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Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Ulster Scots Agency in Belfast is obliged, if requested by a citizen of the Irish Republic, to respond in Irish. [HL4037]

Baroness Amos: There is no such statutory obligation arising in NI to respond in Irish to an Irish citizen though the Irish Official Languages Act 2003 may create one in that jurisdiction, by virtue of the agency's status as part of a North/South Implementation Body. The Government would encourage all public bodies, as a courtesy, to respond to correspondence in Irish, Ulster-Scots or any other recognised regional or minority language under the Council of Europe Charter, if requested to do so. In that regard, I refer the noble Lord to my Answers of 10 June 2004 (WA 42) and 6 May 2004 (WA 126) referring to the code of practice currently being prepared, which will be used by the North/South Language Body.

Africa: Millennium Development Goals

The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether AIDS-affected African countries are given any priority in the funding of education and other development programmes to assist them in achieving millennium development goals. [HL3856]

Baroness Amos: Many of the African countries worst affected by AIDS are among the Department for
 
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International Development's (DfID's) 16 focus countries: Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Over 80 per cent of AIDS deaths occur in these countries.

Several DfID African bilateral country programmes have recently stepped up expenditure in support of programmes to help combat AIDS. In addition, DfID will make AIDS a priority for the extra £320 million that the UK will be devoting to Africa in 2006. On 20 July the Prime Minister launched the new UK Strategy on HIV and AIDS. The strategy provides the framework for how the UK Government will spend an additional £1.5 billion to combat AIDS globally. At least £150 million will be spent helping children whose parents have died from AIDS and other children made vulnerable by AIDS.

However, if the millennium development goals are to be met we need to do more than scale up HIV and AIDS specific programmes. The socio-economic impact of AIDS and the vulnerability of poor people in Africa to AIDS mean that we also need to target assistance at broader development programmes, including in the health and education sectors in the countries most at risk.

This is already happening. In 2002–03 the sixteen African target countries received 88 per cent of DfID funds for Africa. In most of DfID's focus countries in Africa we provide significant support for education programmes, (into which HIV/AIDS issues are integrated). In Malawi, DfID supports the education sector to increase children's access to equitable primary education of improved quality. This includes support for life skills education where all children from grade 4 learn about HIV/AIDS. On health, more broadly, DfID recognises that most African partner countries have extremely weak health systems. Since 1997, DfID has committed over £1.5 billion to strengthening health systems globally.

United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether there is evidence, either in relation to the right of petition under the First Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights or under the legal systems of contracting parties to the covenant, that a free-standing legal provision against discrimination could lead to an increase in the amount of litigation. [HL4066]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): Between 1977 and October 2002, 205 complaints were brought before the United
 
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Nations Human Rights Committee under the First Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights about matters covered by the free-standing legal provision against discrimination contained in Article 26 of the covenant. Of those, the committee declared 120 inadmissible. Therefore the average increase in the number of cases of this type actually considered by the committee was about four per year shared between the states that had ratified the protocol during that period.

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which of the 20 non-governmental organisations, listed in Appendix 2 to the report on the outcome of the Interdepartmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments, recommended acceptance of the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; and which of them recommended non-acceptance. [HL4063]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The following non-governmental organisations recommended acceptance of the First Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights: Justice, the British Institute of Human Rights, Amnesty International, Liberty, the Law Society, the Institute for Public Policy Research, The Committee on the Administration of Justice, the Aire Centre, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Human Rights Centre, and the London School of Economics. No organisation listed at Appendix 2 to the report on the outcome of the Inter-Departmental Review of International Human Rights Instruments recommended non-acceptance of the protocol.

European Convention on Human Rights

Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether following the report of the Review of International Human Rights Instruments, they are aware of any other government or independent legal expert which has expressed doubts as to whether Protocol No. 12 to the European Convention on Human Rights permits a defence of objective and reasonable justification on the same basis as under Article 14 of the convention; and, if so, which government or independent legal expert has done so. [HL4067]

Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government are satisfied that there remain unacceptable uncertainties regarding the impact of Protocol 12. It has reached this view independently of the views of other governments or outside legal experts.
 
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Entente Cordiale: Anglo-French Celebrations

Lord Wallace of Saltaire asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to reciprocate the French Government's gesture in inviting British troops to participate in the Bastille Day parade; and, if so, how. [HL3906]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Bach): The Government are planning a reciprocal visit for President Chirac in November 2004 to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. There have been preliminary discussions and the options are under consideration. However, no proposals have yet been made.

NITEworks

Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which companies are currently involved in the NITEworks partnership; and what topics NITEworks is currently addressing. [HL4018]

Lord Bach: There are 10 alliance partners (AMS, BAE Systems, EADS, EDS, GD(UK), Logica CMG, MBDA, QinetiQ, Raytheon, Thales) who have full visibility and rights to participate in NITEworks experiments, together with a further 31 associate participants who are involved as appropriate depending on their specialist skills or expertise.

NITEworks has six current experimental themes, they are: Kill Chain Development stage 2; Indirect Fire Integration; Joint Operational Picture; ISTAR Request For Information Management; Command & Battlespace Management (Land); and Component Command Information System Integration. New themes are being developed in the areas of combat identity; effects-based operations; maritime command and control; logistics command and control; and the exploitation of network enabled capability in our exercise programmes.

Clinical Trials: Thrombolysis in Cardiac Arrest Study

Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they have taken or are planning regarding the Thrombolysis in Cardiac Arrest Study in the light of the approval in principle of the relevant Multi-centre Research Ethics Committee and the requirements of the Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/1031). [HL3925]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The Government recognise the importance that ethical and necessary research in emergency situations continues to develop
 
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and improve treatment and care. The Medicines for Human use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004 apply to clinical trials in emergency situations. Guidance is being considered on how informed consent can be obtained from a legal representative in an emergency situation where the individual affected is incapable of giving consent. The Government are considering as a matter of urgency whether any changes to the regulations are needed or whether further guidance for clinical trials in emergency situations will suffice.

The Department of Health is committed to improving and developing strategies for treatment of patients suffering from heart attack and cardiac arrest. The National Defibrillator Programme and funding of paramedic thrombolysis are examples of this commitment.

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