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4 Jun 2009 : Column 626W—continued


Postcode NE 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Under 26

3

7

1

4

1

26 to 31

2

2

32 to 36

1

1

2

37 to 41

2

1

1

Over 41

1

4

3

1

Overall total

6

10

7

10

4


Postcode TD 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Under 26

26 to 31

32 to 36

37 to 41

Over 41

1

Overall total

0

0

0

1

0



4 Jun 2009 : Column 627W
Postcode TS 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

Under 26

3

2

26 to 31

32 to 36

37 to 41

1

1

Over 41

1

1

Overall total

4

3

0

1

1


The figures for 2009 are provided up until 31 May.

Somalia: Piracy

Mr. Hague: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2009, Official Report, column 1159W, on Somalia: piracy, whether all of the 45 individuals captured by Royal Navy forces were Somali nationals; and if he will make a statement. [273046]

Mr. Bob Ainsworth: The eight suspected pirates who were detained on 11 November 2008 and were subsequently transferred to the Kenyan authorities were Somali nationals.

We believe that the remaining 37 suspects, who have been questioned but not detained by Royal Naval personnel, were also Somali nationals. However, we cannot be sure that they were all Somali nationals as we are almost wholly reliant on their own statements to determine their nationality.

Trident Submarines

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the expenditure of £100 million to design a new missile compartment for the Vanguard replacement submarine announced in 2009 was included in the cost figures for the new submarine provided in the 2006 Defence White Paper. [277759]

Mr. Quentin Davies: The provision necessary to deliver the common missile compartment design requirement was included within the £11-14 billion estimate for the submarines contained in the 2006 White Paper (Cm 6994).

Duchy of Lancaster

Death: Epilepsy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster how many people (a) in total and (b) under the age of 25 have died with epilepsy being recorded as a contributing factor to the death in each of the last five years. [278133]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated June 2009:


4 Jun 2009 : Column 628W
Table 1. Number of deaths where epilepsy( 1) was mentioned on the death certificate, England and Wales( 2) , 2003-2007( 3)
Deaths (persons)
Year All ages Under 25

2003

2,277

195

2004

2,100

179

2005

2,269

192

2006

2,251

194

2007

2,240

175

(1) Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes G40-G41. Deaths are included where epilepsy was recorded as the underlying cause of death or mentioned anywhere else on the death certificate.
(2) Figures for England and Wales include deaths of non-residents.
(3) Figures are for deaths registered in each calendar year.

Departmental ICT

Nadine Dorries: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what steps his Department is taking to increase the effectiveness of the use of information communications technology in (a) the Cabinet Office, (b) 10 Downing Street and (c) the civil service. [271089]

Mr. Byrne: The Department is improving the effectiveness of its use of information communications technology (ICT) by leading and participating in the Public Sector Flex framework. Public Sector Flex is an ICT shared service for the public sector offering a core desktop computing environment and a comprehensive range of additional ICT services. It will provide economies of scale and significant cost reductions, but with clear service quality standards.

The Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of Cabinet Office and therefore follows its guidelines and policies in the use of ICT.

The Government's strategy for increasing the effectiveness of its use of technology more widely in the civil service is set out in “Transformational Government—Enabled by Technology” (Cm. 6683). The latest Annual Report is available at:

and is available in the Libraries of the House.

Honours: Arts

Mr. Soames: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster who the Chair of the Arts and Media Honours Committee is; on what date the appointment was made; and for how long a term. [273105]

Mr. Byrne [holding answer 6 May 2009]: The Chair of the Arts and Media Honours Committee is Lord Stevenson of Coddenham.

He was appointed in line with the recruitment process set out in the Government's White Paper ‘Reform of the Honours System’ (Cm 6479), which was a response to the Public Administration Select Committee's July 2004 Report ‘A Matter of Honour: Reforming the Honours System’ (HC212-I), and Sir Hayden Phillips' report on his review of the honours system.

The post of the Chair of the Arts and Media Honours Committee was advertised in the Sunday Times on 9 March 2008 and on the Public Appointments Unit's website. Lord Stevenson's application was considered by an interview panel which drew up a shortlist of candidates who were interviewed.


4 Jun 2009 : Column 629W

Lord Stevenson was appointed on 18 June 2008. The position is unpaid. The normal term of appointment is three years.

Minimum Wage: Darlington

Mr. Milburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what estimate he has made of the number of people in Darlington constituency whose income rose following the introduction of the national minimum wage. [275750]

Kevin Brennan: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Karen Dunnell:

Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform

Consumer Credit: Licensing

John Penrose: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what recent discussions he has had with the Office of Fair Trading on renewal of consumer credit licences. [277507]

Mr. Thomas: The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is responsible for the licensing of businesses who offer credit services. The Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform maintains a continuous dialogue with the OFT regarding all aspects of its regulatory business.

Economic and Monetary Union

Mr. Hayes: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform what activities have been undertaken by his Department's Euro Minister in that capacity. [277164]

Mr. Thomas: Euro Ministers are responsible for euro preparations in their department and attend Euro Ministers Steering Group meetings. Meetings are held only when necessary to discuss practical preparations to ensure a smooth changeover.


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