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Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Since the Carriers Liability (Clandestine Entrants and Sale of Transporters) Regulations 2000 came into effect, why they detained a lorry owned by Wood Flooring of Meare, Somerset, on 16 March at the time of serving of notice of liability to civil penalty when this operator is a regular user of cross-Channel transport services and has not previously been served with such a notice.[HL1441]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The power to detain a vehicle following the giving of a notice of liability to civil penalty may be exercised only if the senior officer concerned is of the opinion that the penalty will not be paid before the end of the prescribed period of 60 days if the transporter is not detained.
It would not be right for me to comment on an individual case which may be the subject of ongoing civil penalty proceedings. In general, however, in forming an opinion the senior officer will take into
account all factors that may indicate a significant risk that the penalty will not be paid within the time prescribed. These factors will include the amount of the penalty imposed, the financial standing of the company or individual involved, their willingness to pay and any history of late or non-payment of previous penalties. The fact that a company may not have previously incurred a penalty is not an indication in itself that a penalty imposed will be paid within the prescribed time.EC Own Resources Contributions
Lord Shore of Stepney asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What percentage of total European Union own resources has been provided by the United Kingdom's net contribution in each of the years 1990 to 2000; what has been the percentage contribution to the European Union own resources of France and Italy in each of the same years; and what is the estimated annual net contribution of France and Italy in the years 2001 to 2006.[HL1373]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The percentage of total European Community own resources provided by the United Kingdom's net contribution in the years 1990 to 2000 is contained in the reply which I gave to the noble Lord on 15 March, (Official Report, WA 104-105).
The percentage contributions of France and Italy in each of the years 1990 to 1999 were as follows:
| France (%) | Italy (%) | |
| 1990 | 4.36 | 1.01 |
| 1991 | 4.64 | 2.63 |
| 1992 | 2.57 | 0.90 |
| 1993 | 1.59 | 2.38 |
| 1994 | 4.09 | 3.96 |
| 1995 | 2.55 | 0.91 |
| 1996 | 0.65 | 1.97 |
| 1997 | 1.31 | 0.43 |
| 1998 | 2.09 | 2.57 |
| 1999 | 1.41 | 2.12 |
Figures from which the net contribution of other member states for the year 2000 can be calculated are not yet available. The Government do not forecast the contribution of other member states on an annual basis.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why it is impossible for new teams of officials or new Ministers who take over responsibility for Gulf veterans from previous teams (except at the time of a change of government in the case of Ministers) to refer to the information obtained by, and emanating from, their predecessors.[HL1330]
3 Apr 2001 : Column WA110
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The Ministry of Defence is committed to providing information to Parliament on matters of potential relevance to the issue of Gulf veterans' illnesses. This commitment has been continually demonstrated in the work undertaken by my department's Gulf Veterans' Illnesses Unit. If the noble Countess would care to write to me with more details of her concerns, I will investigate them further.
Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme
Lord Morris of Castle Morris asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made with setting up and activating the Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme in response to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.[HL1592]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman): The Livestock Welfare (Disposal) Scheme, as announced in the Statement to the House on 27 March (Official Report, cols. 119-124), has already opened to applications. First payments are due to be made before Easter.
Parliamentary approval for additional resources for this new service will be sought in the 2001-02 Summer Supplementary Estimate for the Intervention Board--Executive Agency. Pending that approval urgent expenditure estimated at £240 million will be met by a repayable cash advance from the Contingencies Fund.
Children's Commissioner for Wales
Baroness David asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What role will the Children's Commissioner for Wales have in respect of matters that are not devolved to the National Assembly for Wales.[HL1596]
The Attorney-General (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The commissioner's core functions under the Bill rightly focus on matters that come within the Assembly's wide fields of responsibility. However, the Government have carefully considered the points made in debate here and in another place about the commissioner needing to have a role in matters not devolved to the Assembly. We therefore intend amending the Bill to empower the commissioner to consider, and make representations to the Assembly about, any matter affecting the rights and welfare of children in Wales.
Crown Leaseholders
Baroness Cohen of Pimlico asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What effect the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill will have on the rights of Crown leaseholders to enfranchise and to acquire a new or extended lease.[HL1595]
The Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (Lord Bach): Following a statement made on 2 November 1992 by Sir George Young, the Crown authorities gave an undertaking that the Crown would, as landlord and subject to specified conditions, agree to the enfranchisement or extension of residential long leases under the same qualifications and terms which applied by virtue of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 to lessees who hold from other landlords.
The Crown authorities have confirmed that they will apply the terms of this undertaking to the provisions of the 1967 Act and the 1993 Act as amended by the present Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Bill if enacted. This undertaking accordingly supersedes the one given on 2 November 1992.
The full terms of the agreement made by the Crown are as follows:
(1) the Crown as landlord will, subject to the conditions described below, agree to the enfranchisement or extension of residential long leases or the grant of new residential long leases under the same qualifications and terms which will apply by virtue of the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 to lessees who hold from other landlords;
(2) enfranchisement will be refused where property stands on land which is held inalienably;
(3) enfranchisement will also be refused where certain circumstances, which only apply to the Crown, obtain. These are:
- (i) where there are particular security considerations (on the advice of the Royal and Diplomatic Protection Group of the Metropolitan Police or other security agencies)
- (ii) where properties are in, or intimately connected with, the curtilage of historic Royal Parks and Palaces;
- (iii) where properties, or the areas in which they are situated, have a long historic or particular association with the Crown.
(5) where enfranchisement is refused on the grounds set out in paragraphs (2) and (3) but the tenant would otherwise qualify for enfranchisement, lease extension or the grant of a new lease by analogy with the statutes, the Crown will be prepared to negotiate new leases.
(6) the Crown will follow the valuation bases set out in the Leasehold Reform Act 1967 and the Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993.
(7) the Crown will agree to be bound by arbitration where there is dispute over valuation or other terms, except in cases under paragraphs (2) and (3). The Leasehold Valuation Tribunal will be empowered to act as the arbitration body, and will hear such disputes on voluntary reference.
(8) the Crown will be entitled to apply to the Leasehold Valuation Tribunal for approval of a scheme of estate management in the same way as other landlords.
UK Jobs and EU Membership
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 February (WA 120) in which the National Statistician and Registrar General states that no information is available linking workforce jobs with activities directly contributing to credits on the United Kingdom balance of payments current account, what is the source of the data in the statement by the Prime Minister in his foreword to IGC: Reform for Enlargement, Cm 4595, that over 3 million British jobs are involved with exports to our partners in the European Union.[HL1328]
The Minister for Science, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): This figure was drawn from the National Institute for Economic and Social Research (NIESR) report Continent Cut off? The Macroeconomic Impact of British Withdrawal from the EU by Pain Young. This was first published in February 2000. A revised edition was published in September of the same year.
The NIESR report estimated that up to 3.2 million jobs were associated with the UK's membership of the EU--2.7 million in the export of goods and services to the EU and another 0.5 million in multinational companies which might be lost if the UK did not have tariff free access to the EU. These estimates are made using 1997 data.
A study entitled UK Jobs Dependent on the EU by Ardy, Begg and Hodson of the European Institute at South Bank University came to a similar conclusion. This study, published in February 2000, estimated that 3.445 million UK jobs are linked to the export of goods and services to the rest of the EU.
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