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16 May 2007 : Column 752W—continued
Northern Ireland
Departments: Buildings
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many buildings are owned by his Department; and what the value is of each. [135042]
Mr. Hain: The Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBs, owns 29 buildings. The following table lists the buildings and their values.
| Building | Value as at 1 April 2007 (£) |
Dogs: Theft
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many dogs were reported stolen in each police district command unit area in Northern Ireland in (a) each of the past 12 months and (b) each of the previous three years, broken down by breed; how many of the dogs were recovered; how many people have been prosecuted for this crime over the same period; and what sentence was imposed in each case where no legal proceedings are outstanding. [136805]
Paul Goggins: The PSNI have advised that this information is not available in the form requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prime Minister
Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud
Dr. Cable: To ask the Prime Minister when (a) he has and (b) his officials have met (i) Prince Bandar bin Sultan bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud since 1 January 2006; and if he will make a statement. [136899]
The Prime Minister: It is not the practice of the Government to make public details of all discussions with foreign Governments.
Trade and Industry
Measures: EC Action
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans he has to legislate to remove restrictions on the use of imperial measures; and whether he will issue revised guidance on prosecution to trading standards officers following the implementation of the revised policy outlined in the EU Trade and Industry Commissioner's recent statement on weights and measures. [137414]
Malcolm Wicks: The Government have no such plans. Supplementary indications in non-metric units are currently permitted under section 8 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985. The European Commission has outlined its intention to propose the continued authorisation of such indications for an indefinite period beyond 2009.
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether following the implementation of the revised policy outlined in the EU Trade and Industry Commissioner's recent statement on weights and measures it will become legal to sell (a) loose bananas by the pound, (b) timber in feet and inches, (c) fabric in yards, (d) beer in pints and (e) petrol in gallons in the UK. [137415]
Malcolm Wicks: The European Commission has indicated it will propose an extension of the authorisation to use supplementary indications without further time limit beyond 2009. This will allow the present position of dual labelling in both metric and non-metric units to continue indefinitely. No changes are proposed to the primary units of measurement currently authorised for each of the purposes listed above.
Post Offices
Mr. Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 22 February 2007, Official Report, column 894W, on post offices, on what date his Department will (a) complete its analysis of responses to the Post Office network consultation and (b) publish its response to the consultation. [137426]
Jim Fitzpatrick: The Government have given consideration to the responses to the Post Office network consultation and expect to publish their response shortly.
Culture, Media and Sport
Cultural Heritage
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to implement the policy in the Heritage Protection for the 21st Century White Paper to clarify and strengthen protections for World Heritage Sites; and if she will make a statement. [137488]
Mr. Lammy: DCMS is working with the Department for Communities and Local Government to prepare a joint planning circular which will provide updated policy guidance on the level of protection and management required for World Heritage Sites as announced in the White Paper Heritage Protection for the 21st Century.
We also intend to consult on a draft amendment to the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 to include World Heritage Sites as Article 1(5) land, thereby putting World Heritage Sites on the same footing as other protected areas such as conservation areas, National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, where permitted development rights are more restricted.
We plan to issue these proposals for consultation in Summer 2007.
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps her Department is taking to comply with the recommendations of UNESCO's Mission to London on the protection of World Heritage sites. [137489]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has worked closely with key stakeholders with an interest in both Westminster and the Tower of London World Heritage Sites to respond to the findings of the World Heritage Centre/ICOMOS mission to London. A full report will be made to the World Heritage Committee ahead of their meeting on 23 June.
Mr. Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions her Department has held with the Greater London Authority on its policy on (a) the development of tall buildings in London and (b) the impact of such buildings on areas in London with World Heritage Site status. [137490]
Mr. Lammy: My Department has had continuing discussions with all the stakeholders on the impact of development on the Westminster and Tower of London World Heritage Sites, including the Greater London Authority.
Mayoral policy on tall buildings is set out in the London Plan which was published in February 2004. There are no proposals to change this policy in the Further Alterations to the London Plan which are currently under consideration. The Mayor is aiming to publish the London View Management Framework shortly. This document will set out his detailed approach to consideration of development that may impact on a number of London’s key views including World Heritage sites.
Departments: Manpower
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many staff funded by the public purse in her Department are classified as people without posts. [137669]
Mr. Lammy: In the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, there are no staff funded by the public purse who are classified as people without posts.
Licensing Laws
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when she expects to publish the results of the review of the guidance related to the Licensing Act 2003. [136900]
Mr. Woodward: The public consultation on draft revised Guidance closed on 11 April this year. We intend to issue the final revised Guidance in June.
Queen Elizabeth II: Anniversaries
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans the Government have to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012. [137506]
Mr. Lammy: Currently, there are no plans to celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee in 2012.
Television: Telephone Services
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many complaints she has received regarding television quizzes on Channel 5. [136599]
Mr. Woodward: The Department has received no complaints regarding television quizzes specifically on Channel 5. We have received 25 representations about premium rate telephone competitions covering all television channels. Formal complaints are a matter for the independent regulators, Ofcom and ICSTIS.
Treasury
Departments: Ministerial Responsibilities
Gregory Barker: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how much time he expects to spend exercising his ministerial functions between 10 May and 27 June; [137563]
(2) if he will list his public engagements for the next seven weeks. [137564]
John Healey: As ever, the Chancellor will continue to exercise his duties in full.
Exports: Defence
Harry Cohen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what powers are available to enforce (a) UN and (b) EU sanctions on export of goods with military applications to Sudan; what reports he has received of the export of such goods by (i) Dallex Trade and (ii) Land Rover to Sudan; and if he will make a statement. [136815]
John Healey:
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is the enforcement authority for export licensing controls on military goods. An exporter attempting to export military goods from the UK to any destination without a valid export licence is committing an offence under Section 68 of the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 1979. The provisions of CEMA provide HMRC officers with wide ranging enforcement powers
to investigate offences and to seize unlicensed goods. Should an investigation reveal sufficient evidence of an offence then the case will be referred to the Revenue and Customs Prosecutions Office (RCPO). The RCPO will then consider whether to commence criminal proceedings.
EU and UN arms embargoes prohibit the export of military goods to Sudan. Military goods are defined as all goods listed in Part 1 of Schedule 1 to the Export of Goods, Transfer of Technology and Provision of Technical Assistance (Control) Order 2003. Non-military goods which may have a military application are not subject to export licensing controls and therefore HMRC enforcement powers do not apply.
Section 18 of the Commissioners for Revenue and Customs Act 2005 provides that HMRC may not disclose information held in connection with a function of HMRC unless there is lawful authority. HMRC is therefore unable to disclose information in relation to specific campaigns.
General Registry Office for England and Wales: IT
Mr. Spellar: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the operation of the IT system at the General Registry Office for England and Wales; and if he will make a statement. [137126]
John Healey: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Registrar General, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 May 2007:
As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what assessment has been made of the operation of the IT system at the General Registry Office for England and Wales. (137126)
A number of IT systems are operating at the General Register Office (GRO), the most recent of which was introduced in March 2007 to enable the registration of births, deaths and stillbirths in local registration offices. Despite extensive testing and piloting, the new system encountered difficulties when implemented country-wide, although in some areas it has worked well. Local authorities have therefore been given the option of using the new system or reverting to the previous system, which remains available.
The public will be able to register events as normal in all areas. The new system is currently in use in just over half of the registration districts in England and Wales. It will be reintroduced in other areas as soon as possible but subject to further stringent testing to ensure it will work as intended.
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