| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Afghanistan: Unexploded Ammunition
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their assessment of the risk to innocent men, women and children of unexploded ammunition in Afghanistan; what indications this
- has for future military policy; and what action they are taking.[HL3524]
Lord Bach: There is a considerable quantity of unexploded ordnance in Afghanistan, much of it dating back several years, and this obviously poses risks to the population. One task for the international community will be to provide assistance in clearing this and humanitarian agencies specialising in mine clearance are already present in Afghanistan.
The Department for International Development has so far allocated £3.2 million through the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) for humanitarian mine action interventions in Afghanistan. This will cover mine clearance operations, training and mines awareness activities. The Ministry of Defence has also posted a military officer to assist the UNMAS in Kabul.
The coalition puts great care into its selection of targets and weapons. We only target military objectives that would provide a military advantage to the coalition and all munitions are designed to explode on impact. This approach will remain.
Ecolabelling
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to establish a national ecolabelling scheme similar to the Blue Angel scheme in Germany.[HL3598]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): We have no plans to do so but we continue to support the development of the EU ecolabelling award scheme, which encourages greener product standards across the whole of the single market. We asked the Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment to examine the case for setting up a national scheme as well as part of its remit to look at the role of product information in driving up standards of environmental performance. The committee's advice (in its first report, Choosing Green) was that it would not be cost-effective to set up a national ecolabelling award scheme at this stage and that resources for improving product information could be applied more effectively on other initiatives. The Minister for the Environment has indicated to the chair of the committee, Dr Alan Knight, that these other options seem more promising at this stage, and should be examined further. The committee has been assisting with that further work.
GM Contamination of Hybrid Oil Seed Rape
Baroness Golding asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have received the report being prepared by the Canadian seed authorities on the
- possible causes of the GM contamination of hybrid oil seed rape exported to the UK in the spring of 2000.[HL3726]
Lord Whitty: The report has recently been issued by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. I have arranged for copies to be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Financial Reporting Standard 17
Lord Higgins asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they consider that the introduction of the Accounting Standard Board's Financial Regulation 17 will have a more stringent effect on those implementing it than the alternative proposal for European legislation.[HL3330]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): Accounting standards are a matter for the Accounting Standards Board, which is independent of government. Financial Report Standard 17 sets out how companies must show the costs of retirement provision in their accounts. Companies must comply with FRS17 by 2003.
There is a proposal that EU companies should comply with international accounting standards by 2005. The international standard corresponding to FRS17 (IAS 19) currently allows companies to smooth the effects of fluctuations in pension scheme asset values in their balance sheets, although the International Accounting Standards Board is reviewing this standard. Smoothing is not permitted by FRS17.
Older People in Residential Care
Baroness Greengross asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will provide a summary of the differing levels and types of state support available to older people in residential or nursing care in the United Kingdom since October 2001.[HL3453]
Baroness Hollis of Heigham: On 1 October 2001 the Government delivered on their commitment set out in the NHS Plan to bring in free nursing care for people paying all of their nursing home fees themselves. This is to meet the costs of registered nurse time spent on providing, delegating or supervising care in all settings. Residents receive a contribution of £35, £70 or £110 per week, depending on their level of need.
The department provides support through the benefit system to older people in residential care and nursing homes in a number of ways. Benefit rates are set out in the table below:
Benefit rates and amounts from 8 April 2002 For customers over 60 who currently receive income support, including a residential allowance, their benefit from 8 April will be:
| IS personal allowance | £53.95 |
| IS pensioner premium | £44.20 |
| *IS residential allowance (outside London) | £64.40 |
| TOTAL | £162.55 *The residential allowance for people living in Greater London is £71.65 |
| Customers living in local authority residential accommodation (Part 3) and currently receiving income support: | £75.50 People living in residential care and nursing homes: |
| IS personal allowance | £53.95 |
| IS pensioner premium | £44.20 |
| TOTAL | £98.15 |
From 8 April 2002 the preserved rights rates of income support were abolished and local authorities became responsible for arranging and funding care for those customers. The residential allowance and Part 3 rates of income support also ceased to be paid for all new claims from 8 April. This arrangement will provide a fairer system of funding for long-term care and will concentrate resources at the point where decisions are made on the appropriate care for individuals. This will ensure more effective and flexible support to the vulnerable people in our society.
In addition, severely disabled people living in residential care and nursing homes may be entitled to attendance allowance or disability living allowance, where the resident meets the whole cost of their place in the home entirely from their own resources, and without recourse to help with that cost from public funds.
Retirement pension, and other benefits (such as incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance) which the customer is entitled to are also payable. However, these are taken into account as income when assessing a claim for income support.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 19 March (WA140) concerning mixed-sex wards, whether it is normal practice to allow three months to elapse before replying to letters from a Member of either House of
16 Apr 2002 : Column WA155
- Parliament; and, if not, what is the usual space of time between the receipt of letters and the replies sent; and[HL3489]
Why the Department of Health did not acknowledge or reply to a letter concerning mixed-sex wards sent by Lord Stoddart of Swindon to Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 12 December 2001 until 11 March 2002; and whether they will give an assurance that the response time to letters from Members will be considerably reduced in future.[HL3490]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Information is published annually by the Cabinet Office on the volume of correspondence from Members of Parliament received by Ministers and agency chief executives; departments' and agencies' handling targets; and their performance in meeting these targets. The department's current service first targets are to answer all correspondence within 20
working days. The report for 2001 is due to be published shortly.Haemophilia
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many recorded incidents of infection there have been (a) among children under 16 with haemophilia since recombinant treatment was introduced for them in 1998; and (b) among adults with haemophilia using plasma-derived products since the same date.[HL3414]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: Since 1998 the Medicines Control Agency has received no reports of infections associated with recombinant treatment among children under 16 with haemophilia and no reports of infections in adults receiving plasma derived products for the treatment of haemophilia. Reports of suspected adverse drug reactions are made voluntarily by doctors, dentists, pharmacists and coroners.
| Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |