| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
Written Answers
Friday, 28th February 2003.
Northern Ireland: Property Valuation Procedures Involving Public Servants
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13 February (WA 3) concerning valuation of property in North Down, what were the two valuations referred to in the Answer; and what was the final price settled at.[HL 5031]
The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn): The two valuations were £168,000 and £180,000. The sale price was £174,000.
Provisional IRA
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 4 February (WA 29), which of the following activities they consider the Provisional IRA is still involved in: recruitment, re-arming, training, targeting and punishment beatings.[HL1538]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: The Government have nothing further to add to the Answer that was provided on 4 February, Official Report, col. (WA 29) (HL1281).
Northern Ireland Act 2000: Legal Opinions
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13 February (WA 144), whether they (a) have not consulted and (b) will not consult any legal opinions obtained during the time of the devolved Northern Ireland Executive. [HL1755]
Lord Williams of Mostyn : The Government are not aware of any occasion since suspension on which they have consulted legal opinions given to the devolved administration in breach of the convention referred to in the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13 February (WA 144), and they do not expect circumstances to arise in which they would wish to do so.
Security and Intelligence Agencies: Supplementary Estimates
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish the Security and Intelligence Agencies' Spring Supplementary Estimate.[HL1952]
Lord Williams of Mostyn: Subject to Parliamentary approval of any necessary Supplementary Estimate, the Security and Intelligence Agencies DEL will be increased by £36,655,000 from £973,949,000 to £1,010,604,000 and the administration costs limits will be increased by £6,865,000 from £477,256,000 to £484,121,000. Within the DEL change, the impact on resources and capital are as set out in the following table:
| Resources | Capital | |
| Change | 12,905,000 | 23,750,000 |
| New DEL | 846,819,000 | 163,403,000 |
| Of which: | ||
| Voted | 846,819,000 | 163,403,000 |
| Non-voted | – | – |
The change in the resource element of the DEL arises from:
1. the take-up of end of year flexibility (EYF) of £10,500,000;
2. a PES transfer of £120,000 from the MoD;
3. a PES transfer of £1,050,000 from the Home Office;
4. a transfer of £1,235,000 to Resource from Capital.
The change in the capital element of the DEL arises from:
1. the take-up of end of year flexibility (EYF) of £24,600,000;
2. a PES transfer of £385,000 from the Cabinet Office;
3. a transfer of £1,235,000 from Capital to Resource.
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Macdonald of Tradeston): Work is progressing as planned on preparing new civil contingencies legislation, which is necessary to modernise existing civil defence, emergency planning and emergency powers legislation. This will be an organisational measure, improving on well-established, existing arrangements. We intend to publish policy proposals during summer 2003. New legislation will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows.
The Earl of Caithness asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they plan to produce a draft of emergency planning civil contingencies legislation. [HL1745]
Given their agreement of the "user pays" principle with regard to light dues, how they
28 Feb 2003 : Column WA69
- propose to charge dues on (a) vessels using lighthouse services but not calling at United Kingdom ports, and (b) smaller fishing and pleasure vessels; and[HL1790]
When they propose to publish their responses to the consultation document Light Dues Review published in May 2002.[HL1791]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The department carried out a consultation exercise on "Meeting the Cost of Marine Aids to Navigation" during 2002. We aim to make an announcement in March on our initial conclusions.
The Earl of Caithness asked Her Majesty's Government:
- In the light of satellite communications and global positioning systems, how long they expect light dues to continue.[HL1789]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: We expect the reliance on traditional aids to navigation to reduce over the next 25 to 30 years. Over that period, traditional aids are expected to move increasingly to a secondary role and a new system of charging may then be considered.
Capita Group: Department for Transport Contracts
Baroness Blatch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What contracts have been awarded to the Capita Group by the Department for Transport.[HL1808]
Lord Macdonald of Tradeston: The information requested is given in the following table.
Note a: value of contract over its duration.
Note b: maximum estimated value of orders placed over the life of the framework agreement.
Note c: estimated value of framework agreement not quantified. Figures reflect actual value of orders placed to date on contract.
Baroness Howells of St Davids asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Subject to parliamentary approval of the necessary Supplementary Estimate the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency departmental expenditure limits (DELs) will be increased by £448,742,000 from £56,476,255,000 to £56,924,997,000 and the administration cost limits (ACL) will decrease by £10,539,000 from £379,782,000 to £369,243,000. The Department of Health DEL will be increased by £448,742,000 from £56,341,630,000 to £56,790,372,000 and the ACL will increase by
The change in the resource element of the department expenditure limit for the Department of Health arises from: a claim for early take-up of additional end-year flexibility from 2001–02 £120 million and the take-up of end-year flexibility £16.111 million (£6 million revenue allocations and £10.111 million administration cost limit) as set out in Table 6 of the Public Expenditure 2001–02 Provisional Outturn White Paper Cm 5574 published in July 2002; a change in the level of NHS trust depreciation £58.216 million; a transfer from the capital element of the DH DEL of £197.051 million; additions from the Evidence Based Policy Fund £0.229 million; net transfers from the Home Office of £3.433 million for training bursaries drug research and drug action teams, training of staff, offset by a grant for match funded social care projects; net transfer to the National Assembly for Wales £-5.960 million (£-0,022 administration cost limit) mainly for out-of-area treatments, high security psychiatric services, cross-border prescribing and prison healthcare offset by contributions to committee costs and post-graduate medical education; net transfer to the Scottish Executive £-2.050 million for out-of-area treatments, offset by a contribution to HIV surveillance funding, contributions to postgraduate medical education, the High Security Infectious Diseases Unit and the Beta Interferon risk sharing scheme; a transfer to Department of Transport £-0.010 for contribution to the international transport programme, environment and health programme; a transfer to Department for Work and Pensions £-1.699 million for costs associated with the road traffic accident compensation recovery unit; from Department for Education and Skills £7.067 million for medical student bursaries offset by a contribution for funding education advisers; to Cabinet Office £-0.175 million for development of a website; from DHSS Northern Ireland £0.747 million for out-of-area treatments and the Beta Interferon risk sharing scheme and from Office of the Deputy Prime Minister £0.240 million (administration cost limit) for public service agreements.
The change in the capital element of the department expenditure limit for the Department of Health arises from: the take-up of end-year flexibility £58.942 million as set out in Table 6 of the Public Expenditure 2001–02 Provisional Outturn White Paper Cm 5574 published in July 2002; additional resources for PFI balance sheet adjustments £153.571 million; a transfer to the resource element of the DH DEL of £-197.051 million; additions from the Capital Modernisation Fund £42.670 million; a transfer to the National Assembly for Wales £-0.540 million for accelerated discharge; to Department for Education and Skills
£-1 million for a contribution for Derby Medical School; to Cabinet Office £-0.575 million for development of a website and to Ministry of Defence £-0.475 million for capital contribution for Royal Hospital Haslar.
The Department of Health's administration cost limit has increased by £8.829 million from £324.663 million from £333.492 million as detailed above offset by a transfer of £-1.5million for capital provision. The Food Standards Agency (FSA) administration cost limit has decreased by £19.368 million from £55.119 million to £35.751 million as a result of re-classifying Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) costs from administration to programme and refining the FSA's and MHS's budget for 2002–03.
Department/Agency Title/Purpose Start Date End Date Value (see Notes a, b, c)
(Central) Department External Recruitment Service for the recruitment of staff at all grades below the senior civil service. 12 November 2001 11 November 2002 £45,000 (c) (to date)
National Road Traffic Census (Cumbria Region) for 2002–2004 1 January 2002 31 December 2004 £121,240(a)
Driving Standards Agency Design, build, installation and operation of a computer system for the booking of the Practical Driving Test and associated services, and the supply and maintenance of the Agency's IT/IS infrastructure. 8 August 1997 7 August 2004 £9,800,000(a)
Highways Agency Consultancy Services Framework for the provision of Human Resources advice and professional services. 13 February 2001 20 August 2003 £383,000(b)
Consultancy Framework for the provision of construction and design services. June 2001 June 2006 £1,100,000 (c) (to date)
Provision of safety engineering professional services. 25 January 2002 31 January 2004 £429,000 (a)
Traffic monitoring services. 16 February 2000 11 February 2004 £846,385 (a)
Framework Agreement for audit and measurement services. 15 August 2002 12 August 2005 £3,200,000 (b)
Design and supervision of A66 Stainburn to Great Clifton Bypass trunk road contract. 5 February 2001 4 February 2008 £363,000 (a)
Whether there are any proposals to amend the Department of Health's and the Food Standards Agency's departmental expenditure limits and administration cost limits for 2002–03. [HL1919]
Resource Capital
Change 393,200 55,542
New Department of Health DEL 54,385,885 2,404,487
Of which:
Voted 54,858,261 1,161,967
Non-Voted -472,376 1,242,520
Food Standards Agency DEL 133,988 637
Of which
Voted 133,988 637
Non-Voted 0 0
Total DH/FSA Group DEL 54,519,873 2,405,124
Next Section
Back to Table of Contents
Lords Hansard Home Page