Written Answers to Questions
Wednesday 22 October 2008
Wales
Economic Stability and Business Growth
8. John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on economic stability and business growth in Wales. [227714]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have regular discussions with the First Minister on the economy. Working in close partnership, the UK Government and the Welsh Assembly Government are doing all we can to help Welsh businesses and households through the financial difficulties they may face.
Promoting Welsh Food
9. Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will hold discussions with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on policies to promote Welsh food in England; and if he will make a statement. [227715]
Mr. David: My right hon. Friend and I hold regular meetings with Assembly Ministers on a wide range of issues, including food promotion.
The Welsh Assembly Government already have a number of successful initiatives promoting the best of Welsh food in the UK and abroad.
2012 Olympics
10. Mrs. Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the First Minister on Wales’s contribution to the 2012 Olympics. [227716]
Mr. David: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State meets with the First Minister regularly discussing a wide range of issues, including the Olympics and Wales’ large potential contribution to its success.
Welfare Reform
11. Albert Owen: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Ministerial colleagues on co-operation between the Department for Work and Pensions and the Welsh Assembly Government on welfare reform projects in Wales. [227717]
Mr. David: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with ministerial colleagues on a range of issues including welfare reform.
There is good co-operation. Recently Welsh Assembly Government colleagues held a consultation event in Wales on welfare reform, which was supported by both the Assembly’s Deputy Skills Minister and myself.
Health Services
12. Mr. Dunne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on the use of health services in Wales by patients resident in England. [227718]
Mr. David: Wales Office Ministers have regular discussions with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on a range of issues, including health.
The Welsh Affairs Committee interim report acknowledges that cross border patient flow is both inevitable and natural if patients are to access the care they need.
All Wales Convention
13. Mr. Hain To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with Welsh Assembly Government Ministers on the All Wales Convention. [227719]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have been following the Convention's work, in discussions with Welsh Ministers and others. It has a key role in assessing public support for the transfer of full lawmaking powers, and I will be interested in seeing its conclusions.
UK Banks
14. Mr. Crabb: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what recent discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the exposure of Welsh taxpayers to the liabilities of UK banks. [227721]
Mr. Paul Murphy: I have had no such discussions. We in Wales do not stand alone in the current financial turmoil—this is a global crisis, requiring co-ordinated global action. The UK led the way in re-capitalising and strengthening the banks, and now the Europeans and Americans are following our lead. Ultimately the re-capitalisation of the banks is an investment, and the shares acquired will be sold off to the benefit of the taxpayer in the long term.
Mentally Ill Staff
Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what information his Department has gathered on the effect of its policies and practices on the recruitment, development and retention of employees with mental illnesses within his Department; and what use has been made of that information. [228552]
Mr. Paul Murphy: The Wales Office has not gathered information relating to employees with mental illnesses. Wales Office staff are recruited as existing civil servants, and their home employers (Ministry of Justice and Welsh Assembly Government) are responsible for collecting this information.
Northern Ireland
Homophobia: Crime
Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what training is provided to members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in dealing with homophobic crime cases. [228393]
Paul Goggins: That is an operational matter for the Chief Constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the hon. Member, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House and the Official Report.
Magilligan Port
Mr. Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what the security status is of Magilligan Port; and what consideration has been given to designating it an international port for security purposes; [226866]
(2) what factors were taken into account when deciding to increase the security arrangements on the local river ferry between Magilligan and Greencastle; and what consideration was made of the general security situation when taking that decision. [226946]
Jim Fitzpatrick: I have been asked to reply.
Magilligan Point ferry terminal operates an international ferry route to the Republic of Ireland. The terminal facility is therefore subject to security requirements set by the Department for Transport consistent with all port facilities in the UK servicing international ferry routes as required by European Commission Regulation No. 725/2004. Limavady borough council is responsible for implementing security at the terminal. A recent Department for Transport security inspection of the terminal highlighted some areas for improvement. In response to the Department’s observations the council has decided to implement enhanced security measures on a temporary basis to serve as a training measure for security staff at the port. The terminal will revert to standard security measures once the necessary training has been completed.
Restorative Justice
Mr. McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which restorative justice groups have been approved by the Northern Ireland Office; where those groups are located; and which groups have subsequently fulfilled all the criteria required of them. [227995]
Paul Goggins: A list of accredited community-based restorative justice schemes is maintained by the Secretary of State and is available on the NIO website. 15 schemes have been accredited under the Protocol for Community-based Restorative Justice (CBRJ) Schemes to date. They are:
East Belfast Alternatives, East Belfast;
Greater Shankill Alternatives, West Belfast;
North Belfast Alternatives, North Belfast;
North Down Alternatives, Bangor;
Northern Ireland Alternatives Central Office, West Belfast;
Community Restorative Justice Ireland (CRJI) Central Office, West Belfast;
CRJI Colin, Belfast;
CRJI Falls, Belfast;
CRJI Greater Andersonstown, Belfast;
CRJI Upper Springfield, Belfast;
CRJI Derry Head Office, Derry;
CRJI Ballymagroarty, Derry;
CRJI Brandywell, Derry;
CRJI Creggan, Derry; and
CRJI Shantallow, Derry.
All of these accredited schemes have fulfilled the stringent requirements of the CBRJ Protocol, as confirmed by the Criminal Justice Inspectorate prior to being considered for accreditation. Schemes’ fulfilment of the requirements of the protocol will continue to be monitored through the scrutiny mechanisms described in the published protocol.
Young Offenders
Mark Durkan: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what percentage of 16 to 25-year-olds in Northern Ireland who have been through the criminal justice system were not in employment, education or training in each of the last three years. [228237]
Paul Goggins: The data requested are not available. Court conviction datasets do not contain specific background information in relation to offenders’ employment, education or training.
Defence
Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence
Mr. Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make it his policy to support the NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence by signing a memorandum of understanding with the Centre; and if he will make a statement. [229147]
Mr. Bob Ainsworth: I refer the hon. Member to the answers I gave on 2 June 2008, Official Report, column 677W, to the hon. Member for Woodspring (Dr. Fox), and on 29 April 2008, Official Report, column 267W, to the hon. Member for Shipley (Philip Davies).
Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform
Broadband: Rural Areas
Mr. Greenway: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform if he will take steps to encourage a competitive broadband market in rural areas, with specific reference to North Yorkshire; and if he will make a statement. [226667]
Ian Pearson:
The Government set a target for the UK to have the most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G7 by the end of 2005. This objective was achieved with over 99 per cent. of UK households
connected to a broadband enabled exchange and around 50 per cent. also having access to broadband through the cable network.
On 17 October the Government launched a programme of work for Digital Britain. Reporting in the spring, it aims to capture the opportunities these technologies offer for every business in the UK economy and for people’s quality of life, and to advance our standing as a world leader in these industries. One strand of this work will examine how we can maximise broadband development to enhance participation and levels of service across the UK.
The regional development agency continues to help address broadband supply in both North and South Yorkshire by providing funding to both the North Yorkshire net (NYNet) and South Yorkshire Digital Region projects.
In addition, Ofcom is currently carrying out a review of the ex-ante regulation imposed on BT and KCOM in certain leased lines markets in the UK with a view to updating it to reflect the perceived changes in market conditions. They are due to publish their final statement shortly.
Departmental Public Participation
Mrs. May: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform how many citizens’ juries his Department has held since 1 July 2007; what the cost was of each; what issues were discussed at each event; and how many (a) Ministers and (b) members of the public attended each event. [227473]
Ian Pearson: The Department has not held any citizens’ juries since July 2007.
Dietary Supplements: EU Law
Sarah Teather: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what steps he is taking to promote the interests of UK manufacturers of specialist food supplements and herbal remedies within the European Union. [227891]
Dawn Primarolo: I have been asked to reply.
The interests of United Kingdom manufacturers of specialist food supplements are being represented as part of working group discussions and bilateral meetings between the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and their counterparts in other member states.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has been running an extensive programme to manage the regulatory impact of the traditional herbal registration scheme. This programme, which includes individual company meetings held free of charge to help companies progress their plans to register products, is contributing to the steady expansion in the number of applications made and registrations granted under the scheme in the United Kingdom. Where companies have acquired successful experience of the scheme, they may wish to take up opportunities to submit applications to register products in other member states of the European Union.
There are no current plans for Health Ministers to meet with the food supplements industry. The FSA meets regularly with the food supplements industry to discuss issues relating to food supplements, including the work on setting maximum levels.
We have been advised by the FSA that member states were not consulted by the European Commission before the commencement of the Commission’s impact assessment exercise in summer 2008. The FSA has met with the contractor appointed by the European Commission to carry out the work and provided details of United Kingdom stakeholders who could provide the data on the food supplements which are currently being marketed.
The FSA has not made an assessment of the options put forward in the European Commission’s impact assessment exercise and their impact on specialist manufacturers and retailers and consumer choice. An assessment of the likely impact will be made when the specific levels being proposed by the European Commission are available. These will be set out in European Commission proposals, which are currently expected in January 2009, on which the FSA will consult fully.
In advance of the Commission publishing its proposals, an ad hoc technical working group comprising a small number of member states has been established which met for the first time on 15 October 2008. A further technical working group meeting has been suggested for late November 2008 and it is envisaged that the outputs of these meetings will then be reported back to all member states at a full working group meeting, a date for which is yet to be advised.
A meeting was held on 11 April 2008 between officials from the Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man Governments and those of the FSA, MHRA and Ministry of Justice. Officials representing the Government of Jersey indicated that a major update of food safety legislation was under way in Jersey and that both the Food Supplements Directive and the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation are to be implemented as part of this exercise. Discussions at official level regarding the implementation of the legislation in Guernsey are ongoing.
The MHRA has written to the Government of Jersey to begin discussions with them on the implementation of the Medicines Directive 2001/83/EC. During 2007 and 2008, the MHRA has had written discussions and a series of meetings with the Government of Guernsey over the implementation of the Medicines Directive. The MHRA believes that Guernsey’s proposed medicines law will receive Royal Assent in the near future. The MHRA will continue to assist the Government of Guernsey in the development of the additional legislation required for implementation of the Medicines Directive.
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