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Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list the States Parties to Protocol No. 6 to the European Convention on Human Rights and those member states which have not ratified Protocol No. 6.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The following countries are States Parties to Protocol 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights:
- Andorra
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Netherlands
- Norway
- Portugal
- Romania
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Albania
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Estonia
- Greece
- Latvia
- Lithuania
- Moldova
- Poland
- Russia
- FYR Macedonia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
- What are their reasons for not ratifying Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: I refer to the reply I gave to the noble Lord on 17th May 1994.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list the States Parties to Protocol No. 7 to the European Convention on Human Rights and those member states which have not ratified Protocol No. 7.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: The following countries are States Parties to Protocol 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights:
- Albania
- Austria
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Italy
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Norway
- Romania
- San Marino
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Andorra
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- Croatia
- Cyprus
- Germany
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Malta
- Moldova
- Netherlands
- Poland
- Portugal
- Russia
- Spain
- FYR Macedonia
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- United Kingdom
Dependent Territories: Banking Secrecy
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer given by Baroness Chalker of Wallasey on 29th October 1996 (WA 11), whether they will describe the steps being taken in each Dependent Territory towards allowing both domestic and foreign law enforcement agencies the same access to otherwise confidential financial information as in the United Kingdom.
Baroness Chalker of Wallasey: All the Dependent Territories are introducing anti-money laundering legislation, equivalent to that in the UK, which mandates the reporting of suspicious transactions. All but two of the Dependent Territories with offshore banking systems have already implemented the 1988 UN Convention against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances, which allows them to co-operate with foreign drugs investigations. The remaining two are doing so. We are encouraging all Dependent Territories to work towards the early introduction of legislation equivalent to the Criminal Justice (International Co-operation) Act, which would extend co-operation to all criminal investigations.
Tobacco Industry: EU Subsidisation
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there is any European Union expenditure on the subsidisation of the tobacco industry other than by expenditure through the CAP tobacco regime.
Lord Lucas: There is no expenditure in the UK. We are writing to the European Commission to ascertain the position in other member states and I will let the noble Lord know the outcome.
Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE)
Lord Denning asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer of Earl Howe on 31st October 1996 (col. WA 27), whether Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) is a legal entity or has any legal personality or existence and, if so, whether they will specify it; whether PACE can only buy or sell property or sue for rents, whether any such
- qualities can only be conferred by Act of Parliament, which does not exist in the case of PACE; and whether the framework document has any legal status or authority.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Earl Howe): I refer the noble and learned Lord to the answer I gave him on 31st October. As an executive agency of the Cabinet Office (Office of Public Service), the Property Advisers to the Civil Estate (PACE) has no legal personality separate from the Crown. As an emanation of the Crown, PACE may enter into contracts, acquire and dispose of land and interests in land, and enforce rights on behalf of the Crown without any further statutory authority. The agency's framework document incorporates instructions which the responsible Minister is entitled to give, but it is not a document which is legally enforceable.
Childcare Facilities for Civil Servants
Lord Braine of Wheatley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What assistance is given to staff in government departments towards creche facilities.
Earl Howe: Departments and agencies have delegated responsibility to establish nursery and childcare schemes for the use of children of civil servants.
Departments wishing to establish a workplace nursery must be able to justify it in terms of value for money and contain the cost within existing running costs. Parents wishing to use any of these schemes are normally required to make a contribution to the costs comparable to private sector schemes.
Nationally, 53 Civil Service nurseries and about 120 school holiday playschemes have been established. In addition, the Civil Service is in partnership with other organisations in 22 more nurseries and buys places in 16 further nurseries.
MoD Performance Report 1995-96
Lord Monteagle of Brandon asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How the Ministry of Defence performed against performance measurements in the period 1st April 1995 to 31st March 1996.
Earl Howe: The Ministry of Defence has today published a Performance Report covering the period 1st April 1995 to 31st March 1996, and a copy has been placed in the Library of the House.
Organophosphate Products: Research
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why, when their attention was first drawn to the conjecture that organophosphate poisoning was the cause of Gulf War Syndrome in July 1995, as later
- reported in the Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry in March 1996, they did not commission research on neurological dysfunction in agricultural workers exposed to large doses of organophosphates; why they did not consult the French authorities about different practices adopted by the French armed forces, what discussions they held with Professor Peter Spencer of the Department of Environmental Studies of Oregon University in June 1995 about the aetiology of Gulf War Syndrome, and why the advice he gave was not then acted upon.
Earl Howe: The harmful effects of large doses of organophosphate products are already well known and documented. The Government also receive reports of the rare incidents involving such high levels of exposure resulting from the accidental mishandling of these products. Research into this area is therefore not needed. My department is in touch with the French authorities about the use of pesticides in the Gulf War. MoD officials were in contact with Professor Spencer in mid-1995 on his proposal for a US-funded research project. My department is not aware of having received any specific advice from Professor Spencer.
General Osteopathic Council
Baroness Jay of Paddington asked Her Majesty's Government:
- On what basis candidates were selected to serve on the newly established General Osteopathic Council, and whether they are satisfied that sufficient consultation was held with different schools of practising osteopaths to ensure that the membership is properly representative of the profession as a whole.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Cumberlege): The twelve osteopathic members and three of the education members of the General Osteopathic Council (a fourth education member is appointed by the Secretary of State for Education and Employment) were selected from among those nominated by the following osteopathic organisations, which exercise a registering function and are understood to have close ties with the training institutions: British Osteopathic Association; British and European Osteopathic Association; College of Osteopaths; General Council and Register of Osteopaths; Guild of Osteopaths; Natural Therapeutic and Osteopathic Society. These organisations were identified by the King's Fund Working Party on Osteopathy, in its 1991 report, as being all the main osteopathic bodies in the United Kingdom with a registering function, as derived from an earlier 1989 report of the Monopolies and Mergers Commission on the services of professionally regulated osteopaths. The members were selected on the basis of individual merit and relevant experience, and the particular skills they could bring to the new council. They were chosen as ambassadors for the whole profession and not as representatives of any particular organisation or group.
The eight lay members of the General Osteopathic Council were selected, on the basis of individual merit and relevant skills, from the nominations received from a wide range of national organisations in the field of health, business, law, consumer interests and from the Public Appointments Unit of the Cabinet Office.
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