| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Quarry Products: Aggregates Tax
The Earl of Shrewsbury asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What range of quarry products will be taxable under the forthcoming aggregates tax; and at what amount per tonne.[HL1548]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The levy will be charged at £1.60 per tonne upon sand, gravel and rock commercially exploited for use as aggregate.
Redundancies
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 8 November (WA 40), what were the comparable figures for proposed redundancies for the equivalent period in each of the last five years.[HL1324]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): The comparable figures for proposed redundancies for the equivalent period of 6 June 2001 to 30 September 2001 in each of the last five years are:
| Year | Number of proposed redundancies |
| 1996 | 67,397 |
| 1997 | 60,606 |
| 1998 | 85,976 |
| 1999 | 87,301 |
| 2000 | 115,190 |
Miners: Respiratory Disease Claims
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will provide a full breakdown of their costs and expenses in connection with miners' respiratory claims, since Mr Justice Turner's judgment of January 1998, particularised between
- administrative expenses, legal costs, departmental funding and sums paid out to the Department of Trade and Industry's two principal contractors, AON-IRISC and Healthcall.[HL1365]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: To date, the costs for the two schemes to solicitors and the Compensation Recovery Unit amount to £103.8 million, comprising £46.4 million in respect of respiratory disease and £57.4 million in relation to vibration white finger, VWF. The department is unable to provide figures relating to contractors' fees, as the details of these payments remain commercially confidential. The cost of administrative expenses, particularly those of the department, on this work cannot be separately identified.
Challenger 2 Tank Air Filters
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many Challenger 2 tank air filters were used during Exercise Saif Sareea II; and how many are now held in stock.[HL1476]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): Approximately 600 Challenger 2 air filters were used on Exercise Saif Sareea II. Units are however in the process of recovering their assets following the exercise, so it is not possible to be precise.
As at 22 November, 433 air filters were held in storage depots and further stocks are being delivered on a weekly basis. Stocks are also held at unit level, although information on those holdings is not held centrally.
Education Action Zones
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will publish any evaluation there has been of education action zones.[HL1444]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): At the request of my right honourable friend the Secretary of State, the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) has undertaken an ongoing programme of inspection to evaluate the effectiveness of individual education action zones and to routinely publish the results of their findings. To date Ofsted has published 14 reports on individual education action zones and has, in addition, published a commentary on the first six education action zones that it inspected. The reports are published on the Ofsted website www.ofsted.gov.uk
The Department for Education and Skills has this year published an annual report on education action zones. This report documents and evaluates the progress of the education action zone programme to date. I am placing a copy in the Library of the House.
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Who was consulted and over what period about the abolition of education action zones.[HL1446]
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Education action zones (EAZs) are not being abolished. All EAZs will complete their agreed full statutory term. Under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, EAZs were established for a maximum statutory term of five years. Our announcement on 14 November proposes that, wherever possible, we aim to continue to support ex-EAZ schools through our Excellence in Cities initiative, following the end of the zones' statutory term.
Officials from the Department for Education and Skills are holding discussions with each EAZ on the future of their schools, with a view to developing firm proposals well before the end of its statutory term.
Special Educational Needs: Collection of Data
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to conduct an annual schools census in England and Wales requiring enumeration of the numbers of pupils with autism and other conditions giving rise to special educational needs as with the Scottish schools census.[HL1447]
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: Provisions now consolidated in the Education Act 1996 require schools to submit information on numbers of pupils with special educational needs. There is currently no requirement for schools to submit information in the annual schools census on the nature of such pupils' disability or learning difficulty.
The department established an SEN Data Strategy Group which, earlier this year, recommended a number of improvements to the collection of data on pupils with SEN. We are now considering how best these recommendations could be implemented, including developing appropriate data collection software and taking the views of schools and LEAs.
In June this year, the department carried out a pilot study involving a sample of 200 mainstream and special schools to assess whether it would be possible to collect data from schools on a broad range of types of SEN. We are now considering introducing a requirement for schools and LEAs to provide this information from 2003–04, and this is likely to include data on pupils categorised as having an autistic spectrum disorder.
Benefit Fraud Inspectorate Report: Hastings Borough Council
Lord Hughes of Woodside asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they expect to publish the inspection report of the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate in respect of Hastings Borough Council.[HL1641]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): The Benefit Fraud Inspectorate report was published today in respect of Hastings Borough Council and copies of the report have been placed in the Library.
Inspectors found that the council is working towards the verification framework but needs to improve consistency in gathering evidence before they will be able to implement the framework effectively. The report also noted that Hastings Borough Council did not consistently comply with the requirement to confirm national insurance numbers and the linked identity of claimants.
The council's efforts to ensure that only valid claims enter the system are hampered by a claim form that does not meet the standards of the BFI model form.
The report notes that before the inspection took place the council implemented major organisational changes. The benefits section introduced new procedures and initiatives that should bring improvements, but insufficient staff resources meant that the gains have yet to be fully realised.
Inspectors report that the council pays 90 per cent of rent allowance claims to landlords direct. The council recognises the benefits of maintaining close liaison with landlords, supported by clear procedures for the 'fit and proper person' test. Further improvement is needed in the areas of IT security and management checks.
The report finds that the council has effective systems for recovering housing benefit (HB) overpayments. The general lack of resource is having a major impact on the performance of the Benefits Investigation Service causing a shortfall against the weekly benefit saving threshold. Internal Audit's provision of a robust and effective audit service gives some assurance as to the security of the benefits system.
The report makes recommendations to help the council to address weaknesses and to improve the administration of housing benefit and council tax benefit; as well as counter fraud activities.
My right honourable friend the Secretary of State is now considering the report and will be asking the council for its proposals in response to the findings and recommendations of the BFI.
Convicted Prisoners: Disfranchisement
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they accept the recommendation by the United Nations Human Rights Committee in its concluding observations of 29 October on the Fifth Periodic Report submitted by the United Kingdom, to reconsider United Kingdom law depriving convicted prisoners of the right to vote.[HL1299]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): We have read the committee's draft recommendation and we have no plans to amend the law as it stands at present. The Divisional Court confirmed earlier this year that the disfranchisement of convicted prisoners is both legitimate and proportional in its aim and that there has therefore been no breach of human rights in maintaining the current practice.
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page