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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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track changes over time. This programme will continue to provide data on trans-fatty acid intakes by different age groups and socio-economic groups. First results from the rolling programme are expected to become available in 2009.

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:



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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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:

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:



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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.

CountryRank (total GDP)Headline CT rate

UK

-

30 per cent

Ten largest economies outside G7

People's Republic of China

1

33 per cent (15 per cent for foreign companies)

Spain

2

35 per cent

South Korea

3

25 per cent

Brazil

4

25 per cent

India

5

35 per cent

Mexico

6

30 per cent

Russia

7

24 per cent

Australia

8

30 per cent

Netherlands

9

31.5 per cent

Belgium

10

33 per cent

China plans to unify domestic and foreign corporate tax rates by the end of 2007.

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