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Domestic Energy Efficiency
Lord Janner of Braunstone asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress has been made by each energy conservation authority in improving the energy efficiency of the domestic housing stock in its area. [HL4819]
Lord Whitty: Data reported by energy conservation authorities in England under the Home Energy Conservation Act 1995 in the period 1 April 1996 to 31 March 2001 has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. These data have also been published on the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' website, at address http://www.defra.gov.uk/environment/energy/heca95/index.htm. Authorities have reported an overall improvement in domestic energy efficiency of 8.12 per cent. as measured against a 1996 baseline.
Rights of Way
Lord Burlison asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What progress is being made on implementation of the rights of way provisions in the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [HL4824]
Lord Whitty: We are today publishing proposals to implement provisions in Schedule 6 to the Countryside and Rights of Way Act which will enable the closure or diversion of rights of way where this is necessary for crime prevention or to promote pupil and teacher safety. These new powers will enable highway authorities to address the disruption caused by persistent criminal activity in back alleys, or gulleys, on housing estates.
As these important new powers are not regarded as a first response to tackling crime, we will designate areas where the new crime prevention powers will be available. Highway authorities will normally take the lead, working with local crime and disorder reduction partnerships, police authorities, local residents and user groups to formulate a submission to the Secretary of State advocating any area at ward level that may warrant inclusion in a designation order. In county areas, the district authority or the local crime and disorder reduction partnership may be able to make a submission if the county is unwilling to do so.
The new schools provisions will enable a highway authority to close or divert a right of way where it crosses school land for the purpose of protecting
pupils or staff from violence or other risks to their health and safety. These provisions are not subject to the designation process and will be available throughout England.I am also publishing proposals to implement Section 63 of the Act. These new provisions will ensure that members of the public have a means to compel highway authorities to use their powers to remove certain types of obstruction.
Highway authorities already have specific powers to deal with obstructions and recover costs from the persons concerned. These new provisions will empower the public to directly influence the action taken by authorities in dealing with obstructions.
The public will be able to initiate action in relation to the majority of obstructions that cause difficulties for rights of way users, such as fences, overhanging vegetation and barbed wire. We are inviting views on any other forms of obstruction that should be covered by the provisions.
Copies of Crime Prevention on Rights of Way; Public Consultation paper on the Designation of Areas and Other Procedural Matters, and Enforcement of highway authorities duty to prevent obstructions on rights of way: Consultation Paper on the implementation of section 63 of Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 have been placed in the Library of the House. Views are invited by 20 September 2002.
School Playing Fields
Lord Wedderburn of Charlton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will take steps to encourage independent schools which enjoy charitable status to share their sports grounds and facilities with schools in their districts which are less able to offer students opportunities to play sport.[HL4707]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): It is the Government's policy to encourage partnership between the maintained and independent education sectors. Through our independent/state schools partnership scheme we provide grants which foster a range of partnership activities between schools in both sectors, including partnerships which use shared sports facilities. Partnerships help to build bridges between the sectors and encourage schools to explore collaboration across a wide range of activities. We know that many independent schools have taken the decision to share facilities with maintained schools. We applaud these arrangements and hope that independent schools will reflect on their success and consider whether they could be extended. The Government's Plan for Sport, published in Spring 2001, acknowledges the independent/state school partnership scheme and the part that the independent sector can play in improving the provision of PE and school sport in all our schools.
Religious Broadcasting
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why the relaxation of the disqualification against religious broadcasting contained in Schedule 2 to the Broadcasting Act 1990 was omitted from the Broadcasting Act 1996.[HL4477]
The Minister of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Baroness Blackstone): Ministers of this Government are not accountable for what happened under a previous administration.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What considerations have led them to exclude Christian and other religious broadcasters from applying for local digital multiplex broadcasting licences.[HL4478]
Baroness Blackstone: The Government's aim is to ensure that the limited spectrum available is distributed so as to satisfy as many viewers/listeners as possible and to avoid giving one religion an unfair advantage over another so that everyone's beliefs are equally respected. The Government's position is set out in the document The draft Communications Bill— The Policy which states that, where there is sufficient spectrum availability, restrictions on religious bodies holding licences will be removed (paragraph 9.3.3).
A local radio multiplex licence is the licence to operate a multiplex through which local digital radio stations are transmitted. In most areas there is only one local digital radio multiplex for independent local radio and the maximum number in London is three. Under these circumstances we have concluded that there is insufficient spectrum to allow local radio multiplex licences to be held by religious bodies. For clarification, however, the Bill does lift the prohibition on religious ownership of a local digital sound programme licence, which is the licence to operate a local digital radio station.
Women's Sport Foundation
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Blackstone on 22 May (WA 107), what were the results of the meeting between the Chief Executive of the Women's Sport Foundation (WSF) and government officials held at the end of May; and what action the Government will take to support the WSF's new strategic plan.[HL4645]
Baroness Blackstone: The meeting between the Chief Executive of the Women's Sport Foundation (WSF) and government officials at the end of May resulted in the Government committing to supporting elements of the WSF's new strategic plan. This action includes involving the WSF in Sport England's Sportsearch project, which is an Internet CD-ROM system designed to enable secondary-aged young people to match their physical, physiological and skill profiles and
preferences with sports they may enjoy. The computer program also provides young people with information about a range of sports and gives them direct access to local club contracts and information. Officials are working with the WSF Media Group with a view to including a DCMS representative and liaising with Sport England to improve data collection on women and girl's participation in sport.Ulster Scots
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Why they have not given guidance to all their offices in Northern Ireland concerning the equal treatment of Irish and Ulster Scots, as promised in the Belfast Agreement of 1998.[HL4483]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): As I indicated in my Answer to the noble Lord (WA 133), the Belfast Agreement affirmed the parties' recognition of the "importance of respect, understanding and tolerance in relation to linguistic diversity, including in Northern Ireland, the Irish language, Ulster-Scots and the languages of the various ethnic communities, all of which are part of the cultural wealth of the island of Ireland".
Maintaining linguistic diversity is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Office, the other Exchequer Departments operating in Northern Ireland and the devolved administration. Work is progressing jointly to ensure a consistent approach is taken across all administrative arms of government in Northern Ireland and guidance will be issued in due course.
Irish Nationality
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 26 March (WA 44), what they understand to be meant by the term Irish national.[HL4487]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on the 9 May (WA 200).
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