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12 Oct 2006 : Column 840W—continued
European Union
Mr. Brady:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her statement in Prospects for the EU in 2006, that reducing regulatory burdens was a key priority for the UK presidency, by how much the regulatory burden of EU legislation on UK business was reduced (a) during the
UK presidency and (b) as a result of decisions made during the UK presidency; and if she will make a statement. [89818]
Mr. Hoon: The main objective of our presidency was to begin turning the commitments to better regulation made by key players, particularly the Commission, into concrete outcomes. In the main, we were successful and achievements included political agreement on the chemicals regulation (REACH) and a first reading deal with the Parliament on the capital requirements directive, which were both based on significant impact assessment work.
The impact assessment on the air quality thematic strategy resulted in significant improvements in the information that was available to inform decision making, enabling the Commission to decide between a range of options in the light of their costs and benefits. We have chosen an approach that will improve air quality significantly and will make a potential saving of over €10 billion per year compared to the original proposal.
During the UK presidency the Commission announced its intention to withdraw 68 pending legislative proposals that did not reflect the principles of better regulation. The Commission also issued a Communication setting out ambitious plans to simplify existing legislation. This is a rolling programme with over 100 specific proposals, affecting 1,400 legal acts. It also identifies priority sectors in which we should be able to make rapid progress in tackling unnecessary regulation. The initial focus is on the automotive, waste and construction sectors. The Commission also published a Communication with ideas on simplifying the common agricultural policy.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to her statement in Prospects for the EU in 2006, on better regulation, what progress has been made in reducing the regulatory burden on UK business over the past 12 months through better EU regulation; what progress has been made on the simplification of EU legislation; and if she will make a statement. [89838]
Mr. Hoon: In June, the European Council called for targets to reduce administrative burdens on Europe’s businesses in spring 2007. We expect the European Commission to announce a target for burden reduction in the spring. Vice-President Verheugen, who has responsibility for enterprise and industry, has expressed a strong desire for this burden reduction target to be set at 25 per cent.
In October 2005, the Commission announced an ambitious rolling simplification programme listing 220 basic legislative acts to be reviewed over the next three years. We want to see faster progress in delivering against this programme and the UK is working with other member states and EU institutions to agree a process to fast-track simplification proposals. We are also putting forward proposals for further simplification.
Lebanon
Mr. Jim Cunningham:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate
her Department has made of Lebanese civilian casualties in the current conflict. [87145]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 July 2006]: The UN estimates that 1,187 people were killed, and 4,398 injured in Lebanon.
Middle East
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions her Department has had with Syria regarding the Israeli-Lebanese conflict. [87143]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 25 July 2006]: I apologise that my hon. Friend did not receive a reply to this question before Parliament went into recess in July. Ministers have had no recent contact with their Syrian counterparts. However, we do have contact with Syria through our respective embassies. Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have discussed the situation in the Middle East with Syrian officials during the crisis in Lebanon.
Muslims of Europe Conference
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which individuals received her Department's funding in respect of their attendance at the Muslims of Europe Conference; and how much each person received. [92990]
Dr. Howells: Ministers approved Foreign and Commonwealth Office funding for the Muslims of Europe conference, which was organised by a steering group of European Muslims. The steering group invited a wide range of senior Muslim scholars and civil society representatives. A full participant list is available on the following website: www.muslims ofeurope.com.
FCO support for the conference included payment of flight, food and accommodation costs for all participants.
North Korea
Mr. Dai Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions she has had with the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organisation in respect of the testing of a nuclear device by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea on 9 October. [93165]
Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not been in discussions with the CTBTO in respect of North Korea’s testing of a nuclear device. However, officials are in close touch with the CTBTO. We support the statements issued on 9 October by the chair and executive secretary of the preparatory commission for the CTBTO condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea’s announcement that it had conducted a nuclear test and calling on the DPRK to sign and ratify the
comprehensive test ban treaty without further delay. The full text of both statements can be found on the CTBTO website at: www.ctbto.org.
Overseas Missions
Andrew Mackinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the practice of heads of UK missions overseas to read letters or emails addressed to them by hon. Members; whether it is the practice for (a) the head of mission and (b) deputy head of mission to sign-off any replies to hon. Members; and if she will make a statement. [92786]
Margaret Beckett [holding answer 11 October 2006]: The handling of incoming correspondence at our overseas missions will vary from post to post. There are no specific instructions that heads of posts or their deputies should read and personally answer all correspondence from hon. Members.
Where a reply is called for, heads of mission or their deputies will in many cases reply to correspondence. It is sometimes more appropriate for the official dealing with a particular subject to respond, or for the incoming correspondence to be forwarded to the relevant directorate of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for answer.
UN Peacebuilding Commission
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have been held between her Department and the UN Peacebuilding Commission on (a) conflict prevention, (b) conflict resolution and (c) rebuilding. [93650]
Dr. Howells: The Organisational Committee of the Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), of which the UK is a member, held its inaugural meeting on 23 June 2006. Since then it has met on several occasions to discuss administrative and procedural issues related to the establishment of the PBC. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development anticipate that initially substantive discussions on conflict prevention, conflict resolution and rebuilding on individual post conflict situations will take place in the ‘country-specific’ meetings. The first country-specific meetings will consider Sierra Leone and Burundi and are taking place in New York on 12 and 13 October. At a later stage when the PBC is more established there will be opportunities for it to look at these issues on a thematic basis. In the meantime, we hope the UN Peacebuilding Support Office will be collating lessons learned and best practice on some of these issues over the coming year.
John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment she has made of the operation of the UN Peacebuilding Commission. [93651]
Dr. Howells:
The UN Peacebuilding Commission (PBC) has yet to begin its substantive work. Discussions so far have focused on administrative and
procedural issues. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of International Development have been working hard in New York, Burundi, Sierra Leone and within the EU to ensure the PBC is flexible, focused on priority peacebuilding issues and avoids the bureaucracy and politicisation that limits the effectiveness of some UN bodies. The provisional rules of procedure agreed by the PBC’s organisational committee in June give the commission sufficient flexibility to achieve the goals set out for it in the world summit. However, a real assessment of its workings can only be made after substantive discussions on the first country cases, Burundi and Sierra Leone, have taken place on 12 and 13 October.
United States
Mr. Hollobone: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what role was played by the British embassy in Washington in promoting legislation before the United States Congress to limit greenhouse gas emissions; and what direct contact took place with members of the United States House of Representatives and Senate and their staff. [93231]
Mr. McCartney: I have been asked to reply.
Officials from our embassy in Washington have been in regular contact with members of both houses of Congress and their staff to discuss the UK experience of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, an issue that remains under active consideration in the US.
Health
Air Ambulances
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if she will bring forward proposals to fund air ambulances; and if she will make a statement. [92984]
Ms Rosie Winterton: Air ambulances are funded by charities. Since 1 April 2002, the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances has been met by the national health service (NHS) on a continuing basis. It is for NHS trusts to decide whether they provide any additional funding to air ambulance charities.
Mr. Bone: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have been transported by air ambulance in each of the last 10 years. [92985]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information is not held centrally.
Alcohol-related Disease
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what her most recent estimate is of the cost of alcohol-related diseases to the National Health Service. [91981]
Caroline Flint:
The interim analytical report conducted by the Prime Minister's strategy unit published on 19 September 2003 to inform the alcohol harm reduction strategy published in 2004; put the cost
to the NHS of alcohol related harm at between £1.4 billion and £1.7 billion.
Susan Kramer: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what mechanism is in place to monitor how NHS primary care trusts allocate the £15 million funding for alcohol dependency projects in 2007. [91985]
Caroline Flint: The £15 million funding will be provided to primary care trusts within their overall allocation, which is distributed based on the size of the population and some key deprivation factors. It will not be separately identified within each PCTs budget and it is not appropriate for the Department to monitor exactly how this money is spent.
The Department's guidance on local programmes of improvement for alcohol treatment encourages strategic health authorities to work with their PCTs to ensure the use of these funds to improve services at a local level. PCTs have the responsibility to assess the needs of their local population and commission a range of appropriate services to meet the needs of the population within their budgets.
Breast Cancer
Anne Milton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 20 July 2006, Official Report, column 655W, on breast cancer screening, what percentage of women eligible received screening in each year. [91799]
Ms Rosie Winterton: The information requested is in the table:
| Breast screening programme: coverage (percentage)( 1) | |||
| Guildford and Waverley( 2) | Surrey( 3) | England | |
| (1) The coverage of the screening programme is the proportion of women resident who have had a test with a recorded result at least once in the previous three years. (2) Data was not available at primary care trust level until 2002-03. (3) East Surrey Health Authority and West Surrey Health Authority from 1997-98 to 2001-02, Surrey and Sussex Strategic Health Authority from 2002-03 to 2004-05 Source: Statistical bulletin - breast screening programme, England: 1997-98 to 2004-05 | |||
Breastfeeding
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps her Department is taking to promote breastfeeding; what assessment she has made of the potential effects of legislation to protect the right of a mother to breastfeed in a public place; and if she will make a statement. [93387]
Caroline Flint:
The Government are committed to the promotion of breastfeeding as the best form of
nutrition for infants. The Government continue to support breastfeeding through the National Breastfeeding Awareness Week (NBAW), a public health campaign held each year. NBAW 2007 will be held from 13-19 May 2007. In November this year, we will be introducing Healthy Start across Great Britain. Healthy Start will replace the welfare food scheme and will give mothers on qualifying benefits incentives to breastfeed as they can use vouchers on milk, fruit and vegetables rather than infant formula.
Primary care trusts (PCTs) are responsible for local breastfeeding support and the recent postnatal care guidance from National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence recommends that PCTs should use UNICEF’s Baby Friendly Initiative as a minimum standard.
Through the national infant feeding survey 2005, the Department is currently seeking women’s views on breastfeeding in public places and will consider findings from the survey, expected in late spring 2007.
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