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Child Abduction
Ross Cranston: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what the return rates for the United Kingdom to and from (a) Europe and (b) the United States were under the Hague Child Abduction Convention for each of the last two years. [69817]
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Ms Rosie Winterton: The four tables show the return rates for England and Wales to and from (a) Europe and (b) the United States, for European and USA signatories to the Hague Convention:
| 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases received during the year | 88 | 96 |
| Cases outstanding at end of the year | 26 | 29 |
| Cases where return of child achieved | 40 | 38 |
| Return rate (percentage) | 64.5 | 56.7 |
| 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases received during the year | 139 | 155 |
| Cases outstanding at end of the year | 51 | 55 |
| Cases where return of child achieved | 57 | 58 |
| Return rate (percentage) | 64.8 | 58 |
| 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases received during the year | 38 | 41 |
| Cases outstanding at end of the year | 12 | 20 |
| Cases where return of child achieved | 17 | 13 |
| Return rate (percentage) | 50 | 39 |
| 2000 | 2001 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cases received during the year | 28 | 24 |
| Cases outstanding at end of the year | 11 | 11 |
| Cases where return of child achieved | 15 | 14 |
| Return rate (percentage) | 53 | 58 |
Public Guardianship Office
Mr. Evans: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many complaints have been made about the standard of service in the Public Guardianship Office in 2001. [70241]
Ms Rosie Winterton: In the financial year 2001–02, 815 complaints were made to the Public Guardianship Office about the standard of service. A further 53 complaints were made about judicial decisions, fees, the conduct of solicitors or the provision of security bonds. This was the first full year of PGO's existence.
Access to Justice Act
Mr. Kidney: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Law Society in handling complaints with reference to the reserve powers that are contained in the Access to Justice Act 1999. [70243]
Ms Rosie Winterton: We continue to have concerns about the Law Society's performance in complaints handling, particularly in relation to the quality of casework. The Lord Chancellor has therefore asked the Legal Services Ombudsman to maintain increased oversight of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors, the Law Society's complaints handling wing. He has warned that unless
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speedy and substantive improvements are made across the board, he will not hesitate to implement his reserve powers, which allow for the establishment of a Legal Services Complaints Commissioner.
PRIVY COUNCIL
Software
Brian White: To ask the President of the Council what his policy is towards using open source software; and what percentage is used in his Department. [69322]
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Mr. Robin Cook: My Department's computer software requirements are met via a Cabinet Office contract. Accordingly, I refer to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Cabinet Office on 15 July 2002, Official Report, column 84W.
Overseas Visits
Mr. Bercow: To ask the President of the Council if he will list the overseas trips on departmental business that have been undertaken in each of the last five years by officials in his Department; and what the (a) cost, (b) purpose and (c) result was in each case. [68730]
Mr. Robin Cook: The information requested is as follows:
| Country | No. of officials | Purpose of trip | Overall cost of trip(36) (£) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 2000 | Croatia | 1 | Official ministerial trip | 2,481.07 |
| September 2000 | Switzerland and Germany | 3 | Official ministerial trip | 6,697.21 |
| October 2000 | Mexico | 4 | Official ministerial trip | 16,012.17 |
| October 2000 | Netherlands | 1 | Human Resource Management seminar | 500.68 |
| January 2001 | America | 5 | Official ministerial trip | 48,387.01 |
| October 2001 | Ireland | 1 | Information already available(37) | 348.13 |
| October 2001 | Netherlands | 1 | Human Resource Management seminar | 585.43 |
(36) Includes travel, accommodation and subsistence costs.
(37) I refer the hon. Member to my reply to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie) on 10 June 2002, Official Report, column 727W.
All overseas travel by officials in my Department is undertaken in accordance with the principles set in Chapter 8 of the Civil Service Management Code, and the detailed rules and guidance set out in the Cabinet Office Management Code. Information requested prior to September 2000 was not collected, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
HEALTH
Lactose
Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the UK Medicines Control Agency will approve the issuing of new licences for medicines containing lactose. [53427]
Ms Blears: The Medicines Control Agency has approved the new licences for medicines containing lactose, and these licences will now be issued.
EU Food Supplements Directive
Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what position the UK Government have taken on the proposed EU food supplements directive, with specific reference to (a) possible banning of certain nutrients and (b) limits on the potency of others. [57960]
Ms Blears: The European Union food supplements directive has been adopted. In negotiations the Food Standards Agency (FSA), that represented the United Kingdom, argued that there should be no unnecessary restrictions on the sale of food supplements that are safe and properly labelled.
The directive includes lists of vitamins and minerals, and vitamin and mineral sources, that may be used in food supplements. The FSA secured a position enabling member states to allow continued sale of products containing additional sources for up to seven years after the directive comes into force, pending safety assessment. The Government intend to take full advantage of this flexibility when implementing the directive.
The directive lays down principles for setting maximum limits for vitamins and minerals in food supplements, but does not set specific limits. The FSA argued that limits should be based on thorough scientific risk assessments.
Breastfeeding
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the proportion of mothers who breastfeed their babies; and how this has changed in the last five years. [68037]
Ms Blears: There has been an increase in the proportion of women who initiated breastfeeding between 1995 and 2000. The results of the infant feeding survey 2000 showed that 71 per cent. of the mothers in England and Wales initiated breastfeeding compared to 68 per cent. in 1995. The increase in England and Wales was particularly marked in low-income households, where the proportion of women who initiated breastfeeding increased from 50 per cent. to 59 per cent. between 1995 and 2000.
John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support the Government provides to assist in the promotion of breastfeeding. [68038]
Ms Blears: The Government are fully committed to the promotion of breastfeeding, which is accepted as the best form of nutrition for infants. We currently have a commitment in the NHS Plan for "increased support for breastfeeding" and have identified a number of key projects. They include:
- the development and dissemination of the evidence base on good practice through 'Best Practice' projects funded under the infant feeding initiative with funding of £3 million for three years. A total of 79 'Best Practice' projects have been funded across all
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- regions. These projects were funded to enable effective communication and evaluation of current good practice, to address the barriers to breastfeeding, and thereby lead to improved breastfeeding rates among those least likely to breastfeed. This is a goal shared by all Sure Start initiatives and several health action zone programmes.
embedding messages into national health service practice and other policies through the national breastfeeding awareness week and national network of breastfeeding co-ordinators.
ensuring effective monitoring of infant feeding practices through quinquennial infant feeding surveys.
This work will be developed in the context of the forthcoming children's national service framework and will include maternity services that allow children to start their lives well and grow into healthy adults.
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