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United States: War Loans to UK
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 27 May (WA 127) concerning the six occasions on which the United Kingdom deferred payments to the United States Government, when were these occasions; and what was the reason in each case. [HL5183]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The United Kingdom, as allowed for under the loan agreement, deferred payments on the Second World war debt to the United States Government in 1956, 1957, 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1976. These deferments have occurred after considering the conditions of international exchange and the level of the United Kingdom's foreign currency and gold reserves.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether all the war-related debt to the United States from the period of the First World War has been paid off in full; if not, when it will be, and how much the debt was in the first place. [HL5245]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: At the end of the First World War the United Kingdom debt to the United States amounted to around £850 million. Repayments of the debt were made between 1923 and 1931. In 1931 President Hoover of the United States proposed a one-year moratorium on all war debts, which allowed extensive international discussions on the general problems of debt repayment to be held. However no satisfactory agreement was reached, In the absence of such an agreement no payments have been made to, or received from, other nationals since 1934.
At the time of the moratorium the United Kingdom was owed more by other nations (£2,269 billion) than the outstanding principal it owed the United States ($4,368 billion).
Armed Forces Personnel Processes
Lord Hoyle asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether there are plans for a review of Armed Forces personnel processes.[HL5348]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): A review of Armed Forces personnel processes is to be carried out this year. Preliminary work (Phase 1) has defined the scope of the study and identified the processes concerned. The aim of the review is to ensure that the outcome of the processes (providing the Armed Forces with the right number of people with the right skills in the right place at the right time) is achieved effectively and as efficiently as possible.
The review will proceed in two further phases, under the sponsorship of the Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel). Phase 2 will identify management, organisational and structural options for improving the delivery of the personnel process outputs. The examination will include the busines planning and performance management framework within which these processes operate. The sponsor expects to receive the report early in 2003. Phase 3, to be completed in mid-2003, will develop more detailed proposals for improvements in future performance and service delivery.
This process-based review, whose approach is support by the Treasury and Cabinet Office, will replace planned quinquennial reviews of the Naval Recruiting and Training Agency (NRTA), the Army
Training and Recruiting Agency (ATRA) and the RAF's Training Group Defence Agency (TGDA). Although the future of these agencies will be considered in detail, the review will focus on end-to-end processes, and not primarily on historical agency performance.The review team will conduct wide consultation with representatives of stakeholders. However, the team will be interested to hear the views of other organisations or individuals (including people currently in the Armed Forces) who would like to make a contribution to the review. Those wishing to
do so should send their contributions by Monday 16 September by post to:
- Service Personnel Processes Review Team,
- c/o 2nd Floor Open Plan
- Ministry of Defence
- St Giles Court,
- 1–13 St Giles High Street,
- London WC2H 8LD
- or by e-mail to: dgmo-traqqr3@defence.mod.uk
President of Ireland: Visits to UK
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many visits to the United Kingdom by Mary McAleese, President of the Republic of Ireland, have been organised in conjunction with the Irish Embassy.[HL5123]
The Minister for Trade (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): Her Majesty's Government and the Irish Embassy have co-operated in the organisation of 10 visits by President McAleese to the United Kingdom since her inauguration as President in 1997. We understand that the President of Ireland has also made a number of private visits, on which the FCO does not keep records.
Illegal Residence and Employment
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is their estimate of the number of foreign persons living and working illegally in each member state of the European Union.[HL5133]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: By its nature, the scale of illegal residence and employment is extremely difficult to measure. For the UK, while there are no accurate means of estimating the numbers involved, the most reliable indicators suggest that they could run into hundreds of thousands. We do not hold such information in respect of other European Union countries.
Turkey
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether Turkey has signed or ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture and its draft optional protocol; and, if not, whether they will ask Turkey to do so.[HL5232]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: Turkey signed and ratified the United Nations Convention against Torture in August 1998.
No country has signed or ratified the draft optional protocol. Once the draft optional protocol has been adopted, the UK will encourage all countries to sign and ratify it.
Hunting with Dogs
Lord Donoughue asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 19 June (WA 88), whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asked the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals if it has the resources to find homes for up to 16,000 hounds, should hunting with hounds be banned.[HL4905]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): No. My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Rural Affairs (Alun Michael) has written to interested organisations, including the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, inviting them to contribute their views and evidence, in particular on the issues of cruelty and utility. If the society wishes to offer advice on the issue of hunting hounds my right honourable friend will take any views into account.
Foot and Mouth: Computer Models
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether the computer models used in the March 2001 to predict the probable course of the foot-and-mouth outbreak have yet to be peer reviewed.[HL5150]
Lord Whitty: The Government do not propose to ask for any peer review of those models used in March 2001. Defra made extensive use of a computer simulation model, Interspread, originally developed in New Zealand. For the control policies in operation in late March, the model predicted an epidemic of 1,800 to 1,900 affected farms and estimated that the epidemic would be eradicated by between July and October 2001, with a low probability of continuing beyond October 2001.
New Homes
Lord Jacobs asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What is the average rate per annum of construction of new homes for the periods (a) 1946–2001; and (b) 1946–50; 1951–55; 1956–60; 1961–65; 1966–70; 1971–75; 1976–80; 1981–85; 1986–90; 1991–95; 1996–2001.[HL5168]
The Minister of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Lord Rooker): The average rates per annum of construction of new homes in England for the periods requested, are shown in the table below.
| Period | Average rate per annum of construction of new homes (thousands) |
| (a) 1946–2001 | 214.6 |
| (b) 1946–50 | 137.8 |
| 1951–55 | 237.2 |
| 1956–60 | 248.0 |
| 1961–65 | 284.3 |
| 1966–70 | 324.8 |
| 1971–75 | 261.5 |
| 1976–80 | 236.0 |
| 1981–85 | 169.6 |
| 1986–90 | 182.9 |
| 1991–95 | 151.6 |
| 1996–2001 | 141.0 |
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