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Sport: Funding
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
What contributions they make to the Governments of Wales and Scotland for spending exclusively on sport in each country; and how these figures compare with the situation before devolution.[HL7685]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Sport is a devolved matter for the devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales.
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The devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales are funded through the block grant which is determined by the Barnett formula. No allocations are made to the devolved Administrations specifically for sport.
The block grant allows the devolved Administrations to assess their own needs and priorities for all devolved matters.
Syria: Export Credit Guarantees
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many export credit guarantees have been granted to British firms involved in activities in Syria in each of the past 10 years; and, in each case, what was (a) the name of the company to which the export credit guarantee was granted; and (b) the nature of the company's business.[HL7745]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): In the past 10 years, the Export Credits Guarantee Department provided the following support in respect of business with Syria:
| Year | Name of exporter | Nature of company's business |
UN: Approval for Military Action
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the findings of the long-term military planning report approved by the European Union Defence Ministers on 3 October in informal council that military action not explicitly authorised by the United Nations may become controversial.[HL7719]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The long-term report referred to was written by the EU Institute of Security Studies, which is an independent academic body. As such, its report was noted rather than approved by EU Defence Ministers as it does not necessarily reflect the views of member states. The UK will therefore not be responding to its content.
UN: EU Representation
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the suggestion by the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mark Malloch Brown, that at some point in the future the European Union Commission will have a permanent seat at the United Nations.[HL7718]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): This is a personal view of Mr Malloch Brown. By virtue of Article 4 of the UN charter, only states can become members of the UN. There is, therefore, no question of an EU seat on the UN Security Council.
Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 was published; and how many working days there were between publication and the end of the consultation period.[HL7739]
Lord Rooker: Public consultation on the proposed Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006 ended on 24 August 2006. The draft order was laid on 9 October. This means there were 31 working days between the end of the consultation period and the laying of the legislation.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What groups and individuals responded to the consultation process for the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of all the consultations received.[HL7740]
Lord Rooker: Forty-two groups and four individuals responded to the consultation process on the proposal for a draft Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. The full text of all these responses is available on the Department for Regional Development's water reform website at www.waterreformni.gov.uk. A copy of all the responses has also been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there will be a further consultation process for the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006.[HL7773]
Lord Rooker: There will be no further consultation on the draft Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. This was laid before Parliament on 9 October 2006.
Water Management: S&T Report
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to paragraph 8.26 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191-I), why the national strategy plan has to be submitted to the European Commission; when they expect the European Commission to respond; and whether there will be any delay in applying the strategy as a result; and [HL7798]
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Further to paragraph 8.26 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191—I), what is a strategy plan; and how a strategy plan differs from a strategy.[HL7799]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The new rural development regulation, agreed in September 2005, provides member states with a framework to target funding from the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development during the next programming period: 2007-2013. To unlock this funding the regulation requires us to submit to the EU Commission a national strategy plan plus an accompanying, and more detailed, programme document.
The national strategy plan is the term the EU Commission uses for a strategy that sets out at a high level: our priorities for action; a summary of the evidence base for our approach across the rural development programme's objectives; and, information about how we will co-ordinate rural development funding with other EU derived funds.
The regulation requires the strategy to be developed at member state level. As rural development is an area of devolved responsibility, there will be an overarching UK national strategy plan, highlighting the common themes between our four countries, with annexes covering the strategies for rural development in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
We expect the EU Commission to respond to the strategy this autumn. However, the Commission does not formally approve the strategy and submission of the strategy is not dependent on having agreement on overall budgets. Therefore it is unlikely that there will be any delay in applying the strategy as a result of the Commission's response to it.
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to Annex A of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191—I), if the additional dwellings planned for under scenario 3 are not to be occupied by “new people”, what provision they have made to accommodate new immigrants from European Union member states to ensure that they will not have a net impact on water demand.[HL7801]
Lord Rooker: All water companies have water resource management plans which look ahead 25 years and include projections of current and future demands for water. These plans are regularly updated to account for factors such as projections of household numbers and occupancy rates and the implications of climate change. Water companies' water resource management plans are currently produced voluntarily.
In April 2007 it is proposed to make the plans a statutory requirement, using powers in the Water Act 2003. The population and housing number estimates for these plans will be informed by the regional spatial strategy and by consultation with planning bodies.
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Water Supply: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consultation process was used for the changes to charging for water in Northern Ireland; when the process started and ended; and how the consultation was advertised.[HL7738]
Lord Rooker: The Government have held three separate public consultation exercises on the reform of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland, including changes to charging arrangements.
Public consultation on options for water reform took place over the 12-week period between 11 March and 20 June 2003. Public consultation on proposals for water reform took place between 29 November 2004 and 4 March 2005. Consultation on the legislation required to implement water reform, the proposed Water and Sewerage Services (NI) Order 2006, took place over a 12-week period between 1 June and 24 August 2006.
Each consultation exercise was advertised through public notices placed in each of Northern Ireland's three main local newspapers. Public notices in relation to the first two consultation exercises were also placed in a wide range of local newspapers published across Northern Ireland. An invitation to participate in the first two public consultations was contained in two information leaflets on water reform distributed to every household in Northern Ireland during 2003 and 2004 to co-ordinate with these exercises. Full details of the three consultation exercises is available on the Department for Regional Development's water reform website at www.waterreformni.gov.uk.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the main elements of the estimated £130 million to £180 million costs arising from a delay of a year in the implementation of water charges, as outlined in a letter of 4 October to the chairman of the Northern Ireland Consumer Council from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.[HL7771]
Lord Rooker: The Government are committed to the introduction of domestic water charges from 1 April 2007 as part of their programme of public service reinvestment and reform in Northern Ireland. The possible costs of delay have not been calculated in any detail and it would require significant effort to do so. However, in the event of a delay in the introduction of charges until April 2008, it is estimated that some £80 million to £90 million of income from customers would be forgone. Additionally access to the borrowing power of up to £200 million annually under the Reinvestment and Reform Initiative is conditional upon the introduction of water charging. In the absence of detailed costing, the range of £130 million to £180 million represents an indicative estimate of the impact of delay.
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Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether land currently owned by the Water Service in Northern Ireland will be disposed of within the next 10 years; if so, on what basis; and where the proceeds will go.[HL7775]
Lord Rooker: As part of the water reform programme the Department for Regional Development is currently developing a transfer scheme to transfer assets and liabilities to the new government-owned company which will be responsible for the future delivery of water and sewerage services in Northern Ireland.
The department is currently developing a draft licence under which the company will operate. The terms of this licence will determine how any proceeds from the disposal of any land currently owned by Water Service which is transferred to the new company will be allocated. The draft licence will be issued for public consultation later this year.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What role the Northern Ireland consumer council has in the future regulation of the provision of water.[HL7776]
Lord Rooker: The future role of the General Consumer Council for Northern Ireland in relation to water and sewerage services is set out in Chapter III of Part III of the draft Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006. A copy of the draft order and its accompanying explanatory memorandum were placed in the Libraries of both Houses on 9 October.
Wildlife: Protected Areas
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which areas of the English countryside and coastline are protected because they are red squirrel habitats.[HL7729]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The red squirrel is protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. In addition, it benefits from an individual species action plan that is led by the UK Red Squirrel Group, a consortium including all the UK conservation agencies and the Forestry Commission.
The majority of red squirrel habitats remaining in England are conifer plantations and do not receive statutory protection as SSSIs, as Natural England believes this would do little to improve their conservation and management. However, the Forestry Commission plays an important role in agreeing and delivering management plans for many of these sites, and also provides woodland grants to assist in the delivery of biodiversity targets. This strategy provides the best chances of maintaining a red squirrel population on mainland England.
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In southern England, the red squirrel population does occupy some areas that are statutorily protected as SSSIs. These include parts of the two largest areas of woodland on the island, Parkhurst Forest and Briddlesford Woods. The other remaining English stronghold for the red squirrel is in the north of England. A major partnership project, Red Alert North England, is under way to manage 16 forests as red squirrel reserves, with support from the Heritage Lottery Fund. Partners include the Forestry Commission, which is responsible for the management of more than half the reserve area, Natural England and the Wildlife Trusts for Northumberland, Cumbria and Lancashire.
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which areas of the English countryside and coastline are protected because they are Natterjack toad habitats.[HL7730]
Lord Rooker: Natterjack toads are strictly protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended) and Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994. Therefore, the places they use for breeding, resting, sheltering and protection are protected wherever the species occurs, regardless of whether the land has some statutory designation. The areas they are recorded to occupy can be found in the National Biodiversity Gateway (www.searchnbn.net).
The below table lists the sites which are designated as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) expressly because of the presence of natterjack toads. In Natural England terms, this means they are a notified interest feature.
Silloth Dunes and Mawbray Bank, Cumbria
Upper Solway Flats and Marshes, Cumbria
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