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Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many personnel from the All Arms Watchkeeping Pool at the Central Volunteer Headquarters, Royal Artillery (CVHQ RA) have served in Bosnia since January 1995; and what other operations they have supported since this date.[HL536]
Lord Gilbert: Fifty-two officers of the All Arms Watchkeeper and Liaison Officer Pool (Volunteers) have served in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia since January 1995. Six officers have also served on operations in the Middle East in support of the RAF since that date.
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What pools of reserve officers exist, other than the All Arms Watchkeeping Pool, that can be trawled for "posted" reserve officers likely to be available for duties.[HL537]
Lord Gilbert: We expect, as a result of the reform of the TA, to be able to trawl among the Territorial Army as a whole for officers able to serve with the Regular Army on operational duties. Besides the All Arms Watchkeeper and Liaison Officer Pool, officers can be trawled from the following specialist groups: the Technical Intelligence Staff Officer Pool, the Civil Affairs Group and the Media Operations Group.
HMS "Intrepid"
The Earl of Carlisle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether HMS "Intrepid" will remain fully operational until 2003, when HMS "Bulwark" is commissioned into service.[HL562]
Lord Gilbert: No. It is expected that HMS "Intrepid" will remain in service, at low readiness, until 2001. On current plans, she will be replaced by HMS "Albion" in 2002; HMS "Bulwark" is planned to replace "Intrepid's" sister ship, HMS "Fearless" in 2003.
Scottish Courts: Human Rights Materials
Lord Mackay of Drumadoon asked Her Majesty's Government:
- (a) In how many sheriff courts in Scotland sheriffs can currently be provided with access to the textbooks, law reports, statutory materials and computer databases necessary to enable them to take into account any judgment, decision, declaration or advisory opinion of the European Court of Human Rights or the European Commission of Human Rights relevant to any decision that may arise in court proceedings as to whether a member of the Scottish Executive has acted or failed to act in a manner incompatible with convention rights, and (b) in respect of each of those sheriff courts in which such facilities do not currently exist, by which dates they will be provided; and[HL513]
(a) In how many court buildings in Scotland in which the High Court of Justiciary customarily sits, High Court judges can currently be provided with access to the textbooks, law reports, statutory materials and computer databases necessary to enable them to take into account any judgment, decision, declaration or advisory opinion of the European Court of Human Rights or the European Commission of Human Rights relevant to any decisions that may arise in court proceedings as to whether a member of the Scottish Executive has acted or failed to act in a manner compatible with convention rights, and (b) in respect of each of those court buildings in which such facilities do not currently exist, by which dates they will be provided.[HL514]
The Lord Advocate (Lord Hardie): It is for the Judiciary themselves to ensure that they have access to the appropriate books and other materials and case
reports necessary to enable them to exercise their functions in relation to cases brought under ECHR legislation as it may apply to the action or inaction of members of the Scottish Executive. The Lord President has already made provision for the appropriate materials in the Court of Session and the High Court of Justiciary and will consider the needs of the High Court on circuit in the sheriff courts in the light of the bids for materials which have just been submitted by the sheriffs principal. The Government hope to complete the purchase of materials requested by the Judiciary in the course of this current financial year and in any event well before the first cases arise after the establishment of the Scottish Executive.National Parks Authorities: Members' Qualifications
The Lord Bishop of Blackburn asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What qualities they seek in persons to be appointed to National Parks Authorities to represent the national interest.[HL569]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): Our approach in respect of all appointments is to encourage candidates to be put forward from as broad a range of backgrounds as possible. The aim is to achieve both a strong and a diverse membership. Secretary of State appointees are expected to represent the national interest and ideally combine this with local knowledge of the particular park to which they are appointed.
Deaths: Investigation Costs
Viscount Simon asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 3 December 1998 (WA 50), what is the average cost of a typical investigation into deaths caused by
(a) road traffic accidents and (b) criminal activity.[HL594]
Lord Whitty: Information as to the average cost of an investigation into such deaths is not held centrally.
Disruptive Airline Passengers
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether, in the working group which has been established by the Minister of Transport, Dr. John Reid MP, to establish standard definitions for reporting incidents involving violent and disruptive airline passengers and for more co-ordinated information, they will propose that staff be asked to report on the state of sobriety of the passengers in question, whatever the main offence may have been.[HL613]
Lord Whitty: The Working Group on disruptive passengers is due to meet for the first time on 1 February 1999. Of the issues to be discussed, this will be one of many suggestions that the group will be taking into serious consideration.
Parents' Rights and Responsibilities
Lord Northbourne asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to clarify the rights and responsibilities of fathers and mothers respectively in relation to their children.[HL515]
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): The Children Act 1989 defines parental responsibility as "all the rights, duties, powers, responsibilities and authority which by law a parent of a child has in relation to the child and his property". Any attempt to define the content of parental responsibility in statute might not cover all possible eventualities, and so would inevitably become out of date very quickly. The Act confers parental responsibility automatically on all mothers and on married fathers, and enables unmarried fathers to acquire it by making an agreement with the mother or obtaining an order from the court. The Government intend to amend the Act so that an unmarried father who registers his child's birth jointly with the mother will acquire parental responsibility without further formality.
Health Action Zones: Evaluation
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will commission studies to evaluate public and community involvement in Health Action Zones.[HL473]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Baroness Hayman): An independent national evaluation of Health Action Zones has been commissioned, a key part of which seeks to evaluate the development of public and community involvement and the role played by these processes in achieving Health Action Zone objectives.
District Nurse Numbers
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the current shortfall against establishment of district nurses in England by region.[HL566]
Baroness Hayman: Information on vacancy rates for district nurses in England is not available centrally. For the information that is available on district nurse vacancies in Great Britain to March 1997, I refer the noble Lord to the 1998 annual report of the Review Body for Nursing Staff, Midwives, Health Visitors and Professions Allied to Medicine, copies of which are available in the Library.
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