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Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Chesham: We understand that Eskisehir prison in Turkey is still in use. We have not been able to obtain reliable information about the sickness or death rate there.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): Those members of Hong Kong's ethnic minorities who have British Dependent Territories citizenship and no other form of nationality will continue to hold British nationality after the transition--either in the form of British Nationality (Overseas) or British Overseas citizenship. They will also, under the terms of the 1984 Sino-British Joint Declaration, retain the right of abode in Hong Kong.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: We will ask whether a copy of the report is held by the Council of Europe and will pass on our findings to the noble Lord.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: I refer the noble Lord to paragraph 24 of the response I gave to the House of Lords Select Committee report on the 1996 Intergovernmental Conference:
Lord Dormand of Easington asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Earl Ferrers): British Coal non-operational properties will be transferred to English Partnerships, who will take forward their regeneration, reclamation and development. English Partnerships have prepared a detailed investment plan, including a development strategy for each site. The aim is to achieve area regeneration, environmental improvements and secure new employment opportunities in the coal closure areas. Receipts from sales will be used to fund the costs of reclaiming and servicing other sites in the portfolio. Two thousand, two hundred and fifty acres of land will be reclaimed for residential, commercial and retail uses and a further 2,750 acres will be developed for forestry, leisure and agricultural purposes. Fifty-five thousand jobs will be created and £850 million of private sector investment attracted. A managed disposal strategy will ensure that the market is not flooded with development land. In this way considerable benefits will accrue to the coalfields communities in the next 10 years.
This is a challenging programme for English Partnerships but they have already shown themselves capable of the challenge. The agency has quickly established itself as a key player in economic and physical regeneration throughout England with its
activity carefully directed to achieve the maximum impact in areas of greatest need. We are convinced that the benefits for the coalfields communities will be considerable and that this new agreement ensures the best possible future for the coalfield sites in the north of England.Regeneration will start immediately on a number of the sites, including Agecroft in the north-west, Dawdon in the north-east, Glasshoughton in Yorkshire and the Humber and Manton Wood in the East Midlands.
English Partnerships will receive £12.5 million from British Coal in a detailed agreement which has, as a key requirement, a balanced package where the cost of meeting enforceable liabilities and reclaiming sites to a minimum standard is offset by the positive value within the portfolio. The arrangements provide for an appropriate allocation of liabilities and risks between English Partnerships and British Coal.
I am today laying details of the sites being transferred in the House and copies will also be available in the Library.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Northern Ireland Office (Baroness Denton of Wakefield): Legislation by Order in Council is the normal course for criminal justice matters concerned solely with Northern Ireland and it would not therefore be appropriate to bring forward legislation in respect of juvenile justice in the form of a Bill. We shall shortly be publishing for consultation a Proposal for a draft Criminal Justice (Children) (Northern Ireland) Order. The Northern Ireland parties will then be free to request a Grand Committee debate on the draft legislation, should they so wish.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe): An announcement of the successful proposals for research on the health of Gulf War veterans and their offspring will be made shortly. Following this announcement, shortlisted
research teams who submitted unsuccessful proposals will be advised of the reasons for this by the MRC.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Earl Howe: One member of the Medical Research Council's scientific advisory committee on Gulf War illness research is a neurologist.
Lord Brougham and Vaux asked Her Majesty's Government:
Earl Howe: Contracts for the sale were exchanged on 24th September. The transaction was completed today.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Mackay of Clashfern): It would be wrong for the Government to seek to influence how the courts, in their independent judgment, interpret the way legislation should apply to particular cases. Where the Government are themselves a party, their arguments would be put to the courts in the usual way.
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen): The department believes that existing child restraints are effective in reducing injuries. We are, however, pleased to see that child restraints designed to the latest international standard, ECE Regulation 44:03, are already appearing on the market.
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