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Strategic Communications Unit
The Earl of Northesk asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Who are the current members of the Strategic Communications Unit together with the dates of their appointment.[HL369]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: The SCU is staffed by eight civil servants ranging in grade from B1 (Executive Officer) to SCS. These staff include two special advisers.
Task Forces
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What constitutes a task force.[HL571]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Task forces are normally short-term bodies set up quickly with a specific remit. Members are drawn from across the voluntary, public and private sectors, and are appointed for their expertise and experience in a particular field.
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend that there should be a presumption in favour of, or a requirement for, the publication of reports of task forces.[HL572]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: It is for individual Ministers to determine the publication arrangements for reports prepared by task forces which they have established.
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Answer of the Lord Falconer of Thoroton that "the success or otherwise of a task force will be determined by the quality of decision taken by the Minister or government department" (HL Deb, 11 January, col. 525), whether it can be inferred that relevant Ministers are wholly responsible for the output of task forces appointed by them.[HL574]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: Ministers have a duty to Parliament to account, and be held to account, for the policies, decisions and actions of their departments and Next Steps agencies. This includes accounting for the work of task forces. Those task forces which are classified as non-departmental public bodies are accountable directly to Parliament through their sponsoring department.
Wembley Stadium: Lottery Funding Agreement
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the Lottery Agreement between the English Sports Council and the English National Stadium Development Company Limited and the Football Association Limited.[HL495]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The Lottery Funding Agreement is a contract between Sport England, Wembley National Stadium Limited, and the Football Association and publication of the contract is primarily for the parties to the contract.
Non-EU Imports: Duties Received
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the value, for the last full year for which data was available, of all the duties, levies and tariffs on imports from non-European Union countries into the United Kingdom imposed on goods (including agricultural produce) and commercial services.[HL577]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: It is estimated that in 1998, the UK received some £2.8 billion in respect of customs duties and excise duties on goods (including agricultural products) imported into the UK from outside the European Union. Services are not subject to duties.
Devolved Administrations: Guidance to Officials
Baroness Thornton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What guidance has been prepared for officials on dealings with the devolved administrations.[HL695]
The Lord Chancellor (Lord Irvine of Lairg): The Memorandum of Understanding (published as Cm 4444) and supporting concordats provide the basis for relationships between Her Majesty's Government and the Scottish Executive and National Assembly for Wales. A number of guidance notes have also been prepared on more detailed aspects of those relationships, covering:
- Common working arrangements
- Correspondence
- Role of Secretary of State for Scotland
- Role of Secretary of State for Wales
- Inter-ministerial and inter-departmental correspondence
- Post-devolution primary legislation affecting Scotland
The note on common working arrangements has been agreed between the Government, the Scottish Executive and the National Assembly for Wales. The Northern Ireland Executive Committee will be invited to consider its terms once it has agreed to become a party to the Memorandum of Understanding.
The other guidance notes are UK government documents; but the devolved administrations have seen the notes in draft form and have noted their terms.
Further guidance notes will be issued in due course. A list of these currently under preparation has also been lodged in the House Libraries.
Prison Service and Human Rights Act 1998
Baroness Stern asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What training is being given to the Prison Service on the implications for its work of the implementation of the Human Rights Act 1998.[HL588]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton): All staff in the Prison Service and others working in prisons will be provided with information about the Human Rights Act 1998. Senior managers and key policy staff will be given training on the implications of the Act for their work. Existing Prison Service training courses on legal issues already include material on the Act.
Boeing 747 Crash, Essex: Missing Depleted Uranium Counterweights
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What steps they have taken to account for the DU (depleted uranium) missing after the Boeing 747 crash in Essex in December 1999; and what steps they have taken to meet the fears of nearby inhabitants as to effects similar to those of Gulf War Syndrome.[HL635]
The Minister of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston) : Sixteen of the 20 depleted uranium counterweights from the Korean B747 crash site have been recovered. A radiological survey of the crash site is being conducted and it is expected that this will lead to the recovery of the others. It has been established from the condition of the recovered counterweights and the evidence of the fire damage that there has been no airborne dispersal of uranium from the crash site. Nearby inhabitants therefore have nothing to fear on this account.
I understand that newsletters are being provided to address the concerns of local people by the Essex County Council Emergency Planning Department. The recent meeting of the Airport Consultative Committee was opened to the public to provide an opportunity for the local people to voice their concerns and ask questions, and I understand that the Airport Operator is organising further public meetings in the area.
Jubilee Line Signal Failures
Baroness Anelay of St. Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many occasions since 1 December 1999 the Jubilee Line service has been disrupted by signal failure.[HL518]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston : This is an operational matter for LU. However, I understand from London Underground that between 1 December 1999 and 6 January 2000 there were a total of 26 incidents of delay attributable to failure of Jubilee Line signalling equipment. Of these, nine were of over 15 minutes duration and the rest between two and 15 minutes.
It is anticipated that the introduction of new systems on complex transport projects will entail the progressive elimination of technical problems. This work is in progress in particular on signalling, and should improve performance significantly over time.
Vehicles Taken Off Roads
Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their estimate of the number of (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles which were permanently taken off the roads of the United
- Kingdom in the latest year for which figures are available.[HL586]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of the Environment, Transport and the Regions (Lord Whitty): The estimated numbers of cars and goods vehicles taken off the roads in Great Britain in 1998 are shown below. Equivalent data for Northern Ireland are not available.
- Cars: 1,800,000
- Goods vehicles: 50,700
The estimate is made by calculating the change in licensed stock of these vehicles between the end of 1997 and the end of 1998 and subtracting this figure from the number of vehicles first registered in 1998.
Vehicles Purchased
Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their estimate of the number of new (a) cars and (b) commercial vehicles which were purchased in the United Kingdom in the latest year for which figures are available.[HL585]
Lord Whitty: The estimated numbers of new cars and goods vehicles purchased in Great Britain in 1998 are shown below. Equivalent figures for Northern Ireland are not available.
- Cars: 2,261,600
- Goods vehicles: 49,100
These estimates are based on the numbers of vehicles that were newly registered in 1998. The totals will include some vehicles which were purchased in 1998 but which were subsequently scrapped or privately exported.
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