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Lord Warner: Trans-fatty acid intakes are monitored through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) programme. A rolling programme is being set up for future NDNS in order to strengthen the ability to
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Trans-fatty acid intakes are also being assessed as part of a survey of diet and nutrition of low-income/materially deprived consumers in the United Kingdom. The report of this survey is expected in 2007.
Government Departments: Budgets
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the new accounts procedures of HM Treasury were established; whether this new system applies to all departments; and to what extent the new procedures have affected individual departmental budgets.[HL7969]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The new accounts procedures—resource accounting—were introduced in 1996-97 and applied to all departments. HM Treasury, in common with other departments, presented its first set of audited resource accounts to Parliament in respect of the financial year 1999-2000; HM Treasury's accounts were laid in March 2001.
Resource budgets for all departments replaced cash budgets from 2001-02, which means that they began to reflect non-cash costs (such as cost of capital, depreciation and other non-cash items such as provisions for liabilities) in addition to cash costs. A back series of resource and near-cash budgets since 2000-01 for departmental groupings is published at Tables 1.5 and 1.7 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (CM6811) a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Drayson on 9 October (HL7284) and 22 June (WA 99), what information the Ministry of Defence has received from its liaison officer in Washington DC on the findings to date of the research at Wright State University in Ohio into autonomic dysfunction following low-level sarin exposure; and what assessment the department has made of their relevance to illnesses among British veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.[HL7501]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): We have not had an opportunity to study the final research paper entitled “Sarin produces delayed cardiac and central autonomic changes” which we understand is currently “in press” and is about to be published following research by the Wright State University. We will review the findings in the final paper when it is published.
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Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will now publish the outcome of the research for the Ministry of Defence by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, carried out five years ago into the possible vaccine interaction with and without pyridostigmine bromide relating to illnesses among veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.[HL7733]
Lord Drayson: I refer my noble Friend to the Statement made on 19 October 2006 (Official Report, col. WS 87).
Iraq: Oil
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they plan to hold discussions with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and other Ministers to ascertain their future policy towards nationwide Iraqi control of new oil contracts and business arrangements; and, if so, when.[HL7869]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We have a regular dialogue with Ministers and officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). On a trip to the north of Iraq between 10 and 12 October, our ambassador in Baghdad met KRG President Barzani and other senior figures in the KRG to discuss a range of issues, including the future of the Iraqi oil industry.
Mental Health: Escape from Secure Units
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many individuals in each of the past 10 years have absconded from a secure unit while detained or sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.[HL7789]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Department of Health does not routinely collect information about individuals who abscond from secure psychiatric units while detained/sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.
Moldova: Development Support
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are planning to offer the Government of the Republic of Moldova additional support to develop new industries and commercial sectors during the next five years; and, if so, what support they are considering.[HL7576]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We continue to encourage Moldova to implement the reforms set out in the jointly agreed European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, which was launched in February 2005. In this context, the Government strongly support efforts to promote economic and political reforms aimed at bringing Moldova closer to EU standards.
The Government have contributed £5.5 million, as part of a multi-donor fund, towards the early transition countries initiative managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in support of the bank's investment and business advisory operations in the seven low-income countries of central Asia, south Caucasus and Moldova.
The Department for International Development's overall aid framework for Moldova is £2.7 million for 2006-07. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds small grassroots-level projects under the Global Opportunities Fund (£85,000 for 2006-07). The EU has also provided assistance to Moldova, totalling over €253 million since 1991, including technical assistance under the technical aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States programme.
NHS: Ministry of Defence Hospitals
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, as part of the Managed Military Health System for Force Generation project, they will reaffirm the entitlement of all veterans to continue to receive, on discharge or retirement, care and rehabilitation at military units and Ministry of Defence hospital units, for injuries or illnesses incurred in the course of service.[HL7542]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The aims of the Managed Military Health System for Force Generation project (MMHS) are to:
maximise the number of Armed Forces personnel fit-for-task;contribute to deployed medical operational capability; andimprove morale in the Defence Medical Services (DMS).With regard to veterans, on leaving the Armed Forces, or on demobilisation for reservists, it is the long-established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS. This has been the case since 1948 under successive Governments. The MMHS project will not change this.
War pensioners are, however, entitled to priority NHS treatment for their accepted disablements. This arrangement has been in place since 1953 when Ministry of Pensions’ hospitals were transferred to the NHS. Priority is decided by the clinician in charge and is based on clinical need. Regular reminders of the provision are sent out by the NHS Executive to trusts and clinicians.
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Under the war pensions scheme the department has a discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of the medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the Armed Forces that arise wholly or mainly as a result of the disablement due to service before 6 April 2005, where it is not provided for under other legislation of the United Kingdom.
Roads: Dartford Crossing
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 19 October (WS 91-2), what is the forecast (a) total toll revenue, and (b) surplus for the Dartford Crossing in the first year of operation of the proposed new charging structure.[HL7875]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Total annual revenue under the proposed new charging regime is estimated to be £78 million. For 2008-09 the Highways Agency currently forecasts expenditure of £25.3 million for the crossing. On this basis the forecast net revenue will amount to £52.7 million. As with the current arrangements, this will be spent on transport projects.
Russia
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made any assessment of the compatibility of the Government of Germany's new Ostpolitik towards Russia with United Kingdom national interests in Europe and the Russian Federation.[HL7873]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We work closely with our German counterparts on policy towards Russia. It is clear to us that we share a broad and substantial range of interests, values and analyses that underpin both our respective bilateral policies towards Russia, and our contribution to the EU/Russia relationship.
Russia and Georgia
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of Russia concerning the cutting off of transport links between Russia and Georgia.[HL7904]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on 30 October (Official Report, col. WA 10) regarding Russian trade sanctions against Georgia and Moldova and the reinstatement of normal facilities for remittances by Georgians working in Russia. In so far as my Answer referred to Russian measures against Georgia, it included the recent cut in transport links.
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Special Investigation Branch: Support Services
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Ministry of Defence will put in place structured support services, and in particular an independent and confidential self-referral counselling service, for Special Investigation Branch staff in high-risk operational areas.[HL7834]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Elements of the Defence Mental Health Services are already deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a range of personnel support services are also available. Individual service personnel have access to a confidential counselling service, available on referral through multiple sources, and manned 24 hours a day.
Awareness of the principles of confidentiality is stressed in training and in policy, and stress management is an integral part of training and of preparation for operations. In addition, specialist mental health staff are currently engaging with Provost Marshal’s Department (Army) to develop an enhanced education programme for Special Investigation Branch personnel.
Sri Lanka: Ahmadiyya Community
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What information they have received about attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Sri Lanka during the month of Ramadan.[HL7881]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The death of Abdullah Niaz, a member of an Ahmadiyya community in Negombo, a primarily Catholic area 30 kilometres north of Colombo, has been reported in the Ahmadiyya community media recently. We have not so far been able to confirm the circumstances or accuracy of these reports. Prior to this report we had not been aware of any harassment of the Ahmadiyya community in Sri Lanka. We understand that of Sri Lanka's minority Muslim population, 98 per cent follow the Sunni branch of Islam. The Ahmadiyya community would form a minority of the remaining 2 per cent of Sri Lankan Muslims who follow other branches of Islam.
Taxation: Corporation Tax
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 11 October (WA 156), what is the relevant position of the headline corporation tax level of the United Kingdom compared to the 10 largest economies outside the G7 group of countries.[HL7919]
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Lord McKenzie of Luton: The headline corporation tax rate in the UK compared to headline rates in the 10 largest economies outside the G7 group of countries is given in the table below. GDP rankings relate to 2005 and are calculated using market or official government exchange rates. Of the 10 economies, only South Korea, Brazil and Russia have a lower headline rate of corporation tax than the UK.
| Country | Rank (total GDP) | Headline CT rate |
| China plans to unify domestic and foreign corporate tax rates by the end of 2007. | ||
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