| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Written Answers
Monday, 27th January 1997.
Treaty of Rome: Ministerial Advice
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they agree with the advice given on 14th December 1960 by the then Lord Chancellor, Lord Kilmuir, to the then Lord Privy Seal, the right honourable Edward Heath MP, about the effect on British sovereignty of the United Kingdom's participation in the Common Market under the Treaty of Rome.
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Chalker of Wallasey): It would not be sensible for the Government to comment on advice given by one Minister to another 36 years ago. The Government made clear in the Partnership of Nations White Paper that "common European decision making, as opposed to co-operation, can only be justified where it brings benefits for British security, prosperity and quality of life which are so significant that they justify some loss of unfettered national control over decision making in the area concerned, or where common action enables nation states to exercise joint control which is not open to them individually".
Pilotless Aircraft
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What, if any, are the limits on the right of owners of remote-controlled unmanned aircraft (or their agents) to fly them within other countries' national air space.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Transport (Viscount Goschen): The use of pilotless aircraft is governed by Article 8 of the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation. This states: "No aircraft capable of being flown without a pilot shall be flown without a pilot over the territory of a contracting State without special authorisation by that State and in accordance with the terms of such authorisation. Each contracting State undertakes to ensure that the flight of such aircraft without a pilot in regions open to civil aircraft shall be so controlled as to obviate danger to civil aircraft".
Hormone Mimics
Lord Kennet asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, to their knowledge, the release (whether intended or unintended) of endocrine and hormone mimics into the environment is taking place; and if so, whether these have, or are suspected of having, an effect on the human genome and if, therefore, such a release is lawful.
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment (Earl Ferrers): Research on laboratory animals such as rats and fish has shown that a number of substances, both man-made and naturally occurring, have the potential to act as hormone mimics. Many of these substances are widely used in industrial processes and consumer products; some occur naturally in foods. They are therefore both present in the environment and released through processes and products.
In some circumstances such chemicals can interfere with the endocrine (hormonal) system, for example by acting like the hormone oestrogen to cause female traits to be manifest in male fish. This action does not affect the genome or the heritable material in cells. The department is not aware of any research to suggest that hormone mimics are acting in a way which would affect the human genome. Of course chemicals can have more than one type of biological activity, and substances with endocrine disrupting activities may also for example be carcinogenic and therefore be controlled for those reasons.
Releases into the environment of hazardous chemicals (including those potentially interacting with human genetic material, such as mutagens and carcinogens) are controlled under the provisions of Part I of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 and the Water Resources Act 1991.
Current scientific opinion is that there is no proven link between observed trends in human reproductive health and exposure to putative hormone mimics in the environment. The question of hormone mimics is the subject of considerable research both in this country and elsewhere in Europe and in North America.
Millennium Exhibition Site
Lord Sefton of Garston asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What contribution has been paid by British Gas toward clearing pollution caused by them on the proposed site of the Millennium Exhibition.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of National Heritage (Lord Inglewood): I understand that British Gas is committed to meet in full the costs of cleaning up the part of the Greenwich peninsula which it owns to comply with the Environment Act 1995 and using methodology agreed with the Environment Agency. This includes the proposed site of the Millennium Exhibition.
The initial land reclamation project, paid for by British Gas, will finish on time at the end of this month, at a cost of £10.5 million.
Unemployment Comparisons
Lord Acton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the current rate of unemployment in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the United States of America; and (c) Japan.
The Minister of State, Department of Social Security (Lord Mackay of Ardbrecknish): The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Chief Executive of the Office for National Statistics, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter to Lord Acton from the Director of National Statistics, Mr. Tim Holt, dated 27th January 1997.
I have been asked to reply as the Director of the Office for National Statistics to your recent parliamentary Question on the current rate of unemployment in the United Kingdom, the United States of America and Japan.
Figures based on the internationally recognised International Labour Organisation (ILO) definition of unemployment provide an appropriate basis for international comparisons. The ILO measure of unemployment, as used in the Labour Force Survey, defines somebody as unemployed if they are without a job at the time of interview, were available to start work in the two weeks following their interview and had either looked for work in the four weeks prior to interview or were waiting to start a job they had already obtained. The ILO unemployment rate gives the number of the ILO unemployed as a percentage of the economically active.
The latest available ILO unemployment rates are published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. These show that the ILO unemployment rates in October 1996 were 7.9% for the UK, 5.2% for the USA and 3.4% for Japan.
Covert Use of Listening Devices
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many authorisations have been made by Chief Police Officers for actions under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations have been made in relation to each police force separately in the United Kingdom for actions under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations for intrusive surveillance by Chief Customs Officers of HM Customs and Excise have been made under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations by Chief Police Officers have been made for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police
- surveillance operations in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations have been made in relation to each police force separately in the United Kingdom for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations for intrusive surveillance by Chief Customs Officers of HM Customs and Excise have been made for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1990-95.
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Blatch): Figures are not held centrally on the number of authorisations. However, an exercise undertaken to inform debate on the current Police Bill confirmed that, in 1995, there were approximately 2,100 chief officer authorisations by police and Her Majesty's Customs and Excise of intrusive surveillance operations in the United Kingdom. We do not intend to publish a further breakdown of these figures into individual organisations as we believe this might help criminals identify the scope of activity in a particular force area.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many authorisations have been refused by Chief Police Officers for actions under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations have been refused in relation to each police force separately in the United Kingdom for actions under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations for intrusive surveillance by Chief Customs Officers of HM Customs and Excise have been refused under Part II (Covert use of listening devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations by Chief Police Officers have been refused for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations have been refused in relation to each police force separately in the United Kingdom for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police
- surveillance operations for each of the years 1990-95; and
How many authorisations for intrusive surveillance by Chief Customs Officers of HM Customs & Excise have been refused for actions under Part III (Covert use of visual surveillance devices) of the 1984 Home Office Guidelines on the use of equipment in police surveillance operations in the United Kingdom in each of the years 1990-95.
Baroness Blatch: This information is not collected.
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page