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Lebanon: Hezbollah Weapon Stocks
Lord Turnberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
What efforts they have made to persuade the Governments of Syria and Iran not to replenish the stock of missiles held by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon. [HL7436]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The Government have repeatedly called on Syria and Iran not to supply arms to Hezbollah. During the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah we summoned both the Syrian and Iranian ambassadors in London to raise our concerns with them about the supply of arms. The UK also worked hard with our international partners in securing the passage of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for an embargo on all arms sales to Lebanon unless authorised by the Government of Lebanon or by the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon. The UK is now working with our international partners to implement Resolution 1701, in particular by strengthening the ability of the democratically elected Lebanese Government to exercise control throughout Lebanon and ensuring that militias, supported and supplied from outside Lebanon, can never again plunge the region into crisis.
Lord Turnberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimates they have made of the current stock of long and short range missiles held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. [HL7438]
Lord Triesman: Using a definition of a missile as a surface-to-surface rocket, we can make the following estimate. Before the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that began on 12 July, Hezbollah claimed, and Israel agreed, that Hezbollah had approximately 12,000 rockets. We have no way of independently verifying this figure, but have no reason to think it was false. During the conflict Hezbollah fired approximately 4,000 of its rockets, reducing its stockpile by about one third. We therefore broadly assess that there are about 8,000 rockets remaining in Hezbollah's arsenal. There are no estimates available on the division between short and long range rockets. However, around 90 per cent of rockets fired were short range and this ratio is possibly reflected in the remaining stockpile.
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Triesman: Before the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel that began on 12 July, Hezbollah claimed, and Israel agreed, that Hezbollah had approximately 12,000 rockets. We have no way of independently verifying this figure, but have no reason to think it was false. During the conflict Hezbollah fired approximately 4,000 of its rockets, reducing its stockpile by about one third. We therefore broadly assess that there are about 8,000 rockets remaining in Hezbollah's arsenal.
Living Wills
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will introduce a scheme for the registration of advance directives, also known as living wills. [HL7471]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): People can make a decision in advance to refuse treatment in case they lose capacity to make such decisions in the future. There are a wide range of advance decisions that people will want to make, including written and oral decisions, those made a long time before a person loses capacity and those made, for example, just before an operation takes place.
The Mental Capacity Act 2005 (MCA) sets out statutory rules governing advance decisions and introduces clear safeguards that are flexible enough to cover all these situations. A registration scheme would impose unnecessary bureaucracy on such decisions. The MCA code of practice will make clear that if an advance decision is not recorded on someone's medical record, they will need to think about what steps they will take to alert others to its existence.
Official Travel: Mr Philip Anschutz
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether Mr Philip Anschutz or any of his associates has had the use of, or travelled in, a government car; and, if so, what was the nature of each journey, including the start and end destinations.[HL7226]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government Car Service (GCS) is responsible for providing ministerial transport. No GCS car has ever been booked specifically for Mr Philip Anschutz or any of his associates. Furthermore, there is no record of Mr Anschutz or any of his associates ever travelling as passengers in any ministerial car provided by GCS.
Olympic Games 2012: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure in the implementation of the report, Benefiting from the London Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012—a strategic plan for Northern Ireland.[HL7130]
Lord Rooker: The members of the Northern Ireland Olympic Task Force have met twice and are currently working on implementing the strategy.
Palestine: Refugees
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they and other member states have increased their contributions to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees since 1 January; and, if so, by how much.[HL6680]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): Total commitments from the European Community and from EU member states to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in 2006 amount to $200.3 million. This compares with total EU commitments in 2005 of $192 million.
The Department for International Development has fully paid its 2006 contribution to UNRWA of £15 million ($27 million). This will help UNRWA to provide essential services such as education, housing and healthcare for Palestinian refugees.
Racism
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will introduce further practical measures to reduce the incidence of racism in Britain. [HL7409]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Activity to combat racism takes a number of forms, including actions against discrimination and racist crime and positive efforts to improve community cohesion.
The discrimination law review, which is currently under way, will address long-held concerns about inconsistencies in the current anti-discrimination legislative framework, including the Race Relations Act 1976, which deals with discrimination on the ground of race. It is also considering opportunities for creating a clearer and more streamlined legislative framework having due regard to better regulation principles, which will be more “user-friendly” for employers and employees, as well as the providers and consumers of services. We will also consider the report of Trevor Phillips’s equalities review, which is examining the underlying causes of inequality, which we expect to be published early next year. In addition to tackling racial discrimination, the Government are funding projects that are working with people from different communities to overcome racist attitudes and violence.
As we outline in our first annual progress report on our race equality and community cohesion strategy Improving Opportunity, Strengthening Society, we are also working to ensure that hate crime (whether race, faith or homophobic) is tackled more effectively. We are improving the local response to hate crime; increasing victims’ confidence in the criminal justice system; increasing the proportion of crimes that are brought to justice; and improving the evidence base on hate crime so that action can be taken against perpetrators.
Railways: Leeds Commuter Services
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the reasons for the withdrawal of government funding for the fourth carriage in the class 333 electric trains on the Leeds northern triangle commuter services linking Leeds and Bradford with towns in the Aire and Wharfe valleys; what is their assessment of the amount of overcrowding that will occur as a result of the removal of these vehicles; and what discussions they are holding with operators and the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Authority on this matter. [HL7428]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The funding has not been withdrawn. It has been extended to March 2007 and the department is discussing the aspirations of Northern Rail and the West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive to extend the use of carriages beyond that date.
Rally Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 4 July (WA 40) concerning Rally Ireland, what issues will be considered about the decision to release the reports on the Rally Ireland event.[HL6849]
Lord Rooker: I have nothing further to add.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the business case for the sponsorship of Rally Ireland was supplied; and when the decision to sponsor the event was taken.[HL6890]
Lord Rooker: A business case/economic appraisal for the Rally Ireland World Rally Championship bid was supplied to the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) on 14 September 2005. On 20 September 2005, DCAL made a decision to authorise the Northern Ireland Events Company (NIEC) to provide funding for Rally Ireland's 2005 pilot event.
On 4 January 2006 DCAL received a revised business case/economic appraisal for the World Rally Championship bid and on 20 January 2006 it decided in principle to approve the release of funding for Rally Ireland's 2006 pilot event, subject to the agreement of NIEC and Rally Ireland on a contract for the 2006 event.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much funding the promoters indicated they would put into the event in the business cases for Rally Ireland in 2005 and 2006.[HL7066]
Lord Rooker: No funding from the promoters was indicated in the business cases for Rally Ireland 2005 and 2006 events.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the grant funding for Rally Ireland was given on the understanding that it would be given back if the event made money in the future.[HL7067]
Lord Rooker: The grant funding for Rally Ireland was not given on the understanding that it would be given back if the event made money in the future.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of the sponsorship for Rally Ireland in (a) 2006, and (b) 2005 was spent in Northern Ireland.[HL7113]
Lord Rooker: Details of expenses for the Rally Ireland 2006 event remain to be finalised. However, Rally Ireland has been accredited World Rally Championship status in the 2007 calendar and this will bring significant economic and social benefits to Northern Ireland, due in part to the success of the 2006 event.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In connection with Rally Ireland 2006, what are the details of the payments to the marshals for accommodation, meals and gifts.[HL7114]
Lord Rooker: Details of expenses for the Rally Ireland 2006 event remain to be finalised. However, Rally Ireland has been accredited World Rally Championship status in the 2007 calendar and this will bring significant economic and social benefits to Northern Ireland, due in part to the success of the 2006 event.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much public funding was given in 2005 and 2006 to (a) the Circuit of Ireland; and (b) Rally Ireland.[HL7128]
Lord Rooker: The Northern Ireland Events Company offered the Circuit of Ireland up to £6,000 for its 2005 event and up to £70,000 for its 2006 event.
The Northern Ireland Events Company offered Rally Ireland up to £368,931.13 for its 2005 event and up to £647,953.20 for its 2006 event.
Schools: Yellow Bus System
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: We are providing £18.7 million over three years to purchase 150 dedicated buses for West Yorkshire Passenger Transport Executive’s Mybus school bus scheme. The evaluation of this scheme should be completed next year but the initial signs are that there has been some impact in reducing the number of children travelling to school by car and other non-transport benefits have also been reported.
Individual local authorities and passenger transport executives are encouraged to consider these and other dedicated school bus schemes as part of broader local transport planning and decide if they would be appropriate to their area.
The Education and Inspections Bill includes provisions to improve home-to-school transport, including enabling a small number of local authorities to propose pathfinder schemes to pilot innovative approaches to home-to-school transport which would focus on better school bus provision for more pupils and which could include trialling yellow bus schemes.
The Department for Education and Skills has policy responsibility for home-to-school transport and has published the School Travel Pathfinder Draft Prospectus and Guidance alongside the Education and Inspections Bill. This includes details of the criteria that the Secretary of State for Education and Skills will apply in deciding which schemes to approve (www.teachernet.gov.uk/docbank/index.cfm?id=9800).
Taxation: Corporation Tax
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Following the decision on 12 September by the European Court of Justice in the case brought by Cadbury Schweppes plc, what is their estimate of (a) the amount of corporation tax in respect of years up to and including 2005-06 that will not now be payable by United Kingdom resident companies; and (b) the impact on estimated corporation tax receipts for years after 2005-06 compared with the estimates included in the last Budget Statement. [HL7416]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government confirmed on 12 September that they are studying the detail of the judgment carefully and will announce as soon as possible what, if any, changes to the UK’s controlled foreign companies rules are needed to sustain their effectiveness in protecting tax revenues.
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have assessed the impact of the present rate of corporation tax on investment by the financial services and manufacturing industries. [HL7445]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The UK has the lowest headline corporation tax rate among the G7 leading industrial economies. The UK remains a highly competitive location for investment, based on both tax and other factors, receiving more foreign direct investment than any other country apart from the US.
Taxation: Inheritance Tax
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much they raised in the last financial year for which records are available through inheritance tax; how much extra income tax would need to be collected to replace that amount of money; and what effect it would have on rates of income tax. [HL7466]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Inheritance tax receipts are published on the HMRC website at www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/table1-2.xls. The total estimated receipts for 2006-07 are broadly equivalent to what would be raised by increasing the basic rate of income tax by 1 pence as shown in the relevant tax ready reckoner. www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_expenditures/1_6_apr06.xls. The results cover only the direct effects of tax changes on tax receipts. In practice, changes to the tax regime will affect economic variables which in turn would have further effects on tax receipts.
Trees
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Minister of State for Communities and Local Government, Yvette Cooper, on 26 June (HC Deb, 153W), when they will publish the report, received at the beginning of June, on Trees in Towns II. [HL7489]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Department for Communities and Local Government expects to publish the full report and other outputs from the Trees in Towns II research in January 2007.
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