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Written Answers
Tuesday, 26 October 2004.
Child Pornography
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
In which European Union member states it is a criminal offence to make, distribute or view pornography involving children. [HL4352]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): It is a criminal offence to make, distribute or view pornography involving children in the UK, Germany, Spain, Luxembourg, Finland, Denmark, France, Cyprus, Netherlands, Hungary, Belgium, Poland, Italy, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia, Ireland, Malta, Austria and Portugal.
Although it is a criminal offence to make or distribute pornography involving children in Sweden, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia and Greece, the law in these countries does not specifically mention the viewing of pornography involving children.
But in order to comply with a European Union Framework Decision of 22 December 2003 on combating the sexual exploitation of children and child pornography, all EU member states are required by 20 January 2006 to take the necessary measures to ensure that the production, distribution, dissemination, transmission, supply, acquisition or possession of child pornography are criminalised under national law.
Human Rights: FCO Annual Report
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Times (13 October) is accurate in reporting that the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has delayed publication of the 2004 Human Rights Report to "dilute criticism of Britain's allies on the war on terror", and, if not, what is the reason for the delay. [HL4477]
Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not delayed publication of the Annual Report on Human Rights to dilute criticism of any country. The annual report was originally due to be launched on 16 September. Owing to the tragic events in Beslan, Russia, earlier that month, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary reconsidered the timing of the launch. He believed that it was the time to focus on the grief and sense of loss of the Russian people as a whole and on
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the total culpability of the terrorists responsible for this atrocity. The Foreign Secretary also wanted to consider how best to reflect the tragedy in Beslan in the text of the annual report. The Foreign Secretary will launch the annual report on Human Rights on 10 November.
School Playing Fields
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
What specific changes proposed under the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 and the associated guidance support the announcement by the Secretary of State for Education and Skills on 27 August that protection for school playing fields is to be improved. [HL4448]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin): Section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 was introduced on 1 October 1998 to stop the indiscriminate sale of school playing fields that occurred in the 1980s and early to mid 1990s. During this time there was widespread concern at the unrestricted sale of school playing fields. If a local authority wanted to sell a school playing field there was nothing to stop it and it could spend the proceeds as it wished.
Local authorities and governing bodies of all maintained schools now need the Secretary of State's consent before they can dispose of a playing field or any part of a playing field.
The main changes announced by the Secretary of State to further strengthen the existing strict criteria against which applications are assessed are:
the sale of a playing field must be an absolute last resort with local authorities now having to demonstrate that they have exhausted all other sources of funding for the required school sports facilities;
sale proceeds must be used to improve outdoor sports facilities wherever possible, so that local authorities will have to provide first-class outdoor facilities before introducing new indoor facilities;
new sports facilities must be sustainable for at least 10 years, "locking-in" improvements and ensuring that they are available to pupils for the long term.
Incapacity Benefit: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether it is their intention that people in receipt of incapacity benefit for chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis and who are in the care of a general practitioner or consultant should be
- obliged to undergo any type of rehabilitation treatment as a condition for their continued receipt of the benefit. [HL4442]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): Her Majesty's Government have no plans to mandate anybody in receipt of an incapacity benefit to undergo rehabilitation. The Government's approach, as delivered in their flagship incapacity benefit reform programme, Pathways to Work, is to work actively and intensively with the large number of people on incapacity benefit who expect and want to work again.
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Paralympic Sports: UK Sport Funding
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
What level of funding has been provided to British Paralympic sports on a sport-by-sport basis since the Sydney 2000 Paralympics. [HL4446]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey): A summary of the amount of lottery funding provided by UK Sport since April 2001 is shown in the following table.
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UK Sport has also provided funding towards the paralympic sports of archery, cycling, judo, equestrian and sailing but the figures are not reflected above as the funding is incorporated with their Olympic programme.
Olympic Games 2012: London Bid
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the event of the London Olympics 2012 bid being successful, whether they will host the shooting events in the Woolwich Arsenal. [HL4469]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: Should London win the bid to host the 2012 Games, we are planning to hold the shooting events at the Royal Artillery Barracks, Woolwich.
Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they intend to fund the £1.5 billion operating budget for the 2012 Olympic Games, if the London bid is successful. [HL4470]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: The proposed operating budget for the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games has been cast on a self-financing basis, with expenditure balanced by incomes from international and local sponsorship, broadcast revenues and ticket sales. There is also an allowance from the public sector funding package to assist in staging the Paralympic Games as required by the International Olympic Committee.
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Lord Moynihan asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the evidence given by the Mayor of London and representatives of the London 2012 Committee to the Greater London Assembly on 13 October is correct in stating that public support will account for 0.5 per cent of the International Olympic Committee's evaluation of London's Olympic bid. [HL4471]
Lord McIntosh of Haringey: London 2012 has advised that the information provided to the assembly on the weighting of public support was an approximation relating to the assessment made by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in May 2004. In its working group report on all applicant cities, the category of "Government Support, Legal Issues and Public Opinion" was given a weighting of two out of a possible 36, with public support accounting for 15 per cent of the total marks awarded in that category. That equates to 0.083 per cent.
There is no information currently available about the weighting of public support in the final IOC evaluation, although it will be important for a successful bid to be able to demonstrate high levels of public support throughout the UK.
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