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Tanzania: Air Traffic Control System
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with the World Bank on the recent sale of a British-made air traffic control system to Tanzania and on its merits in terms of the economic and social needs of that country.[HL4777]
Baroness Amos: DfID has had discussions with the World Bank and the Government of Tanzania (GoT) about the air traffic control issue.
The World Bank has recently funded the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) to review Tanzania's civil air navigation requirements. The ICAO has produced its report, which the GoT are now considering.
Mr Manoochehr Mohammadi
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What response they consider should be made by the European Union to the letter addressed to the Heads of Government of the European Union from Mr Manoochehr Mohammadi, the Iranian student leader imprisoned with his brother in Evin prison, alleging that he had been tortured.[HL4940]
Baroness Amos: I am told we have not yet received this letter.
Challenger 2 Main Battle Tanks
Lord Vivian asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What were the reasons for 64 Challenger 2 main battle tanks not being fully operational at 31 March.[HL4931]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): The reasons for 64 Challenger 2 main battle tanks not being fully operational as at 31 March are given below:
- 13 main battle tanks were awaiting spare parts for repair at unit level. These demands were being processed using normal procedures.
- 11 tanks were awaiting labour and would be worked on when skilled manpower could be made available.
- Two main battle tanks were awaiting facilities, one for workshop space to carry out a turret lift and the other awaiting a crane to carry out a power pack lift at unit level to continue investigating a fault.
- 38 main battle tanks in 1 (UK) Armoured Division were awaiting repair at Royal Electrical Mechanical and Engineering Battalions. Eleven of them require auxiliary power units, six require power pack replacements from Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (REME) battalions, four require repair to power packs at REME battalions, two require digital automotive services control units, 12 require turret electronic gun control equipment line replaceable units and three require thermal imaging component repair.
Environmental Tectonics Corporation: RAF Centrifuge Contract
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What date they terminated their contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation to supply the RAF centrifuge.[HL5024]
Lord Bach: The contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation to supply the RAF centrifuge was terminated on 20 July 2001.
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How long after the contractural in-service date of the RAF centrifuge they became aware of the inability of Environmental Tectonics Corporation to compete the project; and whether the contract with Environmental Tectonics Corporation specified a procedure and a nominated alternative supplier, should Environmental Tectonics Corporation prove unable to compete the project.[HL5025]
Lord Bach: The information sought is the subject of legal proceedings between the Ministry of Defence and the company and as a result I am withholding it in accordance with Exemption 4 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to legal proceedings.
Cyprus
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many troops the guarantor powers of Greece and Turkey have on the island of Cyprus.[HL4861]
The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The 1960 Treaty of Alliance allows for there to be 950 Greek troops and 650 Turkish troops on Cyprus. The actual numbers of Greek and Turkish national forces on the island are a matter of dispute between the various parties concerned. No authoritative figures are available.
Trading Standards: "Green" or "Environmental" Claims
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
What prosecutions the Department of Trade and Industry has recommended be pursued because "green" or "environmental" claims were made for a product which, in the department's view, were false or misleading.[HL4717]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): None. It is not a function of this department to recommend that individual cases be prosecuted or pursued under the relevant legislation. The Trade Descriptions Act 1968 and the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988 (as amended) are enforced by local authority trading standards officers and the Director-General of Fair Trading, respectively. The 1988 regulations are also one of the pieces of legislation covered by the Stop Now Orders (EC Directive) Regulations 2001, which provide trading standards departments and a number of other regulators with powers to apply for a court order to stop the publication of a misleading advertisement, as defined in the regulations, which harms the collective interests of consumers.
Scotland: Nuclear Power Stations
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 25 June (WA 131), what is their policy on the replacement of nuclear power stations in Scotland, and the redevelopment of nuclear power station sites.[HL4982]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The replacement of nuclear power stations in Scotland and the redevelopment of nuclear power stations sites would be a commercial matter for the industry, but any proposal to construct a power station in Scotland would require the consent of Scottish Ministers.
Disabled Pupils: Exclusion
Lord Clement-Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the relationship between the draft revised guidance on exclusion from school and the forthcoming disability discrimination duties which protect disabled pupils from exclusion.[HL4910]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The new provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act, which comes into force in September 2002, have been taken into account in the revised draft guidance on exclusions published in January 2002. Schools will be under new duties not to treat disabled pupils less favourably than their non-disabled peers without justification and to take reasonable steps to ensure that disabled pupils are not placed at a substantial disadvantage. However, explanation of the new duties was beyond the scope of the draft revised guidance and readers, especially those involved in exclusion decisions or appeals, were strongly recommended to read and familiarise themselves with the code of practice produced by the Disability Rights Commission.
EU Proposal Directives
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their attitude to the European Union's proposed:
(a) Food Supplement Directive;
(b) Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and
(c) amendments to the Medicines Directive.[HL4192]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The directive on food supplements has now been adopted. It establishes a framework for harmonised controls on vitamin and mineral content of food supplements and introduces a number of useful labelling measures. The Food Standards Agency argued strongly in negotiations for a safety-based approach to this directive rather than the more restrictive approach favoured by the majority of other member states. The text represents a compromise which secured a number of hard-won concessions and which the Government finally supported as the best achievable outcome.
There are widely acknowledged weaknesses in the current regime in the United Kingdom for unlicensed herbal remedies placed on the market under Section 12(2) of the Medicines Act 1968. The proposed Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products potentially redresses deficiencies in relation to quality and safety standards and systematic product information for the consumer. A large number of herbal remedies should be able to demonstrate traditional use under the terms of the directive. In the light of a consultation exercise on the directive carried out by the Medicines Control Agency (MCA), the Government recognise that, while there is considerable support for many of the provisions of the directive, there are also significant concerns, particularly in parts of the health food sector. These relate principally to the issue of whether some of the proposed quality and manufacturing standards are over-regulatory and whether some products currently legally sold under Section 12(2) might fall outside the scope of the directive.
We have extended the consultation period until the end of July in order to allow those expressing concerns to identify specific examples where they believe the directive to be over-regulatory or too restrictive. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health (Ms Hazel Blears) and I will also be meeting representatives of the herbal sector in July. We will review the Government's negotiating priorities on the directive in the light of the additional points that may emerge from this further consultation and dialogue during July.
The European Commission made proposals for wide ranging changes to the body of legislation that regulates medicines for human and veterinary use, of which the Medicines Code (Directive 2001/83/EC) is part, in November 2001. These changes are designed to
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