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Roughan Castle
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much has been spent on the restoration of Roughan Bawn in County Tyrone; who has access to it; and on what basis.[HL6685]
Lord Rooker: First, I wish to clarify that the site is normally referred to as “Roughan Castle”, rather than “Roughan Bawn”, since no bawn-type enclosure walls are left standing above ground level.
Between February and June 2005, the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) spent approximately £10,700 conserving the fabric of the early 17th-century castle.
Potentially anybody has access to the site in line with the 1989 deed of guardianship, which placed it in state care. Article 20 of the Historic Monuments and Archaeological Objects (Northern Ireland) Order 1995 provides for public access to monuments under ownership or guardianship of the department. As a state-care monument, Roughan Castle has a perimeter-marking metal fence with a pedestrian gate and two information panels. There is a public right-of-way access lane and a hard standing parking area to the north of the castle. There are no fixed opening or closing hours.
Schools: Northern Ireland
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Protestant pupils at Saints and Scholars Primary School in Armagh City will transfer to secondary education at the beginning of the next school year; and how many of these Protestant pupils have selected the Armagh Secondary Integrated College as their first choice.[HL6753]
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Lord Rooker: Fifteen Protestant pupils at Saints and Scholars Integrated Primary School in Armagh City will transfer to secondary education at the beginning of the next school year. Nine of these Protestant pupils selected Armagh Integrated College as their first choice.
Somalia
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the decisions taken on Somalia at the African Union summit in Banjul, Gambia.[HL6720]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The Banjul African Union (AU) summit issued a declaration in support of the transitional federal Government and called for the lifting of the UN arms embargo on Somalia to allow a peace support operation to deploy. We welcome AU support for the transitional federal Government. It will be for the UN Security Council to judge whether and when the conditions are right to lift the arms embargo.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the international Somali contact group adds value to the efforts already being made by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development, the African Union and the United Nations towards peace and stability in Somalia; how they will seek to ensure that common objectives are pursued in these fora; and whether they will promote agreement among all concerned states on the development and territorial integrity of Somaliland.[HL6721]
Lord Triesman: We welcome the formation of the international contact group on Somalia. It provides a forum to co-ordinate international efforts to help to restore peace, security and good governance to Somalia and to deliver clear and coherent messages to the Somali parties. We want to see a stable and successful Somaliland. The contact group has not yet had a substantive discussion of the situation there, however.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s peace support mission to Somalia, in view of the opposition by the Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council.[HL6722]
Lord Triesman: We welcome the efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) to promote peace and security in Somalia. Any IGAD peace support operation would require a peace to keep and the strategic consent of the key Somali parties.
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Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have received on whether the Somali Supreme Islamic Courts Council has agreed that the transitional federal charter forms the basis for its further discussion with the leaders of the transitional federal institutions in Khartoum on 15 July.[HL6723]
Lord Triesman: At a meeting in Khartoum on22 June, the representatives of the transitional federal institutions and the Islamic Courts Union agreed to recognise each other, to a ceasefire and to pursue further talks on 15 July. The Islamic Courts Union’s position on the transitional charter remains unclear.
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
In deciding to treat the Somali transitional federal institutions as the lawful Government of Somalia, how they apply the principle of General Assembly Resolution 2625 (XXV) (Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Co-operation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations) that a sovereign state must be possessed of a government representing the whole people belonging to the territory, considering that the Somali transitional federal institutions exercise jurisdiction only over a small area in and around Baidoa.[HL6724]
Lord Triesman: The transitional federal institutions are the only internationally recognised entity in Somalia. The transitional charter envisages that they will give way to an elected government after five years. We continue to work with our international partners to support the transitional federal institutions in establishing an inclusive and representative government.
Trade Unions: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: There is no certification inspector in Northern Ireland. There is, however, a certification officer who is responsible for:
maintaining a list of trade unions and employers' associations;11 July 2006 : Column WA114
More detailed information on the role of the certification officer and the relevant legislation canbe found on the certification officer’s website at www.nicertoffice.com/contents2005.htm.
Waste: Fuel
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much it will cost to dispose of the chemicals used to clean fuel discovered in a large trailer on Tullyhappy Road outside Newry.[HL6338]
Lord Rooker: The cost to Newry and Mourne District Council to employ specialist contractors to complete this work was £6,454.
Water Supply: Consumption
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the total consumption of waterin cubic metres, including a breakdown of consumption per occupant, in the headquarters of the Environment Agency in each of the past 10 years.[HL6225]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Figures for the total consumption of water and consumption per occupant in cubic metres during 1996-2006 for the Environment Agency headquarters in Bristol are shown below:
| 1996-97 | 1997-98 | 1998-99 | 1999-2000 | 2000-01 | |
| 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | |
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Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in answering questions about water consumption, they will express figures in gallons per person rather than in cubic metres.[HL6772]
Lord Rooker: Ofwat provides the Government with water consumption figures for England and Wales via the annual report on security of supply, leakageand the efficient use of water. Household water consumption is expressed in litres per head per day.
The 2004-05 report can be accessed on the Ofwat website at www.ofwat.gov.uk/aptrix/ofwat/publish.nsf/AttachmentsByTitle/leakage_04-05.pdf/$FILE/leakage_04-05.pdf.
Water Supply: Ofwat Fines
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Where the proceeds of fines imposed for non-performance by Ofwat on a water management company go.[HL6780]
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The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The proceeds of any fines imposed by Ofwat for non-performance by water companies go to Her Majesty's Treasury.
Water Supply: Resource Management Plans
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what date each water company supplying water into domestic households complied with Section 62 of the Water Act 2003 (water resource management plans).[HL6781]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The statutory requirement under Section 62 of the Water Act 2003 for water companies to prepare and maintain water resource management plans will commence in April 2007. A consultation on the proposed water resources management plans regulations, which support the overall process for the development of plans set out in the Water Act 2003, was held between 31 January 2006 and 25 April 2006.
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