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Israel and Palestine: Gaza
Baroness Tonge asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What
representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning
the kidnapping of a civilian doctor and his brother from a house in
Gaza, the day before the Palestinian attack on a Israeli army position
when Gilad Shalit was
abducted.[HL6775]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We remain deeply concerned by the current situation in Gaza. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary raised her concerns with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and Palestinian President Abbas on6 July. We have made no representations about this particular incident.
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they
will seek an urgent meeting with the Government of Israel to discuss
the recent attacks on civilians in
Gaza.[HL6814]
Lord Triesman: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary called Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and Palestinian President Abbas on 6 July to raise her concerns about the recent situation in Gaza. Senior Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials met with the Israeli Ambassador on 4 July. Our ambassador in Tel Aviv has also remained in close contact with the Israeli Government to raise our concerns.
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they
will make representations to the Government of Israel about the
destruction of civic facilities such as power stations and university
buildings in the Gaza
strip.[HL6816]
Lord Triesman: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary raised her concerns about the current situation in Gaza with Israeli Foreign Minister Livni and Palestinian President Abbas on6 July. On 29 June, our defence attaché in Tel Aviv raised our concerns about the worsening situation in Gaza, in particular about the loss of power and water supplies with the Israel Defence Force. We have made no specific representations about the university.
Middle East
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What effect
their action and the action by United Nations partners to promote a
just peace in the Middle East will have on radicalisation of members of
ethnic minority
communities.[HL6811]
14 July 2006 : Column WA153
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The situation in Israel and the Occupied Territories is a source of genuine concern and sometimes anger for many, including British Muslims. As my right honourable friend the Prime Minister has said, there is no higher priority for the international community than progress towards peace and a viable two-state solution. But we must all do more to address the global ideology that seeks to exploit such issues as a justification for extremism and terrorism. Upholding and promoting the core values of tolerance and democratic freedoms should be our response to the tyrannical ideas expounded by extremists.
NHS: Audiology
Baroness Howe of Idlicote asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will
publish the action plan to reduce waiting times for audiology services
referred to in Tackling Hospital Waiting: The 18 week patient
pathway; and
[HL6682]
- Whether
they will monitor the possible re-routing of direct access audiology
referrals to ear, nose and throat consultants by general practitioners
anxious to expedite their patients’ treatment; and
[HL6683]
- Given
that referrals are subject to waiting time targets for assessments but
not for the fitting of digital hearing aids, how they will ensure that
audiology services do not prioritise appointments for assessment over
appointments for fitting
aids.[HL6684]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Department of Health is continuing its work with stakeholders to develop a national action plan for adult hearing services and we aim to announce the publication of the action plan in the near future.
The department estimates that 80 per cent of referrals to adult hearing services from general practitioners are direct to audiology departments. We acknowledge the risk that there may be pressure to redirect these existing direct referrals to ear, nose and throat consultants in secondary care, as this way patients would be covered by the 18-week target. The measures that are being taken to address this risk are detailed on page 31 of the publication 18 Week Patient Pathway: Delivery Resource Pack, which is available in the Library and on the department’s website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/13/46/70/04134670.pdf.
Referrals for the assessment and fitting
for digital hearing aids are not subject to waiting times targets. We
acknowledge that there are likely to be pressures in waiting times for
audiology services, which is why we are in the process of developing
the action plan.
14 July 2006 : Column WA154
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they
will issue commissioning guidance to ensure that existing levels of
investment in adult audiology services are maintained while primary
care trusts await the separate action plan promised by the Department
of
Health.[HL6839]
Lord Warner: There is, and has been, much background work undertaken to support the agreement of a national action plan for adult hearing services, and we hope to announce details about how it will be taken forward in the near future.
The action plan will need to be scoped and developed with a range of stakeholders and may include information for commissioners. Service commissioners have a responsibility for commissioning services that promote their local population’s health and well-being, including those with hearing impairments.
Nuclear Energy: Magnox
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the
proposed disposal route for Magnox fuel can splitter fins presently
stored in vaults at the Magnox sites; and what transport methods are
proposed.[HL6841]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): Magnesium oxide fuel element debris (FED), created when uranium fuel was separated from the Magnox cans in order to ship the uranium to Sellafield for reprocessing, is stored in bunkers and vaults at some Magnox sites.
For all sites other than Dungeness A in Kent, the current disposal route is to recover the material, place it into specially designed steel containers, encapsulate it in a grout/cement matrix and store the containers in engineered stores on each site until a long-term waste management facility becomes available.
At Dungeness A the FED is being recovered and the soluble magnesium oxide dissolved with carbonic acid and discharged from the site via an Environment Agency authorised discharge route. Radioactivity is retained in sludges in the processing unit, and ion exchange resins and abatement filters in the discharge line. These are disposed of along with other sludges, resins and filters that are present on the site, by encapsulation and storage until a long-term waste management facility becomes available.
Any transportation of encapsulated waste—including FED—would have to satisfy the relevant transportation regulations and requirements.
14 July 2006 : Column WA155
Police and Justice Bill: Clause 12
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How the powers
to be conferred upon police constables by Clause 12 of the Police and
Justice Bill will improve their ability to detect and prosecute theft
of passengers’ baggage and theft from items of
passengers’ baggage by those employed at airports; and what is
their estimate of the extra number of offences each year that will be
prosecuted as a
result.[HL6739]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Clause 12 of the Police and Justice Bill—“Information gathering powers: extension to domestic flights”—amends Section 32 of the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006 to enable the police to gain advance bulk access to passenger, crew and service information on air and sea journeys within the United Kingdom for certain purposes. The new power will enable the police to gain effective intelligence on the movement of known terrorist suspects and criminals and will allow them to build up a detailed picture of suspect passengers, travel patterns and networks. Improved intelligence will result in more targeted interventions and reduce the likelihood of innocent travellers being stopped. It is not intended to help the police to detect and prosecute the theft of passengers’ baggage at airports, which is more appropriate to Clause 10. Clause 10 introduces a new power for police to stop and search any person at an aerodrome, amending Part III of the Aviation Security Act 1982, to enable a police constable to stop and search, without warrant, any person, vehicle or aircraft in any area of an aerodrome where he has reasonable grounds to suspect that criminal activity has, or is about to, take place. The aim of this new power is to reduce opportunities for criminal activity at airports and, in turn, simultaneously to reduce opportunities for organised crime and terrorist activity. As such, it will extend to crimes involving the theft of and from passengers’ baggage although at this stage we have no reliable estimates of the number of prosecutions that may result.
Prisoners: Early Release
Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What measures
are in place to detain those found guilty of serious violent offences
who become eligible for early release, but show no sign of remorse for
their previous
actions.[HL6424]
Lord
Bassam of Brighton: The Criminal Justice Act 2003
created new public protection sentences aimed specifically at sexual
and violent offenders, including the sentence of imprisonment for
public protection, which is an indeterminate sentence. These sentences
ensure that dangerous sexual and violent offenders are subject to
assessment by the Parole Board before
14 July 2006 : Column WA156
The offender’s attitude to his or her offending, including any expression of remorse, will form part of the Parole Board assessment.
Prisons: Sexual Health Services
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What resources
are being made available to ensure primary care trusts are providing an
adequate sexual health service to prisoners; and
[HL6712]
- Whether
all women’s prisons offer cervical cancer screening and
contraceptive advice to women
prisoners.[HL6711]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): Primary care trusts (PCTs) now have commissioning and clinical governance responsibility for the health services provided within publicly managed prisons. Prisons and PCTs work together through managed co-ordination to ensure that the quality of healthcare delivered within prisons is comparable to that provided by the NationalHealth Service for the wider community. Resource allocations are underpinned by prison health needs assessments.
Sexual health is recognised to be an important healthcare need and therefore resources are allocated accordingly and to match the need within prisons. This process will include women’s contraception and cervical cancer screening, although information on which prisons provide these services is not held centrally.
Royal Travel
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: The grant-in-aid for royal travel may be used to pay for all official air and rail travel by members of the Royal Family. Official travel is, broadly, that undertaken for state, representational, or other royal duties, including journeys by the Queen, the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales between residences and travel when required for safety or security reasons.
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which individual
journeys undertaken by those in receipt of royal travel grant-in-aid
costbetween £2,500 and £10,000 during the year
2005-06.[HL6735]
14 July 2006 : Column WA157
Lord Davies of Oldham: Three hundred and seventy-seven journeys costing less than £10,000 were undertaken during 2005-06.
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they
have to review the Memorandum of Understanding between the Keeper of
the Privy Purse and the Secretary of State for Transport on royal
travel grant-in-aid; and whether the need for greater use of
sustainable transport will be
included.[HL6736]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Finalisation of the review of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Royal Household and the Department for Transport was deferred pending publication of Sir Peter Gershon's independent report into the provision of air travel for the Royal Family and government Ministers. This was to allow the revision to take account of any implications for royal travel. Sir Peter’s report was published on 29 June. The department and the household will now take forward work to complete revision of the memorandum.
The original memorandum did not include any reference to sustainable transport. The department and the household will consider whether the revised memorandum should establish new criteria on sustainable transport. A copy of the revised memorandum will be placed in the Library of the House.
Sudan: Darfur
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they
intend to raise with the Governments of China, Chad, Libya and Eritrea
the findings of the recent United Nations report, The Supply of
Small Arms, about the continuing sale of arms to the Darfur region
of
Sudan.[HL6787]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): There is a UN arms embargo on Darfur and an EU arms embargo on the whole of Sudan. The UK scrupulously follows both of these. There is evidence, including in the recent report prepared by the UN Panel of Experts for Sudan, that the arms embargo is being breached by all sides involved in the Darfur conflict and by others in the region.
We are aware of reports that Chinese weapons have been found in Darfur. We are actively encouraging China and other states to support work towards an arms trade treaty which would end the irresponsible trade in conventional arms.
We have had no recent discussions on arms with Chad, Libya and Eritrea. However, we continue to discuss with all the states of the region how to promote lasting peace and stability in Darfur.
14 July 2006 : Column WA158
Terrorism
Baroness Cox asked Her Majesty's Government:
- During each of
the past five years, how many terrorist attacks have been successfully
averted by the police and other security
personnel.[HL6863]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is our policy not to comment on the details of specific operations as these are operational matters for the police and the Security Service.
Water Supply: Consumption
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much water
in total and per occupant in cubic metres was consumed in the
headquarters of the Department for Communities and Local Government
since its creation; and previously in the headquarters of the Office of
the Deputy Prime Minister in each year since its
creation.[HL6569]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 and no water consumption data have yet been collated for the headquarters buildings. Data are available only for the water consumption within the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's headquarters buildings of Eland House and Ashdown House (Victoria). Consumption between May 2002 and31 March 2005 was as follows.
| Year | Consumption (cubic metres/annum) | Consumption (cubic metres/person/annum) |
| Note: Consumption per head is based on an estimate of the average number of people in occupation during the period and makes no allowance for visitors. |
Specific water target in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate was that departments should reduce water consumption in office buildings to an average of:
7.7 cubic metres person per year by 31 March 2004; and7 cubic metres per person per year for all new buildings/major refurbishments after 2002.Departments have
submitted data against the framework water targets in annual
sustainable development in government reports. The lastreport
published by the Sustainable Development Commission in December 2005,
covering the reporting period 2004-05, is available at
www.sd-commission.org.uk/watchdog. The data reported for
14 July 2006 : Column WA159
Departments have submitted data for SDIG
reports, including total volume of water used across the whole of their
estate, as well as annual staff
14 July 2006 : Column WA160
New targets have been set for the government estate—they were announced on 12 June; the targets include water consumption.
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