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Asylum Seekers: Special Grant Report
Lord Desai asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether local grant claims for supporting adult and family asylum seekers for the period 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999 have been met.[HL4950]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have laid before Parliament today a special grant report which sets out the arrangements for reimbursing local authorities in England for amounts outstanding in respect of claims for supporting asylum seeking adults and families for the period 1 April 1999 to 5 December 1999.
Lord Desai asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they intend to reimburse local authorities for their expenditure on supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children.[HL4951]
Lord Falconer of Thoroton: We have laid before Parliament today a special grant report which sets out the arrangements for reimbursing local authorities in England for the costs of supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children as a result of their duties under the Children Act 1989.
The special grant report explains the areas of expenditure which will be eligible for the grant and the time-scales for local authorities to make their claims.
Proscribed Terrorist Organisations
Lord Ahmed asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will consider proscribing VHP and Shiv Sinna on the list of terrorist organisations.[HL4363]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Filkin): The list of proscribed organisations is kept under review and decisions to proscribe or deproscribe are taken after careful consideration of all relevant aspects.
Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000
Lord Mackenzie of Framwellgate asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether all the codes of practice under Part 2 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 are in force; and, if not, what date is planned for their publication.[HL4401]
Lord Filkin: Codes of practice on covert surveillance and convert human intelligence sources have been issued in draft and for public consultation. That consultation raised a number of complex issues which required detailed consideration. The Government intend to lay the draft codes before Parliament shortly for approval.
Cabinet Office Departmental Report 2001–02
Lord Harris of Haringey asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish the Cabinet Office departmental report 2001–02.[HL4952]
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston): I have today laid the Cabinet Office departmental report 2001–02 before Parliament, copies of which are available in the Libraries of both Houses.
Territorial Army: Wales
Lord Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many persons serve in Territorial Army units in Wales.[HL4737]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): As at 1 June, there are 1,906 personnel serving in Territorial Army units in Wales.
Services Cadet Units: Wales
Lord Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many Air Training Corps units, Army Cadet units, and Naval Cadet units there are in Wales.[HL4738]
Lord Bach: The information requested is set out in the following table:
| Combined Cadet Force (CCF) (as at 1 April 2001) | 5 |
| Sea Cadet Corps (SCC) (as at 14 June 2002) | 22 |
| Army Cadet Force (ACF) (as at 31 March 2002) | 150 |
| Air Training Corps (ATC) in Wales (as at 14 June 2002) | 82 |
| Total | 259 |
Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy: Annual Report
Baroness Hayman asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish their response to the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy's annual report.[HL4927]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): We will publish our response on 27 June. Copies will be placed in the Library.
Least Developed Countries: Exports
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have any plans to press their G8 counterparts to provide tariff and quota-free access to all exports from the least developed countries by 2005.[HL4709]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): G8 members committed to the objective of duty-free and quota-free access for all products
originating from least developed countries at the WTO Doha Ministerial in November 2001. The UK sees it as imperative to move forward on integrating LDCs into the multilateral trading system and to ensure they can harness the benefits of trade for poverty reduction. The upcoming G8 Summit in Kananaskis offers the opportunity to push for early progress on achieving this goal.Countryside Conservation
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Since the publication of the Countryside Commission's Protecting our Finest Countryside: Advice to Government in 1998, how much progress has been made on its recommendations to:
(a) place an explicit statutory obligation on all public bodies to have regard to the need to enhance the natural beauty of areas of outstanding natural beauty; and
(b) apply incentives for woodland management across all national parks and areas of outstanding natural beauty; and
(c) arrange for priority allocation of Heritage Lottery funds to areas of outstanding natural beauty; and
(d) return to greenfield status the disused military airfield at RAF Brentwater on the Suffolk coast and heaths area of outstanding natural beauty.[HL4719]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (Lord Whitty): Since 1998, the Government have brought in Section 85(1) of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 which requires that, "In exercising or performing any functions in relation to, or so as to affect, land in an area of outstanding natural beauty, a relevant authority shall have regard to the purpose of conserving and enhancing the natural beauty of the area of outstanding natural beauty". Relevant authorities are listed at Section 85(2) of the Act and include any public body.
Incentives for woodland management are provided for the Government by the Forestry Commission which provides incentives for woodland creation and management through its Woodland Grant Scheme on a national basis, not just in designated areas. A challenge fund provides further incentives to create new native woodlands in national parks (nearly 1,300 hectares were approved over the past 5 years). In addition, the commission has signed an accord with the association of AONBs setting out how it will maximise uptake of existing woodland incentives whilst ensuring woodlands contribute to AONB objectives.
Through the Heritage Lottery Fund's strategic plan 1999–2002, the Government support landscapes of outstanding importance to national heritage through acquisitions, management and access projects. One of the three priorities for land was targeted on AONB applicants. Such awards were known as area
partnership schemes and by April 2002 about £7 million had been committed to AONBs. This initiative will continue under the strategic plan 2002–07 but will be known as landscape partnerships.The disused military airfied at RAF Bentwater is no longer in Crown (MOD) ownership. It was sold in the mid-1990s to a development company. The land has since been divided and sold separately. It is being used as an industrial estate, redeveloped for housing or restored to agriculture (including informal recreation). All of these uses are within the agreed planning brief for the site.
Hedgerow Regulations 1997
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they have reached any conclusion concerning the suggestion in 1998 of the group set up to review the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 that the Environment Act 1995 be amended to allow local authorities to determine which hedgerows in their areas should be protected.[HL4832]
Lord Whitty: A consultation paper on protection of boundary features and amendment of the Hedgerow Regulations 1997 is in preparation. Though we have not reached any firm conclusions on the mechanisms to be used, the consultation paper is likely to invite views on the ways in which hedgerows that are important because of their local distinctiveness should be protected.
National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will announce how the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund will be distributed.[HL4924]
Lord Whitty: We are pleased to announce today the arrangements for the distribution of the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund. Local authorities in every region of England (apart from London which is being handled separately) will receive a total of £42 million in 2002–03 from the fund to kick start new projects. The money will go to schemes that improve recycling, complement municipal waste management strategies and contribute to a better quality of life for residents.
From over 190 applications to the fund for 2002–03, 12 schemes were approved by DEFRA with the assistance of an expert panel. Details of the successful schemes will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses shortly when the local authorities have been informed. We are now inviting applications for grants from the fund for 2003–04 when £76.3 million will be available; almost double the amount for 2002/03.
The national fund prioritises five key areas:
- improving partnership initiatives between authorities;
- contributing to high performance, innovation and best practice;
- establishing a challenge fund for general projects;
- developing community initiatives;
- turning around low recycling performance.
Neighbourhood renewal is also a key area of government policy and over half of the 88 NRU local authorities in England are low recycling performers. 21 NRU local authorities were approved for direct grant in 2002–03, amounting to a total of some £14 million.
We will be publishing revised guidance for the submission of bids to the fund for 2003–04 very shortly on DEFRA's website.
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