Tripoli. lord bates: The UK remains deeply concerned at alleged human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law in Libya, including against prisoners and migrant detainees. We recognise that conditions in Libyan detention facilities are poor and we are providing humanitarian assistance to migrants and refugees through the UN and other humanitarian agencies.We are building relationships with Libyan Government departments, including law enforcement and immigration authorities, through regular visits to Tripoli. During these visits, we raise with the Government of National Accord the importance of adhering to international law and standards. We will continue to press for safe access for humanitarian agents. Burma: Rohingya baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 30 January (HL4720), how many Rohingya people are (1) receiving no assistance as a result of restrictions on humanitarian assistance and access, and (2) receiving partial assistance; and, for those receiving partial assistance, what they are receiving and what they are not able to receive. lord bates: Government authorities have not permitted humanitarian needs assessments for Rohingya people across all of the areas affected by security operations. We are, therefore, not in a position to provide an accurate answer to the question. Burma: Rohingya baroness kinnock of holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of deaths, illness and malnutrition in camps for the Rohingya in Rakhine State, Burma, as a result of restrictions on access to humanitarian assistance. lord bates: There have been no significant restrictions on providing humanitarian assistance to Rohingya in camps in Rakhine State. These are outside the area affected by security operations since October 2016. Malnutrition rates in camps remain poor by international standards, with 8.6% of people suffering acute malnutrition according to the most recent survey. This is comparable to other areas in Burma. Mortality data is not systematically collected by international agencies providing support to the camps. Greece: Refugees baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of UK aid to refugees in Greece is earmarked for sexual and reproductive health, including access to hospital maternity services. lord bates: DFID funding supports improved access to health care for refugees in Greece, according to need. We do not earmark funding for particular health services. Our support provides access to sexual and reproductive health services, including maternity services such as medical services for pregnant and breastfeeding women. Greece: Refugees baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the procurement of essential sexual and reproductive health commodities, including modern family planning methods, for all refugees in Greece. lord bates: DFID supports access to sexual and reproductive health services for refugees in Greece. This includes provision of essential commodities, including family planning methods. Greece: Asylum baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in Greece. lord bates: DFID supports safe accommodation spaces for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in Greece where children benefit from essential support. To date, we have supported more than 500 spaces. Greece: Refugees baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they give financial or other support to the Faros project in Greece which provides accommodation for young refugee boys who are at risk of sexual exploitation. lord bates: The UK provides funding for safe spaces for unaccompanied asylum-seeking minors in Greece. This includes support to the Faros-run shelter in Athens. Developing Countries: Health Services baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase funding for abortion, contraception, and reproductive health information and services, in the light of the re-establishment of the global gag rule by President Trump. lord bates: The full implications of the reinstated and expanded Mexico City policy are not yet clear but we are closely following developments. DFID will consider the implications with our offices, with UK civil society and with donors. Palestinians: Employment lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they, the EU and other international agencies are taking steps to increase the employment opportunities available for young Palestinians in the West Bank, East Jerusalem and Gaza; and what assessment they have made of the benefits of introducing a system of loans for small and new businesses. lord bates: Job creation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs) is a priority for the UK and other donors. The Palestinian Market Development Programme (PMDP), a joint UK-EU programme, is improving the competitiveness of the Palestinian private sector and helping to create jobs for young people. The system of loans for small and new businesses in the OPTs is comprehensive and well resourced, hence the focus of UK efforts is to provide matching grants and technical assistance to Palestinian businesses Ministry of Justice Young Offenders: Travellers lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider targeted education and vocational skills interventions for Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children in youth custody in the light of the Traveller Movement’s finding in Overlooked and Overrepresented: Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children in the youth justice system that 55 per cent of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children in Secure Training Centres had learnt skills for jobs they would like to do in the future. lord keen of elie: We want all children in custody to be fully occupied in education and training throughout the day with a core curriculum focussed on preparing them for employment, an apprenticeship or continued education when they are resettled back into their communities. As part of our reforms we will ensure governors have increased flexibility to work with providers to decide how education is best delivered to meet the different needs of the young people in their establishments. Youth Justice: Ethnic Groups lord beecham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have consulted, or had representations from, the National Police Chiefs’ Council on the merits of updating the ethnicity data collection used in the youth justice system to include the 2011 Census ethnic group classifications. lord keen of elie: Following a letter received from the National Police Chief’s Council lead for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller issues, in December we responded by acknowledging their interest and to confirm that the Youth Justice Board (YJB) are keen in principle to move to the 18+1 ethnicity monitoring system from the 2011 Census. The YJB is examining the requirements and dependencies with existing IT systems and identifying the feasibility and indicative costs of moving to the revised classification system. Divorce lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review the fault-based divorce system. lord keen of elie: The government is committed to improving the family justice system so separating couples can achieve the best possible outcomes for themselves and their families. Whilst we have no current plans to change the existing law on divorce, we are considering what further reforms to the family justice system may be needed. Family Proceedings lord pendry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to put in place a legislative procedure to enable individuals who are not parties in family law cases to have access to information that mentions them by name. lord keen of elie: Individuals who are not parties in family law cases may apply to the court for disclosure of information that mentions them by name. Disclosure of such information is at the court’s discretion. Ministry of Defence Defence Equipment: Procurement lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the latest Ministry of Defence annual equipment plan has left the £5.8 billion contingency funding untouched. earl howe: The Ministry of Defence Equipment Plan 2016-26 includes contingency funding of £5.25 billion. This is in addition to specific risk provision within individual project budgets of approximately £11 billion. Due to project costings regularly being updated the total amount of contingency is variable. I am withholding information relating to the use of contingency funds as its disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. We judge the contingency sufficient to deal with cost growth within the equipment plan and broader risks that may emerge. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Wines: Labelling lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether sampling of Spanish and French wine has been increased in the light of allegations that cheap Spanish wine is being labelled as French wine. lord gardiner of kimble: Wine sampling is conducted by Her Majesty’s Government on a random and risk-led basis. It therefore remains fully adaptable to respond to actual and perceived risks faced by the wine sector and consumers. Home Office Refugees: Children lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Baroness Williams of Trafford on 25 January (HL Deb, cols 665–6) what support they have given to Europol in determining the fate of the 10,000 refugee children whom Europol reported in January as having gone missing. baroness williams of trafford: The UK has committed significant resources to helping the EU deal with the migration crisis, including seconding staff to Europol. The UK government recognises the vital role Europol has to play in coordinating law enforcement activity against migration related criminality. The National Crime Agency (NCA) and Immigration Enforcement second staff to Europol to work on these issues specifically, including within the European Migrant Smuggling Centre (EMSC). The UK continues to encourage international partners to share relevant information with Europol, supporting the EMSC's aim of strengthening support for EU Member States through enhanced intelligence exchange. In addition to the support we give to Europol, the Government has established a £10 million Refugee Children Fund for Europe to support the needs of vulnerable refugee and migrant children arriving in Europe. The UK is the largest bilateral contributor to the humanitarian response to the crisis in Europe and the Balkans with a total allocation of £70 million. Immigration: EU Nationals lord greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what process a permanent resident right of an EU citizen living in the United Kingdom, that has been accepted by the issue of a Certificate of Residence in the UK, can be lawfully removed. baroness williams of trafford: Under EU law, European Economic Area (EEA) nationals qualify for a right of permanent residence in the UK provided that certain conditions are met. For those EEA nationals who are in the UK and have a right of permanent residence, it is not mandatory to apply for documentation confirming that right. EEA nationals with a permanent right of residence may be deported from the UK on serious grounds of public policy or public security, where their personal conduct represents a genuine, present and sufficiently serious threat to one of the fundamental interests of society. HM Treasury Food: Taxation lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to include, within the recently announced review of VAT, a consideration of the levels of customs and excise duties applied to those drinks and foods which research suggests are most responsible for avoidable deaths and chronic illnesses; and whether they have any plans to introduce a hypothecated tax for the NHS. baroness neville-rolfe: The terms of reference for the Office of Tax Simplification’s current VAT General Simplification Review are on gov.uk. While the Government keeps all taxes under review, a fixed proportion of each class of NICs receipts (from employees, the self-employed and employers) is allocated directly to the NHS; this adds up to about 20% of NICs receipts. The rest of NHS funding comes from general taxation. Housing: Sales lord macpherson of earl's court: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many residential property transactions over £1.5 million there were, and how much Stamp Duty Land Tax revenue those transactions generated, in (1) 2013, (2) 2014, (3) 2015, and (4) 2016. baroness neville-rolfe: Historical statistics on residential property transactions and Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) receipts, by financial year, are published in HMRC's 'Annual Stamp Tax Statistics' publication, available on Gov.uk. The latest available data is for the financial year 2015-16. The statistics in the table below are aggregates from the publication and do not include residential properties taxed at the ‘corporate bodies’ rate.Financial yearProperty transactions over £1.5 million (thousands)SDLT revenue from these transactions (£ million)2012-1361,0252013-1481,3252014-1591,5802015-1691,855 Tobacco: Smuggling lord palmer: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to publish the results of the HMRC consultation Tobacco Illicit Trade Protocol on sanctions to tackle the illicit tobacco market. baroness neville-rolfe: HM Revenue and Customs’ (HMRC’s) consultation ‘Tobacco Illicit Trade Protocol – licensing of equipment and the supply chain’ sought views on two aspects of the Protocol. These were the mandatory licensing of tobacco manufacturing machinery and the potential licensing of participants in the supply chain of tobacco products for the purposes of tackling the illict trade. A response document on the licensing of tobacco manufacturing machinery was published on 5 December 2016 and draft legislation was published at the same time. Licensing of the supply chain is more complex and could affect a large number of UK businesses. Therefore, while HMRC is in a position to proceed to implementation of the licensing of machinery, supply chain licensing requires further consideration. A response document covering this aspect of the consultation will be published later in the year. Department for Exiting the European Union European Medicines Agency lord balfe: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of paragraph 8.42 of the White Paper The United Kingdom's exit from and new partnership with the European Union, whether they intend to negotiate with the EU Commission for the European Medicines Agency to remain located in the UK. lord bridges of headley: No decisions have been taken about the location of the European Medicines Agency. The Government will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in the field of medicines regulation in the interests of both the UK and the EU. It would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations. European Court of Justice lord stoddart of swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what stage of the process of leaving the EU they expect the European Court of Justice to cease to have any jurisdiction in the UK. lord bridges of headley: The Prime Minister has been clear that we will take back control of our laws and bring an end to the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice in the United Kingdom.Leaving the European Union will mean that our laws will be made in Westminster, Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast.And those laws will be interpreted by judges not in Luxembourg but in courts across this country.The Government wants to have reached a broad agreement about our future partnership, including the nature of dispute resolution mechanisms, by the time the two-year Article 50 process has concluded.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2017-02-13

Department for Transport M4 Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the total overall cost of the planned M4 relief road south of Newport, and what funding they will provide, if any, for that project. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Department for Transport (DfT) is in regular contact with the devolved governments in both Scotland and Wales to discuss strategic matters and to co-operate on cross border roads. In this case, the M4 relief road south of Newport is entirely a matter for the Welsh Assembly and DfT have made no assessment of the scheme. M11: Litter Lord Mawson: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when litter was last removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London, how often such litter is removed, and by whom. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The last time that litter was removed from the southern end of the M11 in East London was 17 March 2016. Highways England clears litter from the M11 on a daily basis, on the sections where it safe to do so, without using traffic lanes, such as the verges with hard shoulders. The M11 slip roads and verges with no hard shoulder are litter picked on a six weekly cycle with lanes closed to protect the work force. Department for Communities and Local Government Building Regulations Lord Stunell: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to publish the next biennial review of progress in sustainable building regulations required by the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government will publish the next biennial review of progress in sustainable Building Regulations in early 2017, as required by the Sustainable and Secure Buildings Act 2004. Council Housing: Subsidies Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the level of subsidy from the public purse provided for council housing. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Local housing authorities do not receive subsidy from the Exchequer; the Localism Act 2011 abolished Housing Revenue Account Subsidy.The Housing Revenue Account Self-Financing Determinations published in 2012 provided a once and for all settlement that allows local housing authorities in England to keep all their rental income in return for a rebalancing of housing debt. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Crown Dependencies: UK Membership of EU Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the consequences for the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man of the UK's withdrawal from the EU, and what action they plan to take to protect the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man in the event of such a withdrawal. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Channel Islands and the Isle of Man have a special relationship with the EU, provided under Protocol 3 to the UK’s Treaty of Accession to the European Community. The procedure governing a country’s departure from the EU is set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This provides for a period of two years for the negotiation of exit terms. After two years, the departing Member State is deemed to have left the EU, meaning that both the rights and the obligations that derive from membership would lapse. This two year deadline can be extended, but only by unanimous agreement of all EU Member States.At the February European Council the Government negotiated a new settlement, giving the UK special status in a reformed EU. The Government's position, as set out by the Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), to the House of Commons on 22 February, is that the UK will be stronger, safer and better off remaining in a reformed EU. Northern Ireland Office Belfast Agreement Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define "parity of esteem" as specified in the Belfast Agreement 1998, and which is applicable to all who live in the UK. Lord Dunlop: This Government sees parity of esteem as treating everybody in Northern Ireland fairly, with equal respect. For a One Nation Government that means governing in the interests of the whole community. As our Northern Ireland manifesto at the General Election stated: “We want to see a peaceful, stable and prosperous Northern Ireland where everybody can get on to the best of their ability – irrespective of their community background”. It went on to say that “Our aspiration is to build one, united Northern Ireland in which everybody has a stake in the future”. Department for Culture, Media and Sport BBC: Royal Charters Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the BBC's Royal Charter should be for at least 10 years. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether the BBC new board members should (1) be appointed without ministerial influence, and (2) include audience and staff representatives. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for the BBC's service licences being reviewed and strengthened by an independent regulator at an early date. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for maintaining the scale and scope of the BBC's coverage on all platforms. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: These issues are being considered as part of Charter Review. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper. Television: Licensing Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the appropriate level for the BBC licence fee and of the case for that level being recommended by an independent regulator. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The BBC Charter Review Consultation Paper, published in July 2015, set out the issues for consideration in Charter Review, including questions about how the BBC is funded. The Government will set out its proposals in the forthcoming White Paper, but remains clear that the licence fee is a tax and therefore should ultimately be decided by Ministers. The level of the licence fee will be agreed once questions on the BBC's scope and purposes, have been agreed. Athletics: Drugs Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, prior to hosting the World Athletics Championships in London 2017, they intend to introduce legislation to criminalise athletes who seek to enhance their performance in sport through banned doping programmes and gain selection over other athletes who do not. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The case for criminalisation is currently being reviewed by the department. UK Anti-doping Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether UK Anti-Doping has adequate medical, administrative and financial resources to undertake international programmes for third-party countries, including a testing programme in Russia, whilst providing a comprehensive anti-doping programme in the UK. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The payments that UK Anti-Doping receives from third party countries ensures the UK's anti-doping programme is not compromised by its international work. Olympic Games: Brazil Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are on track to deliver their manifesto commitment to win more medals in Rio 2016 than in London 2012, and what progress is being made in preparations to deliver that commitment, broken down by sport. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 24 March 2016.The correct answer should have been: We want our sportsmen and women to win even more medals in Rio than they did in London 2012. That is why we continue to support elite sports funding, and why we secured an excellent settlement in the latest Autumn Statement - that will build on our Olympic and Paralympic success at the London Games 2012, and ensure we compete with the top nations in Tokyo 2020 and beyond. Whilst the ambition of winning more Olympic medals in Rio than London remains possible, the current evidence from UK Sport shows that it is highly probable Great Britain and Northern Ireland will have the best ever Olympic medal haul at an “away” Games. UK Sport analysis also indicates that despite an ever more competitive landscape the Paralympic team is set to win more medals than in 2012. UK Sport will publish agreed medal targets for Rio 2016 on a sport by sport basis in July. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We want our sportsmen and women to win even more medals in Rio than they did in London 2012. That is why we continue to support elite sports funding, and why we secured an excellent settlement in the latest Autumn Statement - that will build on our Olympic and Paralympic success at the London Games 2012, and ensure we compete with the top nations in Tokyo 2020 and beyond. Whilst the ambition of winning more Olympic medals in Rio than London remains possible, the current evidence from UK Sport shows that it is highly probable Great Britain and Northern Ireland will have the best ever Olympic medal haul at an “away” Games. UK Sport analysis also indicates that despite an ever more competitive landscape the Paralympic team is set to win more medals than in 2012. UK Sport will publish agreed medal targets for Rio 2016 on a sport by sport basis in July. Sports: Drugs Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sought legal advice on whether the "Whereabouts" system operated by UK Anti-Doping during vacations taken by professional athletes meets the conditions of the EU Working Time Directive (2003/88/EC). Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Working Time Directive is a matter for employers. The UK Anti-Doping is not an employer of athletes.` Sports: Governing Bodies Lord Moynihan: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current proportion of women on the Board of the British Olympic Association and on each winter and summer British governing body of sport represented in the Olympic and Paralympic movement, and how they intend to achieve their declared objective of requiring the proportion of women on each governing body to be at least 25 per cent by 2017. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The government’s recently published sport strategy ‘Sporting Future: A New Strategy for an Active Nation’ states that UK Sport and Sport England, along with the other Home Nations' Sports Councils, will agree a new UK Sports Governance Code by September 2016 to strengthen existing commitments, including the ambition for all sports’ boards to have at least 25% female representation by 2017. UK Sport and Sport England are already working with funded NGBs and partners to ensure best practice is adhered to when constructing job descriptions and writing adverts, and are working with expert organisations such as Sporting Equals and Women in Sport to ensure a more diverse range of people are aware of vacancies within the sector as they arise. Ministry of Defence Navy: Finance Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration was given in the Budget to the commitment made by the Prime Minister, when introducing the Strategic Defence and Security Review 2015, that there would be a bigger navy by 2030. Earl Howe: Government commitments to maintain defence spending above the NATO target of 2 per cent of GDP, and to increase the defence budget by 0.5 per cent above inflation each year until 2020-21 were unchanged by the Budget. We will publish our national shipbuilding strategy later this year, which will lay the foundations for a modern and efficient sector capable of meeting the UK’s future defence and security needs. Furthermore, as announced in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we intend to launch a concept study to design and build a new class of lighter, flexible, and exportable frigate so that by the 2030s we can further increase our total number of frigates and destroyers. Home Office Asylum: Deportation Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum seekers were deported from the United Kingdom in (1) 1990, (2) 2000, (3) 2010, and (4) 2014, on reaching the age of 18. Lord Bates: An error has been identified in the written answer given on 19 October 2015.The correct answer should have been: The Home Office does not keep electronic records on removals going as far back as 2000. Records of removals on the Immigration Database only go back to 2006. In 2010, 132 778 failed asylum seekers were removed after reaching the age of 18. In 2014, 151 445 failed asylum seekers were removed after reaching the age of 18. Lord Bates: The Home Office does not keep electronic records on removals going as far back as 2000. Records of removals on the Immigration Database only go back to 2006. In 2010, 132 778 failed asylum seekers were removed after reaching the age of 18. In 2014, 151 445 failed asylum seekers were removed after reaching the age of 18. Police: Reform Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the terms of reference of the Police Reform Group; when it was established; what is its composition; and whether it is in receipt of public funds. Lord Bates: The Police Reform and Transformation Board is a non-statutory governance board which first met on 23 February 2016. It has been established and supported by the Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) and National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) to provide strategic oversight and impetus to police transformation.Funding of the Board is a matter for the NPCC and APCC. Further information is available from the APCC and NPCC http://news.npcc.police.uk/releases/new-board-set-up-to-oversee-further-police-reform 2nd Copy - New Reform - Police Board (PDF Document, 585.69 KB) Scotland Office Sunday Trading: Scotland Baroness Mobarik: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any clarification from the Scottish Government as to how the relaxation of Sunday trading laws in England and Wales would negatively affect Scotland, and if not, when they expect to receive that clarification. Lord Dunlop: In view of the will of the House of Commons, we are no longer proposing to give local authorities the ability to extend the Sunday trading hours of large shops. Department for Energy and Climate Change Electricity Generation Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of (1) the completion date, and (2) the impact on electricity sale prices, of (a) the Swansea Lagoon project, and (b) the Hinkley Point nuclear power station. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: EDF have said that they expect Hinkley Point C to start generating electricity in 2025. Hinkley Point C is a good deal for everyone including consumers – Hinkley would provide reliable energy at an affordable cost, powering nearly six million homes for around 60 years and creating more than 25,000 jobs. The negotiations regarding a Contract for Difference for the proposed Swansea Bay lagoon remain ongoing. On 10 February, the Government announced an independent review to consider alternatives approaches to financing tidal lagoons, providing an evidence base to ensuring decisions are taken in the best interest of bill-payers. Cabinet Office Immigration Lord Renwick of Clifton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any discrepancy between the net migration numbers and the number of EU citizens registering for the first time for National Insurance in the UK. Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. Referral Letter (PDF Document, 148.51 KB) Department of Health Human Embryo Experiments Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Prior of Brampton on 14 February (HL6504), who made the decision; whether it was approved by members of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) by a vote; and when the last lay summary for an embryo research licence application was on the "awaiting approval" section of the HFEA website. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it cannot confirm who decided the change in practice. This was an operational decision and not subject to a vote of Authority members. The last lay summary of an embryo research licence application on the HFEA website was research licence 0188 which was approved in May 2012. Stem Cells Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 13 October 2008 (WA 35), by Lord Drayson on 5 May 2009 (WA 95–6), by Earl Howe on 31 March 2011 (WA 298–9) and by Lord Prior of Brampton on 3 March (HL6226), whether it is still a condition of any licence granted by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that a sample of the stem cell lines derived must be deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank; if so, whether a sample of any stem cell lines derived following either nuclear transfer or pronuclear transfer have ever been so deposited; and if not, why the HFEA has continued to permit the use of nuclear transfer under licence R0152 when the stated objectives of "therapeutic cloning" remain unmet almost twelve years after the relevant licence was initially granted. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it is a condition of all research licences that a sample of the cell line is deposited in the UK Stem Cell Bank (UKSCB), in accordance with Research Licence Condition R30. Stem cells are not accepted by UKSCB until they are fully characterised and cultured to ensure uniform characteristics. As detailed in the HFEA’s May 2014 inspection report for research project R0152, Towards improving assisted reproductive technologies for the treatment of infertility and prevention of disease, the HFEA has also advised that a number of research grade embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines have been generated through that research and in line with the licence. These have been deposited at the UKSCB. One ESC line in compliance with the current standards for clinical grade ESC lines has also been produced; this is currently undergoing a due diligence process in preparation for depositing with the UKSCB. A copy of the report is attached. HFEA Newcastle Inspection Report (PDF Document, 718.55 KB) NHS: Research Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the plans of NHS England for provision of mandated research in the NHS. Lord Prior of Brampton: The Department of Health formally holds NHS England to account on its delivery against the research objective in the NHS Mandate, a process which will be rolled forward during 2016/7. Progress has been made in the areas of participation of National Health Service organisations in research, with 98% of NHS trusts recruited into National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network Portfolio studies during the course of 2014/15, and 78% of NHS trusts recruiting to commercial contract studies in the same year. In addition, recruitment of participants into such studies increased in 2014/15 compared to the previous year to 618,453 participants. Recruitment into commercial contract studies is at an all-time high, with 34,885 participants in 2014/15; a 35% increase from 2013/14.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-03-24

The Lord Chancellor Lord Elton: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the powers of the Lord Chancellor; when, by whom and by what means they were conferred on the holder of that office; and by what means and authority they can be alienated; and What are the duties of the Lord Chancellor; when, by whom and by what means they were conferred on the holder of that office; and by what means and authority they can be alienated; and What are the privileges of the Lord Chancellor; when, by whom and by what means they were conferred on the holder of that office; and by what means and authority they can be alienated; and What were the powers, duties and privileges of the Lord Chancellor on 30 January 2003; which, if any, of them have since been alienated; and by whom, by what means and under what authority such alienation has been accomplished. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The office of Lord Chancellor is an ancient one under the Crown. In latter days the Lord Chancellor has been a Minister of the Crown and head of the judiciary as well as Speaker of your Lordships' House. The office has a wide range of powers, duties and privileges which have been conferred over time by the sovereign, by law, by custom and usage, by charters and other instruments, and by your Lordships' House. They can be alienated by primary or secondary legislation, by agreement with the conferring authority and others, or by amendment of the relevant legal instruments. The Government will be publishing a consultation document in September setting out the issues to be addressed in relation to the Lord Chancellor's roles that do not relate to the Speakership, his functions as departmental Minister or his judicial capacity. None of the important powers, duties or privileges of the Lord Chancellor has been alienated since 30 January. Although it was announced on 12 June that the Office of Lord Chancellor is to be abolished in its present form, I have been appointed as Lord Chancellor in order that I may continue to exercise the powers of that office for the transitional period. Certain responsibilities in relation to children and families including responsibility for the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) are to be transferred to the Secretary of State for Education and Skills. These changes have not yet been given formal legal effect. An initial transfer of functions order under the Ministers of the Crown Act 1975 is expected to be made at the Privy Council meeting on 17 July and will be laid before Parliament in the usual way. This order is intended to transfer from the Lord Chancellor to the Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs only certain of the Lord Chancellor's principal ministerial responsibilities specifically in relation to legal aid and legal services, regulation of the legal profession, freedom of information, data protection, human rights and elections, and certain powers in the Courts Act 1971 in relation to the administration of the courts. The order will not deal with any functions relating to the judiciary. The Lord Chancellor Lord Ackner: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why, having decided to abolish or reform the office of Lord Chancellor, they did not decide to set up a Ministry of Justice. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: I refer the noble and learned Lord to the Answer I gave to Lord Lester of Herne Hill on 7 July (Official Report, WA 1). Supreme Court Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend that the proposed new Supreme Court for the United Kingdom will have its own budget and management as well as its own building. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The financing and administration of the new court is one of the issues which will be covered in the consultation paper which I shall be publishing on 14 July. ECHR Incorporation: Special Advisers prior to May 1997 Lord Lester of Herne Hill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which adviser or advisers from outside the Civil Service were responsible for briefing them in April 1997 about the incorporation of the European Convention on Human Rights into United Kingdom law. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Her Majesty's Government cannot answer for matters arising prior to the general election of May 1997. North/South Ministerial Council Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will confirm in future all decisions by the North/South Ministerial Council during suspension of the Northern Ireland Assembly will be taken in accordance with the proper procedures, including full consultation with all bodies concerned and full transparency at all stages; and whether they will ensure that the decisions are taken in accordance with the Belfast agreement of 1998. Lord Williams of Mostyn: Yes. North/South Ministerial Council Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will place in the Library of the House all papers relating to decisions of the North/South Ministerial Council; and whether they will ensure that they include their origins and reference numbers and that all stages of the decision-making process are clearly marked. Lord Williams of Mostyn: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 2 July 2003 (WA 99). Strabane: Unemployment Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the rate of unemployment in Strabane District Council area; and what steps they are taking to reduce that figure. Lord Williams of Mostyn: Unemployment statistics at district council level are only available from the claimant count. At May 2003 the number of claimants in the Strabane District Council area stood at 1,147, which represents 5.0 per cent of the resident working age population. This compares with a rate of 3.3 per cent for Northern Ireland as a whole. Over the past 12 months the number of claimants in the Strabane District Council area has decreased by 7.9 per cent compared with a 5.4 per cent decrease for Northern Ireland as a whole. Government is using a variety of methods to help reduce the level of unemployment in the Strabane area. It is one of the areas for targeted initiatives drawing together the relevant statutory, voluntary and community organisations and employers in a new level of partnership aimed at helping individuals who are jobless, particularly the long-term unemployed, to identify and address their particular barriers to employment and thereby making them more ready to take up available job opportunities. Staff from Strabane Social Security Office actively work with unemployed people and numerous groups in the Strabane area to encourage and support the movement from benefits to work. Invest NI is also working with Strabane District Council to deliver a Business Start programme specific to the area. This programme falls within the auspices of Invest NI's Accelerating Entrepreneurship Strategy which aims to encourage an increase in the rate of business start-ups throughout Northern Ireland. The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development is also contributing to reducing unemployment in the Strabane area. Several economic community-based projects have been funded in the area over the past six years and recent initiatives include the new West Tyrone Rural Leader + Programme, the Natural Resource Rural Tourism Initiative for the Sperrins and Farm Family Reskilling and Diversification Programme. Belfast Education and Library Board: DVD Language Policy Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 24 June (WA 8), whether they believe that the Belfast Education and Library Board acted in accordance with the ethos of the Belfast agreement of 1998 by not encouraging Ulster Scots participation in the DVD "Rhyming Round Belfast"; who selected the schools which took part; and on what basis. Lord Williams of Mostyn: I am satisfied that Her Majesty's Government acted in accordance with its obligations in the matter described by the noble Lord. As I have previously made clear, every school in Belfast was invited to participate and the contribution of every school that responded was included on the DVD. There was no selection process. Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards: Cultural Parity Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What provisions the five Education and Library Boards in Northern Ireland have for those who are not of the Irish culture to be informed about their cultures; and whether the boards conform with the Belfast agreement pledge of parity of esteem for all. Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Education and Library Boards provide a comprehensive library service for all persons who live, work or undertake courses of study in their area, regardless of the race, nationality or culture of those who use the service. The Northern Ireland curriculum affords opportunities for schools to ensure that all pupils develop a knowledge and understanding of the similarities and differences between the cultural traditions which influence people who live in Northern Ireland. Ulster Scots Language and Culture: Support Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans the Belfast Education and Library Board have to form connections with Scotland to support the Ulster Scots community. Lord Williams of Mostyn: There are no plans specifically to form connections with Scotland to support the Ulster Scots community but the board is examining ways to further deepen the links with education providers in other jurisdictions including Scotland. Ulster Scots Language and Culture: Support Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans the Northern Ireland Department of Education has to facilitate the promotion of Ulster-Scots language, culture and identity. Lord Williams of Mostyn: Scope already exists within the statutory curriculum for schools to introduce aspects of Ulster-Scots language, literature and culture as part of the Cultural Heritage and Education for Mutual Understanding cross-curricular themes, and resource material is available from the Ulster-Scots Heritage Council. Legal Services Ombudsman: Annual Report 2002–03 Lord Clarke of Hampstead: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the annual report for 2002–03 of the Legal Services Ombudsman will be published. Lord Filkin: The Legal Services Ombudsman has today published the 12th annual report, and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Social Housing: Evictions Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the numbers of evictions from social housing in each of the past three years. Lord Rooker: At the moment, centrally collected statistics give only the volume of possession orders made and suspended. In the last three year this was: Possession actions by social landords Actions orders made entered and suspended Entered Suspended 2000 147,519 96,284 2001 150,563 100,643 2002 151,162 98,583 A possession order, suspended possession order and even a warrant for eviction may not be acted upon so this does not represent the actual number of evictions. Information on the actual number of evictions is not collected centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Regional Assemblies: Referendums Lord Greaves: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is the case, as stated in the Boundary Committee for England news release of 17 June, that "If electors vote for a regional assembly next year, new unitary authorities will replace the existing two levels of local government in Cheshire, Cumbria and Lancashire", or whether the Secretary of State will still be able to decide not to go ahead with a regional assembly if the vote is affected by factors such as low turn-out, or different parts of the region voting clearly in different ways. Lord Rooker: The Government intend that changes to local government would only be implemented if an elected assembly is established. The referendums on whether to establish an assembly will be advisory, as were the referendums in Scotland, Wales and London. Our expectation is that we will establish an assembly where there is a "yes" vote in a referendum. But we will assess the results of each referendum before deciding to do so. Sudan: Embargo on Sales of Dual-use Equipment Baroness Cox: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the deployment of Alenia Marconi radar-tracking equipment to Sudan was allowed in view of the embargo on the sale of dual-use equipment to Sudan until peace has been brokered. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The air traffic control system had no military or dual-use rating and did not require an export licence. In any event, the contract has not yet gone ahead. Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What representations were made by the Commission for Racial Equality about the deficiencies in the Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003; and what were the responses thereto. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Commission for Racial Equality made a written submission in response to the Government's consultation on draft regulations to implement the EC Article 13 Race Directive and elements of the EC Article 13 Employment Directive. The Commission's submission can be viewed on its website at www.cre.gov.uk. The Commission raised a large number of issues relating to the Government's proposals for implementing the directives—including the Government's use of secondary legislation instead of primary to implement the directive. The Government have already made known their reasons for the use of primary legislation. Home Office officials also met Commission officials during the consultation period. Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003 Lord Ouseley: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the issues arising from the extensive public consultations on the Race Relations Act 1976 (Amendment) Regulations 2003; and what were the reasons for rejecting any suggestions made by the public and organisations in responses thereto. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government received 630 responses to their consultation on draft regulations to implement the EC Article 13 Race Directive and elements of the EC Article 13 Employment Directive. Although not all of these responses raised issues in respect of the draft race regulations, a significant number did. The issues raised covered the full range of amendments to the Race Relations Act 1976 encompassed by the regulations, as well as questions about the Government's implementation policy generally. The aim of the consultation exercise was to elicit constructive views on the draft regulations in order to help to ensure that they properly implement the directives. Changes were made to three specific race issues—seamen recruited abroad, charities and small dwellings—as a result of suggestions made during the consultation process. These changes were reflected in the draft regulations. Where suggestions were rejected, they were rejected on the basis that they were inappropriate, that they did not add to the existing implementation strategy, or that they went back over issues where the Government had reached a decision. Bail: Electronic Monitoring Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they consider that electronic tagging could help to reduce the numbers of those remanded in custody pending trial. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Electronic monitoring on bail is currently available for defendants aged between 12 and 16 years. It is also available for 17 year-olds in the 10 street crime areas. We plan to roll it out for all 17 year-olds across the country in early 2004. Electronic monitoring on bail for adults has been identified as a potential way of easing pressure on the prison population as well as reducing absconding on bail. We are considering whether to conduct a feasibility study on how effective this would be, together with the cost implications. War Crimes Investigations: NHS Records Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have authorised police inquiries into Ukrainian former members of the German SS who may be in Britain; and whether, and on what grounds, the National Health Service has any right or duty to release medical records in respect of such persons without consent. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Metropolitan Police have a remit to investigate any allegation of war crimes. The police are conducting an ongoing investigation into the activities of the 14th Waffen S.S. (Galicia) Division. The Government are fully committed to bringing war criminals to justice, and fully co-operate with and support the Metropolitan Police. If medical information identifies, or may identify, an individual, the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998 must be met. The Act outlines information that must not be shared or disclosed without the patient's consent, unless there is robust public interest justification or a statutory basis to do so, including a court order. The police are not using National Health Service records of alleged members of the 14th Waffen SS as part of their investigation. House of Lords: Monitoring of Members' Communications Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 25 June (WA 24) concerning the monitoring of Members' communications, what is the "Wilson Doctrine"; and whether it covers Members of the House of Lords. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I have nothing further to add to the answers given by my right honourable friend the Prime Minister in another place on 7 May 2003 (Official Report, col. 734W) and 30 April 2003 (Official Report, col. 292W) in response to Questions by the honourable Member for Thurrock and 19 December 2001 (Official Report, col. 367W) in response to a Question by the honourable Member for Lewes. Zimbabwe: Asylum Claims Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why they are sending letters to those claiming refuge from Zimbabwe and their representatives saying that "Zimbabwe has now been deemed as 'safe to return'" and advising them to sign up to the voluntary assisted returns programme. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: All claims for asylum from Zimbabwean nationals are considered on their own individual merits. Where a claim is refused and any appeal dismissed we consider it safe for that person to return to Zimbabwe. Although we are not at present enforcing the return of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe we are encouraging voluntary returns. As part of this, we are promoting the voluntary assisted return and reintegration programme (VARRP). The letter to which the noble Lord refers has been amended to make it clear that there has not been a change in the Home Office's policy on Zimbabwe. Counter-terrorism Detection: Advice to Businesses Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have to issue advice to businesses about chemical, biological radiological and nuclear (CBRN) detection kits. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: This statement is to confirm advice to businesses and inform the House of our view on the question of whether organisations should acquire their own equipment to detect chemical, biological or radiological materials as part of their contingency plans. The Government take contingency planning for potential terrorist attack very seriously, and are working with emergency services to ensure that they have the equipment they need to protect the public from the use of chemical, biological or radiological (CBR) materials. Government are also ensuring that effective measures are in place to detect such substances on a routine basis, where required. Such equipment is regularly tested by independent scientists and by users in the relevant agencies, including the emergency services, to ensure that it is of the standard required. Staff are also well trained in its use. The Government's advice is, therefore, that other organisations, including businesses, leave the demanding and potentially dangerous job of detecting CBR materials to personnel in the emergency services and responsible agencies which are professionally trained in the necessary equipment. Any business considering measures to prevent or reduce the impact of terrorism should contact the counter-terrorist security adviser in their local police force who will be able to give further advice. — CLEAN Race Monitor: Report Lord Burlison: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they expect the report produced by the independent Race Monitor under Section 19E of the Race Relations Act 1976 to be published. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Secretary has today laid in another place a copy of the annual report produced by Mary Coussey, the independent Race Monitor, under Section 19E of the Race Relations Act 1976, together with his reponse. The Race Monitor has a statutory duty to report to Parliament via the Home Secretary on ministerial authorisations made under Section 19D of the Race Relations Act enabling immigration staff to discriminate on the basis of nationality or ethnic or national origin in the exercise of their functions. Defence Procurement: Gulf Operations Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government: From which contractors new weapons or equipment, used in the Gulf this year, were obtained. Lord Bach: A large number of contracts for new equipment used in operations in Iraq this year were placed by both the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation. I will write to the noble Lord on this matter once information from those two sources has been collated and place a copy in the Library of the House. Iraq: Spanish Contribution to Allied Coalition Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government: What has been the Spanish contribution to the allied coalition in Iraq. Lord Bach: During decisive combat operations, the Spanish made a valuable contribution to the humanitarian efforts of the military coalition in Iraq through the early deployment of a marine contingent based around the Landing Platform Dock SPS Galicia, including medical, engineering and bomb disposal capabilities. The Spanish Government have also announced a continuing commitment to Iraq, and will contribute a brigade headquarters and a battalion to the Polish-led multinational division. Defence Procurement: Industrial Participation Lord Redesdale: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have a policy on offsets, which are a part of the global defence trade. Lord Bach: The Government do have a policy on industrial participation (IP), which is otherwise known as "offsets". The policy invites overseas companies bidding for UK Ministry of Defence equipment contracts where overseas purchases in excess of £10 million are being comtemplated to put forward IP proposals. Exceptions to this are France and Germany, where the reciprocal threshold has been set at £50 million. IP is not applied to collaborative programmes. Iraq: Unexploded Ordnance Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether warnings have been given to the civilian population of Iraq about the dangers of unexploded ordnance and of cluster bomblets in particular; and whether known sites of land mines and unexploded cluster bombs have been clearly marked. Lord Bach: United Kingdom forces have launched an awareness programme, aimed at children and young adults in particular, about the dangers of unexploded ordnance of all types. It includes giving briefings in schools and colleges and putting up posters. Whenever unexploded munitions—including cluster bomblets—are discovered, UK forces mark the site and inform those in the vicinity. The munitions are then destroyed by available resources according to the priority of threat they pose to continuing operations and civilian life. Iraq: Military Interpreters Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many Arabic speakers, qualified as linguists and interpreters, the Armed Forces deployed for the commencement of Operation TELIC. Lord Bach: During decisive military operations in Iraq, 28 military interpreters deployed to theatre. At the same time these were augmented by locally employed civilians as required. Records of these employments are not held centrally and could not be provided. Iraq: Prisoners Captured by British Forces Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 30 June (WA 64), how many people captured by British forces in Iraq and transferred to United States internment facilities have neither been released nor classified as prisoners of war. Lord Bach: As of 3 July 2003, the United States is holding one prisoner of war and 22 other persons captured by British forces, who are either suspected of committing criminal offences or are interned where necessary for imperative reasons of security in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention. All other British captured prisoners of war have been released under the supervision of British forces, and with the knowledge of the International Committee of the Red Cross. Iraq: Prisoners Captured by British Forces Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 30 June (WA 64). how many people captured by British forces in Iraq and transferred to United States internment facilities are now classified by the United States authorities as "enemy combatants" rather than prisoners of war. Lord Bach: The United States does not classify persons detained by British forces. As the detaining power, the United Kingdom has the sole authority for determining their status. This is reflected in an arrangement that exists between the two nations. All those persons captured by British forces who had the status of enemy combatant were entitled to be, and to be treated as, prisoners of war. Iraq: Prisoners Captured by British Forces Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assurances they have received from the United States authorities about the treatment of people captured by British forces in Iraq and transferred to United States internment facilities; whether any of them could face the death penalty; and when they will be released or tried. Lord Bach: The United Kingdom's and United States' responsibilities in relation to captured persons are contained in an arrangement between the nations. In accordance with this arrangement, the United States agreed to treat persons in accordance with the relevant Geneva Conventions. Under the terms of the arrangement, the United Kingdom has primary right to criminal jurisdiction for offences committed prior to transfer. For offences committed after transfer, the United States has primary right to jurisdiction, and in such cases it is up to the United States to decide sentence. We are not aware of any situation where United Kingdom captured persons have committed any post transfer offences. In the absence of any post transfer offences, the decision to release rests with the United Kingdom authorities. Persons suspected of crimes other than against coalition forces or the security of Iraq are immediately handed over to Iraqi authorities. Persons suspected of crimes against coalition forces or the security of Iraq are held pending collection of evidence and a decision as to the forum for trial. Persons held for imperative reasons of security, in accordance with the Fourth Geneva Convention, will be released as soon as their internment ceases to be necessary. UK Troops: Insignia Lord Rogan: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether a map of Northern Ireland will be included on the armbands to be worn by soldiers in the European Union Rapid Reaction Force. Lord Bach: There is no standing European Rapid Reaction Force nor any EU agreement to create one. National or multinational forces are declared under the Helsinki Headline Goal, and made available to the EU on a voluntary, case-by-case basis when required for crisis management operations. In NATO, UN and ESDP operations, United Kingdom troops regularly wear insignia which identify them as members of a multinational force. To date, EU insignia have not included a map of Northern Ireland or of any other part of the EU. Iraq: Civilian Fatalities and Casualties Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: What arrangements they are making, together with the United States, to estimate the number of civilians killed, and the number of civilians wounded, as the result of military action since the beginning of the most recent war in Iraq; and how soon they expect to be able to publish such estimates. Lord Bach: We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of civilian lives lost or injured during decisive military operations in Iraq, and have therefore made no such estimate, although we did make every effort to minimise civilian casualties. Iraq: Cluster Bombs Lord Judd: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many cluster bombs were deployed by the coalition during the most recent war in Iraq. Lord Bach: As of 4 July 2003, United Kingdom forces used some 66 RBL 755 cluster bombs in the Iraq conflict. These have been used against large troop concentrations, armour and artillery in the open. Armed Forces: Ethnic Minority Recruitment Lord Morgan: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made on the recruitment of ethnic minority personnel to the Armed Forces. Lord Bach: In 1998 we instituted a series of recruitment goals to ensure that appropriate levels of recruitment from Britain's ethnic minority communities took place. Running for four years, the goals aimed at increasing the recruitment of ethnic minority young people incrementally by 1 per cent each year until the forces reached 5 per cent. In the event the outcome for 2001–02 was a very creditable 4.4 per cent, although this figure contains a large number of Commonwealth nationals recruited in this country. Given the nearness to publication of the national census, and therefore access to new and up-to-date research data, an interim goal of a further 1 per cent from the previous year's outcome was agreed. We have found that quite significant numbers of young people travel to the United Kingdom and join the Armed Forces, particularly the Army, which has the greatest number of trades open requiring relatively low security clearances. An internal provisional estimate of the recruiting outcome for 2002–03 makes this clear: Royal Navy—2.01 per cent UK national and 1.06 per cent Commonwealth recruited in UK; Army—2.8 per cent officers and 2.4 per cent other ranks UK nationals and 5.3 per cent Commonwealth recruited in UK; Royal Air Force—2.47 per cent overwhelmingly UK nationals. All figures exclude Commonwealth personnel joining as the result of RN and Army in-country selection team visits. All figures have yet to be statistically validated. The numbers of Commonwealth nationals of all ethnic backgrounds seeking to join the Armed Forces is a clear indication of the success of our race equality policies in recent years. Although we welcome the resulting increase in the diversity of the forces, we should not forget that the original intention of the recruitment goals was to increase the proportion of UK ethnic minority recruits; this remains the objective today. Accordingly, the aim for the next three years is for each service to increase incrementally each year the proportion of UK ethnic minority recruits by at least 0.5 per cent with the tri-service aim of reaching 5 per cent as soon as possible. We will in addition seek to report the numbers joining from the Commonwealth in order to maintain the transparency of the recruiting process. These proposals have been discussed and agreed with the Commission for Racial Equality. Iraq: Campaign Medal Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether Her Majesty the Queen has approved the award of a specific campaign medal for operations in Iraq and supporting areas. Lord Bach: The House will be aware of the desire to issue a campaign medal to service personnel and entitled civilians engaged on operations in Iraq and supporting areas, collectively known as Operation TELIC. We are pleased to confirm that Her Majesty the Queen has approved the award of a specific campaign medal to mark this operation. The detailed eligibility criteria for this award are being determined and will be published in due course. Food Supplements Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government: What were the conclusions of the regulatory impact assessment undertaken by the Food Standards Agency in relation to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations; and what steps they intend to take to address the issues of missing nutrients which pose a threat to the United Kingdom food supplements industry. Lord Warner: The United Kingdom is obliged to implement the provisions of Directive 2002/46/EC into national legislation. The conclusions of the regulatory impact assessment undertaken in relation to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 were that making the regulations was the best option available. Doing so allowed the UK to fulfil its Community obligation to implement the provisions of the directive, maintain the widest possible consumer choice of safe and properly labelled food supplements consistent with the directive, and impose the minimum burden on industry. The lists of permitted vitamins/minerals and vitamin/mineral sources in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 can be extended if additions are made to the permitted lists in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC on which the regulations are based. These annexes remain open pending safety assessment of additional vitamins and minerals and their sources. Industry is currently working to compile safety dossiers for some of the vitamins and minerals and vitamin/mineral sources currently omitted from the annexes. The Food Standards Agency, in recognition of the difficulties associated with dossier production and the timescale for dossier submission, is pressing the European Food Safety Authority for an urgent, substantive meeting with relevant parties to discuss dossier requirements. — with query see copy Food Supplements Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why (a) boron, (b) silicon and (c) sulphur are omitted from the list of nutrients permitted for use in food supplements after July 2005 under the provisions of the Food Supplements (England) Regulations; and what specific steps they intend to take to ensure that they are added to that list. Lord Warner: The list of permitted nutrients in Schedule 1 to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is drawn directly from the list of permitted vitamins and minerals in Annex I to the Food Supplements Directive. This list was drawn directly from established lists in existing Community food legislation. The list of permitted vitamins/minerals and vitamin/mineral sources in Annexes I and II to the Food Supplements Directive remain open pending safety assessment of additional vitamins and minerals and their sources. Industry is currently working to compile safety dossiers for some of the vitamins and minerals and vitamin/mineral sources currently omitted from the Annexes. The Food Standards Agency, in recognition of the difficulties associated with dossier production, and the timescale for dossier submission, is pressing the European Food Safety Authority for an urgent, substantive meeting with relevant parties to discuss dossier requirements. Plasma Transfusions Lord Clement-Jones: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why previously untransfused males are perceived as the safest possible blood donors with respect to transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI) when a product, widely used in other countries, which can eliminate the risk of TRALI is commercially available. Lord Warner: The Government's Advisory Committee on the Microbiological Safety of Blood and Tissue for Transplantation have considered the relative efficacy and risks of the different types of fresh frozen plasma (FFP) available. Occasionally, FFP causes a rare condition called transfusion-related lung injury. This can happen if the donor plasma contains antibodies that can react with the patient's white blood cell. Donors generally produce these antibodies after pregnancy or transfusion. The National Blood Service (NBS) is considering plans to produce FFP from male donors. There are two types of FFP available to the National Health Service. Clinicians have a choice of which products to use. United Kingdom sourced single unit FFP available from the NBS is more commonly used by the NHS. Each unit of FFP available from the NBS is made from plasma from single donations from donors who have been previously tested for viruses to minimise the risk of infection. Schools: Earned Autonomy Baroness Sharp of Guildford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to implement the earned autonomy provisions in Sections 6 to 10 of the Education Act 2002. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government are considering how most appropriately to extend freedoms for schools beyond a limited focus on the two areas specified in the 2002 Act. In the mean time, all schools are free under the "power to innovate" to make proposals to set pay rates for their teaching staff. Pay rates for school support staff are already set at local level. BBC: Funding Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Who funds, and how, all the activities of the BBC; and who is responsible for enforcing the licence fee. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The principal source of funding for the BBC Home Services is the television licence fee while the principal source of funding for the BBC World Service is grant-in-aid. BBC Worldwide and BBC Ventures are commercially funded. Further details of the BBC's full range of activities and funding are set out in the corporation's annual reports and accounts, copies of which are in the Library of the House. The BBC has statutory responsibility for the collection of the television licence fee. Litter and Road Safety Lord Monson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they plan to curb the proliferation of litter caused by the placing of unsolicited advertising material under the windscreen wipers of parked cars; and whether this practice constitutes a threat to road safety. Lord Whitty: We do not have any plans to control such advertising material. Placing advertising material under car windscreen wipers is not considered to constitute a littering offence under Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. We have no reason to suspect that the placing of advertisements under car windscreen wipers constitutes a road safety risk.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2003-07-08a

Department for Transport Public Transport: North of England Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the Transport for the North integrated pay as you go contactless bank card scheme, in particular the withdrawal of the main bus companies in the north from that scheme. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government pledged up to £150m in 2015 to Transport for the North (TfN), to support their plans for an integrated and smart travel programme across the North. Whilst several projects are now in delivery, during development of the ‘contactless bank card scheme’, TfN concluded that the full, multi-modal benefits of their original scheme design cannot be delivered without the involvement of commercial bus operators, who have now developed their own bank card ticketing schemes. TfN are currently in the process of developing alternative proposals, with a multi-modal solution across the North remaining their ambition for the future. The Department continues to fully support TfN’s aspiration to deliver a step-change in the public transport experience for passengers in the North through an improved and modernised smart ticketing offer. Newquay Cornwall Airport Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that Flybe flightsbetween Newquay and London which are operated under a public service obligation are maintained in the event of Flybe ceasing operations. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises the important role that Flybe plays in the UK’s connectivity by flying many of the regional routes that other providers do not operate. Flybe has now confirmed that they will continue to operate as normal, preserving flights to airports such as Southampton, Belfast and Birmingham, as well as the Newquay to London public service obligation. South Western Railway: Strikes Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 7 January (HL62), what estimate they have made of the cost to the economy of the South Western Railway strikes which began on 2 December 2019. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: As set out in our manifesto commitment, we are concerned about the impact of strike action on passengers and intend to implement Minimum Service Level legislation to ensure that the right to strike is in future balanced with the rights of passengers, who are being disproportionately adversely impacted by strikes. Railways: Strikes Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Vere of Norbiton on 7 January (HL63), when they intend to introduce legislation to guarantee that, in times of strike action on rail, a pre-agreed minimum level of train service is provided; and what provisions such legislation will include to protect the rights of railway managers. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: It is the Government’s intention to introduce a Bill during this parliamentary session. The purpose of Minimum Service Level legislation is to ensure that the right to take strike action is in future balanced with the rights of passengers, who are being disproportionately impacted by strikes. High Speed 2 Railway Line Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the financial impact of not proceeding with HS2. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State commissioned the Oakervee Review to provide advice on how and whether to proceed with HS2, including examining the direct cost of cancelling the project. The government has committed to publishing the Oakervee Review report and will set out next steps on HS2 in due course. High Speed 2 Independent Review Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to make an assessment of the Oakervee Report on HS2. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Transport Secretary has met with Doug Oakervee to discuss the Review. The Government has been clear that it will publish the final report of the Oakervee Review and will set out next steps on HS2 in due course. Question Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to comply with International Maritime Organisation protocols that require ships to purify their ballast water to prevent the arrival of invasive species, including (1) Chinese mitten crabs, (2) Portuguese oysters, and (3) zebra mussels, in ships’ ballast tanks. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport is currently developing the UK legislative package to enable the UK to accede to the International Convention on the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments by Summer 2020 with implementing legislation in place by Autumn 2020. Question Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they intend to take to ensure the safety of smart motorways. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Secretary of State for Transport announced in October an evidence stocktake to gather the facts on the safety of smart motorways and make recommendations. That work is being undertaken at pace. The Department does not want to pre-judge the results of that work, which we will be publishing very soon. We will continue to prioritise improving safety – making conditions safer for everyone on our roads. Question Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the implications for the Isles of Scilly of no longer having a ferry. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: A regular passenger service is provided commercially by the Isles of Scilly Steamship Group during the summer season. The Scillonian III vessel is currently being prepared for the new season and is scheduled to resume service on 23 March 2020. No assessment has been made by Government on the implication for the Isles of Scilly of the ferry service ceasing. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Design of UK Funding Schemes for European and International Collaboration Review Lord Fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to respond to the report by Professor Adrian Smith and Professor Graeme ReidChanges and choices: advice on future frameworks for international collaboration on research and innovation, published on 5 November 2019. Lord Duncan of Springbank: Sir Adrian and Professor Reid’s report ‘Changes and Choices’ makes overarching recommendations which highlight the importance of stabilising and building on the UK capability, it presents opportunities for the future funding landscape of UK research and innovation globally, and it also provides options should the UK decide not to associate to Horizon Europe. The Government is carefully considering the recommendations including how this might inform future policy and plans to publish a response in due course. Question Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Duncan of Springbank on 28 October 2019 (HL48), whether the decision to classify the default rate of loans made by the British Business Bank via peer-to-peer platforms as commercially sensitive information was to protect (1) the British Business Bank, or (2) the identify of borrowers; and if it was to protect the identity of borrowers, whether they will publish the aggregate value of (a) defaulted, and (b) provisional, loans through peer-to-peer platforms for each of the last three financial years. Lord Duncan of Springbank: Data provided to the British Business Bank (BBB) by its delivery partners to meet portfolio monitoring and reporting requirements remains commercially sensitive to the delivery partners and as such is governed by confidentiality agreements. An individual delivery partner may choose to publish data on the overall performance of their loan book, which may include but will not be limited to BBB backed investments. A list of BBB’s delivery partners can be found on their website. The BBB’s Annual Report and Accounts (“Enabling Small Businesses to Grow and Prosper”) includes information on the BBB’s overall performance and is available on the website Question Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the (1) effectiveness, and (2) accuracy, of Energy Performance Certificates as applied to domestic dwellings. Lord Duncan of Springbank: The Government launched a Call for Evidence on Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) in 2018, which covered questions of both EPC effectiveness and accuracy. We are conducting analysis of the responses and will publish a government response in due course. Climate Change Convention Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what cross-departmental structures have been put in place to ensure they deliver on their global climate change commitments at the COP26 Summit in 2020. Lord Duncan of Springbank: The Government has set up a COP26 Unit within Cabinet Office. This unit leads on the delivery of the COP26 Summit and it will coordinate across Government departments and devolved administrations to ensure COP26 objectives are met.The newly established Cabinet Committee on Climate Change will oversee preparations for COP26. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Question Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Equatorial Guinea concerning the detention of Joaquin Elo Ayeto. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: ​The UK remains concerned by the human rights situation in Equatorial Guinea and reports of arbitrary detention. We have no diplomatic mission or resident diplomatic staff in Equatorial Guinea. We use regular visits by our non-resident Ambassador (based in Cameroon) and discussions with the Chargé in London to raise human rights concerns. The British Ambassador raised human rights during his most recent visit in January. Gaza: Travel Restrictions Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made, and intend to make, to the government of Israel about reports that it is not allowing parents to accompany their children and babies who need to leave Gaza for medical treatment in the West Bank. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: ​Our Embassy in Tel Aviv regularly raises the matter of medical permits with the Israeli authorities, most recently on 30 October 2019. My colleague Dr Murrison also raised medical permits, and the importance of parents being allowed to accompany children in need of urgent medical treatment, with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 22 October 2019. Israeli restrictions severely restrict the movement of medical professionals, patients and families from Gaza, hampering the provision of quality health services, as well as impacting Palestinians in the West Bank. The situation in Gaza is particularly acute, and is compounded by frequent closure by Egypt of the Rafah crossing, preventing urgent medical cases from seeking treatment in Egypt. A lasting resolution to the situation is needed that will ensure that all those who are in need of medical attention and their families have unimpeded access to healthcare provisions. Department for Exiting the European Union Court of Justice of the European Union Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what mechanisms are proposed for mediating legal conflict with the Court of Justice of the European Union where companies are subject to both the jurisdiction of the EU and the UK. Lord Callanan: The Withdrawal Agreement brings about the end of the jurisdiction of the Court of Justice of the EU in Britain. The EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill makes clear that it is a matter for UK courts to determine UK law, and provides for legal clarity after the implementation period. It also provides for how UK courts must interpret relevant separation agreement law under our international obligations.Companies will be subject to the court systems of the jurisdictions in which they operate, as normal. Department of Health and Social Care Gynaecology Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that clinics in London are offering surgery to "restore" women's virginity. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: The Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care providers, including surgery clinics, in England. Any provider of surgery, including hymenoplasty, must register with the CQC and meet its fundamental standards of safety and quality – or risk enforcement action. All medical professionals have a duty of care to their patients and must always take into account a patient’s vulnerability or psychological needs before offering treatment, according to the General Medical Council’s ethical standards.Pressuring a female partner or family member into undergoing any surgical procedures which they do not want is unacceptable. The Government is committed to challenging cultural attitudes that underpin these behaviours, as set out in the cross-Government Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy, published in 2016. Blood: Donors The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage more men to donate blood. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: NHS Blood and Transplant is responsible for the collection, manufacturing and issuing of blood products to the National Health Service in England.There is always a need for new blood donors, of all blood types, to replace those donors who can no longer give blood. There is a high demand for male blood as only men’s blood can be used for some specialist transfusions and blood products. NHS Blood and Transplant also needs new blood donors from a black African or black Caribbean background to treat sickle cell disease.In November 2019, NHS Blood and Transplant and BT Sport joined forces to recruit more male blood donors as, in 2019, 41% of new donor recruits were male. The campaign is being shown on live television, video on demand and social media. Care Homes: Finance Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to transfer responsibility for the funding provision of nursing home care to the NHS. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: The Government has no current plans to transfer responsibility for the funding provision of nursing home care to the National Health Service.The NHS already provides NHS-funded nursing care. This is funding for care homes which supports the provision of nursing care by registered nurses to individuals who are assessed as eligible for funded nursing care. Social Work: Bureaucracy Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of bureaucratic processes in social work, in particular (1) management chains, (2) paper work, and (3) culture; and what steps they intend to take in response. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: We have made no such assessment. Gender Recognition: Children Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding, if any, the Department for Health and Social Care has provided to the Tavistock Clinic so that they can undertake gender reassignment of children. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: The Department does not make grant awards to National Health Service trusts.As a NHS trust, funding would be provided by local and national NHS commissioners for NHS services provided. Mermaids UK: Finance Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what funding, if any,the Department of Health and Social Care providesto the charity Mermaids UK. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: The Department grants team can confirm there is no record of a grant payment being made to Mermaids UK in the year 2019/20 to date or during 2018/19. Healthcare at Home Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of all contracts they had with the health provider Healthcare at Home in the last financial year. Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what complaints, if any, they have received about late deliveries by the healthcare provider Healthcare at Home. Baroness Blackwood of North Oxford: In England, there are 12 providers of homecare medicines services and approximately 400,000 patients in receipt of a homecare medicines service. Each homecare provider provides a variety of services to National Health Service patients under contracts which may be held at national, regional or local hospital trust level. Healthcare at Home is one of those suppliers, providing services to approximately 200,000 patients or 50% of the patient cohort.Information is not collected centrally about the value of contracts held with a particular supplier.As part of the quality assurance and governance processes, homecare providers are assessed on a monthly basis against their Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and more formally on a regular basis through face to face meetings with the National Homecare Medicines Committee. Providers not meeting their KPIs are held to account and action will be taken to ensure that levels of service are brought back in line with relevant the relevant standards. Department for International Development Developing Countries: Health Services Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage ofOfficial Development Assistancewas allocated to sexual and reproductive health and rights in (1) 2017–18, and (2) 2018–19. Baroness Sugg: DFID financial reporting estimates that 13.6% of DFID’s total expenditure was spent on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the financial year 2017-18. Comparable figures for the financial year 2018-2019 are not yet available. Developing Countries: Abortion Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to highlight and address how best to (1) prevent unsafe abortion, and (2) make safe abortion accessible for all, as part of their commitment to end preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children in the developing world. Baroness Sugg: DFID’s policy on safe abortion takes an evidence-based, public health approach that aims to reduce death and disability caused by unsafe abortions. Between 2018 and 2019, we supported 23.5 million women to use modern methods of family planning, averting 2 million unsafe abortions and saving 8,300 lives.Unsafe abortion continues to be a major cause of preventable maternal mortality in developing countries. Sexual and reproductive health and rights will therefore be at the heart of our commitment to ending preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children. We will continue to empower women and girls to choose whether, when and how many children to have. In countries where abortion is permitted, this means supporting programmes that make safe abortion more accessible in order to save the lives of women who would otherwise resort to backstreet abortions. In countries where abortion is highly restricted, we help make the consequences of unsafe abortion more widely understood and support those fighting to access safe abortion. We do this through supporting dedicated programmes such as the Safe Abortion Action Fund, which improves access to safe abortion for some of the world’s most vulnerable women and girls, and an integrated approach to sexual and reproductive health and rights, which includes safe abortion care where legal. Migrant Camps Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they collect about conditions in refugee camps outside the UK; and what assessment they have made of those conditions. Baroness Sugg: The UK does not itself undertake primary data collection on conditions in refugee camps. We are a major supporter of UN High Commission for Refugees, the UN’s refugee agency, which is mandated with the protection of refugees. UNHCR undertakes regular assessments of the standards of living and conditions in camps against a set of standards agreed with partners. The Department for International Development rigorously monitors the performance of UK partners in specific refugee responses, including against information on living conditions in camps compiled and provided by UNHCR. Syria: Humanitarian Aid Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to ensure that necessary aid access to Syria is maintained, including by alternative routes, following the UN Security Council Decision of 10 January only to re-authorise two of the four crossing-points from Turkey to Syria for a period of six months rather than 12. Baroness Sugg: We are gravely disappointed that the new resolution loses two of the four crossing-points into Syria, including Yaroubiya, the only UN-mandated border crossing into the North East. With UN agencies unable to deliver aid cross-border into North East Syria, and medical supplies from Yaroubiya reaching 1.4 million people last year, DFID Ministers and UK Officials are raising this with the UN, and will ask the UN to report regularly on the humanitarian situation in North East Syria. DFID is also speaking with international partners to determine how to meet the immediate shortfall in medical supplies. The UK is committed to supporting UN and NGO partners to have unfettered humanitarian access to all those in need in Syria, across all modalities, and this cannot be time-restricted. Department for Education Universities: Standards Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government which organisation, if any, is tasked with ensuring the quality of teaching of overseas campuses of UK universities. Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they inspect the overseas campuses of UK universities. Baroness Berridge: UK higher education providers with degree-awarding powers are responsible for the academic standards of their awards and for the quality of provision, irrespective of where or how courses are delivered or who delivers them.The external review of Transnational Education (TNE) has been carried out by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education (QAA) on behalf of funders, regulators and UK providers since it was established in 1997.As higher education is a devolved matter, each nation of the UK will deliver quality assurance of TNE according to the process adopted for higher education institutions within its jurisdiction.Historically, QAA has carried out TNE reviews, which have included a range of activities including overseas campus inspection, scrutiny of partnerships from the UK end including video conferences with providers, and the analysis of data on TNE provision.The process for carrying out TNE review activity for UK higher education institutions has been the subject of a recent consultation which ended in January 2020, carried out by Universities UK International, Guild HE and QAA.The consultation responses are currently being considered and the future model of TNE review, including overseas campus inspection, will be decided through this process and the consulting organisations will jointly analyse the responses and develop an action plan. Children: Education Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in introducing a register for children not in school. Lord Agnew of Oulton: In the spring of 2019, a consultation was held on proposals for a mandatory register of children not attending state or registered independent schools to help local authorities carry out their responsibilities in relation to children not in school. The consultation closed in June 2019. Responses to the consultation have been considered and a formal government response document setting out next steps will be issued in due course. Ministry of Justice Hate Crime Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Law Commission review into hate crime to be completed. Lord Keen of Elie: The Law Commission were invited to review the law on hate crime and to make recommendations for its reform. The review began in March 2019 and will also consider which characteristics (for example gender, age, disability) deserve enhanced protection by the criminal law and on what basis. The Law Commission plan to issue a consultation on this matter in early 2020. Further information on the review can be found on the Law Commission webpage at: https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/project/hate-crime/ Belfast Agreement Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether legal aid will be available for individuals seeking to initiate legal proceedings based on an alleged diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity, as set out in the Belfast Agreement. Lord Keen of Elie: A legal challenge asserting an alleged diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity, as set out in the Belfast Agreement, would likely be brought through the Northern Ireland court system. Given legal aid is a matter devolved to Northern Ireland, whether it is or would be available for such a challenge in Northern Ireland is not a matter for Her Majesty’s Government. National Probation Service for England and Wales: Standards Lord Laming: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of HM Probation Service. Lord Keen of Elie: This Government is clear that probation services must improve. Our reforms will build on the changes introduced by Transforming Rehabilitation, while addressing the challenges in the system. We are simplifying responsibilities for public, private and voluntary sector probation partners. This means the National Probation Service (NPS) delivering robust supervision of all offenders, the private sector continuing to drive innovation in sentence delivery, and greater voluntary sector involvement in rehabilitation. Our changes will allow each sector to play to its strengths, deliver more investment in skilled probation staff, and ensure stronger supervision and support for offenders.We will set out further detail on the operating model for the future system shortly. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Devolution: Yorkshire and the Humber Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in relation to Metro Mayors in Yorkshire. Viscount Younger of Leckie: As the Prime Minister said at his speech in the Convention of the North ‘we are going to do devolution properly…with more Mayors across the North’. In Yorkshire we are pleased to see recent progress the Mayor and leaders of the Sheffield City Region are making towards getting their devolution deal over the line with the benefits that will bring for people across South Yorkshire, including £30 million annually of investment funds. We are also proceeding with negotiations for a devolution deal with a Mayor for Leeds and West Yorkshire, and other areas of Yorkshire are discussing devolution with us. Planning Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they havemade of the report by the Town and Country Planning Association,Planning 2020: Raynsford Review of Planning in England, published in November 2018; and what steps they intend to take in response. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government believes that further reform of the planning system is necessary. We will be publishing a planning White Paper in due course, which will aim to make the planning system clearer, more accessible and more certain for all users, including home owners and small businesses. It will also address resourcing and performance in local planning departments and ensure timely decisions are made. It will seek to improve the ways communities can get involved in the planning process, including through the opportunities afforded by new digital methods of engagement. Tree Preservation Orders Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byViscount Younger of Leckie on 7January (HL65), how many Tree Preservation Orders there are in England; and whether they expect that number to increase between 2020 and 2025. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Information on the number of Tree Preservation Orders is not collected or held centrally, and it would be an unreliable indicator of the state of the nation’s trees. This Government is, however, encouraging new tree planting on a massive scale, and expects every local authority to be mindful of the benefits of tree cover to the environment, to place-making, and to physical and mental health, whether or not a particular tree or group of trees requires special protection on amenity grounds. Local Government: Devolution Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to work with local government to develop and implement their proposals for English devolution; and if so, how. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government’s ambition is for full devolution across England including through more devolution deals that level up powers and invest further in infrastructure. That is why it has been working with local authority leaders to unlock the Sheffield City Region and continues discussions with West Yorkshire leaders on a new devolution deal. The Government also engages with a wide range of local government partners on the future of devolution in England and looks forward to continuing this as it develops the English Devolution White Paper. Housing: Energy Lord Stunell: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number of homes in England that fall within each rating band of Energy Performance Certificates, and (2) the amount by which annual CO2 emissions would be reduced if every home within each rating band were to be improved to the next rating band level. Viscount Younger of Leckie: (1) The most recent analysis of the number of homes within each Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) band that this Department has is the 2016 English Housing Survey which estimated that over 7 million dwellings in England had an energy efficiency rating of A to C, over 15.5 million dwellings were rated C to D and over 1.1 million dwellings were rated F to G.(2) This Department does not hold any information on the amount by which annual CO2 emissions would be reduced if every home within each rating band were to be improved to the next rating band level. However, the Government’s Clean Growth Strategy estimated that upgrading energy efficiency from an EPC Band E to an EPC Band D reduces energy costs by £380 per year on average. Private Rented Housing: Electrical Safety Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they are making on plans to introduce mandatory electrical safety checks in the private rented sector. Viscount Younger of Leckie: On 13 January 2020, the Government laid before Parliament new regulations that will require private landlords to make sure the electrical installations in their properties are safe.The Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require that:Electrical installations must be inspected and tested by a qualified and competent person at least every five years;Electrical safety standards must be met;Reports (known as ‘Electrical Installation Condition Reports or ‘EICRs’) must be provided to tenants, and to local authorities on request.The Regulations also set out enforcement powers for local authorities who will be able to tackle those rogue landlords who breach their new duties under the Regulations.Subject to approval by parliament, these requirements will come into force for all new tenancies from 1 July 2020 and for all existing tenancies from 1 April 2021. Devolution: Sheffield City Region Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal has not been completed; and when they expect that deal to be finalised. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Sheffield City Region leaders agreed on 27 January that they would launch on 3 February the statutorily required consultation which is the next step towards implementing the Sheffield City Region Devolution Deal. Subject to the outcome of the consultation, the statutory tests being met, and to the necessary Order being consented to by the South Yorkshire councils and approved by Parliament, the people of South Yorkshire will from this year be able to benefit from the Deal, including from the £30 million annual investment funds. Ministry of Defence Question Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for the military Mark 4 Chinook helicopters that are currently held in store. Baroness Goldie: The remaining Mark 4 Chinook helicopters are being modified through a safety enhancement programme, the Digital Automatic Flight Control System. They will return to flying as Mark 6A Chinooks by the end of the year. Question Lord Campbell of Pittenweem: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current (1) nominal, and (2) actual, strength of the battalions of the Royal Regiment of Scotland. Baroness Goldie: The current trained strength of the Royal Regiment of Scotland by battalion as at 1 October 2019 can be found in the attached table, alongside the workforce recruitment.Royal Regiment of Scotland (docx, 25.3KB) Question Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many soldiers have been recruited to the Army Reserves since January 2019. Baroness Goldie: Between 1 January 2019 and 30 September 2019 3,300 people joined the Reserves both trained and untrained. This consists of Army Reservists, sponsored Reserves, and those personnel now serving on Full Time Reserve Service (FTRS) who were recruited as Army Reservists.Notes:Figures have been rounded to 10 for presentational purposes; numbers ending in "5" have been rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias.Intake Statistics are published on a quarterly basis by Defence Statistics. These figures are taken from the most recent published figures. EU Defence Policy Lord James of Blackheath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any agreements have been made with the EU about British participation in (1) the establishment of a European Defence Union, (2) any military command and control procedures, (3) the future of Five Eyes, (4) the procurement of military equipment from an EU-wide organisation, and (5) the transfer of nuclear technology licensed to the UK by the United States; if so, what are the details of any such agreements; and whether any such agreements are separate to any agreements relating to the UK’s departure from the EU. Baroness Goldie: The UK has no agreement with the EU about British participation in the establishment of a 'European Defence Union'.The Withdrawal Agreement and Political Declaration provide the option, but no obligation, for the UK to continue to contribute to CSDP operations and missions on a voluntary basis, and where of benefit to UK interests. This does not undermine the UK's sovereignty, our command or control of our Armed Forces nor does it oblige us to participate in a 'defence union' or any EU defence initiatives.The UK will retain full sovereign control over its defence, intelligence services and decision-making after leaving the EU. The UK will also retain control over the deployment of its Armed Forces and their equipment. Any future security partnership negotiated with the EU would reflect this position.The UK currently has no agreements with the EU on military command and control procedures other than those in the Withdrawal Agreement referring to continued participation in CSDP operations and missions during the Implementation Period. UK personnel remain under UK sovereign command at all times.The UK does not have any agreements with the EU on British participation in the 'Five Eyes' community. Any future relationship agreement with the EU will not undermine our partnership with the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. The intelligence cooperation between these 'Five Eyes' partners is the broadest, deepest and most advanced of any grouping of nations and we are committed to maintaining it.The UK has not entered into any agreements with the EU to participate in the procurement of military equipment from EU-wide organisations. There are no agreements with the EU about British participation in transfer of nuclear technology licensed to the UK by the US. Department for Work and Pensions Social Security Benefits Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish the evaluation of the benefit cap undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research and the Institute for Fiscal Studies. Baroness Stedman-Scott: The results of the two strands of benefit cap evaluation will be published together in due course. The research comprises: a) A quantitative longitudinal survey of capped households under both Housing Benefit and Universal Credit together with qualitative case studies of local authorities, undertaken by the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen).b) Quantitative analysis of capped households undertaken by officials from the Department for Work and Pensions, and peer reviewed by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Question Baroness Wilcox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in eliminating Japanese knotweed. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government recognises the threats posed by invasive non-native species including Japanese knotweed and has a comprehensive Great Britain Non-native Species Strategy designed to tackle these threats, the first of its kind in Europe. Local Action Groups, with support from the Government, are actively involved in reducing and eradicating Japanese knotweed. Increasing public awareness of the species and what can be done about it is an important part of tackling the problems caused by Japanese knotweed. To that aim, we launched the first Invasive Species Week in 2015, to bring together a wide range of organisations to raise awareness of invasive non-native species, to highlight work going on to tackle them and to inspire people to get involved and help prevent their spread. Invasive Species Week has gone from strength to strength, with eight administrations taking part in 2019 and 93 events held. Defra continues to fund a biocontrol programme through the release of a psyllid insect to tackle Japanese knotweed. The Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) is working to establish the highly specific psyllid Aphalara itadori in the UK and a population of climatically suitable psyllids from Japan is being studied in CABI’s quarantine in Surrey. It is hoped this will be the key to unlocking the potential of this agent to reduce the effort and cost of managing Japanese knotweed and its invasive capacity. Research is also underway to evaluate a leaf-spot fungus for use as a mycoherbicide. The Government has developed guidance on how to prevent the spread of Japanese knotweed, which can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading Question Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any,to fund the provision of independent advice for farmers in any new agricultural support schemes. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. ELM is looking into several options for sourcing advisors, considering both private and public sector options. The options we are considering allow flexibility to source experienced advisors in the short-term for the National Pilot, whilst building sufficient and high-quality advisor capacity to support the full roll out of ELM. The National Pilot provides an opportunity to co-design with stakeholders and land managers the most appropriate way to provide this capacity and whether it is provided from the public or private sector. Question Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential damage to the environment as a result of the three crop ruleleading farmers to cultivate drenched farmland and thereby damage soil structures. Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to accept early Force Majeure claims as a prevention mechanism to ensure that soil structure is not damaged as a result of farmers trying to adhere to the three crop rule. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Farmers have been experiencing difficulties with the recent prolonged wet weather and are concerned about their ability to meet Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules. Whilst we have not carried out specific assessments of the environmental impact of cultivating waterlogged farmland following the wet weather experienced so far this winter, we encourage farmers to take all the necessary and reasonable steps to protect their soils. In some cases, we understand that this may result in difficulty meeting CAP rules, including the ‘three crop rule’. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has recently updated its GOV.UK online guidance on flooding and wet weather so that farmers are clear on the rules and possible alternative options that will allow them to remain compliant – including alternatives to the three crop rule. This was put together in direct response to customers’ and stakeholders’ questions and concerns. If they are in doubt, farmers should contact the RPA to discuss possible mitigation measures where farmers are unsure of the impact that flooding will have on their ability to comply with greening, or other CAP rules, including whether they should apply for force majeure. We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with stakeholders, including farmers, where cases of force majeure are put forward. We are also exploring how best to provide flexibility and support farmers affected by the recent wet weather. Question Lord Carrington: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the weather conditions experienced by farmers this planting season, what plans they have to suspend the three crop rule. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Farmers have been experiencing difficulties with the recent prolonged wet weather and are concerned about their ability to meet Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) rules. Whilst we have not carried out specific assessments of the environmental impact of cultivating waterlogged farmland following the wet weather experienced so far this winter, we encourage farmers to take all the necessary and reasonable steps to protect their soils. In some cases, we understand that this may result in difficulty meeting CAP rules, including the ‘three crop rule’. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has recently updated its GOV.UK online guidance on flooding and wet weather so that farmers are clear on the rules and possible alternative options that will allow them to remain compliant – including alternatives to the three crop rule. This was put together in direct response to customers’ and stakeholders’ questions and concerns. If they are in doubt, farmers should contact the RPA to discuss possible mitigation measures where farmers are unsure of the impact that flooding will have on their ability to comply with greening, or other CAP rules, including whether they should apply for force majeure. We will continue to monitor the situation and work closely with stakeholders, including farmers, where cases of force majeure are put forward. We are also exploring how best to provide flexibility and support farmers affected by the recent wet weather. Home Office Immigration Controls: Airports Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the waiting times at the border at all UK airports that use ePassport gates; what is the difference in waiting times, broken down by each airport; and what comparison they have made of the difference in the waiting times, broken down by each airport, before the ePassport gates were installed and now. Baroness Williams of Trafford: A direct comparison of queue times before and after ePassport Gates installation is not an accurate assessment of improvement given the number of variables involved, including but not limited to increasing number of biometric passports in circulation, changes to the cohorts of passengers able to use the gates, delays to flight schedules and increased number of travellers to the UK.Recent and previous performance against passenger wait time Service Level Agreements can be found in Border Force Transparency data available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-force-transparency-dataBorder Force is committed to ensuring passengers arriving in the UK receive an excellent service. ePassport gates are an efficient means of border clearance for eligible passenger cohorts and allow us to conduct a full range of security checks.ePassport Gates are part of the long-term vision for the border, making better use of digital technology and greater automation to improve the passenger experience, whilst maintaining security.There are 264 e-Passport Gates now operational at 23 air and rail terminals including Paris Gare du Nord and Brussels Gare du Mid, and e-Passport Gates usage continues to increase, linked to the increase availability of e-Passports. e-Passport gate usage has increased from 1 Million in 2009 to 61.3 Million for the 12 months to the end of November of 2019 Refugees: Syria Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their commitment to accept 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many offers of accommodation by local authorities for refugees have been (1) made, and (2) accepted. Baroness Williams of Trafford: 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 28 November 2019 show that a total of 18,252 people had been resettled in the UK under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme since it began across 317 local authorities.The statistics, which include a local authority breakdown of resettlements, are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-releaseWe have received sufficient pledges from local authorities to meet the 20,000 commitment under the Vulnerable Persons Resettlement Scheme and we continue to work closely with local authorities to turn these offers of support into arrivals. Refugees: Children Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many child refugees came to the UK to join family members in (1) 2015, (2) 2016, (3) 2017, and (4) 2018. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office publishes a range of data on asylum seekers and refugees in the ‘Immigration Statistics Quarterly Release’ https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release This data includes a range of topics relevant to the question above: The number of asylum applications received in the UK and initial decision on such applications, broken down by age and whether or not the application was lodged by an unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASC), are published in tables Asy_D01 and Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets The number of people resettled in the UK, broken down by age are published in table Asy_D02 of the asylum and resettlement detailed datasets. https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/asylum-and-resettlement-datasets The number of family reunion visas granted to family members of refugees in the UK, broken down by age are published in table Fam_D01 of the family reunion datasets. The number of asylum seekers transferred into and out of the UK under the Dublin Regulation, broken down by Dublin article are published in table Dub_D01 of the Dublin regulation datasets. On overview of the Dublin articles, and the criteria for meeting each article can be found in the User Guide. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/user-guide-to-home-office-immigration-statistics--9 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 September 2019 and covers the period requested for (2015 to 2018). Additionally, the Home Office publishes a high-level overview of the data in the ‘summary tables’. 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’. Offences against Children: Greater Manchester Lord Blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that failings by police and children’s services in Greater Manchester resulted in victims of sexual abuse and child sexual exploitation being denied justice, what discussions they have had with the National Crime Agency about such reports; and what action they intend to take as a result. Baroness Williams of Trafford: These were truly shocking cases of the most vulnerable in our society being preyed upon and abused by ruthless predators, and failed by those whose job it was to protect them. It is important that lessons are learnt, and we work tirelessly to safeguard victims of these horrific crimes and bring the evil criminals who abuse our children to justice.The government engages routinely with law enforcement agencies, including the National Crime Agency, to tackle child sexual offending and ensure the police respond appropriately to vulnerable victims. The National Crime Agency considers reports such as these in drawing up its annual National Strategic Assessment of Serious and Organised Crime, which can be found online. https://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/who-we-are/publications/296-national-strategic-assessment-of-serious-organised-crime-2019/National Strategic Assessment of SOC - 2019 (pdf, 6321.6KB) Offences against Children: Criminal Investigation Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken since Operation Augusta was launched in 2003 to ensure that childsexual abuse allegationsare properly investigated. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Child sexual abuse is an appalling crime and that this Government is committed to tackling it. It is important that we look at what has gone wrong in the past and work tirelessly to ensure we do not repeat those mistakes.Since Operation Augusta we have taken significant steps to transform the way police respond to these horrific crimes. We have prioritised child sexual abuse as a national threat and we have worked with the College of Policing to deliver a package of measures to ensure the police are better placed to respond to child protection issues, including enhanced coverage of vulnerability in the curriculum for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, and the development of a Public Protection and Safeguarding Leaders course.The Home Office is continuing to provide significant investment to initiatives and activities that will support the police to continue transformation in their response to child sexual abuse, particularly in areas of disruption, prevention and early intervention. Last year, we announced that we will be investing a further £30m in law enforcement capabilities to ensure offenders are no longer able to prey on society’s most vulnerable.The government will go further and publish a comprehensive national strategy to tackle all forms of Child Sexual Abuse in early 2020 which will build on our action to tackle all child sexual abuse and bring horrific predators to justice.Our new strategy will set out our whole system response to tackling child sexual abuse and how we will work across government, law enforcement, safeguarding partners and industry to root out offending, protect victims and help victims and survivors rebuild their lives. Refugees: Children Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are not continuing the EU policy of assisting child refugees to be reunited with their families in the UK. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government’s policy has not changed and protecting vulnerable children will remain our priority after we leave the EU. The new Clause 37 in the Withdrawal Agreement Bill reaffirms this commitment while clarifying the role of Parliament and Government in negotiations. Additionally Clause 37 places an obligation on the Government to lay a statement before Parliament on the progress of negotiations.The Government is clear that we remain committed to seeking an agreement with the EU on this issue, and the Home Secretary wrote to the European Commission on 22 October to begin negotiations. The UK will continue to be bound by the Dublin Regulation provisions during the implementation period, allowing us to continue to transfer family reunion cases to the UK throughout 2020. Refugees: Children Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that more than 10,000 unaccompanied children have used dangerous means to enter the UK over the past decade; and what steps they are taking to provide safe routes for such children. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety. There are a number of safe and legal routes available to the UK which specifically enable us to provide protection for the most vulnerable refugees, including children.Since 2010, the UK has granted protection to 41,000 vulnerable children and this will continue to be a priority after we leave the EU. Police: Mental Health Services Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police forces employ integrated street triage for mental health services; what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of such provision; and whether they plan to encourage more police forces to employ this practice. Baroness Williams of Trafford: There is no single generic model for mental health crisis “street triage” services and the Home Office does not routinely collect information on such schemes. However, the 2018 report of Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) on policing and mental health recorded that mental health triage schemes were operational in 42 of the 43 police forces in England and Wales.There have been a number of local and academic evaluations of such schemes, however HMICFRS noted that evaluation of schemes was not always consistent and recommended that all forces should review their arrangements using practice guidelines developed by the College of Policing to help forces benchmark their triage activity. HMICFRS will be inspecting on progress as part of their integrated PEEL assessments inspection framework. It is an operational matter for Chief Officers to determine whether to establish or maintain street triage schemes. Immigration Controls: Airports Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the technical efficacy of ePassport gates at UK airports; and what percentage of all ePassport gate readings result in a failed face reading. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Protecting the UK border is, and always has been, of paramount importance to this Government. It has never been government practice, for reasons of national security, to comment on operational issues relating to border security.This includes offering commentary on the performance of border systems and of ePassport Gates specifically Immigration Controls: Airports Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent on ePassport gates at UK airports over the last four years. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Over the last 4 years (2016 to date), Border Force have installed 124 ePassport gates at costs in the region of £9.75m with ongoing support/service costs in the region of £5.3m Portsmouth University: Overseas Students Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the decision by the University of Portsmouth to waive the requirement for students to have taken the International English Language Test. Baroness Williams of Trafford: To be eligible to enter the UK under Tier 4, an applicant must be able to demonstrate they have an adequate level of English to access the proposed course of study. All Tier 4 General Students must prove they satisfy the minimum English language requirements against the Common European Framework for Reference for Languages (CEFR). A student must show that they meet the minimum level of English at CEFR B2 to be eligible to study in the UK at degree level or above. Students can prove their English Language ability in different ways.Tier 4 Higher Education Providers with a track record of compliance including the University of Portsmouth, are able to make their own assessment of the proficiency of an applicant in English Language, if a student is accessing a course of study at degree level or above. Tier 4 providers must be satisfied that an applicant is proficient in English Language to a minimum of CEFR B2 level in all four disciplines assessed by the International English Language Test. The provider is able to undertake its own assessment of the ability of an applicant to satisfy these criteria. There is no stipulation in the Immigration Rules relating to how this assessment must be made. Racial Discrimination: Football Lord Bassam of Brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byBaroness Williams of Trafford on 30 October 2019 (HL181), how many of the police reported football-related racist incidents have led to people being charged; and what range of penalties was applied. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Home Office does not hold this information, although individual police forces may have this information for their force area.As mentioned in my previous response, racist chanting or abuse may be an offence under section 3 of the Football (Offences) Act 1991 or sections 4, 4A or 5 of the Public Order Act 1986. Offences under sections 4 and 4A of the 1986 Act carry a maximum penalty of six months’ imprisonment and are capable of being charged as a racially or religiously aggravated offence.In addition, the court must impose a preventative Football Banning Order following conviction for a relevant offence it reasonably believes that making an order would help to prevent violence or disorder at, or in, connection with any regulated football matches. Football Banning Orders prohibit the subject from attending regulated football matches for a period of two to ten years, depending on the nature of the offence.The Law Commission is carrying out a full review of the coverage and approach of current hate crime legislative provisions, including in the context of football. Wales Office Nuclear Power: Wales Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, and intend to have, with the Welsh Government about nuclear power in Wales. Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: The Government is committed to new nuclear as part of the UK’s future energy mix and although a reserved matter I am keen to work with the Welsh Government to ensure where we can deliver on new nuclear in Wales. Officials from my department and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy regularly engage with officials from Welsh Government on nuclear in Wales. I am keen to ensure discussions continue on areas where we are jointly affected. Aberystwyth University: Listed Buildings Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had, or intend to have, with the Welsh Government about securing a sustainable future for Old College, Aberystwyth. Baroness Bloomfield of Hinton Waldrist: Last week, the National Lottery Heritage Fund announced that Old College, Aberystwyth has been awarded almost £10 million of National Lottery money. The National Lottery Heritage Memorial Fund, which allocates Lottery funds to heritage, is a non-departmental public body accountable to parliament through the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. The mechanism in which funding decisions are made on individual applications and policies are independent of the Government. The National Lottery Heritage Fund is the distributor. This funding commitment builds on the investment of over £400million of National Lottery funding into more than 2,600 heritage projects in Wales. The investment in Old College will generate around 50 new jobs and encourage graduates to stay in Aberystwyth to establish new businesses, boosting the local economy. The renovation will create gallery spaces, a centre for entrepreneurs and new businesses, artist studios, community rooms and facilities for major events and festivals. This investment will give the building a new lease of life, securing a sustainable future for generations to come. This funding will also be supported by £3 million investment by Welsh Government and £3 million from the European Regional Development Fund through the Tourism Attractor Destination programme. Northern Ireland Office Terrorism: Northern Ireland Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the full analysis of their consultationAddressing the Legacy of Northern Ireland's Past, first published on 11 May 2018. Lord Duncan of Springbank: A summary of responses to the Northern Ireland Office’s consultation ‘Addressing the legacy of Northern Ireland’s past’ was published in July 2019. We will continue to look at the consultation responses to inform the way forward. Belfast Agreement Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following withdrawal from the EU, individuals will be able to initiate legal proceedings, independent of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission or the Equality Commission, if there is an alleged diminution of rights, safeguards or equality of opportunity as set out in the Belfast Agreement; and, if so, how this is provided for in the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill. Lord Duncan of Springbank: The amendments made, via schedule 3 of the EU (Withdrawal Agreement) Bill, to sections 6 and 24 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 mean that the Northern Ireland Assembly, ministers and departments will be acting outside their competence or powers if they legislate or act in a way that breaches the “no diminution” commitment; this would be actionable by judicial review in the normal way. The Government also considers that Article 2(1) of the Protocol is capable of direct effect and that individuals will therefore be able to rely directly on this article before the domestic courts. Individuals will be able to bring proceedings independently or, where the case meets certain criteria, with the assistance of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission or the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland. Treasury Royal Family: Aviation Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the use of publicly funded helicopters and charter planes by the Royal family is restricted to use for official engagements; and if so, which members of the Royal family are permitted to use such transport. The Earl of Courtown: The Sovereign Grant meets the cost of official journeys undertaken by or in support of The Queen and other members of the Royal Family. Travel by The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall and The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge between residences is categorised as official. The Sovereign Grant does not fund any private travel costs. The cost of any private use by the Royal Family of Sovereign Grant facilities is fully reimbursed. Sovereign Grant Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether data is available on how the Sovereign Grant is spent; and if so, where that data is available. The Earl of Courtown: Each year the Royal Household publishes the Sovereign Grant and Sovereign Grant Reserve Annual Report and Accounts, a full report on Royal public finances. The 2018-19 report was published on 25th June 2019, and can be found on the Monarchy website [1]. [1] https://www.royal.uk/sites/default/files/media/final_sovereign_grant_for_website.pdf Crown Lands and Estates Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money was raised by the Crown Estates in each of the last five years; and how any such money was spent. The Earl of Courtown: The Crown Estate publishes its Integrated Annual Report and Accounts each year. The latest Report for the year 2018-19 is available on The Crown Estate’s website.[1]. As set out in the 2018-19 Report, the net revenue profit The Crown Estate has generated in each of the past five years, are as follows: 2018-19 = £343.5 million;2017-18 = £329.4 million;2016-17 = £328.8 million;2015-16 = £304.1 million; and2014-15 = £285.1 million. The Crown Estate generates valuable revenue for the Exchequer, and over the past ten years, the business has returned a total of £2.8 billion into the Consolidated Fund, contributing to vital public services such as the NHS and policing. [1] https://www.thecrownestate.co.uk/en-gb/our-business/2019-annual-report/ Sovereign Grant Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which members of the Royal family are in receipt of funds from the Sovereign Grant; and how much each such individual receives annually. The Earl of Courtown: No member of the Royal Family receives an allowance from the Sovereign Grant. The Sovereign Grant Act 2011 came into effect from 1 April 2012 and consolidated the funding provided to support the official duties of The Queen and maintain the Occupied Royal Palaces. Until 31 March 2012, funding had been provided under the Civil List and the Grants-in-aid for the Maintenance of the Occupied Royal Palaces, Royal Travel and Communications and Information. The Court Circular, available on the Monarchy website[1] is the official record of past royal engagements, detailing engagements undertaken by all members of the Royal Family. [1] https://www.royal.uk/court-circular Question Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental impact of cutting Air Passenger Duty from all domestic flights. Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether deferred Air Passenger Duty relief is congruent with state aid and competition rules. The Earl of Courtown: As announced on 14 January, HM Treasury is undertaking a review of Air Passenger Duty to ensure regional connectivity is strengthened while meeting the UK’s climate change commitments to achieve net zero emissions by 2050. The government takes its environmental responsibilities very seriously and uses a range of levers at its disposal, including spending, taxation and regulatory policy, to meet its climate and environmental objectives. The actions that the Government has taken are fully compliant with State Aid rules. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Festival of Britain Lord Porter of Spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the (1) Local Government Association, and (2) local government, about the role of councils in the upcoming Festival of Britain. Baroness Barran: DCMS has asked the Organising Committee for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, under the leadership of its Chief Creative Officer, to develop plans for the Festival. The Organising Committee will lead on any discussions with local government.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-01-28

Armed Forces: Budgets Lord Hamilton of Epsom: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have for transferring the cost of the Afghan conflict from the Treasury Contingency Reserve to the Ministry of Defence budget. Lord Myners: There are no plans to change the arrangements for funding military operations. Asylum Seekers Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum applicants have been placed on the detained fast track in each year since this process was introduced. Lord West of Spithead: The attached table shows information on the number of principal asylum applicants accepted at Oakington, Harmondsworth and Yarl's Wood detained fast track centres in each of the years 2000 to 2008. Information on immigration and asylum are published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics for 2008 and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html. Principal asylum applicants accepted at Oakington, Harmondworth and Yarl's Wood detained fast track centres, 2000 to 2008(1) Number of principal applicants Oakington(2) Harmondsworth(3) Yarl's Wood 2000(4) 3,000 : : 2001 9,125 : : 2002 8,360 : : 2003(5) 5,835 580 : 2004 6,470 1,110 : 2005 5,330 1,495 230 2006 2,335 1,205 380 2007 320 745 520 2008(P) : 1,160 515 (1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 (- = 0, * = 1 or 2). (2) The detained non-suspensive appeal process for males at Oakington has been moved to Harmondsworth alongside the male detained fast track process already there, this followed an earlier move of the process for females to Yarl's Wood. (3) May include a small number of cases dealt with at other scheduled sides under the Harmondsworth Fast Track procedure. (4) Part year March to December 2000 for Oakington as the Oakington Fast Track started in March 2000. (5) Part year April to December 2003 for Harmondsworth as the Harmondsworth Fast Track started in April 2003. (P) Provisional figures. : Not applicable/not available. Bigamy and Polygamy Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 12 November (WA 220), whether the Minister's officials have come to a conclusion as to whether changes to the UK Border Agency's Entry Clearance Guidance are required in order to prevent polygamous or bigamous marriages under United Kingdom law; and, if so, whether they will implement that conclusion. Lord West of Spithead: A letter replying to the noble Lord's Question was despatched on 24 November 2009, a copy of which will be placed in the House Library. I thank the noble Lord for his patience during the period of prorogation. Civil Service Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements there are for senior civil servants to gain experience of the industries they supervise; and how many civil servants have benefited from such experience for periods exceeding three months. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Departments and agencies are encouraged to arrange secondments for civil servants where this would be of benefit to the organisation and the individual. Secondment arrangements are delegated to departments and agencies. Terms and conditions for secondments are set out in the Civil Service Management Code, a copy of which has been placed in the Library and any secondment must satisfy business appointment rules on the acceptance of outside appointments by crown servants, which are also set out in the management code. Information on the number of secondments is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment Earl Cathcart: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many farmers received the single farm payment in (a) 2006, (b) 2007, (c) 2008, and (d) 2009. Lord Davies of Oldham: The number of farmers who received the single payment in England in respect of each scheme year are shown in the table below: Single Payment Scheme Year Number of farmers 2005 117,720 2006 106,979 2007 104,548 2008 104,623 Payments for the 2009 scheme year may not be made until 1 December 2009 at the earliest. Council Tax Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial effect by income decile had council tax been frozen for the past two years. Lord Myners: No assessment has been made of the financial effect by income decile of freezing council tax for the past two years. To undertake an assessment of this would exceed the disproportionate cost threshold. Crime: Domestic Violence Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people (a) have applied for, and (b) been granted indefinite leave to remain, under the domestic violence rule in each of the past five years. Lord West of Spithead: In each of the past five years, indefinite leave to remain has been applied for and been granted under the domestic violence rule as follows: Year Total applied Total Granted 2004 605 225 2005 600 190 2006 1,020 305 2007 1,210 260 2008 1,500 500 Total 4,935 1,480 Crime: Domestic Violence Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how long the average application takes to complete for someone applying for indefinite leave to remain under the domestic violence rule. Lord West of Spithead: The average current completion time for an application made under the domestic violence rules (paragraph 298A of the rules) is 92 working days. The figure quoted is not provided under national statistics protocols and has been derived from local management information and is therefore provisional and subject to change. Cycling Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the penalty for cycling on pavements; when it was set; and what it would be if it had kept pace with the cost of living index and penalties for offences of similar gravity since its introduction. Lord Adonis: Cycling on the pavement, legally known as the "footway", is an offence under Section 72 of the Highways Act 1835 as amended by Section 85(1) of the Local Government Act 1888, and in Scotland under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. It is an offence in England and Wales punishable by a fine of level, 2 on the standard scale, currently a maximum fine of £500, if pursued through the courts. In 1999 a fixed penalty notice was introduced with the standard penalty for a non-endorsable offence. This was increased from £20 to £30 on 1 November 2000. The original penalty for the offence was a fine not exceeding 40 shillings. There is no accurate way in which to compare the value of money in 1835 and the present day. Most offences are punished in the magistrates' court with reference to the standard scale offences. When this is revalorised it applies equally to all offences affected. The penalty levels associated with all fixed penalty offences are kept under review by the Home Office chaired Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group. In reviewing the level of fixed penalties the group takes account of many different factors. Inflation is only one of these. Others include the importance of traffic control and road safety, the over-all fixed penalty structure and effect of any changes in government policy, the level of court imposed fines for the same offences, the impact on low income groups and the need to set penalties at levels which offenders will pay without contesting, but which will also act as a deterrent. To date the group has not considered that there is a sufficiently strong case to recommend to Ministers that there should an increase in the fixed penalty level. Education: Special Educational Needs Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government what statistics are kept centrally and in local education authorities regarding children with a statement of special education needs. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Time series information on pupils with a statement of special educational needs is available in the Statistical First Release Special Educational Needs in England: January 2009, published in June 2009 at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000852/index.shtml (table 1a). Further details were published at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/STA /t000851/index.shtml. Education: Special Educational Needs Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local education authorities have changed their special education needs (SEN) policies since 2006; and, if so, what the impact is on the recorded number of SEN statements since those policy changes. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: In 2004, the Department for Education and Skills published an SEN strategy, Removing Barriers to Achievement, which recommended greater delegation of SEN funding to schools so they could intervene earlier to meet children's SEN and set out a programme to improve mainstream schools' ability to provide for a wider range of children with SEN without the need for a statement. The Government made clear that implementation of the strategy would not lead to a reduction in children's entitlement to receive appropriate support and that local authorities' duty to draw up statements, where necessary, remained unchanged. The number of SEN statements peaked at around 258,000 in 2001 and has steadily decreased to 221,670 in 2009. Environment Noise Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they met the target for September 2007 set by the Environment Noise (England) Regulations 2006; and, if not, whether the target was met after September 2007 or not at all. Lord Davies of Oldham: The September 2007 target date for the formal identification of quiet areas in agglomerations was not met and there is no revised target date in the amended regulations. For the reasons set out below, the process has now been amended to allow more local participation and greater flexibility. In terms of timing, the consultation on the draft noise action plans for agglomerations, which include the proposed method for identifying quiet areas, has just been completed. Subject to the review of the consultation responses, it is anticipated that the action plans will be formally adopted in the early part of next year. After that, the local nomination and formal identification of quiet areas will be implemented as part of the whole action planning process. The environmental noise directive (END) requires the competent authorities of member states to draw up action plans for first round agglomerations (ie urban areas with more than 250,000 inhabitants). It also requires that these plans shall contain measures which aim to protect quiet areas within agglomerations against an increase in noise. The environmental noise regulations originally required the Secretary of State to identify quiet areas by 30 September 2007 for first round agglomerations, and by 30 September 2012 for second round agglomerations. In the consultation on the transposition of the END, Defra considered different criteria for identifying potential quiet areas, including relevant land use designations and acoustic thresholds. As the process developed, however, it became evident that the centralised and mechanistic approach envisaged by the regulations for identifying quiet areas would be rather inflexible and potentially difficult to implement effectively. In addition, it became increasingly clear that making the identification of quiet areas an integral part of the action planning process-rather than being independent of it-could be beneficial in ensuring that, from a local perspective, the appropriate areas are identified. This revised approach will enable local knowledge to be used to assist the competent authority, both in the identification of quiet areas and in ensuring that appropriate local policies are developed to protect such areas against an increase in noise. This more flexible approach will allow much greater local engagement than the process originally laid down in the regulations. Government Regional Offices: Staff Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people each regional government office employs; and how many people work on (a) education, (b) employment, and (c) skills issues. Lord McKenzie of Luton: The numbers of staff employed by government offices (GOs) are given in the table below. The organisation of staff within government offices reflects the integrated nature of policy and local challenges rather than conventional policy silos; how staff are deployed therefore varies by individual government office. The figures provided below are for children and learners groups in each government office that include staff working both on education-related priorities and the skills agenda for those under the age of 19. We cannot readily provide a breakdown of the numbers or proportion of staff time allocated to employment related issues given the way staff are deployed across government offices on the full range of activities with employment aspects. Government Office Overall Staff Numbers* Children and Learners Staff* GO North West 197 16 GO North East 192 18 GO Yorkshire and the Humber 181 22 GO West Midlands 203 18 GO East Midlands 151 13 GO South West 203 16 GO South East 200 29 GO East 176 26 GO London 199 23 GO Network 1702 181 *Figures given refer to staff in post Immigration: Detainees Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what personal responsibility the Minister of State for Borders and Immigration takes for detainees held for longer than 28 days; and whether he has visited those held for longer than six months or one year. Lord West of Spithead: The Minister of State for Borders and Immigration, on advice, personally considers whether detention should continue in those cases involving families with children detained for 28 days or longer. In all other cases, detention is reviewed on a regular basis at increasingly senior levels within the UK Border Agency. The Minister does not undertake visits to individual detainees. Immigration: Detainees Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many immigration detainees have been released in each of the past three years because their medical examinations showed a serious physical or mental health condition. Lord West of Spithead: We do not hold medical data centrally. The information could be provided only by examining individual records at disproportionate cost. Detainees are seen by a nurse within two hours of arrival for a medical screening examination. Any particular concerns are reported to the GP straight away. In any case, detainees are given an appointment to see a GP within 24 hours. Thereafter, detainees can access healthcare services on demand or following referral by a member of staff if there are particular concerns. Immigration: Detainees Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many convicted offenders are currently in immigration detention pending deportation; and in which centres they are held. Lord West of Spithead: As at 1 August 2009 there were approximately 1,800 foreign national offenders detained beyond completion of their sentence under immigration powers who the UK Border Agency was seeking to deport from the UK. Around 500 of those were held in UK prisons, with the remainder in immigration removal centres within the UK Border Agency detention estate. Immigration: Detainees Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, when a person is first held in immigration detention, the written reasons for detention are always provided in a language that the detained person understands. Lord West of Spithead: Every detained person is provided with written reasons for his/her detention at the point of initial detention. Reasons are provided in English but are explained to the detainee, using an interpreter where needed. Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 Baroness Cumberlege: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971 in order to allow independent nurse and pharmacist independent prescribers to access the whole of the British National Formulary, including all controlled drugs. Lord West of Spithead: The Government plan to amend the Misuse of Drugs Regulations 2001 (as amended) imminently in order to expand the range of controlled drugs that can be prescribed independently by nurse independent prescribers and to enable pharmacist independent prescribers independently to prescribe controlled drugs. National Heritage: Protection Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish a draft Heritage Protection Bill for pre-legislative scrutiny. Lord Davies of Oldham: The draft Heritage Protection Bill was published in April 2008. The Bill was subject to pre-legislative scrutiny by the Culture, Media and Sport (CMS) Select Committee, which published its report on 30 July 2008. This report is available on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/reference_library/publications/5075.aspx. The Government published their response to the committee's findings in October 2008. This is also available on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's website at http://www.culture.gov.uk/images/publications/gov_responseCm7472.pdf. Pensions Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 6 November (WA 97-8), what is the cost to the taxpayer of not applying deflation to benefits and pensions in 2010-11; and whether if deflation continues they will review relevant legislation that does not permit such reductions. Lord McKenzie of Luton: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 6 November 2009 (WA 97) to Parliamentary Question HL 5803 and my noble friend Lord Patel of Bradford's Answer of 3 March 2009 (WA 141) to Parliamentary Questions HL918 and HL1108. Pensions Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether rate increases will be applied to public sector pensions in 2010-11; what is the estimated cost of public sector pension schemes not taking account of deflation of 1.4 per cent in the September retail prices index; and whether any public sector pension scheme's rate changes are governed by the September retail prices index figure. Lord McKenzie of Luton: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 6 November 2009 (WA 97) to Parliamentary Question HL 5803 and my noble friend Lord Patel of Bradford's Answer of 3 March 2009 (WA 141) to Parliamentary Questions HL918 and HL1108. Planning Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government how long Lord McKenzie of Luton had been in post when he determined the planning applications for the Hartland distribution depot at Pyestock in Farnborough, Hampshire; whether he visited the site prior to determination of the application; and why many elements of the documentation provided under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 to the campaign group SPLAT (Stop Pyestock b Lot Act Today) have been redacted. Lord McKenzie of Luton: I had been in post for 11 weeks and five days as Parliamentary Under-Secretary in Communities and Local Government when the decision on the Hartland distribution depot at Pyestock in Farnborough, Hampshire was issued. In accordance with normal practice, I did not visit the site. The letter sent by CLG officials on 19 October 2009 in response to requests for information under the Environmental Impact Regulations 2004 explained the reasons for redacting certain elements of the information. This reply has subsequently been subject to an internal review, which upheld those reasons, and has now been referred to the Information Commissioner for independent review. Rural Areas: Economy Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support and promote existing economic development in rural areas throughout the United Kingdom. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government's policies support economic development at regional, sub-regional and local levels: this includes all rural areas. However, the Government carries out specific research into the effects of the economic downturn in rural areas, and all rural economic factors are considered when new policies undergo policy appraisal. Rural Areas: Employment Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to develop additional employment opportunities in rural areas throughout the United Kingdom. Lord Davies of Oldham: Our employment policies and programmes primarily target support at individuals, to help them overcome the personal constraints they face in obtaining work. This commitment is not dependent on where the individual resides-it is our aim to support each individual out of work, no matter where they live. Job Centre Plus has offices across the country, including in rural areas, which ensure that customers can access its services. Taxation: Holiday Accommodation Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, if the tax regime applicable to furnished holiday accommodation is repealed, those who offer such accommodation on their property can use the room rental allowances as per those who run a bed-and-breakfast business in their own homes. Lord Myners: Rent-a-room relief is available to all individuals who have income from providing furnished residential accommodation in their only or main home. Furnished holiday accommodation will not normally be an individual's normal or main home, but where it is the individual may claim rent-a-room relief.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2009-11-30a

Department for Transport Highway Code Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what analysis, if any, they have undertaken in the last five years on the number of people who read the Highway Code; and how many rules are contained in the most recent version of the Code. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport has not conducted any dedicated analysis in the last 5 years on the number of people who read the Highway Code.Other organisations publish the Highway Code under The National Archives’ open Government Licence. Each year 2.1 million people study and are tested on driving theory, which requires a thorough knowledge of the Highway Code, Know Your Traffic Signs and Driving – The Essential Skills. There are many resources to educate learners from a range of providers, but a survey by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency in 2019 found that 84% of the 16-24 years olds asked said they had read the Highway Code as part of their study.Sales of official publications of the Highway Code as a book, app or download record 1,313,438 copy sales and downloads in the past 5 years, each of which might be read, passed on or lent out in the case of library copies a number of times.In the same period 3,673,515 driving theory product sales and downloads were recorded, educating people in the Highway Code and the other official sources. Analytics for the Highway Code on gov.uk show 18,189,854 page views for this period.There are currently 307 rules contained within the Highway Code. Motorways: Safety Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans, if any, they have to inform drivers who have stopped in the emergency area of a motorway of the requirement to use the emergency phones to ask permission to re-join the carriageway; and what penalties, if any, may be applied to drivers who fail to notify the appropriate body of their intention to re-join the motorway. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: When a driver stops in an emergency area on an All Lane Running (ALR) motorway, Highways England provide an emergency roadside telephone and information on seeking assistance. This information is provided on a sign located next to the emergency telephone in every emergency area on the ALR sections of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). The updated Highway Code due to be published later this year will include reference to this sign for the first time (Rule 278).There is no specific statutory offence linked to the content of the sign, that is, it is not mandatory for drivers to phone Highways England and ask permission before re-joining the main carriageway.When re-joining the motorway from an emergency area, it is a driver’s responsibility to do in an appropriate manner, when safe to do so. However, Highways England operators can provide advice and practical support to drivers in re-joining the main carriageway, including monitoring CCTV, setting a red X lane closure and if necessary, dispatching Traffic Officers to assist on scene. Emergency Services: Sirens Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure the emergency services comply with the provisions of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 which require them to use vehicle sirens only when it is necessary and desirable to do so, and that they should therefore refrain from sounding sirens late at night when streets are empty of traffic. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The conditions under which sirens may be used are governed by Regulation 99 of the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) Regulations 1986 (C & U). Emergency service vehicles are permitted to use a siren to indicate to other road users the urgency of the purposes for which the vehicle is being used, or to warn other road users of the presence of the vehicle on the road.Subject to the regulations and any form of guidance, drivers are expected to use their professional judgement to decide when and where the use of sirens is appropriate.The use of sirens and other attributes fitted to road vehicles used by the emergency services is a matter for the chief officers of those services in conjunction with the chief officer of police for that area. There are no current plans to intervene. Department for Transport: Electric Vehicles Lord Birt: To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of vehicles owned or hired by the government to transport (1) ministers, and (2) senior civil servants, on official business are fully electric. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government Car Service (GCS) provides a departmental pool car service to most Government Departments. Cars are provided as a shared resource for Ministers and senior officials, which is managed by individual departments. The departmental pool car fleet currently consists of 96 vehicles. 28 of those vehicles are fully electric (29%) and 26 are hybrid electric (27%). Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Equal Pay and Recruitment: Ethnic Groups Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the survey research by the Trade Unions Congress, published on 19 March,which found that one in three black and minority ethnic workers say they have been unfairly turned down for a job; and what plans they have to introduce mandatory ethnicity pay gap reporting. Lord Callanan: The Government is aware of the TUC research which found that a third (33%) of ethnic minority workers say they have been unfairly turned down for a job compared to one in 5 (19%) of white workers. The Government is clear that no one should be discriminated against because of their ethnicity and the Equality Act 2010 makes such discrimination unlawful. The Government is committed to building a fairer Britain and ensuring that equality and opportunity is available for all. That is why my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister established the independent Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities which published its independent report on March 31st. The report includes a specific recommendation in relation to ethnicity pay reporting. We welcome the opportunity to consider the Commission’s findings in relation to this issue, and are looking at them in light of the work that has already taken place within government, including the consultation on ethnicity pay reporting. We will be publishing our response to the Commission’s report later this summer. National Security and Investment Act 2021 Baroness Merron: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the final communications sectoral definition under the National Security and Investment Act 2021 will be published. Lord Callanan: The Government will publish the draft notifiable acquisition regulations as part of the ​implementation of the National Security and Investment Act 2021 in due course. This will include descriptions of the proposed ​acquisitions in the communications sector which must be notified to my Rt. Hon. Friend the Secretary of State. Department of Health and Social Care Males: Health Services Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Bethell on 28 April (HL15156), what assessment they have made of their compliance with the Public Sector Equality Duty, particularly section 149 (1b) of the Equality Act 2010. Lord Bethell: As required by the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties and Public Authorities) Regulations 2017, the Department’s Annual Report for 2020 provides an overview on how it complied with the Public Sector Equality Duty between April 2020 and March 2021. Our compliance in relation to section 149 (1b) of the Equality Act 2010 included actions to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake among some ethnic minorities; provision of transparent personal protective equipment to support people who are deaf and people with hearing loss; publishing the National Suicide Prevention Strategy progress report with a commitment to address the lack of LGBT+ self-harm and suicide data; and establishing the Maternity Inequalities Oversight Forum to address the inequalities for women and babies from different ethnic backgrounds and socio-economic groups. Doctors: Vacancies Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to address the shortage of doctors in the NHS. Lord Bethell: In England, to further increase the supply of doctors we have increased the number of medical school places by 1,500 and opened five medical schools. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and the first of these doctors will enter the workforce from 2023. We are also taking action to increase the retention of doctors. The Enhancing Junior Doctors’ Working Lives programme, led by Health Education England, is delivering a range of initiatives to improve the quality of life of doctors in training. Travel: Coronavirus Lord Willoughby de Broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the five million UK residents who have received the COVID-19 vaccine manufactured in India will be allowed to travel to the EU for business or leisure purposes. Lord Bethell: The Government continues to engage with the European Union on certification to ensure that travel between the United Kingdom and the EU is supported by a common approach.The Serum Institute of India (SII) manufactures Vaxzevria and Covishield and both branded vaccines are the same as the University of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine. All SII-made doses approved by the UK regulator, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and administered in the UK were branded as the ’COVID-19 vaccine AstraZeneca’ which is now known commercially as ‘Vaxzeria’. The MHRA has not approved doses branded as ‘Covishield’ and none have been administered in the UK. All AstraZeneca vaccines given in the UK are the same product and appear on the NHS COVID Pass as Vaxzevria. The European Medicines Agency has authorised Vaxzevria vaccine and it is therefore recognised by the EU. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Buildings: Insulation The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Greenhalgh on 28 June (HL1204, HL1205), what assessment they have made of reports that leaseholders, despite having an EWS1 form certifyingthat their building's external wall system has been assessed for safety by a suitable expert, are unable to sell their leases on account of lenders refusing to offer mortgages. Lord Greenhalgh: The Department frequently engages with the industry and will continue to challenge them on the use of the EWS1 process, as well as pressing for more data so that we can get a sense of how the RICS guidance is being applied, and the impact of the process on mortgage applications.We will continue to work with lenders to enable them to understand and accept other forms of assurance such as a comprehensive fire risk assessment which includes the external walls or post 2018 building control sign off for high rise blocks. Renewable Energy: Waste Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to require local authorities in England to take into account (1) the use of carbon capture, utilisation and storage technologies, or (2) the potential for future installation of such technology, when considering whether to grant permission for new energy from waste plants. Lord Greenhalgh: The National Planning Policy Framework is clear that the planning system should support the transition to a low carbon future, including by supporting renewable and low carbon energy and associated infrastructure. Local Planning Authorities should consider this when considering whether to grant permission for new energy for waste plants.In addition to requiring planning permission to build a new energy from waste plant, an environmental permit may be required to operate it. The Environment Agency are the permitting authority in England. Environmental permits contain conditions to protect the environment and human health. Energy from waste permits can set controls a range of factors, for example, by including emissions limits. Carbon capture and utilisation and storage technologies could play a role in this. Department for International Trade Trade Barriers: China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to impose (1) import, and (2) export, controls on firms linked to (a) China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy, and (b) the surveillance and abuse of Uyghurs in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region. Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: HM Government does not at present have any plans to place import controls on goods from China. With regards to China’s Military-Civil Fusion Strategy, under our existing export controls regime exporters of specified dual-use items require a licence to export or transfer from the UK. All licence applications are assessed against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria which require us to consider the impact of the proposed export on national security, international peace and security, and human rights. In January, the Foreign Secretary announced a series of measures to help make sure British businesses and the public sector are not complicit in the violation of rights and responsibilities in Xinjiang, including a review of export controls. This review is ongoing and we will report its outcome to Parliament in due course. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Telecommunications Cables: Seas and Oceans Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how many repairs to subsea cables have needed to be undertaken, and (2) what was the average time taken to complete such repairs, in each of the last five years. Baroness Barran: The government takes the security and resilience of cables very seriously and we focus on the full range of threats and risks, including supply chain and repair arrangements. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is the lead department for the energy sector, including subsea energy cables. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead department for telecommunications policy, including the security and resilience of telecommunications subsea cables.Subsea cables are privately owned and operated. Operators have arrangements in place to ensure a prompt response to damage or disruption. These arrangements draw upon national and international cable laying and repair companies. The departments work closely with the operators, regulators and others to assess risks and ensure that the appropriate mitigation measures, including the provision of specialist capabilities (such as installation and repair), are in place to enable an effective response to actual or potentially disruptive incidents. We keep these capabilities and the regulatory framework under review and engage with industry as part of this.Information on cable repairs is not held but departments regularly engage with industry to keep informed.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2021-07-16

Foreign and Commonwealth Office North Korea: Overseas Companies Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Mr Hugo Swire, on 25 February (HC27825), whether UK companies that operate in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea must demonstrate that the funds used do not contribute to that country’s nuclear and ballistic missile programme or its human rights violations; and whether the UK Government must investigate the final destinations of UK company funds in that country. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: UK companies have a legal obligation to comply with UN and EU sanctions measures, including those on the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Treasury is responsible for the implementation and administration of international financial sanctions in effect in the UK, and works with law enforcement agencies to enforce these measures. North Korea: Sanctions Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Anelay of St Johns on 24 February (HL6091) and paragraph 13 of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2270, whether they are considering the expulsion of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s diplomatic personnel in London in respect of their submission of vessel registration changes to the International Maritime Organisation in 2014. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We are not considering the expulsion of Democratic People’s Republic of Korea diplomats in respect of their submission of vessel registration changes to the International Maritime Organisation in 2014. North Korea: Human Rights Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Earl of Courtown on 22 February (HL5963), and with regard to Freedom of Information Act 2000 Request 0986-15, why there is a discrepancy between the Minister’s quoted figure of £270,046.61 being spent on projects in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea with a human rights focus and a quoted figure in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Freedom of Information response of £9,499 being spent; and what differentiates the FCO projects with a human rights "rationale" and a human rights "element". Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The figure of £270,046.61 relates to projects which are not exclusively focused on promoting human rights, but which significantly contribute to our human rights objectives in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. These include humanitarian projects aimed at improving the lives of the most vulnerable people in North Korean society, and English language projects which make North Korean participants aware of other ideas and cultures. The figure of £9,499 relates to projects solely focused on promoting human rights. Females: Human Rights Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, if any, discussions they have had regarding breast ironing; and with whom. Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of their projects in Cameroon, Nigeria or South Africa protect young girls from breast ironing. Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support countries in combating breast ironing. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is concerned about the harmful practice of breast ironing in some Commonwealth and other African countries. Whilst there is little data on the number of girls suffering from this abuse, we have, for example, worked with the government and religious leaders in Cameroon on campaigns to raise awareness and to support community-led efforts to end breast ironing.The Government condemns violence against women and girls in all its forms and places gender equality at the heart of our bilateral development programming. In Nigeria we are investing over £40 million to change harmful social norms towards women and girls, and to protect women and girls against violence. I raised these issues with the Government of Nigeria during my visit to the country in February. Baroness Verma, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary at the Department for International Development (DfID), discussed gender-based violence in South Africa in October 2015, including DfID’s support to the re-establishment of South Africa’s Sexual Offences Courts and its work with the African Prosecutor’s Association on research into preventing violence against women.The manifestations of violence against women and girls may change but it is critical to address the structural causes of violence, including harmful beliefs and attitudes. We shall continue to work through diplomatic and development channels to engage with governments and local communities in Africa and beyond, to support the rights of women and girls, including ending harmful practices which constitute violence. Palestinians: Human Rights Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Palestinian Authority regarding reported Palestinian General Intelligence Service raids on female students’ houses in Hebron at night. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Officials from our Consulate-General raised this issue with the Palestinian Authority on 23 March. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the closure of the Palestine Today news television channel in the West Bank and the arrest of three journalists. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. However we are aware of reports of closure of the Palestine Today television channel and are investigating the background. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the continued ban on Gaza Strip exports to the West Bank, Israel and abroad. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: While there is not a ban on Gazan exports to the West Bank, Israel and abroad, Israeli restrictions on Gazan exports of many goods remain. The UN has reported that there was a sharp increase in exports and transfers from Gaza during 2015. According to the UN, in January 2016, 288 truckloads of goods were permitted to leave Gaza for the West Bank, Israel and international markets. This is the largest figure in a single month since the imposition of movement and access restrictions in 2007. We welcome the steps that Israel has taken to ease some restrictions. However, we want to see Israel go much further. We have frequent discussions with the Government of Israel about the need to ease restrictions on Gaza. We continue to press for an end to movement and access restrictions in and out of Gaza, and for urgent measures to relieve the humanitarian suffering of those in Gaza. Iraq: Politics and Government The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of progress towards political reconciliation and community cohesion in Iraq. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We welcome the commitments that Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has made to reaching out to all of Iraq’s communities and delivering the reforms needed to progress reconciliation in Iraq.Although Prime Minister Abadi has taken a number of important steps in this regard, including appointing the most inclusive government that Iraq has seen for a decade and advancing decentralisation, the reconciliation process remains in the early stages, with progress slow.Key elements of the reconciliation agenda – including legislation aimed at addressing the grievances of Iraq’s communities - remain at various stages of deliberation in Parliament.During his recent visit to Iraq the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed the importance of genuine reform and meaningful reconciliation with Prime Minister Abadi and emphasised the importance of progress. We continue to support Prime Minister Abadi in his efforts to build a better future for all of Iraqis. Iraq: Politics and Government The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist the government of Iraq in its efforts to encourage post-conflict reconciliation and reconstruction in areas now liberated from Daesh in Iraq. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: With our partners in the Global Coalition and the wider international community, the UK is supporting the Government of Iraq’s recovery efforts in areas liberated from Daesh.In the last year UN Development Programme (UNDP) report that these efforts have contributed to the return of 170,000 people to Tikrit, 49,000 people to Al Dour and 15,000 people to Mkeishifa.Specific UK support includes providing: £2.5 million for UNDP’s Funding Facility for Immediate Stabilisation, which supports community reconciliation and the rehabilitation of infrastructure in newly liberated areas of stabilisation; a stabilisation advisor for UNDP; a Communications Advisor to support the Governor of Anbar; and £225,000 to UN Mine Action Service to establish a coordination unit to assess the scope of explosive threats. During his recent visit to Iraq, the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), discussed with Prime Minister Abadi the importance of reconciliation and rebuilding the lives of all Iraqis. Iraq: Religious Freedom The Lord Bishop of Coventry: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of freedom of religion or belief in Iraq and in Iraqi Kurdistan. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion and belief in Iraq and condemns strongly all persecution on the grounds of faith or creed.The situation for religious communities including Muslims, Christians, Yazidis and others in Iraq remains deeply concerning. Daesh has committed atrocities against religious groups and persecuted individuals and communities on the basis of their religion or beliefs.Freedom of religion and belief is protected in the Iraqi constitution and we welcome the commitments made by the Government of Iraq to protect all Iraqis and address human rights abuses and violations.We continue to engage with religious leaders both in the UK and in Iraq to discuss the situation of religious communities. We also encourage influential religious leaders in Iraq to speak out publicly and condemn sectarian violence. We are working to build consensus around the importance of freedom of religion and belief, as well as its promotion and protection. This includes funding a project to prevent intolerance and violence towards religious communities by inspiring key leaders in Iraqi society to publicly defend and support the right of all Iraqis to freedom of religion and belief. South Sudan: Conflict Resolution Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in deciding to use the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund exclusively to support national institutions in South Sudan, what assessment they made of the potential effect on supporting community-level peacebuilding and fostering a dialogue likely to prevent conflicts between communities. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Across the Sudan and South Sudan Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we have decided to maintain the same level of funding for community-level peacebuilding programmes in FY16-17.We have not taken a decision to use the CSSF in South Sudan exclusively in support of national institutions. We will continue to support community level peace building in Eastern Equatorial and Lakes states in financial year 2016-17, and have begun exploring with partners the possibility of expanding existing community level projects in Sudan across the border in order to increase coordination and value for money. South Sudan: Conflict Resolution Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering ending Conflict, Stability and Security Fund support for community-level peacebuilding in South Sudan more gradually in order to provide time for organisations which are currently receiving funding to secure alternative sources of support. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Across the Sudan and South Sudan Conflict, Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), we have decided to maintain the same level of funding for community-level peacebuilding programmes in FY16-17.We are not ending CSSF support for community-level peace building in South Sudan. All projects have clearly defined end dates and implementers are aware that there is no guarantee of further funding beyond that date. Sustainability beyond that point is something that implementers are required to analyse as part of their original project plan. Commonwealth Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the definition of the term "Commonwealth values" when used by that organisation. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We believe that Commonwealth values are those set out clearly in the Commonwealth Charter which was adopted by Heads of Government on 14 December 2012. These include democracy, human rights, international peace and security, through to gender equality and the role of civil society. We will continue to work with the Commonwealth Secretariat to ensure that commitments in the Charter are upheld, adhered to and kept under review by member governments, parliaments and civil society organisations. Hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018 will give us the opportunity to build on the excellent progress made in Malta and reinforce the need for all members to observe the values outlined in the Charter. Commonwealth: Exports Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Commonwealth countries as trading partners for British exporters. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: Shared systems and language mean the cost of trade between Commonwealth countries is estimated at 19 per cent lower than with non-Commonwealth countries. Increasing trade across the Commonwealth is a UK priority. The UK is committed to helping the Commonwealth unlock its vast potential in the area of trade and will use the opportunity of hosting the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in 2018 to do so. Turkey: British Nationals Abroad Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of which areas of Turkey are safe for British travellers. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The areas of Turkey to which we advise against travel are clearly set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)’s travel advice. The FCO advise against all travel to within 10 km of the border with Syria and to the city of Diyarbakir. The FCO advise against all but essential travel to the remaining areas of Sirnak, Mardin, Sanliurfa, Gaziantep, Diyarbakir, Kilis and Hatay provinces; and to Siirt, Tunceli and Hakkari. European Union: Treaties Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the UK can withdraw from EU treaties under the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, with 12 months notice or otherwise. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Prime Minister, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), made clear to the House of Commons that “if the British people vote to leave, there is only one way to bring that about, namely to trigger Article 50 of the Treaties and begin the process of exit". The rules for exit are set out in Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union. This is the only lawful route available to withdraw from the EU. Nepal: Politics and Government The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any economic benefits arising from the recent constitutional changes and the establishment of a new government in Kathmandu; and how they will support new business initiatives to stimulate the economy. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The amendments to the Constitution are a step towards resolving differences. We see a lasting political settlement as an important basis for future political stability and faster economic growth in Nepal.Promoting economic development and stimulating economic growth is a pillar of the Department for International Development's Nepal programme. Nepal: Politics and Government The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to good governance and effective parliamentary democracy in Nepal, and whether their development projects will encourage fairness and equality under the new constitution. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK is committed to help Nepal build the capacity, responsiveness and accountability of state institutions. Strengthening governance and promoting the inclusion and fair treatment of all ethnic groups are central to our programmes in Nepal. Iraq: Islamic State The Lord Bishop of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support efforts to demine areas liberated from Daesh in Iraq. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government of Iraq is committed to stabilising areas which have been liberated from Daesh. This includes providing security, including through demining efforts, to enable civilians to return. The UK, along with our partners in the Global Coalition, is supporting the Government of Iraq to do this. This includes providing £2.5 million to the UN Development Programme’s stabilisation fund for Iraq, and £225,000 to the UN Mine Action Service to establish a unit to assess the problem and coordinate donor support. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the demolition of the new school in Abu Nuwar (east of Jerusalem) which had been designed to increase the capacity of the existing school and kindergarten. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have not raised this particular demolition with the Israeli authorities. However our position is clear; demolitions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians and are (in all but the most exceptional of cases) contrary to international humanitarian law. We regularly raise the issue of demolitions with our Israeli counterparts. Israel: Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about the appropriation of 234 hectares of Palestinian land near Jericho by Israel on 10 March. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued a press statement on 16 March condemning the Israeli government's decision to take over 585 acres of land in the West Bank as ‘state land’. Israel: Army Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about allegations that excessive force by the Israeli army has not resulted in investigations in the majority of cases. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We have repeatedly expressed our concerns about the appropriate use of force by the Israel Defence Forces, as well as the need for Israel to implement the recommendations of the Turkel Commission on improving how the Israeli authorities investigate alleged violations of international humanitarian law. *No heading* The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq about Iraq becoming a signatory to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The UK coordinates with other EU member states to promote the universality of the Rome Statute. We offer support to any State that is in the process of ratifying the Rome Statute or needs assistance in adopting the national legislation needed to enact the full implementation of the statute.Whether Iraq chooses to accede to the Rome Statute is a matter for the Government of Iraq. *No heading* The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to record the atrocities that have been committed by Daesh in Iraq so that, in due course, offenders may be brought to justice. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: This Government wants to see accountability for Daesh abuses, and has supported efforts to document them. The UK co-sponsored the UN Human Rights Council Resolution in September 2014 mandating the investigation of Daesh abuses.In Iraq, we are funding training for human rights defenders to improve victim support and case documentation of sexual violence committed by Daesh. It is hoped that this evidence will be able to be used in the future to hold the perpetrators to account. *No heading* The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports of the use of chemical weapons by Daesh in Iraq. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: There are credible reports that Daesh has used chemical weapons in Iraq. The Government of Iraq, with support from the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), investigated allegations of chemical weapons use in Iraq last year and has concluded that sulphur mustard was used against Peshmerga fighters on 11 August 2015.Allegations that Daesh attacked the village of Taza on 8 March 2016, possibly with sulphur mustard, are being investigated by the Government of Iraq, along with two other recent allegations of Daesh use of chemical weapons. Such behaviour would be consistent with Daesh’s record of complete disregard for human rights and international norms and values. We welcome the OPCW Director General’s press statement of 23 March offering assistance to the Government of Iraq.We continue to monitor all allegations of chemical weapon use very closely, and condemn all such attacks by anyone, anywhere. *No heading* The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to establishing new consular premises in Iraqi Kurdistan. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: The Government is committed to delivering a permanent, fit-for-purpose Consulate General platform in Erbil at the earliest opportunity.Significant changes to the security situation in Iraq have necessitated that we review our requirements and plans for the Consulate General platform in order to ensure that we are able to meet our political, security, prosperity and humanitarian objectives, both now and in the future. We continue to offer an uninterrupted service from our current Consulate General platform and continue to explore options for the acquisition of appropriate office accommodation for the future. *No heading* The Lord Bishop of Leeds: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Iraq on resolving the budget impasse with the Kurdish Regional Government. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: We regularly raise the importance of securing a new budget agreement between Baghdad and Erbil with senior representatives of the Government of Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG).During his visit to Iraq in March the Foreign Secretary, my Rt Hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), raised the issue with both Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, and President of the Kurdistan Region, Masoud Barzani.The Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Hon. Friend the Member for Bournemouth East (Mr Ellwood), underlined the importance of a new agreement with Iraqi Foreign Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari and KRG Deputy Prime Minister Qubad Talabani in Iraq in December 2015.Officials at our Embassy in Baghdad and our Consulate General in Erbil continue to highlight the benefits of a united Iraq and the benefits to both sides of agreeing a new oil sharing and budget arrangement. *No heading* Lord Cashman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that the Government is represented by a Minister at the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference that will take place in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As I set out to the House of Lords on the 21 March, the composition of the UK’s delegation at the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Intersex (LGBTI) Human Rights Conference in July is not yet finalised. It is expected to include selected officials with experience of working on LGBTI human rights issues, including from the Department for International Development and the UK’s mission to the UN in Geneva. The Chargé d’Affaires at our Embassy in Montevideo will also attend. We will continue to keep the level of proposed attendance at the conference under review, but at the moment it seems unlikely that a Minister will be able to attend. With the exception of the co-hosts, the Governments of the Netherlands and Uruguay, we judge that it remains likely that countries will be represented at official level. *No heading* Lord Cashman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support the key objectives of the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference that will take place in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July, which include the protection and promotion of LGBTI rights around the world. Lord Cashman: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to support better co-ordination of financial and political support amongst governments and multilateral organisations in the advancement of the human rights of LGBTI people at the Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference that will take place in Uruguay from 13 to 15 July. Baroness Anelay of St Johns: As I set out to the House of Lords on the 21 March, the UK will send a delegation to the Global Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and/or Intersex (LGBTI) Human Rights Conference taking place in Montevideo in July. We are committed to working with those countries that will be represented at the conference, and others, to combat discrimination and violence against LGBTI people. This forms an important part of our wider international human rights work.We continue to work through our Embassies and High Commissions and through international organisations, including the UN, EU, the Council of Europe and the Commonwealth, to promote general tolerance and non-discrimination toward LGBTI people and to address discriminatory laws, in particular those that criminalise homosexuality. The Global LGBTI Human Rights Conference will provide an opportunity to share information, best practice and lessons learned with partners and to discuss how to better coordinate international efforts and resources to support the promotion and protection of the rights of LGBTI people worldwide. Department for International Development *No heading* Lord St John of Bletso: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, in conjunction with the UN, to assist in rebuilding infrastructure in South Sudan. Baroness Verma: South Sudan is in the midst of a protracted humanitarian crisis affecting millions, and the UK is prioritising support which saves lives and protects the most vulnerable. The UK works with the UN and others on small infrastructure projects that support humanitarian efforts, such as the building/maintenance of roads, airstrips and camps; and projects that are driven by local communities, such as building of water points, dykes, bridges and schools. Peace and security, including the overdue formation of the transitional government of national unity, are essential for progress on the development of South Sudan. The UK is playing an active role in encouraging the full implementation of the peace agreement, and continues to call for the immediate return of Opposition leader Riek Machar to Juba in order to facilitate this. Department for Education University Technical Colleges Baroness Morgan of Huyton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which university technical colleges are operating in the 2015–16 academic year; and how many students in years 10, 11, 12, and 13 were (1) enrolled in each institution at the date of the October 2015 census, and (2) included in the budget forecast return submitted by each college to the EFA in June 2015. Lord Nash: There are 39 University Technical Colleges (UTCs) open in this academic year, 2015/16.The Department for Education does not hold the information requested as budget forecast returns submitted to the Education Funding Agency do not include student numbers on roll. However, each October, the Department publishes the number of pre-16 pupils funded in UTCs which were open as of the start of that financial year. This data is attached and can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/466234/Annex_A_-_Schools_block_Allocations_data_file_2015-16.xlsxData for UTCs which opened after the start of the 2015-16 financial year is due to be published in October 2016.The number of post-16 pupils funded in each UTC for the academic year 2015/16 is attached and also available on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468295/YP_FASS_Published_Allocation_Dataset_2015_to_2016-1.xlsx Pre-16_pupils_funded_in_UTCs (Excel SpreadSheet, 3.83 MB) Post-16_pupils_funded_in_UTCs (Excel SpreadSheet, 516.31 KB) Vocational Education Baroness Morgan of Huyton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new technical curricula will be launched; and how the information on any new qualifications will be disseminated to schools and colleges planning for September 2016. Lord Nash: In 2012 the government introduced reforms that ensure that only high quality technical qualifications, that meet rigorous criteria, will be reported in performance tables. The government introduced Technical Awards for 14-16 year olds, and Tech Levels, Applied General Qualifications and Technical Certificates for 16-19 year olds. All qualifications offer progression to further study or a direct route to employment.Schools and colleges have already been made aware of the technical qualifications that have been approved for teaching from September 2016 for reporting in the 2018 performance tables. The lists of approved qualifications for 14-16 and 16-19 year olds are available on GOV.UK.The Department for Education will update these published lists in due course and schools and colleges will be informed through communications on the department’s website and social media as well as their member organisations and other routes.We are also planning further reforms to technical education to raise standards. These reforms, which will be driven by employers, will simplify the 16+ skills system by providing clear progression routes into employment. They will ensure that young people gain the skills and knowledge demanded by employers and universities. An independent panel, chaired by Lord Sainsbury, is developing proposals in this area and will report to government in due course. Ministry of Justice Genocide Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply of Earl Howe on 15 March (HL Deb, col 1736) that in the UK a declaration of genocide is "a matter for the judicial system", what they consider to be a prerequisite for such a declaration to be made by British judicial authorities; who is responsible for instigating this; and what is their response to the recent declarations of genocide against Daesh made by the European Parliament and the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Lord Faulks: The judiciary in England and Wales does not make general declarations on genocide. It is a long-standing Government policy that any judgements on whether genocide has occurred should be a matter for the international judicial system. Ultimately, the best way of preventing future atrocities is to defeat Daesh and its violent ideology. The UK is playing a leading role in a Global Coalition of 66 countries and international organisations to respond to Daesh's inhumanity. Ministry of Defence Armed Forces: Interpreters Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff in each of the armed services work at the level of interpreter in each language. Earl Howe: The Armed Services recognise 48 languages for which they declare a capability. The Joint Arms Control Implementation Group is the only unit which employs personnel in the direct role of interpreter. Across the Armed Services a total of 697 personnel are recorded as holding a level of language qualification and currency that is functional or above. These are broken down as follows: ArmyRAFRoyal MarinesRoyal NavyTotalFunctional160561731264Professional191521741301Expert8527515132Total4361353987697 The number of languages that Ministry of Defence (MOD) employees could conceivably need to converse in is extremely broad. The MOD employs professional interpreters for more niche languages and has robust strategies in place to ensure the quality of contractors’ interpretation skills. Armed Forces: Languages Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure there are sufficient linguistic skills in languages such as Russian and Mandarin across the armed forces. Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) regularly reviews its requirements for linguists to ensure that all operational demands for linguists are met in full, and trains its personnel accordingly. For languages with little or no immediate operational requirement, the MOD ensures that there is a baseline of linguists that can be called on for contingency tasks and Defence Engagement.Long and short-term language priorities are agreed at a strategic level and provide the basis for the statement of training requirement against which defence language training is delivered. Armed Forces: Languages Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to respond rapidly to new requirements for linguistic skills across the armed forces. Earl Howe: The Defence Centre for Language and Culture (DCLC) has an extremely agile training delivery model, comprising a core of military and specialist civilian lecturers supported by a commercial training contract supplying contracted tutors. The DCLC covers a number of languages. This enables the Ministry of Defence to respond rapidly to new requirements, at scale, and at short notice. A dedicated Contingency Wing has been established specifically to respond to and manage this type of short notice demand, particularly in operationally focused languages. Plans are regularly reviewed to ensure that we have already considered broad options for the delivery of new requirements. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Thames Tideway Tunnel Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication of the Departmental Minute by the Department of Energy and Climate Change on 21 October 2015 Notification that the Secretary of State may approve the entering into of contracts regarding the Hinkley Point C Power Station that could give rise to liabilities, whether the Department for the Environment and Rural Affairs published a similar Minute in respect of its liabilities in connection with the Thames Tideway Tunnel. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Defra did not submit a Departmental Minute on the Government’s contingent financial support package for the Thames Tideway Tunnel because the Secretary of State has statutory authority to give financial assistance for major water or sewerage infrastructure projects under section 154B of the Water Industry Act 1991. This is consistent with the approach set out in HM Treasury’s guidance, Managing Public Money. Origin Marking: Israel Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publicise the EU interpretation notice on the labelling of goods derived from Israeli settlements in occupied territories, including on their websites. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government is examining the Interpretative Notice alongside existing technical advice to UK retailers and importers. No changes have been made to the UK guidance at present, but this matter remains under review. Heathrow Airport Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisation is responsible for collecting air pollution data generated by monitoring in and around Heathrow airport. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Air quality monitoring data collected in and around Heathrow Airport is presented on the Heathrow AirWatch website which is funded via a joint working partnership consisting of Heathrow Airport Ltd, London Boroughs of Hillingdon and Hounslow, Slough and Spelthorne Borough Councils and British Airways. It is managed by the consultant Ricardo Energy and Environment. Two local monitoring sites are included in the Government’s national monitoring network (the Automatic Urban and Rural Network). All national air quality monitoring data is available on the Government’s UK-Air website. The two monitoring sites are London Hillingdon which is located in a suburban residential area approximately 30 metres from the M4 motorway and London Harlington which is located close to a minor road to the east of Harlington village. *No heading* Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the UK contributes towards the subsidisation of sugar production. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Sugar production is not directly subsidised in the UK. However, sugar beet growers in the UK are entitled to make a claim for support under the Basic Payment Scheme of the Common Agricultural Policy. *No heading* Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the levels of pollution in (1) drinking water, (2) river water, and (3) coastal waters, caused by chemicals used in medications which are resistant to present purification techniques Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) published research in 2012 to assess the levels of pollution caused by a range of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs found in source waters, such as rivers, abstracted for drinking water and the comparative levels after water treatment. Over a year, substances were measured at four sites. Results agreed with similar studies and concentrations in English surface waters are generally low and below 1 microgramme per litre (1 μg/L). Levels of pharmaceuticals and drugs in drinking waters after treatment were generally significantly lower than those found in surface waters. This indicates that the drinking water treatment systems used in England and Wales are effective at removing these contaminants. The study concluded that the presence of low levels of pharmaceuticals and illicit drugs in drinking waters in England and Wales do not pose an appreciable risk to human health. There is evidence that widely used pharmaceuticals are detected at low concentrations in sewage effluent and receiving surface waters. Due to a lack of good quality toxicity data for many of these substances to assess reliably risks to aquatic wildlife that may be exposed to them, research is underway in the UK, at European level and by the pharmaceutical industry to characterise the risks better. This includes a Chemical Investigations Programme, undertaken by England’s water companies, where significant investment is being made to investigate around 20 substances from 2015-2017. Reported data will improve our understanding of the contamination of surface waters due to these chemicals and information will contribute to assessment of the risk posed to, or via the aquatic environment. In addition, the UK is participating in a European monitoring network of surface water sites on a ‘watch list’ of contaminants and pharmaceuticals, including the active ingredient of the contraceptive pill, EE2. The Devolved Administrations are doing something similar. Data will inform the Commission’s selection of future priority substances requiring control, and the chemical status of the EU’s surface waters with respect to these chemicals.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-04-05

Lord Rooker: In addition to the normal Armed Forces occupational redundancy and resettlement package, full-time members of the Royal Irish Regiment home service battalions will receive a tax-free, flat-rate ex gratia payment of £28,000. Baroness Byford: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Statement by the Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 28 March (WS 68), in what way the Land Registry system varies from that used for the single farm payment such that the Government can set the Land Registry a target to process 98.5 per cent. of registrations without error. Lord Rooker: The principles of the two systems are similar in that both organisations digitise to a scale of 1:2500 in the rural area. The underlying data in both cases is Ordnance Survey mapping. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Information on where an individual is serving a custodial sentence is not routinely recorded on the police national computer (PNC). When the Home Office, the police service or other authorised parties wish to obtain the current location of a prisoner, they apply to the prisoner location service (PLS), operated by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS). Information on the PLS is updated on a 24-hourly basis. The PLS currently deals with 160,000 enquiries per year, 100,000 of which come from the police.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-06-12b

Ministry of Justice Tribunals: Fees and Charges Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they plan to publish their review of the impact of fees on the tribunal system. Lord Faulks: We will announce the conclusions of our review of fees in the Employment Tribunals in due course. Human Rights Act 1998 Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor on the level of opposition from Scottish stakeholders to any repeal of the Act. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor on the views of Scottish stakeholders on the argument that the Human Rights Act 1998 undermines the sovereignty of the UK Parliament and democratic accountability. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor on the concept of "mission creep" as a characterisation of the European Court on Human Rights’ jurisprudence. Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor in respect of the relevance of the specific position of Scotland in the devolution settlement and the role of the Sewel Convention. Lord Faulks: This Government was elected with a mandate to reform and modernise the UK human rights framework. We will consider the devolution implications of our reforms and will continue to engage fully with stakeholders in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and with the devolved administrations, as we develop our proposals. Human Rights Act 1998 Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in considering the future of the Human Rights Act 1998, what regard they will have to the findings of the Scottish Parliament’s European and External Relations Committee as outlined in the letter of 17 March from the Convener of that Committee to the Lord Chancellor on the proposal for the Supreme Court to function as a constitutional court and in particular that it would require "significant constitutional change" and would pose "practical problems" for Scotland’s separate legal system. Lord Faulks: The Prime Minister indicated last year that he wanted to examine the way that Germany and other EU nations uphold their constitution and sovereignty. We have considered the Committee’s report with interest and will consult fully on our proposals for a Bill of Rights in due course. Cabinet Office Migration Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the net migration statistics for 2015. Lord Bridges of Headley: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply. UKSA Letter to PEER - Migration Statistics (PDF Document, 115.58 KB) Public Sector: Procurement Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have reviewed the implementation of the recommendations on public sector procurement made by Sir Philip Green; and whether they will ask Sir Philip to conduct a further review on policy options to reduce government borrowing. Lord Bridges of Headley: Sir Phillip's report contributed enormously to the development of the Coalition Government's policies in respect of common goods and services. Many of the recommendations have been taken forward, including the creation of the Crown Commercial Service. The Crown Commercial Service brings together policy, advice and direct buying, providing commercial services to the public sector and saving money for the taxpayer.The 2016 Budget announced that The Chief Secretary to the Treasury, with the support of the Minister for the Cabinet Office, will lead an efficiency review, reporting in 2018. We will set out details of this in due course. Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Stem Cells Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Drayson on 5 May 2009 (WA 95–6) and by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 8 June 2015 (HL44), why the latter stated that "derivation of ESC lines was not a primary aim of the project" in the light of the former Answer stating that the "primary aim of the MRC’s award to the University of Newcastle … was to incorporate technological advances to improve the efficiency of SCNT in human oocytes and develop a reproducible method of generating human embryonic stem cells following the transfer of the nucleus of an adult somatic cell into an oocyte"; and what assessment they have made of why that previously stated primary aim has still not been achieved despite the increased number of "freshly harvested oocytes donated specifically for this research" and the "help and advice given by Dr Shoukhrat Mitalipov" as acknowledged in Scientific Reports 4, article 3844. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: To provide the Noble Peer with a detailed reply on this technical issue, I have asked the Medical Research Council to write to you with on this matter. I will place a copy of this letter in the Library of the House.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-04-11

Questions for Written Answer:Response Times Lord Jopling: asked the Leader of the House: What steps he is taking to ensure prompt answers to Written Questions by his office bearing in mind that of the questions awaiting reply on 9 September one, which had been tabled on 15 July and had remained unanswered for eight weeks, was addressed to him. Lord Williams of Mostyn: I regret that the Question referred to was not answered within the 14-day deadline. I have reiterated to my office the importance of answering Questions for Written Answer within the given deadline. Kenya: Aid Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether in their future aid programme for Kenya they will take into account the impact of the recent ban on direct flights by United Kingdom airlines to Mombasa on tourism and employment in Coast Province. Baroness Amos: In taking decisions on the future aid programme for Kenya, I will take into account a wide range of issues, including the economic and social impact of terrorism and of the various measures that have been necessary to combat it. The European Commission has recently allocated over £2 million for a tourism market recovery plan in Kenya. The UK share of this is around £250,000. The ban on UK flights to Mombasa was lifted on 4 September. Advisory Board on Restricted Patients Lord Morgan: asked Her Majesty's Government: What plans they have regarding the future of the Home Secretary's Advisory Board on Restricted Patients. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Home Secretary's Advisory Board on Restricted Patients will cease to function with effect from 16 September 2003. Police Complaints Authority: Annual Report 2002–03 Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: When will the annual report (2002–03) of the Police Complaints Authority be published. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: I am pleased to announce that the annual report of the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) will be laid in another place on the 16 September 2003 and published on that day. The report as well as setting out the work completed in 2002–03 with regard to supervision of complaints, misconduct reviews and dispensations also highlights the outcome of the projects that were carried out in order to pilot key aspects of the new complaints system (Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC)). The IPCC will be replacing the PCA on 1 April 2004. The PCA will be holding a press conference on the 16 September to launch the report. Copies of the report will be available in the House Library. Joan Neighbourhood Renewal Fund Lord Morgan: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which areas are supported by the recently announced funding package of £175 million Neighbourhood Renewal Fund resources for 2004–05 and 2005–06. Lord Rooker: Today we are announcing the distribution of the remaining £175 million of unallocated Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) resources for 2004–05 and 2005–06. The NRF was launched in 2001–02, providing £900 million over three years as a time-limited component of the Government's long-term strategy for tackling deprivation in our poorest neighbourhoods. For over two years NRF has been assisting the 88 recipient local authorities and their fellow local strategic partnership (LSP) members in establishing inclusive and effective partnership structures and strategic approaches to addressing the particular deprivation problems of each local area. The spending review 2002 settlement provided for further support for the NRF's challenging remit, continuing to give a targeted boost to ongoing increases in mainstream public service investment in deprived areas. SR2002 allocated to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister an additional £975 million of NRF resources—£450 million in 2004–05 and £525 million in 2005–06. We announced the allocation of £800 million of these resources in April this year, confirming that the existing 88 eligible areas shall receive a further £400 million in total in each year. Over the past few months we have given detailed consideration to the best way in which to distribute the residual £175 million of NRF resources for 2004–05 and 2005–06. After examining a range of options we have concluded that we should focus resources in those areas which have great need in terms of health, education, crime and other aspects measured by the Government's floor target indicators. These floor targets are designed to ensure that the poorest areas do not get left behind and see significant improvements in outcomes on health, education and other measures. That is why we are announcing today that 26 local authority areas that are currently eligible for NRF are also eligible for a share of the residual £175 million. These 26 areas have been selected because they are ranked in the lowest 10 areas against two or more indicators used to measure progress towards the national floor targets, ie they have the furthest distance to travel in order to meet these floor targets. Tabled below is a list of the eligible areas and their allocations in 2004–05 and 2005–06. There are several reasons why we are taking this approach. First is the fact that the achievement of the floor targets is one of our top priorities. Delivering improvements for our most disadvantaged neighbourhoods is fundamental to the objectives we have set ourselves in the Communities Plan. We also recognise the importance of NRF in helping local service providers to work collectively through local strategic partnerships to address local priorities, and to meet national floor targets at the local level. We are pleased with and greatly encouraged by the good progress already being made by the 88 NRF local authorities and their LSP colleagues. However, some areas have a greater task than others to deliver the improvements needed in areas such as the health of local people, educational achievement and preventing crime. Joan The £175 million of residual NRF resources will provide these 26 areas with additional financial support to meet this challenge. Allocations of Residual Neighbourhood Renewal Fund (NRF) Resources for 2004–05 and 2005–06 Current NRF recipients also eligible for residual NRF 2004–05 Allocation (£) 2005–06 Allocation (£) Bolsover 417,624 1,044,060 Bristol, City of 1,013,689 2,534,224 Camden 1,199,468 2,998,670 Derwentside 421,456 1,053,639 Easington 1,260.484 3,151,209 Greenwich 1,103,589 2,758,972 Hackney 3,345,184 8,362,959 Halton 1,116,940 2,792,350 Haringey 1,516,814 3,792,035 Hartlepool 892,071 2,230,177 Islington 1,782,715 4,456,788 Kingston upon Hull, City of 2,134,495 5,336,238 Knowsley 2,101,419 5,253,547 Lambeth 688,542 1,721,356 Liverpool 5,724,205 14,310,513 Manchester 5,855,669 14,639,173 Middlesbrough 1,492,501 3,731,252 Newham 3,790,592 9,476,480 Nottingham 2,628,822 6,572,056 Salford 1,546,952 3,867,381 Sandwell 2,288,967 5,722,418 South Tyneside 1,530,285 3,825,713 Southwark 2,249,671 5,624,176 Tower Hamlets 3,020,552 7,551,380 Wansbeck 392,176 980,441 Wear Valley 485,117 1,212,793 Total 50,000,000 125,000,000 Housing Corporation: Review Lord Tomlinson: asked Her Majesty's Government: Joan Whether there are any plans to examine the role of the Housing Corporation in delivering affordable housing policy. Lord Rooker: Today the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is announcing the start of an end-to-end review of the Housing Corporation and its interaction with registered social landlords (RSLs) and other agencies. The review will look at the links between the development of policy and delivery in the area of affordable housing. Part of this process will involve looking at ways of minimising administrative burdens on the Housing Corporation and the organisations with which it works. With the new initiatives that are being put in place, particularly for delivering sustainable communities, a review of this sort is timely, and forms part of the Government's wider strategy for the reform of public services. The review will be managed by a project board, which includes external members as well as representatives from the Housing Corporation and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It will report in the spring. British Forces Germany: Post-Op TELIC Helpline Lord Vivian: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many calls and of what type have been received in the last month by the BFG Post-Operation TELIC Helpline and the Confidential Support Line operated by the Soldiers', Sailors', Airmen and Families Association (SSAFA) on behalf of the Ministry of Defence. Lord Bach: The Post-Op TELIC welfare hotline operated by British Forces Germany is intended to provide a last resort facility for service personnel, based in Germany, who are not able to obtain the support they need through the extensive system of welfare support available to all units. It has received three calls since troops began returning to Germany from the deployment. Two of these related to family relationship difficulties; the third concerned problems resulting from the continued separation of a family. In order to provide 24-hour coverage, SSAFA provides the same service as part of their confidential support line. While details of calls to SSAFA relating specifically to Op TELIC are not recorded centrally by the MoD, the SSAFA line is currently taking approximately 300 calls per month (compared to an average of 150 calls per month). The annual report on calls to the SSAFA line is currently being compiled and will be placed in the Library of the House in due course. Joan War Cemeteries in France: Prevention of Vandalism Lord Campbell of Croy: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action they are taking to prevent further vandalism to the graves of British servicemen in war cemeteries in France. Lord Bach: Both my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence and my honourable friend the Minister for Veterans have received written assurances that the French Government are taking every step possible to identify and punish the culprits for these acts of wanton vandalism. So far they have detained nine individuals in connection with such vandalism. The Minister for Veterans has suggested that he and his French counterpart might visit one of the cemeteries together in the near future. Gulf War Veterans: Case of Shaun Rusling Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 8 September (WA 45) in regard to the cost to the taxpayer of contesting the case of Gulf War veteran Mr Shaun Rusling, what representations they have received concerning Mr Rusling's response to the reply; what action they are taking; and whether they will now update the reply to take account of all costs incurred in contesting the case at tribunals and all the way to the High Court. Lord Bach: I have received the noble Lord's letter of 8 September, with which he encloses a copy of Mr Rusling's letter to him dated 3 September. I will be replying shortly. I have received no other representations. Negotiations with Mr Rusling's lawyers are now complete. Legal costs paid up to 12 September 2003 amount to £123,697.77. The final figure, including our own external legal costs, is expected to be approximately £150,000.00. Joan Future Aircraft Carrier Lord Burlison: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made with the future aircraft carrier programme. Lord Bach: Further to the Statement to the House by my right honourable Friend the Defence Secretary on 30 January 2003, (Official Report, cols. 1026-42), in another place, we are pleased to announce that the Ministry of Defence has agreed contracts with BAe SYSTEMS (BAeS) and Thales United Kingdom for the third stage of the assessment phase for the future aircraft carrier (CVF) programme. This stage will be used to increase the maturity of the carrier design, and will pave the way for placing contracts for the demonstration and manufacture (D&M) phase in spring 2004. The work will be managed by a single, integrated team staffed by BAeS and Thales UK. Since the end of January, progress has been maintained in developing the design of the warship. In parallel, positive discussions have been conducted with BAe SYSTEMS and Thales UK on how to take forward the alliance approach to the programme set out by the Secretary of State in January. Discussions will continue between all three parties to refine the precise terms of the alliance and the D&M contract, and will complete early next year. These discussions will be conducted concurrently with the stage 3 design work, and will place the department in a strong position to proceed quickly to place the D&M contract expected in spring 2004. Joan Armed Forces: Review of Pension and Compensation Arrangements Lord Burlison: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made on the review of the Armed Forces pension and compensation schemes. Lord Bach: The Ministry of Defence has completed its reviews of the current Armed Forces pension and compensation arrangements. We have taken account of views expressed during the public consultation in 2001, and in particular those serving in the Armed Forces, those representing the ex-service community, and the recommendations made by the House of Commons Defence Committee in March 1 2002. In reaching our decisions we have also taken account of the changes in policy likely to emerge from the Inland Revenue paper on tax simplification 2 . Our proposals are also consistent with the policies recently published by the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. 3 The new schemes are designed to be fairer, to reflect modern practice and to meet the needs of the Armed Forces in the 21st century, and offer a high level of assurance for service personnel. The Government intend to introduce the primary and secondary legislation required to implement these new schemes as soon as parliamentary time allows. (1) HCDC Third Report: The MoD Reviews of Armed Forces Pension and Compensation Arrangements (HC 666) - 9 May 2002. HCDC Fifth Special Report: The MoD Reviews of Armed Forces Pension and Compensation Arrangements: Government's Response (HC 1115) (2) Simplifying the taxation of pensions: increasing choice for all (December 2002) (3) Simplicity, Security and Choice: working and saving for retirement—Action on occupational pensions. (June 2003) A new Armed Forces Pension Scheme (AFPS) will be introduced for new entrants on 6 April 2005 and we will give current members of the Armed Forces the opportunity to transfer to the new scheme as soon as possible but no later than 6 April 2007. This decision to transfer will be entirely voluntary for each individual member. The new AFPS will remain a defined benefit scheme but will be based on final pensionable pay and will provide the same benefits for officers and other ranks. There are substantial new arrangements for dependants: a death-in-service benefit of four times pensionable pay (increased from up to one and a half times pensionable pay previously); an increase of 25% in widow(er)'s pension compared to the current scheme; and an extension of dependants' benefits to unmarried partners where there is a substantial relationship. These changes reflect key concerns raised during consultation and address the need to make proper provision for those who are left behind when personnel are killed in service. The scheme has retained its normal retirement age of 55, but preserved pensions will be paid at age 65. The current early immediate pension provision has been replaced with an early departure scheme which is expected to ensure compliance with expected revisions to Inland Revenue policy with respect to the earliest date at which normal pension benefits can be paid. The early departure scheme will offer a similar structure of benefits to the immediate pension, but with changes which help to fund some improvements in pension benefits and the cost of pensioners living longer. Overall, the changes will be broadly cost-neutral, taking account of the steps taken to cover increasing longevity costs. ra The new compensation scheme will be introduced in April 2005 and will replace provisions under the War Pensions Scheme and attributable benefits under the current AFPS for incidents arising from that date. The new scheme reflects modern practice. It is fair, transparent, simple to understand and offers consistent outcomes, with more focus on the more severely disabled. It is a no-fault scheme. It provides a lump-sum payment for pain and suffering which is a new benefit not available under current arrangements. In addition, a guaranteed income stream (GIS) will be awarded alongside higher level tariff awards for those who suffer significant loss of earnings capacity. Unlike the current arrangements, there will be in-service lump-sum awards for pain and suffering, including for injuries resulting from warlike activities. Benefits will be provided for dependants where deaths result from service but will be extended to include unmarried partners, where there is a substantial relationship. There will be a time limit to claim of five years, with exceptions for late-onset conditions. Claims will be assessed using the "balance of probabilities" standard of proof, in line with civil law and common practice elsewhere. There will be an independent appeals tribunal system, compliant with European Convention on Human Rights, available for claimants who consider that their claim has not been handled fairly by the MoD. The Ministry of Defence will also be extending the provisions introduced on 20 March 2003 which provided benefits to unmarried partners for attributable deaths related to conflict. The current AFPS will provide attributable benefits to unmarried partners where there is a substantial relationship for all attributable deaths with an effective date of 15 September 2003. The current AFPS does not provide unmarried partner benefits for non-attributable deaths, but this benefit will be available under the new AFPS. We are making available more detailed information from the consultation process and further detailed explanation of the schemes at www.mod.uk/issues/pensions. A copy will be placed in the Library of the House. lynne Immigration Advisory Service Lord Chan: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the new arrangements for the funding of the Immigration Advisory Service by the Legal Services Commission will affect the work of the service. Lord Filkin: The terms of the contract that will be awarded to the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) following the transfer of funding from the Home Office to the Legal Services Commission have yet to be finalised. Ministers will write to the IAS and the noble Lord in the near future, when the position and impact on work will be clearer. Immigration Advisory Service Lord Chan: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the transfer of funding to the Legal Services Commission will hinder the work of the Immigration Advisory Service. Lord Filkin: The terms of the contract that will be awarded to the Immigration Advisory Service (IAS) following the transfer of funding from the Home Office to the Legal Services Commission have yet to be finalised. Ministers will write to the IAS and the noble Lord in the near future, when the position and impact on work will be clearer. Public Guardianship Office: Annual Report and Accounts 2002–03 Baroness Pitkeathley: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the Public Guardianship Office's annual report and accounts for 2002–03 will be laid before Parliament. Lord Filkin: The Public Guardianship Office's annual report and accounts for 2002–03 have been laid before Parliament today. This document gives full details of the agency's performance and expenditure for that year. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. Joan EU Working Time Directive: Marine Pilots Lord Berkeley: asked Her Majesty's Government: Under which regulation transposing the European Working Time Directive into United Kingdom law are marine pilots included. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Marine pilots fall under the scope of the Horizontal Amending Directive (2000/34/EC) which was implemented by the Working Time (Amendment) Regulations on 1 August 2003. The Working Time Regulations apply to all workers, including most agency and freelance workers, but do not apply to the self-employed. Mental Health Services: Report Baroness Gould of Potternewton: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the 13th report on the Development of Services for People with a Mental Illness in England was published. Lord Warner: Yesterday we issued the 13th report prepared pursuant to Section 11 of the Disabled Persons (Services, Consultation and Representation) Act 1986 as amended, on development of services for people with a mental illness in England. The report sets out the current policy and the developments in mental health services that have taken place since the 12th report. Copies of Development of Services for People with a Mental Illness in England—Thirteenth Report have been placed in the Library. Child Tax Credit and Working Tax Credit Lord Blackwell: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is: (a) the estimated numbers of those entitled to claim child tax credit and working tax credit; (b) the estimated value of entitlements; and (c) the assumed take-up rates underlying the published public expenditure estimates for those tax credits in 2005–06 broken down by household income bands of £0 to £5,000, £5,000 to £7,500, £7,500 to £10,000, £10,000 to £15,000, £15,000 to £20,000, £20,000 to £30,000, £30,000 to £50,000, and over £50,000 or the closest bands available. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: (a) Six million families are expected to be in receipt of child tax credit and/or working tax credit. (b) The tax credit awards are provisional annual awards and so it will not be possible to calculate the final value of awards until the end of the tax year. (c) The information requested is not available. Joan World War Debts to US Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 8 September (WA 100), when they last held discussions on the issue of war debts payable to the United States with the Government of the United States. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Successive governments have undertaken, as with all external debt, to meet their obligations under the terms of the Second World War loan agreement with the US. There has therefore been no need to make representations to the United States Government except on the six occasions when in accordance with the terms of the loan we deferred repayments. Information is not readily available as to whether war loans have been discussed on any other occasion between the UK Government and the United States Government since 1945. However, this has not been an issue for significant discussion in recent years. Schoolchildren: Travel to School Baroness Turner of Camden: asked Her Majesty's Government: What they are doing to reduce car use on the school run. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: An increasing number of schools and local authorities have, with the support of school travel advisers, introduced measures to tackle rising car use on the school run, including providing safe routes to school, adjusting the time of the school day and promoting greater use of buses. We want to encourage every school and local authority to act on this agenda. My right honourable friends the Secretaries of State for Education and Skills and for Transport are today publishing jointly an action plan and good practice guide outlining how schools and local authorities can increase the number of children travelling to school on foot, by bicycle or on public transport. I am placing a copy of the action plan and best practice guide in the Library. NHS: Efficiency Measures Baroness Noakes: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will publish the underlying data relating to changes in activity levels and health and community health services expenditure expressed in volume form which are shown in graphical form in Figure 7.7 of the Department of Health's Departmental Report (CM 5904) so that the efficiency increase of two per cent over the 10 years to 2000–01 referred to in paragraph 7.100 of the report can be analysed for each of those years. Baroness Andrews: Changes in the way healthcare is delivered by the National Health Service now means that this measure of NHS efficiency is no longer reliable. For example, this efficiency measure fails to count an increasingly large amount of activity—such as procedures undertaken in primary care—or nurse-led outpatient admissions; records improvements that result in reducing the number of steps in a patient journey as a fall in efficiency; may perversely record real efficiency improvements as reductions in efficiency—for example when activity is shifted from inpatient to outpatient settings; and fails to pick up any improvements in quality. The Department of Health is therefore developing a new efficiency measure that will take account of the quality, casemix and diverse way in which NHS outputs are delivered. Aircraft: Seat Spacing Baroness Greengross: asked Her Majesty's Government: What consideration they, the Joint Aviation Authorities or the Civil Aviation Authority have given to amending on grounds of safety the regulations governing the seat spacing on scheduled and charter flights to take account of (a) the increasing height and weight; and (b) the ageing of the general population. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) safety requirements for seat spacing are designed to ensure that passengers can evacuate quickly and safely in the event of an emergency. Recent research carried out by the Joint Aviation Authorities (JAA) has confirmed that the population body size is increasing and that the introduction of pan-European seat-spacing regulations may be appropriate. The JAA Cabin Safety Steering Group is considering the research data and is being encouraged by the CAA to reach an early decision on the introduction of a common European standard for seat spacing. The CAA is not aware of any studies relating to the effect that ageing of the general population may have on an emergency evacuation. When new aircraft types are approved, the aircraft manufacturer is required to demonstrate that an emergency evacuation can be performed successfully. As from 28 September 2003, the European Safety Agency (EASA) will assume responsibility for setting design standards for all aircraft registered within the European Union. These design standards will include emergency evacuation. With effect from this date the CAA will have no power to implement seat-spacing standards which differ from those set by the agency. The output of the JAA Cabin Safety Steering Group will be transmitted to the agency. M1 Motorway Lord Jopling: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many weeks during the past five years parts of the M1 motorway had carriageways or hard shoulders coned off between junctions 23A and 25; and whether they will commission experts and advisors to instruct the local engineers and administrators on how to make structural changes to the carriageway in conjunction with each other, rather than separately. Lord Davies of Oldham: I have asked the acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Stephen Hickey, to write to the noble Lord. Letter from the acting Chief Executive of the Highways Agency, Mr Stephen Hickey, to Lord Jopling, dated 16 September 2003. I have been asked by the Lord Davies of Oldham to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the number of weeks over the last five years that the M1 motorway has been coned off between junctions 23A and 25. The information requested over five years will take some time to collect but this work has been put in hand. I will write to you again as soon as this is available. There has recently been a considerable programme of works on this section of M1 between junctions 23A and 25. The pressures on this length of motorway are considerable; over 100,000 vehicles per day use it. As a result, roadworks are phased to limit the length of motorway restricted at any one time. Normal policy is that roadworks should not exceed a maximum length of 4 km and be a minimum distance between separate works of 10 km. The Highways Agency already uses consultant engineers for designing and managing maintenance works. The contracts include a requirement to minimise roadworks on a particular length of road. By careful planning the agency aims to ensure the maximum amount of work is undertaken during any one contract and the disruption is kept to a minimum. On this section of M1 most work is carried out overnight with three lanes remaining open during the daytime and, wherever possible, all work is suspended at peak holiday times. All contractors employed by the agency are required to complete roadworks as quickly as possible and are offered incentives in their contracts to do so. As explained, I will write to you again as soon as we have collected the information you have requested.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2003-09-16a

Asylum Appeals: Website Baroness Lockwood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What provision they are making for the general public, asylum-seekers and their representatives to access information about the asylum appeals system. Lord Irvine of Lairg: The Immigration Appellate Authority is today launching a website--www.iaa.gov.uk. The site features up-to-date information on the organisation, the two judicial tiers it administers and the appeal procedures that apply. The IAA website will have links to the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate and Community Legal Service sites [www.ind. homeoffice.gov.uk & www.justask.org.uk]. The IAA website will provide a useful entry point to gain information on the process of applying for asylum. A key feature of the IAA site is the provision of detailed daily court lists for all the authority's hearing centres--allowing parties involved in appeals access to listing information as early as possible. Supporting the lists with on-line access to leaflets, guidance and travel maps, the website provides asylum-seekers and their representatives with easily obtained practical information. Domestic Property Revaluation andCouncil Tax Lord Smith of Leigh: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the regional average movements in house prices since the establishment of council tax bands in 1991; and whether, without revaluation, such changes are undermining the basis of the council tax. Lord Whitty: Regional average movements in house prices from the beginning of 1991 to 30 September 2000 are given in the table below. % change in DETR annual house price index Q1 1991-2000 Q3 England 58.1 London 80.3 South East 70.9 South West 60.2 East 59.1 North East 31.8 West Midlands 44.6 East Midlands 37.6 North West 31.1 Yorkshire and the Humber 26.4 Merseyside 19.4 In the Green Paper, Modernising Local Government Finance, which we published last September, we invited views on whether there should be a fixed cycle for council tax revaluations. Properties are revalued for business rates every five years, but there is no fixed revaluation cycle for domestic properties. The Green Paper suggested that revaluations every six, eight or ten years could make the council tax fairer and more predictable. We are currently considering the responses we have received to the Green Paper and will announce our decisions later this year. Flood Damage: Local Authority Claims Lord Hardy of Wath: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any local authority has sought central assistance in respect of flood damage involving developments which have been approved in disregard of advice from the Environment Agency or their own officials. Lord Whitty: Between 13 October 2000 and 31 January 2001 a total of 104 local authorities had notified my department that they had incurred expenditure for which they would consider making a claim under the Bellwin scheme in connection with the adverse weather events between October and December. No formal claims have so far been received and there is no indication of an expected claim on this topic. Forty-four Tonne Lorries Baroness Nicol: asked Her Majesty's Government: When will 44-tonne lorries be allowed to operate generally in Great Britain. Lord Whitty: The necessary regulations (Statutory Instrument SI 2000 No. 3224--The Road Vehicles (Authorised Weight) (Amendment) Regulations 2000)--will come into force on 1 February. The regulations will allow certain types of lorry to operate at up to 44 tonnes maximum weight in Great Britain. The lorries in question must have six axles, a maximum axle weight of 10.5 tonnes and Euro 2 low emission engines. These vehicles will result in a considerable saving in lorry miles where heavy goods are being carried and will be no bigger, and cause less road wear, than existing 40 tonne, 5-axle lorries. Culture Online Baroness Lockwood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the range of services which will be provided by the proposed new statutory corporation Culture Online. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has today placed a briefing note on Culture Online in the Libraries of both Houses. Inheritance Tax Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the yield from estate duty and inheritance tax for the last year for which figures are available, and for 1990 and 1980. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Figures on yield from inheritance tax on a financial year basis are contained in Table 1.2 of Inland Revenue Statistics 2000. A copy is available in the Library. Long-term Care Insurance: Tax Position Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government: Under what circumstances benefits under long-term care insurance policies are taxable and under what circumstances they are tax-free. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Benefits payable under long-term care insurance originally taken out to meet the costs of long-term care at some time in the future are normally exempt from tax. Benefits payable under long-term care insurance taken out to meet the costs when the need for care has already arisen are outside the scope of this exemption. However, most policies of this type require the insurance company to provide care directly, through an arrangement with a care provider. Since in these circumstances the benefits cannot be paid in cash, they are not taxable. Details of these tax rules are set out in the Inland Revenue leaflet, IR 153, copies of which are in the Library. AVGAS Sales: Duty Lord Trefgarne: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the annual net revenue accruing to the Treasury in respect of the duty payable on aviation gasoline (AVGAS). Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The amount of excise duty received from AVGAS aviation can be found in the HM Customs & Excise Hydrocarbon Oils Factsheet, a copy of which is held in the Library. No figures are available for the amount of VAT raised from the sale of AVGAS. Army Heavy Logistic Support Vehicles Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there are any cases where information as to the number required of any type of Army heavy logistic support vehicles derived from analyses of operational requirements would have to be withheld from Parliament for reasons of national security; and, if so, what are the types and reasons. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: In the time available it has not been possible to find an instance where we have withheld from Parliament the number of heavy logistic support vehicles for which we have contracted; and I believe that this will be the case for most future procurements. However, there may be instances where, because knowledge of the size of a fleet could be exploited by a potential enemy, it would be necessary to withhold that information under the exemptions set out in the code of practice on access to government information. National Blood Service and Anal Sex Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is the policy of the Blood Transfusion Service to refuse to accept blood transfusions from persons of either sex who have ever engaged in anal sex; and if so, when this policy was introduced; and what are their stated reasons for adopting it. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Blood Service has no specific exclusion criteria relating to anal sex. BT Local Exchange Unbundling and Broadband Services The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether recent opportunities for other operators to take advantage of local loop unbundling of up to 25 British Telecom local exchanges generated appropriate levels of commercial interest; and what the implications of this are for the availability of broadband/high speed Internet access to the consumer; and Whether, in the light of the weak commercial response recently to unbundling of 25 British Telecom local exchanges, future availability of broadband services to consumers will be delayed. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The 25 exchanges are the first that BT have offered to operators of nearly 700 going forward in the Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) process. These exchanges are not among those regarded by operators as the most popular. In the light of the commercial response OFTEL has agreed with the operators that survey and preparation of the most popular exchanges should be brought forward. Construction of co-location facilities in the highest priority exchanges should begin before Easter. Work is also progressing well on distant location where operators can connect unbundled loops to equipment installed in locations near to BT exchanges. In early January BT handed over facilities at four trial exchanges enabling the first services over unbundled loops to be provided by other operators. Apart from LLU, higher bandwidth services using ADSL over local exchange lines are already available in many parts of the country on a wholesale and retail basis from BT, and from Kingston in the Hull area. Cable modems, optical fibre, broadband fixed wireless access and satellites all have the potential now or in the near future to offer broadband services. Criminal Records Bureau: Charges to Voluntary Bodies Lord Islwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will use powers under Part V of the Police Act 1997 to waive charges to voluntary organisations for checks by the Criminal Records Bureau. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Work is continuing to determine the bureau's costs. An announcement about the level of charges will be made as soon as possible. Waiving charges for voluntary organisations would mean imposing an additional burden on the taxpayer, or higher charges for other users of the bureau's services whose circumstances may be no less deserving. But we are determined to keep charges as low as possible. Emergencies: Co-ordinated Response Lord Hanningfield: asked Her Majesty's Government: How they can ensure a co-ordinated approach between the emergency services and local authorities during periods of national or local crisis. Lord Bassam of Brighton: This country deals with major incidents by a local response, only resorting to mutual aid or national support in the most extreme situations. The Home Office promotes the principles of Integrated Emergency Management, under which all organisations likely to be involved in the response, including the emergency services and local authorities, share their plans and participate in strategic meetings, joint exercises and training. This approach cannot, in itself, ensure a co-ordinated approach but encourages organisations to work towards this goal. Treaty on European Union, Treaty of Nice and Position of United Kingdom and Ireland Protocol Lord Shore of Stepney: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any provisions of the Treaty of Nice add to or subtract from the provisions of the Protocol on the Position of the United Kingdom and Ireland annexed to the Treaty of Amsterdam. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Treaty of Nice does not amend in any way the provisions of the Protocol on the Position of the United Kingdom and Ireland annexed to the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty establishing the European Community. Data Protection Code of Practice:E-mail Monitoring The Earl of Northesk: asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the implications of the delays experienced in drafting the Data Protection Commission's code of practice on e-mail monitoring. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Data Protection Commissioner was re-named the Information Commissioner on 30 January 2001. The monitoring of e-mails is one of a number of matters covered by the commissioner's draft code of practice on the use of personal data in employer/employee relationships. The closing date for comments on the draft code was 5 January 2001. The commissioner tells me that she has received over a hundred responses. I understand that her office is now carefully considering these and may need to hold follow-up discussions in the light of some of them. I further understand that, although the commissioner had originally hoped to be in a position to finalise the code by the spring of 2001, the volume of responses received means that this may now take somewhat longer. When the code has been finalised it will provide comprehensive guidance on the application of the Data Protection Act 1998 in the workplace context. I have drawn the Commissioner's attention to the noble Earl's interest in the code. She intends to write to him about her plans for publication and related matters.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2001-02-01a

Department for Transport Electric Scooters: Road Traffic Offences Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many fines have beengiven out in relation to offences involving (1) trial e-scooters, and (2) private e-scooters, since the trials began. Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued connected to the use of (1) trial e-scooters, and (2) private e-scooters, since the trials began. Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many drivers' licence penalty points have beenissued in relation tothe use of (1)trial e-scooters, and (2) private e-scooters, since the trials began. Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made as to whether the findings in the Emergency Medical Journal report E-scooter incidents in Berlin: an evaluation of risk factors and injury patterns, published on 7 June, that one in five riders were over the legal drink limit and only one in 100 were wearing a helmet,would be comparable in the UK. Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) complaints e-scooter trial companies have received, and (2) journeys have been taken in total, since the start of the trials. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of motoring offences in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. However, information on the type of vehicle issued with a motoring offence, including a fine or penalty points is not collected. The Department for Transport does not hold information on any fines issued by the courts. Anti-Social Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) were replaced by Civil Injunctions and Criminal Behaviour Orders (CBOs) in 2014. The Ministry of Justice holds data on CBOs.Neither the Department for Transport nor the Department for Health and Social Care hold data on e-scooter accidents which have led to admissions.The Department for Transport has made no assessment based on the Berlin data. Safety of this new mode of transport is very important and a key part of our trials and evaluation. The Department has in place a comprehensive monitoring and evaluation programme for the trials. A final report will be published in spring 2022. Any future rules for e-scooters may not be exactly the same as the rules in trials, but they will be based on the evidence gathered. This evaluation includes a range of data sources and approaches including data sharing arrangements with operators, surveys, interviews and focus groups with users and non-users and interviews with key local and national stakeholders. It will also take account of relevant international evidence.Approximately three million journeys have been completed by trial participants. Local authorities are responsible for running the trials and information on customer service engagement is not held by the Department. High Speed Two: Public Participation Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they are having to ensure that HS2 Ltd and any of its sub-contractors meet their commitment to engage fully with the public. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The HS2 Community Engagement Strategy, published in 2017, explains how HS2 Ltd and its contractors will engage with communities and sets out its community commitments on public engagement. HS2 Ltd reports publicly on how well they are performing against these commitments. Five reports have been published to date and all are available on the HS2 website. The Department for Transport regularly monitors how HS2 Ltd is performing against its community engagement commitments. In his most recent six-monthly report to Parliament on 23 March 2021, the HS2 Minister provided an account of the activities that HS2 Ltd and the Department are deploying to strengthen its community handling approach. The Department continues to review this area to ensure that HS2 Ltd delivers on its commitments and is prepared to take further action as necessary. Electric Scooters: Road Traffic Offences Lord Shinkwin: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) penalties, and (2) suspension of drivers' licences, have been given to e-scooter riders for misuse in (a) designated trial zones, and (b) all other areas. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Home Office collects and publishes data on the number of motoring offences in the ‘Police Powers and Procedures, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. However, information on the type of vehicle issued with a motoring offence is not collected. Railways Lord Ravensdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to publish the Integrated Rail Plan before the House rises for the summer recess. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: We intend to publish the Integrated Rail Plan soon. Given the long-term significance of the IRP, it is important that Government carefully considers the priorities and evidence from metro mayors, council leaders, and representatives from the North and Midlands as well as the National Infrastructure Commission’s Rail Needs Assessment, ahead of setting out our plans. Aviation Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their aviation strategy; and whether this strategy will include plans (1) to integrate (a) air, (b) rail, and (c) highway, networks, and ports, and (2) to support the aviation sector in its recovery as COVID-19 restrictions are lifted. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government is currently developing a future strategic framework for aviation which will be broad in scope and take account of the future challenges the sector faces. This will be published later this year. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Foreign Companies: Uighurs Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the involvement in the UK economy of firms complicit in the surveillance and monitoring of Uyghurs in Xinjiang. Baroness Barran: The UK is committed to promoting the ethical development and deployment of technology in the UK and overseas. We are aware of a number of Chinese technology companies linked to violations taking place in Xinjiang, including use of high-tech “predictive policing” algorithms, DNA and voice sampling, and extensive use of surveillance cameras, and are monitoring the situation closely. Where China is not meeting its obligations under international law and falls below the standards required and expected of responsible governments and nation states, this government has and will continue to speak out publicly. The Government is committed to supporting UK businesses and academia to engage with China in a way that reflects the UK’s values and takes account of national security concerns. Last year we published guidance to help cutting-edge UK firms negotiate the ethical, legal and commercial questions they may encounter in China or when working with Chinese businesses, supporting safe and appropriate UK-China collaboration in digital and tech. The guidance provides firms with clear, up-to-date information and specialist support which reflect the UK’s values and take account of national security concerns. Astronomy: Tourism Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the economic benefits, if any, of astro-tourism in places awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status. Baroness Barran: The Government has not made any specific assessment of the economic benefits of astro-tourism in places awarded International Dark Sky Reserve status. Across the UK's 15 National Parks there are a number of locations that have been awarded International Dark Sky Reserve or Dark Sky Discovery Site status. In 2017, VisitEngland published a Discover England Fund Research Summary Report titled ‘Making Great memories in England’s National Parks and countryside’. While it did not specifically mention dark sky reserves, this report highlighted some of the key trends in visitor trips to National Parks in England. Across the UK's 15 National Parks there are a number of locations that have been awarded International Dark Sky Reserve or Dark Sky Discovery Site status. The Government has no formal role in the Dark Sky designation process as it is non-governmental and non-statutory. The Independent Review of Landscapes recommended, ‘A night under the stars in a national landscape for every child.’ The Government has welcomed the Review and will respond in due course. We are committed to increasing opportunities for people of all ages to enjoy the benefits of spending meaningful time in our national landscapes in England. Destination Management Organisations: Reviews Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatsteps they are taking to progress the Destination Management Organisation review. Baroness Barran: The Government launched the independent review of Destination Management Organisations (DMOs) in England, led by Nick de Bois, in March. The review will examine how best to structure and support DMOs at a local and regional level in order to deliver the Government’s tourism policy priorities and support economic growth. The first phase of the review included a public consultation, stakeholder conversations, and a survey of DMOs. The review's second phase was formed of regional roundtables, taking place across England in June. Nick de Bois will evaluate his findings and submit a written report, including recommendations, to the DCMS Secretary of State in Summer 2021. Mobile Phones: Fees and Charges Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the decision by EE to impose roaming charges on new UK mobile phone users when using their phones in Europe, what plans they have to negotiate a deal with the EU to eliminate roaming charges for UK customers. Baroness Barran: Since the end of the Transition Period the UK is no longer part of Roam Like at Home so surcharge-free roaming for UK consumers in the EU is no longer guaranteed. During negotiations for the Trade and Cooperation Agreement with the EU, the UK proposed continuation of reciprocal agreements between the UK and EU for surcharge free roaming, or a review clause to consider the need for these should roaming surcharges return for consumers. The EU did not agree to either of these proposals. Therefore, mobile operators are now able to impose a surcharge on UK consumers travelling abroad to the EU for their mobile phone usage. We advise that consumers check with their operators before travelling. Home Office Immigration: EU Nationals Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many EU citizens are expected to achieve settled status in each calendar year from 2021 to 2026. Baroness Williams of Trafford: A person granted pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme can apply for settled status as soon as they qualify for this. Applicants who have completed five years’ continuous residence, or where other criteria for eligibility for settled status without the length of continuous residence are met, are eligible for settled status. The Home Office cannot assess a person’s eligibility for settled status until they make an application to the scheme, and therefore cannot state how many of those granted pre-settled status or who are yet to apply to the scheme will be eligible for settled status in the period sought.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2021-07-02

Animal Health Agency Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the Animal Health Agency will spend in each of the next three years on information technology to support the modernising of working practices and save £7 million, as set out on page 86 of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Autumn Performance Report 2009. Lord Davies of Oldham: Animal Health plans to spend £14.2 million in 2010-11 on its IT Change Programme which supports the modernising of working practices. Spend in 2011-12 is planned at £12.1 million, but funding has not yet been agreed and will be subject to the Defra budgetary process. Delivery of the £7 million savings is dependent on the completion of all the modules of the IT Change Programme. Armed Forces: Dependents Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government what resources are available to commanding officers to provide support for the families and dependants of Armed Forces personnel. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: There are considerable resources available to Commanding Officers to enable them to support service families. These resources are usually co-ordinated by a dedicated unit welfare officer who is able to assess what sort of support is required and then make bespoke arrangements for appropriate provision, accessing relevant service, local authority or third sector specialists where necessary. The resources upon which a commanding officer can draw include: professional social workers;station and unit community groups including HIVE information centres;families welfare grant money to support of families of deployed personnel confidential support linesFamilies Federations; anddedicated support groups for the bereaved (SSAFA-Forces Help). Armed Forces: Iraq Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Navy personnel deployed to Iraq are involved in the training of the Iraqi navy. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Under the UK-Iraq agreement on training and maritime support, up to 100 UK military personnel may be deployed to Iraq in support of Iraqi navy training. The precise number of Royal Navy personnel involved in the training of the Iraqi navy will fluctuate at any one time and on a daily basis for a variety of reasons, including mid-tour rest and recuperation, temporary absence for training, evacuation for medical reasons and the roulement of forces. We do not therefore publish actual figures. Armed Forces: Languages Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether officer cadets at (a) Britannia Royal Naval College, (b) the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, and (c) RAF Cranwell, receive language training in Dari Persian or Pashto. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Officer cadets do not receive language training in Dari Persian or Pashto at Britannia Royal Naval College, RMAS Sandhurst or RAF Cranwell. Armed Forces: Retraining Lord Astor of Hever: To ask Her Majesty's Government what civilian retraining is available for Armed Forces personnel who have been seriously wounded. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: We take our responsibility to injured service personnel very seriously and, regardless of the amount of time served, all service personnel who are medically discharged are entitled to receive a full resettlement package through the MoD's Career Transition Partnership. This consists of time, money for training and facilitated workshops to help enable a seamless transition to civilian life. Furthermore, free lifetime job finding support is available through the Officers Association or the Regular Forces Employment Association. Additionally, we are currently working with Skill Force, who following a grant of £30,000 from the Ministry of Defence, are delivering a pilot internship programme for personnel recovering from physical and psychological injuries and illness as part of their rehabilitation pathway. Where an injury or condition prevents resettlement being undertaken while in service, the entitlement can be deferred for up to two years after discharge or transferred to a service-leaver's spouse or partner. Bangladesh Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to provide assistance to address humanitarian issues in the camps for Rohingya refugees on the Bangladesh-Burma border. Lord Brett: UK support is channelled through our central contributions to the European Commission and United Nations agencies. The United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) manages the official camps. UNICEF, the World Food Programme, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Population Fund also work with the refugees within the camps or in the surrounding communities. The European Commission is providing financial support. We have raised the plight of the Rohingyas and their status with the Government of Bangladesh, both bilaterally and in concert with EU partners. Officials from the British High Commission in Dhaka, including the High Commissioner, have visited the camps for displaced Rohingyas. Banking: Iceland Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 22 February (WA 174-5), whether they will apply the common law powers permitted by the Ram doctrine to enable Treasury Ministers to repay those retail deposits in the Presbyterian Mutual Society not protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; and what is the total amount paid under the Ram doctrine to United Kingdom depositors in Icelandic banks. Lord Myners: The Ministerial Working Group continues to explore all options in pursuit of mitigating the effects of the collapse of the Presbyterian Mutual Society on its members. Details of the financial support provided to UK banks, including support for retail depositor compensation payouts in Icelandic banks, for the years 2007-08 and 2008-09, are set out in the Treasury's Resource Accounts for 2007-08 (HC 539) and 2008-09 (HC61 1) respectively. Total support to Icelandic banks at 31 March 2009 amounted, at latest estimates subsequently to be revised, to £8.1 billion. Chemicals: REACH Regulation Lord Hoyle: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 6 April (HL3057), what are the reduced fees for small and medium-sized enterprises when they apply for authorisation of a critical substance under the European Union Regulation on the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH). Lord Davies of Oldham: In order to provide assistance to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in complying with their REACH obligations, reduced fees for authorisation applications and reduced charges for authorisation reviews apply. Currently, these are the same in both cases. The reduced fees/charges are given in Commission Regulation (EC) No 340/2008 as follows: Reduced fees/charges for medium enterprises Base fee/charge €40,000 Additional fee/charge per substance €8,000 Additional fee/charge per use €8,000 Additional fee/charge per applicant Additional applicant is a medium enterprise: €30,000 Additional applicant is a small enterprise: €18,750 Additional applicant is a micro enterprise: €5,625 Reduced fees/charges for small enterprises Base fee/charge €25,000 Additional fee/charge per substance €5,000 Additional fee/charge per use €5,000 Additional fee/charge per applicant Additional applicant is a small enterprise: €18,750 Additional applicant is a micro enterprise: €5,625 Reduced fees/charges for micro enter rises Base fee/charge €7,500 Additional fee/charge per substance €1,500 Additional fee/charge per use €1,500 Additional fee/charge per applicant Additional applicant is a micro enterprise: €5,625 The definitions of medium, small, and micro enterprise are set out in Commission Recommendation 2003/361 /EC of 6 May 2003, and are based on the number of employees together with the company turn-over ceiling or balance-sheet ceiling. Children: Creches and Nurseries Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many crèches and nurseries in England and Wales have closed down as a result of increased requirements specified by Ofsted and in legislation. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: This is a matter for Ofsted who will reply to the noble Lord as soon as possible. The position in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly. China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the discovery of 21 foetuses and baby bodies in the Guangfu river, Jining city; and what response they received. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of China about the one-child policy there; whether their representations covered the demographic effects of the policy; and what response they received. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations officials in the British Embassy in China have made to Chinese officials about (a) alleged forced abortion and sterilisation, and (b) birth control quotas in China; what response was received; and whether they will make representations to the Government of China about relaxing population controls. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of China about the case of Chen Guangcheng; and what response they received. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. China Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent representations they have made to the Government of China about the level of public discussion and debate in China about population control policies. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. Cluster Bombs Baroness Northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the mapping of the use of cluster bombs in Iraq by British and American forces is now complete; and, if not, when it will be completed. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: During the war-fighting phase of Op TELIC in Iraq 68 cluster bombs were dropped by the UK; no cluster bombs were used after 4 April 2003. The RAF has target data for all of the cluster bombs dropped. The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is committed to the timely provision of appropriate information to aid clearance organisations in their humanitarian work. Since the conflict, the UK has cleared over 1 million items of abandoned and unexploded ordnance, with Royal Engineers also being involved in the marking and fencing of bomblet strikes. Following the conflict, the UK held weekly meetings with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and commercial de-mining organisations in Basra to share information. United Nations Office for Project Services and United Nations Childrens Fund praised the UK for its response and assistance to the local population and its co-operative approach to international organisations and NGOs on de-mining. Following withdrawal of UK forces, under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the responsibility for clearance and destruction of cluster munitions rests now with Iraq. The MoD does not hold records on use of cluster bombs by American forces. Common Agricultural Policy: Single Payment Scheme Baroness Byford: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 15 March (WA 118), what were the results of the investigations into the cause of the delays in processing the 818 single payment scheme claims; how many of those delays were due to computer problems; and whether the claims have now been processed. Lord Davies of Oldham: Of the 818 claims identified with possible computer problems, we have resolved 281 with such problems and these claims have now been fully processed, enabling payment to be made within the payment window. Investigations continue into the outstanding 537 claims to identify the problems. Consultancy and Advisory Services Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government which external companies have been used for consultancy and advisory work by UK Financial Investments Limited; and what payments have been made to those companies. Lord Myners: UK Financial Investments (UKFI) operates at arm's length from Government and on a commercial basis. UKFI's expenditure will be set out in its financial statements, in accordance with the Companies Act and accounting rules, as part of its annual report and accounts each year. HM Treasury agreed UKFI's overall budget for 2009-10 at £4.5 million, as set out in the UKFI business plan, available at www.ukfi.co.uk. This is a small fraction of the total investments for which UKFI is responsible. In determining which supplier or contractor UKFI selects, it is necessary that this supplier meets the criteria set out in the business case and the request for proposal (RFP) to a level that maximises the value for money for UKFI. Factors that UKFI consider include: quality of goods;experience of personnel;price;timetable for delivery; andvalue-added services included in price over and above the RFP. Decisions will not necessarily be based on lowest price but will be based on a combination of the factors set out above. Consultancy and Advisory Services Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government which external companies have been used for consultancy and advisory work by the Asset Protection Agency and its predecessor body; and what payments have been made to those companies. Lord Myners: The Asset Protection Agency has received advice from Slaughter and May, PricewaterhouseCoopers, Oliver Wyman, KPMG, Ernst & Young, BlackRock, Kreab Gavin Anderson and S. Com. The Asset Protection Agency's annual accounts will include a robust, audited number for consultancy and advisory costs and will be available in the summer. The cost to the Asset Protection Agency of these advisory services will be fully met by RBS. Department of Health: Legal Costs Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what costs the Department of Health has incurred to date in the case of March v Secretary of State for Health; and what is their estimate of the likely total cost the department will incur. Baroness Thornton: Legal advice and services in relation to the case of March v Secretary of State for Health were provided to the department by Department of Health (DH) Legal Services which is part of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Legal Group. DH Legal Services provides a full range of legal services to the department including arranging representation in court. No external consultants were employed in the case. No consultants or law firms were instructed in relation to this cases, although DH Legal Services did instruct counsel. As legal services were provided in-house, additional costs were therefore incurred only in relation to the instruction of counsel. Details of counsel's fees are personal data relating to counsel and so, having regard to the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998, will not released. As the judicial review brought by Mr March has now been heard by the Administrative Court, the department does not expect to incur any further legal costs in connection with the claim. However, the Administrative Court is yet to determine costs of the claim and will do this giving its judgment in the case. Energy: Power Lines Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with One North East about the effect of power lines across the River Tees on attracting foreign direct investment to Teesside. Lord Davies of Abersoch: No conversations have taken place between Government and One North East on this matter. Finance: Individual Savings Accounts Lord Lipsey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the proportionality of the requirement that customers who have not accessed their individual savings account for a year visit a branch to have a declaration read to them before using that account; and to what extent it is compatible with their policy to encourage online transactions. Lord Myners: There is no regulatory requirement for providers to require customers to visit a branch in these circumstances. If an investor does not subscribe to an individual savings account (ISA) for a whole tax year, they must make a fresh application before they can make further subscriptions. This acts as a reminder that they can only subscribe to one ISA of each type per tax year. However, ISA managers are able to accept these applications over the telephone or online, rather than in a branch, should they wish to do so. Government Departments: Expenditure Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much will be saved by each department as a result of the commitment in the Pre-Budget Report 2009 to save 50 per cent of the bill for consultancy and advisory work. To ask Her Majesty's Government how much will be saved by each department as a result of the commitment in the Pre-Budget Report 2009 to save 50 per cent of the Government's advertising bill. Lord Myners: Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have been identified department-by-department for the years from 2012-13, including over £650 million by reducing consultancy spend by 50 per cent and marketing and communications by 25 per cent. Reductions will be calculated from 2008-09 spending levels, as set out in Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009, published alongside Budget. Government Departments: Illegal Immigrants Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many illegal immigrants have been found to be working for the Ministry of Defence and its agencies in each of the past five years. Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Two employees of the Ministry of Defence have been convicted of being illegal immigrants over the past five years. Government Departments: Ministerial Code Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 8 March (WA 12), which departments and ministers were involved in the 16 written instructions provided by ministers to accounting officers since 2005; and what were the matters requiring such instructions. Lord Myners: The information sought is set out below. Date Dept Minister Direction Category 2005 DTI (now BIS) Rt Hon Alan Johnson MP Launch Investment VFM 2006 MoD Rt Hon John Reid MP The Armed Forces Memorial Propriety 2008 BERR (now Bas) Rt Hon John Hutton M P Launch Investment VFM 2008 MoD Rt Hon Des Browne MP Remploy Procurement VFM 2008 HMT Rt Hon Alastair Darling MP Landsbanki VFM 2009 BERR (now BIS) Lord Mandelson Icelandic Water Trawlermen Scheme VFM 2009 BERR (now BIS) Lord Mandelson Advantage West Midlands Loan VFM 2009 MoD Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP Repatriation Flights for UK Hostages in Iraq Propriety 2009 MoD Rt Hon Bob Ainsworth MP Repatriation Flights for UK Hostages in Iraq Propriety 2009 DEFRA Rt Hon Hilary Benn MP Dairy Farmers of Britain VFM 2009 BERR (now BIS) Lord Mandelson Leeds Arena Project VFM 2009 BERR (now BIS) Lord Mandelson Car Scrappage Scheme VFM 2009 BERR (now BIS) Lord Mandelson Car Scrappage Scheme VFM 2009 HMT Rt Hon Alastair Darling MP Asset Protection Scheme Propriety 2010 DCLG Rt Hon John Denham MP Proposals for new unitary local Government structures for Devon, Norfolk and Suffolk VFM 2010 MoJ Rt Hon Jack Straw MP Pleural Plaques Regularity and VFM Government: Expenditure Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the breakdown of the £5 billion of savings from targeting and prioritising spending announced in the 2009 Pre-Budget Report to be achieved by 2012-13, detailing each item forecast to save more than £25 million. Lord Myners: The 2009 Pre-Budget Report announced £5 billion of savings by 2012-13, informed by the early findings of the Public Value Programme. These savings will be delivered through cutting lower value or lower priority spend. Budget 2010 announced further details of these savings, including: reforming the criminal justice system and legal aid, saving £360 million in total: a rigorous process of setting benchmarks and costed service specifications for prisons and probation will save £40 million, with inefficient prisons put out to competition. Five competitions were launched in November. Further savings will be made by improving the management of cases through the system and making better use of the court estate. Twenty magistrates' courts will be closed in the first phase of this work. Reforms to legal aid will include means-testing for Crown Court cases from April 2010, and proposals to restructure the criminal legal aid market by consolidating the number of providers and increasing competition, as set out in Restructuring the Delivery of Criminal Defence Services;improved targeting of housing growth and regeneration funding, saving £340 million: including £40 million by concluding the New Deal for Communities, and a further £300 million from rationalising regional development agency regeneration spending and programmes, including the Working Neighbourhoods Fund, the Local Enterprise Growth Initiative, and the Housing and Planning Delivery Grant;reducing a range of budgets across the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF), saving £350 million: for example, £25 million from the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA), £40 million from the Training and Development Agency, £71 million from the end of extended schools start-up funding and £10.5 million from central administration and communications budgets;improving the concessionary travel scheme, saving £180 million: legislation has been laid to move responsibility for administering the scheme to county councils from April 2011 and to re-establish the link between eligibility for concessionary fares and the state pension from April 2010;reforming or eliminating allowances that are no longer relevant for staff posted overseas: for example by ending the use of business class air travel for journeys lasting less than five hours, saving a total of £13 million; andreducing unlawful occupation of social housing, saving at least £35 million in housing benefit costs; ending smaller Communities and Local Government (CLG) funded time-limited communities programmes, saving £25 million; and rationalising other smaller CLG programmes, saving a total of £160 million. Haiti: Reconstruction Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made in preparing a programme of action for the long-term recovery and development of Haiti; and what contribution they are making towards it. Lord Brett: International agencies in Haiti continue to provide humanitarian relief. The UK has significantly supported this, including sending a UK search and rescue team and a Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship which has delivered equipment, vehicles and other food and non-food items. The UK has provided £20 million for humanitarian support and a UK team remains in Port-au-Prince to oversee delivery of this aid, which has already helped support more than 380,000 people. In anticipation of the reconstruction of Haiti, the UK: provided a humanitarian expert for the team which has produced a draft post-disaster needs assessment; has earmarked a further £2 million for future disaster risk reduction interventions; and, through the Stabilisation Unit, is assisting the Haitian Ministry of Justice to reconstruct three prisons. Several multilateral organisations have already announced support to Haiti's reconstruction. This includes €200 million from the European Commission, $100 million from the World Bank, and $120 million from the Inter-American Development Bank. The UK's share of the reconstruction funding announced by these organisations amounts to approximately $50 million. Health: Contaminated Blood Products Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government why, if, as stated by the Department of Health to the BBC Newsnight programme on 19 March, legislation is not in their view required to implement the recommendations of the Independent Public Inquiry headed by Lord Archer of Sandwell into the consequences for haemophilia patients of the use of contaminated NHS blood and blood products in their treatment, none has been implemented in the way intended; and what consultation they had with Lord Archer before issuing their statement. Baroness Thornton: The Government carefully considered Lord Archer of Sandwell's recommendations before issuing their response, Government's response to Lord Archer's Independent report on NHS supplied contaminated blood and blood products, in May 2009 (a copy of which has already been placed in the Library). The majority of the recommendations were either already in place or will be put in place in one form or another. The actions we set out in that response have now been taken forward. The then Secretary of State for Health (Alan Johnson) and Minister of State for Public Health (Dawn Primarolo) met Lord Archer on 11 March 2009 to discuss his report. Health: Stroke Victims Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase spending on services provided to stroke victims. Baroness Thornton: In the last spending review, we successfully secured additional funding in primary care trust allocations and central funding to implement the National Stroke Strategy, aimed at improving stroke services across the country. Further funding for implementation of the strategy is a matter for the next spending review and it is not possible at this stage to comment on its conclusions. Health: Stroke Victims Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to increase the proportion of stroke patients admitted to a dedicated stroke unit within four hours. Baroness Thornton: NHS 2010-2015: from good to great, a copy of which has been placed in the Library, makes clear that the department is committed to ensuring that all patients get the best treatment and one of these commitments is to further improve access to a dedicated stroke unit for stroke patients. Stroke, therefore, continues to be a high priority for the National Health Service as demonstrated by its tier 1 status in the vital signs in the NHS Operating Framework for 2010-11. This requires that 80 per cent of patients spend 90 per cent or more of their time on a stroke unit by 2011. Primary care trusts' performance in improving stroke services will be measured against this. The Stroke Improvement Programme provides support to the NHS in improving stroke services. Over the next year, it will work with the NHS to go further and faster in achieving improvements in stroke services, including ensuring the timely admission of stroke patients to a dedicated stroke unit, that the strategy seeks to achieve. Health: Stroke Victims Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have measures planned to reduce the incidence of strokes. Baroness Thornton: The stroke strategy set out a 10-year plan to improve and deliver world-class stroke services from prevention through to life long support. It encourages the effective assessment and management of vascular risk factors, and improvements in the information and advice given to people on lifestyle so that they have a better understanding of how to reduce their own risk of having a stroke. The NHS Health Check programme is a systematic programme for everyone between the ages of 40 and 74 to assess their risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes and kidney disease and will support people to reduce or manage their risk through individually tailored advice. Phased implementation of the programme began in April 2009. It has the potential to prevent at least 1,600 heart attacks and strokes each year when fully implemented. The Stroke Improvement Programme, which provides support to the National Health Service in improving stroke services, is also working on prevention projects. For example, it is working with the Heart Improvement Programme, which similarly provides support to the NHS to improve heart services, and has developed commissioning guidance for stroke prevention in primary care, focusing on the role of atrial fibrillation. We estimate that earlier detection and better management of atrial fibrillation could prevent 4,500 strokes per year. More generally, the department has run a series of campaigns to raise both public and professional awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle in reducing the risk of a number of diseases, including stroke. These include Change4Life; Smokefree marketing to motivate people to stop smoking and direct them to NHS information and support; and a campaign on the unseen damage that drinking can cause to long-term health where the link between alcohol and stroke was one of its key messages. Health: Venous Thromboembolism Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase the £192,000 per year they spend on preventing Venous Thromboembolism (blood clots), in light of figures which show that it kills an estimated 25,000 patients in the National Health Service each year. Baroness Thornton: The figure of £192,000 represents the central budget held by the department to support the National Health Service to improve the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). In addition, primary care trust (PCT) revenue allocations will total £84 billion in 2010-11. The department does not break down PCT allocations by policies, at either the national or local level. It is for PCTs to decide their priorities for investment locally, taking into account both local priorities and the NHS Operating Framework. We do not collect information centrally on expenditure by the NHS on preventing VTE. Indonesia Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were their aid programmes for Aceh in 2009-10; and what are their plans for 2010-11. Lord Brett: It has not proved possible to respond to Lord Avebury in the time available before Prorogation. Indonesia Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Indonesia about that Government's payments to the authorities in Aceh under the oil and gas revenue sharing agreement, and about whether the payments are independently audited. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lord in the time available before Prorogation. International Planned Parenthood Federation and UN Population Fund Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have given to (a) the International Planned Parenthood Federation, and (b) the United Nations Population Fund, in each year since 1997; what restrictions they placed on that funding; and what guidance they issued to those organisations in each year since 1997. Lord Brett: It has not proved possible to respond to Lord Alton of Liverpool's Written Question in the time available before Prorogation. However, as agreed in Oral Questions of 8 April 2010, I will send a letter to the noble Lord with a full response. Israel Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel or their representatives in the United Kingdom about Israel's compliance with international law. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK recognises Israel's right to protect its people from attack. However we are also very clear that its actions must adhere with international law. We make frequent representations and statements where we see actions by either party that cause us concern. I made this clear in debate on 6 April, where, in addition to confirming the representations made on illegal settlements, I confirmed "that on a range of issues-from the route of the barrier, to the operation of military courts, to the operation of the permit system which gives Palestinians the right to visit or live in Jerusalem-we are active and we are vocal". Israel Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the European Union and the United Nations and with the Government of the United States about Israel's compliance with international law. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We are in regular dialogue with our key partners from the EU and the UN along with the US on the Middle East peace process and related issues. We support the quartet's statement following its conference in Moscow on 19 March which, amongst other things, called "on Israel and the Palestinians to act on the basis of international law, and on their previous agreements and obligations, in particular adherence to the Roadmap, irrespective of reciprocity". Israel and Palestine Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the United States Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, about the Government of the United States' recent comments regarding the construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian occupied territory. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK is in regular dialogue with the US Administration on the Middle East peace process and related issues. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on 29 March. We and the US are both clear in our opposition to settlement-building. Israel and Palestine Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the killing of two unarmed teenagers in the West Bank of Palestine this week. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The UK is extremely concerned at the recent incidents of violence in Gaza, the West Bank and East Jerusalem. We deeply regret the loss of life and we are given to understand that the Israeli Military Police will be carrying out an investigation into the death of the two teenagers. We will await the results of the investigation. Libya: Abdelbaset al-Megrahi Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 9 March (WA 49), whether the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has asked for copies of the monthly medical reports on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi sent to East Renfrewshire Council under the terms of his release; and whether they will commence monitoring his location in Libya or ask the Scottish Government to do so. Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has not asked for copies of the monthly medical reports on Abdelbaset al-Megrahi sent to East Renfrewshire Council. It would not be appropriate for the FCO to ask the council for confidential medical reports. The FCO have no plans to monitor the location of Megrahi or to ask the Scottish Executive to do so. East Renfrewshire was designated as the local authority responsible for monitoring Megrahi because his family lived in Newton Mearns during his imprisonment in Greenock Prison. It is for the devolved Administration in Scotland to decide how the location and health of Megrahi is monitored and it would therefore not be appropriate for the FCO to ask the Scottish Executive to monitor his location. Mutual Societies Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place copies of the rules, reports, annual accounts and lists of committee members of companies registered as mutual societies in the Library of the House when asked to do so by a member of the House. Lord Myners: Over 8,000 mutual societies are registered with the Financial Services Authority (FSA). Each of these societies is required to place copies of rules, annual accounts and lists of committee members with the FSA. These are public documents, although the FSA charges a search fee for access. National Insurance Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 17 March (WA 193), how many of the 4,285,130 adult overseas nationals registering for national insurance numbers since 2002 made national insurance contributions in the last available year; and how many were from (a) European Union, and (b) non-European Union, countries. Lord Myners: HM Revenue and Customs estimates that 1.25 million European Union and 983,000 non- European Union adult overseas nationals who have registered since January 2002 paid national insurance contributions in the 2008-09 tax year. This is based on a 2 per cent sample of national insurance records. It does not include class 4 contributions. Northern Ireland Prison Service Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the challenges facing the Northern Ireland Prison Service; whether prison officers have requested the removal of some governors; and whether that matter was considered during discussions on the devolution of policing and justice to Northern Ireland. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The challenges facing the Prison Service are kept under constant review by the Prisons Minister and Prison Management. The key challenge facing the Prison Service is the move away from an environment focused on security concerns to one that seeks to engage with inmates to address effectively the causes of offending behaviour. This requires a new approach by prison officers that is being developed as part of a comprehensive programme of workforce reform. Much has already been achieved with the introduction of new sentencing arrangements with the emphasis on risk assessment and the delivery of appropriate programmes. In addition, parts of the prison estate are not fit for purpose and this is being taken forward as part of a comprehensive that strategy which includes the replacement of the prison at Magilligan. Prison Officers have not requested the removal of any governors. Parliament Acts Lord Acton: To ask the Leader of the House how many Acts since 1911 have been passed (a) under the Parliament Acts 1911 and 1949, and (b) during "wash-ups" before general elections. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: (a) A total of seven Acts have been passed under the Parliament Acts. The following Acts were passed under the Parliament Act 1911: the Government of Ireland Act 1914;Welsh Church Act 1914; andParliament Act 1949. The following Acts have been passed since the 1949 Act was passed: War Crimes Act 1991;European Parliamentary Elections Act 1999;Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act 2000; and Hunting Act 2004. (b) Bills may pass through one or more stages during the "wash-up" period between the announcement of the date of a general election and the Prorogation, adjournment or dissolution of Parliament prior to the election. Some of these Bills will already have received extensive scrutiny in one or both Houses; others may be taken through all their stages during the wash-up period. The table below shows the number of bills that received Royal Assent during wash-up before each general election since 1987, together with the stage that each Bill had reached at the beginning of wash-up. Information for general elections between 1911 and 1983 could be provided only at disproportionate cost. 1987 Govt PMB Total Receiving Royal Assent 18 11 29 Not introduced before wash-up 1 1 In 1st House at start of wash-up Total 5 5 completed first reading 1 1 completed second reading 1 1 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee 2 2 completed report Passed by first House, ready to start progress in second House In 2nd House at start of wash-up Total 11 11 22 completed first reading 2 3 5 completed second reading 3 5 8 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee 3 3 6 completed report 2 2 Passed by second House; amendments still to be agreed by first House 1 1 1992 Govt PMB Total Receiving Royal Assent 13 8 21 Not introduced before wash-up 2 2 In 1st House at start of wash-up Total 4 4 completed first reading 1 1 completed second reading 1 1 consisting of in committee completed committee 2 2 completed report Passed by first House, ready to start progress in second House In 2nd House at start of wash-up Total 7 8 15 consisting of completed first reading 2 3 5 completed second reading in committee completed committee 4 5 9 completed report 1 1 Passed by second House; amendments still to be agreed by first House 1997 Govt PMB Total Receiving Royal Assent 26 10 36 Not introduced before wash-up l 1 In 1st House at start of wash-up Total 3 3 completed first reading completed second reading 2 2 consisting of in committee completed committee 1 1 completed report Passed by first House, ready to start progress in second House In 2nd House at start of wash-up Total 22 10 32 completed first reading 7 7 completed second reading 4 6 10 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee 9 4 13 completed report 1 1 Passed by second House; amendments still to be agreed by first House 2001 Govt PMB Total Receiving Royal Assent 11 11 Not introduced before wash-up 1 1 In 1st House at start of wash-up Total 2 2 completed first reading completed second reading 1 1 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee completed report Passed by first House, ready to start progress in second House In 2nd House at start of wash-up Total Total 7 7 completed first reading completed second reading 3 3 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee 3 3 completed report Passed by second House; amendments still to be agreed by first House 1 1 2005 Govt PMB Total Receiving Royal Assent 14 14 Not introduced before wash-up 2 2 In 1st House at start of wash-up Total consisting of completed first reading completed second reading in committee completed committee completed report Passed by first House, ready to start progress in second House In 2nd House at start of wash-up Total 11 11 completed first reading 1 1 completed second reading 5 5 consisting of in committee 1 1 completed committee 2 2 completed report 2 2 Passed by second House; amendments still to be agreed by first House 1 1 Police: Northern Ireland Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 15 March (WA 168), for what particular purposes the £800 million funding agreed in the context of devolution of policing and justice in Northern Ireland was intended, which would not have been allocated had the devolution of policing and justice not occurred. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The funding was predicated on the creation of a new justice department. Privy Council Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements exist for the scrutiny and assessment of the integrity of those nominated to Her Majesty's Privy Council; and whether they propose any modification to those arrangements. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: It is for the Prime Minister to recommend members of the Privy Council for the Queen's approval. The Prime Minister may want to consult accordingly before doing so. Public Expenditure Lord Bates: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Liam Byrne, on 26 February (Official Report, Commons, col. 806W), what is the cash value of Government spending on marketing and communications in 2009-10 on which the projection of a 25 per cent cut was based. Lord Myners: Budget 2010 announced that over £11 billion of savings have now been identified by department for the years from 2012-13. This includes the consultancy, marketing and communications cuts which were identified based on 2008-09 spending levels, currently the most recent financial year that spending levels are available for. The 2008-09 spend is set out in the Public Sector Procurement Expenditure Survey 2009, published alongside Budget. Red Squirrels Baroness Quin: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of red squirrels in Northumberland in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007, (d) 2008, and (e) 2009. Lord Davies of Oldham: There is no reliable estimate of the red squirrel population because it is very difficult to carry out an accurate census; therefore no assessment has been made of the numbers of red squirrels in Northumberland. In the areas where red squirrel populations remain, the densities can vary between 1 and 0.1 squirrels per hectare. Numbers are subject to significant fluctuation depending on environmental factors and breeding success. Schools: Admissions Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May on the making of provision for those with special needs, including identifying, assessing, and supporting those with special needs. To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May on the transition process from nursery to school in (a) rural and (b) urban areas. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the impact particularly in rural areas of setting the admissions timetable for entering the reception year at primary school to end in May. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: An impact assessment on the four year-old proposals can be viewed at http://www.dcsf.gov.uk/sacode/downloads/Impact%2OAssessment.doc. A response to the Lords Merits Committee's supplementary questions on the impact on the private, voluntary and independent (PVI) sector has also been published. The DCSF periodically reviews the admissions system to monitor the effectiveness of admissions and intervene when necessary in order to improve the system. A DCSF-led consultative group which includes all main stakeholders also meets termly to assist in the review and development of admissions policy. Schools: Church Schools Lord Glenarthur: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Church of England day schools there are in central Liverpool; how many pupils attend each one; whether there are any vacancies for pupils; what are the staff-pupil ratios; and what are their average class sizes. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Information for Church of England schools in Liverpool local authority is shown in the table below. Church of England schools1 in Liverpool local authority January 2009 School Name Number of pupils 2 Pupil:Teacher Ratio 3 Average Class Size 4 Surplus Places St Margaret's Anfield Church of England Primary School 440 22.8 27.7 4 Kirkdale St Lawrence CofE Primary School 210 20.1 25.0 102 St Cleopas' Church of England Junior Mixed and Infant School 230 18.2 27.3 10 St Silas Church of England Primary School 170 16.1 24.0 43 Wavertree Church of England School 180 15.1 19.8 38 The Beacon Church of England Primary School 190 18.9 23.1 0 Garston Church of England Primary School 110 18.2 22.0 40 Bishop Martin Church of England Primary School 200 23.4 28.4 11 St Anne's (Stanley) Junior Mixed and Infant School 360 21.3 22.7 101 Saint Margaret of Antioch CofE (Aided) Primary School 110 10.5 15.1 85 St Mary's Church of England Primary School, West Derby 210 23.7 30.4 0 Childwall Church of England Primary School 340 24.7 31.1 0 Arnot St Mary CofE Primary School 420 18.0 26.0 53 Archbishop Blanch CofE VA High School, A Technology College and Training School 920 15.4 19.9 134 St Margaret's Church of England High School 1,000 15.3 21.3 0 St Hilda's Church of England High School 860 15.3 19.5 0 Source: School Census and Surplus Places Survey 1. Includes primary and secondary schools. 2. Includes solely registered pupils only. Figures rounded to nearest 10. 3. Pupil:Teacher Ratios relate full-time equivalent pupil numbers in these schools to full-time equivalent qualified teacher numbers in these schools from the School Census. 4. One teacher classes as taught during a single selected period in each school on the day of the census in January. Schools: Foreign Languages Baroness Coussins: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will upgrade to a mandatory target the current benchmark that 50 to 90 per cent of pupils should study a language until the end of key stage 4, in line with the recommendation of the Worton Review. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: We have no plans to do so. We are considering a range of policies for boosting take up at key stage 4. Our focus is on making learning more engaging to encourage increased take up. We made languages optional in 2004 to give young people more choice and flexibility, in particular for work-related and vocational learning. Setting a mandatory target for language learning would make the curriculum at this level less flexible. Unemployment The Earl of Dundee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reduce unemployment through full-time volunteering schemes such as those deployed by ProjectScotland. Lord McKenzie of Luton: People receiving jobseeker's allowance can take part in unlimited volunteering, provided they still meet the requirements for receiving jobseeker's allowance. In addition to this, Project Scotland and Jobcentre Plus work together to help jobseekers access volunteering opportunities that would enable them to gain valuable work experience and skills. As part of the Government's support for the unemployed, we introduced the six-month offer, which includes volunteering opportunities to jobseekers who find themselves out of work for six months or more. The lead broker in Scotland for the volunteering option of the six-month offer is Volunteer Development Scotland. Waste Management: Compost Sites Lord Redesdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency's rules on the use of bioaerosols take account of certain background levels of bioaerosols being naturally higher than the agency's suggested guidance levels. Lord Davies of Oldham: The Environment Agency accounted for background levels of bioaerosols when it issued its 2001 position and when it revised the position in 2007. The Environment Agency will take this into account during any further review of the position. Waste Management: Compost Sites Lord Redesdale: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether composting companies will be reimbursed for any development and operational costs incurred due to the Environment Agency's revised policy statement on bioaerosols. Lord Davies of Oldham: It is for the operator to decide the best course of action for their business and to meet the cost of fulfilling the regulatory requirements. The Environment Agency does not reimburse operator costs associated with complying with the law. The Environment Agency is reviewing its current position and the way that bioaerosols are monitored and regulated. Should a further revision be required, the need for a financial impact assessment will be considered. The Environment Agency has a duty to ensure that waste is recovered or disposed of without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment. Young People's Learning Agency Lord De Mauley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what efficiency gains they expect the Young People's Learning Agency to make in 2010-11. Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: Efficient operation and value for money are clear priorities for the Young People's Learning Agency (YPLA) and the identification of opportunities to improve value for money and excellence of delivery will be an important part of the successful delivery of their remit. The YPLA came into effect on 1 April 2010, and 2010-11 will therefore be its first year of operation. YPLA budgets will be confirmed annually in a grant letter. The administration budget contained in the grant letter for 2010-11 will already reflect the level of efficiency at which we want the YPLA to operate in its first year and will form a baseline against which subsequent efficiencies can be determined.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2010-04-08a

Arms Trade Treaty Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Warsi on 24 September (WS 72), what steps they are taking to ensure progress towards an Arms Trade Treaty. Baroness Warsi: The UK is co-authoring a resolution at the UN General Assembly First Committee, currently underway in New York, to set the timing and modalities for a further short conference in March 2013 to finalise work on the Arms Trade Treaty. The UK will continue to lead international efforts to secure a robust and effective treaty that enjoys the support of the widest possible range of states. Arms Trade Treaty Lord McConnell of Glenscorrodale: To ask Her Majesty's Government which areas of the current draft text of the Arms Trade Treaty they will seek to improve; and what steps they will take to address any deficiencies. Baroness Warsi: The UK is committed to securing a robust and effective Arms Trade Treaty that enjoys the support of the widest possible range of states, and to continuing its leading role in the UN process. The UK is co-authoring a UN resolution that will set the timing and modalities for a further conference to finalise work on the treaty in March 2013. Discussions are continuing and it is therefore not appropriate for me to elaborate on the UK's negotiating positions ahead of a possible conference next year. We will continue to work with the international community, civil society and the UK defence industry to secure the highest possible standards in a treaty with the broadest support of the UN membership. Bailiffs Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will respond to the consultation, Transforming Bailiff Action, which concluded on 14 May. Lord McNally: The Government plan to publish the response to the Transforming Bailiff Action consultation this autumn. Bovine Tuberculosis Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of recent claims that the proposed badger cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset could increase the incidence of tuberculosis in the cattle herd. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will halt the proposed badger cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset until the scientific evidence has been more fully assessed by government and industry scientists. Lord De Mauley: On advice from the NFU, Defra has agreed to postpone the two planned badger culling pilots, in West Somerset and West Gloucestershire, until summer 2013 to allow farmers to continue their preparations and have the best possible chance of carrying out the cull effectively. Defra veterinary and scientific advice is that badger culling in high cattle TB incidence areas, carried out in line with the strict licence criteria, will reduce the number of infected badgers and thus reduce the weight of TB infection in badger populations in the treatment area. The badger cull policy is based on evidence from the randomised badger culling trial (RBCT). Using the results of this trial (based on an average of five years' culling plus a four-year post-cull period), culling over an area of 150 km2 could be expected to lead to an average 16% reduction in TB incidence in the local area. This figure was agreed by an independent panel of scientists at a meeting with Professor Bob Watson, Defra's then chief scientific adviser. A summary of the key conclusions from this meeting is available on the Defra website at: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/ farmanimal/diseases/atoz/tb/documents/bovinetb-scientificexperts-110404.pdf. Badgers typically live in social groups of four to seven animals, with defined territorial boundaries. Culling disrupts the organisation of these social groups, which causes surviving badgers to range more widely than they would normally and come into contact more often with other animals, including both cattle and other badgers. This is called perturbation. It is for this reason that applicants for culling licences must put in place reasonable measures to mitigate the risk to non-participating farmers and landowners of a potential increase in confirmed new incidents of TB in vulnerable livestock within the culled area and in the 2 km ring surrounding the culled area. There are minimum biosecurity requirements and applicants must make use of barriers and buffers, such as motorways, rivers and coastlines, in addition to vaccination, where practical at the boundary of the culling areas. Evidence from the RBCT post-trial analysis shows that the rise in cattle TB incidence observed in the adjacent 2 km ring around a culled area (the perturbation effect) had disappeared by 12-18 months after culling stops. Embryology Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the work by Professor John Gurdon and Professor Shinya Yamanaka on stem cell technology which avoids the destruction of human embryos, whether they will reassess the public funding and licensing of experiments on human embryos that lead to their destruction, and the creation of animal-human hybrid embryos. Lord Marland: The award of the Nobel prize for Medicine to Professor Gordon and Professor Yamanaka recognises the value of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) as tools for understanding disease mechanisms and the great promise iPSC offers for the development of medical therapies. Regenerative medicine is an important component of the Government's life science strategy. In March 2012, the research councils and the Technology Strategy Board published A Strategy for UK Regenerative Medicine. The strategy was developed through wide consultation with research opinion leaders and sets out objectives for translating increasing biological understanding into clinical impacts that will benefit both patients and the UK economy. The strategy highlights the potential of iPSC technology to support developments in the field and provide more representative models of disease. In line with this strategy, the Medical Research Council (MRC) continues to support all forms of stem cell research. The MRC currently funds research grants addressing iPSC technology and application and supports two research centres working on iPSC, one in Edinburgh and another in Cambridge, the latter in partnership with the Wellcome Trust. Currently there are considerable uncertainties about the broader utility of iPSC and the biology of the reprogramming process, the optimal derivation technology or the precise tissue sourcing of the donor cells are not yet fully understood. Questions over the safety profile of iPSC also need to be resolved before they can be used in human transplantation, and as a consequence the regulatory requirements for developing iPSC-based therapeutics have yet to be ascertained. In contrast the first human clinical trials using human embryonic stem cell lines have now just begun, with the likelihood that such lines will form the mainstay of proof of concept studies for human pluripotent stem cell lines in the near term. Employment: Health and Safety Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of health and safety compliance by self-employed workers. Lord Freud: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) would not normally have contact with self-employed workers in low risk occupations. In higher risk occupations, where there is the potential to harm others, HSE has no robust evidence of an overall difference in health and safety compliance between self-employed and employed workers. Under the proposals, which are currently the subject of consultation, self-employed workers in the latter category will continue to be subject to the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and related legislative requirements. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel about the alleged targeted airstrike carried out on 7 October in the Al-Brazil neighbourhood of Gaza. Baroness Warsi: We are aware of the Israeli airstrike carried out recently on the Al-Brazil neighbourhood in Gaza. We remain concerned about Israeli air-strikes and other attacks by the Israeli military on Gaza, as well as continued indiscriminate rocket attacks by Palestinian militant groups on Israel. We have encouraged all sides to show restraint and seek to reduce tensions. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Qatar concerning the reconstruction of Gaza. Baroness Warsi: The British Government have had regular discussions with the Qatari authorities over Qatari financial support for the Palestinian Authority. We will continue to engage closely with Qatar and other international partners to further action to ensure the urgent needs of the Palestinian people are met. Government Departments: Retirement Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) men, and (2) women, employed by the Department for Education took early retirement in each month since 2006; and what were the reasons for such retirements in each case. To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) men, and (2) women, broken down by age group, are currently employed by the Department for Education. Lord Hill of Oareford: The table attached as Annex 1 shows the numbers of staff who took early retirement from the department (or its predecessors). The actual reasons for the early retirements are not recorded. At 30 September 2012 the headcount figures for the Department were: 16-24 25-29 30-34 35-39 40-44 45-49 50-54 55-59 60-64 65+ Total Female 50 204 385 315 367 397 321 198 70 7 2,314 Male 25 109 199 224 263 271 243 166 57 9 1566 Annex 1 Number of staff who left the Department for Education on early retirement. Jan Feb March April May June July Aug Sept Oct Nov Dec Total 2006 Male 1 9 10 Female 7 1 8 2007 Male 7 2 3 1 1 1 1 1 11 28 Female 8 5 1 11 10 26 2008 Male 1 1 12 2 1 1 1 19 Female 1 12 4 1 21 21 2009 Male 0 Female 1 1 2 2010 Male 1 4 5 Female 1 3 1 27 2011 Male 0 Female1 1 2012 Male 1 1 2 Female 1 1 Israel Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of Israel regarding the repeated destructions of the village of Al-Araqib. Baroness Warsi: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt) met Minister Benny Begin, who is overseeing implementation of the Prayer Plan, in January 2012 to raise our concerns and encourage further dialogue between the Israeli Government and Bedouin representatives. He saw Minister Begin again on 12 July 2012 who confirmed that extensive consultations with the Bedouin community are underway and that a revised Israeli Government plan will be issued shortly. We hope that this process will result in an agreed and satisfactory solution. Israel and Palestine Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Israel and BG Group about developing and commercialising gas fields off the Gazan coast. Baroness Warsi: We have had a number of discussions in recent years with the Government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority and British Gas about the Gaza Marine gas field. The gas fields of the Occupied Palestinian Territories potentially represent a valuable economic resource for the Palestinian people and will help enable the financial sustainability of the future Palestinian state, a goal we strongly support. We therefore welcome recently renewed talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority to enable the development of the Gaza Marine gas field. Nigeria Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they co-operate with the Government of Nigeria on internal security training, equipment and intelligence sharing. Baroness Warsi: We share expertise on human rights compliant counterterrorism policy, legal frameworks and doctrine with the Nigerian authorities. Our high commission in Abuja regularly discusses the security situation with Nigerian officials. It is long-standing British Government policy not to comment on matters of intelligence. In 2010 a UK-funded joint maritime security training centre was opened in Lagos. As part of the training package, the UK also loaned a number of training boats to the centre. We have supported a small, permanent British military assistance training team, which replaced the British defence advisory team in 2008. These teams have provided human rights compliant training and advice to the Nigerian Armed Forces. Nigeria Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Commonwealth states and agencies are assisting the Government of Nigeria in its efforts to combat corruption; and, if so, how. Baroness Warsi: Commonwealth states recognise the damaging effect of corruption on political, economic and social development. In 2003 Commonwealth heads of government reaffirmed their commitment to tackling corruption as part of the Aso Rock Declaration. Corruption is a particular problem in a number of Commonwealth countries, including Nigeria. The Commonwealth, through its secretariat, has offered training and provided technical assistance that promotes transparent and accountable practice in the public and private sectors in Nigeria. Recently this has included a roundtable on regulation of private equity and pensions in Nigeria. The British Government also work bilaterally to tackle corruption. Accountability and transparency are essential elements of our bilateral assistance programme. For example, a project run by our high commission supported the implementation of Nigeria's Freedom of Information Act through delivery of training to civil society, media and government groups on their rights and responsibilities under the Act. The Department for International Development also provides advice and expertise on budget reform and supports anti-corruption agencies and justice and security institutions in Nigeria. North Korea Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what they consider to be the status of persons escaping from North Korea for economic or political reasons; whether they consider that they should be allowed safe passage to resettlement in third countries; and what information they hold about the journeys currently being undertaken by escapees seeking safe passage to South Korea. Baroness Warsi: The British Government believe that people who have escaped from North Korea are entitled to protection under the International Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951) and the protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (1967). The Government have received reports from defectors and through the media that suggest escapees have undertaken journeys through China, Mongolia and south-east Asia to reach South Korea, as well as directly into South Korea itself. Public Bodies Act 2011 Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government which bodies listed in Schedule 1 to the Public Bodies Act 2011 have been abolished under Section 1 of that Act. To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the starting date of each consultation that has been held under Section 10 of the Public Bodies Act 2011 in advance of the Minister making an order to abolish a public body; and which of those consultations have been concluded. To ask Her Majesty's Government in respect of which bodies listed in Schedule 1 to the Public Bodies Act 2011 they intend to hold a consultation under Section 10 of the Act in advance of the Minister making an order to abolish a public body; and when they will announce the consultation in each case. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: This Government are undertaking an ambitious programme of reform of public bodies. The reforms will increase accountability, cut duplication of activity and reduce the overall cost of the public bodies landscape. To date, the total number of public bodies that have been abolished under Section 1 of the Public Bodies Act is 27, along with a number of statutory advisory committees of the Environment Agency. The bodies that have been abolished under Section 1 are listed below, along with the month in which consultation commenced: Public Body Consultation Start Date Abolition Date Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission October 2011 July 2012 NESTA October 2011 April 2012 Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances July 2011 July 2012 Environment Protection Advisory Committee November 2011 September 2012 Regional and Local Fisheries Advisory Committees November 2011 September 2012 Inland Waterways Advisory Council August 2011 July 2012 Courts Boards (x 19) July 2011 May 2012 HM Inspectorate of Court Administration July 2011 September 2012 Public Guardian Board July 2011 September 2012 Crown Court Rule Committee July 2011 September 2012 Magistrates' Courts Rule Committee July 2011 September 2012 All consultations must have been concluded prior to an order being laid as stipulated under the Public Bodies Act 2011. By the end of the spending review period in March 2015 the Government will have reduced the overall number of public bodies by a third. The Public Bodies Act is already playing a significant role in this programme of reform. The Government will hold a consultation in relation to the abolition of each and every body listed in Schedule 1 to the Public Bodies Act. Section 10 of the Act, which was added by government amendment in the House of Lords, stipulates that consultation must have occurred prior to a Minister bringing forward a draft order for scrutiny by Parliament. While the precise dates of future consultations are not available in all cases, Ministers must have started consultation at least 12 weeks prior to them bringing forward a draft order.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2012-11-01a

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Arts: Migrant Workers Lord Stevenson of Balmacara: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to permit exemptions to the proposed immigration skills charge for companies in the creative industries where such companies contribute through voluntary levies to the Creative Skillset Skills Investment Fund, or to the collective arrangements to fund training that are currently in force. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is considering carefully the Migration Advisory Committee’s recommendations on the rate and scope of the Immigration Skills Charge. This includes considering the impact on sectors with other skills levies or charges in place. In advance of finalising the regulations that will introduce the charge from April 2017, we will take account of evidence about the likely impact on different types of organisation. Small Businesses: Apprentices Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding will be available to firms which are too small to pay the Apprenticeship Levy when it is introduced in 2017 to enable them to continue to offer, or begin to offer, apprenticeships, and how much those firms will have to contribute themselves. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Employers with a pay bill of less than £3 million will not have to pay the levy. This is more than 98% of all employers. These employers will continue to have access to government funding to support apprenticeships. We will provide further details on the support available later this year. Apprentices: Taxation Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, after the introduction of the Apprenticeship Levy, incentive payments will continue to be made available for (1) small firms offering apprenticeships, (2) apprenticeships offered to 16–18 year olds, and (3) successfully completed apprenticeships. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: In English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 vision we set out our plans for introducing a simple and transparent funding model alongside the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. We want this to continue to encourage employers to take on 16-18 year old apprenticeships, as well as encourage take up of the higher quality training offered by apprenticeship standards. Further information on new arrangements will be made available by the summer. Apprentices Lord Aberdare: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering introducing a more streamlined process to become a registered training organisation in order to encourage more employers to deliver their own specialist apprenticeship training. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We have committed to streamline the process to reduce barriers to new training providers entering the market and joining the Register of Training Organisations, so that there is a broad and flexible range of high quality providers of apprenticeship training. We will consult with employers to help us determine what this process should look like in the future. We recognise the important contribution of employers that provide apprenticeship training and want to ensure this continues. Department of Health Liverpool Women's Hospital Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of building the Liverpool Women’s Hospital, and whether it was built under a private finance initiative scheme. Lord Prior of Brampton: This information is not available centrally. This information may be obtained from the Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust. We have written to Robert Clarke, Chair of the Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust informing him of the noble Lord’s enquiry. He will reply shortly and a copy of the letter will be placed in the Library. Department for Energy and Climate Change Natural Gas: EU Action Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 24 February (HL6131) concerning a proposal by the EU to requisition member states' gas supplies under certain circumstances, whether such a policy would require (1) parliamentary consent, and (2) a referendum. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: There is no suggestion in the proposals that the EU will requisition Member States’ gas supplies. The proposals are at a very early stage and we are engaging with the Commission to ensure that the final version is practical and proportionate. The proposals do not involve any agreement by the UK to transfer power or competence to the EU. These proposals are subject to the usual scrutiny process of both Houses. Hinkley Point C Power Station Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth on 10 March (HL Deb, col 1406), whether the 60 per cent of jobs guaranteed in the supply chain for Hinkley Point remain guaranteed for the third nuclear plant and beyond, with which the Chinese are fully involved. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The government is working to maximise the economic and social benefits accruing to the UK local and national economies as the result of the development of all new UK nuclear power stations. The developers of New Nuclear Power Plants, Hinkley Point C located in Somerset, Wylfa Newydd on the Isle of Anglesey and Moorside in West Cumbria are all working towards ensuring that 60% or more is spent with UK companies For further proposed new build including Sizewell C in Suffolk, Oldbury in South Gloucestershire & Bradwell in Essex, the Government is working with the new build developers to match or better this percentage for work placed with UK firms. Nuclear Power Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the recommendations of the Report from the Science and Technology Committee Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities (3rd Report, Session 2010–12, HL Paper 221), particularly the development of a long-term strategy for nuclear energy looking beyond 2025, have been taken forward. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: Government provided a response to the Science and Technology Committee’s Nuclear Research and Development Capabilities Report in February 2012, setting out the actions that would be undertaken in response to the Committee’s recommendations. The response is attached. Subsequently, Government worked with both Industry and Academia to develop and publish the Nuclear Industrial Strategy and a number of supporting documents in March 2013. The strategy set out, in detail, ambitions and plans for the role of nuclear in the UK energy mix to 2050 and beyond. The Nuclear Industrial Strategy also set out the remit for the creation of both the Nuclear Industrial Council and the Nuclear Innovation and Research Advisory Board (NIRAB), to provide advice, assistance and coordination across the relevant parties in the nuclear landscape. A working group was also created under the umbrella of the Low Carbon Innovation Coordination Group (LCICG) to better coordinate public sector spending in this area.In the recent Spending Review, the first since the Committee’s Report, Government announced at least £250m of funding for nuclear R&D. This funding is made up of 2 components: 1) an ambitious nuclear R&D programme; 2) a competition to select the best value Small Modular Reactor design for the UK. Nuclear: 2012 Govt Resp, HoL Science & Tech Cttee (PDF Document, 157.74 KB) Electricity Generation Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Prime Minister on 9 March that "we have to make sure that we get cost-effective electricity and that we go green at the lowest cost" (HC Deb, col 276), why they have decided not to support the Swansea Lagoon project but are supporting the Hinkley Point nuclear power station, in particular in the light of the Hinkley Point project’s uncertain completion date. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: The negotiations regarding a Contract for Difference for the proposed Swansea Bay Tidal lagoon remain ongoing. Tidal Lagoon Power (TLP) have put forward a number of alternative proposals to their 35 year strike price proposal and as these would be a significant deviation from Government policy it is right that we take time to consider these proposals as part of the on-going due diligence process.Beyond the consideration of TLP’s alternative proposals the independent review, which Government announced on the 10 February, we will consider alternative approaches to financing tidal lagoons more generally, providing an evidence base to ensuring decisions are taken in the best interest of bill-payers – both today and in the future.While we have made good progress with the TLP the review will need to have been completed before a final decision can be made on the Swansea Bay proposal. Hinkley Point C would be a good deal for consumers – support for Hinkley would deliver around 7% of the country’s electricity needs with secure and reliable, low-carbon power.We remain confident that the deal on Hinkley Point C will go ahead. We intend to publish a summary of the Value for Money assessment for Hinkley along with the contracts, once the documents have been entered into.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2016-03-18

Rural Policing Baroness Cohen of Pimlico: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether improvements in rural policing will result from the £15 million announced on 15 June (WA 211). Lord Bassam of Brighton: Chief officers will target the money as they see fit, keeping their local communities informed of where improvements can be expected. Guidance to be issued under the Local Government Act 1999 will require those police authorities which were given a share of the money to provide a clear account in their Best Value Performance Plans. For the previous year they will set out: what improvement they sought with the money, which Best Value Performance Indicators (BVPIs) were used to measure their performance, and how they performed. For the forthcoming year, they will detail: what improvement they seek and which BVPIs will be used to measure that. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary will inspect forces on the basis of that statement. Prisons: Purchase of Computer Equipment Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What powers the Governors of HM Prisons have to order small items of information technology capital equipment such as printer replacements. Lord Bassam of Brighton: On 29 February 2000, HM Prison Service and Electronic Data Systems Ltd (EDS) entered into a contractual partnership agreement (Public Finance Initiative/Public Private Partnership) for the provision to include the supply of IT and telephony services. Following contract award, we entered a period of transition designed to prepare for the transfer of responsibilities and capabilities to EDS. EDS assumed responsibility formally on 3 July 2000. This is known as Cutover date. The term of the partnership is for 12 years, with the replacement of existing infrastucture to take place gradually across the service in the first two years following Cutover. A user guide was issued in June explaining to all Prison Service managers how to use the EDS service in the interim. For example, faulty or broken equipment will be repaired or replaced by EDS in response to a call to their helpdesk. Police Officers: Retirement on Health Grounds Lord Bradshaw: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, when consideration is given to eligibility for ill health retirement under the Police Pensions Regulations, it is appropriate in modern circumstances to require that the applicant should be able to fulfil the full range of duties of a constable. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under the Police Pensions Regulations an officer may be retired on the grounds of permanent disablement if he or she is unable to perform the "ordinary duties of a male or female member of the force". The term "ordinary duties" is not defined further. In practice, forces have tended to adopt a flexible approach and have normally considered whether an officer is able to carry out sufficient of the duties for the rank concerned to make retention operationally justified. This approach has, however, been called into question by a determination of the Court of Appeal this year that a police officer's "ordinary duties" should be interpreted to include operational duties. This interpretation may result in more officers being certified to be permanently disabled from performing the ordinary duties of a police officer. Under the regulations it is, however, a matter for the police authority to decide whether or not the officer should be retired on health grounds. If there is a sufficient range of duties that the officer is capable of undertaking, there is no requirement for the police authority to set a date for retirement. There are, however, clear grounds for amending the current regulations so that it is put beyond doubt that a police officer is not permanently disabled if able to perform a sufficient range of the duties expected of his or her rank. We will be consulting the police service about the precise terms of revised regulations shortly. Electoral Registration Form: Distribution with Additional Material Lord Lipsey: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they approve of local authorities distributing voluntary questionnaires to householders with the statutory form for the electoral register; whether they have examined the distribution by the London Borough of Lambeth of a survey on energy efficiency attached to the electoral registration form; and whether they have estimated the effect of such practices on the level of electoral registration. Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is left to individual Electoral Registration Officers to decide on the best and most efficient way of conducting their annual canvass of electors. It is an offence under paragraph 29 of the Representation of the People Regulations 1986 to fail to complete, or to complete falsely, an electoral registration form. The overall rate of registration remains high, at over 95 per cent nationally. I understand that the Electoral Registration Officer in Lambeth considers that the inclusion of an energy efficiency survey form in each of the last three years has not affected the rate of voter registration. Criminal Record: Definition Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the definition of a criminal record. Lord Bassam of Brighton: There is no definition of a criminal record for all purposes. A criminal record is most commonly taken to mean a record of convictions at court. General Abacha: Assets Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether four months ago the Nigerian Government requested assistance from the British Government to trace money looted and then laundered by Nigeria's former ruler, General Abacha, as reported in the Financial Times of 20 October; and if so, what was the Government's response. Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is the Home Office's practice to treat letters of request for assistance in criminal matters from foreign governments confidentially, as communications between two states. We are normally therefore unable to confirm or deny that we have received a request. However, given the press coverage already received by this matter, we can confirm that in June 2000 the Home Office received a request from the Nigerian Government to trace and freeze assets alleged to have been illegally removed from Nigeria by the late Sani Abacha and his family and associates. Our response was to consider the request in the context of the requirements of the UK legislation governing mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, in this case the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Designated Countries and Territories) Order 1991, as amended. We have asked for further information from the Nigerian Government, and it is this information which we are now awaiting. To proceed without having established all the relevant facts could render the Secretary of State liable to legal challenge through a judicial review. General Abacha: Assets Lord Moynihan: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, at the request of the Nigerian authorities, Switzerland and Liechtenstein have frozen funds believed to have been looted by General Abacha, Nigeria's former ruler, and his family, and deposited in accounts in those countries; and whether the United Kingdom Government have agreed to freeze similar funds believed to have been deposited in the United Kingdom. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Home Office understands that Switzerland and Liechtenstein have frozen assets alleged to have been removed from Nigeria by the late General Abacha and his associates. The UK Government can agree to freeze any similar funds that may have been deposited in the United Kingdom only once they have ensured that all the requirements for carrying out the request for asset freezing have been satisfied. Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 Lord Dholakia: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the review, announced last year, of the rehabilitation periods contained in the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 has not yet started; when it will start; and what will be the form of the review. Lord Bassam of Brighton: My right honourable friend the Home Secretary has been considering whether a more comprehensive review of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 should be undertaken. He hopes to make an announcement shortly. London String of Pearls Millennium Festival Lord Harrison: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether the London String of Pearls Millennium Festival is proving to be a success; and whether they will encourage such national treasures along the River Thames to consider opening to the public on a permanent basis. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The London String of Pearls Millennium Festival, to which the Millennium Commission awarded a grant of £50,000, is proving to be a great success and will continue through to the end of the year. Highlights so far include an exhibition of the Goldsmith's Company's private collection of 20th Century Silver, Gold, Jewellery and Art medals; the public opening of Custom House, and the "Voters of the Future" exhibition in Westminster Hall. Many of the landmark buildings involved in the Festival, such as the Tate Galleries and the Globe are open to the public all year round. It would clearly be difficult for working buildings such as the Royal Courts of Justice and Lambeth Palace to be open to the public all year round beyond that access which is normally allowed. The Government do, however, agree that their buildings should be accessible to the public as often as possible and they support such initiatives as Heritage Open Days. Sir Richard Branson Lord Luke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have met Sir Richard Branson since the passage of the National Lottery Act 1998. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The former Minister for Sport, Mr Tony Banks, met Sir Richard Branson on 24 June 1999 to discuss the work of the Tobacco Task Force. No other Minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has met Sir Richard Branson since the passage of the National Lottery Act 1998. Sir Richard Branson Lord Brabazon of Tara: asked Her Majesty's Government: When Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport next plan to meet Sir Richard Branson. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have no plans at present to meet Sir Richard Branson. Sir Richard Branson Lord Brabazon of Tara: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether any Ministers in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have discussed the issue of the next National Lottery licence with Sir Richard Branson since the passage of the National Lottery Act 1998. Lord McIntosh of Haringey: No Minister in the Department for Culture, Media and Sport has discussed the next National Lottery licence with Sir Richard Branson since the passage of the National Lottery Act 1998. European Council, Biarritz Lord Palmer: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the total cost of their representation at the informal European Council in Biarritz. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe attended the informal European Council in Biarritz. The cost of air travel for Ministers and accompanying officials was £17,000. It is not yet possible to provide a figure for the total cost of representation at the informal Council as some bills have yet to be submitted. Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties Baroness Serota: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they plan to respond to the Second Report of the House of Commons Procedure Committee of Session 1999-2000: Parliamentary Scrutiny of Treaties (HC210). Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government's response to the Procedure Committee's report was presented to Parliament yesterday in the form of an unnumbered Command Paper. Copies are available from the Printed Paper Office. BBC World Service: Relocation to Broadcasting House Baroness Serota: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they support the recent decision of the BBC to move the BBC World Service to Broadcasting House. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The BBC announced on 30 October that the BBC World Service will move from Bush House to Broadcasting House at the end of 2006. We welcome and endorse this decision, about which we have been kept fully informed. We are confident that the World Service will maintain in Broadcasting House the standards and traditions that have made it the world's best known and most respected voice in international broadcasting. The new location will be better suited than Bush House to enable the World Service to meet the challenges of the digital age--for which the Government made available an additional £64 million in the recent Spending Review--and to work to maximum effect with key BBC partners. It also offers better value for money than remaining at Bush House. British-Russian and British East-West Centres: Annual Report Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the annual report of the British-Russian Centre/British East-West Centre will be available. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Copies of the centres' annual report for Financial Year 1999-2000 were placed in the Library of the House last week. The centres received grant-in-aid from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of £230,850 to support their activities in 1999-2000. In addition, the centres secured funding of £257,130 for direct expenditure on projects. The centres manage projects to promote and support the development of democratic institutions and the rule of law and society in Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Activities last year included organisation of the UK team of OSCE observers to the Russian Duma elections, hosting a human rights seminar in Minsk, co-hosting a conference on the Russian economy and organising visits and lectures. The FCO's Quinquennial Review of the centres in 1999 confirmed that the centres continued to make a valuable contribution to the strengthening of bilateral relations with Russia, Eastern Europe and Central Asia. The review's main recommendation was that the FCO's grant-in-aid should be spent on the project work of the centres and that membership activities should become self-financing. The centres have begun to implement this recommendation. Kosovo: Hydraulic Lifting Equipment Export Licence Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they approved the issue of an export licence to supply hydraulic lifting equipment to Kosovo for use by the Irish Kosovo Force (KFOR) contingent. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: We are happy to approve an export licence for the supply of spare parts for the maintenance of hydraulic lifting systems for use by the Irish KFOR contingent. The goods will assist KFOR in the valuable work they are doing reconstructing a peaceful Kosovo. These goods appear on the UK's Military List. UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1160 (1998) prohibits the supply of arms and related material to the FRY. However, UNSCR 1244 (1999) provides that the prohibitions imposed by SCR 1160 shall not apply to the sale or supply of arms and related material for use by the international civil and security presence in Kosovo. UNHCR: Accounting Discrepancy Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What information was given to the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees about the discrepancy between actual expenditure on non-expendable property of $68.4 million and the amount recorded by the MINDER system of $4 million; whether this relates only to assets acquired during the year 1999; and what amount, within the total, was paid to implementing partners. Baroness Amos: The Report of the Board of Auditors to the General Assembly on the Accounts of the Voluntary Funds Administered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) for the year ended 31 December 1999 was presented to the Standing Committee of the Executive Committee on 27-28 September 2000. The discrepancy between actual expenditure on non-expendable property and the amount recorded by the MINDER system was noted in the audit report. The Standing Committee concluded that UNHCR had taken forward the major recommendations of the 1998 audit report, but did not discuss individual aspects of the report in detail. The 1999 audit report on UNHCR will be discussed later this month at a meeting of the Fifth Committee of the UN General Assembly. UNHCR: MINDER Asset Management System Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: What was the total expenditure on the MINDER system, including staff costs, up to the end of 1999. Baroness Amos: Questions of expenditure by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on specific budget items, such as the MINDER asset management system, should be addressed to UNHCR's Division of Resource Management. I have forwarded your question to the Division of Resource Management, which will respond to you directly. For future reference, their address is Division of Resource Management, UNHCR, Case Postale 2500, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland. UNHCR: AssetTrak System Lord Avebury: asked Her Majesty's Government: When the AssetTrak system, which was intended to replace the MINDER system on 1 January, is now scheduled to come into operation; and how the Executive Committee of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees intends to secure the integrity of records used as balances of non-expendable property that would be uploaded to the new system. Baroness Amos: Questions on the implementation of the AssetTrak asset management system by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) should be addressed to UNHCR's Division of Resource Management, I have forwarded your question to the Division of Resource Management, which will respond to you directly. For future reference, their address is Division of Resource Management, UNHCR, Case Postale 2500, CH-1211, Geneva, Switzerland. Millennium Dome Baroness Anelay of St. Johns: asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Minister or Ministers had sight of the reports presented in June 1997 to the Millennium Commission by Deloitte & Touche and by Mr Bob Stubbs prior to Cabinet approval for the Millennium Dome project. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Ministers had access to a range of advice, including the reports by Deloitte & Touche and BDO Stoy Hayward, to whom Bob Stubbs was an adviser, prior to their decision in June 1997 to go ahead with the Millennium Experience project. Post Office Company Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to submit the draft Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Post Office Company to parliamentary scrutiny before it is adopted by the sole shareholder. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Government intend to lay copies of the proposed Memorandum & Articles of Association of the Post Office Company in the Libraries of each House as soon as they are ready to be put to an extraordinary general meeting of shareholders. Post Office Company Baroness Blatch: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is the case that the only person entitled to enforce the terms of the Articles of Association of the Post Office Company will be the sole shareholder; and, if so, what steps would be taken by them and what sanctions would be available if there were a breach of the article requiring the prior disclosure of major transactions in accordance with Stock Exchange requirements. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The noble Baroness is correct that the Articles of Association of the Post Office Company will form a contract between the Post Office Company and its shareholder and it will be for the shareholder to enforce the terms of the articles. The shareholder will be able to call the directors to account in all the normal ways available to shareholders, including calling Extraordinary General Meetings of the company, taking legal action for breach of contract and/or calling for and voting on dismissal of directors. Post Office Company Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether it is still their view, as expressed by the Minister for Science on 11 July (H.L. Deb., col. 181) that, in comparison with inserting a provision in the Memorandum and Articles of Association of the Post Office Company, disclosure of major transactions in line with Stock Exchange requirements would be "unnecessarily onerous and inflexible"; and, if so, in what way do the Post Office Company's commercial operations differ from ordinary commercial concerns. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The Post Office Company will be subject to the Postal Services Act and to the relevant provisions of the Companies Acts. Our purpose has been to ensure a regime for disclosure of information to shareholders analogous to that obtaining for the generality of commercial undertakings. Had the disclosure requirements been fixed by statute, they would not have been able to develop in line with changes in commercial practice and in the Stock Exchange Listing Rules. The Post Office Company would also have been denied the flexibility which is available to listed companies through consulting the UK Listing Authority at an early stage about the application of the rules to a particular transaction. German Parcel Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Who were the "number of people" within the Department of Trade and Industry referred to by the Minister for Science on 12 October (H.L. Deb., col. 497) to whom the draft report of the National Audit Office relating to the acquisition of German Parcel was shown on 27 June. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Drafts of the National Audit Office report on German Parcel were shown to DTI officials responsible for postal services and for finance and resource management who commented on their factual accuracy. The Comptroller and Auditor General sent a final draft of the report to the DTI Accounting Officer on 27 June and he replied on 14 July. German Parcel Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: On what dates the Minister for Science himself first saw a draft report and the final report respectively of the National Audit Office on the acquisition by the Post Office of German Parcel. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: National Audit Office audit reports are concerned with the economy, efficiency and effectiveness with which departments carry out their role. Drafts are shown to the department being audited so that it can comment on factual accuracy. They are not normally shown in advance of publication to Ministers or to Members of Parliament. I did not see a draft of the NAO report on the acquisition by the Post Office of German Parcel. I was, however, briefed about the report when the noble Baroness made clear that she had obtained a copy. I first saw the published report on the weekend of 7-8 October. German Parcel Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether Sir Michael Scholar, or any other senior official of the Department of Trade and Industry, was aware when they received the draft report of the NAO on the acquisition by the Post Office of German Parcel prior to the Report stage and Third Reading of the Postal Services Bill that an amendment was being proposed dealing with the matter of disclosure of major transactions in line with the Stock Exchange procedures; whether the department's intention to agree with the National Audit Office's proposals was brought to the Minister's attention prior to either of the two debates on the amendment; and, if not, why not. Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The departmental accounting officer and officials were aware both of Ministers' policy on disclosure requirements and of the noble Baroness' amendment when they commented on the final draft of the NAO report. In seeking comments from the accounting officer on its draft report, the NAO was not inviting the department to agree to specific policy proposals. The department's comments related to the factual accuracy of the draft report. German Parcel Baroness Miller of Hendon: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the Minister for Science reconciles his statement to the House of Lords on 11 July (H.L. Deb., col. 181) that, "when one refers to the department giving authority to the report, that must mean Ministers", with his reply to a question by Lord Razzall on 12 October (H.L. Deb., col. 498) that, "Noble Lords will appreciate that the report is agreed by the Permanent Secretary, not by departmental Ministers. It is a matter for the NAO and the Public Accounts Committee, and it is the Permanent Secretary who takes the role of accounting officer". Lord Sainsbury of Turville: Policy proposals on disclosure of information about major transactions by the Post Office have been developed and implemented in the light of experience with Post Office acquisitions, including German Parcel. As I made clear during the passage of the Postal Services Bill, Ministers considered and agreed a number of specific provisions on disclosure that will be incorporated in the company's Memorandum and Articles. The aim of these provisions is to give effect to the White Paper commitment that the Post Office be transparent in its operations and accounting and demonstrate that it is competing fairly with its competitors. As I explained during debate on the noble Baroness' amendments, the requirements are analogous to those of the Stock Exchange. Officials informed NAO of the policy on disclosure requirements adopted by Ministers. The NAO reflected this in its German Parcel report in the following terms: "The Department has told us that it accepts our argument that there is a case for the Post Office and other similar public sector bodies to accept analogous rules to those of the Stock Exchange." (p. 44, paragraph 3.12) When, during Third Reading of the Postal Services Bill on 11 July, I spoke of ministerial agreement and authorisation, I had in mind that Ministers decide policy, as indeed they decided the policy on disclosure requirements which is being incorporated in the Memorandum and Articles and which is referred to in the NAO report. On 12 October I was explaining the procedures relating to NAO audit reports and that responsibility for commenting on the accuracy and completeness of the facts as presented by the NAO rests with the Departmental Accounting Officer. Departmental Cars Lord Hoyle: asked Her Majesty's Government: How the Government Car and Despatch Agency dispose of cars after use. Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated under the terms of the Framework Document to the Government Car and Despatch Agency. I have asked its Chief Executive, Mr Nick Matheson, to write to the noble Lord. Letter to Lord Hoyle from the Chief Executive of the Government Car and Despatch Agency, Mr Nick Matheson, dated 25 October. Lord Falconer of Thoroton, Minister of State at the Cabinet Office, has asked me in my capacity as the Chief Executive responsible for the Government Car and Despatch Agency to reply to your parliamentary Question about how this agency disposes of its cars. GCDA's normal practice is to dispose of cars by public auction, so ensuring that the best trade price is obtained. However, cars that have been specially constructed to provide enhanced security are not made available to the public once they have reached the end of their working life, but are stripped down or used for training purposes.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-11-02a

Assisted Dying Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it remains their policy to oppose the legalisation of euthanasia. Lord McNally: The Government remain of the view that any change to the law in this emotive and contentious area is an issue of individual conscience. We therefore take a neutral view when others seek to change the law. This means neither standing in the way of such a change nor actively pursuing it. It is, rightly, a matter for Parliament to decide rather than one for government policy. Aviation: Passenger Duty Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the current review of the air passenger duty will take into account the level of United Kingdom air passenger duty compared to levels in the rest of the world, and the effect of the Duty on overseas travel by United Kingdom residents and job losses and growth prospects in the United Kingdom aviation industry; and when they expect the report of this review to be published. Lord Sassoon: The Government undertook a consultation on the UK's air passenger duty between 23 March and 17 June 2011. The Government are reviewing the considerable number of responses submitted by interested parties and will publish a summary of responses later this autumn. Banking Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury or the Financial Services Authority will consider reviewing the definition of eligible assets for the purpose of calculating bank liquidity coverage ratios and the net stable funding ratio. Lord Sassoon: The Basel III accord sets out, for the first time, an international framework for liquidity with the intention of introducing global liquidity standards in order to promote a more resilient banking sector. This framework includes a clear definition of eligible assets for the purpose of calculating a bank's liquidity coverage ratio (LCR) and net stable funding ratio (NSFR). Both the LCR and the NSFR are subject to an observation period before being fully implemented by 1 January 2015 and 1 January 2018, respectively. In the EU, liquidity regulation is being introduced by amending the capital requirements directive and introducing a capital requirements regulation. The Government will be participating fully in the relevant negotiations. Banking: Royal Bank of Scotland Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Financial Services Authority expects to publish its report on the failure of HBOS. Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority was aiming .to deliver a publishable report into the failures of RBS in the spring. This has now been delayed following an announcement on 5 May 2011 by the chairman of the Treasury Select Committee (TSC) that in agreement with the FSA, the TSC has asked Sir David Walker and Bill Knight to conduct an independent review of the report. The timing of publication will be a matter for the FSA to consider, in light of the appointment of independent advisers. The FSA's supervisory investigations into other banks that failed during the crisis are ongoing. If they lead to enforcement action being taken, it would be usual for the FSA to make these outcomes public, if such actions against individuals or institutions are successful. Broadcasting: S4C Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the S4C Authority and its management team are wholly independent of the BBC Trust once S4C is funded by the BBC licence fee. To ask Her Majesty's Government how many BBC appointees there will be on the S4C Authority once S4C is funded from the BBC licence fee. To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the level of representation of BBC management or appointees on the S4C management team is appropriate once S4C is funded by the BBC licence fee. Baroness Rawlings: Constructive discussions are already under way between S4C and BBC about the new governance structure that will underpin the new funding arrangements from 2013. The Government will announce the details of the partnership after the negotiations between S4C, the BBC and the Government have been concluded. The Government have made clear their commitment to S4C being an independent service within the partnership arrangements. Broadcasting: S4C Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether S4C will continue to report annually to Parliament for all its services, regardless of future funding arrangements. Baroness Rawlings: Constructive discussions are already under way between S4C and BBC about the new governance structure that will underpin the new funding arrangements from 2013. S4C's future reporting mechanism is part of that discussion. The Government will announce the details of the partnership arrangements after the negotiations between S4C, the BBC and the Government have been concluded. Broadcasting: Welsh Language Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that adequate funding for Welsh language television will continue beyond the period covered by the Spending Review 2010. Baroness Rawlings: The proposed amendment to the Public Bodies Bill will give greater clarity and assurance on the Government's commitment to S4C in the long term. The new clause will set in statute a requirement that S4C receives sufficient funding for it to be able to fulfil its statutory role as an independent Welsh language broadcaster. Commonwealth Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 11 August (WA 392), whether the undertaking that "The Government would consult fully before making any decision on whether to support the admission of any further states" to the Commonwealth would entail that Parliament would be consulted; and in what manner they plan to do this. Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government would consult all key stakeholders, including relevant parliamentary groups. However, this is a foreign policy issue, and while a wide range of views would be taken into account, a decision on whether the UK would support the admission of any further states to the Commonwealth is a matter for my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary. There is no formal requirement to consult Parliament. Energy: Biofuels Lord Corbett of Castle Vale: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing financial incentives to encourage the use of bioliquid made from waste cooking oil and kerosene for supplying fuel for domestic heating and hot water. Lord Marland: We recognise that there are valuable uses of bioliquids in heat generation, including those developed from wastes such as used cooking oil. We stated in the Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) document published in March this year, that we would consider bioliquids for introduction in 2012. We are currently considering the evidence including analysis on the costs and supply of sustainable biodiesel, as well as the framework in which sustainability will need to be demonstrated in order to be eligible for the RHI. We will set out our position in the forthcoming consultation on phase 2 of the RHI. Energy: Renewables Lord Reay: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 7 September (Official Report, col. GC 81) concerning the 140 gigawatts of electricity-generating capacity added globally during 2008-09 from renewables, how this amount breaks down by each renewable technology. Lord Marland: This figure was reported in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change Special Report on Renewable Energy and Climate Change Mitigation, and draws on analysis undertaken by REN21 (the Renewable Energy Policy Network for the 21st Century) for their 2009 and 2010 Global Status Reports. The table below shows the capacity increase split by technologies. The 2011 REN21 Global Status Report, published in July, shows that renewable energy accounted for approximately half of the estimated 194 GW of new electric capacity added globally during 2010. Existing renewable power capacity worldwide reached an estimated 1,320 GW in 2010, up almost 8 per cent from 2009. Breakdown of 140GW Increase in Electricity Generating Renewables Capacity During 2008 - 20091 by Technology Technology2 Proportion of capacity increase (%)3 Wind 47 Hydro 40 Solar PV 9 Biomass 3 Geothermal 1 Source: Derived from information contained in Table RI of REN21 Global Status Reports 2009 and 2010 Notes: 1. Data are from 01.01.2008 to 31.12.2009 2. Owing to their minimal impact concentrated solar power, geothermal and ocean renewables technologies are not included. 3. Where ranges are reported by REN21, the minimum figures have been used. Eurozone Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the effects on United Kingdom trade in the event of the economic and monetary policies of the eurozone countries being centrally co-ordinated. Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: The Government have not estimated the effects on United Kingdom trade in the event of the economic and monetary policies of the euro area countries being centrally co-ordinated. The Chancellor has said that the euro area must accept the logic of monetary union that leads from a single currency to greater fiscal integration. A strong and stable euro area is in the UK's national interest and offers valuable prospects for UK trade as more than 40 per cent of our exports are to the euro area. But the Government have also made clear that stronger euro area fiscal integration must be done in a way that protects the UK's national interests. A critical part of that means ensuring that issues of strategic importance such as the single market continue to be discussed between all member states. Female Genital Mutilation Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to ensure standardisation of specialist female genital mutilation services across the United Kingdom. To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will guarantee funding for the 16 specialist female genital mutilation clinics in the United Kingdom. Earl Howe: It is for local commissioners to take decisions on funding priorities based on the assessment of need of local populations. The department proposed in Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Consultation on the Funding and Commissioning Routes for Public Health, that female genital mutilation (FGM) clinics should be commissioned by local authorities. The department published its response to the consultation feedback on 14 July. In this response, it is confirmed that on the basis of feedback from stakeholders, the department has changed its position and can now confirm that specialist FGM services will be commissioned by the National Health Service. Further details on arrangements for this commissioning will be confirmed in due course. There is a wealth of guidance and best practice available to health professionals on FGM. The department produced a DVD on FGM in 2006, which gives a general introduction to health implications of female genital mutilation. It includes interviews with women who have undergone FGM and outlines the appropriate response from health care professionals. Guidance has also been published by HM Government: Multi-Agency Practice Guidelines: Female Genital Mutilation, 2011 which can be found at: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_124551. Clinical guidance has also been produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists-Female genital mutilation and its management; green-top guidelineNo.53; the British Medical Association; Female Genital Mutilation: An RCN educational resource for nursing and midwifery staff, 2006; Female Genital Mutilation: Caring for patients and safeguarding children, guidance from the British Medical Association. Finance: Equity Markets Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the contribution of high frequency trading and algorithmic trading in enabling the practice of laddering in equity markets and facilitating false markets in securities. Lord Sassoon: The Government, alongside the Financial Services Authority, is working with European partners to ensure that the ongoing review of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive and the Market Abuse Directive take into account recent technological developments in financial markets. In support of these reforms, the Treasury is sponsoring a major research project conducted by the Government Office for Science. It is examining the implications of computerised trading for financial markets. On 7 September 2011, the project published a working paper and 16 supporting driver reviews. These are available online at: www.foresight.gov.uk. Finance: Settlement Failures Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Financial Services Authority or the Bank of England monitor settlement fails as an indicator of stress levels in the financial system. Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) receives daily statistics from Euroclear UK and Ireland, the UK's Central Securities Depository, for those securities with the highest proportion of unsettled transactions. If a certain internally defined threshold is breached with regards to the number of unsettled transactions, it is considered that there may be an instance of stress. The relevant information concerning the security is forwarded on to the FSA's market monitoring team. The market monitoring team will then conduct further investigation to ascertain the cause of the settlement failure. Fluoridation Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 266), whether they will now seek information on the extent of individual daily variations in water intake in populations targeted by water fluoridation schemes. Earl Howe: Yes. Officials are making enquiries about a research project that has involved the collection of data on the relative amounts of tap water and manufactured water consumed by children living in a fluoridated area in Newcastle. I will write to the noble Earl with the information we obtain in due course and place a copy in the Library. Fluoridation Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 14 July (WA 202), how the ethical requirement for individual informed consent as set out by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in "Consent to medical treatment" applies to water fluoridation schemes. Earl Howe: The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency considers that fluoridated water falls outside the definition of a medicinal product. Moreover, in our view, any infringement of human rights arising out of water fluoridation is justified by the benefits to oral health. Fluoridation Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 7 February (WA 17-18) and 17 May (WA 300), whether the website of the former National Fluoride Information Centre is still in existence; and, if so, whether the incorrect statements about the York systematic review in 2000 having expressed no health concerns about fluoridation, and having provided a figure of 3 per cent for the extent of fluorosis of aesthetic concern, have now been corrected. To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 26 April (WA 46-7), whether it is a proper function of a body set up for the purpose of providing public information about the health evidence surrounding water fluoridation to provide balanced information on any given aspect, rather than to rely on the public being aware of and accessing original reports to discover any caveats by researchers. Earl Howe: We can confirm that the website of the former National Fluoride Information Centre has now been closed. We agree that bodies dedicated to providing information to the public should endeavour to do so as objectively as possible. Gaza Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty's Government what aid they have provided directly or indirectly to the representatives of the people in Gaza following the invasion by Israel in 2009 and the subsequent economic blockade. Baroness Verma: The British Government have never provided any aid, either directly or indirectly, to the de facto authorities in Gaza since 2007, as under European Union and British legislation it is illegal to provide financial assistance to Hamas. We provide budget support to the Palestinian Authority (PA), via a World Bank Trust Fund, in order to support basic services in both Gaza and the West Bank. We have provided £87 million of financial assistance to the PA since 2009, around half of which is spent in Gaza. We also support the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) to provide health, education and social services to the 1.1 million Palestinian refugees living in Gaza. We have provided £65.4 million of funding to UNRWA's core budget since 2009, approximately a third of which is spent in Gaza. Higher Education: Student Loans Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the current rate for the repayment of student loans was agreed, what was the estimated retail price index at that time; and whether there are proposals to limit either the three per cent rate of interest or the retail price index-based level of interest if the retail price index remains at current levels. Lord Henley: The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations state that for the current income contingent repayment (ICR) scheme (loans taken out prior to September 2012), the rate of interest will be the lower of the retail prices index (RPI) or the bank base rate (for a specified group of banks) plus 1 per cent. As the current bank base rate (0.5 per cent) plus 1 per cent is lower than the March 2011 RPI (5.3 per cent), the interest cap has taken effect. This means that from 1 September 2011 until further notice, the interest rate will be 1.5 per cent. This rate would rise should the bank base rate rise, but for the period 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012, it can, in any event, be no higher than 5.3 per cent. Under the new repayment scheme (post-September 2012 ICR loans), the interest rate will vary with the borrowers income, starting at RPI for those earning £21,000 or less, up to a maximum of RPI + 3 per cent for those earning £41,000 and above. There are no plans to limit either the additional 3 per cent rate of interest, where it applies, or the retail prices index-based level of interest. Higher Education: Student Loans Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether outstanding student debts will be written off when a mature student reaches retirement age. Lord Henley: Under the current system of income-contingent repayment (ICR) student loans, any outstanding loan balances will be cancelled in the following circumstances: if a borrower dies; orif a borrower receives a disability benefit and because of the disability is permanently unfit for work; or (a) for those who entered higher education before 1 September 2006: when the borrower reaches the age of 65, (b) for those who entered higher education on or after 1 September 2006: 25 years after their statutory repayment due date. Under the new system of ICR loans being introduced for students entering higher education from 1 September 2012, any outstanding loan balances will be written off in the following circumstances: if a borrower dies; orif a borrower receives a disability benefit and because of the disability is permanently unfit for work; or30 years after their statutory repayment due date. Higher Education: Tuition Fees Baroness Scott of Needham Market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the funding of university tuition fees for, and repayment of loans by, mature students taking first degrees varies from that which applies to other students. Lord Henley: Mature students taking first degrees are eligible for the same package of funding of their university tuition fees as other students, and are subject to the same rules in relation to the repayment of their loans. Israel and Palestine Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the Government of Israel following the arrest of Mr Hasan Yusuf, an elected member of the Palestine Legislative Council; and whether he has been released, administratively detained, or brought before a properly constituted court. Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware that Mr Yusuf was arrested and detained on 31 August for entering Jerusalem illegally and organising demonstrations. On Tuesday 6 September he was released after an Israeli military court ruled that he is not permitted to enter Jerusalem for one year. We regularly raise our concerns with the Israeli Government about the application of due process and the treatment of Palestinian detainees. We shall continue to raise our concerns with the Israeli authorities as appropriate. Kenya Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what support, if any, they are providing in refugee camps in Kenya to enable Somali refugees to earn some income. Baroness Verma: The UK is providing humanitarian assistance to Somali Refugee camps in Kenya through support to UNHCR and humanitarian NGOs. Our support helps camp management provide water and sanitation services and promote livelihoods and skills development by hiring refugee workers for a small daily wage to assist with various sectors in refugee operations. This includes interviewing new arrivals, distribution of fire wood, food and other non-food items and guarding water tanks. Presumed Deaths Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications to the High Court for orders relating to presumed deaths have been made over the past three years. To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for decrees of presumed deaths and consequent dissolution of marriage or civil partnerships have been made under Section 19 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 or Section 37 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004 over the past three years. Lord McNally: The Ministry of Justice does not hold centrally information on the number of applications made to the High Court for orders relating to presumed deaths. Similarly, for the number of applications for decrees of presumed deaths and consequent dissolution of marriage or civil partnerships made under Section 19 of the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 or Section 37 of the Civil Partnership Act 2004. This information is either not recorded, or recorded to an insufficient level of detail, on the administrative computer systems used in the county courts and High Court. As such, the information requested can only be obtained through the manual inspection of individual case files held by the courts at disproportionate cost. Probate Lord Boswell of Aynho: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications were made for a leave to swear death order pursuant to Rule 53 of the Non-Contentious Probate Rules 1987, in each of the past three years; and, of those, how many were successful. Lord McNally: The number of leave to swear death orders made between April and March in each of the past three years were 17 in 2008-09, 16 in 2009-10, and 14 in 2010-11. Information about the number of applications made is not recorded on the administrative computer systems used by the Probate Service, a part of the Family Division of the High Court and Her Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service. As such, the information requested can only be obtained through the manual inspection of individual case files held at disproportionate cost. Shipping: Rescue Services Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty's Government what charges are made for (a) rescuing non-British nationals from the seas inside United Kingdom territorial waters, and (b) rescuing British nationals outside United Kingdom territorial waters. Earl Attlee: There are no charges to the user for the UK search and rescue service. Shipping: THV "Patricia" Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of the Trinity House Vessel Patricia travelling to the Isles of Scilly and attending on the recent Royal Visit. Earl Attlee: The Trinity House vessel "Patricia" played no part in the recent Royal Visit to the Scilly Isles. Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to trial megatrucks in the United Kingdom; and, if so, when and where. Earl Attlee: The Government have made it clear that megatrucks (ie those typically 25.25 metres long or greater) will not be allowed on the UK's roads for the foreseeable future. This includes trialling such vehicles. UK Trade and Investment Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne: To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional personnel and finance resources they will allocate to priority markets identified in UK Trade and Investment's five-year strategy Britain Open for Business: Growth Through International Trade and Investment. Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint: Britain Open for Business, UK Trade and Investment's (UKTI) five-year strategy, published in May 2011, states that UKTI will increase the proportion of its overseas resources in 20 priority high-growth and emerging markets, where the opportunities for UK companies and potential for foreign investment to the UK are greatest. These markets are Brazil, China, Colombia, Egypt, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, UAE and Vietnam. UKTI has a well established set of criteria for allocating resource overseas to markets and will move more resources to high growth and emerging markets over the lifetime of its strategy to match both the growth in opportunities and the demands from our customers. Unemployment Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students who graduated from university in 2010 remained unemployed in June 2011 despite having sought work; and what are the projections for the success of this year's graduates in the labour market. Lord Henley: The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects data on the destinations of graduates six months after qualifying through their Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey. The latest data relating to graduates from the 2009-10 academic year show 27,975 (7 per cent) graduates were unemployed six months after qualifying. This covers graduates from postgraduate and undergraduate courses. However, it cannot be assumed that the graduates who reported themselves as unemployed had actively sought work. The dates for this survey were April 2010 and January 2011 depending on when the graduate qualified. More detailed findings from the DLHE survey can be found on the HESA website: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2150& Itemid=161. The department does not calculate projections of labour market success for future cohorts of graduates. The unemployment rate from the 2009-10 DLHE survey has decreased from 8 per cent in the previous year. Although findings from the DLHE survey are useful, six months is often too early to judge the extent to which graduates have integrated into the labour market. HESA also collect data on graduates three and a half years after graduation, and the most recent survey related to the 2006-07 cohort. When the 2006-07 cohort was surveyed at six months, the unemployment rate was 4.7 per cent. This reduced to 3.6 per cent after three and a half years. More detailed findings from this survey are available on the HESA website: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/component/option.com _pubs/task,show_pub_detail/pubid,1714/Itemid,286/ The recruitment market is still not easy for graduates, but in recent months it has been showing signs of improvement for the first time since the recession. For example, a recent survey by the Association of Graduate Recruiters (AGR), published in July, found that both vacancy numbers and graduate starting salaries are expected to rise during 2010-11 compared to 2009-10. Wales: Public Expenditure Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the difference between the amount of public expenditure in Wales in 2009-10, and the amount raised by taxation on the Principality in the same year. Lord Sassoon: Total identifiable public spending in Wales in 2009-10 was £29.121 billion. The Government do not have or publish a country or regional breakdown of all taxes.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2011-09-15a

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Access to Information Central Clearing House has received over 2,800 referrals since the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. In excess of 450 of these have been referred at internal review stage, while just over 60 are cases that have been appealed to the Information Commissioner's Office. The time taken to process FoI requests at any stage is not monitored or recorded by the clearing house and it is therefore unable reasonably to estimate the average time taken in this process. The role of clearing house is to advise on the appropriate application of the FoI Act to those requests referred to it. It does not, however, have the final responsibility in responding to FoI requests, either to the applicant or the Information Commissioners Office. It is therefore not possible to say how many of those cases are currently pending. However, statistics on the performance of Central Government on handling FoI requests are collated and published by DCA and can be found on its website at www.foi.gov.uk/implement.htm#foistats. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The following is a breakdown of the expenditure the Prison Service incurred following Ms Carol Lingard's complaints of constructive dismissal and victimisation to an Employment Tribunal. Amount Payments made to the claimant pursuant to the employment tribunal's remedies judgment on 30 June 2005 Basic award £3,915.00 Injury to feelings award £3,000.00' Compensatory award (net) £367,136.76 Claimant's legal costs and counsel's fees £97,912.50 Total payments to claimant £471,964.26 Prison Service's Legal costs Respondent's legal costs, counsel's fees and disbursements £126,057.38 Total cost to Respondent £598,021.64

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2005-10-18b

Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty have (1) been created, (2) had their boundaries changed, and (3) been abolished, within the last ten years. Lord De Mauley: This is a devolved matter. In England, no new Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) have been designated and no variations to existing AONB boundaries have been made in the last 10 years. As part of the designation of the New Forest and South Downs National Parks, three AONBs were subject to revocation orders. The land within those AONBs fell under the new National Park Designations so it was necessary to remove the AONB status. Other than that, there have been no “abolitions”. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals are currently being considered for the creation, amendment and abolition of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Lord De Mauley: This is a devolved matter. In England, it is for Natural England to consider proposals for the creation, amendment or abolition of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs). The Secretary of State’s role is limited to confirming, modifying or rejecting any designation or variation orders that Natural England puts forward. The Natural England Board (as published in Board minutes) confirmed in December 2013 it would be working towards a Variation Order for the Suffolk Coast and Heaths AONB. Initial work towards a boundary variation to extend the Surrey Hills AONB has also been agreed (Board minutes of February 2014). No other substantive work on AONB designation is contemplated in the next three years by Natural England, although a range of historic calls for new AONBs and variations to extend boundaries are presently being reviewed. Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the procedures for the creation, amendment and abolition of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Lord De Mauley: This is a devolved matter. In England, Natural England has powers under section 82 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to designate Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs) and section 83 provides for the procedure. It is for Natural England to consider calls for new AONBs or changes to existing AONBs. In addition to the formal statutory consultations set out in the legislation, Natural England also, throughout the process, seeks engagement with key interested parties and the general public in and around the area concerned. Any Designation or Variation Order made by Natural England would need to be advertised and submitted to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for confirmation. Depending on the responses, a public inquiry may be held, and the Secretary of State may confirm, confirm with modifications, or refuse to confirm the order. Armed Conflict Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to determine whether military action, such as that by Israel in Gaza, is proportionate. Baroness Warsi: The UK’s criteria for determining whether military action is proportionate are set out in the Joint Service Manual of the Law of Armed Conflict (Ministry of Defence publication available on our website at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-manual-of-the-law-of-armed-conflict-amendments-to-the-text), which states that the losses resulting from a military action should not be excessive in relation to the expected military advantage. Armed Conflict: Sexual Offences Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of Preventing Sexual Violence (PSVI) summit earlier this year, what strategies they have to support women's groups which are working with victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence. Baroness Warsi: The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict held in June 2014 set in motion a series of practical steps and commitments which all focus on ensuring that survivors of sexual violence in conflict can access justice and receive the long-term support that they require. This includes providing support for women’s groups who work with survivors. In support of this the British Government announced £6m of new UK funding for survivors. Of this, £5m came from the Department for International Development (DfID) in the form of £4.25m to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, administered by UN Women, and £750,000 to the International Organisation from Migration. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office announced £1m for the International Criminal Court’s Trust Fund for Victims, as well as £400,000 for the UN’s survivor support programme in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the next few months we intend to work with local and international partners to implement the International Protocol on the documentation and investigation of sexual violence in conflict, launched at the Global Summit, in both the Democratic Republic of Congo and Bosnia and Herzegovina. Asylum: Children Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 21 July (WA 150–1), whether they will appoint personal advocates for each child asylum applicant whose case is awaiting appeal who has no parents in Britain. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government has no immediate plans to introduce personal advocates for child asylum seekers across the UK. All unaccompanied children entering local authority care are entitled to the same level of support and protection, regardless of their immigration status, nationality or documentation. This includes a social worker responsible for planning the care of the child, and an independent reviewing officer who would ensure the child was aware of the implications of their immigration and asylum status. Asylum: Employment Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy concerning refused asylum seekers, who cannot be returned to their country of origin, being granted entitlement to work for a fixed-term period. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Failed asylum seekers whose appeal rights have been exhausted are not allowed to work because they do not need our protection, have no right to remain in the United Kingdom and are required to leave. Our policy must maintain the distinction between those who need our protection and those seeking to work here. Allowing refused asylum seekers to work, even where removal is difficult, would send the wrong message and undermine the removal process by creating an incentive to frustrate removal. Aviation: Safety Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the shooting down of flight MH17, what they are doing to ensure the safety of long haul flights between the United Kingdom and the Far East. Baroness Kramer: The safety of our aviation industry is of paramount importance to the Government. We are actively participating in the Dutch-led investigation into MH17. We are also working very closely with our airline community to ensure that decisions on routings and operations are informed by relevant information. Balance of Trade Lord Barnett: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Office for National Statistics’ calculation that the United Kingdom trade deficit widened in May, compared with April. Lord Livingston of Parkhead: Between April and May 2014, the Office of National Statistics have reported that the total UK trade deficit widened from £2.1bn in April to £2.4bn in May. This £0.4bn1 increase was driven by a £0.2bn increase in total exports while imports increased more, by £0.6bn. Goods exports increased by £0.1bn while goods imports increased by £0.5bn—more than service exports and imports which both increased by less than £0.1bn. Monthly trade data are often volatile and usually subject to revisions in later months. On a less volatile basis, in 2013 the total trade deficit decreased by £4.9bn to £28.5bn from £33.4bn in 2012. This was driven by a £10.4bn increase in total exports while imports rose by only £5.4bn over the same period. Between April and May 2014, the ONS have reported that the total UK trade deficit widened from £2.1bn in April to £2.4bn in May. This £0.4bn1 increase was driven by a £0.2bn increase in total exports while imports increased more, by £0.6bn. Goods exports increased by £0.1bn while goods imports increased by £0.5bn—more than service exports and imports which both increased by less than £0.1bn. Monthly trade data are often volatile and usually subject to revisions in later months. On a less volatile basis, in 2013 the total trade deficit decreased by £4.9bn to £28.5bn from £33.4bn in 2012. This was driven by a £10.4bn increase in total exports while imports rose by only £5.4bn over the same period. 1 The £0.4bn increase is higher than the difference between the two deficits due to rounding. Central African Republic Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the potential radicalisation of those forced to flee from the Central African Republic; and what steps are being taken to address the issue. Baroness Warsi: We remain concerned about the plight of refugees from the Central African Republic and the risk of radicalisation. We are working with international organisations and the region to ensure their needs are met, radicalisation is countered and reconciliation promoted. Central African Republic Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that there are adequate civilian protection experts deployed at the same time as troops for the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic. Baroness Warsi: The British Government is deeply concerned about the situation in the Central African Republic and has been working closely with the UN and other partners to ensure the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in the Central African Republic (MINUSCA) deploys with the expertise it needs to carry out its mandate under UN Security Council Resolution 2149. MINUSCA is mandated to prioritise the protection of civilians as soon as it deploys in September, with specific protection for women and children, including through the deployment of Child and Women Protection Advisers. Children’s Centres The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many local authorities are not currently sharing live birth data with children’s centres in their areas. Lord Nash: The Department for Education does not hold data relating to local authority practice with regards to live birth data. The statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data, with children’s centres on a regular basis. Children’s Centres The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether parental consent is necessary for local authorities to share live birth data with Sure Start Children’s Centres. Lord Nash: As set out in the Department for Education’s Sure Start Children’s Centres statutory guidance, health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data and data on families with children under five who have recently moved into the area, effectively with children’s centres on a regular basis. Local authorities and commissioners of health services should consider developing local partnership agreements or information sharing protocols to enable effective sharing of bulk data (such as live birth data), whilst ensuring that the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998, and other relevant legal provisions, are complied with. Children’s Centres The Earl of Listowel: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review the statutory guidance on the sharing of live birth data. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all local authorities share live birth data with children’s centres in their area. Lord Nash: The Government has no plans to review the statutory guidance on the sharing of live birth data. The Department for Education’s statutory guidance for children’s centres is clear that health services and local authorities should share information, such as live birth data, with children’s centres on a regular basis. It is important that professionals work together to identify families who are in need of support and offer them that support. Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made in implementing the top 10 recommendations in the Eighth Report from the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths in the United Kingdom, with particular reference to the number of deaths from pre-eclampsia and the general standard of care. Earl Howe: Reports by the Confidential Enquiries into Maternal Deaths are valuable resources for supporting maternity services and professionals to improve outcomes for women and babies. The department does not routinely monitor implementation of the recommendations, which largely focus on improving clinical practice and are for local commissioners, providers and health professionals to consider. Nationally, the eighth report of the Confidential Enquiries supported the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) clinical guideline on hypertension in pregnancy and identified the need for guidance on the management of sepsis in pregnancy. Following publication of the report, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists published national guidelines to assist health professionals on the recognition and management of bacterial sepsis in pregnancy. We expect maternity healthcare providers, commissioners and health professionals to give due regard to NICE guidance and professional guidelines when ensuring the delivery of safe, evidence-based care to achieve the best outcomes for women and babies. Crossrail Line Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government further to the Written Statement by Stephen Hammond MP, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport on 3 July (HC Deb, col 65WS), that 97 per cent of Crossrail’s contracts are based in the United Kingdom, what is the total number of contracts, and their value, awarded to date; and how many of those were awarded to companies domiciled in (1) the United Kingdom, (2) the European Union, and (3) other countries; and what was the total value awarded under each category. Baroness Kramer: To date Crossrail Ltd. has procured contracts to the combined value of approximately £7.6bn, not including the Rolling Stock and Depot procurement, the Train Operating Company contract or the on-network Network Rail works. Crossrail Ltd. has analysed its supply chain and found that approximately 97 per cent of contractors are based in the UK, 2 per cent are based in the EU and 1 per cent are based outside the EU. These figures are derived from a broad sample which Crossrail Ltd is able to monitor and made up of tier one contractors directly engaged by Crossrail Ltd, contractors from tiers two and three which are deemed to be business critical, and information provided by tier one contractors regarding their own suppliers. For those contracts in which Crossrail Ltd is not a party (i.e. tiers two and below), Crossrail Ltd does not hold data on the value of these contracts as they are commercial agreements between third parties. Crossrail Ltd will be writing to the Noble Lord to explain this in more detail. Cycling: Safety Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered making it obligatory to fit a bell on bicycles with the object of alerting those on foot. Baroness Kramer: Following the Red Tape Challenge, the Department for Transport commissioned a review of bicycle regulations with TRL Ltd. The review highlighted a number of areas to simplify legislative controls on bicycles. Consideration of the current rules on the fitment and use of bells will be undertaken once the current legislative programme updating the regulations for electrically assisted bicycles have been finalised. Eggs: Imports Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 9 December 2013 (WA 80), what was the value of import of shell eggs or egg products from Italy and Greece in the last two years; and what recent results there have been from the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency risk-based surveillance on batches of shell egg from those countries. Lord De Mauley: The value of imports of shell eggs and egg products from Italy and Greece in the last two years is presented in the table below. Please note that 2013 data is still subject to amendments. £000s Country of dispatch Type 2012 2013 Greece Shell eggs - - Egg Products 32 195 Italy Shell eggs 50 19 Egg Products 6,734 8,786 Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency have found no batches of Italian or Greek shell eggs which have raised any issues concerning their method of production since 2012. Embassies Lord Wigley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government which United Kingdom embassies overseas have specified staff delegated to handle matters relating to the work of (1) the Scottish Government, (2) the Welsh Government, and (3) the Northern Ireland Executive. Baroness Warsi: The British Government works overseas on behalf of all parts of the UK. Our missions also support all three Devolved Administrations with assistance on overseas visits by Ministers and officials and to businesses through the Department for Trade and Investment (UKTI). Furthermore the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) platform houses staff from: the Scottish Government in Washington and Beijing; Scottish Enterprise in Calgary, Toronto, Hong Kong, Hyderabad, Mumbai, New Delhi and Dubai; the Welsh Government in Bangalore, Delhi, Dubai, Dublin, Washington, New York, Chicago and San Francisco; and the Northern Ireland Executive in New York, with FCO support given in Washington; and Invest Northern Ireland in Bangalore, Dubai, Erbil, Jedda, Mumbai and Singapore. Energy Companies Obligation Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the success of the delivery of Energy Company Obligation assistance in rural areas. Baroness Verma: The Energy Companies Obligation (ECO) is divided into three strands, of which the Carbon Saving Communities Obligation (CSCO) provides insulation measures to households in specified areas of low income. CSCO has a specific rural sub-obligation which ensures that 15 per cent of each supplier’s obligation is used to upgrade more hard-to-reach low-income households in rural areas. The monthly Green Deal/ECO statistical release published by the Department of Energy and Climate Change presents the number of measures installed under the CSCO rural sub-obligation in each month. The latest release was published on 22 July and is available on the gov.uk website. This shows that between January 2013 and May 2014 there were 955 measures installed: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/green-deal-and-energy-company-obligation-eco-monthly-statistics-july-2014. The Government’s response to the recent consultation on the future of ECO, published on 22 July, confirmed proposals to make changes to the rules of the rural sub-obligation to ensure that more homes are eligible for support, thus facilitating delivery in future: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/the-future-of-the-energy-company-obligation. Energy Companies Obligation Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking in relation to the Affordable Warmth Obligation and the Energy Company Obligation in the light of reports of suppliers not funding repairs of boilers run on heating oil or liquid petroleum gas. Baroness Verma: The ECO Affordable Warmth scheme obligates energy suppliers to meet targets by installing heating and insulation measures to low income, vulnerable households. By the end of April 2014, over 334,000 measures had been installed. The legislation allows energy suppliers to support a wide range of measures. Energy suppliers can choose which measures to deliver, with a view to meeting their obligation in the most cost effective way. Delivery of boiler repairs and measures to non-gas households has been low to date. Following a consultation on changes to ECO, we announced scheme amendments on 22 July which will provide stronger incentives for delivery of both new boilers in non-gas homes and boiler repairs. These changes include an ‘uplift’ that will make these forms of support more cost-effective for suppliers to undertake. The impact assessment suggests this will take the proportion of measures delivered to non-gas homes from 2% to 30% of Affordable Warmth measures: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/335002/future_energy_ company_obligation_government_response.pdf Energy: Conservation Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what help they are providing to householders off the gas grid who want to improve the energy efficiency of their homes. Baroness Verma: The Government is actively encouraging all householders to invest in energy efficiency and reduce their energy bills. The Green Deal is designed to help all householders in England and Wales improve the energy efficiency of their homes. A Green Deal assessment will identify the most cost-effective improvements to their home from a wide range of measures, such as condensing boilers (gas, oil and LPG), renewable heating and other microgeneration technologies, insulation and better glazing. Green Deal financing is also available to allow households to pay for these improvements via the estimated savings households will be expected to make on their energy bills. There have already been over 260,000 Green Deal assessments and 875,000 energy efficiency measures installed in 726,000 households through ECO, Cashback and Green Deal to the end of May 2014. The ECO Affordable Warmth scheme obligates energy suppliers to meet targets by installing heating and insulation measures to low income, vulnerable households. By the end of April 2014, over 334,000 measures had been installed. The legislation allows energy suppliers to support a wide range of measures. Energy suppliers can choose which measures to deliver, with a view to meeting their obligation in the most cost effective way. Delivery of boiler repairs and measures to non-gas households has been low to date. Following a consultation on changes to ECO, we announced scheme amendments on 22 July which will provide stronger incentives for delivery of both new boilers in non-gas homes and boiler repairs. These changes include an ‘uplift’ that will make these forms of support more cost-effective for suppliers to undertake. The impact assessment suggests this will take the proportion of measures delivered to non-gas homes from 2% to 30% of Affordable Warmth measures. More broadly changes are being made to the ECO Carbon Saving Communities rural sub-obligation to widen the eligibility criteria and make it easier for suppliers to identify and support eligible rural households. Energy: Conservation Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making to achieve the 2020 energy efficiency goals. Baroness Verma: In 2007 EU Member States agreed to an overarching non-binding target to reduce primary energy consumption by 20% by 2020, against a 2007 business-as-usual projection. The 2012 EU Energy Efficiency Directive established, among other things, non-binding national energy savings targets on Member States. In April 2013, the UK notified the European Commission of its national energy saving target (Article 3). The target was set at the level of 129.2 million tonnes of oil equivalent for final energy consumption, representing an 18% reduction relative to the 2007 business-as-usual projection. This is equivalent to a 20% reduction in primary energy consumption. According to DECC’s Updated Energy and Emissions Projections 2013, final energy consumption in the UK will be 20% lower in 2020 than the 2007 business as usual projection meaning that the UK is on track to overachieve against its target. This reflects the Government’s ambitious policy package. Entry Clearances Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks are carried out on individuals applying for investor visas; and by whom. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Any application for a visa will be subject to checks undertaken by an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO), which will include checks on the applicant’s criminal history. In addition, applicants for a visa under the Tier 1 (Investor) category will be subject to checks to establish that the applicant’s funds meet the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules, which include a requirement that the funds are held in a regulated financial institution. We require specific evidence of funds to be provided, and we do not accept evidence from financial institutions with which ECOs are unable to carry out satisfactory verification checks. Entry Clearances Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Israelis can enter Britain without visas; and why Palestinians can not. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The UK keeps its visa regimes under regular review. The imposition or lifting of a visa regime is not undertaken lightly and follows a detailed review of the risks including immigration, security and crime risks. We have no plans at this stage to change the visa regimes for Israeli nationals or those from the Occupied Palestinian Territories. European Union Lord Kinnock: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the “concerns related to the future development of the European Union” raised by the United Kingdom at the 26–27 June European Council; and what were the terms in which those concerns were communicated to the Council. Baroness Warsi: The UK’s position is well known: the EU needs reform to be more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable. We welcomed this recognition in the Council’s Conclusions and now need to ensure these aims are realised. Euston Station Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Network Rail or HS2 Ltd will be the lead designer of the proposed Euston station development. Baroness Kramer: The lead designer for Euston station is HS2 Ltd. Post Royal Assent, the role of lead designer will be reviewed to ensure that the project continues to deliver the highest possible design standards. First TransPennine Express Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to make an announcement concerning the class 170 trains which are due to be transferred from TransPennine Express to Chiltern Railways. Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport continues to work with industry partners to develop a solution that will see more electric trains going into the North, in addition to the 14 already planned. We envisage that these electric trains will release diesel trains to be used on parts of the network in the north that are not yet electrified. The exact detail of this is subject to commercial negotiations and the House will be updated as soon as these are concluded. Foreign Investment in UK Lord Watson of Invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks are in place to ensure that the sources of the funds of foreign nationals seeking to invest in the United Kingdom are legitimate; and who carries out such checks. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Any application for a visa will be subject to checks undertaken by an Entry Clearance Officer (ECO), which will include checks on the applicant’s criminal history. In addition, applicants for a visa under the Tier 1 (Investor) category will be subject to checks to establish that the applicant’s funds meet the relevant requirements of the Immigration Rules, which include a requirement that the funds are held in a regulated financial institution. We require specific evidence of funds to be provided, and we do not accept evidence from financial institutions with which ECOs are unable to carry out satisfactory verification checks. Future Large Aircraft Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when it is estimated that the A400M aircraft will enter service with the Ministry of Defence. Lord Astor of Hever: The in-service date for the UK A400M aircraft is expected to be March 2015. Future Large Aircraft Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many A400M aircraft are to be purchased by the Ministry of Defence, and at what estimated cost to the Exchequer. Lord Astor of Hever: The UK has ordered 22 A400M aircraft with a forecast acquisition cost of £2,809 million, as reported in the Major Projects Report 2013. Future Large Aircraft Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the A400M aircraft fleet will be maintained and serviced; in what location; and by how many (1) private, and (2) service, personnel. Lord Astor of Hever: The Main Gate Business Case investment decision for a contractor-led, output-based in service support solution for the UK A400M fleet was approved in May 2014. Negotiations are nearing completion, with contractual agreement anticipated in August 2014. This innovative solution is designed to combine the commercial efficiencies of civil aviation maintenance whilst also ensuring that it delivers the operational flexibility required to operate a fleet of military aircraft; as a result, the workforce will be made up of both contractor staff and RAF personnel. Just as the aircraft fleet will be introduced over several years, the number of personnel (both contractor and RAF) involved in the support solution will also build up to reflect this. At this stage, however, final numbers are not yet known. The Main Operating Base for the UK A400M fleet will be RAF Brize Norton, and it is expected that all maintenance activities will be carried out in bespoke on-base facilities. Future Large Aircraft Lord Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by whom A400M aircraft are designed and constructed, and in what locations. Lord Astor of Hever: The A400M transport aircraft is designed, developed and produced by Airbus Military, a division of Airbus Defence and Space. It is constructed from component parts produced in a number of countries, including the UK, at the A400M Final Assembly Line facility in Seville, Spain. Gibraltar: Spain Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 6 May (WA 363), how many incursions into Gibraltarian waters by Spanish government-owned vessels have occurred since February 2014. Baroness Warsi: The number of unlawful incursions into British Gibraltar territorial waters by Spanish state vessels totalled 180 between March and 22 July 2014. Gibraltar: Spain Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 10 July (WA 78), when they intend next to raise within the European Union the issue of unlawful incursions by Spanish vessels into British territorial waters. Baroness Warsi: The Government regularly raises Gibraltar with EU partners and the EU institutions. We have made it clear to Spain that unlawful incursions are unacceptable. We have not asked the European Commission or any other Member State to take any specific action in relation to incursions into British Gibraltar Territorial Waters because they have no locus on this issue. The main focus of our lobbying within the EU remains Spain’s unlawful, unjustified and disproportionate action at the border. The Government is pleased that a second border monitoring mission was sent to Gibraltar on 2 July 2014, following concerted lobbying of the European Commission. We have also been very clear to the Commission and other Member States that Spain’s attempts to suspend Gibraltar from EU aviation legislation are unacceptable. We lobby on other Gibraltar issues within the EU as required. Health Education England Lord Grocott: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Earl Howe on 9 July (HL Deb, col 216), how many managerial and clerical appointments have been made to Healthcare Education England. Earl Howe: As stated in the National Health Service Electronic Staff Record, Health Education England and the 13 Local Education and Training Boards employed 2,483 staff as at 30 June 2014, which is the latest available data. These posts can all be considered as managerial or clerical but include many staff who are directly involved in the management of education and training in the National Health Service, including many qualified clinical staff who add value to its work by providing clinical/health expertise and excellence in the field of education and training. Heathrow Airport Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what operations are conducted by the Port Medical Inspector in the space adjacent to the detention facilities in Heathrow Terminal 4; what plans Heathrow Airports Limited has for relocating that work elsewhere, including the timing of the move; and why Heathrow Airports Limited has not yet appointed a project manager for the work to upgrade the detention facilities at Heathrow, originally scheduled to start at the beginning of May. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Port Medical Inspector is no longer using the space adjacent to the detention facilities at Heathrow Terminal 4. A Port Medical Inspector is available at Terminal 3 to undertake any necessary on entry referral screening. Heathrow Airport Ltd (HAL) is waiting for formal notice from the Port Medical Inspector that they wish to terminate their lease on the space. There is a 3 month notice period. In the meantime, free access to the area has been given to plan accommodation changes. HAL has now appointed a project manager. There is a meeting scheduled for 31 July between the Home Office and HAL to discuss the project timetable. Highway Code Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to respond to the analysis in the RAC Report of Motoring 2014 concerning the level of knowledge among motorists of the provisions of the Highway Code; and, if so, when. Baroness Kramer: All road users are personally responsible for ensuring that their knowledge of The Highway Code is up to date. The Highway Code is already available digitally on gov.uk, as an e-book, iPhone app and interactive CD-ROM. It is included digitally on theory test software and free reminders are sent out on Facebook, Twitter and to email subscribers. Therefore, we do not currently intend to respond to the RAC report. Hospitals: Waiting Lists Lord Bradley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of patients whose treatment was incomplete have waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many admitted patients waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-admitted patients waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients whose treatment was incomplete waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust in each of the last five years. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many admitted patients have waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-admitted patients have waited (1) for their appointment, and (2) for treatment, for longer than (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (3) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients whose treatment was incomplete have waited (1) for their first appointment, and (2) for treatment, for over (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (c) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of admitted patients waited (1) for their first appointment, and (2) for treatment, for over (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (c) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of non-admitted patients waited (1) for their first appointment, and (2) for treatment, for over (a) 18 weeks, (b) 26 weeks, and (c) 52 weeks, at each NHS Trust and NHS Foundation Trust for every month since May 2010. Earl Howe: Information is collected each month to measure performance against the waiting time standards for consultant-led treatment for non-urgent conditions. The data measures the number of patients who waited each month and the number of weeks they waited from referral to start treatment. It distinguishes between those patients who are admitted into hospital and those who are non-admitted (for example, outpatients). It does not identify appointments. The data also measures the number of patients who had not yet started treatment at the end of each month and the number of weeks they were waiting. The requested information has been placed in the Library. It does not sum to published national figures, because it excludes other organisations who submitted data over the time period including primary care trusts and the independent sector. Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mitigate the impact of the under-occupancy charge on household debt. Lord Freud: The removal of the spare room subsidy was a necessary change in order to get the housing benefit bill under control, return fairness to the system and make better use of social housing stock. For those that are vulnerable and who may require more time to make the transition to change, the Discretionary Housing Payment scheme administered by local authorities is available. Money management and budgeting and debt advice is also provided by many local authorities and social sector landlords. Additional Discretionary Housing Payment funding has been made available to local authorities to help them support vulnerable claimants to cope with the changes. For 2014/15 this totals £165m. At the end of 2013/14 £21m of the £180m central Government funding remained unspent. This included £7m from a bidding scheme fund that was available during the second half of the year and which all local authorities were encouraged to apply for. Recently published data from the Homes and Communities Agency shows housing association arrears in England falling for the two quarters to the end of March 2014 compared to the same period in the previous year. Rent collection remained at 99 per cent during the same period. We are continuing to monitor and evaluate the policy. The final report of the two year independent evaluation will be published during 2015. Housing Benefit: Social Rented Housing The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the under-occupancy charge on child poverty. Lord Freud: This cost of providing this information is disproportionate. This Government has made good progress in tackling the root cause of child poverty and has recently published its 2014-17 child poverty strategy which outlines the actions being taken. The latest figures from 2012/13 show that the number of children in relative income poverty has fallen by 300,000 since 2009/10 representing the lowest level since the mid-1980s. Iran The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent the E3/EU+3 talks with Iran have been affected by the situations in (1) Iraq, and (2) Ukraine. Baroness Warsi: E3+3 negotiations with Iran on a comprehensive solution to the nuclear issue have not been affected by either Iraq or Ukraine. These negotiations focus purely on the nuclear issue: regional and other issues are not discussed. The E3+3 remain united in their objectives and approach to the negotiations. All of the E3+3 agreed on 19 July to extend the Joint Plan of Action until 24 November. We will continue to work constructively with our E3+3 partners to reach our goal by 24 November. Iraq Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about attacks by ISIS on the Kurdish area of Kobane in the northern Iraq, its access via Turkey and the availability of medical treatment there for wounded fighters; and whether they are making representations to the government of Turkey about the matter. Baroness Warsi: We are aware of reports of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (aka the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria-ISIS) attacks on Kurdish forces in Kobane in Northern Syria. These unconfirmed reports suggest that the attacks began on 7 July, and that ISIL have employed heavy weapons seized from Iraqi Security Forces. Representatives of the Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD) in Syria have claimed that ISIL forces are travelling through Turkey and receiving medical treatment there, though we have not been able to independently corroborate. The UK has regular discussions with the Government of Turkey on a range of Syria related issues, including preventing foreign fighters from using Turkey as a transit route to Syria and Iraq. Iraq The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with senior Kurdish representatives from northern Iraq about the future of Iraq. Baroness Warsi: Our Consul General in Erbil has met with President of the Kurdistan Region Massoud Barzani, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani and other KRG Ministers and party leaders in recent weeks. Officials in London regularly meet with the KRG Representation to the UK. Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether ISIS is actively recruiting in the United Kingdom; and what action they are taking to prevent such recruitment. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: It has been the longstanding policy of successive governments not to comment on intelligence matters. However, Islamic State of Syria and the Levant also known as the ISIS was proscribed as a terrorist organisation with effect from 20 June. Proscription means that an organisation is outlawed and is unable to operate in the UK. It is a criminal offence for a person to belong to or invite support for a proscribed organisation. It is also a criminal offence to arrange a meeting in support of a proscribed organisation or to wear clothing or to carry articles in public which arouse reasonable suspicion that an individual is a member or supporter of the proscribed organisation. Penalties for proscription offences are a maximum of ten years in prison and/or a £10,000 fine. McKinsey and Company Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the aggregate fees paid to McKinsey and Company by the Ministry of Defence in each of the last five years. Lord Astor of Hever: No fees were paid centrally direct to McKinsey and Company by the Ministry of Defence between financial years (FY) 2008-09 and 2012-13. Information on payments made during FY 2013-14 will be available in mid August 2014. McKinsey and Company Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contracts the Ministry of Defence has outstanding with McKinsey and Company consultants; with what objectives; and with what fee and expenses structures. Lord Astor of Hever: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has one outstanding contract with McKinsey and Company. This is for supporting the MOD in ensuring that Equipment Support Plan (ESP) resource is spent in the most efficient manner possible. In summary, the work is to: • Conduct detailed analysis to enable the MOD to achieve the best output from planned spend on ESP, including meeting savings and efficiency targets;• Identify specific choices for optimising ESP expenditure. The contract has a total value of £23 million and is due to end in March 2015. I am withholding full pricing details as disclosure would prejudice commercial interests. Mesothelioma Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the progress in negotiations between the Association of British Insurers and the British Lung Foundation over the last three months to establish a long-term funding scheme for mesothelioma research. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent discussions they have had with (1) the insurance industry, and (2) the British Lung Foundation, regarding establishing a long-term funding scheme for mesothelioma research. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the role of Department of Health officials in the negotiations between the insurance industry and the British Lung Foundation to establish a long-term funding scheme for mesothelioma research. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what correspondence they have received in 2014 from (1) Members of the House of Lords, and (2) Members of the House of Commons, concerning the establishment of a long-term scheme for mesothelioma research funded by the insurance industry. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to (1) the insurance industry, and (2) the British Lung Foundation, to facilitate the establishment of a long-term funding scheme for mesothelioma research. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on mesothelioma patients of a failure of negotiations between the Association of British Insurers and the British Lung Foundation regarding establishing a long-term funding scheme for mesothelioma research. Earl Howe: In April this year, I convened a high level meeting between the Association of British Insurers and the British Lung Foundation (BLF) to discuss how insurers can remain engaged in support for mesothelioma research following earlier donated funding. Departmental officials attended this meeting. Discussions between the BLF and insurers are ongoing. The Department has no direct role in these discussions but is monitoring progress. This year, a number of noble Lords and members of the House of Commons have written to the Secretary of State for Health, Mr Jeremy Hunt, or to me about this subject. Any further funding made available by insurers for mesothelioma research will be in addition to existing sources of public funding. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) has highlighted to the research community that it wants to encourage research applications in mesothelioma. Further details of this are available on the NIHR website at: www.themedcalls.nihr.ac.uk/mesothelioma Mesothelioma Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what trends they have identified in the prevalence of mesothelioma in the United Kingdom over the last 10 years. Lord Freud: Statistics on the prevalence of mesothelioma in the United Kingdom – that is, the number of people that had the disease at a particular time or in a particular period – are not available. However, mesothelioma prevalence is known to be approximately equivalent to annual mesothelioma mortality. The annual total numbers of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain over the period 2003-2012 (the latest 10 years for which data are available) are shown in the table below. Year 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Total 1887 1978 2049 2060 2176 2265 2336 2360 2291 2535 Source: Health and Safety Executive mesothelioma register. Middle East Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the long-term consequences for Israel of Operation Protective Edge. Baroness Warsi: The Government has not made any assessment of the long-term consequences for Israel over the Gaza crisis. The time to carry out any assessment on this issue is in the future, once the situation in Gaza has de-escalated. Middle East Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Palestinian civilians in Gaza they estimate were (1) killed, and (2) wounded, in the 2009 Israeli military operation in Gaza. Baroness Warsi: According to reports received by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, 1,400 Palestinians were killed, and over 5,000 Palestinians were injured, during Operation Cast Lead, which took place between 27 December 2008 and 18 January 2009. Middle East Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether Gaza could seek legal redress for disproportionate military intervention by Israel in the territorial integrity of Gaza. Baroness Warsi: In our statements and discussions with the Israeli authorities, we have been clear that while Israel has a right to defend itself, it must do so in a way that complies with international law, including the principles of proportionality and necessity. The Government would expect any alleged violations of international law in the course of military operations to be subject to a full, impartial and independent investigation by the State in question. Middle East The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Hamas over the last three weeks regarding brokering a ceasefire with Israel. Baroness Warsi: The Government’s policy towards Hamas is clear - the UK does not talk to Hamas, which is a proscribed terrorist organisation. Middle East Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel in respect of the current conflict in Gaza about (1) access for medical supplies and materials for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency water and sewage project, (2) verification of any ceasefires, (3) the use of the Dutch scanner at Kerem Shalom crossing-point, and (4) negotiations for the release of Palestinians arrested since mid-June. Baroness Warsi: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have discussed the issue of access for medical supplies and materials for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) with the Israeli authorities. They also have discussed with the Israeli authorities the release of prisoners, released as part of the Galid Shalit deal but then recently re-arrested during Operation Brother's Keeper, as part of ceasefire negotiations. They have not discussed the use of the Dutch scanner at Kerem Shalom crossing-point. Midwives Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many midwives were working in (1) Band 5, (2) Band 6, (3) Band 7 and (4) Band 8, roles in each of the last five years. Earl Howe: The number of full time equivalent midwives has risen from 20,126 in 2010 to 21,841 as of April 2014. Annual data provided by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC)1, shows the number of registered full time equivalent midwives in Band 5, 6, 7, 8 for the last five years as shown in the following table. Band 5 Band 6 Band 7 Band 8a Band 8b Band 8c Band 8d All staff 2009 1,641 12,700 4,896 161 37 7 3 19,603 2010 1,624 13,301 4,835 171 33 8 2 20,126 2011 1,643 14,022 4,517 164 28 9 3 20,519 2012 1,771 14,456 4,370 165 28 9 2 20,935 2013 1,956 14,759 4,197 195 31 8 1 21,284 1. Health and Social Care Information Centre Non-Medical Workforce Census. Midwives Lord Harrison: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of pregnant women have been given a named midwife since November 2012. Earl Howe: Information on the number of women who have been given a named midwife is currently not collected centrally. The Mandate between the Government and NHS England states that every woman should have a named midwife who is responsible for ensuring she has personalised, one-to-one care throughout pregnancy, childbirth and during the postnatal period. Through the assurance process with NHS England we monitor progress against all mandate commitments. A refresh of the current maternity commissioning guidance for clinical commissioning groups is under way and will include guidance on commissioning services to deliver the named midwife. NHS England is working with the Care Quality Commission on plans to monitor the commitment as part of their maternity services inspections. Ministers Lord Jopling: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Ministers are members of the full Cabinet; how many have attendance status at the Cabinet; and how many Ministers in the House of Lords are in each group. Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are 22 Cabinet Ministers and 11 Ministers attending Cabinet. There are two House of Lords Ministers attending Cabinet: the Leader of the House of Lords and Baroness Warsi, as set out on the Government’s website: www.gov.uk/government/ministers. Motorcycles: Noise Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kramer on 22 July (WA 197), what assessment they have made of the current level of noise produced by motorcycles on public roads. Baroness Kramer: The noise levels of motorcycles are assessed before they are placed on the market to ensure consistency with legislated noise limits. There has been no additional government assessment of the separate contribution motorcycles make to overall noise levels on public roads. Muslim Brotherhood Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place with other European Union governments concerning the Muslim Brotherhood and its alleged links to political and research organisations in Europe. Baroness Warsi: As part of the internal review into the activities and influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Government has drawn on a range of input from independent experts and governments. The review is comprehensive and is looking at the Muslim Brotherhood’s origins, philosophy, activities, record in and out of government; and its organisation and activities in the UK and abroad. This has included seeking views and evidence from our allies and partner governments in Europe, as well as the Middle East and North Africa. The findings of the review will be published once they have been considered by the Government. Muslim Brotherhood Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether any threat is posed to the security of the United Kingdom by the Muslim Brotherhood; and whether they consider that any political or research organisations in the United Kingdom have links to the Muslim Brotherhood. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Prime Minister commissioned a review into the Muslim Brotherhood. We must not prejudge the review’s findings, the purpose of which is to inform Government policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood. Its scope includes linked and affiliated organisations and individuals and will encompass any alleged links the Muslim Brotherhood has with terrorism and extremism. The review will take account of evidence relating to allegations of such links. The review is internal but we expect to say something publicly about its conclusions after the summer recess. Nottingham-Lincoln Railway Line Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any immediate plans to improve the service of the Nottingham to Lincoln railway. Baroness Kramer: There is a proposal to improve services on the Nottingham to Lincoln railway and we are currently in discussion with promoters and stakeholders regarding this. Orders and Regulations Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments. Lord Bates: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has laid 21 statutory instruments during 2014, three of which (14.3%) corrected earlier instruments. DCMS is committed to improving the drafting of statutory instruments. The Treasury Solicitor’s Department, which advises DCMS, is working with the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel on ways of strengthening drafting. The Treasury Solicitor’s Department is working on ideas to improve training, supervision, checking, planning, and the sharing of good practice and expertise. Orders and Regulations Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Department of Energy and Climate Change have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments. Baroness Verma: Since 1 January 2014, the Department of Energy and Climate Change has laid 31 statutory instruments. Two draft affirmative procedure instruments were re-laid in draft in order to correct errors, being 6% of all instruments laid. In the course of making two other instruments, the Department took the opportunity to correct errors in previous instruments; such correction was not the main purpose of the instrument which was made. The Department has endeavoured to prevent errors occurring in statutory instruments and it regrets that errors have occurred. The Department is committed to continuous improvement of the quality of drafting, in particular by means of training and quality assurance procedures and seeks to learn the lessons when errors do occur. Orders and Regulations Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Home Office have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Home Office has laid 51 statutory instruments so far this calendar year. Five of these (10%) corrected errors in a previous instrument. Not all “errors” in a statutory instrument are drafting errors. Some instruments are withdrawn due to factual errors or changes in policy. The Home Office Legal Adviser's Branch has in place a “three pairs of eyes” check on all statutory instruments made by the Department. The policy instructions must be cleared by a Senior Civil Service official in the instructing unit. Instruments are then drafted by the responsible lawyer and are checked and cleared by the Senior Civil Service team leader. Instruments are then finally cleared by one of two senior lawyers with specialist drafting skills before they are laid. These processes were enhanced and improved in April this year. The quality of statutory instrument drafting is also being discussed within the wider Treasury Solicitor’s Department with a view to identifying ways of improving quality through, for example, more rigorous monitoring, better training and more flexible use of experienced and skilled drafters. Orders and Regulations Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Department for Transport have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments. Baroness Kramer: The Department for Transport has laid 58 statutory instruments before Parliament this calendar year. Of these, four, or about 6.9%, corrected errors in a previous instrument (including one that supersedes an instrument laid in draft). In addition, one instrument was laid that replaced an instrument that had been previously laid but which did not correspond precisely with the instrument as made. Correcting instruments are something that all legal teams try to avoid. The Department for Transport devotes significant resources to checking draft statutory instruments and to the continuing education of drafters, both informally, for example by using more experienced drafters to mentor less experienced drafters, and through more formal training at departmental level and under the aegis of the Government Legal Service. The department is also represented on a cross-Whitehall group of drafting specialists which exists to act as a point of contact and facilitate the sharing of best practice and it is participating in a review of statutory instrument drafting arrangements in an enlarged shared legal service led by the Treasury Solicitor’s Department. Orders and Regulations Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Department for Work and Pensions have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments. Lord Freud: The Department for Work and Pensions has made 70 Statutory Instruments (SI) in 2014. Of these, 14 affirmative SIs had been laid in draft over the same period and one draft was withdrawn and replaced with two SIs: one under the affirmative procedure (SI 1954) and another using the negative procedure (SI 1711). In this period there was also one negative SI made (SI 1621) to clarify a regulation included in an earlier SI made (SI 1386) but not yet in force. The Department, with its Legal Service teams in the Treasury Solicitors Office (TSOL), is taking steps to mitigate the need for correcting instruments through training and support to build capability, sharing best practice and learning from internal review and reports from the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments and the Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee. Further, TSOL is undertaking a strategic project to improving the quality of SI drafting as part of its “legal quality” agenda. Pakistan Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent military operation in North Waziristan conducted by the army of Pakistan. Baroness Warsi: The Government of Pakistan’s stated objective for military operations in North Waziristan is to remove all militant groups and dismantle terrorist infrastructure. In its most recent public report, provided on 16 July, the Pakistan army report 447 insurgents killed, 32 surrendered, as well as destruction of 88 hideouts, 11 Improvised Explosive Device factories and 11 tons of explosive. The Pakistan government claim 992,000 people have been registered as displaced and have allocated 4.5 billion Pakistan rupees in assistance. It is for the Government of Pakistan to determine how to tackle the prolonged and deadly insurgency they face. The UK supports Pakistan as it tackles terrorism and violent extremism, and we will stand together to tackle terrorism and the extremism that sustains it. We expect all concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties. Pakistan Lord Ahmed: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the court cases and arrest warrants pending in Pakistan for Mir Shakil ur Rahman, chief executive officer of the Geo/Jang Group. Baroness Warsi: The Government has made no assessment of the alleged court cases and arrest warrants against Mr Rahman reported in the media. These are a matter for the Pakistan legal system, and we will monitor any significant developments. Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of plans to evacuate Gaza if there is no drinking water available as a result of damage to water and sewage infrastructure during the recent conflict there. Baroness Northover: We are working to help bring about a sustainable ceasefire to avoid any further damage and secure longer term access to clean water. UK support to ICRC (£10m 2013-5) is helping them to repair water infrastructure damaged by the airstrikes. ICRC has carried our repairs improving services for 90,000 people. Palestinians Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the International Committee of the Red Cross in relation to the reported placement by Hamas of military facilities and weapons in civilian areas in Gaza. Baroness Warsi: The Government has not made any representations to the International Committee of the Red Cross over this issue. We condemn any use of human shields, and call on all sides to ensure that Gazan and Israeli civilians are not put in danger. Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they intend to have with the government of Israel concerning the recent destruction of fishing boats and fishing nets; and what plans there are to restore the fishing industry in Gaza. Baroness Warsi: The UK has no plans for immediate discussions with the Government of Israel regarding the recent destruction of fishing boats and nets. However, the UK is concerned by the issue of restoring the fishing industry in Gaza, and by the devastating economic and humanitarian impact of restrictions on Gaza, including on the fishing industry. Over the past 10 years, Israel has gradually expanded restriction on access to fishing areas in the Access Restricted Areas (ARAs) in the Gaza strip. We regularly raise the urgent need to ease all access and movement restrictions on Gaza with the Government of Israel. This includes fishing limits, which would help to restore the fishing industry. Palestinians Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans for the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to visit Gaza. Baroness Warsi: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), visited Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories between 23-24 July. He did not, however, visit Gaza due to the current situation. Palestinians Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the Palestinian Authority about the reported use of imported concrete for non-peaceful purposes, particularly in the construction of tunnels from Gaza into Israel. Baroness Warsi: Imports into the Gaza Strip are controlled by Israel as occupying power, not the Palestinian Authority. Imports of construction materials, including concrete are currently only permitted for UN-led humanitarian projects with strict controls mitigating the risk of transfer of materials for use other than that intended. There remains a clear need for further legitimate construction work in Gaza, and we are confident in the measures put in place by the UN to avoid diversion of materials. Palestinians Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government of what state they regard Gaza to be a part. Baroness Warsi: The Government regards Gaza as part of the Occupied Palestinian Territories, along with the West Bank. Pensions: Zimbabwe Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the failure of Zimbabwe to pay pensions due to former Rhodesia or Zimbabwe public sector pensioners living outside Zimbabwe, whether they have any plans to make ex gratia payments to those affected; and if not, why not. Baroness Warsi: The UK has no plans to make ex-gratia payments to former Rhodesia or Zimbabwe public sector pensioners living outside Zimbabwe. The legal obligation to pay these pensions rests solely with the Government of Zimbabwe. We will continue to press the Government of Zimbabwe to fulfil their obligation. Railways Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the design capacity and projected number of trains per direction per hour in (1) 2026, and (2) 2043, for (a) HS2 at Euston approaches and Old Oak Common, and (b) the West Coast Main Line at Euston approaches, Watford and Milton Keynes. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what timetable planning the Department for Transport, HS2 Ltd and Network Rail have conducted for rail traffic on the West Coast Main Line following the opening of HS2 phase 1. Baroness Kramer: The Government’s current requirements for HS2 specify that on completion of Phase 1 it will be capable of enabling a train service of up to 11 trains per hour into and out of Euston and 14 trains per hour in each direction at Old Oak Common. On completion of Phase 2 the system shall enable up to 18 trains per hour into and out of Euston and at Old Oak Common. The Government’s aim is that all towns or cities which currently have a direct service to London will retain broadly comparable or better services once HS2 is completed. Some preliminary work on the future timetable for the West Coast Main Line was undertaken in the early part of 2014, but it is important to stress that the actual timetable operated in the 2020s will depend on the development of the railway and train services over the course of the coming decade. Network Rail is currently working with the rail industry, including the Department for Transport and train and freight operators, to consider future service levels in light of the opening of HS2, and these will be determined through normal rail industry access allocation processes in due course. Railways: Catering Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the continuation of the Travelling Chef service on intercity services between Cardiff, Bristol and Plymouth and London Paddington, and the restaurant car service on some Plymouth to London services, will be a requirement of any extended rail passenger franchise. Baroness Kramer: Catering provision is not specified in the current Great Western franchise agreement, and it is not currently expected that catering will be specified in the next Great Western franchise. However, the franchisee will be encouraged to set out proposals which are designed to meet the needs of passengers, and deliver the franchise objectives for customer service and train and station services. Railways: Catering Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Intercity Express passenger train to be used on services out of Paddington is to be designed to enable Travelling Chef and restaurant car services to be provided. Baroness Kramer: The current design for the class 800 / 801 trains have a kitchen facility for 1st class passengers and a facility to store and replenish a trolley for standard class passengers. However, it may be possible for a future operator to vary the design subject to agreement from the Department for Transport. Railways: Freight Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they will include in their passenger franchising specifications to encourage the growth of rail freight. Baroness Kramer: We consider the needs of freight operators when developing franchise specifications. If there are specific growth needs for freight, such as in the recent Essex Thameside competition, then a requirement to accommodate additional paths will be made. Railways: Freight Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether future franchising specifications will encourage the carriage of small freight, parcels and letters on passenger trains. Baroness Kramer: Her Majesty’s Government considers the needs of freight operators when developing passenger rail franchise specifications. While there are no specific measures included in current specifications relating to the carriage of small freight, parcels and letters on passenger trains, the Department for Transport is carrying out research into how better use can be made of spare capacity on trains. We will consider the outcome of this research in the design of future rail franchise specifications. Religious Freedom Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to persuade those governments whose states have laws penalising apostasy to repeal or amend them, in particular by ending death sentences. Baroness Warsi: The right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion, which includes the right to change one’s religion and to manifest it in teaching, practice, worship and observance is a key human rights priority for the government. The UK regularly raises our concerns where apostasy laws exist, either in the context of bilateral meetings, together with EU partners or through multilateral organisations. As an example, in the case of Meriam Ibrahim in Sudan, we have repeatedly urged the Government of Sudan to respect the right to freedom of religion or belief, including the right to follow a religion or belief of one’s choice. We oppose the death penalty in all circumstances and in all countries. We have made this position clear to those who continue to execute, including the Government of Sudan. River Thames: Sewage Lord Berkeley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 14 May (WA 542), what is the actual annual average frequency of discharge of storm sewage of the upgraded Mogden works; whether it meets the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; if not, what action is to be taken to ensure that it does; and what is the explanation for the number of such discharges between March and December 2013 compared with Thames Water’s statement made before the upgrade that “post upgrade the Mogden works would spill about once every two and a half years.” Lord De Mauley: It is not possible to provide the annual average frequency of discharge of storm sewage from the upgraded Mogden sewage treatment works (STW) as the upgrades only came into effect on 31 March 2013. A discharge from Mogden STW storm tanks has occurred on 54 days in the 12 months from 31 March 2013. This compares to an annual average of 95 spill days for the preceding 5 years. The period since 31 March 2013 has been exceptionally wet, causing additional spills. Despite this the storm discharges from Mogden STW have not led to a significant adverse impact on the quality of the river since the upgrades. The Environment Agency will continue to assess the performance of the upgrade to ensure it continues to comply with the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive. The basis on which Thames Water estimated that Mogden STW will spill about once every two and a half years is not known. Sahel The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the present terrorist threat in the Sahel and surrounding regions; and to what extent they consider it a threat to British interests in the region. Baroness Warsi: Terrorist groups operating in the Sahel and surrounding regions can pose a threat to British nationals and interests in the region. Groups active in the region, including Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and Al Murabitun, aspire to establish Islamic law in the region and to attack Western interests. Al Murabitun claimed responsibility for killing a French soldier in Mali on 14 July, while terrorists affiliated to AQIM are believed to be responsible for killing 14 members of the Tunisian Security Forces on 16 July. We are committed to working with our partners to strengthen the capacity of the affected nations to counter this threat. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Travel Advice gives our most accurate assessment of the situation and the risks to British nationals in the countries across the Sahel. Travel Advice on the Sahel is included in the page for each country in the region and is available on our website at: www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. We encourage all individuals and organisations to take that advice into account when travelling. Schools: Admissions Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 2 July (WA 273), what steps they intend to take to tackle the estimated increase in young people in schools to over eight million by 2023. Lord Nash: Local authorities are responsible for planning and securing sufficient school places for their area. 260,000 additional places have been created between May 2010 and May 2013, including 212,000 primary places, and authorities have plans to create many more places in order to meet future demand. The Government provides significant capital funding to support local authorities. The Department for Education has already committed £5 billion for the financial years 2011-15, and in December 2013, the Department announced a further £2.35 billion in basic need funding to support local authorities to create the additional places that will be needed by September 2017. Funding for free schools is additional to the basic need allocations to local authorities. To date, seven in 10 mainstream free schools have been opened in areas of basic need, and will create a total of over 50,000 places. Ensuring that there are enough school places for the growing population is one of the Government’s top priorities, and the Department for Education will continue to support local authorities to create sufficient school places. Schools: Governors Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take in response to the recommendation in the report of the Education Commissioner published on 22 July into allegations concerning Birmingham schools that “unless there are genuinely exceptional circumstances, there should be a presumption that an individual will only be a governor at a maximum of two schools at any one time”. Lord Nash: We are considering all the specific recommendations made in the report and the Secretary of State will return to the House of Commons in the autumn on steps to be taken on these matters. Schools: Inspections Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the report by Civitas entitled Playing the Game: The enduring influence of the preferred Ofsted teaching style, and in particular the claim that teachers change their lessons plans during Ofsted inspections. Lord Nash: The Department for Education has read the report and is aware of the issues and concerns raised. Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw, has repeatedly made clear that Ofsted does not have a preferred teaching style. It is up to the classroom teacher to determine how they should teach. Ofsted’s judgements on teaching are predicated on whether children are learning, progressing and achieving good outcomes. We recognise the importance of Ofsted delivering a consistently good service across a broad remit. Sir Michael has taken a keen interest in the quality and consistency of inspections and has announced that Ofsted's inspections of schools will be brought in-house from September 2015 to enable direct control over the selection and training of additional inspectors, and more control over quality assurance. Schools: Radicalism Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the review commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education into whether the Department missed historical warnings in respect of concerns raised about Birmingham schools, the Permanent Secretary intends to interview Mr Tim Boyes, headteacher of Queensbridge School. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the review commissioned by the Secretary of State for Education into whether the Department missed historical warnings in respect of concerns raised about Birmingham schools, the Permanent Secretary intends to interview Lord Hunt of Kings Heath. Lord Nash: Given that the Permanent Secretary’s review is ongoing, it would not be appropriate to comment on details regarding the conduct of the review. The Permanent Secretary will be reporting to the Secretary of State later in the summer. Schools: Vocational Guidance Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all disabled pupils are guaranteed face-to-face one-to-one access to disability-trained independent careers advisers as part of the statutory duty and guidance for careers advice in schools; and how careers advice in schools will raise the aspirations and work expectancy of disabled pupils. Lord Nash: Schools should secure face-to-face advice and guidance where it is the most suitable support for young people to make successful transitions. The statutory guidance for schools makes it clear that this is likely to be particularly useful for pupils with special educational needs (SEN), learning difficulties or disabilities; and that this group of pupils should receive advice about all of the education, training and employment opportunities on offer and information on the full range of specialist provision. The statutory guidance also emphasises the need for schools to have high aspirations for all pupils with SEN, learning difficulties or disabilities. It requires schools to work with local authorities around the provision of specialist support services. Where a student has an Education, Health and Care Plan, this must include a focus on preparing for adulthood, including employment, independent living and participation in society. The Government encourages schools to have closer links with employers who will help inspire all pupils about the world of work. Secure Colleges Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria will be used when placing a child in a secure college over a secure children's home. Lord Faulks: The Youth Justice Board currently decides the most appropriate placement for young people remanded or sentenced to custody. Placement decisions are based on the individual needs of young people and take into account advice from Youth Offending Teams. This assessment informs whether the young person is suitable for placement in a Secure Children’s Home rather than a Secure Training Centre or Young Offenders Institution. The same process will apply when there is the option of placement in Secure Colleges. Secure Colleges Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish the governance arrangements and draft rules for secure colleges. Lord Faulks: Ahead of the Report stage of the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill we will be publishing and consulting on our approach to the Secure College Rules. Where appropriate, the consultation will set out some draft indicative provisions. We do not intend to consult on a draft of the Rules themselves; we consider that consulting on the underlying principles rather than the detailed drafting will better enable consideration by consultees. The Rules will be drafted in light of the outcome of the consultation and laid before Parliament ahead of the opening of the Secure College pathfinder in 2017. The key statutory governance requirements for Secure Colleges are set out in the Criminal Justice and Courts Bill with the final arrangements being confirmed ahead of the opening of the Secure College pathfinder in 2017. South Sudan The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they are having to ensure that allegations raised in the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan human rights report of 8 May are being addressed. Baroness Warsi: We have made clear to both sides of the conflict in South Sudan that we are deeply concerned by the allegations in the UN Mission in South Sudan's report of serious human rights abuses. The Minister for Africa at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, my honourable friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mark Simmonds), has told the South Sudanese Foreign Minister that we expect all allegations to be properly investigated. We are pressing the Government of South Sudan for an official response. We have raised this issue with the African Union’s Commission of Inquiry. The Commission of Inquiry’s final report, due later this year, must make specific recommendations about how those responsible for human rights abuses will be held to account. Sudan and South Sudan Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there have been any recent reductions in staff allocated to the Sudan and South Sudan Unit in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; and, if so, what are the details of those reductions. Baroness Warsi: Numbers of staff in the Sudan and South Sudan Unit vary to meet operational needs. During the South Sudan crisis, for example, the Unit’s staffing level was significantly increased to cope with the immediate impact of the conflict. There are currently nine staff working in the Unit, two more than in December, before the South Sudan crisis. However, over the past year there have been some reductions in permanent members of staff. These include merging the role of Special Representative with the Head of the Unit, merging the Sudan and South Sudan team leader roles and merging two support functions. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office will continue to ensure that the Unit is sufficiently staffed to meet UK objectives in both Sudan and South Sudan. Syria Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the security of the mainly Kurdish cantons of north and east Syria, and in particular of the risk of attacks by Islamic extremists. Baroness Warsi: The Kurdish Democratic Party (PYD) in Syria and associated armed groupings have effectively been in control of most of the Kurdish areas in North-East Syria since they unilaterally declared autonomy in November 2013. We are aware of reports of Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) (also known as ISIS – the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) attacks on Kurdish forces in Kobane and other areas in Northern and Eastern Syria. Reports suggest that the attacks in Kobane began on 7 July, and that ISIL has employed heavy weapons seized from Iraqi Security Forces. ISIL is a serious threat in Syria and Iraq. We remain concerned that their access to more sophisticated weaponry, a swelling of their ranks and improved morale will now place them in a stronger position to threaten all those in Syria, regardless of their affiliation. Primary responsibility for this situation lies with the Assad regime whose actions have fuelled extremism in Syria. The UK remains committed to supporting the moderate opposition in Syria to bolster them against the regime and against the extremists, and to help bring about a political solution, which remains the only way to achieve a sustainable resolution to the crisis. Syria and Iraq The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new steps they are taking to reduce the number of British Muslims travelling to Syria and Iraq to participate in jihad. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government takes the threat posed by those who travel to Syria and Iraq extremely seriously. Our priority is to dissuade people from travelling to areas of conflict in the first place, by highlighting that the best way for the public to help is to donate to UK-registered charities that have ongoing relief operations; that anyone going to Syria, even for humanitarian reasons, is at serious risk of being targeted by terrorist groups or the regime; and that travelling to Syria will place anxiety on families and friends. The Home Secretary this week backed a national campaign aimed at dissuading young people from travelling to Syria and Iraq. The campaign ‘Families Matter’ was launched on 21st July by Families Against Stress and Trauma (FAST), a community organisation which provides support to vulnerable families and individuals across the country. Through our work with law enforcement and responsible social media companies, we are making significant progress with removing online propaganda including material from proscribed groups, such as ISIL, which targets the vulnerable and encourages travel. Since December 2013, the Counter Terrorism Internet Referral Unit have removed over 21,000 pieces of unlawful terrorist material, a significant proportion of which is related to Syria and Iraq. The police and security services are actively working to detect and disrupt terrorist threats. A range of measures may be used, including disrupting travel by cancelling British passports, depriving dual nationals of British citizenship and excluding them from the UK, and conducting interviews at the border as part of Counter Terrorist investigations. Syria and Iraq The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of (1) the number of British Muslims fighting with Salafist movements in Syria and Iraq, and (2) the number of such British Muslims who have recently returned home. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: We believe that more than 400 UK-linked individuals have travelled to Syria and have become involved in the fighting since the start of the uprising. A significant subset of those have returned to the UK. Thailand Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government why no official from the British Embassy in Bangkok attended Andy Hall’s meeting with officials at the Prakanong Prosecutor’s Office on 18 June. Baroness Warsi: Consular officials at our Embassies do not attend court hearings unless there are exceptional circumstances. While a British Embassy representative, in his capacity as a political analyst, did observe Mr Hall’s hearing on 2 July, the Embassy has no role in accompanying Mr Hall to meetings related to his legal dispute. We cannot interfere in the judicial process of another country and we cannot act as legal representatives for British nationals. Our staff are not legally trained and they therefore cannot comment on proceedings or provide interpretation. Consular officials will continue to support Mr Hall as appropriate, and a decision on whether we will attend future hearings or other key meetings will be made when required. Uganda Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the passing of anti-homosexual legislation in Uganda, whether they are reviewing the categorisation of that country when considering demands for extradition of United Kingdom citizens to Uganda. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Uganda is a signatory to the London Scheme for Extradition within the Commonwealth and is categorised as a Category 2 country for the purposes of the Extradition Act 2003. It is required to provide prima facie evidence in support of any extradition request. The Category 2 designation does not in itself amount to a simplified extradition procedure. When deciding an extradition case the court must consider any relevant Human Rights concerns. If the court believes a person’s rights under the European Convention on Human Rights would be breached, they must discharge the request. Ukraine Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any information, either from Eurocontrol or elsewhere, regarding the primary and secondary radar returns from flight MH17 before and immediately after its destruction. Baroness Kramer: The Dutch Safety Board is leading the investigation into the MH17 incident. It would be inappropriate for the UK Government to share or discuss information relevant to the investigation while this is continuing. Ukraine Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what Notices to Airmen were in force relating to flights over and through Ukrainian airspace at the time of the destruction of flight MH17. Baroness Kramer: Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs) were in force over two areas of Ukrainian airspace on Thursday 17 July. One related to the disputed Crimean airspace, which has been in place for several months. A second was in place over Eastern Ukraine (the Dnipropetrovsk Flight Information Region), closing airspace below 32,000 feet. Veterans: Employment Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to respond to offers of employment for returning injured military personnel. To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are identified points of contact for employers who wish to offer work opportunities to returning injured military personnel. Lord Astor of Hever: A career in the Armed Forces equips service leavers with a wide range of specialist and transferable skills. Such a career will also have instilled and developed characteristics such as leadership, initiative and tenacity, which is why this group of people are in high demand in the public, private, voluntary and community sectors. The Ministry of Defence prepares personnel through the Career Transition Partnership (CTP) in providing them advice, guidance, vocational training and job finding support to help them secure an appropriate and sustainable career after leaving the Armed Forces. The CTP is a partnering arrangement between the MoD and Right Management Limited and engages with industry and public/charity/voluntary sector organisations to best match work and employment opportunities with personnel leaving the Armed Forces. We work with all industry sectors to offer Service Leavers a range of employment options and positions through the creation of partnerships with major organisations such as BAE Systems, Jaguar, Siemens, Google and BT Openreach. The CTP helped 85 per cent of Service Leavers find sustainable employment within six months of leaving the Armed Forces in 2013/14. Those who are medically discharged are entitled to the full range of resettlement provision, regardless of how long they have served or the nature and cause of injuries. We also offer specialised support for wounded, injured and sick personnel and those with the most complex barriers to employment to ensure they receive the most appropriate employment and recovery pathway. This is delivered through the Recovery Career Services in conjunction with the MoD and key charities. Vocational Training Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action, beyond the changes they are to make to apprenticeships, they intend to take in order to prepare young people for the world of work and deliver businesses with a supply of young people with appropriate skill sets for the business environment. Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government is taking a range of actions to ensure young people have the skills and experience needed in the workplace. The Government published a Careers Inspiration Vision in September 2013 calling on schools and colleges to work closely with employers to provide more inspiration and career insights for children and young people for example through workplace visits, inspiring speakers, coaching and mentoring. To help schools achieve this we have published revised Statutory Guidance which underpins their duty to secure independent careers guidance. This makes it clear that schools should inspire their pupils through more real-life contact with the world of work. We have also published new departmental advice, which provides examples of good practice and case studies, demonstrating how schools can build closer links with employers. Youth Custody Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many children currently in (1) secure children's homes, (2) young offenders' institutions, and (3) secure training centres, have previous convictions. Lord Faulks: Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government and we are committed to providing young people with the support they need to achieve this. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) holds information on previous convictions for young people who offend, but this is not held by individual establishment or by sector for the youth secure estate. The Youth Justice Board (YJB) Placements Team holds the assessment record of each young person currently in custody, which would indicate whether or not they have a previous conviction. However, this is management information used to inform individual custody placement decisions. It is not intended for official reporting purposes and is not therefore of the same nature as offending history data published in the MoJ official statistics report: ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’, which is sourced from the Police National Computer (PNC). Statistics on offending history for juvenile offenders are published by the MoJ on a quarterly basis in the ‘Criminal Justice Statistics Quarterly Bulletin’ at the link below: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-december-2013 The MoJ and YJB are investigating the feasibility of linking between YJB administrative systems and the PNC to establish offending history by secure estate sector. Youth Custody Lord Touhig: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the reoffending rate is for children who have served sentences in (1) secure children’s homes, (2) young offenders’ institutions, and (3) secure training centres. Lord Faulks: Reducing reoffending and better rehabilitation of young offenders are key priorities for the Government. In January 2014 we set out our plans to transform youth custody and put education at the heart of detention, to equip young people in custody with the skills, qualifications and self-discipline they need to build a life free from crime and become productive, hardworking members of the community. Statistics on proven re-offending for juvenile offenders are published by the Ministry of Justice on a quarterly basis in the “Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin” at the link below: www.gov.uk/government/publications/proven-reoffending-statistics-quarterly-statistics-july-2011-to-june-2012 The latest proven re-offending rates[1] for juvenile offenders in England and Wales who were released from the youth custodial estate, by individual establishment, can be found in Table 23 of the “Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly Bulletin”, July 2011 to June 2012. Different establishments cater for offenders with different risks and needs, so these figures should not be used to compare re-offending across establishments. A proven re-offence is defined as any offence committed in a one-year follow-up period that leads to a court conviction, caution, reprimand or warning in the one year follow-up or within a further six-month waiting period to allow the offence to be proven in court

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2014-07-30a

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy World War I: Anniversaries lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to commemorate the victims of the explosion at the Chilwell Shell Filling Factory that took place on 1 July 1918. lord crisp: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether theyplan to commemorate the women who worked at the Chilwell and other shell filling factories during the First World War. lord henley: In the last Parliament, The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy worked with the All Party Parliamentary Group on Recognition for Munitions Workers to explore ways to ensure that the collective efforts of all those who worked in munitions factories were not forgotten. This included several positive steps such as the march past of former munitions workers in the Remembrance Sunday parade in 2012. While the All Party Parliamentary Group is no longer active, my Department is continuing to work with campaigners to establish how the valiant collective effort of former munitions workers could be recognised. BEIS has no plans for any specific local commemoration which are best determined at a local level. Construction: Conditions of Employment baroness hamwee: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the report Shaky Foundations: Labour Exploitation in London's Construction Sectorby Focus on Labour Exploitation. lord henley: The Government will consider this report alongside other published reports and research. As set out in the Government Response to the Taylor Review of Modern Working Practices, we currently have four consultations taking place on employment status, increasing transparency in the labour market, agency workers and enforcement of employment rights. These consultations cover some of the issues discussed in this report and we have committed to firm action and future legislation where appropriate. Banks: Company Accounts baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 9 April (HL6568), whether the ongoing supervision of banks by the Prudential Regulation Authority, as set out in the Financial Services Act 2012, absolves auditors of their responsibilities in respect of the full accounting solvency requirements of the Companies Act 2006; and if so, under which provisions of the Financial Services Act. lord henley: Auditors’ responsibilities to their clients under the Companies Act 2006 do not differ between those companies that are subject to prudential regulation under the Financial Services Act 2012 and those that are not. Company Accounts baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 11 April (HL6619), why the guidance setting out generally accepted practice on realised and unrealised profits is produced by the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and WalesandInstitute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland; and, in determining who should produce that guidance, what account was taken of section 464 of the Companies Act 2006 which provided for the Financial Reporting Council to be the body prescribed to set statements of standard accounting practice relevant to the company's circumstances and to the accounts. lord henley: The guidance issued by the Institute for Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Scotland concerns the generally accepted practice of directors in determining the distribution of profits by their companies. This is not the subject of an accounting standard, which are issued by the Financial Reporting Council, as the prescribed body under section 464 of the Companies Act 2006. The powers under Section 464 of the Companies Act 2006 are limited to statements on the standard practice applicable to a company’s annual accounts. Carillion: Insolvency lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how manybusinesses are currently owed payments by Carillion following that firm’s collapse; and what number of those are small businesses. lord henley: In his role as liquidator of Carillion, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and is independent of government. The liquidation process for such a complex and interconnected group of companies will take some time, as will gathering in full information regarding the creditors of the companies. We are carefully monitoring the situation and we have established a Taskforce with industry and unions to actively monitor the impact on SMEs and the supply chain, and to assess the action that can be taken to mitigate these effects. The Taskforce has delivered a range of supportive measures. This includes nearly £1bn in support to those affected from UK lenders; the British Business Bank giving available support of up to £100m to small businesses, through their delivery partners, using the Enterprise Finance Guarantee; assistance from HMRC to those experiencing difficulties paying tax and Government funding to ensure continuity of vital services. Carillion: Insolvency lord mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the total amount of payments owed by Carillion to (1) all businesses, and (2) small businesses. lord henley: In his role as liquidator of Carillion, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and is independent of government. The liquidation process for such a complex and interconnected group of companies will take some time, as will gathering in full information regarding the creditors of the companies. We are carefully monitoring the situation and we have established a Taskforce with industry and unions to actively monitor the impact on SMEs and the supply chain, and to assess the action that can be taken to mitigate these effects. The Taskforce has delivered a range of supportive measures. This includes nearly £1bn in support to those affected from UK lenders; the British Business Bank giving available support of up to £100m to small businesses, through their delivery partners, using the Enterprise Finance Guarantee; assistance from HMRC to those experiencing difficulties paying tax and Government funding to ensure continuity of vital services. Company Accounts baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Financial Reporting Council (FRC) used the solicitor Richard Fleck to prepare the FRC’s guidance on true and fair view in 2011 and to instruct counsel; in appointing Richard Fleck, what account was taken of his having been (1) previously a practice partner at Herbert Smith advising KPMG and PwC on matters including auditor liability, and (2) a member of the FRC Board or predecessor body board since 1986; and whether that board membership was in compliance with the FRC’s own criteria for independence of nine years. lord henley: The FRC’s Guidance on True & Fair View published in 2011 was issued by the FRC following full consideration by the FRC's Accounting Standards Board (ASB) and Auditing Practices Board (APB). It was signed by Mr Roger Marshall and Mr Richard Fleck as the respective Chairs of those Boards. The FRC consider that Mr Fleck's involvement in the development of the guidance was consistent with the FRC's Code of Conduct applicable to non-executive members of the FRC Board and its operating bodies. It also considers his membership of the APB and the FRC Board consistent with the terms of the Articles of Association of both the APB and the FRC at the relevant times. Mr Fleck’s term on the FRC Board did not exceed nine years.As explained in the reply given to the noble Baroness on 12th February 2018 to Question HL5215, the FRC considers that instructions to Counsel held by it are subject to legal professional privilege. Radioactive Waste lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking as part of their consultation on geological disposal infrastructure for nuclear waste to screen out those areas of the UK that are geologically unsuitable for the disposal of nuclear waste. lord henley: Ahead of the launch of a siting process for a Geological Disposal Facility, the Government will publish the findings from a National Geological Screening (NGS) exercise that brings together existing information about England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s geology relevant to the long term safety of a geological disposal facility. The findings from this exercise will not assess areas as either ‘suitable’ or ‘unsuitable’, but will provide an initial indication of the likely geological suitability of an area where the local community is interested in participating in the consent-based siting process for the disposal facility. There are a large range of potentially suitable geological settings in the UK, and the findings will inform early discussions with communities and provide the basis of subsequent detailed, site-specific geological investigations, which will be necessary to determine, whether a location is suitable or unsuitable. Radioactive Waste lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to assess (1) which areas of the UK are most geologically suitable for the disposal of nuclear waste, and (2) which areas are less geologically suitable; and what priority they will give to the outcome of that process in consulting local communities prior to designating a site. lord henley: Ahead of the launch of a siting process for a Geological Disposal Facility, the Government will publish the findings from a National Geological Screening (NGS) exercise that brings together existing information about England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s geology relevant to the long term safety of a geological disposal facility. The findings from this exercise will not assess areas as either ‘suitable’ or ‘unsuitable’, but will provide an initial indication of the likely geological suitability of an area where the local community is interested in participating in the consent-based siting process for the disposal facility. There are a large range of potentially suitable geological settings in the UK, and the findings will inform early discussions with communities and provide the basis of subsequent detailed, site-specific geological investigations, which will be necessary to assess the degree to which a location is suitable or unsuitable. Radioactive Waste lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to evaluate the suitability of offshore sites at (1) 5km, (2) 20km, and (3) other distances from the shoreline for the disposal of nuclear waste. lord henley: The Government has undertaken generic design work on the construction requirements for a Geological Disposal Facility, which demonstrate that the depth of the underground facilities are expected to be between 200m and 1000m. This work demonstrates that while the surface structures and access points of a Geological Disposal Facility will be located on land, the design could allow the underground facilities to extend offshore if accessed from onshore surface sites. Therefore the National Geological Screening (NGS) exercise will bring together existing information about England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s geology relevant to the long term safety of a geological disposal facility examines geological attributes out to 20 kilometres from the shore which is the extent of UK territorial waters. Radioactive Waste lord judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will make public their findings of the relative geological suitability of all parts of the UK, including potential offshore sites, for the disposal of nuclear waste. lord henley: Ahead of the launch of a siting process for a Geological Disposal Facility, the Government will publish the findings from a National Geological Screening (NGS) exercise that brings together existing information about England, Wales and Northern Ireland’s geology relevant to the long term safety of a geological disposal facility. These findings will be presented in the format of a series of brief narratives describing the key characteristics of the geological environment and their relevance to safety for siting a Geological Disposal Facility for the whole of England, Wales and Northern Ireland, subdivided in to 13 regions and out to 20 kilometres from the shore. The narratives will be illustrated with maps, where appropriate. For some attributes, information will be presented at a national level only, because data are very sparse or vary little across all regions, and so there will also be a short national output presenting this information, which is applicable to all regions. The findings will be made available in an accessible form, providing authoritative information that can be used in early discussions with communities about their geological potential to host a disposal facility. Research: EU Grants and Loans lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to apply for membership of the ninth EUFramework Programme for Research and Innovation after leaving the EU. lord henley: The Government has consistently stated its commitment to ongoing collaboration with the EU in Science and Innovation and recognises the important contribution this makes to the UK. To that end, we want to ensure that the next EU Framework Programme (FP9) remains focused on excellence, with appropriate financial contribution for Associated Countries, and a suitable level of influence. Our recent FP9 position paper sets out further details. Ultimately, the UK’s participation in FP9 will depend upon the outcome of our negotiations with the EU. Small Businesses: Digital Technology lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to encourage more small businesses to invest in digital transformation and to help those businesses become aware of the tax incentives available for development in that area. lord henley: The Government has made considerable effort to engage on these issues through the recent publication of its Digital Strategy in March 2017. We want to create a digital economy that works for everyone and would refer in particular to Chapter 4, The wider economy - helping every British business become a digital business. In addition, the Business Basics programme aims to reach Small to Medium sized Enterprises (SMEs) across the country to improve their productivity, by looking at the barriers and enablers to implementing technologies such as new accountancy software or performance management systems, building the evidence of effective approaches in the process. Similarly, the Be the Business programme aims to help SMEs better understand the simple changes they can make to boost their productivity through adoption of practical technological solutions. Be the Business has developed a national digital platform and benchmarking tool to engage, educate and enable SMEs to improve their productivity. Finally, SMEs can claim R&D tax credit for eligible resource costs in R&D projects. Transformation projects involving R&D would qualify for this. Ministry of Justice Pre-sentence Reports lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-sentence reports were issued in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) a summary offence, (2) a triable either way offence, and (3) and indictable only offence. lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-sentence reports were issued in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) violence against the person, (2) a sexual offence, (3) robbery, (4) a theft offence, and (5) criminal damage. lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pre-sentence reports were issued in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) a drug offence, (2) apossession of weapons, (3) a public order offence, (4) a fraud offence, (5) a summary non-motoring offence, and (6) a summary motoring offence. lord keen of elie: The information requested, where possible, has been provided in the attached table. The total number of pre-sentence reports produced for eligible offenders over the last few years correlates with the fall in overall offenders in the criminal justice system.The breakdowns requested in HL6522 are not available due to differences in offence recording in the database. The breakdown for possession of weapons, public order offences and summary non-motoring requested in HL6525 are also not available. Otherwise, the table covers all of the offences categories, with theft labelled as ‘theft and handling’. Table (Word Document, 43.45 KB) Sentencing lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the rates of concordance between sentences and pre-sentence report recommendations in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) a summary offence, (2) a triable either way offence, (3) and indictable only offence. lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the rates of concordance between sentences and pre-sentence report recommendations in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) violence against the person, (2) a sexual offence, (3) robbery, (4) a theft offence, and (5) criminal damage and arson. lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the rates of concordance between sentences and pre-sentence report recommendations in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17 in cases where the index offence was (1) a drug offence, (2) a possession of weapons, (3) a public order offence, (4) a fraud offence, (5) a summary non-motoring offence, and (6) a summary motoring offence. lord keen of elie: The information requested, where possible, has been provided in the attached tables. The total number of pre-sentence reports, produced for eligible offenders, over the last few years correlates with the fall in overall offenders in the criminal justice system.The breakdowns requested in HL6523 are not available due to differences in offence recording in the database. The table covers all of the offences categories as requested in HL6526 except theft is labelled as ‘theft and handling’, and criminal damage and arson is labelled as ‘criminal damage’. The breakdown for possession of weapons, public order offences and summary non-motoring, as requested in HL6527, are not available. The offence category for fraud is included within ‘fraud and forgery’. Table (Word Document, 74.12 KB) Sentencing lord wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of pre-sentence reports recommended (1) immediate custody, (2) suspended sentences, (3) community sentences, and (4) fines, in England and Wales in each financial year from 2011–12 to 2016–17; and what were the rates of concordance between sentences and pre-sentence report recommendations for each of those recommendations in cases of (a) standard delivery reports, (b) written fast delivery reports, and (c) oral fast delivery reports. lord keen of elie: The information requested has been provided in the attached tables. The total number of pre-sentence reports, produced for eligible offenders, over the last few years correlates with the fall in overall offenders in the criminal justice system. Table (Word Document, 53.72 KB) Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Brexit lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had about Brexit with local authorities in areas where the majority of the electorate voted for Remain in the 2016 referendum on the UK’s membership of the EU. lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government is working with local authorities and a wide range of other interested parties to understand the opportunities and challenges of EU Exit and plan for a wide range of scenarios. We are working to make a success of EU exit for all local authorities and places, whether their areas voted ‘Leave’ or ‘Remain’. Ministry of Defence Syria: Military Intervention baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 8 March (HL5782), how they reconcile the statement that “our military role in the Global Coalition is limited to air strikes” with the presence of a British soldier in Syria who was killed by a roadside bomb in Manbij on 29 March. earl howe: Sergeant Tonroe, who was killed on 29 March 2018, was embedded with US forces on a counter-Daesh operation. Syria: Military Intervention baroness cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the outcome of the investigation by the Global Coalition into the death of a British soldier in Manbij, Syria, on 29 March; and whom that investigation determined was responsible for laying the bomb. earl howe: The Government will not provide any additional information on the circumstances surrounding the death of Sergeant Tonroe at this time. Department for Exiting the European Union Brexit lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all the required legislation for leaving the EU is passed by Parliament before any vote on the final Brexit deal. lord callanan: The Government is committed to delivering a smooth and orderly exit from the EU and the Queen’s Speech 2017 set out the legislative programme to support this. Six exit-related bills have been introduced in Parliament in this session: the EU (Withdrawal) Bill, the Nuclear Safeguards Bill, the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Bill, the Trade Bill, the Taxation (Cross-border Trade) Bill and the Haulage Permits and Trailer Registration Bill. The Government has always said we will bring forward further legislation as required to deliver our exit. This includes the Withdrawal Agreement & Implementation Bill that would give the Withdrawal Agreement domestic legal effect. Only after Parliament has voted in favour of the final deal will we introduce the Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Food: Advertising baroness cavendish of little venice: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to reduce the advertising of unhealthy foods to children (1) online, and (2) on television. lord ashton of hyde: There is a clear need to address childhood obesity on health and social justice grounds and this government is committed to tackling the issue and supporting people in making healthy choices. The UK currently places strong restrictions on the advertising of foods high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in media. New rules came into effect in July 2017 banning the advertising of HFSS food or drink products in children’s media. These restrictions complement similar measures already in place for broadcast media where advertising of HFSS products is prohibited, during, before and after programmes directed to or likely to appeal to children. This is in addition to rules that apply across broadcast media that adverts must not be used to condone or encourage poor nutritional habits or unhealthy lifestyles in children, prohibiting for example the use of character/celebrity endorsements. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with his ministers and Cabinet colleagues on a number of issues pertaining to broadcasting, including advertising regulation, and our public health priorities are kept under review as we remain committed to ensuring that the UK has a robust approach. Food: Advertising baroness cavendish of little venice: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to update the definition of unhealthy foodproducts that are high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS) in relation to the regulation of HFSS advertising on television. lord ashton of hyde: We are working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care as the lead department on the development of the updated Nutrient Profile Model, which is currently out for public consultation. The adoption of the model is a matter for Ofcom and the Advertising Standards Authority.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2018-04-26

Abortion Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Northover on 9 January (HL Deb, col 209), whether they have examined their position that United Kingdom-funded medical care “may” include the provision of abortion to women raped in conflict if it is medically necessary against the terms of their obligations under Common Article 3 of the Geneva Conventions and Protocols. Baroness Northover: The UK position has not changed. In conflict situations where denial of abortion in accordance with a national law prohibition would threaten the woman’s or girl’s life or cause unbearable suffering, international humanitarian law principles may justify offering an abortion rather than perpetuating what amounts to inhumane treatment in the form of an act of cruel treatment or torture. Clearly this will depend on the woman’s choice, her condition and the safety and security of the humanitarian staff, as well as other contextual factors. Abortion Baroness Uddin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made as a result of their representations to the government of the United States about that government’s foreign aid policy preventing abortion being available to rape survivors. Baroness Northover: DFID officials are in regular, continuing and constructive dialogue with both USAID and US-based international non-governmental organisations with regard to improving access to sexual and reproductive health services and rights, which includes reducing recourse to unsafe abortion and improving access to safe abortion services. Afghanistan: Women and Girls Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much of the £47 million provided to the Afghan Ministry of Education will be used specifically to support girls' education, including through improving security and protection for both girls attending school and their women teachers. Baroness Northover: All £47 million allocated to Afghanistan through DFID’s Girls’ Education Challenge Fund will be used specifically to support girls’ education. This includes using new and effective ways to expand education access and opportunities for marginalised girls in rural and less secure areas. Agriculture: Genetically Modified Crops Lord Turnberg: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 18 November (WA 127), whether they intend to appeal the decision of the European Food Safety Authority to allow genetically modified soya beans to be marketed by Monsanto in the European Union. Earl Howe: The decision to authorise this genetically modified soya for food and feed use in the European Union was made by the European Commission on the basis of a safety assessment by the European Food Safety Authority and after consulting the member states. As set out in my reply of 18 November, Official Report, column WA 127, the Government has a strong interest in the science-based system underpinning such authorisations. This position will be reflected in any observations that we submit to the European Court regarding the case. Alcohol Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to revise the current NHS alcohol unit guidelines. Earl Howe: As set out in the Government Alcohol Strategy, the Department has commissioned a review to look at the current drinking guidelines for adults. This is a United Kingdom-wide review, led by the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) for England, Professor Dame Sally Davies. The CMO has appointed two expert groups to review the evidence on alcohol and health risks and on behaviour and guidelines, under the chairmanship respectively of Professor Mark Petticrew and Professor Sally Macintyre. The CMOs for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will jointly oversee this work. We expect the review of evidence to conclude in January 2014. Professor Dame Sally Davies and the other CMOs in the UK will then decide whether to develop new guidelines, which would take six months. We would expect to consult on any new guidelines. Apprenticeships Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprenticeship vacancies are available in (1) the United Kingdom as a whole, (2) England, (3) Wales, (4) Scotland, and (5) Northern Ireland, for the last 12-month period. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The National Apprenticeship Service has advertised 135,200 vacancies in England over the last 12 months to October 2013. Figures are based on employers who advertise their vacancies to the public using the Apprenticeship Vacancies website and so do not provide a comprehensive picture of all Apprenticeship opportunities. In addition, many employers advertise independently or put existing staff through an Apprenticeship where they move into a new role as part of their career development and training. Apprenticeships are a devolved matter therefore data for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is not available. Apprenticeships Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people applied for apprenticeships in (1) the United Kingdom as a whole, (2) England, (3) Wales, (4) Scotland, and (5) Northern Ireland, for the last 12-month period. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Over the last 12 months (to October 2013) the National Apprenticeship Service has advertised 135,200 vacancies in England with over 1.5 million applications being made to those vacancies. These figures are based on employers who advertise their vacancies on the National Apprenticeship Vacancy system and so do not provide a comprehensive picture of all Apprenticeship opportunities. In addition many employers advertise Apprenticeship vacancies independently or put existing staff through an Apprenticeship where they move into a new role. Apprenticeships are a devolved matter for Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, therefore we are unable to provide the requested information. Apprenticeships Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that the number of vacancies for apprenticeships matches the number of people seeking them. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Apprenticeships are jobs with high quality training. The number of Apprenticeship vacancies is determined by the number of employers offering them. We are committed to increasing the number of Apprenticeships offered by employers through investing almost £1.5bn in Apprenticeship training this year; improving quality across the programme to better meet employer needs; The Apprenticeship Reform Implementation Plan, published in October, set out our long term plan for growing the number of Apprenticeships offered by employers by putting employers in the driving seat and giving them the opportunity to lead the way in developing and implementing new Apprenticeships in their sectors. Apprenticeships Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise public awareness of apprenticeships as an alternative to a university degree course and as an alternative route to establishing a career. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Apprenticeships offer the ideal opportunity for ambitious young people to train while earning a wage. The National Apprenticeship Service works through a wide range of partners to promote Apprenticeships in schools. Schools are now required to secure independent and impartial careers guidance on apprenticeships for pupils aged 11-18. The National Careers Service also provides advice on the benefits of Apprenticeships and how to apply for vacancies. We promote wider awareness of Apprenticeships through the annual Apprenticeship Week, the Skills Show and National Apprenticeship Awards. We have also made changes to Higher Apprenticeships, providing a clear work-based progression pathway into Higher Education and professional careers. Broadcasting: Digital Radio Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to revive the memorandum of understanding relating to the funding of the nationwide network of digital radio transmitters. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government signed a Memorandum of Understanding on local DAB funding for switchover with the BBC, Ofcom, Arqiva and commercial multiplex operators in July 2012. We intend to provide an update on our plans for digital radio at the end of the year. Burma Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made specific representations to the government of Burma about ending the quota of military members in the Burmese Parliament; and, if so, what responses they have received. Baroness Warsi: We continue to lobby regularly and publicly on the need for reform of Burma’s constitution on a number of issues, including the role of the military in the executive and legislature, the rights of Burma’s ethnic groups, and the clause that prohibits any individual with foreign family members from becoming President. The Prime Minister my right hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron) and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) raised the Burmese constitution with President Thein Sein when he visited London in July 2013. The President acknowledged the need for change, and pointed to the work of the parliamentary committee set up to review the constitution. Recently, the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire) discussed the need for constitutional change with Deputy Foreign Minister Thant Kyaw and with Minister in the President’s Office Tin Naing Thein. Our Embassy in Rangoon continues to lobby on constitutional reform with the President’s office, Ministers and officials in the Burmese government and members of the ruling party, the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP). Business Angel Co-investment Fund Lord Adonis: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the geographic distribution of investments made by the Business Angel Co-investment Fund. Viscount Younger of Leckie: Funding for the Angel CoFund programme is not invested on a regional basis, but is distributed according to demand from business angels and eligible high growth companies. The geographic distribution of investment by value to November 2013 is: • East England – 8.4%• West Midlands – 6.6%• South West – 14.1%• North West – 1.7%• Yorkshire and the Humber – 1.9%• South East – 16.8%• Greater London – 40.5%• East Midlands – 3.7%• North East – 6.2% From Q3 2013 the CoFund was extended to be able to invest throughout the UK. Cambodia Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Cambodia regarding the trial and sentencing of Yorm Bopha. Baroness Warsi: On Friday 22 November the Cambodian Supreme Court freed human rights activist Yorm Bopha on bail. Her case will now be heard by the Appeal Court. Our Ambassador in Phnom Penh raises human rights issues with senior Cambodian Ministers regularly, including both the wider issue of land reform as well as the need to ensure that the rule of law is applied proportionately in response to protests. Cyclists: Safety Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are promoting the safety of cyclists. Baroness Kramer: As more and more people take up cycling we are absolutely determined to improve their safety. That is why we have made significant investment in cycling, investing almost double that spent in the last five years of the previous administration. We have particularly focused on making it safer and easier for people to cycle by: improving links between cycle networks; making safety improvements at junctions; and providing major investment in cycling in 8 cities across the country, to create a step change in cycling provision in those places. We have also continued to support Bikeability cycle training for children. The Government, through the reduction of bureaucracy and supporting changes in regulations, has made it easier for local authorities to implement 20 mph zones, ‘Trixi’ mirrors and highway measures to support cycle safety. In addition, we are working with local authorities and Transport for London on trialling innovative schemes to improve cycle safety at junctions; as well as supporting the European Union to improve lorry design standards. This said, the past few weeks have shown there is absolutely no room for complacency. We have to continue working with our partners and continue delivering the investment. We must focus on key areas of threat to continue raising safety standards for cyclists. That is something we are committed to as a government. Education: Citizenship Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that children are sufficiently educated about human rights when the amended secondary school curriculum comes into force next academic year. Lord Nash: The new national curriculum, which will be taught from September 2014, includes an improved programme of study for citizenship education at key stages 3 and 4. Citizenship teaching should develop pupils’ understanding of democracy, government and the rights and responsibilities of citizens. The key stage 4 programme of study requires schools to teach pupils about human rights and international law. Employees: Shareholders Lord Mitchell: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have applied to have employee shareholder status. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The new employment status of employee shareholder came into effect on 1 September 2013. It is a voluntary option that employers may wish to consider using. Companies are not obliged to tell Government what type of employment contract they offer people and neither companies nor individuals are required to ‘apply’ to Government if they intend to use this measure. Therefore, details of the number of companies offering employee shareholder status, or the number of employee shareholders are not available from Government. Those thinking of using the new status may seek advice from a number of different sources such as their legal contacts, or a helpline or business organisation and there is no requirement on any company wishing to offer an employee shareholder contract to notify any Government department or agency in advance. Employment: 18-24 Year-olds Lord German: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many 16 to 24 year-olds who are no longer classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training have (1) gone into further or higher education, or (2) participated in apprenticeships. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Information is not directly captured in Further Education or Higher Education data systems about whether a person was Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET) before their learning started and we currently do not have a reliable method to measure NEET from information we do collect. However, we do publish information on Benefit Learners in FE in Table A15 available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/207952/further-education-for-benefit-claimants.xls EU: Competencies Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the course of their review of European Union competencies, they have given any consideration to delimiting those policy areas in which the European Union has no competency; and, if so, what are those policy areas. Baroness Warsi: The review of the balance of competences is looking at the scope of the EU’s competences as they affect the UK. In particular, it is looking at where EU competences lie, how they are used, and what that means for Britain and our national interest. For the purposes of the review, we are using a broad definition of competence: put simply, competence is everything deriving from EU law that affects what happens in the UK. That means examining all the areas where EU Treaties give the EU competence to act, including the provisions in the Treaties giving the EU institutions the power to legislate, to adopt non-legislative acts, or to take any other sort of action. But it will also explore areas where the Treaties apply directly to member states, without needing any further action by the EU institutions. The review comprises 32 reports divided into four tranches with the full breakdown available at www.gov.uk/review-of-the-balance-of-competences. Once complete, it will provide the most extensive analysis of the impact of EU membership on the UK ever undertaken. This includes in those areas, such as health, foreign policy and taxation examined in the first tranche of reports, where the EU’s role is primarily limited to supporting Member States. EU: Intelligence Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the comments made by Viviane Reding in the Greek newspaper Naftemporiki on 4 November regarding the creation of a European Union intelligence service; and whether the European Commission and member states were consulted in advance of her interview. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government agrees with the position as set out in the Treaty of the European Union that national security is the sole responsibility of Member States and that intelligence therefore remains a matter for national governments, not the European Union. We do not hold information on whether or not the European Commission and other member states were consulted. The UK Government was not consulted. EU: Research and Innovation Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they intend to provide to (1) United Kingdom institutes of higher education, and (2) the United Kingdom private sector, to apply for European Union funds for research and innovation to further the European Union’s objectives for overseas development. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Technology Strategy Board (TSB) and the Brussels-based United Kingdom Research Office (UKRO) provide support to help higher education institutes and businesses access European Union research and innovation funding, which through Horizon 2020 is more directed towards societal challenges, although projects funded may well support overseas development objectives. Much of this support will be provided by a network of National Contact Points, with information and advice also provided by a TSB-hosted national Horizon 2020 website and helpline. Additionally, UKRO provides support to its subscribing organisations (mainly UK universities) on all aspects of Horizon 2020 and related activities, including, for example, providing information and advice on how to participate in the European and Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). EU: Research and Innovation Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their science officers have met (1) the European Union’s Chief Scientific Adviser, and (2) officials from the Directorate General for Research and Innovation, to discuss support for research and innovation in Africa and collaboration between the United Kingdom and European Union institutions within the public and private sector and their African counterparts. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The DFID independent Research Advisory Group (RAG) chaired by the Vice-Chancellor of Cambridge Professor Sir Leszek Borysiewicz held its 10th RAG meeting at the European Commission on 21st November 2013, with senior EC officials from DGs DEVCO and Research and Innovation. The objective of the meeting was to gain a better understanding of each other's efforts in support of science and research for International Development. The DFID Deputy Chief Scientific Adviser attended this meeting as well as senior members of the EU Chief Scientific Adviser’s Office. Since 2012, FCO & BIS have increased HMG Science & Innovation Network (SIN) presence in Africa, with two officers now in South Africa and one in Nigeria. This reflects recognition of growing UK S&I partnership opportunities with African countries. As part of their normal work, officers from the SIN have had a number of contacts with counterparts from the Directorate General for Research and Innovation and discussed support for research and innovation in Africa and collaboration between the UK and EU institutions within the public and private sector and their African counterparts. Defra officials and officials from DG Research and Innovation are active participants in the Group on Earth Observations (GEO); a global political movement to coordinate international Earth Observation effort. GEO has launched the AfriGEOSS initiative, which aims to coordinate and improve capacity for Earth Observation activities in Africa. Dr Andrée Carter, Director of the UK Collaborative on Development Services, will represent the UK at the EU-Africa High Level Policy Dialogue (HLPD) on science and technology on 28-29th November 2013 in Brussels. The EU-Africa HLPD is preparatory to the EU-Africa summit in April 2014. No other meetings between Chief Scientific Advisers and the EU CSA or DG officials have discussed support for research and innovation in Africa. Firearms The Earl of Shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in respect of the carriage of working firearms by members of the public in their personal baggage on commercial flights. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The carriage of firearms on commercial flights by members of the public is a matter for individual airlines. All firearms and ammunition are restricted under UK law and can only be carried by a member of the public who holds the appropriate certification and documentation. Fluoridation Earl Baldwin of Bewdley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made with research recommendation 5.2.9 from in the Medical Research Council report ‘Water fluoridation and health' in 2002 in respect of an updated analysis of data on fluoridation and cancer rates, and of exposure to fluoride as a possible risk factor for osteosarcoma. Earl Howe: Public Health England is currently working towards publishing a first report on the health effects of fluoridation by mid-March 2014, as required by legislation. This will be a publicly available document. Further reports will follow within four-yearly time periods in accordance with the timetable prescribed in legislation. This report will analyse the overall incidence of cancer, including specifically that of osteosarcoma, in relation to residence within a fluoridated area, taking into account confounding variables. The Department's National Institute for Health Research welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including water fluoridation. 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. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the closure of Gaza’s power plant. Baroness Warsi: The Minister of State, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson), made representations on the deteriorating economic and humanitarian situation in Gaza to the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister and discussed it with the Palestinian President and Foreign Minister during his recent visit to the region. Representations were also made by senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials to their Israeli counterparts during the UK-Israel Strategic Dialogue on 18 November. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current dangers to health in Gaza from sewage flooding as a result of the lack of electricity in that region. Baroness Northover: We are very concerned by a recent report from the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) indicating that 35,000 cubic metres of untreated sewage was released into the streets of Gaza last week. 291 water and sewage facilities have been severely affected by fuel shortages, and six sewage pumping stations are currently at risk of a similar overflow. According to the World Health Organisation, risks associated with exposure to untreated sewage can include diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery, typhoid, and hepatitis A. We continue to monitor the situation closely. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest information they have received about the plans for the occupants of Gaza in the final status negotiations. Baroness Warsi: It is not for the British Government to comment on what is currently being discussed in the Israel-Palestinian negotiations. When the US Secretary of State John Kerry announced the resumption of peace talks between the Israelis and Palestinians on 29 July, he confirmed both sides’ agreement that the negotiations would cover all final status issues and that they would keep the details of the ongoing negotiations confidential with Secretary Kerry the only person authorised to comment publicly on the talks. Gaza Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of drone surveillance on the civilian population in Gaza. Baroness Warsi: We have carried out no assessment of the effect of drone surveillance on the population in Gaza. Health: Human Papilloma Virus The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there has been any research conducted in England or Wales to estimate the human papilloma virus prevalence in young women prior to vaccination in order to monitor the future vaccine impact, as has been done in Scotland. Earl Howe: Public Health England, and its predecessor organisation, the Health Protection Agency, has been monitoring the prevalence of type-specific genital human papilloma virus (HPV) infections in young women in England through surveys that use opportunistic sources of residual clinical specimens. The first survey was completed in 2008, prior to the widespread introduction of the HPV vaccine. In order to assess the impact of the vaccination programme in England, we have compared this baseline estimate of prevalence of HPV infection in 2008 with the prevalence following widespread immunisation. The first results of this study will be available very soon and will be published in the journal Vaccine. Health: Mitochondrial Disease Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 30 October (WA 259) and by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 November (WA 113), on what basis they asserted that a particular process is not genetic modification when no definition of “genetic modification” is universally accepted. To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 4 November (WA 13) and by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 12 November (WA 113), whether they would consider alterations involving removal or addition of nuclear DNA to constitute genetic modification; if so, what proportion of the DNA in a nucleus could be removed from a cell or added to it without entailing genetic modification; or if not, whether they can comprehensively list all artificial alterations that they recognise as genetic modification. Earl Howe: I refer the noble Lord to the written answers I gave on 29 August Official Report, column WA 359 and 30 October Official Report, column WA 259 for the basis of the Government's view that mitochondrial donation techniques do not constitute genetic modification. On the question of what activity might constitute genetic modification of the nuclear DNA, I have nothing to add the answer given to the noble Lord by Viscount Younger of Leckie, on 12 November Official Report, col. WA113. Health: Ophthalmology Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to guarantee the quality of eye care services in the United Kingdom; and whether they have plans to create a post for a national clinical director for eye care provision to oversee services. Earl Howe: Under the Health and Social Care Act 2013, commissioning of eye care services is the responsibility of NHS England and clinical commissioning groups. The reforms are intended to support clinically led commissioning and promotion of greater service integration to provide a base to secure improved health outcomes. NHS England is also responsible for the appointment of national clinical directors. NHS England has advised that its approach to determining which areas to recruit National Clinical Directors has been guided by the objectives set for it in the Mandate, in line with the ethos of the NHS Outcomes Framework and a desire to provide clinical leadership across a broad range of fronts, focusing more on people and patient pathways than specific conditions. We understand that they have no current plans for further National Clinical Director appointments. Health: Whistleblowers Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of responses to and support for whistleblowers in public health settings. Earl Howe: There has been no assessment of whistleblowing specifically in a public health setting. This Government expects all National Health Service and social care organisations to have in place whistleblowing policies that are compliant with the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 (PIDA) and organisations should support staff who wish to raise concerns. A number of steps have already been taken to improve rights and protections for whistleblowers, ultimately designed to provide greater support. A contractual right to raise concerns has been implemented. A strengthened NHS constitution has been published, which now includes an expectation that staff will raise concerns and a pledge that they will be acted upon. Changes have also been made to PIDA to ensure protections for all NHS staff. The appointment of the Chief Inspector of Hospitals and Chief Inspector of Social Care, will ensure not only that organisations are complying with the law and putting policies into place; but also that the culture of organisations actively promote the benefits of openness and transparency. The Department also funds a freephone helpline, offering free, independent and confidential advice to staff about raising concerns, along with free guidance to employers wishing to know more about embedding best practice in their organisations. We continue to explore options for further measures to support whistleblowers in health and care settings. Homeless Families Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the increase in the number of households that are homeless or in temporary accommodation since May 2010. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: To assist the noble Baroness and to place the figures in context, I have listed below statistics for the last ten years. Homelessness acceptances during the year Number of households in temporary accommodation as at 30 June 2003 135,590 91,870 2004 127,760 99,530 2005 100,170 100,970 2006 76,860 93,910 2007 64,970 84,900 2008 57,510 74,690 2009 41,780 60,230 2010 42,390 50,400 2011 48,510 48,330 2012 53,450 51,640 2013 .. 56.210 .. = not yet available This Government has retained a strong homelessness safety net protected in law, supported by £470 million in the current Spending Review period to prevent and tackle homelessness, rough sleeping and repossessions. We are seeing this investment making an impact with homeless families now spending 6 months less in temporary accommodation than since the start of 2010. We have also made some changes to the rules under the Localism Act to enable local authorities to help households move more quickly into a settled home. This means households will no longer need to be placed in temporary accommodation while they wait for social housing to become available. In addition, the law is clear that families with children must only be placed in bed and breakfast accommodation as a last resort and then for no more than 6 weeks. We publish local data and have provided £2 million for seven councils struggling with increasing B&B use so that they can reduce numbers and develop long lasting solutions to this problem. In light of this, for example, latest statistics show that Westminster and Croydon Councils had no families with children in B&Bs beyond 6 weeks as at 30 June and this is down from 95 and 49 families respectively as at 31 March this year. We have also provided £1.9 million for local authorities to adopt Gold Standard housing solutions for vulnerable people which have already proved successful in other Local Authorities areas. Human Trafficking The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they have provided in each year since 2009 to support programmes overseas to tackle human trafficking. Baroness Northover: DFID works to tackle the underlying factors which put people at risk of becoming victims of human trafficking, such as poverty, lack of education, lack of economic opportunities, vulnerability to economic shocks and social exclusion. An example of a DFID supported programme to combat trafficking is a programme launched with the International Labour Organisation in July to help prevent trafficking of girls and women from South Asia to the Middle East to work in the domestic work and garment-manufacturing sectors. DFID’s Civil Society Challenge Fund has also supported anti-trafficking projects. An example of support in the recent past was a project to combat child trafficking in Malawi run by the Salvation Army. Information about the value of financial support provided each year since 2009 to support programmes overseas to tackle human trafficking is not currently centrally available. Human Trafficking The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to withhold overseas development aid to countries that do not comply with minimum standards for the elimination of human trafficking or whose governments are not making significant efforts to bring themselves into compliance with such standards. Baroness Northover: There are no plans to do so. Hungary Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of proposals for the Hungarian state to exercise a protective function for ethnic Hungarian minorities living beyond the borders of Hungary; and how they compare with established models for autonomy such as in South Tyrol. Baroness Warsi: The Hungarian government has not made any proposals to exercise a protectorate function for ethnic Hungarian minorities living outside Hungary. Immigration Baroness Scotland of Asthal: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are providing for local services in areas affected by high immigration; and what provision is made for the immediate needs of migrants in those areas. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government shares wider concerns about the need to alleviate pressures on local services arising from migration. That is why we have reformed the immigration system to reduce net migration and are taking steps to reduce pull factors to ensure migrants come to the UK for the right reasons. The Government considers that migrants should make a positive contribution to the UK, and should not be a burden on local services. That is why we have controls on access to benefits and social housing for temporary non-EEA nationals and EEA nationals not exercising treaty rights. The Government continues to honour its commitment to provide compulsory education for children, whilst it also ensures that immediately necessary and urgent medical treatment is never withheld from any migrant, even if charges apply, and that treatments which protect the wider public's health are free of charge to all. With regards to education, we are spending £5 billion by 2015 on creating new school places—this includes almost £1 billion put aside to create new school places in the areas under the most pressure. While we cannot predict levels of migration, we are working with local authorities to ensure funding is targeted exactly where it is needed so every child is able to attend a good or outstanding local school. Schools are funded according to the number of pupils on roll regardless of a pupil’s background or status. Other Local Government funding is based on measures of local need, incentives for growth, house building and service transformation. Iraq: Chilcot Inquiry Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the rationale behind their decision to withhold from the Chilcot Inquiry records of conversations between Tony Blair and George W Bush during their respective periods in office as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and President of the United States. To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the total costs of the Chilcot Inquiry so far; and what is their current estimate of the date when the Inquiry will report. Lord Hill of Oareford: The Chilcot Inquiry has had access to all the records of exchanges between Mr Blair and President Bush that are relevant to its work. Discussions on the disclosure of these documents are continuing. The total expenditure incurred by the Iraq inquiry, from its establishment on 15 June 2009 to 31 March 2013, is £7.4 million. The inquiry’s practice is to publish its expenditure after the end of each financial year. Sir John and his colleagues aim to submit their report to the Prime Minister at the earliest opportunity once the “Maxwellisation” process, by which those subject to provisional criticism are given the opportunity to make representations, is complete. Islam Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Warsi on 19 November (HL Deb, GC 400), what steps they are taking to encourage British Muslim leaders and clerics to clarify and confirm the peaceful nature of the Koran, the Hadith and the Sunnah. Baroness Warsi: As I said on 19 November this Government supports the role that faith plays in British society, particularly when different faiths come together. Our Integration policy includes programmes that strengthen mutual understanding and, as part of this, Muslims have participated in an outstanding 95% of Near Neighbours projects, drawing on their religious requirement to work for the common good. Additionally, through The Big Iftar this year British Imams and Muslims across the country opened their doors to non-Muslims to share evening meals together. The Big Iftar culminated with the Prime Minister’s visit to Manchester's Jamia Mosque in August and the Government will continue to support initiatives that show there is no contradiction between being British and Muslim. This Government also recognises the importance of involving a wide range of people and organisations from the public and private sector in its work to tackle extremism and terrorism. Prevent continues to work with and through the faith sector, which we recognise has a unique role to play in reaching out to young people at risk of radicalisation and addressing claims made in the name of religion by apologists for violence. The Home Office funds a number of community resilience projects across Prevent priority areas which aim to amplify the positive community response to extremism and a positive, peaceful view of Islam. These projects include establishing networks through engaging with mosques and community leaders, and providing training as well as funding for products like leaflets and websites. Israel Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the Israeli military’s use of live fire against students within Al Quds University on 17 November. Baroness Warsi: Whilst we have not made representations on this specific incident, the UK has repeatedly made clear to Israel our concerns over the manner in which the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) polices Palestinian protests, including the use of live fire. Israel Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel about allegations of mock raids and arrests by the Israeli army affecting civilians in the West Bank; and whether they will press for such allegations to be investigated and anyone found guilty of misconduct to be disciplined. Baroness Warsi: We have asked officials at the British Embassy in Tel Aviv and British Consulate-General in Jerusalem to look into these allegations. Once we have further information, we will decide whether to make representations to the Israeli authorities. Israel and Palestine Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last discussed with the government of Israel the night-time arrests of Palestinian children and their transfer to interrogation and detention centres in Israel; what replies they received; and what has since been done to implement improvements in the treatment of such children. Baroness Warsi: Officials from the British Embassy in Tel Aviv have frequent discussions with the Israeli authorities on this issue, most recently with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on 21 November. The British Ambassador to Tel Aviv wrote to Israeli Minister of Justice, Tzipi Livni, on the subject in June and again on 14 October. Minister Livni has undertaken to look into our concerns and has outlined some steps taken. In September this year the Israeli Defence Force central command agreed to pilot summons of children in two areas of the West Bank, in lieu of night time arrests. Israel and Palestine Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding reported differences in procedures and conditions for Israeli and Palestinian children arrested by Israeli authorities for equivalent offences. Baroness Warsi: We have made repeated representations to the Israeli authorities on the differences in treatment accorded to Palestinian and Israeli children arrested for equivalent offences. Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv discussed this most recently with the Israeli Ministry of Justice on 21 November. We will continue to encourage Israel to adopt recommendations from the independent 2012 report “Children in Military Custody” and UNICEF’s 2013 report “Children in Israeli Military Detention”. Israel and Palestine: West Bank The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to address impediments to the delivery of humanitarian assistance in the West Bank such as the confiscation of humanitarian aid and the prevention of access to communities in need of emergency assistance. Baroness Northover: We are concerned at reports that the Israeli military authorities have blocked the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Palestinian communities in Area C of the West Bank. Where humanitarian aid is needed, Israel is obliged under international humanitarian law to facilitate the work of humanitarian relief schemes. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv has raised this issue with the Israeli National Security Adviser and the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Israel and Palestine: West Bank The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conversations they have had with other European Union governments regarding the development of a co-ordinated European Union response mechanism to address the demolition of European Union-funded infrastructure projects in the West Bank. Baroness Warsi: The British Consulate General in Jerusalem has regular discussions with a number of our European partners on the issue of demolitions of Palestinian properties in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Those discussions are focussed on how to prevent demolitions, including through lobbying of the Israeli authorities and by supporting improvements in the planning regime. Israel and Palestine: West Bank The Lord Bishop of Derby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel following the decision of 3 November to authorise tenders for construction of settlement units in East Jerusalem and the West Bank. Baroness Warsi: The Minister of State, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Mr Robertson) raised the issue of settlements with the Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister during his recent visit to Israel from 4-5 November. Israel and Palestine: West Bank Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what improvements, if any, have occurred this year in the treatment of Palestinian children arrested in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, in particular concerning access for their parents and legal representatives, for the recording of interviews and for independent investigation of complaints. Baroness Warsi: We welcome some positive steps taken by the Israeli authorities this year with respect to treatment of Palestinian child detainees. These include Military Order 1711 which came into effect in April 2013 and which reduced the time children can be detained before seeing a judge. In September 2013 the Israeli Defence Force agreed to pilot the use of summons of children, instead of night-time arrests. We continue to press for further improvements. Justice: Legal Fees Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking in order to prevent law firms from circumventing the ban on referral fees imposed by the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of the Offenders Act 2012 by forming alternative business structures or using collective marketing schemes. Lord McNally: The ban on the payment and receipt of referral fees in personal injury cases is an important part of the Government’s reform agenda, and the establishment of Alternative Business Structures (ABSs) or collective marketing schemes is not a way to get around this prohibition. ABSs allow for increased competition and the provision of more cutting-edge services, helping to lower costs whilst maintaining high standards. This is a strictly regulated area and any ABS is required to comply with both the rules of its licensing authority and the law in respect of the ban on referral fees. The Government is monitoring the operation of the ban and is confident that if it became apparent that a firm’s business model was not compliant, the regulator would deal with any breach appropriately. Magna Carta Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are giving consideration to the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta being declared a national holiday. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government plans to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the sealing of the Magna Carta in June 2015, and is currently working to develop a coordinated programme of government-led activities. The Government has no plans to create a new public holiday to commemorate the Magna Carta. The pattern of Bank Holidays is well established and accepted. The most recent Government estimate of the cost to the UK economy of a bank holiday is £1.2bn. This cost would have to be borne in mind if there was a move to create a new public holiday. Overall plans to commemorate the Magna Carta are being coordinated by the Magna Carta 800th Committee of the Magna Carta Trust, an independent organisation chaired by Sir Robert Worcester. The Ministry of Justice keeps in close contact with the Committee. The events to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the Magna Carta will be eligible for the new Anniversaries Fund announced by Culture Secretary Maria Miller on 1 October. Over the next 4 years at least £10m from the Heritage Lottery Fund will be invested to support projects marking some of the United Kingdom’s most important anniversaries and commemorations. Museums and Galleries: Foundling Museum Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Coram has now completed the changes it was directed to make by the Attorney General and the Charity Commission in respect of the independent governance of the Foundling Museum; and, if not, what action they have taken. Lord Wallace of Tankerness: Charities are regulated by the Charity Commission. The Commission has put forward its analysis of the governance issues to both the Coram Foundation and the Foundling Museum charities. The charities are now in on-going discussions with each other about necessary changes to the governance arrangements which may now be required. The Attorney General also has various functions in relation to charities which he exercises in the public interest on behalf of the Crown as parens patriae. The Attorney General has not made any recommendations to Coram. NHS: General Practitioners Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients over the age of 75 years will be able to choose their designated general practitioner or whether one will be allocated to them. Earl Howe: The most appropriate general practitioner (GP) will be assigned to each patient aged 75 and over based upon individual needs. Each practice will need to determine the most appropriate way of allocating named GPs to their patients. Doctors have a professional duty to listen to, and respond to, patients’ concerns and preferences. Where the patient expresses a preference as to which GP they will be assigned, the practice must make reasonable efforts to accommodate this request. Overseas Aid Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the cost to (1) each United Kingdom citizen, and (2) each household, of the overseas aid budget, including sums administered by the European Union, in 2014–15 and 2015–16. Baroness Northover: DFID’s budget for 2014/15 and 2015/16 is set out in the published document ‘Spending Round 2013’ (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/spending-round-2013-documents). Overseas Territories Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what date all the Overseas Territories will have signed up to the Multilateral Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters. Baroness Warsi: The extension of the UK’s ratification to the Convention on Mutual Administrative Assistance in Tax Matters came into force for Montserrat on 1 October 2013, Turks & Caicos Islands on 1 December 2013 and the Cayman Islands on 1 January 2014. It will come into force for all other Territories with financial services industries on 1 March 2014. Palestine Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce civilian casualties in Palestine. Baroness Warsi: We seek to end civilian casualties by supporting current efforts to achieve a negotiated two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In the meantime, we frequently make representations to the Israeli authorities about the use of live fire by the Israeli Defence Force leading to civilian deaths and injuries, including when policing protests in the West Bank and the buffer zone between Israel and Gaza. Parliaments: European Parliament Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the role of the European Parliament and of the implications for national parliaments of any increase in its influence on the legislative process and policy initiation. Baroness Warsi: The noble Lord will note that in his speech of May 2013 in Berlin, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), set out his view that “The European Parliament plays an important role in holding European institutions to account. It can play a very positive role, as it has along with Commissioner Damanaki in the current reforms to the Common Fisheries Policy. But if the European Parliament were the answer to the question of democratic legitimacy we wouldn’t still be asking it. I think instead that the solution lies in promoting the role of national institutions in European decision-making – because ultimately it is national governments and national parliaments that are accountable to our electorates. They are the democratic levers voters know how to pull.” Passenger Name Records Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 20 November (WS 56) regarding passenger name records, what measures they will put in place to monitor the passenger name records arrangements with Canada to ensure that the records are used only for the purposes stated. Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The European Union agreement with Canada on Passenger Name Records (PNR) is subject to strict data protection safeguards, outlined in the Home Office Explanatory Memorandum, dated 7th August 2013. The agreement requires Canada to implement regulatory measures to protect PNR data against inappropriate processing or loss and these are subject to oversight by an independent public authority. The agreement is also subject to a joint EU and Canada review to assess the implementation of this agreement one year after its entry into force and then at regular intervals after that. Pensions Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 19 November (WA 200), why the Department for Work and Pensions does not record or obtain such information about the largest private sector defined benefit or final salary pension schemes and their current membership. Lord Freud: The Pensions Regulator acts on DWP’s behalf and collects information on individual schemes to fulfil its statutory functions. Aggregate information is published in the Purple Book including information on defined benefit schemes on an annual basis. The report can be found at the following location: http://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/docs/purple-book-2013.pdf Information on individual schemes and lists which rank pension schemes is not provided as the information is restricted under section 82 of the Pensions Act 2004. As provided in previous responses, the Office of National Statistics publishes estimates of the number of members of different pension schemes each year in the Occupational Pensions Scheme Survey. The link to the latest reports is provided below: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/fi/occupational-pension-schemes-survey/2012/index.html Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan Lord Condon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British emergency services personnel have been deployed to the Philippines to assist in rescue and recovery. Baroness Northover: In response to Typhoon Haiyan, the UK originally deployed a medical team comprised of 12 NHS staff. This includes: • 3 Emergency physicians• 2 Orthopaedic surgeons • 1 Plastic surgeon• 2 Anaesthetists• 2 A&E nurses• 1 Theatre nurse• 1 Physiotherapist The team was later complemented by one specially trained paramedic. The original team has now left the Philippines, and has been replaced by another team of six specially trained NHS staff, currently based on board HMS Illustrious. This team includes another paramedic. Romania Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Romania concerning the proposed removal of the Order of the Star of Romania from Bishop La´szlo´ To?ke´s MEP. Baroness Warsi: The British Government has not made any representations to the government of Romania regarding the status of the Star of Romania honour awarded to Bishop La´szlo´ To?ke´s. This is an internal matter for the Romanian authorities. Russia Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia regarding the Bolotnaya Three. Baroness Warsi: Senior officials raised concerns about the Bolotnaya protestors during the most recent UK-Russia Human Rights Dialogue in May this year. We have also raised the case through the EU, including at the 2013 EU-Russia Human Rights consultations. The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Minister for Europe, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr Lidington), regularly raise concerns about human rights and the rule of law with their Russian counterparts. We will continue to follow developments in the Bolotnaya cases closely. Schools: Exclusion Lord Quirk: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between exclusion from school and subsequent incarceration; and what plans they have to make relevant changes to the present exclusion policy in the light of any such assessment. Lord Nash: Exclusion is one of a number of factors that correlate with entry into the criminal justice system. The Government’s exclusion policy reflects the importance of good behaviour in supporting educational attainment, a key predictor of future life chances. Statutory guidance on exclusion is already clear that permanent exclusion should only be used as a last resort. We are, however, trialling the benefits of schools retaining greater responsibility for permanently excluded pupils and will consider the policy implications of the next interim report, due in spring 2014, and the final report, due in spring 2015. We have already taken action to improve the education that excluded pupils receive; for example, by allowing high quality providers to open as alternative provision academies or free schools; 36 providers have so far taken this opportunity. Television Licence Fee Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much revenue was raised through the television licence fee in each of the last three years. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The table sets out how much revenue was raised through the television licence fee in each of the last three years. Year Revenue raised through the Television Licence Fee £m 2010/11 3,679 2011/12 3,698 2012/13 3,706 Television Licence Fee Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the annual cost of collection of the television licence fee in each of the last three years. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The table sets out the annual cost of collecting the television licence fee in each of the last three years. Year Annual Cost of Collecting the Television Licence Fee £m 2010/11 124 2011/12 126 2012/13 111 Television Licence Fee Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much television licence fee remained uncollected in each of the last three years. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The table sets out how much television licence fee remained uncollected in each of the last three years: Year Television licence fee remained uncollected (cost of evasion) £m 2010/11 202 2011/12 211 2012/13 209 Town and Country Planning Act 1990 Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for judicial review of the Secretary of State’s planning decisions under sections 288 and 289 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, where there has already been an appeal to the Secretary of State or the Secretary of State has taken a decision on a called-in application (other than where the failure to fund such a challenge would result in breach or risk of a breach of the legal aid applicant’s European Convention on Human Rights or European Union rights) were made in the latest 12-month period for which the information is available; how many of those applications were successful; and what was the cost of legal aid in respect of those applications. Baroness Stowell of Beeston: During the 12 month period to 13 November 2013, 134 statutory review challenges were issued in the High Court of planning decisions under Sections 288 and 289 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 of call-in or appeal decisions. Of these, 40 cases have been successfully defended, 79 have not yet been determined, five claimants were successful at substantive hearing; and on 10 cases the Government consented to the decision being remitted for reconsideration. Of the five challenges issued that were successful at substantive hearing, one claimant was legally aided; information is not held on the cost of that legal aid. The information on statutory review challenges is derived from the Treasury Solicitor's Department's data, from which it is not possible to identify legal aid costs. War Memorials Trust Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they have provided to the War Memorials Trust. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: English Heritage, an Arm’s Length Body of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, has provided a range of support for War Memorials Trust including through the recently announced plans for identifying further war memorials to be considered for statutory listing. English Heritage has contributed £299,000 towards the operational costs of the War Memorials Trust since 2004/05 and provided funding for the War Memorials Online website.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2013-12-02a

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Energy Supply lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports that businesses are stockpiling electrical power components in preparation for a no-deal Brexit, and (2) the impact a no-deal Brexit could have on UK power networks. lord henley: Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. This has not changed. The Government has accelerated no deal preparations to ensure the country is prepared for every eventuality.The UK’s exit from the EU will not alter the fact that our energy system is resilient and secure and drawn from a number of sources. The Government’s Technical Notices set out how cross-border trading and supply of electricity and gas will change, in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a Deal. The Government has worked with Ofgem and National Grid to ensure security of supply.The Government has recommended that businesses ensure they are prepared, enacting their own ‘no deal’ plans as they judge necessary. Northern Ireland Office Terrorism: Northern Ireland lord hain: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Duncan of Springbank on 27 March 2018 (HL Deb, cols 730–761), when they intend to act on the assurances given in those remarks about the provision of pensions for those who were severely physically injured in the Northern Ireland Troubles. lord duncan of springbank: Work towards bringing forward a victims’ pension is a devolved matter and one of the many reasons why it is so important to have an Executive restored. The Government is aware of how deeply upsetting and frustrating this delay is for those who suffered so much during the Troubles. This is a very complex issue which requires careful consideration, as the Noble Lord will appreciate from his time as Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. That is why the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has commissioned advice from the Victims Commissioner in Northern Ireland to ensure progress on this important issue. I am grateful to the Noble Lord for our continuing discussions about this matter. Department of Health and Social Care Obesity: Children lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are preparing a third chapter of the Child Obesity Strategy; and if so, when that chapter will be published. lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a overarching national campaign against obesity as part of their Child Obesity Strategy. baroness blackwood of north oxford: We are committed to reviewing the measures set out in both chapters of our childhood obesity plan and will continue to monitor progress and emerging evidence carefully. Where progress is not being delivered, we will consider what further action can be taken.Both chapters of our plan demonstrate an overarching campaign to tackle obesity. In addition, Public Health England encourages the population to follow a healthy balanced diet through the 5 A Day campaign, Change4Life and OneYou social marketing campaigns. Obesity lord brooke of alverthorpe: To ask Her Majesty's Government when, under the NHS Long Term Plan, they will offer support and access to weight management services in primary care for people with a diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes or hypertension with a body mass index of 30 and above; what will be the nature of any such services; and who will provide those services. baroness blackwood of north oxford: The NHS Long Term Plan builds on the success of the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme and diabetes treatment services and will provide a targeted support offer to patients with both obesity and type 2 diabetes, or with obesity and hypertension. The services will be provided in local communities and an implementation plan is currently under development.NHS England plans to increase access to services in secondary care for those with severe obesity. This will include the testing of very low calorie diets.NHS England, with its partners working in public health and diabetes, will help to ensure nutrition has a greater place in professional education. This will ensure that clinical staff have the skills and confidence to support patients in achieving and maintaining a healthy weight. Health Professions: Training lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of UK students who have become NHS (1) doctors, (2) GPs and (3) nurses in England in each year between 2008 and 2018. baroness blackwood of north oxford: The information is not collected in the format requested. Prescriptions: Universal Credit baroness lister of burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Manzoor on 22 January (HL12835), what is the reason for the delay in updating the FP10 prescription form; how many low income patients on Universal Credit claiming free prescriptions have received a penalty notice; and how many of those penalty notices have been withdrawn because they were issued in error. baroness blackwood of north oxford: A revised version of the FP10 prescription form, featuring a dedicated tick-box for use by Universal Credit (UC) claimants who meet the criteria for free National Health Service prescriptions, recently received Ministerial clearance. Any change to the form involves major system and software updates across the NHS to allow the re-designed form to be used and processed. The revised paper form is currently being prepared for testing, to ensure it is compatible with the scanners used by the NHS Business Services Authority. The revised form will be introduced at the earliest opportunity. At present, both UC and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants who are eligible for free NHS prescriptions, are ticking exemption box K on the FP10 prescription form to ensure they get the free prescriptions to which they are entitled. As a result, the NHS Business Services Authority is not able to confirm how many penalty charges notices have been issued to UC Claimants, and therefore how many were issued to UC claimants who had a valid prescription charge exemption. MMR Vaccine the marquess of lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they plan to reverse the declining uptake in MMR vaccines, particularly in London, in order to retain the UK’s elimination status for measles and rubella. baroness blackwood of north oxford: In January 2019 Public Health England, Public Health Wales, The Public Health Agency in Northern Ireland and Health Protection Scotland published the UK Measles and Rubella elimination strategy 2019. A copy is attached.The strategy sets out four core components required to maintain elimination of measles and rubella: achieving and sustaining very high coverage (more than or equal to 95%) with two doses of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine (MMR) through the routine childhood immunisation programme; providing opportunities for MMR catch-up to all susceptible population groups over five years old; strengthening surveillance systems by rigorous case investigation and laboratory confirmation of suspected sporadic cases and outbreaks; and improving the availability and use of high-quality, evidence-based information for health professionals and the public on measles and MMR.A multi-agency group has been established to take forward the actions in the strategy in England. Local teams including those in London are expected to work with local stakeholders to develop a measles and rubella elimination action plan. HL13528 attached information (PDF Document, 1.86 MB) Department for International Development Department for International Development: Equality lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for International Development (DfID) recordsthe religion and other protected characteristics of those it employs; how funding is allocated to organisations after consideration of protected characteristics; and how DfID ensures that those non-governmental organisations, private sector companies, consultancies, and others with whom it contracts are required to report on how they have performed in ensuring equity of access to their work by those with protected characteristics. lord bates: Employees can voluntarily declare their diversity data on our HR systems. DFID contracts are awarded after a process of fair and open competition on the basis of value for money, capability to deliver programme outputs and, as relevant to the specific procurement, equality considerations. DFID’s standard contract Term and Conditions require partners not to unlawfully discriminate on the basis of protected characteristics, have due regard for the advancement of equal opportunity and promote good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not. Partners are also required to adhere to relevant recommendations by the Equality and Human Rights Commission. DFID’s Supply Partner Code of Conduct requires contractors to ensure that robust procedures are adopted and maintained to eliminate the risk of poor human rights practices, including any inequality or discrimination on the basis of race, gender, age, religion, sexuality, culture or disability. Both requirements are legally binding and subject to compliance checks by DFID. Department for Education Nurseries: Recruitment lord porter of spalding: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that children's nurseries are able to recruit and retain sufficient qualified staff practitioners toprovidehigh quality early education to all children. lord agnew of oulton: We are committed to ensuring that all children have access to high quality early education and can achieve their full potential. The latest Ofsted data confirms that 95% of providers are now rated good and outstanding, up from 68% in 2010. In March 2017, we published the attached early years workforce strategy which outlined government's plans to support employers to attract, retain and develop early years staff to deliver high quality provision. This can be accessed at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-workforce-strategy. As a result of the strategy, we have worked with sector stakeholders to develop criteria for new, more robust level 2 qualifications, as well as developing new career pathways information to support careers advice, recruitment and staff development. This can be accessed at: https://www.cache.org.uk/media/1417/dfe-career-pathway-map-v17.pdf. The information is also attached. HL13415_Early_years_workforce_strategy (PDF Document, 638.42 KB) HL13415_Career_pathway_map (PDF Document, 590.19 KB) Music: Education lord watson of invergowrie: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers byLord Agnew of Oulton on 1 February (HL12956 and HL12957), what plans they have to maintain support for music education hubs when funding via the National Plan for Music Education comes to an end in 2020. lord agnew of oulton: The department recently announced an additional £1.3 million for music education hubs until March 2020. The total funding for music education hubs between 2016-20 is over £300 million. This is part of almost half a billion pounds the department is investing in a range of music and cultural programmes between 2016-2020 - more than any other subject except PE.Funding for this commitment beyond March 2020 is a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. In the meantime, the department is reviewing the National Plan for Music Education. Schools: Health Education lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 16 January (HL12720), whether the compulsory health education in schools, starting from 2020, will include water lifesaving skills. lord agnew of oulton: Swimming is a vital life skill, which is why pupils are taught to swim and about water safety at primary school. Swimming and water safety are compulsory elements of the physical education (PE) curriculum at key stages 1 and 2, which sets out the expectation that pupils should be taught to:swim competently, confidently and proficiently over a distance of at least 25 metres;use a range of strokes effectively; andperform safe self-rescue in different water-based situations. We are making relationships education compulsory for all primary aged pupils, relationships and sex education compulsory for all secondary aged pupils and health education compulsory for all pupils. Schools will be encouraged to teach the new subjects from September 2019. The requirement to teach the new subjects will then follow from September 2020. Following a comprehensive consultation process, including both a call for evidence and work with over 90 stakeholder and expert groups, we consulted on the draft guidance and regulations in autumn 2018. The new subjects are designed to complement the existing curriculum requirements. Schools will be able to integrate health education with other subjects, such as PE and citizenship, where it makes sense to do so. As such, health education should complement what is already taught and develop pupils’ core knowledge and broader understanding to enable them to lead healthy, active lives. It will be up to schools to decide whether and how to build on the core swimming requirements in this context. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Rented Housing: Overcrowding lord ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent of overcrowded living conditions in private rented accommodation as well as social housing; and what remedial actions might be necessary. lord bourne of aberystwyth: In 2015 The Government made an assessment of overcrowded living conditions in houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). Following extensive consultation, we acted by extending the scope of mandatory HMO licensing so that properties used as HMOs in England which house 5 people or more in two or more separate households would require a licence. These regulations came into force on October 1 2018.The Government is combatting overcrowding through £9 billion of funding for the affordable homes programme; £2 billion of long-term funding certainty for housing associations up to 2028/2029; and abolishing the housing account revenue cap. This is in addition to measures already in place such as the Regulator of Social Housing’s Tenancy Standard which requires social landlords to develop and deliver services to address over-crowding in their homes. Private Rented Housing: Licensing lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made ofthe joint report from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Chartered Institute of Housing A licence to rent published in January; and whether they will support local authorities expanding selective licensing schemes as a way of tackling poor quality housing. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government has studied the report carefully and it will be considered as part of our own independent review of selective licensing. The Department maintains a strong working relationship with the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and a CIEH representative sits on the project board that oversees the selective licensing review. A final report on the Government review will be published in Spring 2019. Private Rented Housing: Licensing lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether ministers will meet representatives from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health and Chartered Institute of Housing and representatives from local government to discuss selective licensing schemes. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Department is actively engaging with stakeholders on selective licensing. The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health sit on the Project Board for the independent review of selective licensing which is currently underway. The Board also includes representatives from two local authorities, as well as the Greater London Authority and the Local Government Association. English Language: Education lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Integrated Communities Strategy green paper, published in March 2018, when they expect to announce the results of the consultation on methods of improving English language skills. lord bourne of aberystwyth: On 9 February we published the Government Response to the Integrated Communities Green Paper and an accompanying Action Plan. The new Integrated Communities Action Plan will drive forward work across government to create socially and economically stronger, more confident and integrated communities. In the Action Plan we commit to a new Cross-Government National English Language Strategy for Autumn 2019. We will engage widely with the sector to help shape its content. Vagrancy Act 1824 baroness royall of blaisdon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to repeal the Vagrancy Act 1824; and if not, why not. lord bourne of aberystwyth: This Government is clear that no-one should be criminalised simply for having nowhere to live and sleeping rough. The cross-Government Rough Sleeping Strategy, which was published in August, committed to reviewing homelessness and rough sleeping legislation, including the Vagrancy Act 1824. The Government believes that review of the 1824 Act, rather than immediate wholesale repeal, is the right course of action to ensure the consequences of repeal are fully understood. My policy officials are currently developing the terms of reference for the review. UK Shared Prosperity Fund baroness garden of frognal: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to consult on their plans for a UK Shared Prosperity Fund and if so, when. lord bourne of aberystwyth: The Government recognises the importance of reassuring local areas on the future of local growth funding once we have left the European Union and providing clarity on UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). We will consult widely on the Fund, providing all interested parties with an opportunity to convey their views. This will inform decisions on the design and quantum of the UKSPF, which are due to be made at Spending Review. Ministry of Defence Ministry of Defence: Cost Effectiveness lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they expect the Ministry of Defence to deliver the target of £13.4 billion efficiency savings over the next 10 years. lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what level of Ministry of Defence over-programming across the next 10 years they consider prudent. lord west of spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Ministry of Defence has a plan agreed with industry to maintain the UK-based capability to develop and deliver the equipment required by the armed forces in the future. earl howe: We are reviewing the Public Accounts Committee's recommendations on the Equipment Plan 2018-28 and will provide a response to these questions in due course. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Environmental Stewardship Scheme lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there have been delays in payments from the Rural Payments Agency and DEFRA to participants in the Higher Level Stewardship scheme for 2018; and if so, why. lord gardiner of kimble: While just under 50% of agreement holders have received their 2018 advance payment, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has been working hard to ensure that remaining payments are issued as quickly as possible. The RPA took on administration of Environmental Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system, streamlining processes and boosting the workforce to speed up processing. Environmental Stewardship Scheme lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all participants in the Higher Level Stewardship scheme have received the payments due to them in 2016 and 2017. lord gardiner of kimble: Over 99% of Environmental Stewardship agreement holders have received their 2016 advance and final payments. For 2017 just under 98% have received their advance payment and 80% have received their 2017 final payment. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has been working hard to ensure that remaining payments are issued as quickly as possible. The RPA took on administration of Environmental Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system, streamlining processes and boosting the workforce to speed up processing. Countryside Stewardship Scheme lord willoughby de broke: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether payments to participants in the Countryside Stewardship scheme have been delayed; and if so for what reason. lord gardiner of kimble: Over 99% of Countryside Stewardship participants have received their payment for 2017 claims and payments for 2018 claims are underway. The Rural Payments Agency took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system, streamlining processes and boosting the workforce to speed up processing. Home Office Motor Vehicles: Theft lord bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent thieves from stealing cars by using relay box equipment. baroness williams of trafford: The Minister for Policing and the Fire Service chaired the first meeting of the Vehicle Theft Taskforce on 15 January. As part of its work, the Taskforce will review whether further measures are required to stop devices that may be used to commit vehicle theft falling into criminals’ hands. Billing: Cybercrime lord framlingham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the incidence of cybercrime against those who pay their bills electronically compared to those who pay their bills by cash or cheque. baroness williams of trafford: The UK Government does not hold data on losses from cyber crime for those who pay their bills electronically.The cyber threats we face continue to grow in scale and sophistication. This is why the National Cyber Security Strategy 2016-2021 is supported by £1.9billion of transformational investment.Advice is available to all businesses, big and small, about how to protect their customers by the NCSC. Immigrants: Detainees lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they collect data on the faith identity of people currently held in immigration detention; and if so, what those data are. lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many religious chaplains have been appointed to each immigration removal centre and short-term holding facility in each of the last five years. lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that people held in immigration detention receive appropriate access to chaplaincy and pastoral support. lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government what meetings they have had with faith groups to ensure that chaplaincy and pastoral support is available to people in immigration detention. baroness williams of trafford: The Government respects the rights of detainees to practise their religious faith. The provision of religious services in immigration removal centres (IRC) is through the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the Operating Standards for IRCs, and the relevant sections of the contracts and service level agreements relating to religious affairs.Under Rule 21 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, if detainees on admission to an IRC wish to declare that they belong to a particular religion, that information must be recorded. This information is recorded by the IRC service providers on their own internal detainee management systems and is used to inform the religious provision available at the IRC.IRCs are equipped with mosques and multi faith rooms for detainees to use for prayer, study and reflection. Communal prayers are available in all centres as well as facilities for prayer in the detainees’ rooms such as access to prayer mats. Each IRC is required to have a manager of religious affairs whose duties include: establishing a multi-faith team; arranging for ministers of religion to conduct religious services for detainees; and arranging for ministers of religion to visit detainees of their religion soon after their reception into the IRC and as often as they reasonably can thereafter. Each IRC is also required to publish a calendar of religious festivals and observances so that recognition is given to those events and those concerned are able to observe them. Engagement with faith groups is undertaken at a local level by the IRC religious affairs manager.The religious needs of detainees held at short-term holding facilities must be catered for so far as practicable but, given the limited nature of the facilities at such sites and short durations of stay, there would not be organised services or ministers of religion present.All IRCs have a number of appointed religious chaplains in place. Management information shows that there were 11 new religious chaplain appointments made at IRCs between 2014 and 2018. Of these 11 appointments, 2 were made in 2014 (Gatwick IRCs and Morton Hall), 4 in 2015 (1 at Gatwick IRCs, 1 at Yarl’s Wood IRC and 2 at Morton Hall), 2 in 2016 (Gatwick IRCs and Morton Hall), 2 in 2017 (Gatwick IRCs and Heathrow IRCs) and 1 in 2018 (at Gatwick IRCs). This is provisional management information that is subject to change. Immigrants: Detainees lord touhig: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people currently held in immigration detention are claiming asylum on the grounds of religious persecution. baroness williams of trafford: The basis of a person’s asylum claim is recorded on their individual Home Office file, but not in a way that can be easily aggregated. Therefore, we cannot provide figures on how many people are currently held in immigra-tion detention, claiming asylum on the grounds of religious persecution.As such, this information could only be obtained at disproportionate cost because it would require a manual search through individual records.Information on people entering detention in 2018 can be found in tab dt_01_q of the ‘Detention data tables immigration statistics year ending September 2018’:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018-data-tablesInformation on the number of asylum claims, subsequent grants of asylum and humanitarian protection, irrespective of whether the individual was de-tained, (as at year ending September 2018) can be found in tab as_02¬_q at Volume 2 of the quarterly Immigration statistics release:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018-data-tablesInformation on people entering detention in 2018 can be found in tab dt_01_q of the ‘Detention data tables immigration statistics year ending September 2018’:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018-data-tables Department for Exiting the European Union Borders: Northern Ireland lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government which technological solutions are currently under consideration, in the absence of a concluded EU withdrawal agreement, to avoid a hard border on the island of Ireland. lord callanan: The Political Declaration is clear that the UK and EU should work together and exchange information on facilitative arrangements and technologies. This sits alongside the UK and the EU’s existing commitment to developing alternative arrangements to replace the backstop. The Government plans to continue discussion with members from around the House and will finalise proposals to go back to the EU with. Overseas Trade: Republic of Ireland lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to any special arrangements for trade between the Republic of Ireland and the UK in the event of a no-deal Brexit. lord callanan: We are committed to upholding the Belfast Agreement and will do everything in our power to avoid a hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We have been clear, as have the EU, it is not enough to simply assert this. We recognise that we would need to take forward discussions with the Irish Government and the Commission in the event of a no deal on the best way to achieve this. Borders: Northern Ireland lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what scenario planning has been conducted by Government departments responsible for security, immigration control, and food security and safety in relation to the EU–UK border in the island of Ireland. lord callanan: The best way to guarantee no hard border remains delivering a deal with the EU, which means people on either side of that border will be able to live their lives as they do now. Both the UK and Ireland have said they will do everything in their power to avoid a hard border in any scenario, but in the event of there being a “no deal” we recognise we would need to take forward discussions with the Irish Government and the Commission on how to achieve this. Treasury Local Government: Borrowing lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are applied by the Public Works Loan Board when a local authority seeks to borrow to acquire commercial property for investment purposes. lord bates: Responsibility for local authority spending and borrowing decisions lies with locally-elected council Members, who are democratically accountable to their electorates. Local authorities are required to have regard to the Prudential Code and statutory guidance when they borrow from the PWLB or from any other lender, these are published by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and form the Prudential Framework. The main objective of the Prudential Framework is to ensure that the capital investment plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable. Before it can advance a loan to a local authority, the Public Works Loan Board requires formal assurance from the authority that the loan is within their borrowing powers and the relevant legislation. Local Government: Borrowing lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the extent and nature of the due diligence undertaken by the Public Works Loan Board before extending loans to local authorities to acquire commercial property for investment purposes. lord bates: Responsibility for local authority spending and borrowing decisions lies with locally-elected council Members, who are democratically accountable to their electorates. Local authorities are required to have regard to the Prudential Code and statutory guidance when they borrow from the PWLB or from any other lender, these are published by The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and form the Prudential Framework. The main objective of the Prudential Framework is to ensure that the capital investment plans of local authorities are affordable, prudent and sustainable. Before it can advance a loan to a local authority, the Public Works Loan Board requires formal assurance from the authority that the loan is within their borrowing powers and the relevant legislation. Local Government: Borrowing lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there is an limit on loans which can be extended by the Public Works Loan Board to a local authority (1) in any one year, and (2) overall. lord bates: The aggregate amount that may be outstanding in respect of commitments entered into by the Public Works Loan Board is limited, and this limit set out in section 4 (1) of the 1968 National Loans Act. Since December 2017, the limit has stood at £85 billion. There is no separate limit about lending amounts in any one year. Local authorities are responsible for determining their own limits on the aggregate amount of borrowing that they may have outstanding. The statutory guidance on borrowing and investment was updated in 2018; the updated guidance introduced a new requirement for all English local authorities to set limits for gross debt compared to net service expenditure. Authorities which exceeded their self-assessed limits should, in accordance with the guidance, refrain from making further investments other than short term investments required for efficient treasury management. Local Government: Borrowing lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthe Public Works Loan Board takes on an ongoing basis to monitor the commercial property investments acquired by local authorities and funded bythe Public Works Loan Board. lord bates: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has stewardship of the local government sector in England. Together with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), they maintain the statutory guidance on local authority borrowing and investment. In light of changes in local authority borrowing and investment patterns, CIPFA and MHCLG updated the prudential code and statutory guidance in 2018. In addition, local authorities must make appropriate arrangements for the appointment of an external auditor to give an opinion on their financial statements as well as arrangements for securing economy, efficiency and effectiveness in its use of resources. The Public Works Loans Board has no role in monitoring local authority activities. Local Government: Borrowing lord hollick: To ask Her Majesty's Government which ten local authorities borrowed the most from the Public Works Loan Board for investment in commercial properties in each of the financial years since and including 2014–15. lord bates: The Public Works Loans Board has no role in monitoring local authority activities. Under the prudential regime, decisions on borrowing are devolved to local authorities who are democratically accountable to their electorates. Information about the purpose of PWLB loans is not centrally held.” The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) has stewardship of the local government sector in England. Together with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA), they maintain the statutory guidance on local authority borrowing and investment. In light of changes in local authority borrowing and investment patterns, CIPFA and MHCLG updated the prudential code and statutory guidance in 2018. Tax Avoidance lord lucas: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure that contracts for core business functions are not entered into with companies who seek to minimise the rate of tax paid on their activity in the UK; and what assessment they have made of whether the use of any such contracts will create a conflict of interest within HMRC when it comes to enforcement of anti-avoidance legislation. lord bates: The 2015 Public Contract Regulations introduced a new obligation for public bodies to exclude suppliers from a procurement where the supplier has been found guilty of breaching its obligations in relation to payment of taxes, and this has been established by a judicial or administrative decision having final effect within the relevant jurisdiction. This includes where HMRC have successfully challenged a potential supplier under anti-avoidance legislation. Stocks and Shares lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of calls from European investors for regulators to protect their ability to buy and sell London-traded shares of companies with dual listings in the event of a no-deal Brexit. lord bates: Delivering the deal the Government has agreed with the EU remains our top priority and the best mitigation against the issues arising in a no-deal scenario. Nevertheless, the Government has been implementing a significant programme of work to ensure the UK will be ready from day 1 in all scenarios, including a potential ‘no deal’ outcome in March 2019. The UK authorities are not able through unilateral action to fully address risks to European investors seeking to buy and sell London-traded shares of companies with dual listings in the event of a no-deal Brexit. This would require action by the European Commission and the European Securities and Markets Authority to permit EU investment firms continued access to UK markets for London-traded shares of companies with dual listings. Attorney General Royal Albert Hall lord hodgson of astley abbotts: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they estimate that the Attorney General will give his definitive ruling on the points of law arising from the case of the Royal Albert Hall and the Charity Commission. lord keen of elie: Last year the Charity Commission wrote to the Attorney General requesting his consent to refer five questions to the First-Tier Tribunal concerning the Corporation of the Hall of Arts and Sciences – i.e. the Royal Albert Hall, which is a registered charity. While the Charity Commission has the power to refer questions to the Tribunal, it may only do so with the consent of the Attorney General, as set out in section 325 of the Charities Act 2011. This is a complex case involving the application of modern day charity law to an organisation established over 150 years ago. Before making an assessment as to whether consent should be given to the Commission’s request, both the Corporation and the Commission were invited to make further representations to the Attorney General’s Office. It is important that these are considered carefully, taking into account all relevant factors. While it is not possible to provide an exact estimate as to when a decision will be made, the matter is being given careful thought with a view to reaching a decision as soon as possible.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2019-02-18

Department for Transport High Speed 2 Railway Line lord berkeley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the design and enabling works for HS2 phase one Area Central are (1) on time, and (2) within budget. baroness sugg: The design and enabling works undertaken for HS2 Phase One Area Central under the Enabling Works Contracts are currently on time and on budget . Foreign and Commonwealth Office Noha al-Balawi lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Saudi Arabia about the detention without charge of Noha al-Balawi; and whether they will press for her release. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We are aware of media reports relating to the detention of Noha al-Balawi. The UK has consistently called for women in Saudi Arabia to be able to participate fully in society and we will continue to engage in dialogue on women's rights with the Saudi Arabian government. We do not shy away from raising human rights concerns with Saudi Arabian officials and will continue to do so using a range of ministerial and diplomatic channels. Our Ambassador in Riyadh last raised human rights cases with Saudi Arabian officials on 18 February. Qatar: Human Rights baroness northover: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Technical Mission to the State of Qatar's December 2017 report on the impact of the Gulf Crisis on human rights, particularly with regard to that report's conclusions on the impact of the crisis on (1) freedom of expression, (2) freedom of movement, (3) the separation of families, (4) economic rights, (5) the right to health, (6), the right to education, and (7) other matters. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Both the Minister for the Middle East and I have met the Chairman of Qatar’s National Human Rights Committee and discussed the contents of the report following the Technical Mission of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to Qatar. This included the impact that the current dispute is having on everyday lives of people in the region, as outlined in the report’s conclusions. Our assessment is that the best way of resolving the issues raised is for a resolution to the current dispute. We have repeatedly called on the Gulf States to find a way of de-escalating the situation and lifting the restrictions. The UK will carefully consider any case and evidence presented at the UNHRC, as we do for all other issues. It is important that all states ensure they comply with international human rights obligations. Sudan: Religious Freedom lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan about the demolition of an evangelical church in Al Haj Yousif by State authorities; and what discussions they have had with the government of Sudan regarding the protection of freedom of religion or belief in that country. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK remains concerned by the restrictions on freedom of religion or belief in Sudan, including the demolition of churches such as at the Al Haj Yousif site, and we will continue to raise our concerns with the Government of Sudan as part of our ongoing human rights dialogue. Promoting freedom of religion or belief as a means of enhancing tolerance and inclusion will remain an integral part of our ongoing engagement with the Government of Sudan. Bangladesh: Sexual Offences lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they intend to follow-up the initial deployment to Bangladesh of two staff under the Preventing Sexual Violence Initiative; what gaps those staff identified in relation to (1) the documentation of sexual violence in conflict (SVC), and (2) the provision of services for survivors of SVC; and how they intend to help address any such gaps. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our independent civilian experts found that work is required to improve the capacity of the local authorities and other actors to gather and document evidence of sexual violence and to ensure appropriate psychosocial support for survivors. The experts also found constraints on the provision of services in the camps and shelters for survivors of sexual violence in a number of respects, including lighting, physical access to health and other support services, and physical security, especially at night.We are urgently implementing their recommendations in consultation with local actors, including by providing capacity building on the documentation of cases and further support for survivors of sexual violence.We are also deploying further civilian experts and trainers to build capacity on documentation. The Department for International Development (DfID) continues to fund the United Nations Population Fund, International Organization for Migration, UNICEF and Action Against Hunger, to improve outreach to and identification of survivors, establish referral pathways, and improve case management and support. DfID funding is also supporting gender-based violence services, including the provision of medical services, counselling and psychological support. Democratic Republic of Congo: Politics and Government lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what work they are conducting with international partners in response to calls to freeze all international bank accounts and assets held by the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and his entourage, until steps are taken to implement the Saint Sylvestre Agreement, including the release of political prisoners. lord ahmad of wimbledon: ​The British Government is increasingly concerned about the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and has repeatedly called on President Kabila to honour both the Constitution and the 31 December agreement. We are appalled by the violence used by the Democratic Republic of Congo forces against peaceful protestors. We have publicly condemned the excessive use of force on both 31 December 2017 and 21 January 2018. Although the British Government does not currently have plans to sanction the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo, we will work with regional and international partners to continue to press the DRC authorities to adhere to their electoral commitment, to open up political space, and to allow for peaceful assembly. Democratic Republic of Congo: Armed Conflict lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are takingto keep the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the top of the international agenda; whether they plan to raise it at the UN Security Council and with the African Union; and what steps they are taking to assist with all measures that seek to end the violence in that country. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Government released statements on 3 January and 23 January, following the deaths of protestors on 31 December 2017 and 21 January 2018, calling on the government to investigate and hold accountable security force members who fired on civilians or ordered the use of lethal force. The UK continues to pressure the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) government to open political space and allow peaceful demonstrations.The British Government, alongside regional and international partners, will continue to press the DRC authorities to adhere to their constitutional commitments and hold elections by 23 December 2018. In March the UN Security Council will discuss the Secretary General's six-monthly report and negotiations to renew the mandate for the UN Organisation and Stabilisation Mission in DRC (MONUSCO). The UK Special Envoy to the African Great Lakes will visit the African Union Headquarters in Addis Ababa on 26 and 27 December to discuss the Peace Security and Cooperation Framework for the Democratic Republic of Congo and the region. Gaza: Ports lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they plan to take, and what representations they are making, to expedite planning and negotiations for a new port to provide access to Gaza. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The EU, with UK encouragement, has looked at a number of options for how it can encourage an easing of movement and access into and out of Gaza. This includes the possibility of EU assistance in establishing a sea-link from Gaza to another international port, currently envisaged in Cyprus. The UK has consistently called on the Government of Israel to ease movement, including at sea, and will continue to do so. We encourage the Palestinian Authority to fully resume its government functions in Gaza, and ensure that the reconciliation process between Palestinian factions is compliant with the Quartet Principles. Israel: Palestinians lord hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the demolition of the two EU-funded classrooms in Abu Nuwar by Israeli authorities on 4 February, whether they plan to call for the strongest possible response by the EU; and what representations they have made to this effect. lord ahmad of wimbledon: On 6 February the British Consulate in Jerusalem joined EU heads of missions in issuing a statement expressing strong concerns about the demolition by the Israeli authorities of parts of the school of the Bedouin community of Abu Nuwar. Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv most recently discussed the issue of demolitions of Palestinian property with the Israeli authorities on 22 February. The Minister for the Middle East and North Africa also raised the issue of demolitions with the Ambassador on 27 February. Demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Attorney General British Nationals Abroad: Syria lord blencathra: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place between the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Attorney General regarding the potential prosecution of UK citizens who fought against (1) UK backed forces in Syria, and (2) ISIL forces in Syria. lord keen of elie: The DPP has regular meetings with the Attorney General about the work of the Crown Prosecution Service. The CPS makes its prosecution decisions independently. The DPP is required to seek the AG’s permission before she gives her consent to the prosecution of certain offences under terrorism legislation. The AG makes those decision in line with the Protocol between the Attorney General and the Prosecuting Departments, that is ‘independently of government, applying well established prosecution principles of evidential sufficiency and public interest.’ Department of Health and Social Care Opiates: Misuse lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what NHS and voluntary services are currently available to help patients who are addicted to prescription opioids. lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to provide and support community helpline services for patients who are addicted to prescription opioids and who are seeking help. lord o'shaughnessy: The Government takes seriously the issue of addiction to prescription medicines. 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, for example, the 111 helpline or the online NHS Choices service.It is the responsibility of local authorities to commission services to meet assessed local need, including addiction to medicines, and there may be a range of services which can help. 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. Musculoskeletal Disorders lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their estimate of the economic cost of the loss of productivity resulting from muscolo-skeletal problems and chronic pain. lord o'shaughnessy: The Government is committed to helping people with musculoskeletal (MSK) and other long-term health conditions to get into, stay in, or return to work. Good work is generally for people’s physical and mental health and wellbeing, and work participation has benefits for the wider economy. It is estimated that the total cost of ill-health that prevents working age people from working, is around £100 billion per year.That is why we published Improving Lives: The Future of Work, Health and Disability in November 2017. The publication sets out our plans over the next ten years focussing, in particular, on the next two to three years and on three key settings – the welfare system, the workplace and health services. A copy is attached.Support for people with MSK conditions is one theme of the publication, as MSK conditions are among the most common health conditions affecting people’s work participation. In relation to MSK services, we are continuing to invest in research to build our understanding of existing provision across the health and employment support systems.The Government will continue to work with other key stakeholders, disabled people and other experts as we develop our plans. Improving Lives (PDF Document, 2.12 MB) Vaccination baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess whether to accept recommendations made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation in relation to proposed changes to established immunisation programmes. lord o'shaughnessy: The Government bases its vaccination programmes on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert group. The JCVI bases its recommendations on review of a wide range of scientific and other evidence including from the published literature, commissioned studies such as independent analyses of vaccine effectiveness and cost effectiveness, and submissions from vaccine manufacturers. It keeps all vaccination programmes under review and considers new evidence as it emerges.Since 1 April 2009 the Health Protection (Vaccination) Regulations 2009 place a duty on the Secretary of State for Health in England to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that the recommendations of the JCVI are implemented subject to certain criteria. Those criteria are that the recommendations must relate to a new provision or changes to an existing provision under a national vaccination programme, be made by the JCVI (rather than a sub-committee), be in response to a question referred to the JCVI by the Secretary of State, be based on an assessment which demonstrates cost-effectiveness and must not relate to vaccination in respect of travel or occupational health. These Regulations put the NHS Constitution’s right for patients and the public to have access to national National Health Service-provided immunisation programmes, as recommended by JCVI, on a statutory basis. Pneumococcal Diseases: Vaccination baroness masham of ilton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the public health benefits of adopting the recommendation made by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation at its meeting in October 2017 that the pneumococcal immunisation programme move to a 1 plus 1 schedule. lord o'shaughnessy: The Government bases its vaccination programmes on the advice of the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI), an independent expert group.In October 2017, the JCVI considered all relevant evidence on the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) and reviewed modelling undertaken by Public Health England on the impact of a reduced-dose PCV schedule in the United Kingdom. The JCVI advised a revised schedule for PCV with two doses of vaccine offered (a “1+1” schedule) rather than three. The JCVI is currently consulting on and reviewing its advice and will agree its final advice at a future Committee meeting, which will take into account public health arguments. The Department will consider and respond to this final advice in due course. Department for Education Free School Meals lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the annual value per child of providing free school meals in England. lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of theannual value of free school meals for each family in receipt of such meals in England. lord agnew of oulton: Free school meals provide a healthy, nutritious meal to children and young people, and help to ensure they are well nourished, develop healthy eating habits and can concentrate and learn. The department estimates the cost of a free school meal to be £2.30 per pupil per day, based on the average cost of providing a meal according to a survey carried out by the School Food Trust. With 190 school days in each academic year, this is an annual cost of £437 per pupil, inclusive of the school’s relevant fixed costs. Free School Meals lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is theirestimate of the cost to charities of the additional spend on food banks likely to arise from ending free school meals for thoseaffected by restrictions introduced by the Free School Lunches and Milk, and School and Early Years Finance (Amendments Relating to Universal Credit) (England) Regulations 2018 (SI 2018/148). lord agnew of oulton: Our transitional protection arrangements will ensure that no child will lose free school meals during the rollout of Universal Credit as a result of these new regulations. Under new criteria, we estimate that by 2022 around 50,000 more children will benefit from a free school meal compared to the previous benefits system. Social Services: Children lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received regarding the funding of children’s services from (1) fostering and adoption agencies, (2) local authorities, (3) private providers, (4) nurseries, and (5) parents. lord agnew of oulton: The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost. This is due to the volume of representations over a significant period of time. The government is listening to the views of the sector and service users, including about funding for children’s social care. The department meets regularly with sector representatives including local government, private providers and the voluntary sector. Discussions have included sector concerns around funding and demands on children’s services. In addition, the government is currently conducting a technical consultation as part of the Fair Funding Review of relative needs and resources. This review is seeking views on what factors drive local government spending, and how we account for this in a way that draws a more transparent link between local circumstances and local resources. The department regularly receives correspondence from private childcare providers, nurseries and other early years settings on a wide variety of topics related to the early years, including our funding rates. Getting our funding rates right is key to the successful delivery of our childcare entitlements, and the department is happy to hear from providers and other organisations. As a result of consultations on schools and high needs funding in 2017 we received over 25,000 responses from local authorities, schools and other education providers, parents and others. The results of that consultation were published in September 2017 and a copy is attached. Since then the department has continued to receive representations from local authorities, schools and others about the funding allocated for children’s education. National Funding Formula Policy Document (PDF Document, 714.71 KB) Schools: Cheltenham lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government, based on the latest funding formula, what will be the anticipated funding per pupil of Cheltenham schools in 2019–20; and what the equivalent figure was in 2015–16. lord agnew of oulton: In 2017/18, the average funding for Cheltenham schools was £4,157 per pupil. We do not hold the equivalent figure per pupil for 2015/16, as we have not previously calculated funding on a constituency basis.In 2019/20, under the national funding formula, illustrative average funding for Cheltenham schools would be £4,310 per pupil, based on 2017/18 pupil data.Local authorities will continue to set their own local formulae, which will determine individual schools’ budgets in their areas for the next two years, in consultation with local schools. Ministry of Justice Fines lord soley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether statutory instruments have been used to introduce increased fines for criminal offences at any point in the last 30 years. lord keen of elie: The standard scale of fines set down in the Criminal Justice Act 1982 for criminal offences in England and Wales was increased by primary legislation in the Criminal Justice Act 1991, and the Level 5 maximum was increased to an unlimited fine in the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012. The standard scale has not been amended by Order in the period specified. Regulations may be made under the Legal Aid Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 provide alternative maximum penalties for some offences. Department for Work and Pensions Fit for Work Programme lord luce: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce legislation in relation to the Fit for Work scheme; and if so, when. baroness buscombe: There are no plans to introduce legislation in relation to Fit for Work. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Richmond Park: Diesel Vehicles baroness randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of diesel emissions on the wildlife of Richmond Park. lord gardiner of kimble: We have not made any specific assessment of the impact of diesel-related emissions on the wildlife of Richmond Park. Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control the earl of shrewsbury: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to extend the badger cull to (1) Staffordshire, (2) Shropshire, and (3) Derbyshire; and if so, to which areas in those counties. lord gardiner of kimble: Should they wish, farmers and landowners across the bovine TB High Risk Area and Edge Area of England, which includes Staffordshire, Shropshire and Derbyshire, are able to apply to Natural England for licences to kill or take badgers for the purpose of preventing the spread of bovine TB, as set out under section 10(2)(a) of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. Applicants need to meet the licensing criteria and demonstrate that they will be able to deliver safe and effective operations in order to be authorised to proceed, as set out in the Guidance to Natural England, which can be found on gov.uk at the following link:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629616/badger-cull-licence-guidance-ne.pdf Farmers in a number of areas have signalled their intention to submit applications to Natural England for licences to conduct badger culls this year. Licensing decisions are a matter for Natural England. NE badger cull licence guidance (PDF Document, 259.08 KB) Fisheries: Scotland lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Scottish Government about the effect of Brexit on Scottish fisheries. lord gardiner of kimble: The Government is working closely with the Devolved Administrations to deliver a future fishing policy that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the different needs and circumstances of fisheries in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. There has been extensive, positive and productive discussions at Ministerial and official level between Defra and the DAs, including the Scottish Government. The Secretary of State meets regularly with his Ministerial counterparts in the Scottish and Welsh Governments and senior officials from Northern Ireland. Officials have also established joint Defra-DA working groups to strengthen collaborative working and preparedness as we consider the implications of exiting the EU on UK fisheries. Sheep: Scotland lord steel of aikwood: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions theyhave had with the Scottish Government about the findings of a report by Scotland's Rural College on the effect of Brexit on sheep farming in Scotland. lord gardiner of kimble: Ministers and Defra officials meet regularly with the Scottish Government, along with their counterparts in Wales and Northern Ireland to discuss a range of issues connected with the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union. In connection with this, HM Government is undertaking a wide range of analysis and examining all areas of the UK economy, seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders. The report from Scotland’s Rural College “Assessing the impacts of alternative post-Brexit trade and agricultural support policy scenarios on Scottish farming systems” makes a contribution to that process. HM Treasury Environment Protection: British Overseas Territories baroness scott of needham market: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the replacement for the EU’s Financial Instrument for the Environment will allow Overseas Territories to access funding for large scale environmental projects which smaller instruments cannot address. lord bates: The funding choices we take after exiting the EU will be based on the UK’s priorities. Decisions will also be affected by the economic environment, the fiscal position and the negotiated outcome. As we start to take our own decisions in these areas, we will of course make sure all parts of the UK, including the Overseas Territories, are treated fairly. Public Bodies baroness bowles of berkhamsted: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bates on 22 February (HL5517), whether they are able to provide any examples, from the current centrally maintained list of non-departmental central government bodies, of other non-departmental central government bodies that have operated on the basis of expected status rather than actual status confirmed by the National Accounts Classification Committee; and if so, for how long those bodies operated before their status was confirmed. lord bates: All bodies deemed to be in the central government sector by HM Treasury are included in the Governments Resource and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2017[1]. All bodies that have been classified by ONS to the central government sector are included in their Public Sector Classifications Guide[2] . The differences between the two reflect entities that have not yet been formally classified by ONS’s Economic Statistics Classification Committee but following HMT [1] http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/310/contents/made[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/methodology/classificationsandstandards/economicstatisticsclassifications/introductiontoeconomicstatisticsclassifications Cabinet Office Local Government: Elections lord jones of cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to allow EU citizens living in theUK to continue being able to vote in local elections after the UK leaves the EU. baroness stedman-scott: The Government was clear from the start of withdrawal negotiations that EU citizens in the UK and UK citizens in the EU should have their voting and candidacy rights protected.This is part of the wider question of UK citizens' rights in the EU and EU citizens' rights in the UK. We are disappointed that the EU is unwilling to protect these rights in the Withdrawal Agreement. Government Departments: Recruitment lord radice: To ask Her Majesty's Government how much they have spent on recruitment consultants in (1) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (2) the Department for Exiting the European Union, and (3) the Department for International Trade, since 23 June 2016; and what additional future liabilities, including success or retention bonuses, have been incurred as a result of engaging those recruitment consultants. baroness stedman-scott: The amount spent on recruitment consultants for the following departments since 23rd June 2016 can be found in the table below: DepartmentAmount spent of recruitment consultantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)£87,530.80*Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU)£0.00Department for International Trade (DIT)£300,175.00* *Excludes VAT. No additional future liabilities, including success or retention bonuses, have been incurred as a result of engaging recruitment consultants for these departments. Department for International Trade Foreign Investment in UK: Japan lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Japanese ambassador has raised concerns with regard to futureJapanese investment in the UK; and, if so, what assessment they have made of those concerns. baroness fairhead: Her Majesty’s Government maintains regular contact with Japan and the Japanese Ambassador. The Prime Minister recently invited the Ambassador and representatives of Japanese business to Downing Street to talk about our future trade and investment relationship, which my Rt Hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Trade attended. At this meeting, the Japanese Ambassador did not raise any specific concerns about future investment in the UK. The Ambassador noted that both he and the Japanese Prime Minister were grateful for the opportunity for Japanese investors to meet the Prime Minister, and that Japan is willing to work with us on our future trade and investment relationship. Japan and the UK are both keen to continue our positive trade and investment relationship with the minimum of disruption. We will continue to provide opportunities for Japanese business and the Japanese government to communicate with us on our future relationship – on the 1st of March, my Rt Hon. Friend the Minister of State for Trade Policy met representatives of Japanese businesses to hear their views on our trade and investment relationship, and to further explain UK trade policy. HM Treasury, BEIS and DEXEU all provided the same delegation the opportunity to discuss our trade and investment relationship. Our trade and investment relationship with Japan is a positive and growing one – in the 2016-2017 fiscal year, Japanese investments launched 116 new projects in the UK. Toyota Motor Europe announced in March 2017 that it is investing £240 million to upgrade its car plant in Burnaston over the next three years, while Nissan announced in October 2016 that it will invest £500 million to produce Qashqai and X-Trail cars in Sunderland. Ensuring that the UK remains competitive is a key priority of the Government. This Department is constantly evaluating and enhancing the way we promote the retention and expansion of international business. To ensure that the UK continues to be a global leader in attracting FDI, DIT is looking at how it can deliver new ways to target support for those FDI projects that create the most value for investors and national wealth. In engaging with other countries, we highlight the strengths of the UK that make it the best place for companies to capitalise on emerging opportunities across Europe. We have a skilled workforce and a low tax and a well-regulated economy; speak English - the language of global business; and are in the right time zone to trade with both Asia and the US. We are home to some of the world’s finest universities, our research and development capabilities are cutting-edge and our financial institutions world-leading. All of this is underpinned by a well-respected and well-known legal system. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Broadcasting: Internet lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatregulations are currently in place for podcasts. lord ashton of hyde: In accordance with the Communications Act 2003 and the BBC Charter and Agreement, the Broadcasting Code rules cover television, radio, and BBC on-demand programme services (such as the BBC iPlayer) only. Ofcom does not regulate radio stations that only broadcast on the internet, including most podcasts. The exception to this is BBC podcasts. Those available via iPlayer Radio are subject to all the rules of the Broadcasting Code, as relevant. Ofcom can also advise whether podcasts on some other BBC online sites have met the required standards. Simulation viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budget they are allocating to train and evaluate personnel on individual tools, techniques and processes related to live, virtual and constructive simulated environments. lord ashton of hyde: Individual Government departments and agencies make decisions on the appropriate tools to train and evaluate their workforces to meet their specific needs.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2018-03-07

Lord Kilclooney: asked Her Majesty's Government: How many traffic wardens were on duty in Armagh city centre between 3:30 and 4:00pm on 29 October. Lord Rooker: The deployment of traffic wardens is an operational matter for the Police Service of Northern Ireland. The PSNI does not disclose specific numbers of police officers on duty at points in time, and would apply the same criteria to traffic wardens until such times as DRD assumes responsibility for them in autumn 2006. Hepatitis C Inadvertent Blood Infection: Payment Schemes Lord Morris of Manchester: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will reconsider the decision not to give financial help from the Skipton fund to the widows and other dependants of haemophilia patients who have died from infection with hepatitis C from contaminated National Health Service blood and blood products. Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Neither the phrase "sensitive personal information" nor the phrase "particularly sensitive information" has a technical or defined meaning in relation to the national identity register. The Identity Cards Bill establishes a national identity register as a record of "registrable facts" about individuals as set out in Clause 1(5) of the Bill. The only information that may be recorded in the register is as provided for in Clause 3 and listed at Schedule 1 of the Bill. This does not include what, in the ordinary meaning of the words, could be described as particularly sensitive information such as medical or criminal records. Clause 1(6) of the Bill prevents the inclusion of any personal reference number under Clause 1(5)(g)—such as a police national computer reference number—that would tend to reveal any "sensitive personal data" within the meaning of the Data Protection Act 1998 (c.29). Lord Hylton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have any future intention of selling (a) non-anonymised and (b) anonymised data from the National Identity Register to private sector individuals or organisations; and, if so, why.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2006-01-16b

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Independent Industrial Strategy Council lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government to whom the Industrial Strategy Council will be answerable. lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how often the Industrial Strategy Council will report on the progress of the Industrial Strategy. lord henley: The Industrial Strategy Council will be tasked with developing measures of success and putting the right evaluation structures in place to assess our progress. They will engage with government on its work programme but as a non-statutory independent group of external experts they will have their own views about the frequency of their updates including a regular published report. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government what process will be in place forHer Majesty'sGovernment to decide the next areas to benefit from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. lord henley: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched an open call for Expressions of Interest to identify challenges to be supported within wave 3 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) on 28 February 2018. Funding for wave 3 challenges will start in financial year 2019/20. The EOI process will enable industry to fully engage with the ISCF, including those businesses or sectors that do not traditionally make use of innovation funding. Expressions of interest for challenges for wave 3 of the ISCF programme must be industry-led and demonstrate clear alignment with at least one of the Grand Challenges of the Industrial Strategy White Paper: Clean Growth; Ageing Society; Future of Mobility; and Artificial Intelligence and Data Economy. Challenges for wave 3 will be evaluated by UKRI based on the following criteria. Challenges must:be compelling, focused, understandable and have a real benefit if solvedbe industry-led and in an area of existing strengthtake advantage of the depth and expertise of UK researchoffer a clear opportunity for sustainable growth, including global marketsevidence that government support is necessary and of strategic importanceincrease productivityAs with previous challenges, expert input will be sought in choosing which challenges will be funded through the ISCF. This includes the UKRI Board, Innovate UK and Research Councils, and a series of deep dive sessions with industry and academia across the UK. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their process for selecting the next areas to benefit from the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund. lord henley: UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) launched an open call for Expressions of Interest to identify challenges to be supported within wave 3 of the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) on 28 February 2018. The Expression of Interest process is being managed by UKRI using Innovate UK’s Innovation Funding Service (https://apply-for-innovation-funding.service.gov.uk/competition/126/overview). This webpage clearly outlines the assessment criteria for the challenges. Details of the wave 3 process will also be made available at the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund website https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/industrial-strategy-challenge-fund-joint-research-and-innovation. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund projects will be permitted to fail. lord henley: Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) projects will bring together world-class UK research with business investment to develop the technologies and industries of the future and ensure we capture the value of these innovations to our economy. Delivered by UKRI, it takes a strategic approach to delivering the challenges across the UK’s science and business base. Pivotal to the ISCF is an appetite to take risk and pursue high return opportunities, as has been successfully adopted in other schemes, such as America’s DARPA challenges. This means not all ISCF projects may succeed because of technological and market uncertainties. It will be important that there is a broad risk appetite to explore promising ideas across the portfolio of challenges as well as within elements of each specific challenge. The ISCF will place the responsibility for delivering a challenge in the hands of a ‘Challenge Director’, who will be leading a expert in the area. Challenge Directors will assemble a portfolio of projects that span the risk spectrum. Rigorous assessment, encompassing investment appraisal, on-going monitoring and ex-post evaluation will inform investment decisions. Through governance and monitoring arrangements, we will ensure that failures are detected early, review progress and maximise value for money. Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund lord fox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund money can be spent on basic research. lord henley: The Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund (ISCF) funds innovative science and research that will increase productivity, tackle long-term challenges and drive growth across the country in areas where the UK is most competitive or has the most potential to be competitive. It identifies challenges that if solved would turn the UK’s scientific and business expertise into leadership in international markets. Each of these challenges will bring together Innovate UK and Research Councils to support collaborations of business with research, and so funding will benefit both. The exact balance will require tailored financial arrangement suited to the nature of the challenges. Motor Vehicles: Manufacturing Industries lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what further assessment, if any, they have made following the report by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial StrategyThe Impact of Brexit on the Automotive Sector. lord henley: The Government is undertaking a wide range of ongoing analysis in support of our EU exit negotiations and preparations.We continue to engage with businesses and industry bodies from all sectors of the economy, and all regions and nations of the UK, in order to inform our negotiations.However, it is not standard practice to provide a running commentary on ongoing analysis. In addition, ministers have a specific responsibility, which Parliament has endorsed, not to release information that would undermine our negotiating position. Iron and Steel: USA lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatis theirestimate of the number ofjob losses in the UK thatmight result if the US were to impose the proposed 25 per cent tariff on steel imports. lord henley: Total US imports of steel from the UK in 2017 were 351 thousand tonnes with a value of £360m. This represents 5% of UK steel production in 2017, in tonnage. We are working closely with the steel and aluminium industries to assess the potential impact of these measures. Iron and Steel: USA lord allen of kensington: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likely impact on the steel industry in the UK if the US were to impose the proposed 25 per cent tariff on steel imports. lord henley: Total US imports of steel from the UK in 2017 were 351 thousand tonnes with a value of £360m. This represents 5% of UK steel production in 2017, in tonnage. We are working closely with the steel and aluminium industries to assess the potential impact of these measures. Foreign and Commonwealth Office Duaa Alwadaei lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, furtherto the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 14 February (HL5316), what steps they are taking to seek clarification from the government of Bahrain regarding the charges brought against Duaa Alwadaei. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have raised the case of Duaa Alwadaei with the Government of Bahrain and will continue to monitor proceedings. Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab lord scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Bahrain regarding (1) the alleged torture of Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab at the Criminal Investigation Directorate and the Dry Dock prison; and (2) the sentencing to death of Mr al-Arab on 31 January. lord ahmad of wimbledon: The British Embassy in Bahrain and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have been monitoring the case of Ali Mohamed Hakeem al-Arab and will continue to do so. We encourage those with concerns about treatment in detention to report these to the appropriate oversight body and we encourage the oversight body to conduct swift and thorough investigations.The United Kingdom is firmly opposed to the use of the death penalty. It is the Government's longstanding position to oppose capital sentences in all circumstances and countries. We continue to make this clear to the Government of Bahrain. Gaza: Travel Restrictions baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the increased restrictions on travel to and from Gaza. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We regularly raise the importance of improving the number of exit permits approved by the Israeli authorities for Gazans to travel. We encourage the Governments of Israel and Egypt to show maximum flexibility in opening the crossings into Gaza. Officials from our Consulate General in Jerusalem also regularly discuss border crossings with the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the context of PA empowerment in Gaza. Israel: Taxation baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations,if any,they have made to the government of Israel regarding the fines issued by Jerusalem municipality to properties owned by the United Nations and by churches on the grounds that they are not entitled to exemptions from property tax. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Consulate General in Jerusalem and our Embassy in Tel Aviv are closely following developments on this issue, and have sought clarifications from the relevant Israeli authorities. We understand that the Jerusalem municipality has now announced that it is suspending its tax collection actions. Israel: Palestinians baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding that government's reported practice of charging Palestinians for the costs incurred in the demolition ofPalestinian homes, whilst denying those Palestinians any compensation. lord ahmad of wimbledon: We have not discussed this specific issue with the Israeli authorities. We do however continue to make clear to the Israeli authorities our serious concerns over the demolitions and evictions of Palestinians from their homes. The UK’s position is clear. Demolitions and evictions cause unnecessary suffering to ordinary Palestinians; call into question Israel’s commitment to a viable two-state solution; and, in all but the most exceptional cases, are contrary to International Humanitarian Law. Gaza: Travel Restrictions baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel regarding the decline in the approval rate of applicationsfor travel to and from Gaza for medical purposes. lord ahmad of wimbledon: Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised the issue of medical permits for Gazans with the Israeli authorities on 21 February. As the Minister for the Middle East and North Africa informed the House of Commons on 20 February, we have previously raised concerns about ambulance and permit delays with the Israeli authorities, and we will continue to do so. We have also urged the Israeli Government to ease movement and access restrictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Department of Health and Social Care Diabetes: Medical Equipment lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all patients with type 1 diabetes in England have access to flash glucose monitors. lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all Clinical Commissioning Groups are adequately funded to supply flash glucose monitors to all patients with type 1 diabetes. lord roberts of llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of why flash glucose monitors are available to patients in some parts of England and not in others. lord o'shaughnessy: Freestyle Libre, the flash glucose monitoring system was included in Part IX of the England and Wales Drug Tariff from November 2017. People with diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone) - which includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes - are eligible for free National Health Service prescriptions if they hold a valid medical exemption certificate. However, patients will need to discuss the ongoing management of their condition with their healthcare professional and consider what is most suitable for them.Within its financial constraints, the NHS is committed to providing access to new drugs and medical technologies. Ultimately it is for clinical commissioning groups (CCGs), who are primarily responsible for commissioning diabetes services, to meet the requirements of their population. In doing so, CCGs need to ensure that the services they provide are fit for purpose, reflect the needs of the local population and are based on the available evidence and take into account national guidelines.Reducing variation in the management and care of people with diabetes by 2020 is an objective included in the NHS England mandate. The NHS RightCare diabetes pathway shows the core components of an optimal diabetes service, as well as evidence of the opportunity to reduce variation. People with diabetes insipidus or diabetes mellitus (except where treatment is by diet alone) - which includes type 1 and type 2 diabetes - are eligible for free NHS prescriptions if they hold a valid medical exemption certificate. Health Services: Foreign Nationals lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government, in each year between 2007 and 2017, (1) how manypatients were treated by the NHS who were not ordinarily resident in the UK, (2)what was the gross cost to the NHS of treating such patients, and (3) how muchmoney was recovered from such patients. lord o'shaughnessy: The Department does not collect data from National Health Service trusts and NHS foundation trusts on patients who are treated by the NHS who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom.However, between 2012/13 and 2016/17, NHS cost recovery income identified for chargeable overseas visitors and migrants has more than quadrupled from £89 million to £352 million. All income recovered is directed straight back to the NHS frontline. Health Services: Foreign Nationals lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the process to recover money owed to theNHS from those patients who are treated by the NHS but who are not ordinarily resident in the UK and do not qualify for free healthcare at the point of use. lord o'shaughnessy: Under the National Health Service (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 2015, as amended, providers of NHS funded secondary care are required to make and recover charges from patients who are not ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom where no category of exemption applies within these Regulations. Since October 2017 providers are required to recover this charge in advance of providing non-urgent treatment.The Department has issued guidance to providers of NHS funded secondary care called Guidance on implementing the overseas visitors charging regulations which sets out the rules and best practice processes to follow to recover money owed by overseas visitors. This includes considering the use of debt collection methods and forwarding on to the Home Office, following strict data protection protocols, the non-medical details of those with outstanding debts who are subject to immigration control, so that the Home Office can consider refusing a new visa or extension to stay in the UK whilst the debt remains unpaid. A copy of the guidance is attached. Guidance on implementing overseas visitors regs (PDF Document, 1.14 MB) Hospital Beds lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many beds were available in NHS hospitals in each year from 2007to 2017; andwhat was the total number of instances where a delayed transfer of care occurred in an NHS hospital in each year from 2007 to 2017. lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of a delayed transfer of care occurring where the patientsubject tothe delayed transfer of care was homeless in each year from 2007 to 2017. lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances there were of a delayed transfer of care occurring where the patientsubject tothe delayed transfer of care was waiting for longer than one day for a family member or friend to collect them in each year from 2007 to 2017. lord o'shaughnessy: The average number of available beds and the average number of delayed transfer of care (DTOC) beds in each financial year from 2010-11 is shown in the following table. Data prior to 2010 is not held centrally.Financial YearAverage number of available bedsAverage number of DTOC beds12010-11142,4463,783 (Partial year)2011-12138,5723,7532012-13136,7583,7832013-14135,9433,8742014-15135,4984,4532015-16131,0694,9462016-17130,4526,1812017-18 (year to date)129,0295,579Note:1The number of DTOC beds is an estimate and is calculated by dividing the number of delayed days during the month by the number of calendar days in the month.NHS England publishes DTOC data showing the number of delayed days by the following reasons: awaiting completion of assessment; awaiting public funding; awaiting further non-acute NHS care; awaiting residential home placement or availability; awaiting nursing home placement or availability; awaiting care package in own home; awaiting community equipment and adaptations; patient or family choice; disputes; housing – patients not covered by NHS or Community Care Act; or other.Data on whether patients with delayed transfers of care are either homeless or waited in excess of a day for collection from hospital by a family member or friend is not held centrally. Accident and Emergency Departments lord dobbs: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many patients treated by NHS Accident and Emergency departments were under the influence of drugs or alcohol in each year from 2007 to 2017;and what is their estimate of the gross cost ofsuch treatments in each of those years. lord o'shaughnessy: The data requested is not held centrally. Rare Diseases: Out of Area Treatment lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of access to specialist cross-border healthcare for sufferers of rare diseases following Brexit; and how they plan to ensure that those patients continue to benefit from specialist medical expertise across EU member states following Brexit. lord o'shaughnessy: The United Kingdom Government has made clear that it wishes to see the existing reciprocal healthcare arrangements with the European Union continued after the UK leaves the EU. All UK-insured residents, including sufferers of rare diseases, benefit from the reciprocal healthcare arrangements currently in place and the Government is working to ensure this access to healthcare in EU member states continues on the same terms as they do now after the UK leaves the European Union.During negotiations with the EU on the Withdrawal Agreement, the UK has therefore been seeking to protect the healthcare arrangements currently set out in EU Regulations 883/2004 and 987/2009. In the meantime, while the UK remains a member of the EU, it will continue to respect the rights and honour the obligations of EU membership and so the current arrangements remain in place.The UK is recognised internationally for its expertise and excellence in the field of rare diseases. In this regard, the UK Government has three key principles in its approach to the development of a post-Exit relationship with the EU:- That no patient should be disadvantaged;- That the UK should continue to play a leading role promoting and ensuring public health, both in Europe and around the world; and- Industry must be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible, with the UK and Europe at the forefront of medical innovation. Midwives baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there has been an increase in the number of midwives (1) registered to practise in the UK, and (2) practising in the NHS, over the pastfive years. baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many midwives there were on (1) the Nursing and Midwifery register, and (2) practising in the NHS,in each of the past five years. lord o'shaughnessy: The information requested about the number of midwives registered to practise in the United Kingdom is not collected by the Department.The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) is the independent regulator of nurses and midwives in the United Kingdom and is responsible for nurse and midwifery registration. Information provided by the NMC on the number of midwives registered to practise in each of the past five years is provided in the following table. According to the NMC’s figures the number of midwives registered to practise in the UK increased by 2,445, between the end of September 2013 and the end of September 2017.YearNumber of midwives registered to practiseEnd September 201341,050End September 201441,639End September 201542,232End September 201642,799End September 201743,495Source: Nursing and Midwifery CouncilNHS Digital publishes workforce statistics and the following table shows the number of full time equivalent (FTE) Hospital and Community Health Service (HCHS) midwives in each of the past five years in England.National Health Service HCHS: Practising Midwives, as at 31 October each specified year (FTE), 2013-17YearTotal Midwives (FTE)October 201320,914October 201421,268October 201521,450October 201621,621October 201721,890Source: NHS Digital, Provisional NHS HCHS monthly workforce statisticsThe total number of midwives employed in the NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups in England increased by 976, from 20,914 in October 2013, to 21,890 in October 2017. Department for International Development Developing Countries: Sanitary Protection baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherthey support any activities that keep girls and young women at school during their periods in developing countries. lord bates: The UK is committed to ensuring another generation of girls do not miss out on education. In our 2018 Education Policy we shone a spotlight on supporting the hardest to reach girls to achieve 12 years of quality education and learning. This includes recognising the importance of providing menstrual hygiene facilities in schools and tackling discriminatory gender norms (including taboos around menstruation) to support girls to stay in education during their periods. We support a range of interventions to support this ambition. The majority of our country-level school and community-level water and sanitation programmes include a strong focus on menstrual hygiene management. More specifically: we support the provision of menstrual hygiene facilities in 5000 schools across 10 countries; in Zimbabwe, our Secondary Education Programme is supporting over 24,000 vulnerable girls to stay in school during their periods by providing them with regular supplies of sanitary pads; and through the Girls’ Education Challenge Fund we support a range of school-based menstrual hygiene projects in 12 countries. Developing Countries: Sanitary Protection baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support any innovative projects relating to sanitary products in developing countries. baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the provision of hand-operated machines that make sanitary pads across (1) India, (2) Nepal, (3) Bangladesh, (4) Afghanistan, (5) South Africa, and (6) Zimbabwe. baroness tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider supporting the provision of machines that are hand operated and make low cost sanitary pads to keep girls and young women at school during their periods in developing countries. lord bates: Access to affordable sanitary products is a key barrier to women’s full participation in society. The UK is supporting a number of innovative projects to enhance sanitary product access and choice, including a technology transfer initiative with the Indian company Aakar (https://www.aakarinnovations.com/) to enable them to take their women’s enterprise and simple technology model for the local production of quality, low-cost, environmentally-friendly sanitary pads to Kenya and Tanzania. Through funding from the Girls Education Challenge fund, World Vision have been training women’s groups in Zimbabwe to make reusable sanitary pads as part of a wider programme to support 95,000 vulnerable girls to stay in school. We also support menstrual hygiene management more broadly through health, girls’ education and water, sanitation and hygiene programmes across sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. The UK is committed to enabling all girls and women to manage menstruation safely, hygienically and with dignity, allowing them to stay in school and participate in society during their period. This includes ensuring that schools, workplaces and public places cater for the needs of menstruating women, that they are free from stigma and discrimination and have access to low-cost appropriate sanitary products. The Senior Deputy Speaker Palace of Westminster: Electricity lord palmer: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what is the total annual electricity bill for the Palace of Westminster; and what proportion of that bill is paid by the House of Lords. lord mcfall of alcluith: The total cost of the electricity bill for the Palace of Westminster for 2016/17 was £1,778,860. The House of Lords contribution to such running costs is 40%, meaning a payment of £711,544 for 2016/17. Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government Council Housing: Construction lord bassam of brighton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the levels of capital receipts available for building new council housing in each year since 2010, broken down by local authority. lord bourne of aberystwyth: (a) Only since 01 April 2012 has a portion of Right to Buy receipts been calculated as being retainable by the local authority if a sufficient level of expenditure on replacement social housing is incurred.(b) Table includes the 167 local housing authorities which on 01 April 2013 owned a substantial amount of housing stock.(c) All figures in the Table are provisional and are subject to change as a result of assurance and reconciliation exercises.(d) All local housing authorities may also, subject to conditions, fund new council housing from: (i) other portions of their Right to Buy receipts which they may retain, (ii) other housing capital receipts, and (iii) capital receipts arising from the disposal of other assets.(e) Where an authority’s portion is indicated as zero, it means that there are no Right to Buy receipts remaining after other costs have been met.The attached table shows the portion of receipts arising from Right to Buy sales received by each local authority in each full financial year since 2012-2013 which is retainable for the purposes of providing replacement social housing. Receipts arising from Right to Buy sales (Excel SpreadSheet, 25.7 KB) EU Grants and Loans lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to replace EU structural funds after Brexit; and, if so, how. lord bourne of aberystwyth: As announced in the government manifesto, we will create the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF), which will boost productivity and reduce inequalities between communities across all four nations. We will consult widely on the design of the UKSPF later this year. Ministry of Defence HMS Ocean lord stevens of ludgate: To ask Her Majesty's Government what contingency plans they have to fulfil the functions formerly performed by HMS Ocean. earl howe: The Government can call on the Royal Navy's existing amphibious ships and the Bay Class ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Department for Work and Pensions UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities baroness campbell of surbiton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend that the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities will remain incorporated into domestic law after Brexit; if so, what steps they will take to ensure this; and if not, why not. baroness buscombe: The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities is not incorporated into domestic law. The Equality Act 2010 (EA2010) provides, in domestic legislation, protections for people in Great Britain against discrimination, harassment or victimisation because of any of the nine protected characteristics set out in the Act – which include disability – as well as the public sector equality duty to promote equality of opportunity for all. Equivalent provisions for Northern Ireland are set out in a range of devolved legislation. Home Office Police: Recruitment lord grocott: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many police officers have been recruited via the Direct Entry Superintendents Scheme in each year since that scheme was introduced. baroness williams of trafford: Direct entry offers the opportunity to widen the talent pool from where we attract our police officers and will bring in people from a diverse range of backgrounds. The introduction of direct entry allowed professionals from other sectors to join policing at a senior rank for the first time. These individuals have demonstrated that it is possible to join at this rank and gain the skills and competencies required to perform the job while also bringing a fresh perspective to police leadership.The College of Policing is responsible for delivery of the direct entry scheme and will be publishing an evaluation fo the implementation of direct entry next year. Department for Exiting the European Union Borders: Northern Ireland lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what specific measures they will take to address the issues with the Northern Ireland border in the withdrawal negotiations with the EU. lord callanan: In our position paper on Northern Ireland and Ireland, the UK Government set out two broad approaches to a future customs relationship with the EU; a highly streamlined customs arrangement between the UK and the EU, streamlining and simplifying requirements, leaving as few additional requirements on UK-EU trade as possible; and a new customs partnership with the EU, aligning our approach to the customs border in a way that removes the need for a UK-EU customs border. The Joint Report issued by the UK and EU sets out our plan to address Northern Ireland’s unique circumstances and the border in the context of the wider UK-EU deep and special partnership. We want a deal that works for all parts of the UK and we will faithfully deliver on that policy. The Joint Report also addressed the question of a fall-back option to avoid a hard border and disruption to businesses and supply chains both sides of the border if we cannot reach the deep overall agreement that we want. The Government’s agreed proposals for the Northern Ireland border were most recently set out in the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech. One option is for the UK to mirror the EU’s requirements for imports from the rest of the world, applying the same tariffs and the same rules of origin as the EU for those goods arriving in the UK and intended for the EU. This approach, would remove the need for customs processes at the UK-EU border. Another option would be to jointly agree to implement a range of measures to minimise frictions to trade and make specific provisions for Northern Ireland such as exempting smaller traders who would be allowed to continue to operate as they do currently, with no new restrictions. For larger traders, the proposal would be to introduce streamlined processes, including a trusted trader scheme which would be consistent with our commitments. Both of these options for our future customs arrangement would leave the UK free to determine its own tariffs with third countries - which would simply not be possible in a customs union. On goods, a fundamental principle in our negotiating strategy is that trade at the UK-EU border should be as frictionless as possible with no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland. We believe this can be achieved via a commitment to ensure that the relevant UK regulatory standards remain at least as high as the EU’s and a customs arrangement. UK Trade with EU lord kinnock: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the speech by the Prime Minister on 2 March stating that "our access to each other's markets will be less than it is now", and to the remarks by the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union on 24 January 2017 (HC Deb, col 169), when the decision not to secure "comprehensive free trade agreements...and customs agreements" with the EU "that will deliver the exact same benefits as we have" was made. lord callanan: Negotiating a comprehensive economic partnership with the EU is a priority for the Government as we leave the EU. We want to have the greatest possible tariff- and barrier-free trade with our European neighbours, as well as to negotiate our own trade agreements around the world. As the Prime Minister reiterated in her Mansion House speech ‘we both want good access to each other’s markets and we want competition between us to be fair and open.’ The agreement we reach with the EU must respect the result of the referendum. It was a vote to take control of our borders, laws and money. We are committed to securing a bold and ambitious economic partnership with the EU that is of greater scope than any such existing agreement. Brexit viscount waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ascertain the views of each of the EU 27 parliaments on the UK's current position on Brexit. lord callanan: The Government continues to engage with Member States and our partners in the EU, alongside our formal negotiations with the European Commission. Ministers, senior officials and our diplomatic missions in Europe speak to a wide range of people and groups. Engaging representatives from national European Parliaments is an important element of our work. Brexit baroness jolly: To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to the petition handed to 10 Downing Street by Stuart Bonar on 3 February, calling on the Prime Minister to negotiate with the EU for UK nationals to have the right to retain their EU citizenship on an individual basis after Brexit, should they so wish. lord callanan: EU treaty provisions state that only citizens of EU Member States are able to hold EU citizenship. Therefore, when the UK ceases to be a member of the European Union, British nationals will no longer hold EU citizenship, unless they hold dual nationality with another EU Member State. However, we know that in the future, many UK nationals will wish to continue to travel, live and work within the European Union, just as EU citizens will still wish to do so in the UK. We look forward to discussing our future relationship with the European Union, one which will work in the interest of both the UK and the EU. UK Relations with EU lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Council’s draft guidelines for the negotiation of the UK’s future relationship with the EU. lord callanan: The European Council guidelines are a draft text that has not been formally published, but has been circulated to the EU27 for comment. We look forward to seeing the final guidelines when published, and hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively and imaginatively about our future economic partnership. We have repeatedly set out our vision for our future relationship with the EU which will see us remain the closest of friends and allies. The Prime Minister outlined the UK government’s vision for the broadest and deepest possible future economic partnership in her Mansion House speech, having provided detail on our vision for the future security partnership in Munich last month. These are in addition to a speech by the Secretary of State of Exiting the EU and speeches by a number of other cabinet ministers on the ‘road to Brexit’. EU Institutions lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the European Council’s announcement that the UK will not be allowed to participate in EU institutions, agencies or bodies after Brexit; and, in particular, what assessment they have made ofthe consequences for regulation of (1) medicines, (2) airlines, and (3) data. lord callanan: Draft EU guidelines for the negotiation of the future framework have been circulated to the EU27 for comment. We expect final guidelines to be formally adopted at the March European Council, and we hope they will provide the flexibility to allow the EU to think creatively about our future economic partnership As the Prime Minister said in her speech in Mansion House on 2 March 2018, we will want to explore with the EU the terms on which we could remain part of EU agencies such as those that are critical for the chemicals, medicines and aerospace industries: the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA), and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). As the Prime Minister said in Munich in respect of data protection, we envisage an ongoing role for the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office. There are other agencies, such as those related to our future security partnership, that the UK may seek to remain a part of. Where there is a demonstrable national interest in pursuing a continued relationship with an agency or other EU body the Government will carefully examine whether we should pursue this. Our future relationship with the EU's agencies will ultimately be a matter for the negotiations. Department for International Trade Foreign Investment in UK lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains a competitive destination for foreign firms. baroness fairhead: As part of The Department for International Trade’s lead role on Foreign Direct Investment, next financial year we will deliver a more targeted approach to promotion and investor support through our FDI Strategy. This will ensure Government support is focused where it is most valued by investors – and in a way that will drive wealth creation across the whole of the UK. To do this we will change our measure of performance from the volume of projects to a comprehensive measure of economic impact.Alongside this, we will build a portfolio of ‘High Potential Opportunities’ across the UK to promote emerging sector clusters, supply chain gaps and other investment opportunities that have a high potential to deliver economic benefits. We will also continue to work closely with Government colleagues to deliver the Industrial Strategy and strengthen the attractiveness of the UK business environment for foreign investment. Women and Equalities Equal Pay lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the requirements for gender pay gap reporting could allow employers to submit fabricated information or avoid reporting. baroness williams of trafford: In 2017 the Government introduced ground-breaking regulations requiring large employers to publish specific gender pay gap data.Employers have to report their gender pay gap by the deadline, 30 March for the public sector and 4 April for the private and voluntary sector. This is not optional; it is the law.Employers who fail to report on time or publish inaccurate data will be in breach of the regulations. They risk facing legal action from the Equality and Human Rights Commission, which has the power to take enforcement action against employers breaching the regulations. This could ultimately lead to court orders and fines. Government Departments: Equal Pay lord storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Nash on 18 September 2017 (HL1445), whether all government departments and executive agencies with 250 or more employees have now published information about gender pay gaps between male and female employees. baroness williams of trafford: Public bodies with 250 or more employees, including Government Departments, have until 30 March to publish this data. All ministerial departments in scope of the regulations in fact reported their gender pay gap data before the end of 2017. Staff working in executive agencies are included in the relevant department’s gender pay gap reports.The majority of non-ministerial departments have also already reported.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2018-03-13

Department for Transport A66 and A303: Construction Lord Berkeley: To ask His Majesty's Government what the latest cost benefit analysis and business cases are for (1) the Stonehenge road tunnel, and (2) the A66 road improvement between Scotch Corner and the M6; and what assessment they have made as to whether these works demonstrate good value for money. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The A303 Stonehenge project is being redetermined by the Secretary of State for Transport following an Order of the High Court made on 30 July 2021, the decision dated 12 November 2020, to grant development consent for the application by National Highways (formerly Highways England) was quashed. Further details on the re-determination process are published on the project page on the Planning Inspectorate’s website. As this is a live planning application, the Department for Transport cannot comment further on the application.The A66 Trans-Pennine project is at outline business case (OBC) stage and is currently under Development Consent Order examination. The OBC gives a BCR of 0.9, which does not include the benefits of further work to develop and refine the project. As this is a live planning application, the Department for Transport cannot comment further on the application. Department of Health and Social Care NHS: Drugs Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what are the responsibilities of the (1) National Homecare Medicines Committee, (2) National Clinical Homecare Association, (3) Care Quality Commission, (4) General Pharmaceutical Council, (5) Chief Pharmacist, (6) NHS Clinical Referring Centre, (7) NHS Pharmacy Homecare Teams, and (8) NHS Clinical Referring Centres, in regard to the provision of homecare medicines services; and whether any of those has responsibility to (a) change, or (b) cancel, contracts, with providers of homecare medicines in instances where they fail to deliver on their contracts; and if so, which one. Lord Markham: Providers of Homecare Medicine services to National Health Service patients do so under framework agreements which may be held at national at NHS England, regional at NHS procurement hubs or local at hospital trust level. This therefore requires a high degree of centralised co-ordination for which the National Homecare Medicines Committee (NHMC) supports and advises the NHS on matters relating to homecare medicines services. The Committee liaises with homecare providers through their trade association the National Clinical Homecare Association to support and co-ordinate development of the homecare market and discuss any system wide issues.When the Key Performance Indicators indicate that the services levels of a provider on a national NHS England framework, NHS regional framework or contract are not to the standard expected, the NHMC, which is managed by and includes representation from NHS England, enacts an escalation process which involves meetings with individual providers to discuss safety and performance issues.Each Chief Pharmacist within each NHS organisation, working with their NHS Clinical Referring Centre, is the responsible officer for the homecare medicines services that the hospital provides. Where the escalation process is in place, the affected provider will engage with this process and provide the NHS organisation with a summary of the issues, mitigations and expected timescales for recovery. If necessary, the regulators the Care Quality Commission and the General Pharmaceutical Council are also informed. If the NHS organisation is not satisfied that the required improvements and standards are being achieved then it can choose to change to another provider on the framework agreement, should the terms and conditions permit.The contracting authority for a national and regional framework agreements may cancel the framework agreement for a provider by issuing a termination notice for a material breach of the terms of the framework which is not capable of remedy or not remedied in accordance with a remedial proposal in line with the terms and conditions of the framework agreement. Similar termination clauses are included in contracts and or framework agreements held directly between local NHS organisations and a provider for homecare medicines services. Department for Education Ecology: Education Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what plansthey have made to address (1) the collapse of provision of plant science education in the UK, and (2) the broader lack of nature literacy, as identified by the Scottish Government. Baroness Barran: The government believes it is vital that young people are taught a broad and balanced curriculum, including about plants and nature, biodiversity, and our impact on the environment.At COP26, the department announced its commitment to develop a primary science model curriculum with a focus on nature. On 9 January, the department published its ‘Plant biosecurity strategy for Great Britain (2023 to 2028)’, which sets out a commitment to protecting plant biosecurity in Great Britain, including raising awareness of the importance of healthy plants and trees.These commitments support the existing requirements in the national curriculum for science and geography, that pupils are taught about plants through a range of topics including the requirements of plants for life and growth, how they vary from plant to plant, how to identify how plants are adapted to suit their environment in different ways, and that adaptation may lead to evolution. In secondary science, within biology, pupils study plants in more depth including their importance in an ecosystem, positive and negative human interactions with ecosystems and the importance of biodiversity more broadly.In geography pupils are taught about nature, including how systems interlink and how we affect our surroundings, natural environments, as well as a deep understanding of the Earth’s physical processes. A key aim of GCSE geography is to ensure young people become environmentally informed. It requires pupils to understand the interactions between people and environments, global ecosystems and biodiversity, and human interaction with ecosystems and environments. Fieldwork also forms an important part of this GCSE.The department has also announced the development of a new GCSE in natural history, to be taught from 2025, which will include opportunities for students to gain a deeper knowledge of the natural world around them. Schools: Buildings The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Department for Education’s Consolidated Annual Report and Accounts for the year ended 31 March 2022, published on 19 December 2022, what urgent steps they are taking to address serious structural issues which have been identified in school buildings, particularly those built between 1945 and 1970; and what additional infrastructure funding they are making available for this purpose. Baroness Barran: Safe and well-maintained school buildings are a priority for the department, including those built between 1945 and 1970. That is why we have allocated over £13 billion since 2015 for improving the condition of schools, including £1.8 billion in the 2022/23 financial year, informed by consistent data on the condition of the estate. In addition, the School Rebuilding Programme will carry out major rebuilding and refurbishment projects at 500 schools across England, with buildings prioritised based on their condition. There are now 400 projects in the programme, with the most recent set of 239 schools announced in December 2022.There are no open areas of school or college buildings where the department is aware of an imminent risk to life due to the condition of the buildings. Where the department is alerted to significant safety issues with a building that cannot be managed within local resources, we provide additional support on a case-by-case basis. We also provide extensive guidance for schools and those responsible for school buildings to manage their estates effectively. Ministry of Justice Prisoners: Females Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government how many women in prisonwere sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983 in each of the last five years. Lord Bellamy: Under sections 47/49 and 48/49 of the Mental Health Act 1983, the Secretary of State may authorise by warrant the transfer of female prisoners to a secure hospital, where he is satisfied that the criteria for detention are met.The number of women prisoners transferred to hospital in each of the last five years are:2021 – 1842020 - 1812019 - 2132018 - 1922017 – 180The data for 2022 are not currently available, they are due for publication later this year. Ministry of Defence Ukraine: Guided Weapons Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government whetherthey have any plans to supply Ukraine with missiles with sufficient range to destroy missile systems in Russia which may be targeting civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Baroness Goldie: The UK will keep our support to Ukraine under review and has not ruled out the possibility of providing longer range weapons systems to counter Russia's recent indiscriminate mass targeting of civilian infrastructure.We have provided Ukraine with military aid on the understanding that it will be used in accordance with international humanitarian law. We liaise on a daily basis with the Ukrainian Government, and they are clear that equipment provided by the UK is intended for the defence of Ukraine. Ukraine: Challenger Tanks Lord Jopling: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to send Challenger II tanks to assist the Government of Ukraine; how many shells will be provided that are suitable for a rifled barrel; and whether any other government has those shells available, given that Challenger II is the only battle tank within the NATO alliance that is capable of using this type of ammunition. Baroness Goldie: As confirmed by the Secretary of State on 16 January 2023, the UK will send a squadron of 14 Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, together with armoured recovery and repair vehicles. The gifting of these tanks is part of a significant new package of combat power to increase Ukraine's capabilities and accelerate Ukrainian success on the battlefield.The UK will provide Ukraine with thousands of rounds of tank ammunition.The UK is the only NATO nation which holds the required ammunition for Challenger 2. Defence Equipment: Ukraine Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to cover the cost of military equipment supplied to Ukraine from central funds; and if so, how this amount will be calculated. Baroness Goldie: The government remains committed to supporting Ukraine to defend itself in response to Putin’s illegal invasion, providing £2.3 billion in military support to Ukraine in Financial Year 2022-23, as well as additional funding for replenishment of stocks already donated to Ukraine. Replenishment of granted assets is managed under a standing arrangement between the Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury, with funding provided from Treasury reserves. Typhoon Aircraft Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Typhoon aircraft, in service with the Royal Air Force, were deployed abroad at the end of 2022. Baroness Goldie: As at 13 January 2023 a total of 27 RAF Typhoon aircraft are deployed overseas. In addition, further Typhoon aircraft are conducting operational missions from their home bases in the UK, undertaking Quick Reaction Alert and contributing to the security of NATO's Eastern flank. Typhoon Aircraft Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Royal Air Force pilots were qualified to fly Typhoon aircraft operationally at the end of 2022. Baroness Goldie: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or the security of the Armed Forces. Typhoon Aircraft Lord Goddard of Stockport: To ask His Majesty's Government how many Royal Air Force reservists at the end of 2022 had qualified to fly Typhoon aircraft during their service. Baroness Goldie: I am withholding the information requested as its disclosure would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or the security of the Armed Forces. Department for Work and Pensions Low Incomes: Government Assistance Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what furthersteps they are taking to provide cash support for low-income households. Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government's Energy Price Guarantee will save a typical British household around £900 this winter, based on what energy prices would have been under the current price cap - reducing bills by roughly a third. For those who require additional support the current Household Support Fund, running in England from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, is providing £421 million of funding. The devolved administrations have been allocated £79 million through the Barnett formula. The Household Support Fund will continue until March 2024. This year long extension allows Local Authorities in England to continue to provide discretionary support to those most in need to help with global inflationary challenges and the significantly rising cost of living. The Devolved Administrations will receive consequential funding as usual to spend at their discretion. All benefit rates and State Pensions will increase in line with the Consumer Prices Index for the year to September 2022. This will mean that, subject to parliamentary approval, they will increase by 10.1% in April. In order to increase the number of households who can benefit from these uprating decisions the benefit cap will also be increased by 10.1% subject to parliamentary approval. In addition, for 2023/24, households on eligible means-tested benefits will get up to £900 in Cost of Living Payments. This will be split into three payments of around £300 each across the 2023/24 financial year. A separate £300 payment will be made to over eight million pensioner households on top of their Winter Fuel Payments and individuals in receipt of eligible disability benefits will receive a £150 payment. Further to this, the amended Energy Price Guarantee will save the average UK household £500 in 2023/24. To further support those who are in work, from 1 April 2023 subject to parliamentary approval, the National Living Wage (NLW) will increase by 9.7% to £10.42 an hour for workers aged 23 and over - the largest ever cash increase for the NLW. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Parking: Codes of Practice Lord Lipsey: To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to reintroduce the Private Parking Code of Practice,which they temporarily withdrew in June 2022. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the noble Lord to the answer given to PQ 54476 on 12 October 2022. PQ 54476 (pdf, 83.4KB) Conveyancing Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to review (1) the conveyancing system, and (2) associated legislation. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Last year we signalled our intent in the Levelling Up White Paper to work with industry to improve the home buying and selling process. We are currently developing a detailed plan to take this work forward and will make further announcements in due course.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2023-01-20

Intelligence and Security Committee: Annual Report Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government: When they will respond to the Intelligence and Security Committee's Annual Report for 1999-2000. Baroness Jay of Paddington: My right honourable friend the Prime Minister has today laid the government response to the Intelligence and Security Committee's report before Parliament. Prostitutes' Cards in Phone Boxes Baroness Lockwood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What further conclusions they have reached on the proposed new offence to deal with cards placed by prostitutes in phone boxes. Lord Bassam of Brighton: My honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Department has discussed the proposals in detail with representatives from local authorities, telephone operators, the police, CPS and other agencies. In the light of these discussions we have modified the proposals in two main areas. First, we propose a national, not an adoptive offence. Although this is as yet largely a local problem, an adoptive approach could lead to circumvention and be impractical. Second, we favour a more limited offence which would cover advertisements for the services of prostitutes and other sexual services in telephone boxes in public places rather than a general offence of unauthorised advertising. We believe the offence should attract a power of arrest. There should be a power to extend the offence, by affirmative resolution, to other structures providing shelter to the public, in case the activity is displaced to, for example, bus shelters. As part of a co-ordinated approach, the Director-General of OFTEL is consulting with the telecommunications industry on how best to bring in effective call-barring schemes to deal with the nuisance of prostitutes' cards. My honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Department believes that the co-ordinated action on call barring and the new criminal offence will enable us to crack down on this illegal and undesirable practice and protect local communities from the obvious nuisance that these cards cause. We are keen to make progress in this area and will bring forward proposals when parliamentary time allows. XAirwave" Police Radio Service Baroness Lockwood: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the total allocation of funding to police forces which have, so far, signed contracts to take up the new police radio service XAirwave" in 2001-02. Lord Bassam of Brighton: The total allocation to forces taking Airwave in 2001-02 is shown below: Capital: £72,056,000 Revenue: £31,334,000 I apologise that the reply to my honourable friend on 27 November (Official Report, Commons, cols. 453-54W) was incorrect. The figures given here correct the previous Answer. Traditional Medicines: Proposed Directive Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress the Medicines Control Agency has made in promoting within Europe its proposals for a traditional use medicines directive; and whether they will indicate the main provisions of the current proposals. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: At the European Pharmaceutical Committee in September, member states agreed the case for a directive on traditional medicinal products. The European Commission subsequently circulated a preliminary draft to member states in order to assess the range of views about possible specific provisions. The proposals draw from work carried out by an expert working group of the committee for which the Medicines Control Agency (MCA) acted as rapporteur. We have placed a copy of the text in the Library. The MCA has recently held discussions with representatives of herbal interest groups to discuss our response to the Commission's proposals. Traditional Medicines: Proposed Directive Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: To what extent they anticipate that the proposed traditional use medicines directive being promoted by the Medicines Control Agency will provide a secure legal basis for products which are herbal medicines exempt from licensing under Section 12 of the Medicines Act 1968. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: If the proposals for a directive on traditional medicinal products can be agreed, we expect that it would provide a secure legal basis for regulating a wide range of traditional herbal remedies of the kind currently sold to the public under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968. It is unlikely that the directive would have a direct impact on arrangements whereby herbalists make up and supply the public with herbal remedies following face to face consultation, as permitted under Section 12(1) of the Act. Traditional Medicines: Proposed Directive Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: To what extent they anticipate that the proposed traditional use medicines directive being promoted by the Medicines Control Agency will provide a secure legal basis for products which are (a) combinations of herbal and other ingredients for which 30 years' safe traditional use can be demonstrated and (b) combinations of herbal and other ingredients which have been brought more recently to the market. Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Many products consisting of combinations of herbal and other ingredients can currently be sold legally in the United Kingdom--for example, under food or cosmetic law--and we anticipate that this will continue to be the case. Where, however, such combination products are classified as medicines, they require a marketing authorisation before they can be placed on the market. At this very early stage in discussions on the European Commission's proposals for a directive on traditional medicinal products, it is not yet clear whether coverage would be restricted to traditional herbal remedies or whether in some circumstances traditional medicines containing other ingredients could also be permitted under the terms of the directive. Local Government Act 1988: Best Value in Workforce Matters Baroness Billingham: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they intend to amend Part II of the Local Government Act 1988 to ensure best value in workforce matters. Lord Whitty: We have today laid before Parliament a draft order under section 19 of the Local Government Act 1999 which modifies the list of Xnon-commercial" matters, set out in Part II of the Local Government Act 1988, which are currently excluded from local authority contracting. The order provides for relevant workforce matters to cease to be defined as Xnon-commercial" matters for the purposes of Part II, to the extent that they are relevant to the achievement of best value and where the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 1981 (as amended) are to be applied. Following completion of parliamentary consideration of the Order a Departmental Circular will be published containing related guidance. The guidance will set out how best value authorities can consider workforce matters when selecting tenderers and awarding contracts. Our aim is to modify the restriction on consideration of workforce matters so that authorities can have proper regard to them in cases where they are relevant to best value and the quality of the contract. These proposals meet two overriding objectives, first, by enhancing good procurement practice under best value and, secondly, by recognising that a well motivated and trained workforce is vital to the provision of quality local services. This will make a substantial contribution to achieving best value services in local government. We have received over 120 responses to our consultation paper Best Value and Procurement: Handling of Workforce Matters in Contracting from local government, the private and voluntary sectors and individuals. We are grateful to those bodies and individuals that have responded. The revised guidance takes account of the views expressed. A list of respondents is being placed in the Libraries of both Houses. We intend to put in place with the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA) a monitoring system to assess the impact of the changes both on local government and on the private and voluntary sectors. The order and guidance apply to best value authorities in England and to police and fire authorities in Wales. The National Assembly will decide whether or not to make its own order for local authorities in Wales.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2000-12-12a

Northern Ireland Office Japan Tobacco: Ballymena Lord Empey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support the designation of the JTI Gallaher factory site and surrounding area in Ballymena, County Antrim as an Enterprise Zone with enhanced capital allowances, following the company’s decision to cease operations. Baroness Randerson: The economic pact, Building a Prosperous and United Community, set out that the Government would be willing to consider designating sites within Northern Ireland as locations with access to enhanced capital allowances should the Executive propose them and subject to affordability. Terrorism: Northern Ireland Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 24 February (HL4928) concerning the "on the runs", on what date, how and by whom loyalists were notified of the scheme; and if they were not notified, how they were expected to take part in the process. Baroness Randerson: Chapter 8 of the Hallett Report sets out the extent of public knowledge of the administrative scheme, and Appendix 9 provides a selection of the most pertinent references to the administrative scheme in the public domain. Terrorism: Northern Ireland Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the report of the Hallett review into the "on the runs" scheme was made public; and on what date the scheme started. Baroness Randerson: The Hallett Report was published on 17 July 2014. Chapter 4 of the Hallett Report describes the evolution of the administrative scheme. Department for Education Private Education: Vetting Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to ensure that independent schools are in a position to comply with their statutory responsibilities to check that staff are not prohibited from involvement in the management of an independent school. Lord Nash: The Department for Education is in discussion with the Disclosure and Barring Service about ways in which schools can do this with the minimum additional burden, and it is hoped that a process will be in place soon. At present no barring directions have been made under the regulations made in 2014 under section 128 of the Education and Skills Act 2008. Private Education: Vetting Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that independent schools are not found to be in breach of statutory regulations as a result of the introduction of retrospective prohibition checks on teaching staff. Lord Nash: From 5 January 2015, the independent school standards require that schools check both existing and new teaching staff to determine whether a prohibition order or interim prohibition made by the Secretary of State exists for any member of their teaching staff. The checks are only retrospective in the sense that schools must confirm that existing staff, as well as new appointments, are not subject to a prohibition order. The prohibition order regime began in April 2012, and the standard does not distinguish between staff appointed before or after 5 January 2015, so existing staff should be checked too. We believe that this is entirely justified. The teacher standards which form the basis of the prohibition regime apply to independent schools, and it would be invidious if a school was able to continue employing a prohibited member of staff simply because he or she was appointed before 2015. When a school is inspected, it should be able to demonstrate that it has either completed these checks (which can be done through the National College’s Easy Access system) or is well on the way to completion. If a school cannot do so, regulatory action is likely to follow. Department for Work and Pensions Personal Independence Payment Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government in relation to how many of the 441,900 Personal Independence Payment claims cleared by the Department of Work and Pensions between April 2013 and December 2014 an application for mandatory reconsideration was made; of those, how many initial decisions were overturned; of those in which mandatory reconsideration was unsuccessful how many appeals to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal were made; and of those how many appeals were successful. Lord Freud: The information requested on mandatory reconsiderations is not currently available. The Department is working to guidelines set by the UK Statistics Authority to ensure we are able to publish statistics that meet high quality standards at the earliest opportunity. We intend to publish official statistics on mandatory reconsideration relating to Personal Independence Payment when they are ready. The release of information will be pre-announced in line with United Kingdom Statistics Authority release protocols. Ministry of Justice (MoJ) statistics on appeals to the Social Security and Child Support Tribunal published in December 2014 showed that between July and September 2014 there were 796 Personal Independence Payment appeals cleared at Hearing, of which 339 (43%) were revised in the appellant’s favour. The MoJ statistics are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/tribunals-and-gender-recognition-certificate-statistics-quarterly-july-to-september-2014 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Manure Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the purposes of the European Union Directive on the nitrogen content of manure used in agriculture. Lord De Mauley: European Directive 91/676/EEC seeks to protect water from pollution by nitrates from agricultural sources. Some types of manure contain up to 30kg of nitrogen per tonne of manure. Nitrogen from manure can leach from soil in the form of nitrates and can pollute our water bodies, affecting the quality of our drinking water. Agriculture accounts for 50-60% of nitrate pollution in our waters. We therefore believe that it is important that it is controlled and that the objective of the European Directive in restricting the land application of manure is sound. However, we recognise that such restrictions can affect farm productivity and competitiveness. While the Directive gives a steer to Member States over the types of measure to be adopted, it does allow a certain amount of discretion over the exact nature of the rules. We have therefore adopted rules that take account of agricultural practices in this country and are as cost effective as possible, supporting agriculture as well as protecting the environment. In the longer term, we believe nitrate pollution would be better managed through the more integrated approach to water pollution adopted in the EU Water Framework Directive (2000/60/EC). Department for Communities and Local Government Housing Ombudsman Service Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints the Housing Ombudsman Service has dealt with in each of the past four years; and how many of those were upheld or refused in each year. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It has been a number years since the Housing Ombudsman Service had a system where complaints where upheld or refused. The terms of reference for the Housing Ombudsman Service were changed on the 1 April 2013 to reflect the Localism Act 2011 and in preparation for this the Housing Ombudsman Service changed the dispute handling process, which now focuses on local and early resolution.The table below shows the data from 2011 to the 31 March 2013, categorised as follows: 20112012January to March 2013Number of Complaints Received5,7396,7571,675Number of Complaints Investigated Formally64157777Maladministration14712310No Maladministration37131644The table below shows the data from 1 April 2013 to December 2014, categorised as follows: April to December 20132014Cases Received4,6197,688Cases Locally Resolved4,3957,604Of the Cases Locally Resolved, number of complaints resolved locally5,4298,017Cases Formally Resolved22484Of the Cases Formally Resolved, number of complaints resolved locally23179Of the Cases Formally Resolved, number of complaints resolved formally21149Of the Cases Formally Resolved, where the complaint was resolved at a formal level, the number of complaints that were maladministration11921Of the Cases Formally Resolved, where the complaint was resolved at a formal level, the number of complaints that were no maladministration9125 Judaism Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 10 February (HL4418), whether they intend to ask Jewish faith leaders in the United Kingdom to make clear the ideals of Judaism in respect of religious extremism. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Her Majesty's Government expects all faiths' leaders to robustly challenge extremism in all its forms, wherever they find it. Non-domestic Rates Lord Tope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many businesses have received assistance through the small business rate relief scheme. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Approximately 600,000 businesses are benefitting from Small Business Rate Relief with approximately 400,000 paying no rates at all. Measures in the Localism Act made it easier for small firms to claim the business rate relief to which they are entitled. We announced at the 2014 Autumn Statement an extra £650 million of support for 2015-16 business rates bills in England, bringing the total support from 2013 and 2014 Autumn Statement measures to £1.4 billion in 2015-16. That includes amongst other things: · the doubling Small Business Rate Relief for a further year (2015-16); increasing the temporary discount for shops, pubs and restaurants with rateable values below £50,000 from £1,000 to £1,500 for 2015-16; We have also given authorities powers to grant their own local discounts and we now fund 50% of any local discount granted. We also announced at Autumn Statement that we will review the future structure of business rates. The review will report by Budget 2016. Planning Permission Lord Tope: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect to make betting shops and payday loan shops into a separate planning use class; and if so, when. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have consulted on a range of planning measures to support our high streets, including requiring a planning application for the change of use to a betting shop or pay day loan shop. An announcement on the outcome of the Technical consultation on planning will be made in due course. HM Treasury Taxation: Domicil Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many taxpayers designated as non-domiciled in the United Kingdom owe that status to inheritance as a result of a parent or grandparent having been born outside the United Kingdom; and whether they have estimated the value of the United Kingdom tax forgone by that category of non-domiciled persons. Lord Deighton: The information requested is not available. Taxation: Domicil Lord Myners: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider allowing non-domicile tax status to pass through maternal inheritance rather than paternal inheritance alone or whether they will consider discontinuing inheritance as a qualifying condition for non-domicile tax status. Lord Deighton: Domicile is a question of common law rather than tax law. In England domicile passes through the paternal line where parents are married. Where the parents are not married, domicile passes through the maternal line. The Government has no current plans to change the rules on domicile as they apply for tax purposes but the Chancellor keeps all taxes under review to a Budget timetable. Loans: Ukraine The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 17 February (HL4697), whether United Kingdom government ministers have been involved in financial negotiations (1) between the government of Ukraine and the European Union, and (2) between the government of Ukraine and the International Monetary Fund; and, if so, what assessment they have made of the package of financial support offered to Ukraine to date. Lord Deighton: The Ukrainian authorities have been in direct negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to agree a new package for financial assistance. The IMF will present its proposals for financial assistance for Ukraine to its Executive Board in the coming weeks, which the Government will consider as part of the normal process of decision-making on IMF lending. As I noted in my Written Answer to HL4697, the Government strongly supports providing financial assistance to Ukraine from the European Union and the International Monetary Fund, accompanied by appropriate policy conditionality. Loans Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they have given to the Bank of England in bringing forward curbs on leveraged lending. Lord Deighton: On 26 November 2013, the Chancellor requested that the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) undertake a review of the leverage ratio and its role in the regulatory framework. Treasury officials were consulted on the terms of reference for the review. The terms of reference were made publicly available on the Bank of England’s website. On 31 October 2014, following almost a year of work and extensive consultation with stakeholders, the FPC published its response, the Review of the leverage ratio. The Review recommended that the FPC be given new powers of direction over the leverage ratio framework for the UK banking sector. The Government has brought forward a statutory instrument to grant the FPC these powers. Banks: Finance Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what level the average leverage ratio becomes of concern to Ministers; and whether they use the 6.2 average in the first quarter of 2007 as a benchmark for risk in the banking sector. Lord Deighton: The Government is bringing forward secondary legislation to grant the Financial Policy Committee (FPC) of the independent Bank of England new powers of direction with regards to a leverage ratio framework. Macro-prudential decisions must be insulated from political concerns, which is why the FPC has responsibility for macro-prudential regulation. It is for the FPC to decide what the appropriate calibration of its leverage ratio framework is. Child Trust Fund Lord Naseby: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect to issue the detailed guidance to parents and guardians concerning the transfer of Child Trust Fund Accounts to Junior ISAs. Lord Deighton: The Government is currently legislating to permit the transfer of funds from a Child Trust Fund to a Junior ISA from 6 April. Parents and guardians will be able to access information concerning transfers at GOV.UK, as well as from account providers and consumer advice websites and organisations in due course. Budgets: Scotland The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of current proposals for further devolution to Scotland, what parts of the budget statement they will regard as being exclusively of Scottish interest. Lord Deighton: The Budget is relevant to the whole of the United Kingdom. Specific policy announcements in the Budget may be limited in their application in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, if they relate to policy responsibilities which have been devolved. The next Budget will be presented to Parliament on Wednesday the 18th of March. Inheritance Tax Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list all the exemptions from inheritance tax. Lord Deighton: A full list of all inheritance tax reliefs and exemptions was published by the Office of Tax Simplification as part of their review into tax reliefs[1]. The list is as follows: Relief/exemption titleA&M trusts, Bereaved Minor Trusts, 18-25 Trusts, Pre-78 Protective Trusts, Pre-81 Disabled Trusts and Employee Benefit TrustsAcceptance in LieuAgricultural property reliefAllowance for other tax liabilitiesAlternatively secured pension funds - deferral of chargeAnnual exempt amount (£3,000)Armed forces - death in serviceArmed forces - medals and decorations for gallantry or valourBusiness property reliefCash options under approved annuity schemesChanges to the deceased's estateCharge on participators in close companiesChevening Estate & Apsley HouseCo-morientes (simultaneous deaths)Compensation paid to Nazi victimsConditional exemptionConditional exemption and relevant property trustsCorporation soleDispositions allowable for income taxDispositions for benefit of employeesDispositions for maintenance of familyDispositions in respect of pension benefitsDispositions in respect of pensionsDispositions not intended to provide gratuitous benefitDouble charges reliefDouble taxation agreementsEmployee-ownership trustsEstate duty on gifts to the nationEstate duty transitionalExcluded propertyExclusion of benefit reserved by donorExpenses occurred abroadFailed PETs gifted for national purposesFall in value relief for transfers within 7 years of deathForeign armed forces pay and moveable propertyForeign currency accountsForeign-owned works of artFuneral expensesGifts for national purposesGifts of land to housing associationsGifts on marriage and civil partnershipGifts to charitiesGifts to political partiesGovernment savings of persons domiciled in the Channel Islands or the Isle of ManGovernment securities owned by non-United Kingdom domiciled personsGrant of agricultural tenancyHeritage maintenance fundsLand in habitat schemesLeftover alternatively secured pension funds paid to charityLife tenant becoming entitled to settled propertyLloyd’s premium trustsLoss on sale relief (buildings)Loss on sale relief (shares)Newspaper and employee trustsNil rate band for chargeable transfers not exceeding the threshold (£325,000)No gratuitous benefit and grants of agricultural tenancy (temporary charitable trusts)Normal gifts out of incomeOpen ended investment companies and authorised unit trustsOverseas pensionsPayment of incomePayment of income (temporary charitable trusts)Pension schemesPotentially exempt transfersPrivate treaty salesProperty held on trust for bereaved minors or person aged 18-25Quick succession reliefReduced rate of tax for relevant property chargesReduced rate of tax for temporary charitable trusts chargesRegistered pension schemes trust chargesReversionary interestsReverter to settlorReverter to settlor's spouseScottish agricultural leasesSmall gifts exemptionSpouse / civil partner reliefTaper reliefTrade or professional compensation fundsTransfer to employee trustsTransferable nil rate bandTrust property becomes excluded propertyTrust property distributed in first quarter of the yearTrustees costs and expensesTrustees costs and expenses (temporary charitable trusts)Trustees costs, payment of income, no gratuitous benefit, grants of agricultural tenancy and reduced rate of charge for A&M trusts, Bereaved Minor Trusts, 18-25 Trusts, Newspaper and Employee Trusts, Pre'78 Protective Trusts & Pre 81 Disabled TrustsTrusts with vulnerable beneficiaries - annual limitUnilateral double taxation reliefVoidable transfersWaiver of dividendsWaiver of remunerationWoodland relief [1] The OTS report and full list of reliefs, allowances and exemptions is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tax-reliefs-review Inheritance Tax Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list all classes of assets which are subject to relief from inheritance tax. Lord Deighton: The classes of assets which qualify for inheritance tax reliefs are as follows: For business relief – a business or interest in a business,shares in an unlisted company,shares controlling more than 50% of the voting rights in a listed company,land, buildings or machinery owned by the deceased and used in a business they were a partner in or controlled,land, buildings or machinery used in the business and held in a trust that it has the right to benefit from. For agricultural relief – land or pasture that is used to grow crops or to rear animals,growing crops,stud farms for breeding and raising horses and grazing,trees that are planted and harvested at least every 10 years,land not currently being farmed under the Habitat Scheme or a crop rotation scheme,the value of milk quota associated with the land,some agricultural shares and securities,farm buildings, farm cottages and farmhouses. For woodlands relief – the value of timber in a woodland Further details about inheritance tax reliefs can be found on the Gov.uk website.[1][1] https://www.gov.uk/inheritance-tax/inheritance-tax-reliefs Inheritance Tax Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the effect on receipts to the Exchequer of the abolition of inheritance tax and the taxing of recipients of inherited wealth at the recipients' marginal rate of tax. Lord Deighton: The information requested is not available. Cabinet Office Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill Lord Trefgarne: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis they consider that the provisions of the Lords Spiritual (Women) Bill comply with the terms of the European Convention on Human Rights, given the impact of the bill on male diocesan bishops. Lord Faulks: The Bill is fully compliant with the European Convention on Human Rights. Both Strasbourg and domestic case law has established that the right to participate in the work of the House of Lords does not engage the Articles of the Convention.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2015-03-04

Common Agricultural Policy: Single Farm Payment Lord Stoddart of Swindon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 24 April (WA 126), what is the current state of their discussions with the European Commission concerning any financial corrections in relation to the single farm payment scheme. Lord Rooker: The position remains as in the earlier answer referred to except that the Commission has subsequently indicated that it will impose financial corrections amounting to some £50 million in relation to 2005 single payment scheme payments made between the end of the regulatory payment window on 30 June 2006 and 30 March 2007. EU: Cross-border Transport Charges Lord Tebbit: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether Article 95 of the Treaty establishing the European Community contains powers to control cross-border transport charges. Lord Bassam of Brighton: Common rules in respect of international transport within the Community, including charges for the use of transport infrastructure, are made under Article 71 of the treaty, under the transport title. Health: Dentistry Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment has been made of the impact of the withdrawal of funding for the British Fluoridation Society upon the Department of Health's goal to reduce oral health inequalities. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The British Fluoridation Society (BFS) advises strategic health authorities (SHAs) and primary care trusts on the potential that the fluoridation of water offers for reducing inequalities in oral health in accordance with our policy that decisions on fluoridation schemes should be taken by SHAs, following local consultations. I understand that the BFS has identified a source of funding which should enable it to continue its core activities in 2007-08. Health: Dentistry Lord Colwyn: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of the level of need for National Health Service dental services which is not being met in relation to each primary care trust. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The department has previously estimated that there are some two million people in England who would like to access National Health Service dental services but are unable to do so. The assessment was not made in a form that can be broken down to provide data at primary care trust (PCT) level. Under the dental reforms introduced in April 2006, PCTs are now responsible for assessing local needs and developing services to reflect those needs. Health: Junior Doctors Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action will be taken against strategic health authorities which are unable to deliver the former Secretary of State for Health's commitment to a package of support and additional training opportunities for junior doctors who are unsuccessful in this year's medical specialty training recruitment process. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The delivery of support and training for appointable junior doctors who are unsuccessful is being run locally by deaneries and strategic health authorities. The department is confident that the commitment will be met. Health: Junior Doctors Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government: What action will be taken against strategic health authorities which are unable to deliver the former Secretary of State for Health's commitment to continued National Health Service employment for junior doctors who have so far been unsuccessful in this year's specialty training recruitment round, and who are continuing to apply in round 2. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The delivery of the former Secretary of State's employment commitment will be managed by the strategic health authorities (SHAs), which have been asked to produce plans for the delivery of the commitment. These plans will be performance-managed by the Modernising Medical Careers programme team in the department. The department is confident that SHAs will ensure that the commitment is met. Health: Junior Doctors Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government: What redress will be available to those junior doctors whose complaints against the application process for selection to specialty training are upheld. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The redress available is a matter for the unit of application in question as outlined in the existing complaints procedure which is on the Modernising Medical Careers website, available at www.mmc.nhs.uk. This complaints procedure is currently under review. Health: Junior Doctors Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government: What consideration they have given to the numbers of doctors that may become unemployed on 1 August. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: All medical training application service applicants who are in substantive National Health Service employment on 31 July will continue to have employment while they progress through round 2. In the case of some applicants, this may involve moving to another trust. Health: Neurodegenerative Conditions Lord Browne of Belmont: asked Her Majesty's Government: What assessment they have made of variation in the prevalence of neurodegenerative conditions among children in the United Kingdom; and What assessment they have made of the study into progressive intellectual and neurological deterioration by the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government have not made an assessment. Progressive neurological and intellectual deterioration (PNID) surveillance undertaken by the British Paediatric Surveillance Unit continues to work very well and is producing very valuable information about the conditions that lead to PNID in children. As a better understanding is obtained, commissioners will be able to shape services for those who need it. Health: Out-of-Hours Doctors Baroness Masham of Ilton: asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they will issue guidelines to primary care trusts to make available to out-of-hours doctors lists identifying local patients who have serious long-term conditions and may need help at the end of life. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Our health, our care, our say White Paper on community services says that by 2008 everyone with both long-term health and social care needs will be offered an integrated care plan if they want one, and that by 2010 everyone with a long-term condition will be offered a care plan. These personalised and integrated care plans will detail care and services agreed, including end-of-life care preferences. The care plan should be available to all practitioners providing direct care to the individual, including out-of-hours doctors. Health: Radiotherapy Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: asked Her Majesty's Government: How they plan to address the variation in the provision of radiotherapy between English cancer networks; and What discussions they have had with primary care trusts about commissioning radiotherapy on behalf of their population and in the light of the recommendations from the recent National Radiotherapy Advisory Group report; and What guidance they have given to commissioning primary care trusts to (a) reduce the variation in provision of radiotherapy, and (b) achieve an average of 54,000 fractions/million population by 2016 in the light of the recommendations from the recent National Radiotherapy Advisory Group report. Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: There have been no discussions with primary care trusts (PCTs) about commissioning radiotherapy in light of the National Radiotherapy Advisory Group (NRAG) report nor has any guidance been issued to PCTs. Ministers have asked that the issues and recommendations in the NRAG report are considered as part of Cancer Reform Strategy. The NRAG report was shared with the various strategy working groups so that they could consider and advise the National Cancer Director on the implications of these recommendations in more detail. Work on the Cancer Reform Strategy is still ongoing. The strategy is due to be published by the end of the year. However, as the report is not just about increasing radiotherapy capacity but also about improving current productivity from existing resources and reducing existing variation in current provision, it is important for the National Health Service locally to consider this report in parallel with the work on the Cancer Reform Strategy. The National Cancer Director therefore shared the report with cancer networks on 11 May 2007 so that they could start to consider the local implications of what it is saying; for example, so that they could consider if they are meeting the needs of their local populations and if they can improve current productivity. In addition, PCT chief executives were informed that the report had been issued and that the National Cancer Director had sent it with a letter to cancer networks. This notification was done via the department's chief executive's bulletin which alerts chief executives to publications, circulars and announcements from the department. It is emailed to NHS chief executives, including PCTs, as well as council chief executives and directors of social services. Issue 370 of the bulletin (18 to 24 May 2007) included details about the NRAG report. House of Lords: Tea Room Lord Dubs: asked the Chairman of Committees: What progress is being made in establishing a Lords' tea room similar to that available to Members of the House of Commons. Lord Brabazon of Tara: My Written Statement of 29 March 2006 (WS 84) informed the House that the Administration and Works Committee had agreed that the large room in the south-east corner of the Palace previously occupied by the Lord Chancellor's private staff would be converted into a Writing Room with refreshment facilities. Work will take place this summer to create a larger Writing Room facility in the former Lord Chancellor's office next door and to reorganise the furniture in the corner room to provide an informal space for Members. The nearby kitchenette facilities will also be enhanced to enable the Refreshment Department to provide an afternoon tea service for Members upon the House's return in October. Human Tissue and Embryos Bill (Draft) Lord Selsdon: asked Her Majesty's Government: Why they have committed to, and set out the main elements of a Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill in The Governance of Britain—The Government's Draft Legislative Programme (Cm 7175) before the publication of the report from the Joint Committee on the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill. Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government set out their current thinking on the legislation they propose to introduce in the next Session of Parliament in The Governance of Britain—The Government's Draft Legislative Programme (Cm 7175). This was published as part of a wider package of reforms designed to ensure that the Government better engage with Parliament and the public. As such, it does not represent the Government's concluded view of the contents of the programme or of any specific Bill. The Joint Committee on the Human Tissue and Embryos Bill is specifically referred to in the document on the draft programme (pages 15 and 48). The Government look forward to the report of the Joint Committee and the contribution that it will make to the ongoing development of legislation in this area. Immigration: Oakington Removal Centre The Earl of Sandwich: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the future of Oakington as a detention and removal centre; and what has been done to improve conditions for detainees there, in particular in the removal and transport of detainees to and from airports and courtrooms by night. Lord West of Spithead: Oakington is leased by the Border and Immigration Agency from English Partnerships. They are currently discussing revised lease arrangements that will keep Oakington open in the short term, but there is no long-term prospect, as the site is being redeveloped for housing. The contractor at Oakington, in liaison with the on-site Border and Immigration Agency (BIA) team, will continue to look at ways of improving the facilities and services for detainees. All immigration removal centres are subject to The Detention Centre Rules 2001, and these make provision for the regulation and management of removal centres. All contractors are subject to detailed contracts that are monitored rigorously by BIA staff. The movement of detainees to and from airports at night is inevitable in certain circumstances. For example, detainees often arrive at ports late at night and are transferred from port holding rooms into centres, often arriving early in the morning. In addition, because many flights depart early in the morning, it is sometimes necessary to effect early collection in order that the persons can be taken to removal. It is recognised, however, that this activity needs to be undertaken as sensitively as possible and should be kept to a minimum, both for the sake of the individual concerned and to avoid disturbing other detainees. The movement of immigration detainees to and from courtrooms during the night should not occur, as courts are closed outside business hours. NHS: Review Earl Howe: asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the purpose of the review of the National Health Service being undertaken by Professor Sir Ara Darzi; what its cost will be; and whether, as part of his remit, Sir Ara will make an assessment of the strategic direction of government policy for the National Health Service as set out in the NHS Plan and the White Paper, Our Health, our care, our say. Lord Darzi of Denham: The terms of reference for the review are available in the Library and we will set out more detail on the work of the review in due course. Terrorism: Deportations Lord Willoughby de Broke: asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 10 July (Official Report, col. 1279), how many terrorists have been deported since 7 July 2005. Lord West of Spithead: Since July 2005, nine individuals considered to pose a threat to the United Kingdom's national security have been deported. Eight were deported to Algeria and one to France.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2007-07-20a

Department for Education Free School Meals Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children eligible for free school meals who are not registered to receive them; and what stepsthey are taking to encourage registration. Baroness Barran: The department does not routinely collect information on the proportion of pupils that would be entitled to a Free School Meal (FSM) but do not make a claim.The department wants to ensure as many eligible pupils as possible are claiming their FSM, and to make it simple for schools and local authorities to determine eligibility. To support this, the department provides an Eligibility Checking System to make processes as straightforward as possible. A model registration form has been developed to help schools encourage parents to sign up for FSM. In addition, the department provides guidance to Jobcentre Plus advisers, so that they can make Universal Credit recipients aware that they may also be entitled to wider benefits, including FSM. Department for Business and Trade Postal Services: Standards Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address delays to postal deliveries by Royal Mail. Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of delays in Royal Mail deliveries on the delivery of medicines. The Earl of Minto: It is for Ofcom, as the independent regulator of postal services, to set and monitor Royal Mail’s service standards and decide how to use its powers to investigate and take enforcement action should Royal Mail fail to achieve its obligations without good justification. Ofcom is currently investigating whether Royal Mail failed to meet its quality-of-service performance targets for 2022-23. Royal Mail delivers medicines on behalf of a number of organisations, including the NHS. However, the Government does not have a role in Royal Mail’s contractual arrangements with its customers, including delivery of medication and the delivery services used.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2023-08-04

Department for Transport Railways: Pensions Baroness Clark of Kilwinning: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with the general secretaries of the trade unions which represent workers in the railway sector about the Railways Pension Scheme. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: HMG has had contact with the rail trade unions’ General Secretaries regarding the Railways Pension Scheme, but at present has no future plans for discussion. Crossrail 2 Line: Railway Stations Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have held with Transport for London on plans for a Chelsea station on King's Road in proposals for Crossrail 2; and whether such plans are still included in the latest proposals. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Given current affordability constraints, TfL have confirmed that they are not in a position to prioritise investment in Crossrail 2. In the funding agreement reached with the Mayor and TfL on 31 October 2020 it was agreed to prioritise safeguarding activity for the project. The Department for Transport and TfL are now in discussion on updating the safeguarding of the route for the project. Department of Health and Social Care Mental Health Act 1983 Independent Review Baroness Thornhill: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they monitor progress in implementing the recommendations of the final report of the Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 Modernising the Mental Health Act: increasing choice, reducing compulsion, published on 6 December 2018; and what plans they have to report to Parliament on progress made. Lord Bethell: We remain committed to publishing a White Paper which will set out the Government’s response to Sir Simon Wessely’s Independent Review of the Mental Health Act 1983 and pave the way for reform of the Act. We aim to publish before the end of the year. Mental Health Services: Coronavirus Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support people suffering from mental health problems either caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lord Bethell: We recognise the impact of the pandemic on people’s mental wellbeing, potentially leading to the onset of new mental health difficulties as well as exacerbating existing problems. We have released tailored guidance on the ‘Every Mind Matters’ website and GOV.UK giving advice and practical steps for people to support their mental health and wellbeing.National Health Service mental health services have remained open for business throughout this time, including delivering support digitally and by phone. For those with severe needs or in crisis, NHS mental health providers have set up 24 hours, seven days a week urgent mental health helplines. We have also provided over £10 million funding for mental health charities supporting people through the pandemic.We remain committed to investing at least £2.3 billion of extra funding a year into mental health services by 2023-24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. Au Pairs: Spain Lord Willis of Knaresborough: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Spanish au pairs will (1) be covered by UK–Spainreciprocal healthcare arrangements after 1 January 2021, or (2) require separate health insurance to work in the UK. Lord Bethell: Regardless of any future healthcare arrangements, people who have moved to the United Kingdom or European Union before 31 December 2020, will continue to have life-long reciprocal healthcare rights provided they remain covered under the terms of the Withdrawal Agreement. This means existing healthcare arrangements will not change for those UK nationals who are resident in EU and EU citizens in the UK before 31 December 2020, for as long as they are living in that country and covered by the agreement.For people not covered by the Withdrawal Agreement, the future of reciprocal healthcare arrangements between the UK and EU are subject to negotiations, which are ongoing.The UK has set out that it is ready to work to establish practical, reciprocal healthcare provisions with the EU for the future. The UK is open to arrangements that provide healthcare cover for tourists, short-term business visitors and service providers. These arrangements could benefit UK nationals and EU citizens travelling or moving between the UK. Radiotherapy: Medical Equipment Baroness Finlay of Llandaff: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey are taking to ensure the timely (1) supply, and (2) transit, of replacement radiotherapy machine parts into the UK following 31 December. Lord Bethell: The Department, in consultation with the devolved administrations and Crown Dependencies, is working with trade bodies, product suppliers, and the health and care system to make detailed plans to help ensure continued supply of medicines, medical products and equipment to the whole of the United Kingdom at the end of the transition period. Intensive Care: Older People Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether hospitals in England used the triage tool to assess whether to admit elderly patients to intensive care between March and August; if so, whether age was the only criteria used to make such assessments; what assessment they have made of the impact of that system on the provision of care to all those that needed it; and who (1) devised, and (2) authorised, that tool. Lord Bethell: Claims that frail and elderly patients were denied care in wave one of the coronavirus pandemic, in part because of a triage tool which was developed for use if the National Health Service was overwhelmed, are categorically untrue. Guidance to help clinicians make rational, evidence-based decisions in the event of intensive care units being overwhelmed was commissioned by the NHS England National Medical Director and the four United Kingdom Chief Medical Officers but work was halted when it became clear the NHS would not be overwhelmed. Gender Recognition: Health Services Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current waiting time forNHS patientsto receive(1)anassessment, and (2) treatment, in relation to gender identity services;what was the maximum waiting time for such treatment before the COVID-19 pandemic; whether the current waiting time has decreased in the last three months; and what steps they are taking to clear the backlog ofthose waiting for treatment. Lord Bethell: We currently do not routinely collect data on the number of patients waiting and maximum waiting times for gender identity clinics.Data in October 2019, which informed the work programme aimed at improving access to gender services, showed there were more than 9,500 individuals waiting for a first appointment. Of this, approximately 3,400 individuals had been waiting between 52 and 103 weeks; and circa 2,100 individuals had been waiting for over two years. The median waiting time for a first appointment is more than two years for patients who were referred in October 2019.To address this rise in demand, three new services have been established in Cheshire and Merseyside, Manchester and London. These services will be evaluated as pilots for a new delivery model, with planning underway for further services to be establish nationwide. Mental Health Services: Coronavirus Lord Beecham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of modelling by the Centre for Mental Health which indicates that up to 10 million people in England, including 1.5 million children and young people, will need new or additional mental health support as a direct consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic; what plans they have to consult (1) the NHS, and (2) local authorities, about this issue; and what assessment they have made of the funding required to meet mental health support needs. Lord Bethell: We are considering the Centre for Mental Health modelling report as well as other relevant emerging evidence as part of our ongoing monitoring of the potential impact of COVID-19 on mental health.We recognise that there is the potential for the COVID-19 pandemic to impact on people’s mental health and wellbeing. As such, we are working with the National Health Service, Public Health England and others, including local authorities to gather evidence and assess the potential longer-term mental health impacts of COVID-19.As part of our plans for the NHS, as set out in the NHS Long Term Plan, there will be a comprehensive expansion and transformation of mental health services over the next five years with additional funding of £2.3 billion a year by 2023/24. Over half of this will go to improving community mental health services and services to help people experiencing mental health crises. NHS: Discrimination Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a formal definition of racism and discrimination for the NHS. Lord Bethell: The statutory definition of racism is set out in the Equality Act 2010 (section 9). Key statutory definitions of discrimination are set out in sections 13, 19, 26 and 27 of the same Act.There are no plans, of which we are aware, to introduce different formal definitions of racism or discrimination for the National Health Service that would differ from the statutory definitions. Coronavirus: Disinformation The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the human cost of misinformation spread by social media during the COVID-19 pandemic; and what estimate they have made, if any, ofthe number of people whodid not follow public health guidance as a result of social media posts which shared misinformation about the pandemic whosubsequently required treatment for COVID-19. Lord Bethell: The Department has made no specific assessment. Department for Education Pupils: Quarantine Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students at (1) secondary schools, (2) sixth forms, and (3) University Technical Colleges, did not attend in the week ending 16 October because they were isolating or quarantined; and how many of those students had access to a computer and an internet connection to facilitate remote learning. Baroness Berridge: I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave to question HL9006, available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-10-12/hl9006.Keeping close track of suspected or confirmed COVID-19 cases in schools is a priority for the Government. Public Health England (PHE) leads in holding data on infection, incidence and COVID-19 cases overall. PHE have published data on COVID-19 incidents by institution, including educational settings. This data is updated weekly and the most recent data can be found online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-covid-19-surveillance-reports.The Department collects data on the number of schools that have indicated that they have sent children home due to COVID-19 containment measures. We are currently looking at the quality of that data with a view to publishing it as part of the official statistics series. The series includes published data on school openings and attendance, which shows that at a national level approximately 99.7% of state funded schools were open as of 15 October. Of the small proportion (0.3%) of schools that were closed on 15 October, almost all were due to COVID-19 related reasons. Approximately 89% of all children on roll in all state funded schools were in attendance on 15 October. This data is updated weekly and can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.The Department does not hold data on the number of students self-isolating who do not have access to a computer and an internet connection. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Integrated Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy Review: Expenditure The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the implications of the decision to conduct a one-year spending review for the Integrated Review of Security, Defence, Development and Foreign Policy. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: In light of the decision to move to a one-year spending review, the Government is considering the implications for the completion of the Integrated Review and will provide an update in due course. China: Iran The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the implications of the Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership for (1) the UK, and (2) the future of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We understand that the media reporting that the Iran-China Comprehensive Strategic Partnership has been finalised is premature. Until final details of the deal become public, we are unable to make a full assessment of the implications. Our priority remains to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapons capability. We remain committed to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA) however Iran's continued reduction in compliance has seriously undermined the non-proliferation benefits of the deal. To preserve it Iran must engage with the JCPoA's Joint Commission and Dispute Resolution Mechanism (which we triggered with E3 partners on 14 January) and return to compliance. Maher al-Akhras Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel for the release on medical and compassionate grounds of Maher al-Akhras. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Officials in Tel Aviv have raised this case with the Government of Israel. We remain concerned about Israel's extensive use of administrative detention which, according to international law, should be used only when security makes this absolutely necessary rather than as routine practice and as a preventive rather than a punitive measure. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law and either charge or release detainees. Ibrahim Mounir Lord Marlesford: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the appointment of Ibrahim Mounir to the role of Acting General Guide of the Muslim Brotherhood; and what assessment they have made of any threat posed by his presence (1)to national security, and (2) to their international relations. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not comment on individuals, but the Government keeps under review the views promoted and activities undertaken by the Muslim Brotherhood, including their associates in the UK. Any allegations of threats to UK national security or misuse of charity funding within the UK are robustly investigated and appropriate action taken. China: Coronavirus Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 21 October (HL8918), what assessment they have made of any difficulties in reconciling the objective for a full investigation into the origins of COVID-19, with the statement that the overnment of China "has to be part of the solution". Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It remains important that there is a full and robust international investigation into the origins of Covid-19, to understand why the outbreak happened, why it was not stopped earlier and what can be done to manage any outbreak in the future. Work is underway on the review and investigation into the origins of the virus as agreed by the World Health Assembly in May. We will continue to work closely with the WHO and international partners, including China, to ensure that it is independent, evidence-based, transparent and rigorous so that the right lessons are learned. This is consistent with recognition that China is an important member of the international community. Its size, rising economic power and influence make it an important partner in tackling the biggest global challenges, including global health issues. China: Uighurs Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the decision of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the Canadian Parliament to designate actions by the government of China against its Uyghur population to be a genocide; and what plans they have, if any, to enable an appropriate judicial authority in the UK (1) to consider the same evidence, and (2) to reach a determination, on this matter. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the decision of the Subcommittee on International Human Rights in the Canadian Parliament. It is the long-standing policy of the British Government that any judgment as to whether war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide have occurred is a matter for independent judicial decision. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations of international law, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes. National Crime Agency: Overseas Aid Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 May (HL4189), how many successful applications were made to the Integrated Activity Fund by the National Crime Agency in the 2019/20 financial year; and what was the value of each of those applications. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not disclose information related to IAF projects to maintain the confidence and confidentiality of our Gulf partners. Government Departments: Overseas Aid Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon on 20 May (HL4189),which Government departments applied to the Integrated Activity Fund for funding during the (1) 2016/17, (2) 2018/19, and (3) 2020/21, financial years; and which of those applications were granted. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Integrated Activity Fund (IAF) was managed by the Cabinet Office during 2016/17 and detailed information is not held by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. In 2018/19 the IAF received applications for funding from a number of government departments. The IAF was replaced by the Gulf Strategy Fund for 2020/21. Applications for funding were received from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Trade, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, HM Revenue & Customs and the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS). Funding for DCMS was not approved. China: Taiwan The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by the US National Security Adviser Robert O’Brien to the Aspen Security Forum on 16 October, what is their strategic assessment of the prospects of offensive action by the government of China against Taiwan. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by any action which raises tensions in the Taiwan Strait and risks destabilising the status quo. Her Majesty's Government continues to monitor the situation closely, and considers the Taiwan issue one to be settled by the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait through constructive dialogue. Thailand: Politics and Government The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the recent pro-democracy protests in Thailand, what is their assessment of the current political situation in that country. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are following the protests in Thailand closely. The UK believes that the right to peaceful protest is a fundamental freedom that should be guaranteed in democratic societies. We continue to urge restraint and proportionality in any response to peaceful protest, encourage all sides to respect the rule of law and basic freedoms, and refrain from violence. It is vital that political space in Thailand can be maintained so that a peaceful and productive dialogue can take place.To that extent, we welcomed the lifting of the Declaration of the Serious Emergency Situation in Bangkok on 22 October, and the announcement of a dedicated Parliamentary session on 26 and 27 October. We hope that these will meaningfully address the concerns of the protesters. West Bank: Housing The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised objections to the approval of new settlement homes in the West Bank with the government of Israel; what assessment they have made, if any, of the number of new settlement homes that have been advanced in the West Bank this year; and what is their assessment of the impact of the increase in new settlement building on prospects for a two-state solution between Israel and Palestine. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We consistently call for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution, including settlement expansion within the West Bank. As the UK made clear on 16 October, in a joint statement alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain, we are deeply concerned by the recent decision taken by the Israeli authorities to advance more than 4,900 settlement building units in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concern with the Government of Israel on 13 October, alongside European partners. The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. Settlement expansion is also a counterproductive move in light of the positive developments of normalisation agreements reached between Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Sudan. We urge Israel to halt settlement expansion immediately. We are encouraging both sides to maintain calm and avoid taking actions which make peace more difficult to achieve. Iraq and Syria: Refugees Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review (1) al-Hol camp, and (2) other displaced persons camps in north-east Syria and Iraq, with regard to (a) the work of government authorities, (b) the work of the UN and other voluntary agencies, (c) the return home of displaced persons, (d) the resettlement elsewhere of displaced persons, and (e) the most effective use of aid. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK regularly tracks the situation at Al Hol and other internally displaced persons' (IDP) camps, and we are aware of the Syrian Democratic Council's (SDC) announcement on 4 October, regarding reintegrating Syrians from Al Hol camp into local communities. We understand these transfers will take place gradually, and are raising with the SDC the need to ensure returns are voluntary, informed and in line with International Humanitarian Law. The UK continues to support IDP/refugee camps in North East Syria, funding UN agencies and NGO partners to provide life-saving aid such as food, water and shelter. The UK has committed £33 million to help humanitarian agencies respond to the COVID-19 threat in Syria, including in IDP camps where cramped, challenging conditions make social distancing and cleaning measures difficult to implement. The FCDO has rigorous and robust checks to ensure aid goes to the people that need it, delivers value for money and protects against aid diversion. We also use third-party independent monitors to support our delivery partners and verify that aid is being delivered as intended.In Iraq, there are up to 252,000 people living in IDP camps, which we continue to support with shelter, medical care and clean water. We are concerned about recent camp closures in Baghdad, and continue to raise this with the authorities and UN leadership. We are working closely with the Government of Iraq and the UN to support durable solutions for those displaced by conflict which are safe, voluntary, sustainable, and non-discriminatory. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Office for Environmental Protection: Finance Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 19 October (HL8726),whether the Office of Environmental Protection will be granted additional resources to deal with any backlog of complaints occuring following the delay in its establishment. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: As specified in the Environment Bill, the Secretary of State will provide the OEP with the resources that he considers reasonably sufficient to enable the OEP to carry out its functions. This will include consideration of what resources the OEP will need to handle complaints, including those passed to it from the interim arrangements. Defra will agree the OEP’s resourcing with HM Treasury through a budget that will be announced after the Environment Bill achieves Royal Assent. Office for Environmental Protection: Finance Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer fromLord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 19 October (HL8726),whether the interim Office of Environmental Protection will have the resources to begin to investigate complaints prior to the granting of formal powers to do so when it is established in law. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Members of the public will be able to submit complaints about alleged failures of public authorities to comply with environmental law to Defra's interim environmental governance secretariat from the start of next year until the Office for Environmental Protection (OEP) begins its statutory functions. The secretariat will assess complaints received against the criteria specified in the Environment Bill to determine if they will fall within the remit of possible investigation by the OEP. The secretariat will have the resources to conduct these processes, interacting with the complainants and public authorities in question to gather further information where needed. It will assess the information received and pass it on to the OEP once established, so that the OEP can determine which complaints to consider further through the exercise of its legal functions including formal investigations and, where necessary, enforcement. Environment Protection Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 19 October (HL8726),what will be the status of environmental complaints involving the UK currently under consideration by the EU if they are unresolved when the transition period ends on 1 January 2021. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Unresolved environmental complaints that are currently under consideration can continue to be considered by the EU after the transition period. As specified in the Agreement on the withdrawal of the UK from the EU, with limited exceptions the Commission will continue to be competent for administrative procedures initiated before the end of the transition period, and the EU Court of Justice will continue to have jurisdiction over such cases. In addition, the withdrawal agreement includes a further four years from the end of the transition period, during which the Commission may bring cases before the Court of Justice for alleged infringements of EU law that occurred before the end of the transition period. Home Office Law Enforcement Data Service Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the Director of the National Law Enforcement Data Programme. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Steve Thomson is the Programme Director for the National Law Enforcement Data Programme Police National Computer Lord Wasserman: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the Police National Computer (PNC) was last unavailable to police forces in England and Wales due to a power outage at the PNC Data Centre at Hendon; and how long it took to restore the PNC to normal service. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Prior to the power outage experienced this week, the previous occasion when we believe PNC would have been unavailable to police forces in England and Wales due to a power outage would have been on 21st June 2012. It took approximately 339 minutes to restore service. Police: Recruitment Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the age profile of those recruited through their campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government is delivering on the people’s priorities by recruiting an additional 20,000 police officers over the next three years.The 20,000 officer uplift is a once in a generation opportunity to enable all forces become more representative of the communities they serve. We are already seeing applications from a wide range of candidates with diverse backgrounds and from a range of ages who are bringing particular skills and experience to the police service.Amendments to Police Regulations made this year mean that individuals can apply to join the police at 17 years of age for appointment on reaching 18 years, opening the way for more candidates wishing to apply to join the police. Police Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the need to ensure that workforce representation in policing reflects the communities in which officers will serve. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The police officer workforce is more diverse than ever before. The most recently published Police Officer Uplift data show that as at 30 June 2020 Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic officers represented 7.4% of all police officers.The Government has been clear that forces must do more to become representative of the communities they serve. Attracting a broad range of talent, cultures and backgrounds to a career in policing is a core ambition in our drive to recruit 20,000 extra police officers.We are supporting forces with a variety of attraction and recruitment strategies, whilst delivering a campaign that’s been designed to reach the widest and most diverse audience possible including those who have never considered a policing career.Innovative schemes such as Police Now are making the police workforce more diverse than ever before; showing that we can attract the brightest and best into policing, whilst introducing new perspectives into policing some of the country’s most challenging neighbourhoods.Retention and progression also play a crucial role, particularly in enabling officers and staff to move into more senior and more specialised ranks and roles. Police: Recruitment Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in their campaign to recruit 20,000 new police officers. Baroness Williams of Trafford: As at 30 June 2020, 4,336 additional officers have been recruited towards the target of 20,000 and will be trained to rise to the policing challenges of the future.All forces have prioritised recruitment. I am extremely grateful to those brave men and women who have signed up to join the police and keep our communities safe.The next official data will be published on 29 October. Cabinet Office Leader of the House of Commons: Senior Civil Servants Baroness Kramer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many BAME civil servants there are in the Office of the Leader of the House of Commonsat (1) SCS1, (2) SCS2, (3) SCS3, and (4) SCS4, grade. Lord True: The Office of the Leader of the House of Commons is an integral part of the Cabinet Office.I refer the noble Lady to the answer given to PQs HL8861 and HL8862 as below -Cross civil service information can be found at the Diversity and Inclusion dashboard at: https://public.tableau.com/profile/cabinet.office.diversity.and.inclusion#!/vizhome/CivilServiceDiversityandInclusiondashboard/Introduction?publish=yesAs the dashboard’s data tables show 7% of Cabinet Office Senior Civil Servants declared that they were from an ethinic minority.18% of Cabinet Office overall civil servants declare that they are from an ethnic minority. Details of individual grades will not be disclosed to avoid identifying individuals. Treasury Holiday Accommodation: Taxation Baroness Gardner of Parkes: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports that AirBnB will share data with HMRC about the earnings of hostsin the UKfor the years 2017/18 and 2018/19, what steps they are taking to ensure all short term letting agencies do the same; and what plans they have to sharethis data with local councils to ensure properties in their areas are let foronly 90 days of short term lettings a year. Lord Agnew of Oulton: HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) receive data routinely from a variety of sources. This data supports compliance activity to reduce the size of the gap between the tax which is owed and that which is paid.HMRC understand that the short-term property letting market is a rapidly evolving sector and are working in partnership with companies such as Airbnb to address the tax consequences of these changes, supporting taxpayers in ensuring they are aware of their tax obligations and pay the right tax at the right time.HMRC are bound by a strict duty of confidentiality as laid down in the Commissioners for Revenue & Customs Act (CRCA) 2005 with respect to all of the information they hold in connection with their functions. HMRC officials may share information only in the limited circumstances set out in legislation, which include disclosures for the purposes of HMRC’s functions, through specific information sharing legislative gateways. Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government why they ceased publication of Coronavirus Job Retention Schemedata by local authority area in May 2020. Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme data by local authority area from May 2020 onwards. Baroness Barker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to publish Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme data by UK Parliamentary constituency. Lord Agnew of Oulton: HM Revenue and Customs published statistics on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in August 2020 which included a breakdown of the number of employments furloughed at both local authority and Parliamentary constituency level. Those statistics provided figures on the cumulative total number of employments furloughed at any time between March 2020 and June 2020 by local authority and Parliamentary constituency. In addition to this, the latest issue of these statistics, published in October 2020, included data on the number of jobs furloughed at local authority and Parliamentary constituency level as at 31 August. Both of these breakdowns also split the figures for each area by gender and are based on claims received until the end of September. Both of these statistics releases can be found on the Internet at the addresses in the footnote to this answer. HMRC published local authority and Parliamentary constituency breakdowns in the June, July and August CJRS statistics, but these were temporarily removed from the September release. HMRC did not cease publication of these statistics in May. The temporary removal of the local authority and Parliamentary constituency breakdowns from the September release was done in order to enable the statistics to be released in a timely manner, while dealing with the additional work associated with substantial changes to the data and the statistics following the introduction of the flexible furlough element of the job retention scheme. HMRC continue to monitor the use of these statistics and make improvements as necessary. Footnote text:August 2020 Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-august-2020October 2020 CJRS statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/coronavirus-job-retention-scheme-statistics-october-2020 Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Sports: Finance Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey havemade of the financial position of the grassroots sports sector. Baroness Barran: Sports and physical activity providers and facilities are at the heart of our communities, and play a crucial role in supporting adults and children to be active.Government has provided unprecedented support to businesses through tax reliefs, cash grants and employee wage support, which many sport clubs have benefited from. An income scheme announced in July by the Secretary of State for Local Government, aims to support local authorities who have incurred irrecoverable loss of income from sales, fees and charge which they had reasonably budgeted for. On 22 October, the Government announced a £100m support fund for local authority leisure centres. In addition, Sport England’s Community Emergency Fund has also provided £210 million directly to support community sport clubs and exercise centres through this pandemic.We are continuing to work with organisations to understand what they need and how we may be able to support them. Television Licences: Concessions Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the removal of the TV licence concession for the over-75s on their loneliness strategy. Baroness Barran: The future of the over 75s concession is the responsibility of the BBC, not of the government. The government is disappointed with the BBC's decision to restrict the over 75 licence fee concession to only those in receipt of pension credit. We recognise the value of free TV licences for over-75s and believe they should be funded by the BBC. The BBC must ensure that it supports those affected by its decision and we expect it to do so with the utmost sensitivity.More broadly, the government remains committed to working with partners across society to tackle loneliness, including for people over 75. Earlier this year we announced new action to support social connection during the Covid-19 pandemic, including new funding for loneliness charities, guidance for the public, and the new Tackling Loneliness Network. Fraud: Telephone Services Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to stop older people from being targeted by scam telephone calls. Baroness Barran: The Government recognises that nuisance and scam calls can be particularly stressful and damaging for the most vulnerable in society. The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the number of nuisance calls including banning cold calls from pension providers unless the consumer has explicitly agreed to be contacted. We have been working with National Trading Standards to supply call blocking devices to some of the most vulnerable in society.The Government has been running the Take Five fraud awareness campaign designed to urge the public and businesses to take time to consider whether a situation they find themselves in is genuine. The campaign equips the public to more confidently challenge fraudulent approaches – be they face-to-face, on the telephone or online. Specific advice on phone scams and phishing can be found at www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk.With regards to fraud more generally, the government has recently launched a gov.uk page that contains easy-to-follow steps to spot potential frauds and to avoid them. It also signposts advice and support to those who may unfortunately have fallen victim. This page can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-fraud-and-cyber-crime Music: Coronavirus Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to support self–employed and freelance workers within the live music industry. Baroness Barran: Our world-beating live music industry would be nothing without the people who work in it, and we are working hard to help provide financial support to freelancers in this sector.Over two thirds of eligible people in the cultural sectors have benefitted from the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme (SEISS). We’ve supported the self-employed with over £13 billion in grants and the Chancellor has increased the generosity of the scheme from 40% to 80% of people’s profits for November, in order to reflect recent changes to the furlough scheme. This also increases the total level of the grant from 40% to 55% of trading profits for 1 November 2020 to 31 January 2020.In addition, more businesses will be able to access additional support as deadlines for applications for government-backed loan schemes and the Future Fund have been further extended until 31 January 2021.The Arts Council England has made £119 million available to individuals, with £23.1 million already distributed and £95.9 million currently available to apply for via open funds.The £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund will benefit freelancers, because it will invest in organisations and help them to reopen, and restart performances. So far, over £500m has been announced from the Culture Recovery Fund to protect cultural organisations across England, almost a fifth of which has gone to the music sector. Gyms and Swimming Pools: Coronavirus Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the impact of swimming pool and gym closures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baroness Barran: Sports and physical activity are incredibly important for our physical and mental health, and are a vital weapon against coronavirus. That’s why we made sure that people could exercise at least once a day even during the height of lockdown - and why we opened up grassroots sport and leisure facilities as soon as it was safe to do so.As announced by the Prime Minister on Saturday from Thursday until Wednesday 2 November there will be significant restrictions on some sectors of the economy including the closure of indoor and outdoor leisure. Outdoor gyms and playgrounds will remain open. Exercise and recreation outdoors will be allowed with your household or on your own with one person from another household.It is not possible to isolate the specific impact of swimming pool and gym closures on physical activity levels because people can substitute this with other activities such as running and cycling. Public Libraries: Finance Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide more funding for public libraries. Baroness Barran: The Government is providing local councils with unprecedented support during the pandemic with a £4.3 billion package, including £3.7 billion which is not ringfenced and £600 million to support social care providers. This is part of a wider package of almost £28 billion which the Government has committed to support local areas, with funding going to councils, businesses and communities. The 2020 Spending Review will look at pressures facing the sector and provide them with the certainty they need to aid financial planning. Public Lending Right: Coronavirus Lord Dubs: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide increased fundingfor the Public Lending Right during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baroness Barran: The Government has recently completed a consultation on the Public Lending Right (PLR) Scheme rate per loan for the 2019 -20 PLR scheme year. The consultation sought views on the proposal to increase the rate per loan. We intend laying a Statutory Instrument to vary the rate per loan later this year to ensure eligible authors can receive payments by the end of this financial year.There are no plans to increase the overall amount of the PLR central fund. The British Library administers the PLR Scheme on behalf of the Government and the funding level of the PLR would form part of the consideration of British Library’s overall funding at a future spending review. Broadband Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are on track to meet their target of full-fibre, gigabit-capable broadband by 2025. Baroness Barran: The Government remains committed to delivering nationwide gigabit connectivity as soon as possible. Our ambition is to deliver this by 2025. We recognise that this is a challenging ambition. We support industry’s plans to deliver gigabit broadband to the most commercial parts of the UK (c.80% of the country) and will continue to take action to remove barriers to deployment to help them deliver this by 2025.Building Digital UK (BDUK) is currently in the process of mobilising the new £5 billion UK Gigabit Programme which was announced in the Spring Budget. Procurements will commence in 2021.According to Thinkbroadband (https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/) as of 27 October, coverage at UK premises for different broadband speeds is currently:Superfast (30Mbps) = 96.50%Ultrafast (100Mbps) = 63.27%Gigabit (1,000Mbps) = 27.52%Full Fibre (Gigabit+) = 17.49%Virgin Media are in the process of activating gigabit services across their entire network by the end of 2021, and this currently covers over 52% of the UK. BT Openreach and CityFibre also have multi-billion pound fibre rollout programmes underway so a leap in gigabit coverage during 2021 is anticipated. This planned build predominantly covers urban areas so DCMS’s focus is on stimulating build in the more rural and disadvantaged areas of the UK where the commercial market will not build unaided.The government has invested significant amounts in digital infrastructure over the last decade. The DCMS portfolio of active projects is currently c.£4 billion (detailed below) and in the Spring Budget, a further £5 billion of investment was announced for the hardest to reach areas of the UK. More details regarding the programme will follow in the Autumn Spending Review. Third Sector: Coronavirus Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to support the voluntary and community sector during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baroness Barran: Charities play an invaluable role in this country, which is why we have committed an unprecedented £750 million in targeted funding so that they can continue their vital work through the coronavirus outbreak. This included £60 million which was distributed via the Barnett formula to Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to support charities on the frontline of the response.The Government also matched public donations to the BBC’s “Big Night In” charity appeal, with over £70 million being distributed by Comic Relief, Children In Need and the National Emergencies Trust to charities on the frontline. Our £85 million Community Match Challenge has secured an additional £85m of match funding from charities, funders and philanthropists for good causes.An additional £150 million from dormant bank and building society accounts has been unlocked to help charities, social enterprises and individuals in vulnerable financial circumstances during the coronavirus outbreak.Charities, social enterprises and other types of civil society organisations, have benefited from wider Government support such as the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, and are eligible for the new Job Support Scheme. Football: Coronavirus Lord Macpherson of Earl's Court: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further torecent comments by the chairman of Accrington Stanley Football Club that "clubs below the Premier League have never been at higher risk", what plans they haveto encourage the Premier League to provide financial support to struggling clubs in the English Football League. Baroness Barran: Football clubs are often the bedrock of our local communities and it is vital they are protected. That is why the Government has provided an unprecedented financial support package for businesses, which many football clubs have benefitted from.We have worked closely with football throughout the pandemic, including getting the Premier League and English Football League (EFL) back behind closed doors, which released vital broadcasting revenue. Having spent heavily in the recent transfer window, professional football has the means to support clubs through the pandemic and we continue to urge the EFL and Premier League to finalise a deal as soon as possible. Newspaper Press and Radio : Coronavirus Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plansthey have to support local independent (1) newspapers, and (2) radio stations, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Baroness Barran: Local news coverage provides a vital service - supplying information about local public affairs, holding local decision-makers to account, and providing a forum for community discussion. The Government’s manifesto recognises their role, committing to “support local and regional newspapers, as vital pillars of communities and local democracy”.It has been an absolute priority to ensure we do all we can to support local news outlets during this crisis, as well as supporting commercial and community radio. This includes bringing forward the commencement of zero-rating of VAT on e-newspapers to May 2020, and reaching agreement with Arqiva, the UK’s TV and radio transmission provider, to provide six months discount charges which has benefited small local commercial radio stations.Government also worked to ensure local media could operate during the Covid-19 lockdown period. We designated journalists and other key media ancillary staff as ‘key workers’; issued guidance to local authorities on the importance of newspaper delivery; took steps to ensure the use of ‘keyword blocklisting’ technology was not disproportionately limiting news publishers’ online advertising revenues for Covid-19 related stories; and implemented a significant public information campaign, using local and national press and commercial radio to extend the reach of these campaigns.We continue to work closely with local news organisations to assess the effectiveness of our media support measures and the impact of Coronavirus-related government policy, including the current tiered restrictions, on their ability to continue supporting their communities.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2020-11-05

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Environmental Land Management Schemes: Common Land Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent commoners with grazing rights in perpetuity will benefit from the Environmental Land Management Schemes. Lord Benyon: We are designing the Environmental Land Management schemes so farmers on common land can take part in the schemes in a straightforward and positive way. We have already designed the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) so that eligible single entities can apply for an agreement on common land, as well as making an additional payment available to help with the costs of administering an agreement if there is a group of two or more people on the common. Commoners will also be eligible for the annual SFI management payment, which will pay £20 per hectare for up to the first 50 hectares entered into the scheme, resulting in a payment of up to £1,000 per year. Alongside SFI, there are multiple actions available in Countryside Stewardship that are applicable to commoners, as well as payment to support the administration of agreements involving shared grazing on common land. Common land is also eligible for entry into the Landscape Recovery scheme, and applications are currently being accepted for round two. Environmental Land Management Schemes Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which those taking the economic risk will be rewarded under the Environmental Land Management Schemes. Lord Benyon: We are designing our Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes with this in mind, many of the actions we will pay for through the ELM schemes will help farmers and land managers reduce their costs, improve their efficiency and improve the natural environment. For example, the nutrient and integrated pest management standards will help optimise use of inputs, helping to reduce costs whilst also potentially maintaining or even improving yields. Other actions in our schemes can enable farmers to generate an income from unproductive corners and edges of fields, using hedgerows to improve productivity (for example as windbreaks or shelterbelts), and improving soil health. The payments are also intended to support and de-risk the transition for farmers wanting to adopt more sustainable farming approaches. We use ‘income foregone plus costs’ to calculate payment rates and we have recently reviewed and updated them to ensure they fairly reflect changes in costs. Housing: Noise Lord McColl of Dulwich: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have set a target for the time between a local authority agreeing that noise from residential premises constitutes a statutory nuisance and the cessation of such noise. Lord Benyon: Defra is responsible for the domestic legislation covering statutory nuisances, although local authority environmental health departments are the main enforcers of the statutory noise regime under the Environmental Protection Act, 1990. Sources of noise nuisance are highly individual, and while some can be dealt with swiftly and straightforwardly, others will require works to be carried out or other steps to be taken which may be more complex and time consuming. As such, the Government considers that decisions around the timeframe for complying with a noise abatement order must be a matter for local authorities to decide within individual situations. Horticulture: Research Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain the quality and quantity of horticulture research previously funded by the statutory levy of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board. Lord Benyon: Following the industry’s vote to end the AHDB horticulture levy in 2021 we have been working with the industry and the Devolved Administrations to put in place structures that will be more responsive to what the industry wants. This has included supporting the setting up of the industry-led Horticulture Crop Protection that has taken over some of the horticulture work formerly undertaken by AHDB. We have also committed over £104 million so far through the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme for industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture in England. This investment is enabling more farmers, growers and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural R&D. This will maximise the impact of R&D investment in innovation and improve the take up of novel approaches on farms. To date 23 out of 100 projects are focussed on horticulture. Nature Conservation Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are on track to meet the target of halting the decline of species abundance by 2030; and what steps they are taking to ensure the target is met. Lord Benyon: We have set out our plan to deliver on our ambitious 2030 target, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature. We know that to meet our targets we will need large-scale habitat restoration, creation and improved connectivity; to tackle pressures on species including pollution, unsustainable use of resources and climate change; and targeted action to recover specific species. Our Nature for Climate Fund provides over £750 million for the creation, restoration and management of woodland and peatland habitats. We will also launch a new multi-million pound Species Survival Fund this summer, supporting the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats. We are ensuring that the design and implementation of our current and future agri-environmental schemes and Environment Act measures such as Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies support the target by focusing on the habitats we need and key actions to reduce pressures; and by supporting ‘crowding in’ of private investment. The first round of Landscape Recovery focused on river restoration and species recovery. The 22 successful projects cover over 40,000 hectares and aim to restore nearly 700km of rivers and protect and provide habitat for at least 263 species. The second round was launched on 18 May and focuses on net zero, protected sites and wildlife-rich habitats, which includes rivers, streams, and other freshwater habitats. We will offer up to 25 projects a place on the Landscape Recovery scheme in this round, within the £15 million total project development budget. In May 2022, we launched five nature recovery projects spanning nearly 100,000 hectares, which will see the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, corridors and stepping-stones. They will help wildlife populations to move and thrive, provide nature-based solutions, and enable people to enjoy and connect with nature. Natural England plans to launch another six Nature Recovery Projects in 2022/23. The Government has an explicit duty to ensure long-term targets are met. The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that the Government will take early, regular steps to achieve long-term targets, and is held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. Our evaluation framework will provide a level of assurance towards our progress on the targets through adaptive management and regular evaluations and reporting. Businesses: Fees and Charges Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the policy paper by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural AffairsCharging arrangements at government-run Border Control Posts - Consultation, published on 12 June, what assessment they have made of the impact of the introduction of the Common User Charge on UK businesses; and what steps they are taking to support those businesses. Lord Benyon: Defra is committed to designing and delivering a charging policy which keeps costs down and minimises impact across all businesses. We are confident that the Common User Charge is the fairest and most pragmatic approach, as it spreads the burden across a wider user base and enables us to achieve the lowest possible rates while ensuring robust biosecurity at our border. Through the consultation, we are seeking feedback on the model and impacts of the proposals on businesses of all sizes and operating models. We are aware that businesses face a range of global pressures, and we will consider implementation of these charges in light of broader economic conditions and feedback from the consultation. Bovine Tuberculosis Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of bovine tuberculosis reducing at the same rate in England and Wales, in the light of the absence of badger culling in Wales. Lord Benyon: Defra publishes official national statistics on tuberculosis in cattle in Great Britain on a quarterly basis. The latest quarterly release of these national statistics was published on 14 June and contained data up to the end of March 2023. This is publicly available at GOV.UK. The releases do not include a direct comparison between the rates of change in England and Wales as TB control is a devolved policy. Defra regularly meets with colleagues responsible for TB control in Wales. These discussions include reviewing disease information and the sharing of experiences with respect to the different and multiple policy interventions deployed in the fight against this endemic disease. Bovine Tuberculosis Baroness Hayman of Ullock: To ask His Majesty's Government whether data shows that transmission of bovine tuberculosis is higher (1) from badgers to cattle, or (2) between cattle. Lord Benyon: Several recent studies using whole genome sequencing data from Mycobacterium bovis isolates in cattle and badgers estimate that, in the UK, transmission of the bacterium occurs more frequently within the same host species (i.e. from cattle to cattle and from badger to badger), than between badgers and cattle. However, the relative rates of transmission between and within the two maintenance host species are not uniform across the country and can vary over time. Even so, there is broad scientific consensus that badgers are implicated in the spread of TB to cattle. Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s independent review of the science published in 2018, which brought together leading UK experts, concluded that TB spreads within and between populations of badgers and cattle and that spread from badgers to cattle is an important cause of herd breakdowns in high-incidence areas. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Belarus: Political Prisoners Baroness Crawley: To ask His Majesty's Government, following their announcement of new sanctions against the government of Belarus, what assessment they have made of the impact of previous sanctions against the government of Belarus, particularly in relation to the treatment of Belarusian political prisoners. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK introduced comprehensive sanctions in response to Belarus' flawed 2020 presidential elections and subsequent brutal crackdown, sanctioning over 120 individuals and entities. These include Lukashenko, security officials, judges and prosecutors. Belarus must be held accountable for both human rights violations, including treatment of political prisoners, against its own people and their support of Putin's illegal war. Since 2022, the Belarusian regime has facilitated Russia's invasion of Ukraine and the UK introduced sanctions in June 2022 and June 2023 in response which severely limited Belarus's ability to trade with the UK. We keep our sanctions under review, and reserve the right to introduce further measures. Pakistan: Civil Liberties Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to thegovernment of Pakistan concerning its record on (1) freedom of expression, and (2) freedom of religion or belief. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Protecting both freedom of expression and Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) remains central to the UK Government's human rights engagement in Pakistan. I (Lord [Tariq] Ahmad, Minister for South Asia) raised the importance of maintaining democratic norms, including the right to protest with Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, on 10 and 13 May. I also raised the need to safeguard the rights of religious groups with Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights, Mian Riaz Hussain Pirzada, on 27 June. Where there are allegations of human rights violations, we expect these to be fully investigated in line with international human rights law. Noman Masih Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Pakistanregarding the case ofNoman Masih who has been sentenced to death for alleged blasphemy. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: It is our longstanding policy to oppose the death penalty in all circumstances as a matter of principle. We have not raised this specific case with the Government of Pakistan. We continue to urge Pakistan to ensure due process and adherence to international human rights obligations. We press for speedy and fair trials for those accused and urge the Pakistani authorities to ensure the safety of those released. Sudan: Armed Conflict Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the report of the APPG on Sudan and South Sudan in April, what is their assessment of the situation in Darfur. Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current situation in Darfur, Sudan, including reports of (1) ethnic cleansing, and (2) identity-based attacks, on Massaleit people byArab militia (Janjaweed). Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK strongly condemns the attacks on civilians in Darfur, including the killing of the West Darfur Governor, Khamis Abaker. This message was delivered publicly by the Minister for Development and Africa on 16 June. The violence must end, humanitarian access must be granted, and those responsible must be held to account. We will continue to condemn human rights violations taking place in Sudan in international fora such as the UN Human Rights Council, and the UK continues to fund and provide support to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that provides a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We are liaising with them as they now set up and run their remote monitoring mechanisms. 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. Sudan: Women Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assistance they are providing to Sudanese women and girls, if any, amid reports of sexual violence in the conflict in Bahri and Khartoum. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: There has been an escalation of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls in Sudan since the start of the conflict on 15 April. Through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health Programme, we are providing integrated sexual and reproductive health services including management of SGBV through support to 324 clinics and 8 mobile health teams. The programme has maintained some access to services in all areas apart from Khartoum and Geneina. UK funding for Sudan, announced by the Minister for Development and Africa on 24 May, also supports survivors and other vulnerable groups. The UK is working with its partners to ensure that gender and inclusion conflict analyses underpin all aspects of the crisis response. Sudan: Armed Conflict The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their understanding of the current security situation in Sudan, following reports that fighting between the army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces has spread to cities in the west of the country; and what response, if any, they have made with international partners to the call on 14 June by the West Darfur state governor Khamis Abbakar for international intervention. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Despite numerous ceasefires, hostilities continue across Sudan and humanitarian access remains extremely limited. The UK strongly condemns the deliberate attacks and human rights violations and abuses taking place against civilians in Darfur, as well as the killing of the West Darfur Governor, Khamis Abaker. Those responsible must be held to account. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic avenues to bring about a cessation of violence, establish humanitarian access and pave the way for meaningful talks. We continue to support the work of the US and Saudi Arabia and stand ready to support efforts to agree a permanent cessation of hostilities. The UK is working through a new African Union-led Core Group to ensure inclusive regional and international action to secure a viable peace process. We will continue to raise our concerns with international partners and through fora such as the UN Human Rights Council and Security Council. Sudan: Humanitarian Aid Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to the people of Darfur by securing a safe passage of aid from Port Sudan to the affected areas, including food, water, shelter, medicine and other essential supplies. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We recognise the extremely fragile security situation across Darfur even prior to 15 April, and it is clear that this has only worsened since the outbreak of hostilities. The UK's priority is to secure workable humanitarian access, including operational security assurances for humanitarian agencies to help the most at-need and provide life-saving aid. The Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million in May to assist Sudan. The UK is pursuing all diplomatic levers, working notably with the UN, the Quad (Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK and US) and a new African Union-led Core Group, to secure safe access, including from Port Sudan, to affected areas. Sudan: Humanitarian Aid Baroness Cox: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to assist with the provision of (1) protection for currently displaced people and new waves of displaced people who are without shelter in Darfur, and (2) immediate aid to the new wave of refugees who have recently crossed the border into neighbouring Chad. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The UK is monitoring the situation in Sudan closely, including the humanitarian and security impacts within Darfur and Sudan's neighbouring countries. We are working to ensure regional borders remain open and those displaced receive humanitarian assistance. The dramatic increase of violence and destruction in Darfur following the outbreak of hostilities on 15 April is appalling. We are engaging with international partners to put pressure on both sides to protect civilians and grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access. In Chad, the UK has allocated £2.5 million to address the urgent needs of people fleeing violence, such as food, safe drinking water, medical care, and shelter. Nova Kakhovka Dam Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the potential causes of the destruction of the Kakhovka Dam. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are still assessing this incident. Russia, which has controlled the area since just after the invasion, must bear ultimate responsibility: none of the suffering caused would have happened if Russia had not launched an unprovoked and illegal war of aggression. We call on Russia to withdraw its forces, end all attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, and in the areas affected by the dam, allow evacuation teams and humanitarian organisations to help the affected civilian population. Environment Protection: Ukraine Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the issue of 'ecocide' as defined under Ukrainian Criminal Code as "mass destruction of flora and fauna, poisoning of air or water resources, and also any other actions that may cause an environmental disaster", particularly in the light of the destruction of theKakhovka Dam. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have been clear that Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine has grave environmental implications, including the degradation and pollution of land, air and water. The collapse of the Nova Kakhovka Dam is a major catastrophe with far-reaching ecological consequences. While ecocide is not a crime recognised under the International Criminal Court's Rome Statute, Article 8 provides protections to the natural environment in armed conflict. We are supporting organisations collecting evidence of the environmental impacts of Russia's actions in Ukraine, and are supporting the Office of the Ukrainian Prosecutor General in its investigation and prosecution of conflict-related crimes. NATO: Vilnius The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what their priorities are for discussion at the NATO Summit to be held in Vilnius on 11–12 July. Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK priorities for the NATO Summit include making sure the Alliance increases its deterrence and defence with the resources and capabilities it needs to tackle the threats of a more contested world, strengthens its partnerships, and continues its unwavering support for Ukraine. We want to see Sweden join us at the table in Vilnius as a fully-fledged NATO ally. Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Owner Occupation: Rents Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps, if any, they are taking to assist part-owners of homes who may be unable to sell as a result of conditions of rent charges allowing repossession; and what estimate they have made of the numbers of homeowners affected. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We want to make estate management companies more accountable to their freeholders for how their money is spent.When Parliamentary time allows, the Government intends to legislate to ensure that freehold homeowners who pay estate rent charges have the right to challenge their reasonableness and to go to the tribunal to appoint a manager to manage the provision of services.In addition, we will remove the statutory right for owners of rent charges to take possession or grant a lease of the property in the event of non-payment by the homeowner. Shared Ownership Schemes: Fire Prevention Lord Young of Cookham: To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are giving to shared-ownership leaseholders in buildings requiring remediation. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Qualifying shared ownership leaseholders are protected from all cladding remediation costs. Additionally, where capped contributions for non-cladding and interim measure costs are required, they are reduced in proportion to their equity stake in the property. Where the landlord is associated with the developer, the landlord has an obligation to pay for all costs associated with the remediation of all defects and any associated interim measures.All leaseholders can benefit from the funding available for cladding repairs for buildings over 18 metres through the Building Safety Fund and, potentially, the new scheme for 11-18 metre buildings (currently at pilot stage) where developers or building owners are not currently funding cladding remediation. For those shared ownership leaseholders looking to increase or 'staircase' their ownership share, on 20 December 2022, the six largest mortgage lenders confirmed that lenders will consider mortgage applications on properties in buildings in England of 11 metres or 5 storeys and above in height with building safety issues, providing it is being self-remediated by developers, is covered by a recognised government scheme, or the property is protected by the leaseholder protections in the Building Safety Act.For shared ownership leaseholders who need to move for work or family reasons, the Government has also made it easier for those living in buildings that require remediation to sublet their homes. Retail Trade: Urban Areas Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to curb the decline of the High Street in many towns and cities. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Through the Levelling Up and Regeneration Bill, the Government is introducing several measures to help places have more control over their high streets and town centres. High Street Rental Auctions, for example, aim to empower places to tackle decline by bringing vacant units back into use. They will make town centre tenancies more accessible and affordable for tenants, including SMEs and community groups.This builds on long-term investment in our high streets and small businesses, including through £2.35 billion worth of Towns Deals, £830 million Future High Streets Fund and the £4.8 billion Levelling Up Fund.Over five years the Government's High Streets Task Force is providing support to local leaders by giving high streets and town centres expert advice to help adapt and thrive, with local authorities receiving access to expert support in areas such as placemaking, planning and design. Evictions Lord Bird: To ask His Majesty's Government how many people have been served a section 21 eviction notice since December 2019. Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The data requested is not held centrally. Department for Education Education: Travellers Baroness Whitaker: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their evaluation of their pilot education funding programme for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children and proposed next steps; and what assessment they have made of the connection between (1) the adequacy of educational provision and funding for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, and (2) their statistics for children missing education for the academic year 2022─23, which show that 10 per cent of children missing from education are from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller families. Baroness Barran: The £1 million Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (DLUHC) Gypsy Roma and Traveller (GRT) Education Areas programme enabled five local authorities and a Voluntary Community and Social Enterprise organisation to deliver tailored support to improve GRT attendance and attainment. Whilst the programme was a one year pilot, the delivery of some of the targeted support carried on beyond that timeline. The close monitoring of the projects helped DLUHC to pick up issues quickly, facilitated the setting up of a buddying system, and improved cross agency relationships and knowledge sharing.The department has no plans to commission a government evaluation of the programme. The department’s expectation is that participant local authorities will carry out their own evaluation of their projects, build lessons learnt into wider services, and share learning with other local authorities.The government is committed to ensuring that all children are safe and have access to an excellent education. The department is currently running a call for evidence on ‘Improving support for children missing education’ to seek views on challenges in identifying and supporting children missing from education and how to address those challenges. The call for evidence is open until 20 July and will be used to inform policy future policy thinking. The open consultation is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-support-for-children-missing-education. Pre-school Education: Boys Baroness Eaton: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have implemented the recommendations of the Savethe Children 2016 reportThe Lost Boys;and if not, whether they plan to do so. Baroness Barran: The Lost Boys report recommended for the government to invest in the best early education and childcare provision.Alongside setting high standards and requirements for all early years providers in the Early Years Foundation Stage framework, in March, the government announced the single biggest investment in childcare ever made in England, which means by 2027/28 this government expects to be spending more than £8 billion every year on the early years. This will result in an historic expansion of free childcare, with 15 free hours available for working parents of two-year-olds from April 2024, 15 free hours from nine months to the start of school available from September 2024, rising to 30 free hours from September 2025. From September, the hourly rates paid to providers to deliver free childcare for two-year-olds will increase by 30% from an average rate of £6 to £8. This represents a significant increase in funding for early years.The government is also investing up to £180 million in workforce training, qualifications, expert guidance and targeted support for the early years sector, to support the learning and development of the youngest and most disadvantaged children. This includes the Professional Development Programme, phase 3, training up to 10,000 early years professionals and providing early years practitioners with training on communication and language, early mathematics and personal, social and emotional development.Two-thirds of primary schools have benefitted from our investment in the Nuffield Early Language Intervention, improving the speech and language skills of an estimated 90,000 children in reception classes so far. Over 320,000 primary school children have been screened to identify those with language development difficulties. These children will receive targeted language support. Department of Health and Social Care NHS: Procurement Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure consistency in the interpretation of the concept of value-based procurement in purchasing items in the health and social care sector; whether they intend to produce and publish a clearer tool for the assessment of such value based procurement; and whether patient groups and manufacturers of (1) medical devices, and (2) absorbent continence products, will be involved in the development of any such tool. Lord Markham: NHS Supply Chain has a value based procurement programme with a standard approach and principles in place to build a consistent interpretation of the concept of value based procurement. There are 30 projects across the organisation’s categories which are in scope for NHS Supply Chain’s pipeline for value-based procurement. NHS Supply Chain continues to work closely with NHS England on a joint evaluation approach.NHS Supply Chain is running two value-based procurement projects specifically in the continence category area, which encompasses absorbent continence products. The relevant NHS organisations and suppliers are involved in the development of these projects to ensure that the outcomes fit the NHS’s requirements. These projects are following the standard approach and principles as outlined on NHS Supply Chain’s website.The Department’s Medical Technology Directorate is working closely with NHS Supply Chain and NHS England to implement a consistent methodology for value-based procurement to be adopted at a national and local level. The directorate will continue to engage with both industry and patients in the development of this and other policies. Influenza and Whooping Cough: Vaccination Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the uptake of the seasonal influenza and pertussis vaccine among healthcare workers. Lord Markham: NHS England works closely with the Department and UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to ensure communications resources and vaccination campaigns effectively encourage uptake of vaccines.Plans for 2023/24 will build on good practice from previous seasonal vaccination campaigns and will reflect the need to achieve maximum uptake across eligible cohorts, in line with the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation guidance. This guidance is in an online only format. Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Prior of Brampton on 11 May 2016 (HL7950), and the Written Answer byLord Markham on 6 June (HL7725), whether any research applications submitted to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA)since March 2011 have been rejected by the HFEA Licence Committee; whether any requests have been received by the HFEA to perform spindle-chromosomal complex transfer; and how many centres in the UK have been granted permission to perform pronuclear transfer in order to facilitate independent scientific validation. Lord Markham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that no research applications have been rejected by the HFEA Licence Committee since March 2011. No requests have been received by the HFEA to perform spindle-chromosomal complex transfer. One centre in the UK has been granted permission to perform pronuclear transfer which is the Newcastle Centre For Life. Methadone Lord Brooke of Alverthorpe: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the cost to the NHS of prescribing the heroine substitute drug methodone in (1) 2005, (2) 2010, (3) 2015, and (4) 2020. Lord Markham: Information on the cost to the NHS of prescribing methadone is not held centrally. Home Office Refugees: Turkey Lord Hylton: To ask His Majesty's Government what were the reasons for the increase from £425,000 in 2021–22 to £3 million in 2023–24 in the grant to Turkey for "return & re-integration assistance", which was diverted from the Overseas Development Assistance budget to Home Office International Operations; and what guarantees they have received that this grant will not be used for compulsory repatriation or refoulement. Lord Murray of Blidworth: The £3 million spend in Turkey in 2022 to 2023 was used to deliver training and equipment and exchange visits in relation to border security and detection of narcotics and illicit cash. An additional spend was utilised to support return and reintegration assistance. Department for Transport A12: Repairs and Maintenance Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government which sections of the A12 between Ipswich and Lowestoft are single carriageway; and what commitment they have made to finance the upgrading of each such section to dual carriageway. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Most of this stretch of the A12 is single carriageway apart from dual carriageway sections at Wickham Market, Saxmundham, Wangford and Kessingland. The Government is considering an Outline Business Case from Suffolk County Council for a number of improvements to the A12 which includes dualling between the B1438 and the B1079. It would be for the Council to identify any further improvement proposals and to bid for Government funding as and when future funding opportunities arise. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the potential impact of the use of digital evidence inthe enforcement around insecure roads of litter laws upon (a) road safety, and (b) the Highways Agency litter performance indicator. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Under Section 8 of the Road Traffic Act (1991), a person is guilty of an offence if they use, or permit or cause another person to use, a motor vehicle or trailer on a road when the condition of the motor vehicle or trailer or of its accessories or equipment, or the weight, position or distribution of its load or the manner in which it is secured, is such that the use of the motor vehicle or trailer involves a danger of injury to any person. Enforcement in this area is conducted by the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s enforcement officers and the police. National Highways engages with organisations who have the necessary powers to take enforcement action. Commercial operators and drivers are legally obliged to ensure their loads are effectively secured, and risk finding themselves subject to disciplinary action by the Traffic Commissioner responsible for the issue of heavy goods operator licences, if found to be littering with an unsecure load. National Highways are currently working with a local authority to trial the use of Artificial Intelligence and camera technology to provide evidence of littering to support local authority enforcement. This trial forms part of National Highways’ approach to reduce littering and litter on the strategic road network, thus increasing performance against its litter performance metric. If the trial is successful, National Highways will consider potential future roll out. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the effectiveness of current litter performance indicators pertaining to value for money and customer satisfaction with highway maintenance; and, if they do not have one, whether they will make one. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: In the second Road Investment Strategy (2020-25) National Highways were allocated £6.5bn for the operation and maintenance of the Strategic Road Network (SRN). A proportion of this funding will be allocated within National Highways to carry out its litter clearance duties. For 2021/22 National Highways reported that 60.8% of its network was predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. This was an improvement from 49.2% reported for 2020/21. The performance for 2022/23 will be published later this summer. Customer satisfaction of the SRN is provided through the Strategic Road User Survey (SRUS) which is undertaken by Transport Focus, the independent watchdog for transport users. For period April 22 to March 23, 73% of those surveyed were either very satisfied or fairly satisfied with the overall safety, condition and management of the road network. Roads: Litter Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to enforce legislation pertaining to littering on slip roads off roads managed by National Highways. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The responsibility for clearing highway litter and sweeping carriageways is governed by the Environmental Protection Act (1990); Section 89(1) places a duty on National Highways to ensure that the motorways and some trunk roads, so far as is practicable, is kept clear of litter and refuse. The relevant district or Local Authority manages litter collection on the rest of the roads in England. The Department and the Highways Monitor challenge National Highways on litter performance. National Highways is committed to reporting annually on the percentage of the Strategic Road Network which is predominately free of litter, refuse or detritus apart from some small items, in line with the Code of practice on litter and refuse published by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. National Highways does not have litter enforcement powers on the strategic road network, Local Authorities do have the powers to take forward civil and criminal prosecutions if they have sufficient evidence to do so.

uk-hansard-lords-written-answers

lordswrans2023-06-29

Department for Transport Transport: Greater London Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the levels of transport emissions in London in the each of the last three months, compared with levels in the same months of 2019; and what assessment they have made of the impact of those emissions on health. Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital and has reserve powers under Part IV of the Environment Act 1995 to reflect this. The Mayor carries out monitoring of air quality in London and London has its own air quality monitoring network (the London Air Quality Network) which is run by Imperial College and contains more detailed monitoring than any carried out at a national level. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra) national air quality monitoring network provides continuous measurements of a range of pollutants across the UK. This network includes five roadside sites in London and the data is made available online on Defra’s UK-Air website. We know that air pollution is a major public health risk and poses the single greatest environmental risk to human health, which my Department is addressing through its Clean Air Strategy and the UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations. Defra have not carried out any specific assessment on the health impacts of air quality in London over the last 3 months. Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Climate Change Convention Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their parliamentary engagement strategy for COP26. Lord Callanan: The COP President Designate is planning to hold a COP26 briefing session for parliamentarians to update them on our plans and will provide further details in due course. Climate Change Convention Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government with how many governments they have started pre-negotiations in advance of COP26. Lord Callanan: The UK is committed to agreeing a negotiated outcome at COP26 that accelerates climate action and leaves no issue behind. Our approach is aligned with the UNFCCC process: formal negotiations have been postponed to 2021 but we are engaging broadly and facilitating exchanges of views so that progress can be made. As part of the UK’s transparent and inclusive approach to the COP26 presidency, Ministers and senior officials across government have directly engaged with over 100 governments; and all countries have been engaged through our FCO network and UN Missions. The Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has been at the heart of that, playing a leading role in a number of multilateral climate change fora and engaging bilaterally with over 40 countries to discuss matters relating to COP26. As an example of the regular engagement with countries, in September, the UK, alongside current Presidency Chile and the Chairs of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Bodies, conducted consultations with all negotiating groups on the way forward to COP26. We look forward to the UNFCCC Climate Change Dialogues 23 November - 4 December as an opportunity for further exchanges of views and to make progress on key issues ahead of the Ambition Summit that we’re hosting on 12 December and on the pathway to COP26 next year. Climate Change Convention Baroness Boycott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what budget has been allocated to public engagement campaigns to change behaviours before COP26; what organisations they will partner with to deliver any such campaigns; and when any such public engagement campaigns will be announced. Lord Callanan: Achieving our net zero target must be a shared endeavour between governments, businesses and individuals, and we must continue to engage the public on this challenge. In preparation for COP26, the Cabinet Office 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. Budget for a public engagement campaign is currently going through the government approval process and is yet to be confirmed. 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 will be the hospitality arrangements for COP26; and what plans they have to publish the procurement process for those arrangements in full. Lord Callanan: Plans for hospitality for the Event are still under consideration and we will be working closely with all venues to deliver the facilities and requirements needed. The plans will be published in line with Public Sector Procurement guidelines Clean Growth Fund Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications have beensubmitted to the Clean Growth Fund; and how many of those applications were from Northern Ireland. Lord Callanan: The Clean Growth Fund considers applications from right across the UK, including Northern Ireland. It will invest in UK companies and create a diverse portfolio spanning the breadth of the Clean Growth sector.This is a commercially run Fund, managed by Clean Growth Investment Management. Her Majesty’s Government is not involved in investment decisions.Since the Fund was launched in May 2020, the Fund Manager has received 449 enquiries to date. Of these, there have been a minimum of three expressions of interest from companies based in Northern Ireland. This is a minimum as not all expressions of interest include geographical data. Energy Supply Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what infrastructure is required to transfer energy from battery storage to the National Grid; and whether pylons form part of that infrastructure. Lord Callanan: A number of methods can be used to transfer energy from battery storage facilities to transmission and distribution systems. The choice of which method to use (undergrounding or overgrounding) depends on a range of factors, including technical assessments, environmental impacts and costs. Battery storage is often connected at the distribution network rather than national grid transmission level, and as it is often located close to existing grid supply points requirements for additional pylons are reduced. Any proposals for the use of pylons will be subject to careful consideration through the planning regime, taking account of the views of local people and other relevant stakeholders. Energy Supply Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether energy stored in batteries for the National Grid is used to provide energy to communities locatednear to such batteries. Lord Callanan: Batteries can provide a range of services to the electricity system, such as storing electricity from renewable generation during periods of low demand and releasing electricity when prices are high, as well as helping to reduce the cost of balancing the system. They can provide services at both local (community) and national levels. Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) also operate local markets for flexibility services. These provide additional opportunities for batteries to support the decarbonisation of, and provide energy to, their local communities. Insolvency: Coronavirus Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to paragraph 7.7 of the Explanatory Memorandum to the Corporate Insolvency and Governance (Coronavirus) (Extension of the Relevant Period) Regulations 2020, when will (1) the permanent procedural moratorium rules be laid before Parliament under the Corporate and Insolvency Governance Act 2020, and (2) the consultation with the Insolvency Rules Committee regarding the permanent rules covering England and Wales commence. Lord Callanan: Work on amendments to the Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016 to provide permanent procedural rules for the moratorium introduced by the Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 is ongoing and the relevant regulations will be laid when Parliamentary time allows. The Government is aware that the current temporary provision expires on 30 March 2021 (subject to any extensions) and will have regard to that fact for the purpose of preparing and laying the permanent rules. The Government intends that consultation with the Insolvency Rules Committee regarding these rules, as required by law, will commence in November 2020. Separate rules will be required for Scotland and, since this area is partially devolved, the timing of those rules will be subject to further discussions with the Scottish Government. Labour Market: Coronavirus Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by the Learning and Work Institute Crisis in the Capital, published on 27 October; and what steps they are taking to create new jobs in London. Lord Callanan: The Government is working closely with the Greater London Authority (GLA) and London Councils to support the London Recovery Plan, mapping employment and skills support to provide a coordinated skills and employment support package across the capital. DWP is also working with the Mayor’s Construction Academy to promote the opportunities in this sector as well as supporting GLA initiatives in the creative sector.The Flexible Support Fund is available to support the unemployed to get back into work and DWP are working with individual London Boroughs using partnership grants to support initiatives to get people back into work.We will review the report from the Learning and Work Institute and consider its findings.Further to this through this Government’s Plan for Jobs, my Rt. Hon. Friend Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer set out a plan to support jobs focussing on skills and young people. This includes:A new £2bn Kickstart Scheme to create hundreds of thousands of new, fully subsidised jobs for young people aged 16 to 24 claiming Universal Credit across England. Funding is available for six-month job placements will cover 100% of the National Minimum Wage for 25 hours a week – and employers will be able to top this wage up. There is no cap on the number of places available.Recruiting 13,500 work coaches to more than double the number of work coaches across the country - as well as putting in place a package of support to ensure young people have the skills and training to go on to high quality, secure and fulfilling employment.A new payment of £2,000 to employers in London and across England for each new apprentice they hire aged under 25, and a £1,500 payment for each new apprentice they hire aged 25 and over, from 1 August 2020 to 31 January 2021. Employers can start claiming for payments from 1 September.£111m is being invested to triple the scale of traineeships: with three times more funding available to providers in 2020-21 to support 30,000 new places. We have also introduced – for the first time - payments of £1,000 per trainee for employers who offer new or additional work placements (up to 10 trainees).Apprenticeship opportunities will also be increased, with more funding for SMEs taking on apprentices, and greater flexibility in how their training is structured – especially in sectors such as construction and creative industries where there are more varied employment patterns.Through the Government’s Local Growth Fund, the London Local Enterprise Action Partnership will deliver approximately 11,649 jobs and apprenticeships in London through the lifetime of the programme (15-21). The Fund will also help upskill 27,106 learners in London. Business and Unemployment: Coronavirus Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of job loss estimates reported by the New Economics Forum on 21 October; and what plans they have to increase the wage subsidy for businesses accessing COVID-19 economic support. Lord Callanan: The Government is committed to ensuring workers across all regions are supported through this difficult time. Since the initial estimates were published by the New Economics Foundation (NEF) on 21 October, the Government has announced further revisions to the Job Support Scheme. The Job Support Scheme Open is at the heart of the Government’s efforts to protect viable jobs in businesses experiencing reduced demand, which was the focus of the New Economics Foundation’s research. The Government has increased the generosity of the scheme, ensuring that more jobs are protected.Since the 21 October NEF publication, the Government has reduced the minimum hours that must be worked by employees to 20% from 33% and increased the wage subsidy provided by the Government from 33% to 61.67% of unworked time, up to a maximum monthly contribution of £1541.75. Employers must now pay for 5% of unworked time, down from 33%, up to a monthly cap of £125. This will ensure workers receive at least 73% of their salary while on the scheme, up to a salary limit of £3,125.The New Economics Foundation itself has since said that they “welcome the improvements” the Government have made to the scheme. Department of Health and Social Care Coronavirus: Older People Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital aged 80 or over received ICU treatment; and how many of those patients survived. Lord Farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many COVID-19 patients admitted to hospital aged 80 or over died of the disease without receiving ICU treatment before being discharged. Lord Bethell: The data is not available in the format requested. Lung Diseases: Health Services Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatplans they have to meet Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation to discuss ways in which respiratory care in the NHS can be improved. Lord Bethell: Representatives from Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation are closely involved in the work on respiratory care within NHS England and NHS Improvement. Alison Cook, Director of External Affairs, Asthma UK and British Lung Foundation Partnership, co-chairs the National Delivery Board for Respiratory Disease and are represented on our expert advisory and working groups. In addition, there are meetings every two weeks to update on communications and relevant projects. Prosthetics: Health Services Baroness Hodgson of Abinger: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the NHS England review of prosthetic services has been completed; and if so, when the findings of this review will be published. Lord Bethell: The review of prosthetic services was paused in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The review has now been restarted with the first meeting held at the beginning of October 2020. We expect that the revised service specification will be available for public consultation in December this year with the aim of starting implementation of a revised service model from April 2021. Social Services: Vacancies Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Skills for CareThe state of the adult social care sector and workforce in England, published in October; and what steps they are taking to fill social care job vacancies. Lord Bethell: The Department has noted the findings of this report. The Department funds Skills for Care, as a key delivery partner, to support the development of skills in the adult social care sector and address issues related to recruitment, retention, development and wellbeing of staff.In order to attract more people to work in the sector we ran a national recruitment campaign across broadcast, digital and social media highlighting the vital work social care workers do, we are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to promote adult social care careers to jobseekers, and we have launched an online recruitment tool, Join Social Care, to simplify and fast track the recruitment process. We are continuing to offer free rapid online induction training through Skills for Care, to help induct and train redeployees, new starters, existing staff and new volunteers in social care services. Department for Education Apprentices: Disadvantaged Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that apprenticeship schemes are available to young people from lower income backgrounds. Baroness Berridge: Apprenticeships are more important than ever in helping young people, including those from lower income backgrounds, develop the skills they need following the COVID-19 outbreak.To help employers offer new apprenticeships, they can claim £2,000 for every new apprentice they hire under the age of 25 before 31 January 2021, and £1,500 for new apprentices aged 25 and over. Employers can use this funding to help meet any of the costs associated with supporting a new apprentice in the workplace, including uniforms, travel or contributing towards the cost of an apprentice’s wages.During recovery, traineeships will provide the extra support required by vulnerable young people for them to progress into an apprenticeship or other work. We are tripling the scale of traineeships, providing an additional 30,000 places in the 2020/21 academic year, to ensure that more young people have access to high-quality training. To encourage employers to create new traineeship work placements we’ve also introduced incentive payments of £1000 per learner for the 2020/21 academic year.Our Apprenticeships Support and Knowledge programme supports schools across England by providing resources to teachers to help them inform and inspire young people and introduce them to the range of apprenticeship and traineeship opportunities, particularly in disadvantaged areas and among under-represented groups. Free School Meals: Disadvantaged Lord Storey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto providefree school mealsduring school holidays for vulnerable childrenwho attend school in local authority areas where such meals are not provided. Baroness Berridge: Free school meal provision has supported children to access a healthy, nutritious meal to learn, concentrate and achieve while they are at school, for more than a century. It is ingrained in the fabric of everyday school life. Now that our schools are fully open, this support has returned as intended.We recognise the current challenges that families face and, building on the significant support given to the most vulnerable during the COVID-19 outbreak, we have announced a new £170 million Covid Winter Grant Scheme, which will be run by councils in England.The funding will be ring-fenced, with at least 80% earmarked to support with food and bills, and it will cover the period to the end of March 2021. Local authorities will receive the funding at the beginning of December 2020.It will allow councils to directly help the hardest-hit families and individuals, as well as provide food for children who need it over the holidays. Local councils understand which groups need support, and are best placed to ensure appropriate holiday support is provided, which is why they will distribute the funds, rather than schools, who will continue providing meals for disadvantaged children during term-time.In addition to this scheme, we will also be expanding the Holiday Activities and Food programme across England next year, which has provided healthy food and enriching activities to disadvantaged children since 2018. It will cover Easter, summer and Christmas in 2021, and will cost up to £220 million. It will be available to children in every local authority in England and will build on previous programmes, including this summer’s programme, which supported around 50,000 children across 17 local authorities. The Senior Deputy Speaker House of Lords: Coronavirus Lord Greaves: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what consideration the House of Lords Commission has given to the operation of the House in the event of (1) London entering Tier 3 of the COVID-19 restrictions, and (2) a 'circuit-breaker' lockdown across England lasting two or more weeks to address the pandemic. Lord McFall of Alcluith: The House of Lords Commission met on Monday 2 November to consider the implications of the restrictions announced by the Prime Minister on 31 October. On Tuesday 3 November the Lord Speaker, together with the other members of the Commission, wrote to all members of the House to set out the decisions taken at that meeting. Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Aviation: Air Pollution Lord Pendry: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the State of Global Air Report 2020, published by the Health Effects Institutein October,in particular its finding thatair pollution contributed to nearly 500,000 deaths among infants in their first month of life in 2019. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: We welcome the Health Effects Institute's 'State of Global Air' report highlighting the issue of air quality and its impact on health. The World Health Organization estimates that household air pollution from cooking with traditional solid fuels contributes to 3-4 million premature deaths every year, which is more than malaria and tuberculosis combined. Research has also shown that indoor air pollution exacerbates the impact of respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19.Women and children, particularly those in low- and middle-income countries, are disproportionally affected by indoor air pollution. The Government has made a commitment to end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children in the developing world by 2030. This includes delivering quality essential health services and promoting healthier lives and environments.Our International Climate Finance includes up to £1 billion for the Ayrton Fund, which includes support for research, development and demonstration of new clean energy technologies with the potential to improve air quality, health outcomes, and reduce carbon emissions in developing countries. The £38 million FCDO-funded Modern Energy Cooking Services research programme is working towards universal access to clean and affordable cooking technologies. Such technologies have the potential to displace harmful cooking practices used by almost 3 billion people in the developing world, helping to eliminate indoor air pollution and the preventable deaths it causes. Balkans: Training The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatcontribution, if any, they have made to skills training for young people in the Western Balkans in response to continuing youth migration. Baroness Sugg: Through the Conflict, Stability and Security Fund, the Government is spending over £10m over three years on the projects that provide skills training for young people in the Western Balkans. This includes the "21st Century Schools" project which delivers digital skills, critical thinking and problem solving training for up to 1 million young people across all six Western Balkan countries to provide them with better opportunities for employment in the region in the future.In North Macedonia, one project provides training to young people in digital skills and another is providing skills training in the textiles and construction industries. Another project in Kosovo, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina delivers journalism training and internships in media outlets to young people. 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 is the breakdown of their financial contribution to the work of the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (1) by recipient, and (2) by purpose. Baroness Sugg: The UK has contributed a total of up to £813 million to the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator. This includes up to £250 million of UK Aid to the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), an organisation that is supporting the development and manufacturing scale-up of promising COVID-19 vaccines for global use. The UK has committed up to £548 million for the COVAX Advance Market Commitment, which will support access to COVID-19 vaccines for 92 developing countries by contributing to the supply of 1 billion doses in 2021 (subject to vaccines successfully securing stringent regulatory approvals). The UK has also committed £71 million of non-ODA funds to participate in the COVAX Facility for self-financing countries to secure options to vaccines for UK domestic use.Up to £40 million has been contributed to the COVID-19 Therapeutics Accelerator to support the rapid development of, and access to, treatments for COVID-19. Up to £23 million has been committed to the Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics (FIND) to drive innovation in the development and delivery of tests to combat major diseases affecting the poorest populations, including COVID-19. EU Enlargement The Earl of Sandwich: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any EU plans for future enlargement. Baroness Sugg: The European Union adopted new methodology on Enlargement in February 2020, designed to offer incentives for progress and to create disincentives for backsliding on the key reforms candidate countries are required to implement. As and when candidate countries meet the requirements set by the EU for accession, it will be for EU members at the time to decide whether to grant membership. Ministry of Defence AWE Lord Walney: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Goldie on 2 November (HLWS537), what assessment they have made of the impact of the decision for AWE plc to "become an Arms-Length Body wholly owned by the MOD" on the timetable for their commitment to nuclear warhead renewal. Baroness Goldie: The change in the Atomic Weapons Establishment operating model will enhance the Ministry of Defence's (MOD) agility to manage the UK's nuclear deterrent and improve the delivery of core defence objectives, including the replacement warhead.The change will also enable the MOD to invest in the development of the workforce, infrastructure and capabilities needed for the replacement warhead programme. I am withholding further information on the replacement warhead timetable for the purposes of safeguarding national security. Department for Work and Pensions Industrial Health and Safety: Coronavirus Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many spot checks and inspections of employer premises have been conducted by the Health and Safety Executive to ensure that they are COVID-19 secure in each of the past six months for which figures are available. Baroness Stedman-Scott: From the 1st May 2020 to 27th October 2020, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has conducted 34310 spot checks and inspections of employer premises to ensure they are COVID-19 secure. Table 1 - Breakdown of spot checks and inspections by month: Calendar Month - 2020Spot checks and inspections May89June2072July4513August5916September89601st – 27th October12760Total34310 Note: The data is taken from HSE’s live operational database. It represents the picture as at 27th October 2020 and is subject to change, e.g. as inspection data is uploaded. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Low Pay: Rural Areas Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they haveto address (1) low pay among those living in rural areas, and (2) the gap in average earnings between those living in rural and urban areas. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: There is no gap in median earnings between those living in rural and urban areas. Indeed, on a residence basis, in 2019 median gross annual earnings of £24,300 in predominantly rural areas were on a par with those in predominantly urban areas excluding London, which were £24,200.Government policy is based on economic prosperity and helping people out of poverty wherever they live. The National Living Wage was increased by 6.2% to £8.72 per hour from 1 April 2020, above inflation and average earnings. Rates for younger workers were also increased. These increases were estimated to raise the pay of over 2 million workers across the UK.Universal Credit promotes work as an effective route out of poverty. The Government has made significant investment to improve Universal Credit through the reduction in the taper rate from 65% to 63% in 2017, and an extra £1.7 billion a year put into Work Allowances by 2023/24, increasing them by £1,000 a year for working parents and disabled claimants from April 2019. This has put an extra £630 a year in the pockets of 2.4 million of the lowest paid households. Japanese Knotweed Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to advance the use of biological control of Japanese knotweed. Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We continue to work closely with the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) on researching and developing biological control methods for Japanese knotweed. Following extensive trials, we approved the release of the psyllid – Aphalara itadori in England to tackle Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia japonica). We are also funding research into the fungal leaf-spot Mycosphaerella polygoni-cuspidatii, which has potential as a mycoherbicide for Japanese Knotweed. Forests Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to fund natural forest regeneration (1) to replace conifer plantations, and (2) for currently non-forested sites. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Countryside Stewardship Woodland Improvement Grant and the HS2 Woodland Fund currently provide support for the natural regeneration of native species on plantations, including conifer plantations, on ancient woodland sites. Our recent consultation on the England Tree Strategy referred to making more use of natural regeneration as part of our approach to diversifying our treescapes and woodlands and to harnessing the power of natural processes such as natural colonisation to establish woodlands where appropriate. We will be considering the responses received during the consultation in due course. In parallel, we are considering how the Nature for Climate Fund might support natural colonisation. Batteries: Waste Disposal Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the number and percentage of total batteries that are discarded into general waste each year, and (2) how many fires are caused in waste disposal facilities each year by discarded batteries; what assessment they have made of the level of environmental contamination caused by discarded batteries; and what plans they have to reduce any such contamination. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Government has not made an estimate of the number of batteries that are discarded into general waste each year. Nor do we hold information on the number of fires in waste disposal facilities caused by discarded batteries.A UK-wide producer responsibility scheme is in place for batteries, placing certain responsibilities on producers for their goods, including at end-of-life.As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy, published in December 2018, we committed to review the four existing producer responsibility schemes, including the requirements applying to batteries. That review is underway. and will consider the arrangements applying to the disposal and treatment of waste portable batteries Similarly, the arrangements applying to the disposal and treatment of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) are also under review, with such equipment often containing batteries. Water: Standards Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps (1) they, and (2) the Environment Agency, are taking to ensure that surface water bodies in England meet a ‘good’ standard under the Water Framework Directive. Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Environment Agency (EA) and Defra work together closely on addressing the pressures that prevent water bodies in England from meeting 'good' status.Through regulation, enforcement, financial incentives and educational schemes, we are improving poor farming practices which lead to water pollution. We are also working with water companies to tackle head-on, sewage discharge from storm overflows. A new Taskforce has been set up between Defra, the EA, Ofwat and water companies which will meet regularly and set out clear proposals to reduce the frequency and volumes of sewage discharges.In 2019 the EA issued, monitored and enforced 4,263 water quality permits, protecting water quality. In the last five years the EA has undertaken 44 prosecutions against water companies, securing fines of £34 million. Since 2008 the EA made changes to over 300 abstraction licences that have returned 47 billion litres of water a year to the environment, improving river levels and flows.Water improvement is also supported by significant funding from water companies, required in their statutory duties. In the current Price Review period (2020-25) they have committed £4.6 billion towards environmental improvements. Home Office Interpol Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of any misuse of Interpol procedures for political purposes by member countries. Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the misuse of Interpol procedures for political purposes on the exposure of wrongdoing. Lord Wills: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessmentthey have made of the number of member states who have sought to misuse Interpol procedures for political purposes. Baroness Williams of Trafford: Interpol is a crucial organisation for the UK enabling police to police cooperation between 194 member countries.Any misuse of Interpol is taken very seriously by the government. The Home Office continues to work with Interpol and the National Crime Agency (NCA), which acts as the UK’s National Central Bureau for Interpol, on this matter and strongly supports Interpol’s efforts to ensure systems are in place that protect individuals’ human rights.Article 3 of Interpol’s Constitution forbids the organisation from undertaking any intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character. Immigration: Hong Kong Lord Green of Deddington: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the new arrangements coming into force in January 2021, citizens of Hong Kong who are not British National (Overseas) passport holders will need to obtain a visa (1) in advance of arrival to enter the UK, or (2) at the port of entry. Baroness Williams of Trafford: The bespoke new Hong Kong British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) Visa route recognises our historic and moral commitment to BN(O) citizens in Hong Kong, giving them the option to live in the UK if they decide that is an appropriate choice for them.Consistent with the wider Immigration Rules, individuals in Hong Kong who do not hold BN(O) status or who are not dependents from the same household as a BN(O) will be able to apply under the new Points-Based System to come to live, work or study in the UK, provided they meet the necessary requirements. Those wishing to come to the UK under the new Points-Based-System will need to apply for a visa in advance of travel.As with BN(O)s, citizens of Hong Kong are able to travel to the UK visa free for visit purposes for up to six months. Undocumented Migrants: English Channel Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government, following the deaths in the English Channel on 27 October, what plans they have to urgently arrange a safe legal route for refugees to enter the United Kingdom. Baroness Williams of Trafford: This week’s tragic event highlights the danger to life from channel crossings and the need to stop callous criminals exploiting vulnerable people.Safe and legal routes are a core part of our proposed reforms to the asylum system to ensure it is both firm and fair. As Baroness Williams has previously made clear in Lords, as an integral part of that work the Government will conduct a review of safe and legal routes to the UK for asylum seekers, refugees and their families. This government intends to bring forward legislation next year that will deliver some of our much-needed reforms.The UK already provides safe and legal routes for people to join family members in the UK through existing Immigration Rules and have a proud record of providing safety to those who need it through our world-leading resettlement schemes. Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Internet: Children Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the filters adopted by mobile network operators based on British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) guidelines, and regulated by the BBFC, could be supported and promoted as a best practice solution to protect children from adult content online. Baroness Barran: Protecting children is at the heart of our online harms agenda, and wider government priorities. The government has worked hard to ensure content is filtered in public places where children are likely to be, as well as at home.The BBFC provides an independent framework for mobile network operators and defines content that is unsuitable for customers under the age of 18 based on their Classification Guidelines for film and video. Like current device level filters, and the filters used by every school in the country, filter software is provided to Internet Service Providers by well-established web filtering companies. There are no plans to require other providers of family friendly filters to use the BBFC’s framework.Our forthcoming online harms proposals will deliver a higher level of protection for children than for the typical adult user. We expect companies to use a proportionate range of tools, including age assurance and age verification technologies, to prevent children accessing age-inappropriate adult content and to protect them from other harms. Performing Arts and Theatres: Coronavirus Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government when theyestimate that stage 5 of their plan to re-open live performance venues will begin. Baroness Barran: From Thursday 5 November until Wednesday 2 December, new national restrictions will be in force in England to control the spread of coronavirus. During this period, performing arts venues can continue to operate under Stages 1 and 2 of the performing arts roadmap. This means performing arts professionals may continue to rehearse and train, and perform for broadcast or recording purposes. Other than for this purpose, theatres, concert halls and entertainment venues must close.We have consistently stated that further reopening would be dependent on the public health context at the time. We will continue to work with the sector and have convened a Venues Steering Group which includes representatives from leading sector organisations as well as Public Health England and other experts to develop an action plan for maximising activity under Stages 3 and 4 when it is permitted and for how we safely proceed to stage 5.DCMS will continue to work with the sector to establish an appropriate pilot process for testing the return to stage 5 activity when appropriate. We are committed to exploring new technologies to minimise these risks, which is why in parallel the government is exploring innovative ways to keep these sectors open. Women and Equalities Women's Business Council Baroness Mone: To ask Her Majesty's Government when an update report from the Women's Business Council will be published; and whether the work of the Council will address issues regarding female entrepreneurship in addition to its work on the gender pay gap. Baroness Berridge: During the Coronavirus pandemic, the work of the Women’s Business Council, has been paused. This was to enable the Government to focus on managing the crisis. In light of these exceptional circumstances, there are no plans for an annual report from the Council in 2020.As the Government now moves to introduce a raft of business recovery measures, I have been speaking to a wide range of individuals, including female entrepreneurs and the Chair of the Women’s Business Council. I have been keen to get their insight into, and their support on, how best to improve opportunities for women in the world of work, as well as how to stimulate increased female entrepreneurship right across the country. Unlocking women’s potential is a key priority following the impact of the Covid-19 crisis and I remain committed to helping more women to start and expand their own businesses. Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities Lord Blunkett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure diversity in the membership of their cross-Government commission to examine racial inequality, including in relation to (1) geographic, and (2) ethnic, origin. Baroness Berridge: The Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities was established by the Prime Minister in July of this year and is comprised of ten talented and diverse commissioners, outlined below, who each bring a wealth of experience from across a range of important sectors and will set a positive agenda for change.Its work will continue to be inclusive, undertaking research and inviting submissions from those who wish to provide evidence. The Commission will shortly be setting out a public call for evidence, details of which will be announced in due course.Dr Tony Sewell CBE (Chair), Head of charity Generating GeniusDr Maggie Aderin-Pocock MBE, Space Scientist and Educator. Experienced broadcaster including co-presenter of BBC’s ‘The Sky at Night’Keith Fraser, Chair of the Youth Justice Board for England and Wales and former police superintendentDr Samir Shah CBE, CEO of Juniper TV, former BBC journalist and former chair of the race relations think tank, The Runnymede TrustLord Ajay Kakkar, Professor of Surgery at University College London, Director of the Thrombosis Research Institute, chair of the Judicial Appointments Commission, chair of the King’s FundDr Dambisa Moyo, internationally renowned economist and author, board member of Chevron Corporation and the 3M CompanyMartyn Oliver, Chief Executive Officer of Outwood Grange Academies Trust, one of the largest multi-academy trusts operating in the North and MidlandsNaureen Khalid, experienced school governor and co-founder of the dedicated online national school governor forum, UkGovChatAftab Chughtai MBE, Businessman, co-founder of the campaign group Muslims for Britain, member of the Grenfell Tower Taskforce and Chair of West Midlands Police Independent Advisory GroupMercy Muroki, Senior Policy Researcher, Commentator, and Columnist.

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lordswrans2020-11-11