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Scottish Parliament: Opening Ceremony
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What arrangements have been made for a ceremony to mark the opening of the Scottish Parliament.[HL1090]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: In October 1998, an opening ceremony working group was set up to advise and assist the Scottish Office with the arrangements for the formal opening ceremony. This group includes representatives from Buckingham Palace and the services as well as the Lord Lyon King of Arms and others with a relevant interest. More recently an events co-ordinator was appointed to organise a number of events to surround the formal ceremony. Plans for the formal ceremony and the surrounding events are now being developed through discussions with the relevant parties and will be announced when these discussions are complete.
Lord Hogg of Cumbernauld asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Which organisations, individuals and holders of traditional and hereditary offices have been consulted on the form of ceremony that should mark the official opening of the Scottish Parliament.[HL1091]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The opening ceremony working group which was set up to advise and assist the Scottish Office with the arrangements for the official opening ceremony has been the main focus
of consultation on the form of the ceremony. This group includes representatives from Buckingham Palace, the Armed Services, the City of Edinburgh Council, Lothian and Borders Police, and the Scottish Arts Council among others. The Lord Lyon King of Arms who is responsible for all ceremonial matters in Scotland is also a member of the group as is the Comptroller of the Lord Chamberlain's Office.War Pensions: Report on Assessment of Hearing Loss
Baroness Smith of Gilmorehill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have received the report of the War Pensions Medical Policy Adviser's review of the evidence on which the Department of Social Security's approach to the assessment of hearing loss on war pensions is based.[HL1349]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Social Security (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): Yes. The report of the review of the department's approach to the assessment of hearing loss, conducted by the War Pensions Medical Policy Adviser, was placed in the Library today. The findings confirm that there is no new scientific evidence to raise a reasonable doubt:
- (i) that noise induced sensorineural hearing loss deteriorates once a person is removed from the source of the noise which caused it; and
- (ii) that the combination of the noise induced sensorineural hearing loss and subsequent hearing loss due to age is more that additive.
This, in turn, confirms that the department's current approach on assessment of hearing loss is in line with contemporary understanding and reflects the international standard. War disablement pensions cannot be increased in respect of hearing loss due to ageing. War disablement pensions can only be paid for disablement which is due to service.
Deregulation and Contracting Out Act, Part I
Lord Milner of Leeds asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they have for the reform of Part I of the Deregulation and Contracting Out Act 1994.[HL1320]
The Minister of State, Cabinet Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): The Government have reviewed the operation of the deregulation order-making power in Part I of the Act. We believe the safeguards in the process are proven, but that the legislative limitations on the application of this power restrict our ability to deal
effectively with measures which are no longer needed or which impose a greater burden than necessary.When parliamentary time allows, the Government intend to extend the scope of the deregulation order-making process, while maintaining the statutory protection against its misuse. The Minister for the Cabinet Office has launched today an extensive public consultation into the proposals and has placed copies of the consultation document in the Libraries of the House.
Harrogate: Cycling on the Stray
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What restrictions are placed on cycling on the Stray in Harrogate (owned by the Duchy of Lancaster); and whether, in accordance with their integrated transport policy and transport safety, they will seek means of removing any restrictions.[HL1149]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Although the Stray in Harrogate is owned by the Duchy of Lancaster, under the Stray Act of 1985 (which confirmed earlier legislation), the management of the surface of the Stray is a matter for Harrogate Borough Council.
Cycling is not permitted on the Stray by virtue of a council bye-law.
I understand that the question of permitting cycling on the Stray is being considered by the council but that there is local opposition to as well as some support for such a proposal.
I have no doubt that the council will come to a conclusion on the matter in due course.
Baroness Rawlings asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the results of the Department for International Development's second workshop on non-governmental organisations and water.[HL1231]
Baroness Amos: This workshop on "Lessons Learnt from NGO Experience in the Water Sector" was held at British Overseas NGOs for Development (BOND) offices in London on 21 January 1998, with participants from British NGOs, universities and the Department for International Development.
The purpose of the workshop was to enable information sharing on water-related technical, management and social issues between UK-based development organisations and to disseminate that information to project practitioners through established channels of communication.
Key issues which emerged where it is particularly important for NGOs and donors to learn from each other's experiences were in the areas of community participation, the role of women, project planning and timescale, community contributions and financing, tackling poverty, partnerships and co-operation, technology choices, integration of water, sanitation and hygiene promotion, and replication.
The main output of the workshop is a report which details experiences, both positive and negative, in the field. The report includes details of the above key issues and 30 summaries of NGO projects in the water and sanitation sector and the lessons learnt from them, together with the workshop proceedings and recommended references. Sudan
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Amos on 3 February (WA 215) in respect of the diversion of food aid by the Sudan People's Liberation Army, what assessment they have made of the statement by Bishop Mazzolari, the Roman Catholic Bishop of Rumbek Diocese in southern Sudan (as reported by Agence France Presse on 21 July 1998), that the Sudan People's Liberation Army was diverting 65 per cent. of the emergency food aid being delivered by Operation Lifeline Sudan to affected areas of southern Sudan.[HL1249]
Baroness Amos: The Bishop of Rumbek's statement was one of a number of allegations about the diversion of food aid supplies in southern Sudan. The subsequent report of the task force jointly prepared by Operation Lifeline Sudan (OLS), the Sudan Relief and Rehabilitation Association and the Sudan Peoples' Liberation Movement in September 1998 identified a number of cases of food aid diversions in Sudan Peoples' Liberation Army (SPLA) areas. Strong evidence exists that diversions in these areas continue. The donor community and the United Nations continue to press the SPLA at the highest level to take action to put an end to this practice.
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Amos on 3 February (WA 215), whether, since the United Kingdom contributed £28 million to Operation Lifeline Sudan and associated agencies in 1998, they will request an estimate (either as a percentage figure or in currency value) of how much food aid delivered in southern Sudan by Operation Lifeline Sudan has been diverted by the Sudan People's Liberation Army and others.[HL1250]
Baroness Amos: In the insecure environment of southern Sudan, calculation of a reliable estimate of past food aid diversions would not be possible. The evidence that diversions have occurred is compelling and, together with the UN and other donors, we are concentrating our efforts on action to minimise future such problems.
Lord McNair asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What assessment they have made of the claims in July 1998 by the Sudan People's Liberation Army, as reported by Associated Press on 27 July 1998, of corruption and inefficiency within Operation Lifeline Sudan.[HL1251]
Baroness Amos: It would not be appropriate to give credence to such claims from either side in the Sudan civil war in view of their own poor humanitarian records. We continue to make our own assessment of the efficacy of Operation Lifeline Sudan and work closely with the UN to secure the improvements to the operation that we judge to be desirable.
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