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Written Answers
Tuesday, 5th November 1996.
Government Decision-Making
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer by Earl Howe of 25th July 1996 (H.L. Deb., WA 165), whether the Guide to Legislative Procedures has previously been made available to the public, and when the new edition will be issued and published.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe): The Guide to Legislative Procedures is a compendium of guidance for officials preparing and working on government Bills. It has not previously been made available to the public but copies of the new edition, being issued to departments later this month, will be placed in the Libraries of the House.
Seat Belt Offences
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many (a) males and (b) females have been (i) charged and (ii) convicted of carrying a child unrestrained on the front seat of a motor vehicle, for each of the last three years for which figures are available.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch): The information collected centrally in England and Wales does not distinguish between the various seat belt offences.
The following table shows the number of proceedings and resulting convictions in England and Wales for all offences of driving or riding in a motor vehicle while not wearing a seat belt, showing also the sex of the offender:
| Proceedings | Convictions | |||
| Males | Females | Males | Females | |
| 1993 | 8,796 | 883 | 6,405 | 670 |
| 1994 | 7,959 | 747 | 5,977 | 611 |
| 1995 | 7,807 | 758 | 5,958 | 611 |
The police are also able to issue fixed penalty notices for seat belt offences, and the following table shows the number of such notices issued in England and Wales. Again, no distinction between the various seat belt offences is possible, nor is a breakdown by sex available.
| Year | Number |
| 1993 | 106,153 |
| 1994 | 114,712 |
| 1995 | 126,251 |
Information collected centrally in Scotland does not enable a distinction to be made between the various seat belt offences, nor are statistics for 1995 yet available, but the following table shows the number of proceedings taken in court and the resultant charges proved for the years 1992-94:
| Proceedings | Charges proved | |||
| Males | Females | Males | Females | |
| 1992 | 2,424 | 265 | 2,214 | 250 |
| 1993 | 3,210 | 370 | 2,951 | 354 |
| 1994 | 3,674 | 348 | 3,457 | 336 |
The number of fixed penalties issued for seat belt offences in Scotland is not available centrally.
Information in relation to Northern Ireland is available to show proceedings and convictions for the offence of a child being carried unrestrained on the front seat of a motor vehicle. These and figures for all seat belt offences are as follows:
| Proceedings | Convictions | |||||||
| All seat belt offences | Children in front seat | All seat belt offences | Children in front seat | |||||
| Males | Females | Males | Females | Males | Females | Males | Females | |
| 1993 | 759 | 61 | 17 | 8 | 704 | 57 | 16 | 7 |
| 1994 | 568 | 57 | 26 | 7 | 527 | 53 | 21 | 7 |
| 1995 | 519 | 56 | 18 | 5 | 493 | 47 | 17 | 4 |
Fixed penalty notices issued in Northern Ireland for driving or riding a vehicle while not wearing a seat belt are as follows:
| All seat belt offences | Children in front seat | |
| 1993 | 4,579 | 281 |
| 1994 | 4,997 | 212 |
| 1995 | 4,979 | 274 |
Seat Belt Regulations: Enforcement
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they have to ensure that the compulsory wearing of seat belts is more strictly enforced.
Baroness Blatch: The enforcement of the vehicle seat belt regulations is a matter for individual chief officers of police. Offenders are commonly issued with a fixed penalty notice, or warned, but prosecutions are also undertaken. The Department of Transport encourages voluntary compliance with the regulations by means of periodic publicity campaigns.
Monks and Nuns: Social Security Benefits
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether monks and nuns of any faith are entitled to claim benefits of any kind; whether any of them do so, and if so, what type of benefits they claim; whether lay residents at religious establishments, who may be required to participate in religious observances, are considered to be available for work; and what checks are made by the employment service on the daily activities of any such persons who are claiming benefits.
The Minister of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish): Generally speaking, monks and nuns may claim social security benefits under the same conditions as other claimants. However, entitlement to income support, income-based jobseeker's allowance and housing benefit only arises where they are not fully maintained by their order. Lay residents are treated no differently from other claimants. People who live in religious establishments are not separately identified in the collection of statistical information on benefit claimants, so it is not possible to say how many monks and nuns claim benefits of whatever kind.
Residents at religious establishments who claim contributory jobseeker's allowance or income-based jobseeker's allowance because they are not fully maintained by the order must satisfy the same rules as other people. They must seek work actively each week, and must normally be available for at least 40 hours a week. If they wish to exclude certain times of the week from their "pattern of availability" for any reason, they
must be able to show that they nevertheless retain reasonable prospects of securing employment, and that their prospects are not considerably reduced by the restriction. Each claimant's pattern of availability is recorded in his or her jobseeker's agreement, and the employment service interviews jobseekers regularly to check that they continue to comply with the benefit conditions.Slaughtered Cattle: Disposal of Carcases
Viscount Exmouth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer given by Lord Lucas on 29th April 1996 (col. WA 126) and in the light of the large increase in the number of cattle now being slaughtered under the over-30 month scheme, whether they can continue to give assurance that the rendered material will not be dumped at sea.
Lord Lucas: Yes. Commission Regulation 716/96, requires that the carcases of cattle purchased under the over thirty month scheme (OTMS) are disposed of by incineration or rendered and destroyed. The meat and bonemeal and tallow produced from rendered OTMS carcases is currently being stored pending destruction. UK disposals of waste at sea are governed by regional and global treaties. In particular, the convention for the protection of the maritime environment of the north-east Atlantic prescribes stringent rules which would preclude any dumping of rendered material.
Viscount Exmouth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer given by Lord Lucas on 29th April 1996 (col. WA 126) whether "the best practicable environmental option" for the disposal of waste material from the over-30 month bovine cull scheme has now been identified and if so, whether they will clearly define the proposed options.
Lord Lucas: Commission Regulation 716/96 requires that the carcases of cattle purchased under the over thirty month scheme (OTMS) are disposed of by incineration or rendered and destroyed. Combustion tests for the destruction of rendered material have been carried out at selected sites and these tests have been monitored by the Environmental Agency. No decision will be made on any option until the test results have been fully evaluated. In considering destruction options, full weight is given to protecting the environment and human health.
Prayers for the Parliament
Lord Stallard asked the Leader of the House:
- If the decision to omit Diana, Princess of Wales, from the Prayers for the Parliament was reached, who was consulted, and where, as mother of the eldest son of the heir apparent, she now stands in the order of precedence.
The Lord Privy Seal (Viscount Cranborne): After the divorce of the Prince and Princess of Wales in August 1996 it would have been incorrect to retain the reference in the Prayer to "the Prince and Princess of Wales". Accordingly, from 2nd October when the House sat for judicial business the Prayer was amended to accord with the text used before the marriage of the Prince and Princess of Wales in 1981. This decision was taken after consultation with Buckingham Palace, Lambeth Palace, the Government Chief Whip, and the House of Commons authorities.
Diana, Princess of Wales is regarded as a member of the Royal Family and will continue to come within the terms of the Prayer which is read in the House because the Prayer includes the words "and all the Royal Family". I understand that Diana, Princess of Wales retains the same position in the order of precedence as she enjoyed when married to the Prince of Wales on those occasions where this is relevant.
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