NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAY
Items marked † are new or have been altered.
Items marked ‡ are expected to be taken during the dinner adjournment.
THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY
At eleven o’clock
†Business of the House—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the debate on the motion in the name of the Lord Plant of Highfield set down for today shall be limited to 3 hours.
Health (Wales) Bill—Second Reading [The Lord Evans of Temple Guiting]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Evans of Temple Guiting to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
Access to Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Bassam of Brighton to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 19th December 2002 be approved.
Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 14th January be approved. [7th Report from the Joint Committee]
Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Cattle—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Code of Recommendations laid before the House on 9th January be approved. [7th Report from the Joint Committee]
Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Pigs—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Code of Recommendations laid before the House on 9th January be approved. [7th Report from the Joint Committee]
[At two o’clock
Judgments]
At three o’clock
*The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider making the treatment of sexually transmitted infections and other infectious diseases a national service framework.
*The Lord Campbell of Croy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many induction centres for asylum seekers are planned for the United Kingdom.
*The Lord Mitchell—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the release of Sally Clark from prison, they have any plans to review the giving of evidence by expert witnesses.
*The Lord Corbett of Castle Vale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government for what purpose the Prime Minister met Mr Kamal Kharrazi, the Foreign Minister of Iran, in London this week.
Procedure of the House—The Chairman of Committees to move, That the 2nd Report from the Select Committee be agreed to. (HL Paper 49)
[In the event of the 2nd Report of the Procedure Committee being agreed to, the following six motions will be moved]
Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Strategic Investment and Regeneration of Sites (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Budget (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order be referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee.
Industrial Training Levy (Construction Board) Order 2003—The Baroness Ashton of Upholland to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 20th January be approved.
Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Board) Order 2003—The Baroness Ashton of Upholland to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 20th January be approved.
Regulatory Reform (Assured Periodic Tenancies) (Rent Increases) Order 2003—The Lord Evans of Temple Guiting to move, That the draft Regulatory Reform Order laid before the House on 13th January be approved. [8th Report from the Regulatory Reform Committee]
The Lord Plant of Highfield—To call attention to the role of the voluntary and community sector in service delivery in the light of the report of the Strategy Unit Private Action, Public Benefit and the Treasury’s Cross Cutting Review; and to move for papers.
MONDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
*The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are ensuring that vulnerable adults in care homes and using domiciliary care receive the highest standards of care and are protected from abuse.
*The Lord Beaumont of Whitley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the cost of the decision to agree to the request of the United States to use Fylingdales will be paid out of the defence budget; and, if so, at the expense of what other part of it.
*The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the value and the terms of reference of the contract awarded to MCM Research by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the problems of noise and disorder arising out of the Licensing Bill; and whether there are any links between the company and the alcohol industry.
*The Lord Goodhart—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that all statutes are published on the internet as soon as they receive Royal Assent.
Courts Bill [HL]—House to be again in Committee [The Lord Chancellor] [2nd Report from the Delegated Powers Committee]
Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 20th January be approved.
Terrorism Act 2000 (Continuance of Part VII) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 23rd January be approved. [9th Report from the Joint Committee]
Terrorism Act 2000 (Code of Practice on Video Recording of Interviews) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 3rd February be approved. [9th Report from the Joint Committee]
TUESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
*The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in relation to the European International Year of People with Disabilities.
*The Lord Walton of Detchant—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have a view about the impending closure of King Edward VII hospital at Midhurst, and whether they will take action to restore or increase National Health Service funding in order to maintain the clinical services which the hospital provides.
*The Lord Hooson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons in the past five years have been granted leave to enter the United Kingdom as Investors under the Immigration Rules; and what checks they make on the source of the £1 million which has to be under the applicant’s control in order to meet the requirements for leave to enter with his or her dependants.
*The Baroness Massey of Darwen—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the progress on the National Service Framework for Children and what are its likely implications.
‡Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2003—The Lord Evans of Temple Guiting to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 12th December 2002 be approved. [6th Report from the Joint Committee]
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Courts Bill will continue]
WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
*The Lord Dormand of Easington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations they have had with the Audit Commission on the private finance initiatives.
*The Lord Campbell of Alloway—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the terrorist threat, they have any plans to suspend the United Kingdom’s obligations relating to asylum and the European Convention on Human Rights and to introduce general measures of safeguard.
*The Baroness Thomas of Walliswood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take in response to the low numbers of women who are directors of British public limited companies as identified in the statement made by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on auditing and accounting.
The Lord Harrison—To call attention to the part played by the arts in the cultural life of this country including the contribution made through free access to museums and art galleries; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Massey of Darwen—To call attention to the need for the co-ordination of health and social services to improve the life chances of children and young people; and to move for papers.
Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 4th December 2002 be approved.
Commissioner for Children and Young People (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 18th December 2002 be approved.
Audit and Accountability (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 19th December 2002 be approved.
Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 7th January be approved.
Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Privy Seal (Lord Williams of Mostyn) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 7th January be approved.
THURSDAY 13TH FEBRUARY
[At eleven o’clock]
Sexual Offences Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Falconer of Thoroton]
At three o’clock
*The Lord Hurd of Westwell—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the referral of government disputes to mediation or arbitration since the report of the Lord Chancellor’s Department in July 2002.
*The Baroness Howe of Idlicote—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements there are, and what finance will be made available, for the rollout across the country of the programme to introduce digital hearing aids for National Health Service patients.
*The Lord Archer of Sandwell—To ask the Leader of the House whether he will consider new procedures for voting in divisions in the House.
[The debate on the Sexual Offences Bill may continue]
Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (Functions) Regulations 2002—The Earl Howe to move to resolve, That this House calls on Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Regulations laid before the House on 5th December 2002 (S.I. 2002/3007).
Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (Membership and Procedure) Regulations 2002—The Earl Howe to move to resolve, That this House calls on Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Regulations laid before the House on 10th December 2002 (S.I. 2002/3038).
Local Authority (Overview and Scrutiny Committees Health Scrutiny Functions) Regulations 2002—The Earl Howe to move to resolve, That this House calls on Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Regulations laid before the House on 11th December 2002 (S.I. 2002/3048).
MONDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
*The Baroness Blatch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the investigation into Individual Learning Accounts.
*The Baroness Seccombe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial impact their policy on top-up fees will have on higher education in all areas of the United Kingdom.
*The Baroness Wilcox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are concerned at the level of personal debt.
*The Lord Taverne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the law provides adequate protection against intimidation from animal rights groups.
Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Bill—Committee [The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath] [9th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee]
†‡Public Services (Disruption) Bill [HL]—Committee [The Lord Campbell of Alloway]
TUESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
*The Viscount Astor—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will bring forward regulations under section 143 of the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to extend exemptions from the Central London road user charge.
*The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take any action to improve the cleanliness of Britain’s roads.
†*The Lord Howell of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they endorse the seven links between Iraq and international terrorism identified by Secretary of State Colin Powell at the United Nations Security Council on 5th February.
†*The Lord Peyton of Yeovil—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Transport that the Government, Transport for London and the Mayor have agreed to work together, whether they are able to estimate how much nearer this has brought improvements in the performance and reliability of London Underground.
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Bill will continue]
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Courts Bill will continue]
WEDNESDAY 19TH FEBRUARY
*The Lord Geddes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy regarding the abolition of Light Dues.
*The Lord Blaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the result of the Prime Minister’s recent meeting with Prime Minister Thabo Mbeki of South Africa so far as it concerned Zimbabwe.
*The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what proportion unemployment has fallen in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Yorkshire region in 2002 and since 1997.
The Lord Strabolgi—To call attention to the Forty-eighth Report of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art 2001-2002 (Cm 5662); and to move for papers. [Balloted debate]
The Earl of Sandwich—To call attention to the international development targets in southern Africa; and to move for papers. [Balloted debate]
†Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003—The Baroness Hollis of Heigham to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 9th January be approved. [6th Report from the Joint Committee]
†Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Investigations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Code of Practice) Order 2003—The Lord Filkin to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 16th January be approved. [8th Report from the Joint Committee]
†Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Disclosure of Information) Order 2003—The Lord Filkin to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 16th January be approved. [8th Report from the Joint Committee]
†Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Exemptions from Civil Recovery) Order 2003—The Lord Filkin to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 22nd January be approved. [8th Report from the Joint Committee]
THURSDAY 20TH FEBRUARY
[At eleven o’clock]
†European Parliament (Representation) Bill—Second Reading [The Lord Chancellor]
†In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Chancellor to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
Regional Assemblies (Preparations) Bill—Second Reading [The Lord Rooker]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Rooker to move, That the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
At three o’clock
*The Lord Hunt of Chesterton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given that heating and cooling buildings consume approximately half of all the energy used in the United Kingdom, what targets they have for making changes in building regulations to ensure that future designs will use less energy and become more sustainable.
*The Lord Higgins—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied with the level of savings and provision of pensions.
*The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it remains their intention to introduce legislation on corporate killing.
MONDAY 24TH FEBRUARY
*The Lord Steel of Aikwood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will resume their budgetary aid programmes to Malawi and Kenya in light of political developments in both countries.
†Licensing Bill [HL]—Report [The Baroness Blackstone]
†‡National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2003—The Lord Evans of Temple Guiting to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 30th January be approved. [9th Report from the Joint Committee]
†‡Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Codes B to E) Order 2003—The Lord Filkin to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 30th January be approved.
TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
*The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they can help to achieve multi-party democracy and poverty reduction in Nepal as a means of confronting the threat from Maoism.
†*The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what ways they are assisting the non-violent majority among Israelis and Palestinians to express their views and to co-operate towards the settlement of outstanding issues.
†*The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Health has taken a view on the report by the Office of Fair Trading into The control of entry regulations and retail pharmacy services in the UK.
Crime (International Co-operation) Bill [HL]—Report [The Lord Filkin]
WEDNESDAY 26TH FEBRUARY
*The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new help is under consideration for people with haemophilia who were infected with hepatitis C by contaminated National Health Service blood products and the dependants of those who have since died of their infection.
†*The Lord Mackie of Benshie—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will invite the Competition Commission to review the practice of supermarket chains taking 100 days credit before paying farmers for their produce.
†*The Baroness Knight of Collingtree—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the way the Home Office deals with correspondence.
†Patients’ Protection Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Baroness Knight of Collingtree]
†In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Baroness Knight of Collingtree to move, That the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
THURSDAY 27TH FEBRUARY
[At eleven o’clock]
†[It is expected that the Report stage of the Licensing Bill will continue]
At three o’clock
*The Baroness Perry of Southwark—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that an amendment is needed to the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 to remove the exemption of the Church of England from the provisions of the Act.
†*The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis.
†[It is expected that the Report stage of the Licensing Bill will continue]
FRIDAY 28TH FEBRUARY
[At eleven o’clock]
High Hedges Bill [HL]—Report [The Baroness Gardner of Parkes]
Road Traffic (Amendment) Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Beaumont of Whitley]
†In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Beaumont of Whitley to move, That the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
Equality Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Lester of Herne Hill]
†Voting Age (Reduction to 16) Bill [HL]—Committee [The Lord Lucas]
NO DAY NAMED
PART I
The Lord Blaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have for the future ownership and control of postal addressing.
The Lord Blaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their policies when faced with overwhelming humanitarian crises and massive violations of human rights in other countries.
The Lord Moynihan—To call attention to the state of the United Kingdom’s relations with Cuba; and to move for papers.
The Lord Rodgers of Quarry Bank—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied with the performance of the Civil Aviation Authority in regulating low-cost airlines.
The Lord Palmer—To call attention to the situation in the British countryside; and to move for papers.
The Lord Bradshaw—To call attention to the trends in the number of road deaths and casualties; and to move for papers.
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the quality and effectiveness of the United Kingdom’s railways are satisfactory.
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To call attention to the state of the bus industry; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to tackle the threat that obesity poses to the health and well-being of the nation.
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the services available to patients with Motor Neurone Disease are adequate.
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the role of parents in providing for the needs of the nation’s children in the 21st century and to the case for making available more encouragement and support for parents; and to move for papers.
The Lord Freeman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether progress to date with the efficient use of resources in East Africa arising from debt relief and increased direct overseas aid is satisfactory.
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To call attention to the case for the abolition of the judicial functions of the House of Lords and the creation of separate Supreme and Constitutional Courts; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Hooper—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to review the implications of taxation on the preservation and conservation of the cultural heritage of the United Kingdom.
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To call attention to the coal industry, the development of clean coal technology and the maintenance of a mining engineering industry within the United Kingdom; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Onslow—To call attention to the use of hydrogen-powered vehicles; and to move for papers.
The Lord Lipsey—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to fulfil their manifesto commitment to review the experience of new electoral systems and the Jenkins Report, with a view to assessing whether changes might be made to the electoral system for the House of Commons.
The Baroness Hooper—To call attention to recent developments in Latin America; and to move for papers.
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are being put in place for commissioning of specialised health services from April 2003.
The Baroness Maddock—To call attention to the effects of poor housing on the health and well-being of the nation; and to move for papers.
The Lord Thomas of Gresford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the law, practice and procedure of Public Interest Immunity in criminal cases.
The Viscount Waverley—To call attention to the causes of terrorism; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Greengross—To call attention to corporate social responsibility; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Greengross—To call attention to women’s health and the case for a lifecourse approach; and to move for papers.
The Lord Fowler—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to combat HIV/AIDS.
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the threat posed by North Korea to international security and to the human rights of its citizens.
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Forum for the Future report Government’s Business—Enabling Corporate Sustainability.
The Lord Avebury—To call attention to homelessness and social deprivation of Gypsies and travellers; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the staffing situation of the Defence Medical Services is satisfactory; and what is their view of the future of the Services.
The Baroness Rawlings—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what humanitarian assistance they have provided to people living in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during the last four years of civil war in that country.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the security of the ballot in elections held by postal voting.
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to preserve sufficient special schools for children with special needs to meet the demand.
The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is being done to combat the spread of tuberculosis; and what facilities for treatment and after-care are available in the United Kingdom.
The Baroness Whitaker—To call attention to the developing countries in poverty which lack strong funding relationships with donor countries or international institutions; and to move for papers.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for improving contact and understanding between the two Chambers of Parliament; and to move for papers.
The Lord Addington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are being taken to remove all barriers to literature for those who have difficulties accessing books in traditional print formats.
The Baroness Dean of Thornton-le-Fylde—To move, That this House takes note of the Pensions Green Paper Simplicity, Security and Choice: Working and Saving for Retirement.
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money (a) they and (b) the European Union spend each year in the United Kingdom on information about the European Union, and how these sums of money are split between (i) schools, (ii) universities and other further educational establishments, and (iii) elsewhere.
The Baroness Gale—To call attention to the illicit trafficking of people; and to move for papers.
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the way in which the courts deal with issues surrounding children who commit criminal offences and their families is satisfactory.
PART II
MOTIONS FOR BALLOTED DEBATE
[Ballot on 26th February for debate on 19th March]
The Lord Campbell of Croy—To call attention to the functioning and effects of the Data Protection Act 1998; and to move for papers.
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To call attention to Her Majesty’s Government’s policy on the policing of illegal drugs; and to move for papers.
The Lord Bishop of Oxford—To call attention to the religious element in global terrorism and appropriate interfaith responses; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dubs—To call attention to the contribution that renewable sources of energy should make to the United Kingdom’s long term energy supply; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Rendell of Babergh—To call attention to racism in the performing arts in the United Kingdom; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Onslow—To call attention to the method, existing since the beginning of this session of Parliament, for the replacement of hereditary peers; and to move for papers.
The Lord Forsyth of Drumlean—To call attention to the plight of Atlantic salmon; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Howe of Idlicote—To call attention to the relationship between arrangements for the funding of students and student choice in British universities; and to move for papers.
PART III
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
[The date in brackets is that on which the Report was published]
The Lord Smith of Clifton—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures (HL Paper 150, Session 2001-02). [24th July 2002]
The Baroness Harris of Richmond—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on A Common Policy on Illegal Immigration (37th Report, HL Paper 187, Session 2001-02). [28th November 2002]
The Earl of Selborne—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Environmental Regulation and Agriculture (36th Report, HL Paper 186, Session 2001-02). [5th December 2002]
The Lord Wade of Chorlton—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Chips for Everything: Britain’s opportunities in a key global market (2nd Report, HL Paper 13). [12th December 2002]
The Lord Grenfell—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on the Review of Scrutiny of European Legislation (First Report, HL Paper 15). [18th December 2002]
The Lord Scott of Foscote—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on The Future Status of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights (6th Report, HL Paper 48). [4th February]
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled on 5th February, or unanswered after 21 days]
[The Government department responsible for
answering each Question is shown in brackets]
7th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the purpose of a document concerning political and security issues which caused some parties to leave the Northern Ireland multi-party talks on 19th December 2002; who was responsible for preparing it; whether it indicated that the IRA was still re-arming, recruiting and targeting; and what were the circumstances surrounding its supply to a member of the media. [NIO] (HL951)
8th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether recruits to the civil service of the Republic of Ireland who work in Northern Ireland and elsewhere are required to take an oath of allegiance on appointment, and, if so, why; and whether this has been referred to the Irish Human Rights Commission. [NIO] (HL988)
13th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230) concerning respect for traditions, whether the list can be recorded in the Official Report as requested; when the website address quoted in the answer will carry the list; and what equality proofing was used for the allocation. [NIO] (HL1039)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230) concerning the site of the Battle of the Boyne, which members of the Unionist tradition in Ireland are on the appropriate committee; and what are the grounds for considering that its progress has been good, as was suggested in an answer on 7th November 2002 (WA 174-175). [NIO] (HL1040)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether those on the Sex Offenders Register are subject to travel restrictions which allow them to leave the United Kingdom or to move internally or externally in the United Kingdom; if so, what are the restrictions; and how they are monitored. [HO] (HL1041)
14th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 231) concerning human rights in the Irish republic, what is the measurement which indicates that the Republic’s Government has strengthened the protection of human rights to at least the equivalent level of protection in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL1070)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 232) concerning the North South Ministerial Council, whether the answer means that the equality scheme only applies to Northern Ireland; and, if so, why. [NIO] (HL1072)
15th January
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to receive the report of Judge Peter Cory, who has examined six unresolved crimes in Northern Ireland; and whether they will place copies in the Libraries of Parliament. [NIO] (HL1101)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask the Turkish government to respond to the Council of Europe’s Committee on the Prevention of Torture concerning conditions in Imrali Island prison and any other relevant outstanding issues raised by the committee. [FCO] (HL1102)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are discussing issues of child protection with the government of Honduras; and, if not, whether they will raise the killing of many young people in the last five years. [FCO] (HL1103)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13th January (WA 1) concerning the funding of the North/South Implementation Body, whether no funding was paid to the Ulster Scots Agency in the period 1st January to 31st March 2002. [NIO] (HL1118)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with the European Centre for Minority issues which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1119)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with the University of Ulster which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1120)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with Queen’s University, Belfast which would increase awareness of Ulster-Scots heritage and language. [NIO] (HL1121)
5th February
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will reply to the United States request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales. (HL1514)
The Baroness Billingham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to grant new statutory powers to the Comptroller and Auditor General. (HL1515)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the tonnage of coal equivalent in the annual import of electricity from France in each of the last five years. (HL1516)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the annual tonnages of coal imported in the last five years, giving names of the exporting countries and the annual tonnages. (HL1517)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates did the Chief Constable announce the disbandment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Band; what is the reason for this decision; what is the projected financial saving as a result of this decision; and how many police officers this decision will release for other policing duties. (HL1518)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution the Police Service of Northern Ireland Band made to community relations in Northern Ireland; where the Band was performing on 16th December 2002; what proposals there are for the disposal of the Band instruments; and how the decision to disband has been received in Northern Ireland. (HL1519)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the pupils at the Saints and Scholars Primary School at Armagh City are designated as (a) Protestant; (b) Roman Catholic; and (c) other. (HL1520)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the pupils at Dungannon Integrated College are designated as (a) Protestant; (b) Roman Catholic; and (c) other. (HL1521)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pupils and boarders there are enrolled in the Royal School, Dungannon; and what were the equivalent numbers five years ago. (HL1522)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pupils are enrolled at each primary school in the local authority area of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council; and what were the equivalent numbers five years ago. (HL1523)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to introduce to encourage pregnant women to stop smoking. (HL1524)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they consider appropriate to ensure protection against passive smoking in public places. (HL1525)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the tobacco industry on measures to protect non-smokers. (HL1526)
The Lord Shutt of Greetland—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 17th December 2002 (WA 100) and 13th January (WA 5) concerning Northern Ireland railway heritage, whether they see an opportunity for a new cross-border body to assist in the preservation of these artefacts and railway restoration in co-operation with the relevant local authorities and the volunteer enthusiasts of the Foyle Valley Railway Society (Northern Ireland), the County Donegal Railway Restoration Society and Cumann Traenach na Gaeltach Lair. (HL1527)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Foreign Minister of Iran, when he visits London, human rights abuses, punishments, the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities and restrictions on free expressions of opinion in that country. (HL1528)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will decide the funding allocation for the Health Protection Agency to be set up on 1st April. (HL1529)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what transitional funding will be allocated to the Health Protection Agency in 2003-04 to cover inevitable redundancies. (HL1530)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in a period of heightened tension, it is possible for protesters, or anyone else, to gain unauthorised access to Marchwood military port. (HL1531)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what gun sight system was fitted to the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Tracked) interfered with by protestors at Marchwood military port; and whether it is a classified system. (HL1532)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what electronic friend or foe identification system was fitted to the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Tracked) interfered with by protestors at Marchwood military port; and whether it is a classified system. (HL1533)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Bach on 21st January (WA 87) and by the Lord Rooker on 23rd January (WA 116), what sum has been committed by the Ministry of Defence in their budget for the current financial year and the financial year 2003-04 to fund programmes which will assist with the re-housing of ex-service personnel; what programmes are currently supported by the Ministry of Defence; and what is the objective of these programmes. (HL1534)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cattle herds are currently infected with tuberculosis and under restriction notice. (HL1535)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Krebs tuberculosis trial projects are currently in hand; and how many tuberculosis tests are overdue on farms. (HL1536)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what extra resources have been made available in both human and financial terms to catch up with the Krebs tuberculosis trials since the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001. (HL1537)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 4th February (WA 79), which of the following activities they consider the Provisional IRA is still involved in: recruitment, re-arming, training, targeting and punishment beatings. (HL1538)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans Northern Ireland Railways have to improve the service on the Lisburn to Antrim railway line and to market such improvements. (HL1539)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 4th February (WA 29), why response times for the Northern Ireland Ambulance service are different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom; and for how long this position has lasted. (HL1540)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in developing NHS Professionals as a bank for health professionals. (HL1541)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all National Health Service trusts are working successfully with NHS Professionals. (HL1542)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the findings of the Committee on Safety of Medicines have encouraged doctors to prescribe the medical drug Ebixa for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1543)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will encourage the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to assess the medical drug Ebixa for use by patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1544)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion they have had, or intend to have, with the Alzheimer Society about the use of Ebixa for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1545)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that payments of nursing care money to patients with dementia are made directly to them and their carers rather than to the nursing home. (HL1546)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent nursing home carers from failing to pass on nursing care payments to residents. (HL1547)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what results have emerged from the National Care Standards Commissions regulations that nursing care homes are obliged to provide a breakdown of fees. (HL1548)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will study any bloodshed, boycott or blackmail in past Olympic Games in assessing the desirability of bringing the event to London. (HL1549)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the comparative costs of regular trimming of hedges alongside the southern stretches of the M1 motorway by machine compared to the current practice of leaving hedges to grow for a long period of years followed by the traditional craft of cutting and laying by hand. (HL1550)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in view of the votes in both Houses on Tuesday 4th February, they will now propose the ending of the Joint Committee on the Reform of the House of Lords. (HL1551)
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER AWAITING ANSWER
5th FEBRUARY 2003
[Tabled on the dates shown]
[The Government department responsible for
answering each Question is shown in brackets]
7th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the purpose of a document concerning political and security issues which caused some parties to leave the Northern Ireland multi-party talks on 19th December 2002; who was responsible for preparing it; whether it indicated that the IRA was still re-arming, recruiting and targeting; and what were the circumstances surrounding its supply to a member of the media. [NIO] (HL951)
8th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether recruits to the civil service of the Republic of Ireland who work in Northern Ireland and elsewhere are required to take an oath of allegiance on appointment, and, if so, why; and whether this has been referred to the Irish Human Rights Commission. [NIO] (HL988)
13th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230) concerning respect for traditions, whether the list can be recorded in the Official Report as requested; when the website address quoted in the answer will carry the list; and what equality proofing was used for the allocation. [NIO] (HL1039)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230) concerning the site of the Battle of the Boyne, which members of the Unionist tradition in Ireland are on the appropriate committee; and what are the grounds for considering that its progress has been good, as was suggested in an answer on 7th November 2002 (WA 174-175). [NIO] (HL1040)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether those on the Sex Offenders Register are subject to travel restrictions which allow them to leave the United Kingdom or to move internally or externally in the United Kingdom; if so, what are the restrictions; and how they are monitored. [HO] (HL1041)
14th January
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 231) concerning human rights in the Irish republic, what is the measurement which indicates that the Republic’s Government has strengthened the protection of human rights to at least the equivalent level of protection in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL1070)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 232) concerning the North South Ministerial Council, whether the answer means that the equality scheme only applies to Northern Ireland; and, if so, why. [NIO] (HL1072)
15th January
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to receive the report of Judge Peter Cory, who has examined six unresolved crimes in Northern Ireland; and whether they will place copies in the Libraries of Parliament. [NIO] (HL1101)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask the Turkish government to respond to the Council of Europe’s Committee on the Prevention of Torture concerning conditions in Imrali Island prison and any other relevant outstanding issues raised by the committee. [FCO] (HL1102)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are discussing issues of child protection with the government of Honduras; and, if not, whether they will raise the killing of many young people in the last five years. [FCO] (HL1103)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 13th January (WA 1) concerning the funding of the North/South Implementation Body, whether no funding was paid to the Ulster Scots Agency in the period 1st January to 31st March 2002. [NIO] (HL1118)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with the European Centre for Minority issues which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1119)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with the University of Ulster which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1120)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with Queen’s University, Belfast which would increase awareness of Ulster-Scots heritage and language. [NIO] (HL1121)
16th January
The Lord Mancroft—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has taken into account concerns expressed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in relation to the use of firearms to kill wild animals, as highlighted in their comments on BBC Coventry on 13th March 2002. [DEFRA] (HL1152)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with the University of Ulster which would increase awareness of Ulster-Scots heritage and language. [NIO] (HL1161)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171) concerning the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), on what projects or conferences DCAL has co-operated with Queen’s University, Belfast, which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1162)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have no plans to celebrate the four hundredth anniversary of the unions of the crowns of Scotland and England this year. [CO] (HL1163)
20th January
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 13th January (WA 35), what they estimate to be the costs of the independent regulator during 2003-04 and 2004-05 based on the powers and duties set out in A Guide to NHS Foundation Trusts and on the basis that the number of successful applicants for National Health Service Trust status in October 2003 is (a) 5; (b) 10 and (c) 20. [DoH] (HL1175)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it would be possible under existing legislation for (a) the Secretary of State, (b) strategic health authorities, (c) primary care trusts or (d) other bodies within the National Health Service to guarantee the borrowings of National Health Service foundation trusts or whether specific legislative powers would need to be taken in the legislation enabling the creation of National Health Service foundation trusts. [DoH] (HL1176)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received any preliminary applications from National Health Service trusts to become National Health Service foundation trusts. [DoH] (HL1180)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171), upon which projects or conferences the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has co-operated with the Placenames Project of Northern Ireland which would increase awareness of Ulster-Scots heritage and language. [NIO] (HL1182)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was notified about the proposed appointments of four-and-a-half staff for the Ulster Scots Agency; and whether there has been any delay to these appointments. [NIO] (HL1183)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 15th January (WA 48) concerning the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service, whether the answer means that the press release of 3rd July was correct or incorrect; and, if the latter, why. [NIO] (HL1184)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 173), what were the capital projects recently completed by Waterways Ireland at Limerick harbour, Boyle harbour, Ballinasloe harbour, Ballyleague in County Roscommon, Shannonbridge in County Offaly and at Scarrif in County Clare; in each case who were the contractors; and how much each is estimated to cost. [NIO] (HL1186)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 170), whether paragraph 4(1)(f) of the Schedule to the Northern Ireland Act 2000 allows the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to consider legal opinions of the now suspended government of Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL1187)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the expenditure on information technology systems for each of the last six years for the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency, the Defence Scientific and Technical Laboratory and QinetiQ. [MoD] (HL1191)
21st January
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list the prisons where housing advice is available in advance of release; how soon they will extend this to all prisons; and whether they will use the services of experienced non-governmental organisations to this end. [HO] (HL1200)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 14th January (WA 41), whether the practical support envisaged for the governance arrangements of National Health Service foundation trusts will include direct financial support; and whether that support will extend to both the initial creation of the new governance arrangements and to their ongoing administration. [DoH] (HL1203)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 14th January (WA 33), whether a National Health Service foundation trust will be free to retain the proceeds of disposal of an asset indefinitely until the regulator is satisfied that the use of those proceeds would be used to further its public interest mandate. [DoH] (HL1206)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what would be the consequences for a National Health Service foundation trust of its borrowing limit being reduced as part of its annual review if the reduced limit was less than (a) its actual borrowing at that time; or (b) its expected borrowings in the light of existing commitments for capital or revenue expenditure. [DoH] (HL1207)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 14th January (WA 27), whether they will define the differences between the Home Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Code and the Northern Ireland Civil Service Commissioners’ Recruitment Code. [NIO] (HL1208)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 12th December 2002 (WA 48), what are the “local arrangements” for security vetting of the Northern Ireland civil service. [NIO] (HL1209)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Environmental and Heritage Service of the Northern Ireland Department of the Environment were consulted about the potential effect of the housing development at 10-20 Bangor Road, Holywood, County Down, would have on the Priory Church and the listed houses at Tudor Park; and, if so, what was that advice. [NIO] (HL1210)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to protect unlisted buildings in Northern Ireland which are valued by residents as contributing to the character of an area; whether consideration has been given to the removal of VAT on building renovation in contrast to new building work; and whether the increased demands on concentrated development within settlements will result in a change in the criteria for listed buildings. [NIO] (HL1211)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 20th January (WA 80), on what dates the necessary approvals were received from the appropriate departments for the two posts in the Irish Agency; and what were those departments. [NIO] (HL1213)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 231) concerning the attitude of the government of the Republic of Ireland to human rights, what is meant by “to give further effect to the convention of Irish law”. [NIO] (HL1214)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in reference to the appointment of the Deputy Chief Executive, Director of Education Services of the Irish Language Agency, who will be in charge of the Agency’s Belfast office commencing on 17th February; on what dates this appointment was approved by (a) the Agency, (b) the North South Ministerial Council, and (c) other relevant departments; and which are those departments. [NIO] (HL1215)
22nd January
The Lord Windlesham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the main recommendations made in the Review of the Criminal Courts in England and Wales by Lord Justice Auld, and of the sentencing framework by John Halliday, have been incorporated in the criminal justice legislation currently before Parliament, or in administrative action. [LCD] (HL1228)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the announcement by the Secretary of State for Transport to the Rail Conference on 21st January that “Next year a further £40 million grant will go to freight” means that the statement by the Strategic Rail Authority on 17th January of its intention to suspend all further rail freight grants for the present financial year and 2003-04 will be rescinded. [DfT] (HL1238)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171), on what projects or conferences the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has co-operated with the European Centre for Minority Issues which would increase awareness of Ulster-Scots heritage and language. [NIO] (HL1240)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 7th January (WA 171), on what projects or conferences the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure has co-operated with the Placenames Project of Northern Ireland which would increase awareness of the Irish language. [NIO] (HL1241)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th December 2002 (WA 2) and 20th January (WA 81), whether there are officials amongst the administrative staff of the Linguistic Diversity Branch of the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure with expertise in Irish language and in Ulster-Scots language and culture; and, if so, how many of each. [NIO] (HL1242)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 21st January (WA 85) concerning the Employment Equality Act 1998 and the Equal Status Act 2000, what information about each employee is recorded. [NIO] (HL1243)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many conservation officers are employed by each Planning Service Division in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL1244)
The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to recognise medical qualifications obtained by students at St George’s Medical School, Grenada. [DoH] (HL1245)
The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance will be given to the National Health Service regarding the purchase of clinical and medical services from St George’s Medical School, Grenada. [DoH] (HL1246)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of King’s Heath on 14th January (WA 42), whether they will name—
(a) the two per cent of National Health Service trusts which have wards which do not meet the single sex accommodation standards;
(b) the five per cent of National Health Service trusts which do not meet the additional safety requirements for mentally ill patients; and
(c) the seven per cent of trusts which do not meet the standard for separate lavatory and washing facilities. [DoH] (HL1249)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6th November 2002 (WA 114), whether the National Health Service Bank has yet agreed terms and conditions and amounts for individual health service bodies in respect of the £100 million made available to the three strategic health authorities (Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire; Surrey and Sussex; and Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire); and, if so, whether they will publish those details. [DoH] (HL1250)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6th November 2002 (WA 114), whether the National Health Service Bank has made available any amounts beyond those set out in the answer; and, if so, whether they will publish details of those amounts. [DoH] (HL1251)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 6th November 2002 (WA 114), whether they have yet decided upon the legal form and management arrangements for the National Health Service Bank; and, if so, whether they will publish those details and state when they are expected to take effect. [DoH] (HL1252)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 14th January (WA 41), what statutory requirements will apply to the election of non-executive directors and chairs of the management boards of National Health Service foundation trusts. [DoH] (HL1253)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 15th January (WA 45), whether the existence of a private finance initiative contract has any bearing on the prudential borrowing limit to be set for National Health Service foundation trusts; and, if so, how it will be taken into account. [DoH] (HL1254)
23rd January
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will announce how they intend to proceed on the Use Classes Order before the Licensing Bill begins its Report stage in the House of Lords, and whether they will make nightclubs a sui generis use before the bill comes into effect. [ODPM] (HL1260)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 16th December 2002 (WA 72-73), what selection procedures were followed before the appointment of the Independent Configuration Panel chairman by the Secretary of State; and, in particular, whether the National Health Service Appointments Commission was involved. [DoH] (HL1263)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the names and expertise of the members of the Independent Configuration Panel; and what appointment procedures were followed. [DoH] (HL1264)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the results of their independent sector usage survey for 2001-02. [DoH] (HL1265)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the response from civilian consultants joining the Defence Medical Services as a result of the £50,000 “golden hello” recruitment scheme announced on 19th November 2002. [MoD] (HL1268)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action has been taken and what priority has been given to upgrade medically 2,688 Royal Navy personnel, 10,602 Army personnel and 3,833 Royal Air Force personnel, who were listed as downgraded in October 2002. [MoD] (HL1270)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Royal Artillery multi-launch rocket system is to be included in the troop deployment to Iraq. [MoD] (HL1271)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have evidence of the extent to which (a) disabled students and (b) students from ethnic minority groups face barriers in their access to opportunities for higher education; and, if so, whether they will publish the evidence. [DfES] (HL1272)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what barriers are faced (a) by disabled students and (b) by students from ethnic minority groups in their access to opportunities for higher education. [DfES] (HL1273)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current freedom of information policy and practice regarding the publication of legally privileged advice to government where such advice was given more than 30 years ago and concerns matters of legitimate public interest. [LCD] (HL1274)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider it to be in accordance with contemporary principles of British parliamentary democracy for legislation to be necessary (in a political, if not a legal sense) to authorise an extension of Ministers’ powers; and, if not, why not. [LCD] (HL1275)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 22nd January (WA 103) concerning Waterways Ireland, on what dates the North South Implementation Bodies were consulted regarding equality; in what form; and which responded. [NIO] (HL1280)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to designate a conservation area in Holywood, County Down; and, if none, why not. [NIO] (HL1283)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether licensed betting offices and adult gaming centres will operate under the same levels of regulation. [DCMS] (HL1287)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their current definition of “development education”; how many government departments are involved; and what funding has been provided in England over the past three years. [DfES] (HL1288)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, before the Privy Council considers the Health Professions Council’s proposed Rules, whether they consider it satisfactory that no sub-sections are proposed for chiropody and podiatry; and whether they consider that in these cases profession-specific modalities of care should be distinguished. [DoH] (HL1291)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider the Health Professions Council’s proposed Rules for its register, as they affect titles, should, in the case of chiropody and podiatry, allow for significant differences in the qualifications, knowledge, clinical expertise and experience of registered practitioners, so as to enable the public to differentiate between them. [DoH] (HL1292)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they accept that transitional entrants to the register under the Health Professions Council’s proposed “three out of five years” rule should be provided with the additional training required to meet minimum proficiency within a two-year period; and what training they believe will be necessary. [DoH] (HL1293)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Health Professions Council’s proposal for its key decision document that “even where an applicant does not meet the ’three out of five years’ rule, they may still be eligible for registration” can be reconciled with the stipulation in the statutory order of a “three out of the previous five years” rule; and whether such a relaxation of the statutory order is in the public interest. [DoH] (HL1294)
[As amended on 27th January]
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the undertakings given by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath in regard to Professional Advisory Committees on 13th December 2001 (HL Deb, col. 1526), they consider that “ad hoc” time- and task-limited professional liaison groups, as proposed by the Health Professions Council, match the spirit of those undertakings. [DoH] (HL1295)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in connection with the Health Professions Council’s proposed Rules, they are satisfied that the statutory order’s section on the transitional arrangement period is being adhered to. [DoH] (HL1296)
27th January
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 22nd January (WA 97), whether by parity of reasoning the system of appointment of Queen’s Counsel should be extended, in the interests of consumers, to the appointment of Junior Counsel; and, if not, why not. [LCD] (HL1301)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 22nd January (WA 98), whether reliance on the so-called Ram Doctrine is compatible with a modern system of public law, including the principles of legality and legal certainty; and, if so, how. [LCD] (HL1302)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the enlargement of the European Union will result in a reduction in the numbers of Members of the European Parliament elected in 2004, and, if so, by how many seats; what criteria will be used to decide in which constituencies the reductions will occur; and when announcements on the matter will be made. [LCD] (HL1306)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made on introduction of new regulations for imprints on election leaflets; and what is the timetable for their introduction. [LCD] (HL1308)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the rules relating to (a) claims for job seekers’ allowance and other social security benefits by members of principal councils; and (b) deductions from and restrictions on such benefits as a result of the receipt of council allowances and time spent as a councillor. [DWP] (HL1310)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in light of the difficulties troops deploying or about to deploy to the Gulf are experiencing in securing life assurance cover, they will expedite the introduction of the enhanced death-in-service benefits proposed in their current review of the Armed Forces Pension Scheme; and whether the enhancement will apply to troops now on or deploying for active service. [MoD] (HL1311)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what figures they have for the take-up of the anthrax vaccine, in percentage terms, by service personnel now deployed or deploying to the Gulf in the Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Army respectively. [MoD] (HL1312)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics they have for the number and types of hospital infections in each of the last seven years for hospital staffs and patients respectively. [DoH] (HL1313)
The Lord Waddington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the present prescribed notices for guidance for voters at Greater London Authority elections are wrong insofar as they instruct voters to vote once for their first choice and once for their second choice at the Mayoral election, there being no requirement in law to make a second choice as well as a first. [ODPM] (HL1314)
The Lord Swinfen—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether servicemen in the Gulf and neighbouring countries, and those being sent to that region, are being offered multiple or combined inoculations; and whether the servicemen are asked to sign a disclaimer to the effect that if they suffer any illness in the future that may be attributed to such inoculations they will not claim compensation. [MoD] (HL1315)
The Lord Luke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any jewellery is included in the list of heritage assets belonging to the nation; and whether it would be possible to compile a list of any such jewellery, together with its value and where it is held. [DCMS] (HL1316)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230), who were the “political parties....who remained at the conclusion of the talks and made clear their support for the [Belfast] Agreement”. [NIO] (HL1318)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 9th January (WA 230), who are the legal parties to the Belfast Agreement. [NIO] (HL1319)
28th January
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in relation to flood control in the Upper Severn Basin on the Wales/Shropshire border. [DEFRA] (HL1332)
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in relation to the use of water for the generation of electricity in Wales. [DTI] (HL1333)
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long Chief Superintendent Ellie Baker, of the West Midlands Police, has been suspended from her post; and when a decision is likely to be reached on whether disciplinary or other proceedings will be taken against her. [HO] (HL1334)
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers above the rank of Inspector had been suspended on pay for six months or more on 1st January 2003; and what was the total amount of gross salary and other emoluments paid to those officers during their periods of suspension. [HO] (HL1335)
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers above the rank of Inspector were suspended on pay in each police force in England and Wales on 1st January 2003. [HO] (HL1336)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 27th January (WA 133), whether the deficits of National Health Service trusts at 31st March 2002 as listed in the answer exceeded 0.5 per cent of the turnover of the National Health Service trust; and, if so, whether they will name those National Health Service trusts and state the expected recovery period of the deficit. [DoH] (HL1338)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information covering periods since the last audited accounts they or strategic health authorities hold about the retained deficits of National Health Service trusts. [DoH] (HL1339)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 27th January (WA 134), for each of the National Health Service trusts listed in the answer, what its cumulative surplus or deficit was at 31st March 2001 and at 31st March 2002. [DoH] (HL1340)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that sustainable development is assessed within local authorities’ Comprehensive Performance Assessment. [ODPM] (HL1341)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the Environmental Services Performance Indicators in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment are designed to encourage the protection and enhancement of the natural environment; and, if so, which ones. [ODPM] (HL1342)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Comprehensive Performance Assessment gives sufficient weight to councils with excellent sustainable development practice. [ODPM] (HL1343)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a local authority is appraised on its delivery of quality of life (as defined by the Audit Commission) in the Comprehensive Performance Assessment; and, if not, why not. [ODPM] (HL1344)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken by the Teacher Training Agency to increase substantially the number of male teachers in state primary and secondary schools. [DfES] (HL1345)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon--To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 20th January (WA 75), with respect to the outcome of the December meeting of the Fisheries Council of the European Union, what consideration was given to methods of conservation adopted in fishing areas worldwide which are comparable to the North Sea; to what extent such methods were adopted or rejected; and, if rejected, for what reasons. [DEFRA] (HL1347)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon--To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 13th January (WA 13-14), and with respect to European Union regulations directly applicable in the United Kingdom, by what means any person or corporate body can ascertain in respect of a particular topic (a) those regulations which are still in force; (b) those which have expired; and (c) those which replace earlier regulations. [FCO] (HL1348)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon--To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 13th January (WA 13-14), whether they will take steps to ascertain the number of European Community regulations which came into force in the United Kingdom on 1st January 1973; and which publications list those regulations, noting those which are still in force. [FCO] (HL1349)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they propose to advertise to affected communities the creation of new induction centres for asylum seekers; and over what period. [HO] (HL1350)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 28th May 2002 (WA 138), whether they will update the table to show the amount paid out for legal aid in each month, indicating for each month how much was paid out for legal aid in asylum cases. [LCD] (HL1355)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what sum the Lord Chancellor intends to make available in the present financial year for legal aid for asylum cases. [LCD] (HL1356)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for the most recent 12 month period for which figures are available, what is the total number of asylum cases which went to appeal and the total sum in legal aid which was paid out in respect of these cases; and in how many cases the appeal was upheld. [LCD] (HL1357)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students from the top three social classes went to university in 1960 and how many in the most recent year for which records are available; and how many students from the bottom three social classes went to university in the same years. [DfES] (HL1358)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the statistical information on which the proposition that in a life time graduates earn £400,000 more than non-graduates over the same time is based. [DfES] (HL1359)
The Lord Newby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to extend the one per cent cap on fees chargeable for stakeholder pensions to unit trusts and investment bonds. [HMT] (HL1360)
29th January
The Baroness Perry of Southwark—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the Church of England is a public authority within the meaning of the Human Rights Act 1998. [LCD] (HL1365)
The Lord Acton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much bilateral and multilateral aid is given to Zimbabweans by (a) the United Kingdom; and (b) the European Union, broken down by member state. [DfID] (HL1366)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in view of the mental and physical health problems associated with cannabis use, the Department of Health made any representations to the Home Office in connection with the policies of de-classifying cannabis to class B and of reduced enforcement activity by the police. [DoH] (HL1367)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 15th January (WA 45), under what legislative authority financial support will be given to applicants for National Health Service foundation status prior to the passing of legislation allowing the creation of National Health Service foundation trusts. [DoH] (HL1368)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 16th January (WA 60), what clinics have had funding made available to them from the Medical Research Council (MRC), or have applied for such MRC funding, to enable them to employ nurse co-ordinators to counsel couples on the donation of their embryos for research purposes. [DTI] (HL1369)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance have general practitioners, hospital doctors, accident and emergency staff and other health care professionals in the North West of England received regarding patient treatment in the event of a major biological, chemical or nuclear incident; and what mechanisms are in place to enable these health care professionals to implement any such guidance. [DoH] (HL1370)
The Earl of Shrewsbury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Whitty on 23rd January (HL Deb, col. 879) regarding game licences, how licences for taking and dealing in game—
(b) encourage compliance with close seasons for the conservation of quarry species; and
(c) protect food safety. [DEFRA] (HL1371)
The Earl of Shrewsbury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Whitty on 23rd January (HL Deb, col. 879), what are the implications of game licences for gun laws. [DEFRA] (HL1372)
The Lord Lipsey—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many non-industrial civil servants they employed in each of the ten years to 2002. [CO] (HL1374)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the capital value of the Lord Chancellor’s pension scheme. [CO] (HL1376)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 27th January (WA 128), whether the entitlement to a copy of the relevant electoral register before submitting nomination papers applies to candidates for local government councillors, mayoral, London Assembly, Scottish Parliament and Welsh Assembly elections. [LCD] (HL1377)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many investigations have taken place on suspicion of fraud and terrorism offences into businesses owned or operated by Muslims in each of the last five years; how many have involved raids on premises; and how many arrests, prosecutions and convictions have taken place as a result. [HO] (HL1378)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statute-based rules now apply to the surveillance and reporting of activity in bank accounts belonging to individuals and to businesses; when the present rules were introduced; whether the surveillance and reporting of activity in bank accounts differs according to categories of people and businesses and assessed degrees of fraud and other offences; and whether the rules or practices in relation to Muslim individuals and Muslim-owned businesses, or those from predominantly Muslim countries, are in any ways different from those which apply to individuals and businesses in general. [DTI] (HL1379)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to publish the results of the consultation into the creation of the Health Protection Agency. [DoH] (HL1381)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that the agencies responsible for responding to any acts of bioterrorism are not prevented from responding by work involved in the preparation for establishing the Health Protection Agency. [DoH] (HL1382)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that the performance of the agencies responsible for responding to any acts of bioterrorism will not be affected by any confusion of responsibilities arising from the creation of the Health Protection Agency. [DoH] (HL1383)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that accommodation currently used for public health work is protected when the management of public health laboratories transfers to their local National Health Service trusts. [DoH] (HL1384)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure the continuance of the contribution of the Public Health Laboratory Service to health and safety after 1st April. [DoH] (HL1385)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to ensure the continuance of the current work done by the Public Health Laboratory Service on pneumococcal disease when the laboratory network is separated from the other functions in the Health Protection Agency. [DoH] (HL1386)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 28th January (WA 141) concerning Connswater River, when the study of pollution management will be completed; and what steps they propose to take in the interim. [NIO] (HL1387)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 12th December 2002 (WA 48) and on 27th January (WA 138) about security vetting, how many posts in the Northern Ireland civil service are classified as sensitive posts or higher; how many of those postholders possess valid security clearances; whether any civil servants whose security clearances have expired were in post on 12th December 2002; and, if so, why. [NIO] (HL1388)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who appointed the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission to act as human rights advisers to the Police Service of Northern Ireland; when this was done; and why. [NIO] (HL1389)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was unrepresented at the graduation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland on 23rd August 2002. [NIO] (HL1390)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is developing a strategy for the United States; what is its statutory basis; and whether the Commission has consulted the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [NIO] (HL1391)
The Lord Smith of Leigh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to develop the new freedoms for “excellent” and “good” local authorities. [ODPM] (HL1395)
The Lord Smith of Leigh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to judge the representations about whether English regions will be in the first round of referendums for elected regional assemblies. [ODPM] (HL1396)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration; and what action they will be taking. [DoH] (HL1397)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients with classic, with no occult, subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) will receive treatment as recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration. [DoH] (HL1398)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) will receive treatment as part of the clinical studies recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration. [DoH] (HL1399)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV) will not receive treatment as part of the clinical studies recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence in the Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration. [DoH] (HL1400)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will fund the clinical studies recommended by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) in the Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration; and what assessment they have made of the cost of these studies. [DoH] (HL1401)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will continue to fund treatment for patients with predominantly classic subfoveal choroidal neovascularisation (CNV), who currently receive treatment with photodynamic therapy but who may be excluded from treatment on the basis of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence’s Final Appraisal Determination of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration. [DoH] (HL1402)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Autumn Performance Report 2002, what steps are being taken to improve the number of Sites of Special Scientific Interest in English Nature’s control that are failing the Public Service Agreement target; what steps are being taken to improve the area of Sites of Special Scientific Interest under the control of the Ministry of Defence that are failing the Public Service Agreement target; and how soon the hitherto unassessed areas of Crown land will be assessed. [DEFRA] (HL1403)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Autumn Performance Report 2002, which Common Agricultural Policy schemes are only partially administered by the Rural Payments Agency; and which organisation or organisations share their administration. [DEFRA] (HL1404)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Autumn Performance Report 2002, why the number of days of poor air quality in both urban and rural areas rose by approximately 20 per cent from 2000 to 2001. [DEFRA] (HL1405)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ contribution will be to the recycling and composting of household waste. [DEFRA] (HL1406)
30th January
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions in the last three months Iraq anti-aircraft facilities have “locked on” or otherwise presented serious threat to Royal Air Force aircraft engaged in legitimate duty within the No Fly Zone over both the north and south of Iraq. [MoD] (HL1411)
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken in connection with reports in the media suggesting that the standard rifle and the Challenger tanks are of unsatisfactory quality. [MoD] (HL1412)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action has been taken or is planned to address the areas of National Health Service provision for the management of overweight and obese patients that were identified as “patchy” in the recent National Audit Office report Tackling Obesity in England. [DoH] (HL1414)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to introduce national guidelines for the management of obesity in addition to those which form part of the National Service Framework for Coronary Heart Disease and Diabetes. [DoH] (HL1415)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Whitty on 23rd January (HL Deb, col. 880), what are the technological and operational impediments to the tagging of deer carcasses. [DEFRA] (HL1416)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what studies the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have funded in the last year into “food miles”; and what were the conclusions and recommendations of any study. [DEFRA] (HL1417)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have contacted the Advertising Standards Authority within the last twelve months; and, if so, when and on what issues. [DEFRA] (HL1419)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which United Kingdom companies were prosecuted in 2002 for serious environmental offences which resulted in a fine of over £1,000; what were the nature of the offences; and how much they were fined. [DEFRA] (HL1420)
The Viscount Goschen—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the annual cost to the National Health Service of insuring against personal injury claims over the past five years. [DoH] (HL1421)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of service level agreements that will be required after 1st April to ensure the continuance of the work done by the Public Health Laboratory Service on pneumococcal disease. [DoH] (HL1422)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to stabilise culture media production in the Public Health Laboratory Service after the creation of the Health Protection Agency. [DoH] (HL1423)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to maintain the benefits of bulk procurement in the Public Health Laboratory Service once the network of laboratories are fragmented. [DoH] (HL1424)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to maintain services for food, water and environmental microbiology services when the network of Public Health Laboratories are transferred to the management of their local trusts. [DoH] (HL1425)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure that the requirements of the Food Standards Agency for joint working between the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, the Central Public Health Laboratory and the network of Area and Regional Laboratories will continue after the formation of the Health Protection Agency on 1st April. [DoH] (HL1426)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when a decision will be made about the terms and conditions to be offered to new recruits in the Health Protection Agency after 1st April 2003. [DoH] (HL1427)
The Lord Inglewood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to continue research into the feasibility of using contraception to control grey squirrels now that the Forestry Commission and its research partners have discontinued their work in this area. [DEFRA] (HL1428)
The Lord Inglewood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in view of job losses recently announced in Furness, whether they will review the level of regional assistance from the United Kingdom Exchequer available in the area. [DTI] (HL1429)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the number of prisoners serving life sentences has increased in each of the last five years; what is the percentage increase over the whole period; and to what causes they attribute any increase. [HO] (HL1430)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many life-sentence prisoners have been imprisoned for longer than their judicial tariff; and what is the total of extra years served. [HO] (HL1431)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of low re-offending by lifers released on parole, they consider that the Life Sentence Management Unit and the Parole Board are working effectively to move prisoners towards parole and re-entry into society. [HO] (HL1432)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Minister of the Crown is directly and personally answerable to Parliament for the appointment of Queen’s Counsel in Scotland. [LCD] (HL1433)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Chancellor on 27th January (WA 127), whether the recommendations made by the Lord Chancellor to Her Majesty The Queen about which advocates in Northern Ireland she should appoint as Queen’s Counsel are in practice, if not in form, in accordance with the recommendations made by the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland; and, if not, on how many occasions during the past five years there have been differences between the recommendations made by the Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland and the Lord Chancellor respectively. [LCD] (HL1434)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the event that Parliament decides in accordance with the Prime Minister’s and the Lord Chancellor’s opinion that the House of Lords should be wholly appointed, what will be the future position as regards—
(a) the total size of the House;
(b) the status of elected hereditary Peers;
(c) the proportions of Peers appointed to represent the interests of political parties and Cross-Bench Peers respectively;
(d) the method of appointment of political Peers and Cross-Bench Peers respectively; and
(e) the length of tenure of politically appointed Peers. [LCD] (HL1435)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their Response to the Reports of the Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiries (Cm 5637), what progress has been made on the consultation into rationalised compensation proposals. [DEFRA] (HL1436)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their Response to the Reports of the Foot and Mouth Disease Inquiries (Cm 5637), what progress has been made by the joint Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Industry Working Group for Animal Disease Insurance. [DEFRA] (HL1437)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is any European Union legislation disallowing claims raised as a result of government legislation and action which will prevent farmers from insuring their businesses against exotic diseases. [DEFRA] (HL1438)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many instances of reticulitis in lambs have been found due to the presence in the reticulum of a bolus used for the identification after sheep genotyping. [DEFRA] (HL1439)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many sheep have died due to the insertion of a bolus used for identification after sheep genotyping. [DEFRA] (HL1440)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the statement in paragraph 58 of the Explanatory Notes to the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Bill, where on the Department of Health’s website may the regulatory impact assessment for the Bill be found. [DoH] (HL1441)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place a copy of the regulatory impact assessment for the Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) Bill in the Library of the House. [DoH] (HL1442)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 27th January (WA 133), whether the Department of Health hold copies of the annual audited accounts of National Health Service trusts for 2001-02 and (a) if so, why they will not place copies in the Library of the House; or (b) if not, how the Department of Health prepares summarised accounts of the National Health Service in accordance with section 98 of the National Health Service Act 1977. [DoH] (HL1443)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the position for reservists who live alone and, on being called up by the Ministry of Defence, are forced to leave their property unoccupied for an extended period, thereby breaking the terms of their household insurance agreement. [MoD] (HL1444)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to limit the destructive effect on morale caused by the cancellation of “post operational tour leave” due to Operation Fresco. [MoD] (HL1445)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the request of United Nations weapons inspectors for more time and intelligence to complete their task will be granted; and, if so, for how long. [MoD] (HL1446)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given that the leaked Iraqi intelligence reports suggest possible underwater attacks on allied vessels, whether any further anti-submarine frigates or minesweepers are to be deployed to the region. [MoD] (HL1447)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the meeting between the Ministry of Defence and the underwriters of Safeguard on 30th January. [MoD] (HL1448)
The Lord Vivian—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reservists, of the 2,000 called up so far, have appealed against call-up; and what action the Ministry of Defence will take if employers sue the Ministry over the length of time their employee is away. [MoD] (HL1449)
The Lord Campbell Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish the report of the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and H M Inspectorate of Constabulary on their thematic review of the prosecution and investigation of rape cases, their examination of the incidence of dropped cases after charge and the overturning of convictions following withdrawal of allegations by alleged victims. [HO] (HL1450)
The Lord Campbell Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether in legislation on the crime of rape due consideration has been given to rape allegations made by alleged victims where—
(a) the courts have dismissed charges;
(b) the alleged victim has subsequently withdrawn the accusations following a period of imprisonment of the accused; and
(c) the police have charged the accuser of wasting police time. [HO] (HL1451)
The Lord Campbell Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Mr Jonathon Davies, a criminal barrister and Crown Court recorder, was consulted during the course of the joint Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and H M Inspectorate of Constabulary review of rape issues. [HO] (HL1452)
The Lord Campbell Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made of the amount of police time that is wasted arising out of false allegations of rape. [HO] (HL1453)
3rd February
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice the Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently giving to British nationals intending to visit Zimbabwe; and whether the same advice is given to those going to Zimbabwe to participate in international sport. [FCO] (HL1459)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many immigrants and asylum seekers from Iraq have been allowed into the United Kingdom in each of the last five years. [HO] (HL1460)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are currently being taken to check the bona fides of immigrants and asylum seekers from Iraq. [HO] (HL1461)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether steps are currently being taken to check that immigrants and asylum seekers are not members of international terrorist organisations such as the Al Qaeda network. [HO] (HL1462)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether pre-sentence reports on offenders are being delayed; and whether sentences are being passed without reports or deferred. [HO] (HL1463)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to improve the morale, staffing and funding of the Probation Service; and whether this would be cost-effective in relation to criminal justice as a whole. [HO] (HL1464)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to increase funding for drug and alcohol treatment centres, whether statutory or voluntary, in the coming financial year; and what provision is being made for increasing staff numbers in such centres. [DoH] (HL1465)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether sensitive and caring chaplaincy arrangements for members of all faiths are important in preventing violence, self-harm and suicide in all immigration, detention and removal centres; and what plans they have in this regard. [HO] (HL1466)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any immigration, detention or removal centres have no chaplaincy arrangements at present; and, if so, which ones. [HO] (HL1467)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government—
(a) why, more than a year after the end of major fighting, the nine British citizens held at Guantanamo (Cuba) and Bagram (Afghanistan) have not been either charged or released;
(b) whether their future depends solely on the United States government;
(d) whether it was correctly reported in some editions of The Times of 3rd February that British officials warned the men that there is little that Her Majesty’s Government can do to secure their release, despite their having answered intelligence questions. [FCO] (HL1468)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the causes of the breakdown in road, rail and air transport on 30th January following snowfalls. [DfT] (HL1469)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will introduce legislation requiring local authorities in England and Wales to grit the road promptly where adverse weather conditions so require; and, if not, why not. [DfT] (HL1470)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their reasons for maintaining visa control in relation to Bulgaria and Romania. [FCO] (HL1471)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which member states of the European Union (other than the United Kingdom) maintain visa control in relation to Bulgaria and Romania. [FCO] (HL1472)
The Lord Beaumont of Whitley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help ensure that the accounts of the Commission of the European Union are kept in such a way that they can be successfully audited. [HMT] (HL1473)
The Baroness Howe of Idlicote—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made to date in implementing the recommendations addressed to them by the Department of Trade and Industry Foresight Panel on the Ageing Population, which reported in December 2000. [DTI] (HL1474)
The Baroness Cumberlege—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when their conclusions concerning the review of specialised services commissioning by Primary Care Trusts will be published. [DoH] (HL1475)
The Baroness Cumberlege—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to ensure continuity of specialised services commissioning by Primary Care Trusts from April 2003. [DoH] (HL1476)
The Baroness Cumberlege—To ask Her Majesty’s Government about the preparedness of Primary Care Trusts to assume responsibility for commissioning specialised services from April 2003. [DoH] (HL1477)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, as part of the proposed National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy, they will take steps to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed at social events hosted by public-sector organisations. [DoH] (HL1478)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the amount of the increase in premiums charged for insurance cover for each of the establishments where asylum seekers are detained since 14th February 2002. [HO] (HL1479)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ask the Prison Service to increase visiting hours at Haslar and Lindholme to match those of privately run removal centres. [HO] (HL1480)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Blackstone on 9th January (WA 227), whether they agree with the statement made by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, contained on pages 2, 4, 5, 8, 9 and 10 in their publication ’Rules of Amateur Status’, that “In Great Britain and Ireland, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews is the Governing Body”. [DCMS] (HL1481)
4th February
The Lord Christopher—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the process by which decisions are reached within the Crown Prosecution Service in cases of complexity or seriousness. [LSLO] (HL1483)
The Lord Brookman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the forthcoming business in the Council of the European Union for February; and what are the major European Union events for the period between 1st March and 31st August 2003. [FCO] (HL1484)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration they have given to the comments of the Lord Ackner on 19th November 2002 (HL Deb, col. 298) on the question of jury treatment of date rape cases in rape trials. [HO] (HL1485)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have reviewed the work of Eugene J Kanin of Purdue University on the incidence of false declaration of rape in a metropolitan community of 70,000 inhabitants in the United States. [HO] (HL1486)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to compensate fully persons prosecuted and imprisoned for rape where the accused subsequently withdraws the allegation and the accused has been detained. [HO] (HL1487)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the work of Carol Sarler on the issue of raising rape conviction rates by introducing a new charge of date rape. [HO] (HL1488)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board has paid compensation in rape cases in each of the past three years. [HO] (HL1489)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many times recipients of compensation from the Criminal Injuries Compensation Board have been prosecuted for false claims following the making of rape allegations which subsequently turn out to be false. [HO] (HL1490)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the definitions of punctuality and reliability used by Virgin Trains are satisfactory, which were used in publicity exhibited by the company saying that trains were 94.4 per cent punctual and 97.7 per cent reliable in the four weeks commencing 8th December 2002. [DfT] (HL1491)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Macdonald of Tradeston on 16th January (WA 51-52), whether any form of physical restraint measures such as horizontal barriers just in advance of bridges have been considered as a means of preventing delays and potential damage to trains from bridge strikes. [DfT] (HL1492)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the enrolment in each primary school in the local authority areas of Armagh City and District; and what were the equivalent enrolments at each primary school five years ago. [NIO] (HL1493)
The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will make publicly available the rates of hospital readmission within (a) 14 days and (b) 28 days of discharge in each Primary Care Trust area. [DoH] (HL1494)
The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which parts of the Hospital Discharge Workbook will form the only replacement for existing statutory guidance. [DoH] (HL1495)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list was introduced. [DoH] (HL1496)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the future development of air transport in the United Kingdom. [DfT] (HL1497)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much land has been compulsorily purchased for airport development since 1st June 1995. [DfT] (HL1498)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are directly employed in the aviation industry in the United Kingdom, using the latest figures available. [DfT] (HL1499)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what checks and investigations are made to prevent the entry of illegal drugs into the port of Liverpool. [HMT] (HL1500)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees of the British Tourist Authority and the English Tourism Council have been, or will be, made redundant because of the merger of the two bodies. [DCMS] (HL1501)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the block grant from them and from the government of the Republic of Ireland to the Cross Border Implementation Bodies during 2002; how much was under-spent by each Body; and to which exchequer and in what proportion the under-spend is allocated. [NIO] (HL1502)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 3rd 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. [NIO] (HL1503)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what types of childcare workers require vetting through the Criminal Records Bureau; and why it is not considered necessary that professional nannies should be vetted by the Bureau. [HO] (HL1504)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there is a single definition of small and medium-sized enterprises used by all government departments; and, if not, what definitions are used by each department. [DTI] (HL1505)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Mr McNulty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 30th January (HC Deb, 789W), why the only region that shows an improvement in the re-let times for local authority dwellings between 1993-94 and 2001-02 is London; why there has been a 22 per cent average increase in re-letting times across all local authorities in England (including London); and why there has been an average increase in re-letting times across all rural authorities of 63 per cent. [ODPM] (HL1506)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Mr McNulty, Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, on 30th January (HC Deb, 791W), why improvements in re-let times for registered social landlord dwellings between 1996-97 and 2001-02 have been achieved only by the South East region; why there has been an average increase in re-let times across all local authorities in England of 24 per cent; and why there has been an average increase in re-let times across all rural authorities of 38 per cent. [ODPM] (HL1507)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 13th January (HC Deb, 375W-376W), why the total of modulation receipts in England given in the columns in the table at the top of the page do not correspond to the totals given further down the page. [DEFRA] (HL1508)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the proposals for changes to the system of farming subsidies announced on 22nd January, how many farms which have an income above the threshold for a cut in subsidy of 12.5 per cent to 19 per cent do not have a profit level sufficient to absorb the subsidy cut without making a loss. [DEFRA] (HL1509)
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many jobs have been created in 2002 and since 1997 in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Yorkshire region. [DTI] (HL1510)
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the area of brownfield land which has been developed in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Yorkshire region in 2002 and since 1997. [ODPM] (HL1511)
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new businesses have been created in the county of South Yorkshire and in the Yorkshire region in 2002 and since 1997. [DTI] (HL1512)
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to agree to Chapter 10 (Taxation) of the Special Arrangements obtained by Malta for her accession to the European Union; and, if so, whether that would lead to the United Kingdom imposing VAT on food and medicines by 1st January 2010. [HMT] (HL1513)
5th February
The Lord Hardy of Wath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will reply to the United States request to upgrade the early warning radar at RAF Fylingdales. (HL1514)
The Baroness Billingham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to grant new statutory powers to the Comptroller and Auditor General. (HL1515)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the tonnage of coal equivalent in the annual import of electricity from France in each of the last five years. (HL1516)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the annual tonnages of coal imported in the last five years, giving names of the exporting countries and the annual tonnages. (HL1517)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates did the Chief Constable announce the disbandment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland Band; what is the reason for this decision; what is the projected financial saving as a result of this decision; and how many police officers this decision will release for other policing duties. (HL1518)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution the Police Service of Northern Ireland Band made to community relations in Northern Ireland; where the Band was performing on 16th December 2002; what proposals there are for the disposal of the Band instruments; and how the decision to disband has been received in Northern Ireland. (HL1519)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the pupils at the Saints and Scholars Primary School at Armagh City are designated as (a) Protestant; (b) Roman Catholic; and (c) other. (HL1520)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the pupils at Dungannon Integrated College are designated as (a) Protestant; (b) Roman Catholic; and (c) other. (HL1521)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pupils and boarders there are enrolled in the Royal School, Dungannon; and what were the equivalent numbers five years ago. (HL1522)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many pupils are enrolled at each primary school in the local authority area of Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council; and what were the equivalent numbers five years ago. (HL1523)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to introduce to encourage pregnant women to stop smoking. (HL1524)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they consider appropriate to ensure protection against passive smoking in public places. (HL1525)
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the tobacco industry on measures to protect non-smokers. (HL1526)
The Lord Shutt of Greetland—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Privy Seal on 17th December 2002 (WA 100) and 13th January (WA 5) concerning Northern Ireland railway heritage, whether they see an opportunity for a new cross-border body to assist in the preservation of these artefacts and railway restoration in co-operation with the relevant local authorities and the volunteer enthusiasts of the Foyle Valley Railway Society (Northern Ireland), the County Donegal Railway Restoration Society and Cumann Traenach na Gaeltach Lair. (HL1527)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Foreign Minister of Iran, when he visits London, human rights abuses, punishments, the treatment of religious and ethnic minorities and restrictions on free expressions of opinion in that country. (HL1528)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will decide the funding allocation for the Health Protection Agency to be set up on 1st April. (HL1529)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what transitional funding will be allocated to the Health Protection Agency in 2003-04 to cover inevitable redundancies. (HL1530)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in a period of heightened tension, it is possible for protesters, or anyone else, to gain unauthorised access to Marchwood military port. (HL1531)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what gun sight system was fitted to the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Tracked) interfered with by protestors at Marchwood military port; and whether it is a classified system. (HL1532)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what electronic friend or foe identification system was fitted to the Combat Reconnaissance Vehicles (Tracked) interfered with by protestors at Marchwood military port; and whether it is a classified system. (HL1533)
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Bach on 21st January (WA 87) and by the Lord Rooker on 23rd January (WA 116), what sum has been committed by the Ministry of Defence in their budget for the current financial year and the financial year 2003-04 to fund programmes which will assist with the re-housing of ex-service personnel; what programmes are currently supported by the Ministry of Defence; and what is the objective of these programmes. (HL1534)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cattle herds are currently infected with tuberculosis and under restriction notice. (HL1535)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Krebs tuberculosis trial projects are currently in hand; and how many tuberculosis tests are overdue on farms. (HL1536)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what extra resources have been made available in both human and financial terms to catch up with the Krebs tuberculosis trials since the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak in 2001. (HL1537)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 4th February (WA 79), which of the following activities they consider the Provisional IRA is still involved in: recruitment, re-arming, training, targeting and punishment beatings. (HL1538)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans Northern Ireland Railways have to improve the service on the Lisburn to Antrim railway line and to market such improvements. (HL1539)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Privy Seal on 4th February (WA 29), why response times for the Northern Ireland Ambulance service are different from those in the rest of the United Kingdom; and for how long this position has lasted. (HL1540)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in developing NHS Professionals as a bank for health professionals. (HL1541)
The Lord Campbell-Savours—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether all National Health Service trusts are working successfully with NHS Professionals. (HL1542)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the findings of the Committee on Safety of Medicines have encouraged doctors to prescribe the medical drug Ebixa for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1543)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will encourage the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to assess the medical drug Ebixa for use by patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1544)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussion they have had, or intend to have, with the Alzheimer Society about the use of Ebixa for patients with Alzheimer’s disease. (HL1545)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that payments of nursing care money to patients with dementia are made directly to them and their carers rather than to the nursing home. (HL1546)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent nursing home carers from failing to pass on nursing care payments to residents. (HL1547)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what results have emerged from the National Care Standards Commissions regulations that nursing care homes are obliged to provide a breakdown of fees. (HL1548)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will study any bloodshed, boycott or blackmail in past Olympic Games in assessing the desirability of bringing the event to London. (HL1549)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the comparative costs of regular trimming of hedges alongside the southern stretches of the M1 motorway by machine compared to the current practice of leaving hedges to grow for a long period of years followed by the traditional craft of cutting and laying by hand. (HL1550)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in view of the votes in both Houses on Tuesday 4th February, they will now propose the ending of the Joint Committee on the Reform of the House of Lords. (HL1551)
BILLS IN PROGRESS
[The date in square brackets is the date for which the bill is set down]
Waiting for Second Reading
European Union (Implications of Withdrawal) [HL]
Patients’ Protection [HL] [26th February]
Wild Mammals (Protection) (Amendment) (No. 2) [HL]
Road Traffic (Amendment) [HL] [28th February]
Greater London Authority Act 1999 (Repeal) [HL]
Health (Wales) [6th February]
Equality [HL] [28th February]
Regional Assemblies (Preparations) [20th February]
Sexual Offences [HL] [13th February]
European Parliament (Representation) [20th February]
Nottingham City Council [HL]
Committed to an Unopposed Bill Committee
London Local Authorities and Transport for London [HL]
London Local Authorities [HL] [18th February]
Committed to a Committee of the Whole House
Courts [HL] [10th February]
Voting Age (Reduction to 16) [HL] [28th February]
Public Services (Disruption) [HL] [17th February]
Community Care (Delayed Discharges etc.) [17th February]
Waiting for Report
High Hedges [HL] [28th February]
Licensing [HL] [24th February]
Crime (International Co-operation) [HL] [25th February]
Sent to the Commons
National Minimum Wage (Enforcement Notices) [HL]
Police (Northern Ireland) [HL]
Arms Control and Disarmament (Inspections) [HL]
Waiting for Third Reading
Waste and Emissions Trading [HL]
Waiting for Royal Assent
London Development Agency
MEASURES IN PROGRESS
Waiting for Royal Assent
Synodical Government (Amendment)
Church of England (Pensions)
AFFIRMATIVE INSTRUMENTS IN PROGRESS
Waiting for consideration by the Joint Committee
Draft Industrial Training Levy (Construction Board) Order 2003
Draft Industrial Training Levy (Engineering Construction Board) Order 2003
Draft Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (Codes of Practice) (Codes B to E) Order 2003
Draft Climate Change Levy (Use as Fuel) (Amendment) Regulations 2003
Draft Social Security (Contributions) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2003
Draft Social Security (Contributions) (Re-rating and National Insurance Funds Payments) Order 2003
Draft Social Security Benefits Up-rating Order 2003
Draft Guaranteed Minimum Pensions Increase Order 2003
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Marriage (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Commissioner for Children and Young People (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Access to Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Audit and Accountability (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Education and Libraries (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Health and Personal Social Services (Quality, Improvement and Regulation) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Protection of Children and Vulnerable Adults (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Scotland Act 1998 (Transfer of Functions to the Scottish Ministers etc.) Order 2003
Draft Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2003
Draft Strategic Investment and Regeneration of Sites (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Planning (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Housing (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Cattle
Draft Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Pigs
Draft Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2003
Draft Energy (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Budget (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Investigations in England, Wales and Northern Ireland: Code of Practice) Order 2003
Draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Disclosure of Information) Order 2003
Draft Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 (Exemptions from Civil Recovery) Order 2003
Draft Northern Ireland Arms Decommissioning Act 1997 (Amnesty Period) Order 2003
Draft Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (Continuance in force of sections 21 to 23) Order 2003
Draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Continuance of Part VII) Order 2003
Draft National Assembly for Wales (Representation of the People) Order 2003
Draft Terrorism Act 2000 (Code of Practice on Video Recording of Interviews) (Northern Ireland) Order 2003
Draft Code of Guidance on Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Encouraging positive partnerships
NORTHERN IRELAND ORDER IN COUNCIL IN PROGRESS[The date in brackets is that when the statutory procedures are completed]
Waiting for completion of statutory procedures under section 85(4)(a) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998
Proposal for a draft Order in Council: Criminal Justice (Northern Ireland) Order 2003 [6th March]
REGULATORY REFORM ORDERS IN PROGRESS
Orders referred to the Regulatory Reform Committee for first-stage scrutiny
Draft Regulatory Reform (British Waterways Board) Order 2003
Orders reported following first-stage scrutiny by the Regulatory Reform Committee
Draft Regulatory Reform (Sugar Beet Research and Education) Order 2003 [27th Report, Session 2001-02]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Business Tenancies) (England and Wales) Order 2003 [2nd Report]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Housing Management Agreements) Order 2003 [8th Report]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Schemes under Section 129 of the Housing Act 1988) (England) Order 2003 [10th Report]
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Regulatory Reform (Assured Periodic Tenancies) (Rent Increases) Order 2003 [8th Report]
COMMITTEES
[Unless otherwise indicated, Committees meet in the Lords’ rooms
in the Committee Corridor as indicated in the daily broadsheets]
THURSDAY 6TH FEBRUARY
| Science and Technology (Sub-Committee II) | in Scotland |
| European Union (Sub-Committee C) | 10.30 am |
| European Union (Sub-Committee A) | 10.30 am |
| Constitution (Select Committee) | 5.15 pm |
MONDAY 10TH FEBRUARY
| European Union (Sub-Committee B) | 3.45 pm |
| Human Rights (Joint Committee) | 4.30 pm |
TUESDAY 11TH FEBRUARY
| Economic Affairs (Select Committee) | 4.00 pm |
| Works of Art Committee | 4.15 pm |
| European Union (Select Committee) | 4.15 pm |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) | 4.15 pm |
| House Committee | 4.15 pm |
| in the Moses Room |
WEDNESDAY 12TH FEBRUARY
| European Union (Sub-Committee D) | 10.30 am |
| European Union (Sub-Committee F) | 10.30 am |
| Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform | 10.30 am |
| (Select Committee) |
| Religious Offences (Select Committee) | 2.00 pm |
| Ecclesiastical Committee | 2.30 pm |
| Commons Standing Committee on the | 2.30 pm |
| Convention on the Future of Europe | in a Commons Committee Room |
| European Union (Sub-Committee E) | 4.15 pm |
MONDAY 17TH FEBRUARY
| Liaison Committee | 4.15 pm |
| in the Moses Room |
TUESDAY 18TH FEBRUARY
| London Local Authorities [HL] | 10.30 am |
| Unopposed Bill Committee | in the Moses Room |
TUESDAY 25TH FEBRUARY
| House of Lords Reform (Joint Committee) | 10.00 am |
| Science and Technology (Sub-Committee I) | 10.30 am |
| 
