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Prisons: Suicides in Custody
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In each year since 1980, how many prisoners committed suicide while in prison in Northern Ireland.[HL7676]
2 Nov 2006 : Column WA70
Lord Rooker: The information is shown in the following table. Eight coroners' inquests have still to be held.
| Year | Number of prisoners who committed suicide in Northern Ireland prisons |
|
Nil (four inquests yet to be held; none are suspected suicides) | |
Questions for Written Answer
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 25 October (WA 250) on support given to specialist advisers, whether there is any means of obtaining the information required which avoids having to ask a similar Question of each government department.[HL7978]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: As I set out in my Answer of Monday 10 July (Official Report, col. WA 89) this is a matter for individual departments. The information is not held centrally.
Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 20 April (WA 252), what progress has been made towards preparation of guidance on the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006.[HL7769]
2 Nov 2006 : Column WA71
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Home Office will produce guidance when the Racial and Religious Hatred Act 2006 comes into force. This is expected to be in the new year. The guidance is being drafted and consultation will take place with a number of stakeholders before it is issued by Home Office circular.
Recycling
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their timetable for transposing and introducing the measures required by the battery recycling directive.[HL7857]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The Batteries and Accumulators Directive (2006/66/EC) was published in the official EU journal on 26 September 2006. Member states must bring into force the laws, regulations and administrative provisions necessary to comply with the directive by 26 September 2008. Implementation in the UK will be led by the Department of Trade and Industry and Defra, which are working together on the necessary detailed plans.
Rural Areas: Grant Aid
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which statutory agencies have postponed or reduced grant aid to rural areas during the current financial year as a result of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' cuts and the creation of Natural England; and how those farmers and others affected will be compensated.[HL7494]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Funding to rural areas is provided through a wide range of government funded schemes and services. The main schemes are the single farm payment scheme, administered by the Rural Payments Agency, and the England Rural Development Programme. Neither of these allocations was changed as part of the recent budget reallocation exercise.
Like all large organisations, Defra faces new financial pressures each year that require us to constantly review and adjust our spending plans. We conducted a rigorous review of financial allocations during the summer of 2006 which included detailed discussions with our agencies and other external bodies to agree where spending might best be reduced. This review was comprehensive in nature and has ensured that Defra's funding for the current year is placed where it can have the greatest impact. That review was conducted so as to avoid undue impact on the schemes and programmes Defra operates.
2 Nov 2006 : Column WA72
Schools: Religious Dress
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether guidance has been issued to teachers and other staff in state schools on the permissibility of covering their face when dealing with pupils or other persons in the school environment; and, if so, what are the circumstances in which it may be allowed.[HL7630]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Adonis): The Department for Education and Skills has not issued any guidance on this matter. It is for the employer, as part of the terms and conditions of employment agreed with employees, to establish an appropriate dress code relevant to the individual setting taking into account the requirements of the post and equality and diversity matters.
Schools: Specialist Schools
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Adonis on 19 October (WA 202), whether the specialist schools programme is open to (a) an existing maintained secondary school wishing to convert to become a grammar school or academic college; and (b) sponsors wishing to set up a new grammar school or academic college.[HL7920]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Adonis): Legislation prevents schools introducing selection by academic ability. Therefore, there can be no new grammar schools. All new state-funded secondary schools should have or be aspiring to have specialist status.
Security Industry Authority
Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many operating security companies remain outside the approved contractors scheme; and when the Security Industry Authority expects to clear the backlog of security officer licence applications.[HL7781]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): As of 15 October 2006, there were 267 approved companies. As the approved contractor scheme is voluntary, there is no legal requirement for security companies to attain ACS status. The Security Industry Authority (SIA) estimates that 2,100 security companies may be eligible to apply for approved contractor status.
There is currently no backlog in placing applications onto the SIA licensing system. Correctly completed applications which are not subject to issues or inquiries about qualifications or criminality are normally processed in approximately six weeks.
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Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Security Industry Authority is operating within planned budgets; how much overspending occurred in 2005-06; and how much is the estimated overspend for 2006-07.[HL7782]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Security Industry Authority (SIA) is intended to be self-supporting through its fee income. The SIA's budget for 2005-06 was a planned surplus of £2.2 million. In the event there was a deficit of £3.1 million.
It is expected that SIA will have a deficit in 2006-07. The original budget estimate was for a net deficit of £4.54 million. The latest estimate is a deficit of £3.7 million. A summary of the results are shown in the table.
| SIA's financial planning | |||
| Budget | Actual | Variance | |
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