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Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art: Arts Council Allocations
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What sum has been committed by the Arts Council of England to the development of the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear; and what are the terms under which that amount has been so allocated.[HL3269]
Baroness Blackstone: The Arts Council has committed £33,885,000 to Baltic Flour Mills for the capital development plus a further £7,500,000 which has been allocated as annual revenue support over five years.
The Arts Council issues standard conditions which are publicly available and special conditions, which are not, due to commercial confidentiality. Both sets of conditions are closely monitored by the Arts Council.
BBC News 24: Review
Lord Desal asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they plan to announce the terms of reference for the review of BBC News 24.[HL3439]
Baroness Blackstone: The independent review of News 24 which my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has asked Richard Lambert, formerly editor of the Financial Times, to conduct will have the following terms of reference:
The independent reviewer shall:
- — consider whether, in delivering its News 24 service, the BBC is acting in accordance with the facts and assurances upon which approval to proceed with the service was given;
- — have regard, in reaching any conclusions, to:
- a) the BBC's own report on the performance of News 24 and to any subsequent evidence provided by the corporation; and
- b) views submitted by any other interested parties in response to the BBC's report;
- — submit a report to the Secretary of State, in publishable form, by the end of June 2002, setting out his conclusions and, if appropriate, making any recommendations he believes necessary to ensure that News 24 is operated in line with the original approval.
Zimbabwe: Targeted Sanctions
The Earl of Caithness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What assets in the United Kingdom have been seized or frozen under the smart sanctions against Zimbabwe.[HL3243]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Since the introduction of targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe, two accounts belonging to two listed individuals containing a total of £76,000 have been frozen. The sanctions regime effectively prevents other targeted individuals gaining access to UK financial services.
The Earl of Caithness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How much money and what assets belonging to those being targeted by smart sanctions against Zimbabwe have been transferred from the United Kingdom since the announcement of the proposed action.[HL3244]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Since the annoucement by EU Finance Ministers on 28 January 2002 that they proposed targeted sanctions against Zimbabwe, we are not aware of any money or assets belonging to targets of the proposed sanctions having been transferred from the United Kingdom. Since the acceptance of the EC Regulation (310/2002) on 21 February 2002 it has been a legal requirement to block such transfers.
Haemophilia
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Futher to the answers by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath concerning recombinant treatment for people with haemophilia on 6 February (HL Deb, cols. 629–30), whether they will now set out in detail the basis on which it was stated that there is no evidence "that recombinant clotting factors are more efficacious than plasma-based products" or "that there is an issue of safety between different products"; and whether they will provide the sources that justify both statements.[HL2781]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): It is generally accepted by United Kingdom clinicians that recombinant and plasma derived clotting factors are equally effective in treating clotting disorders. In guidelines produced by the United Kingdom Haemophilia Doctors Organisations, comparisons between the two types of product revolve around their relative safety, bearing in mind that no medicinal product can ever be completely free from risk. An advantage of recombinant products, where they are entirely free of human albumin, is that they eliminate the risk from blood borne viruses and the theoretical risk from vCJD. However, plasma derived clotting factors are tightly regulated by European and United States authorities to minimise the risk of viral transmission. This is achieved by the screening of donor blood and the anti-viral measures taken during manufacture. By ceasing to use UK plasma in the manufacture of blood products, the Government have already taken steps to reduce the unknown risks from vCJD.
The Government will make a full statement once we have completed our consideration of the Haemophilia Society's call to extend the provision of recombinant clotting factors to all haemophilia patients in England.
Children Missing from Care
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many children in the care of West Sussex Social Services have gone missing since 1965;
whether any have been traced; whether other social service departments have lost children in recent years; and whether they will ask the Social Services Inspectorate to report, with a view to publishing their findings.[HL3233]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: From April 2001 all local authorities in England have been required to include data about the numbers of children in their care who go missing for 24 hours or more in their annual statistical return to the Department of Health. Prior to 2001, councils had to return data on numbers of children who were missing for more than seven days. Data concerning this issue were not available in 1965.
West Sussex Council has provided the following information to the department about young people in its care who have gone missing without trace since 1995. These were predominantly asylum-seeking young women from West Africa. In 1995 one person went missing; this figure was two in 1996; seven in 1997; 11 in 1998; 23 in 1999 and 21 in 2000. By 2001, the council had developed procedures to identify and support young people from abroad who were particularly vulnerable; by January 2002 six had gone missing. While other young people in the council's care do go missing temporarily from their placements, it would be extremely rare for a young person to go missing without trace.
Research about young runaways sponsored by the department and by voluntary organisations, suggests that looked after children missing from residential or foster care are more likely to run away than those living at home. The majority of these young people are found within 48 hours. According to the Department of Health's statistical return of the young people missing from their care placements during the course of 1999–2000 approximately 140 were absent for over six months.
The Department of Health is working closely with the Social Exclusion Unit and is preparing guidance for local authorities, the police, health agencies and the voluntary sector concerning good practice and procedures on children missing from care.
NHS National Standards of Cleanliness
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 1 March (WA 216), what are the national standards for cleanliness in the National Health Service.[HL3262]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The National Standards of Cleanliness for the NHS is available in hard copy from Her Majesty's Stationery Office. The entire document is also available on the NHS Estates website, www.nhsestates.gov.uk
NHS Hospitals: "Hotel Charges"
Lord Lamont of Lerwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have given any consideration to introducing "hotel charges" in National Health Service hospitals.[HL3286]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government have no plans to introduce "hotel" charges in National Health Service hospitals.
Court Attendance: Assistance with Costs
Earl Russell asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether crisis loans from the Social Fund are available towards the cost of attending court; and [2976]
Whether any help is available to people on means-tested benefits who are compelled to spend a night away from home by a need to attend court.[HL2974]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): Social Fund crisis loans are not generally available to meet the costs incurred by people attending court. Exceptionally, a crisis loan may be made to meet emergency travelling expenses where a person is stranded away from home.
In criminal law cases the Crown Prosecution Service are able to help with the cost of travelling expenses and, where necessary, overnight stays.
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