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Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 4 July 2003 (WA 140–42), what aspects of United Kingdom education and public health were made subject to the co-decision procedure under the Treaty of Maastricht.[HL2382]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: According to the Treaty of Maastricht, in the health field the Community could adopt measures under the co-decision procedure, excluding any harmonisation of the laws and regulations of the member states, in order to contribute to achievement of the following objectives:
- ensuring a high level of human health protection by encouraging co-operation between the member states and, if necessary, lending support to their action;
- the prevention of diseases, in particular the major health scourges, including drug dependence, by promoting research into their causes and their transmission, as well as health information and education.
- developing the European dimension in education, particularly through the teaching and dissemination of the languages of the member states;
- encouraging mobility of students and teachers, by encouraging inter alia, the academic recognition of diplomas and periods of study;
- promoting co-operation between educational establishments;
- developing exchanges of information and experience on issues common to the education systems of the member states;
- encouraging the development of youth exchanges and of exchanges of socio-educational instructors;
- encouraging the development of distance education.
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British Telecom: Northern Ireland Phone Book
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether Ofcom was consulted regarding the recent decision by British Telecom to cease to publish a single phone book for Northern Ireland.[HL2078]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): The matter raised is the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the noble Lord. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Lord Rogan asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What rationale was given to Ofcom by British Telecom to cease to publish a single phone book for Northern Ireland.[HL2079]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The matter raised is the responsibility of the regulator, the Office of Communications (Ofcom). Accordingly, my officials have asked the chief executive of Ofcom to reply directly to the noble Lord. Copies of the chief executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
Equal Pay
Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether under the Equal Pay Act 1970 an employer may pay female staff a lower hourly rate of pay than male staff while providing female staff with other benefits, such as accommodation, which make the total package for female staff greater than that for male staff.[HL2322]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: A woman can claim equal pay with a male comparator who earns a higher rate of basic pay than she does, even if other elements of her pay package are more favourable than his. Under the Equal Pay Act 1970 a woman can compare any term in her contract with the equivalent term in her comparator's contract. This means that each element of the pay package has to be considered separately and it is not sufficient to compare total pay. Any term which is less favourable (whether in the man's or the woman's contract) would need to be modified to be as favourable unless the employer can show that there is a genuine material factor for the difference which is not the difference of sex. bjc
Nuclear Material
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How materials removed from sites such as Windscale, Winfrith and Harwell are being treated or stored to prevent the release of harmful radioactivity.[HL2367]
Lord Sainsbury of Turville: The treatment and storage of all radioactive material or waste in the UK is carried out in accordance with regulations designed to ensure nuclear safety and environmental protection. The principal regulators are the Health and Safety Commission's Nuclear Installations Inspectorate, the Environment Agency (in England and Wales) and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency
Wild Boar
Lord Swinfen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will introduce a close season for wild boar.[HL2201]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): We have no immediate plans to introduce a close season for wild boar, although we are keeping this position under review.
Lord Swinfen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- With what weapons it is legal to kill wild boar.[HL2202]
Lord Whitty: There are no specific legal restrictions governing the use of weapons to kill wild boar, but the use of bows, crossbows and any explosives other than ammunition for a firearm to kill any wild animal is prohibited (Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 Section 11(1)).
Lord Swinfen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether wild boar are game or vermin.[HL2203]
Lord Whitty: Wild boar are not specifically defined as game or vermin under any legislation.
Olympic Games 2012: London Bid
Lord Jopling asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 5 March (WA 135), what contributions were made to the last three Olympic Games by (a) local government and (b) national state government; and whether they will give anticipated figures over the whole table for a possible Olympic Games in London in 2012.[HL1858]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey): It appears that all public funding for the games in Sydney came from the New South Wales Government. I am, however, unable to provide further breakdowns for Atlanta and Barcelona.
We do not yet have the final breakdown of the anticipated figures for an Olympics in London in 2012. The public subsidy package described in the memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Mayor of London published in June 2003 as Command Paper CM 5867, and prepared drawing on analysis undertaken by Arup, is as follows:
| National Lottery: | up to £1.5 billion |
| Council Tax: | up to £0.625 billion |
| LDA: | up to £0.250 billion |
| Total: | up to £2.375 billion |
Train Operating Companies: Incentive Payments
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the basic payments and incentive receipts or payments made by the Strategic Rail Authority to each passenger train operator in 2002–03; and why these were not published in the Strategic Rail Authority's annual report for 2002–03.[HL2224]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Appendix 3 to the Strategic Rail Authority's annual report for 2002–03 gives the franchise net payments to train operating companies. The basic payments and incentive receipts or payments are provided in the table below. The incentive payments were published in the June 2003 issue of the SRA's quarterly statistical publication, On Track.
| Payments | Receipts | ||||||||
| 12 months to 31 March 2003 | Basic Payments 000s | Incentive Payments 000s | Total Payments 000s | Basic Receipts 000s | Incentive Receipts 000s | Total Receipts 000s | Net Basic Payment 000s | Net Incentive Payments 000s | Net Total Payment 000s |
| Anglia Railway | 4,055 | 82 | 4,137 | (2,273) | (8,243) | (10,516) | 1,781 | (8,160) | (6,379) |
| ARRIVA Trains Merseyside | 12,299 | 313 | 12,612 | (2,093) | (135) | (2,228) | 10,206 | 178 | 10,384 |
| ARRIVA Trains Northern | 146,833 | — | 146,833 | (30,513) | (4,089) | (34,602) | 116,320 | (4,089) | 112,231 |
| C2C | 28,897 | 960 | 29,857 | (7,505) | (545) | (8,050) | 21,392 | 415 | 21,807 |
| Central Trains | 123,228 | — | 123,228 | (42,415) | (10,679) | (53,094) | 80,813 | (10,679) | 70,134 |
| Chiltern Railways | 18,855 | — | 18,855 | — | (805) | (805) | 18,855 | (805) | 18,050 |
| Connex South Eastern | 54,190 | 179 | 54,369 | (10,387) | (6,759) | (17,146) | 43,802 | (6,580) | 37,223 |
| First Great Eastern | 61 | 264 | 325 | (38,728) | (1,683) | (40,411) | (38,667) | (1,419) | (40,085) |
| First Great Western | 44,792 | — | 44,792 | (33,360) | (2,697) | (36,057) | 11,432 | (2,697) | 8,735 |
| First North Western | 115,268 | 61 | 115,329 | (25,158) | (3,276) | (28,434) | 90,110 | (3,215) | 86,896 |
| Gatwick Express | 2,863 | — | 2,863 | (7,767) | — | (7,767) | (4,904) | — | (4,904) |
| GNER | 18,399 | — | 18,399 | (45,334) | — | (45,334) | (26,934) | — | (26,934) |
| Island Line | 2,494 | 2 | 2,496 | — | (17) | (17) | 2,494 | (16) | 2,479 |
| Midland Mainline | 3,757 | — | 3,757 | (18,486) | — | (18,486) | (14,729) | — | (14,729) |
| ScotRail | 147,297 | 596 | 147,893 | (35,006) | (10,679) | (45,685) | 112,291 | (10,083) | 102,208 |
| Silverlink | 50,682 | 37 | 50,718 | (4,428) | (577) | (5,005) | 46,253 | (540) | 45,713 |
| South Central | 55,140 | — | 55,140 | (50,465) | (5,670) | (58,135) | 4,675 | (5,670) | (995) |
| South West Trains | 84,414 | — | 84,414 | (48,404) | (11,411) | (59,815) | 36,010 | (11,411) | 24,599 |
| Thamelink | — | — | — | (51,239) | (2,697) | (53,936) | (51,239) | (2,697) | (53,936) |
| Thames Trains | 7,641 | — | 7,641 | (16,822) | (4,051) | (20,872) | (9,181) | (4,051) | (13,232) |
| Virgin Cross Country | 206,286 | — | 206,286 | — | — | — | 206,286 | — | 206,286 |
| Virgin West Coast | 220,464 | — | 220,464 | (31,537) | (98) | (31,635) | 188,927 | (98) | 188,829 |
| WAGN | 31,736 | — | 31,736 | (33,636) | (6,214) | (39,850) | (1,900) | (6,214) | (8,114) |
| Wales & Borders Trains | 95,170 | 366 | 95,535 | (2,743) | (2,432) | (5,175) | 92,427 | (2,066) | 90,360 |
| Wessex Trains | 56,595 | 34 | 56,629 | (2,476) | (3,268) | (5,744) | 54,118 | (3,234) | 50,885 |
| Total | 1,531,415 | 2,894 | 1,534,309 | (504,776) | (86,025) | (626,800) | 990,639 | (83,130) | 907,509 |
Notes:
1. All figures are rounded individually to the nearest £1,000. There may therefore be discrepancies between the totals of the rounded numbers and the column totals. The column totals are correct.
2. Incentive regime payments and receipts are calculated in arrears, but the figures in this table refer to transactions actually made during the financial year.