NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAY
Items marked † are new or have been altered.Items expected to be taken during an adjournment are marked # (lunch) or ‡ (dinner).Bills marked § have been set down before the expiry of the recommended minimum interval between stages.
TUESDAY 20TH JULY
At half-past two o’clock
The Baroness Young of Hornsey
and
The Lord Rowlands
*The Baroness Boothroyd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines are being given to general practitioners to check the eligibility of overseas visitors to receive medical care.
*The Lord Bishop of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the Department for International Development’s strategy of engaging with the newly-elected government in Andhra Pradesh in India following the vote of no confidence in Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu.
*The Lord Bishop of Oxford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to consider the proposals of the Lord Steel of Aikwood to reduce the stage at which abortion is legal except in the most exceptional circumstances.
*The Lord Higgins—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the design of traffic islands and maintenance of signposts on them do not endanger public safety.
*The Lord Owen—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the withdrawal by the Secret Intelligence Service in July 2003 of two reports, as described in paragraph 405 of the Butler Report, was revealed to the Hutton enquiry; and, if so, whether the enquiry was prevented from disclosing this withdrawal.
Medway Council Bill—Second Reading
Fire and Rescue Services Bill—Third Reading [The Lord Rooker]
Traffic Management Bill—Consideration of Commons Reasons and Amendments [The Lord Davies of Oldham]
Housing Bill—Committee [The Lord Rooker]
§Finance Bill—Second Reading (and remaining stages) [The Lord McIntosh of Haringey]
The Lord Peston—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on Economic Affairs on the Finance Bill 2004 (First Report, HL Paper 109).
In the Moses RoomNorthern Ireland Orders Grand CommitteeAt 3.30 pm
Budget (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—Consideration [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
Anti-social Behaviour (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—Consideration [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
Criminal Justice (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—Consideration [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
Dangerous Wild Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—Consideration [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
Vehicle Testing (Temporary Exemptions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—Consideration [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
WEDNESDAY 21ST JULY
The Baroness Bonham-Carter of Yarnbury
and
The Lord Griffiths of Burry Port
*The Baroness Whitaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their strategy to combat HIV/AIDS in developing countries.
*The Lord Cobbold—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the main developments following the first six months of cannabis reclassification.
*The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they can identify road safety benefits which would follow the introduction of Single/Double British Summertime.
†*The Lord Janner of Braunstone—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action against Mr Nick Griffin and other British National Party members in respect of their behaviour and comments as filmed in the BBC documentary The Secret Agent.
†*The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take in the light of comments by the Director General of the British Metals Recycling Association that the scrap metal industry will no longer accept the 45,000 cars which it deals with each week.
‡Solicitors (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 24th June be approved.
‡Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Designation of Public Authorities) Order 2004—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 10th June be approved. [21st Report from the Joint Committee]
‡Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) (No. 2) Order 2004—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 8th July be approved.
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Housing Bill will continue]
THURSDAY 22ND JULY
[At eleven o’clock]
[Prayers will have been read]
*The Lord Livsey of Talgarth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to convert the present cattle identification system into a fully electronic record of all cattle movements in the United Kingdom.
*The Baroness Gardner of Parkes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the entrance qualifications currently required for nurse education.
*The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will further help the people of Nepal to find a peaceful solution to their political difficulties and internal conflict.
*The Lord Carter—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that imports of pork and processed pork conform to United Kingdom legal minimum standards with respect to pig welfare.
Sustainable and Secure Buildings—Third Reading [The Lord Dholakia]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 24th June be approved. [24th Report from the Joint Committee and 14th Report from the Merits Committee]
The Baroness Hanham—To move, as an amendment to the above motion in the name of the Lord Rooker, at end to insert “but this House regrets Her Majesty’s Government’s decision to lay six Orders relating to Regional Assemblies before the publication of a draft Regional Assemblies Bill; and before publication of the Electoral Commission’s report on the all-postal ballots used in the pilot areas during the elections of 10th June”.
[The Lord Rooker intends to move the following five motions en bloc: but if any Lord objects the motions must be moved separately to the extent desired]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Expenses Limits for Permitted Participants) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 24th June be approved. [24th Report from the Joint Committee]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Counting Officers’ Charges) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 24th June be approved. [24th Report from the Joint Committee]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (North East Region) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 8th July be approved. [25th Report from the Joint Committee and 15th Report from the Merits Committee]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (North West Region) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 8th July be approved. [25th Report from the Joint Committee and 15th Report from the Merits Committee]
Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (Yorkshire and the Humber Region) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 8th July be approved. [25th Report from the Joint Committee and 15th Report from the Merits Committee]
Human Tissue Bill—Second Reading [The Lord Warner]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Warner to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
ROYAL ASSENT
TUESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER
The Lord Young of Norwood Green
and
The Lord Cameron of Dillington
†Select Committees—The Chairman of Committees to move, That the Lord Williamson of Horton be appointed a member of the following Committees, in the place of the Lord Craig of Radley: House, Administration and Works, Liaison, Privileges, Procedure and Selection.
†Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Bill—Third Reading [The Lord McIntosh of Haringey]
In the Moses Room
At 3.30 pm
†Pensions Bill—Further consideration in Grand Committee [The Baroness Hollis of Heigham] [21st, 23rd and 25th Reports from the Delegated Powers Committee]
WEDNESDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER
The Lord Vallance of Tummel
and
The Baroness Chapman
Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill—Report [The Lord Bach]
Employment Relations Bill—Third Reading [The Lord Sainsbury of Turville]
THURSDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Housing Bill will continue]
[It is expected that the Grand Committee on the Pensions Bill will continue at 3.15 pm in the Moses Room]
FRIDAY 10TH SEPTEMBER
[At eleven o’clock]
Constitution for Europe (Referendum) Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Blackwell]
MONDAY 13TH SEPTEMBER
The Lord Steinberg
and
The Lord Alliance
[It is expected that the Committee stage of the Housing Bill will continue]
[It is expected that the Grand Committee on the Pensions Bill will continue at 3.30 pm in the Moses Room]
TUESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER
The Lord George
and
The Lord Kerr of Kinlochard
Constitutional Reform Bill [HL]—House to be again in Committee (on recommitment) [The Lord Falconer of Thoroton] [10th Report from the Delegated Powers Committee]
[It is expected that the Grand Committee on the Pensions Bill will continue at 3.30 pm in the Moses Room]
WEDNESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER
The Baroness D’Souza
THURSDAY 16TH SEPTEMBER
[It is expected that the Committee (on recommitment) stage of the Constitutional Reform Bill will continue]
NO DAY NAMED
PART I
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the Government’s progress in fulfilling their commitment to be “tough on the causes of crime”; and to move for papers.
The Lord Howe of Aberavon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in light of the Prime Minister’s initiative to attract more overseas students to the United Kingdom, whether they plan to make entry and visa arrangements for such students more user-friendly.
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the independence and accountability of H M Inspectorate of Prisons are not compromised.
The Lord Gray of Contin—To move, That this House takes note of the Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, entitled Our Energy Future—Creating a Low Carbon Economy.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to recommend the greater use of Special Public Bill Committees in the House of Lords.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the method of determining members’ allowances in local authorities.
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To call attention to political involvement in decisions affecting the university and research sectors; and to move for papers.
The Earl Russell—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they found it necessary to announce in 1999 a target for the eradication of child poverty, which they have now had to abandon.
The Baroness Rawlings—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on recent developments in Georgia.
The Baroness Rawlings—To call attention to the political situation in Brazil; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Rawlings—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on recent developments in Hong Kong.
The Lord Clinton-Davis—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to improve aviation security, and whether they intend to raise this issue in the appropriate international fora.
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will work to create as soon as possible a United Nations or multinational Interim Authority for the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
The Lord Livsey of Talgarth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to improve access to justice in mid-Wales.
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent mental health patients should be able to exercise choice in the way they are treated under the National Health Service.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for improving contact and co-operation between the two Houses of Parliament; and to move for papers.
Food Benefit Schemes (Northern Ireland) Order 2003—The Lord Clement-Jones to move to resolve, That this House calls on Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Order laid before the House on 8th January (S.I. 2003/3202).
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made since 11th September 2001 with their programmes to expand awareness of other cultures and with global citizenship education.
The Baroness Barker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards access to personal information relating to individuals who receive, or have received, social care, or who have been adopted; and whether they have any proposals for change.
The Lord Bishop of Oxford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, together with international agencies, to shut down websites that give access to violent pornography.
The Baroness Buscombe—To call attention to the significance of intellectual property rights protection for the creative industries; and to move for papers.
The Lord Mitchell—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to reduce the incidence of foetal alcohol syndrome.
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures are being taken to develop an international strategy to end the killing of street children in Central and South America.
The Baroness Whitaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they respond to recent initiatives to strengthen the United Nations in the face of current threats to world peace and security.
The Lord Dearing—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes are desirable to schools’ inspections so that they make the best possible contribution to the quality, effectiveness and well-being of education.
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to how business rates for small businesses are levied.
The Lord Harrison—To call attention to Her Majesty’s Government’s contribution to maintaining the architectural heritage of England’s churches, and to how their functions as places of worship can be sympathetically combined with other ways of serving the whole of their local communities; and to move for papers.
The Lord Baker of Dorking—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to mark the publication of the new Oxford Dictionary of National Biography as a record of those men and women who have shaped Britain’s past.
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made on the introduction in England of the access provisions in Part I of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they agree with the First Report from the Committee for Privileges, Code of Conduct and Members’ Interests, and in particular its recommendation that members of the House in receipt of pensions from the European Union do not normally need to declare such pensions as a financial interest when taking part in debates on European Union matters; and, if so, why.
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the present bio-security arrangements for the control of disease in agriculture and horticulture are adequate.
The Baroness Hooper—To call attention to recent developments in Latin America; and to move for papers.
The Lord Grantchester—To call attention to the provision of affordable housing as part of rural regeneration; and to move for papers.
The Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to speed up payment of compensation for mineworkers and former mineworkers who suffer from bronchitis and emphysema; and to control the legal fees associated with such claims.
The Lord Dubs—To call attention to the enlargement of the European Union on 1st May 2004 and to what Her Majesty’s Government could do to ensure that the British people are kept fully informed of issues affecting Britain’s membership; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the report by the Commission on Women and the Criminal Justice System.
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To call attention to the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the consequences of the referendum on the Annan Plan; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Northover—To call attention to the case for assistance to deal with the increasing number of orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS in Africa and elsewhere; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to improve the position of women in prison.
The Lord Selsdon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what ways their policy for encouraging a just and lasting peace throughout the Middle East differs from that of the United States.
The Baroness Rawlings—To call attention to the Departmental Report 2004 for the Department for International Development; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Greengross—To call attention to the physical, mental and financial abuse of older people; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To call attention to the state of the marine environment and to the progress made in establishing a marine landscape classification; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek to ensure that their plans for the establishment of the National Offenders Management Service receive adequate Parliamentary scrutiny.
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied with the progress and performance of Patients’ Forums.
The Viscount Waverley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their relations with Colombia.
The Lord Bishop of Rochester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in light of the international situation, what they are doing to support enlightened religious attitudes in this country and overseas.
The Lord Clarke of Hampstead—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in relation to violations of human rights in Iran.
The Baroness Northover—To call attention to the case for further aid to assist the reconstruction and security of Afghanistan; and to move for papers.
The Lord Newby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they plan to take to safeguard the interests of Caribbean banana growers.
The Lord Turnberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to redress the drop in clinical academic staffing levels in medical and dental schools.
The Lord Selsdon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the Export Credits Guarantee Department in the development of worldwide British interests and trade.
The Lord Williams of Elvel—To call attention to the report of the Richard Commission on the powers and electoral arrangements of the National Assembly for Wales; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what specific steps they are taking to ensure the satisfactory delivery of post by the Royal Mail; and what progress has been made to this end.
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how current policy initiatives in the National Health Service reflect the need for specialised services and associated commissioning.
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to delineate NATO and European Union defence responsibilities in Bosnia-Herzegovina after December 2004.
The Baroness Oppenheim-Barnes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the public are being correctly advised on using adequate protection against skin cancer.
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve security for aid, reconstruction and the supervision of elections in Afghanistan.
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To call attention to the role of the private sector in providing rail infrastructure; and to move for papers.
The Lord Trefgarne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the judgement of the House in Bakewell Management Ltd v. Brandwood and others, what action they propose to take in connection with section 68 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000.
†The Baroness Mallalieu—To call attention to the likely effects of the decision to decouple all livestock subsidy in England on upland rural communities; and to move for papers.
PART II
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
[The date in brackets is that on which the Report was published]
The Lord Grenfell—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee: Annual Report from the Committee (44th Report, HL Paper 191). [27th November]
The Lord Peston—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on Economic Affairs on Aspects of the Economics of an Ageing Population (4th Report, HL Paper 179). [10th January]
The Lord Bowness—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on EU Development Aid in Transition (12th Report, HL Paper 75). [29th April]
The Baroness Harris of Richmond—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report from the Select Committee on the European Union, Handling EU asylum claims: new approaches examined (11th Report, HL Paper 74), what progress they have made in developing their proposals for regional protection areas and what view they take of the proposals of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees for the determination of asylum claims on an European Union basis, including the establishment of European Union reception centres. [30th April]
The Lord Norton of Louth—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on the Constitution on the Regulatory State: Ensuring its Accountability (6th Report, HL Paper 68). [6th May]
The Lord Radice—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on The World Trade Organization: the role of the EU post-Cancœn (16th Report, HL Paper 104). [16th June]
The Lord Woolmer of Leeds—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Gas: Liberalised Markets and Security of Supply (17th Report, HL Paper 105). [24th June]
The Lord Mitchell—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Science and Treaties (3rd Report, HL Paper 110). [30th June]
The Lord Oxburgh—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Renewable Energy: Practicalities (4th Report, HL Paper 126). [15th July]
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled on 19th July, or unanswered after 21 days]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
24th May
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why funding for the 11th July bonfire celebrations was removed from the Ulster-Scots Agency’s draft budget for 2004, given the importance of safety and family enjoyment to these celebrations. [NIO] (HL3035)
27th May
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 26th May (WA 133) concerning the Ulster-Scots Agency, how much has been paid by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to consultants for advice on the proposed academy in each year since 2000. [NIO] (HL3088)
7th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the term “reflective of the community in Northern Ireland” (as used in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004) means; whether the term is the same as representative of the community in Northern Ireland; and how and in what way the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was representative of the community in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL3134)
9th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7th June (WA 1) concerning a reception at 10 Downing Street on 11th May, whether there were any representatives of Ulster Scots culture present; and, if so, how they were selected. [NIO] (HL3169)
14th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many equality officers are employed in the Northern Ireland Office; when each post was created; and what are the duties of these officers. [NIO] (HL3240)
15th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which victims groups in Northern Ireland have been audited each year since 1990; and on what basis the audits were carried out. [NIO] (HL3269)
16th June
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Police Board for Northern Ireland requiring councils to add candidates for interview for District Police Partnerships, after the shortlisting process has been completed; and whether such a practice could properly be applied in all public appointment processes in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL3289)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in response to the Police Board for Northern Ireland imposing a late applicant for interview, after the shortlisting process had been completed, for the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council’s District Police Partnership. [NIO] (HL3290)
17th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action under paragraph 2(4) of Schedule 7 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 against Ms Patricia Kelly who has withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. [NIO] (HL3316)
21st June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Ulster Scots Agency is adequately and positively represented to the media by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. [NIO] (HL3368)
22nd June
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the Departmental budget allocated to the promotion of sport and physical recreation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated agencies for each year since 2001-02. [DEFRA] (HL3382)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the Departmental budget allocated to the promotion of sport and physical recreation activities by the Home Office and its associated agencies for each year since 2001-02. [HO] (HL3385)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17th June (WA 79), what impact the decision to remove £600,000 from the Ulster Scots Agency’s budget will have on the Agency’s ability to support community events during the marching season; and what effect this will have on the ability of community leaders to achieve as peaceful a marching season in 2004 as that achieved in 2003. [NIO] (HL3408)
23rd June
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in accordance with the principles for relocation set out at paragraph 10.3 of the Lyons Report, which Government departments or sponsored bodies have received approval from H M Treasury since 9th September 2003 to enter into or renew a significant property commitment in London, showing in each case the amount of space and its purpose. [HMT] (HL3428)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions Government agencies and departments have had with representatives of United Kingdom airlines and the aircraft manufacturing, serving and dismantling industries to ensure all participants are aware of the issues surrounding depleted uranium use within the industry and the applicable United Kingdom law. [DTI] (HL3432)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what accounting procedures are in place for depleted uranium within the aircraft industry which satisfy the requirements of RSA93 registrations and the Ionising Radiations Regulations. [DTI] (HL3433)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether premises that maintain or dismantle aircraft containing depleted uranium have to be registered; and whether any such list is available to the public. [DTI] (HL3434)
24th June
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total number of Northern Ireland Office Ministerial and Northern Ireland civil service flights, during each of the past three years, between Belfast and London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City airports. [NIO] (HL3452)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which airlines now provide a regular daily service of flights between Belfast and either London Heathrow, London Gatwick or London City airports; whether there is fair and adequate competition among these airlines; and by what amounts over each of the past three years Northern Ireland Office departments have fostered that competition by supporting each airline in respect of Ministerial and civil service usage. [NIO] (HL3453)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they organise Northern Ireland Ministerial and civil service air travel between Belfast and either London Heathrow, London Gatwick or London City airports; whether they have fixed price contracts; and which airlines are invited to tender directly to Government to provide this service. [NIO] (HL3454)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22nd June (WA 114), whether they approved of the Ulster Scots Agency’s work in the United States. [NIO] (HL3458)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost per kilometre of providing a dual carriageway between the Toome bypass and the City of Londonderry. [NIO] (HL3460)
25th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17th June (WA 82-83) concerning the Language Implementation Body, on what date, with whom and in what form the sponsor departments agreed the annual budget for 2004 for the Ulster Scots Agency. [NIO] (HL3479)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 23rd June (WA 123), why bodies representing Ulster Scots culture do not receive the same level of resources as bodies representing Irish cultures. [NIO] (HL3482)
28th June
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the millennium development target to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds and similar targets for halving the proportion of people without safe water or basic sanitation. [DfID] (HL3490)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will add to the list of Zimbabwean nationals who are refused entry to the European Union a United Kingdom list of close supporters and collaborators of the régime including Mr Gideon Gono (Governor, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe), Mr Stalin Mau Mau (former Zanu-PF Parliamentary candidate), Mr Osias Bvute (Zanu PF representative on the Board of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union) and Mr Peter Chingoka (Chairman of the Board). [FCO] (HL3494)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure plans to provide funding and resources to—
(a) association football;
(d) Gaelic Athletic Association games;
if so, whether in each case there is a cross community requirement; if so, what that requirement is; and how it will be monitored. [NIO] (HL3498)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure provided each year since 1999 to—
(a) association football;
(d) Gaelic Athletic Association games;
whether there was a cross community requirement in any such funding; what that requirement was; and how it was monitored. [NIO] (HL3500)
The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase the number of telephone lines available at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. [DfT] (HL3506)
19th July
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they accept the explanation given by the then Iraq Ambassador to the Holy See to the International Atomic Energy Authority for his visit to Niger in February 1999; and, if not, whether they have provided the Authority with any additional evidence on the purpose of that visit since the date of the letter from the Authority quoted in paragraph 502 of the Lord Butler of Brockwell’s Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction. (HL3926)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are obliged by treaty obligations, and if so by which articles, to notify the International Atomic Energy Authority of any evidence which comes to their attention of attempts to procure uranium ore illegally; and, if so, when they notified the Authority of intelligence referred to in paragraph 494 of the Lord Butler of Brockwell’s Review of Intelligence on Weapons of Mass Destruction that in 1999 the Iraqi régime made inquiries about the purchase of uranium ore in the Democratic Republic of Congo. (HL3927)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether international arrest warrants have been issued in respect of Mr Pierre Falcone and Mr Anatoly Gaidamak; what information they have about visits to the United Kingdom by each of these individuals; whether they were taken into custody on those occasions; and what steps they will take if either or both of them enter United Kingdom territory in the future. (HL3928)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Transport Direct website will go on line; what real-time travel information will be available; and what is the current estimated cost of developing the system. (HL3929)
The Lord Eden of Winton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the World Bank and to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo about the re-zoning of the Congo forests and the expansion of industrial logging bearing in mind the need to consider the rights of the people living in the forests. (HL3930)
The Lord Eden of Winton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, or have under consideration, as part of the environmental management of United Kingdom coasts and seas, to introduce areas of high protection so as to restore natural population structures of exploited marine species. (HL3931)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Warner on 21st June (WA 105), whether they will provide a detailed breakdown of the seven per cent charged to National Health Service Trusts by National Health Service Professionals in relation to on-costs in the supply of temporary nurses; and whether any additional fees are levied at any point of National Health Service Professionals’ relationship with a National Health Service Trust, in particular management set up charges. (HL3932)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of vacancies for temporary nurses is—
(a) filled by National Health Service Professionals using (i) National Health Service Professionals’ own resources; and (ii) external private sector nursing agencies; and
(b) left unfilled. (HL3933)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much National Health Service Professionals charges National Health Service Trusts for the supply of temporary nurses sourced from external private sector nursing agencies; and what proportion of those charges is (a) paid to the external private sector nursing agency; and (b) kept by National Health Service Professionals. (HL3934)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes will be made to the charges National Health Service Professionals make to National Health Service Trusts for the supply of temporary nurses following the introduction of the new Agenda for Change pay system. (HL3935)
The Lord Howie of Troon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why National Health Service Wales has decided not to use National Health Service Professionals for the supply of temporary nursing staff to National Health Service Trusts in Wales; and what the key factors were in this decision. (HL3936)
The Lord Newby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much additional stamp duty would have been raised in 2003-04 if Contracts for Difference had been liable to the duty at the same rate as shares. (HL3937)
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next intend to meet with representatives of Consumers for Health Choice to discuss the regulation of food supplements. (HL3938)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many war pensions are in payment to members of the Control Group, made up of service men and women against whom the health of a group of Gulf War veterans of identical composition has been monitored. (HL3939)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many war pensions are now in payment for medical conditions related to service in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. (HL3940)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the peer-review process in relation to a link between service in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict and motor neurone disease began; and when they expect it to conclude. (HL3941)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent information about peer-reviewed scientific literature supporting the safety and efficacy of low carbohydrate diets has been received from Dr Sarah Brewer of Atkins Health and Medical Information Services by the Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence and the Health Development Agency, and what action they are taking as a result. (HL3942)
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER AWAITING ANSWER
19th JULY 2004
[Tabled on the dates shown]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
24th May
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why funding for the 11th July bonfire celebrations was removed from the Ulster-Scots Agency’s draft budget for 2004, given the importance of safety and family enjoyment to these celebrations. [NIO](HL3035)
27th May
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 26th May (WA 133) concerning the Ulster-Scots Agency, how much has been paid by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure to consultants for advice on the proposed academy in each year since 2000. [NIO](HL3088)
7th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the term “reflective of the community in Northern Ireland” (as used in the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2004) means; whether the term is the same as representative of the community in Northern Ireland; and how and in what way the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission was representative of the community in Northern Ireland. [NIO](HL3134)
9th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7th June (WA 1) concerning a reception at 10 Downing Street on 11th May, whether there were any representatives of Ulster Scots culture present; and, if so, how they were selected. [NIO](HL3169)
14th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many equality officers are employed in the Northern Ireland Office; when each post was created; and what are the duties of these officers. [NIO](HL3240)
15th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which victims groups in Northern Ireland have been audited each year since 1990; and on what basis the audits were carried out. [NIO](HL3269)
16th June
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Police Board for Northern Ireland requiring councils to add candidates for interview for District Police Partnerships, after the shortlisting process has been completed; and whether such a practice could properly be applied in all public appointment processes in Northern Ireland. [NIO](HL3289)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they have taken in response to the Police Board for Northern Ireland imposing a late applicant for interview, after the shortlisting process had been completed, for the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council’s District Police Partnership. [NIO](HL3290)
17th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action under paragraph 2(4) of Schedule 7 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998 against Ms Patricia Kelly who has withdrawn from the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission. [NIO] (HL3316)
21st June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Ulster Scots Agency is adequately and positively represented to the media by the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure. [NIO](HL3368)
22nd June
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the Departmental budget allocated to the promotion of sport and physical recreation by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and its associated agencies for each year since 2001-02. [DEFRA](HL3382)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the Departmental budget allocated to the promotion of sport and physical recreation activities by the Home Office and its associated agencies for each year since 2001-02. [HO](HL3385)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17th June (WA 79), what impact the decision to remove £600,000 from the Ulster Scots Agency’s budget will have on the Agency’s ability to support community events during the marching season; and what effect this will have on the ability of community leaders to achieve as peaceful a marching season in 2004 as that achieved in 2003. [NIO](HL3408)
23rd June
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in accordance with the principles for relocation set out at paragraph 10.3 of the Lyons Report, which Government departments or sponsored bodies have received approval from H M Treasury since 9th September 2003 to enter into or renew a significant property commitment in London, showing in each case the amount of space and its purpose. [HMT](HL3428)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions Government agencies and departments have had with representatives of United Kingdom airlines and the aircraft manufacturing, serving and dismantling industries to ensure all participants are aware of the issues surrounding depleted uranium use within the industry and the applicable United Kingdom law. [DTI](HL3432)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what accounting procedures are in place for depleted uranium within the aircraft industry which satisfy the requirements of RSA93 registrations and the Ionising Radiations Regulations. [DTI](HL3433)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether premises that maintain or dismantle aircraft containing depleted uranium have to be registered; and whether any such list is available to the public. [DTI](HL3434)
24th June
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the total number of Northern Ireland Office Ministerial and Northern Ireland civil service flights, during each of the past three years, between Belfast and London Heathrow, London Gatwick and London City airports. [NIO](HL3452)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which airlines now provide a regular daily service of flights between Belfast and either London Heathrow, London Gatwick or London City airports; whether there is fair and adequate competition among these airlines; and by what amounts over each of the past three years Northern Ireland Office departments have fostered that competition by supporting each airline in respect of Ministerial and civil service usage. [NIO](HL3453)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they organise Northern Ireland Ministerial and civil service air travel between Belfast and either London Heathrow, London Gatwick or London City airports; whether they have fixed price contracts; and which airlines are invited to tender directly to Government to provide this service. [NIO](HL3454)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 22nd June (WA 114), whether they approved of the Ulster Scots Agency’s work in the United States. [NIO](HL3458)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost per kilometre of providing a dual carriageway between the Toome bypass and the City of Londonderry. [NIO](HL3460)
25th June
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17th June (WA 82-83) concerning the Language Implementation Body, on what date, with whom and in what form the sponsor departments agreed the annual budget for 2004 for the Ulster Scots Agency. [NIO] (HL3479)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 23rd June (WA 123), why bodies representing Ulster Scots culture do not receive the same level of resources as bodies representing Irish cultures. [NIO](HL3482)
28th June
The Baroness Gale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relationship between the millennium development target to reduce the under-five mortality rate by two-thirds and similar targets for halving the proportion of people without safe water or basic sanitation. [DfID](HL3490)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will add to the list of Zimbabwean nationals who are refused entry to the European Union a United Kingdom list of close supporters and collaborators of the régime including Mr Gideon Gono (Governor, Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe), Mr Stalin Mau Mau (former Zanu-PF Parliamentary candidate), Mr Osias Bvute (Zanu PF representative on the Board of the Zimbabwe Cricket Union) and Mr Peter Chingoka (Chairman of the Board). [FCO](HL3494)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure plans to provide funding and resources to—
(a)association football;
(b)rugby union;
(c)cricket; and
(d)Gaelic Athletic Association games;
if so, whether in each case there is a cross community requirement; if so, what that requirement is; and how it will be monitored. [NIO](HL3498)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding the Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure provided each year since 1999 to—
(a)association football;
(b)rugby union;
(c)cricket; and
(d)Gaelic Athletic Association games;
whether there was a cross community requirement in any such funding; what that requirement was; and how it was monitored. [NIO](HL3500)
The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will increase the number of telephone lines available at the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. [DfT](HL3506)
29th June
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the opportunities and provisions for re-training individuals aged 25 to 40 who wish to change from desk-bound employment to a trade where there are shortages, for example plumbing and carpentry. [DfES](HL3518)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on consultations since June 2001 by each Government department in Northern Ireland. [NIO](HL3519)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent on consultants since June 2001 by each Government department in Northern Ireland. [NIO](HL3520)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will detail the amounts of public money paid to the Northern Ireland Association for the Care and Resettlement of Offenders for the purchase of buildings; and what is the present status of the property purchased. [NIO](HL3538)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 24th February (WA 41), whether it is their practice to advise those recruiting teachers for state schools that the equal opportunity employment policies in relation to religion and political opinion of the Northern Ireland Education and Library Boards are inapplicable due to the exemption of teachers from fair employment law. [NIO](HL3539)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will remove the security barriers at the Royal Courts of Justice in Chichester Street, Belfast and make the street passable to ordinary vehicular traffic, including buses. [NIO](HL3540)
30th June
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will allow for pre-legislative scrutiny of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill due to be introduced in November. [DEFRA](HL3567)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanisms are in place to monitor and ensure proper compliance with the Guidelines for UK Government websites, with particular reference to the web accessibility needs of disabled people. [DWP](HL3580)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to ensure that United Kingdom Government websites comply with the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines; and, if so, when they envisage that such compliance could be achieved. [CO](HL3582)
1st July
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any of the Cross Border Implementation Bodies have indicated an intention to apply for extra funding during 2004; if so, which Bodies have applied; how much have they applied for; and for what purpose. [NIO](HL3591)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding Tourism Ireland has sought each year since 2000; how much was agreed each year; whether indicative budgets were set; if so, for how much; and when. [NIO](HL3592)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 29th June (WA 13) concerning Irish culture, whether they have plans to provide funding for Irish culture and language; if so, when they will do so; how much they plan to provide; through which body such funds will be provided; and whether business cases will be required. [NIO](HL3593)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will encourage British academic institutions and British companies to provide technical assistance to the Turkish Cypriot administration for the conservation of the natural and archaeological environment of Northern Cyprus; and whether they will make funds available for that purpose. [FCO](HL3597)
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they have made with European Union partners towards the early implementation of their objective of allowing direct flights to Ercan Airport in Northern Cyprus and towards allowing Turkish Cypriot exports directly from Northern Cyprus ports. [FCO](HL3598)
The Lord Alderdice—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the outcome of the recent United Nations mission to the Ivory Coast led by the British Ambassador to the United Nations. [FCO](HL3599)
5th July
The Lord Chadlington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how often segregation has been used in prison for both teenage boys and girls, for each month since January 2004. [HO](HL3602)
The Baroness Howe of Idlicote—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employed civil servant there were in 1997; and how many are currently employed. [CO](HL3608)
The Lord Williams of Elvel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what work is being undertaken by Government-sponsored science laboratories to monitor the increasing resistance of rats to anticoagulant rodenticides; how that work, if any, is funded; and what bearing the resistance has on the possibility of an outbreak of plague. [DEFRA](HL3613)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 16th June (WA 76), whether the statement by the Prime Minister on 25th May in response to the International Olympic Committee Report on London’s bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games, that “we are committed to Crossrail and other major London projects” is compatible with the answer which Lord Davies of Oldham gave on 26th May (WA 148) that “The 2012 Olympic bid does not and never has assumed Crossrail”. [DfT](HL3618)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether primary schools in Northern Ireland are funded by a similar formula to those in England; if not, what is the difference; and why such difference exists. [NIO](HL3626)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 26th May (WA 133) and 29th June (WA 13) concerning the non-disclosure of details about discussions of the Ulster Scots Agency’s budget for 2004, why it is not possible to prove that discussions took place and the nature of such discussions. [NIO](HL3627)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 29th June (WA 12) concerning Waterways Ireland, what is the project at Ringsend Basin Moorings, Dublin; how much it will cost; how the contracts were awarded; and whether any company from Northern Ireland was allowed to bid. [NIO](HL3628)
6th July
The Lord Trefgarne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House the text of the latest version of the proposed European Union Constitution. [FCO](HL3634)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of basic skills qualifications achieved in (a) 2002-03; and (b) 2003-04 were completed by young people as part of their (i) GCSEs; and (ii) key skills. [DfES](HL3639)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the bill to ratify the Treaty to establish a Constitution for Europe will contain all Articles of the Constitution; whether it will be amendable by both Houses of Parliament; and, if not, why not. [FCO](HL3644)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 30th June (WA 27), what is meant by the statement that “the Prison Service has no input into the parole decision process”. [HO](HL3645)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 30th June (WA 27) that “the Prison Service has no input into the parole decision process”, whether the governor of a prison is entitled to pass information to those processing a case for parole. [HO](HL3646)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the composition of the British elements in the Provisional Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan; and what will be their rules of engagement. [MoD](HL3651)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they have made to encourage other NATO members to provide troops for the Provisional Reconstruction Teams in Afghanistan. [MoD](HL3652)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their medal target on a sport-by-sport basis for Great Britain Olympic athletes in Athens 2004; and what was the target and actual Great Britain Olympic medal tally on a sport-by-sport basis in Sydney 2000. [DCMS](HL3653)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there has been any change in their policy towards the London 2012 Olympic Bid since the statement by the Prime Minister on 25th May in response to the International Olympic Committee Report on London’s bid that “we are committed to Crossrail and other major London projects” and the announcement on 5th July by the Minister for Transport that “those who are mentioning Crossrail are seeking to wreck the Olympic Bid”. [DfT](HL3655)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the closing date for applications to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is 9th July as indicated in the advertisement to the public, or 16th July, as indicated in the information pack and in the application form; and why the dates are different. [NIO](HL3659)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in seeking applications for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, what is meant by bodies nominating individuals; what bodies are envisaged; and whether the nominees will be treated as representatives of such bodies. [NIO](HL3660)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in seeking applications for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission, how they propose to deal with (a) individual applications; and (b) nominations from bodies. [NIO](HL3661)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission will be made on the basis of merit alone; whether this approach will be qualified in accordance with section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998; and how the statutory requirement of representativeness will affect selection on the basis of merit alone. [NIO](HL3662)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who will be the independent assessor on the appointment panel for the appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and how the independence of that assessor will be determined. [NIO](HL3663)
7th July
The Lord Redesdale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Army Board ordered the Adjutant General, Lieutenant-General Sir Alistair Irwin, to reduce the number of army personnel; and, if so, to what level. [MoD](HL3670)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their proposed legislation to create an offence of incitement to religious hatred will include provision to abolish the offence of blasphemy. [HO](HL3671)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will announce the name of the successful bidder for the support vehicle contract before the summer recess; and how many times a decision on the tender has been delayed. [MoD](HL3672)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recovery vehicle variants were required in the original Invitation To Tender (ITT) for the Ministry of Defence’s support vehicle project; and how many are in the current ITT. [MoD](HL3673)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what would be the effect on whole life costs and logistics of not ordering the recovery variants of the Ministry of Defence’s support vehicle at the same time as general service cargo variants. [MoD](HL3674)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees’ statement of January 2004 on “Return of rejected asylum seekers to Eritrea”, they have agreed to consider fresh applications for asylum from Eritreans who had previously exhausted their rights of appeal against a refusal of leave to remain as refugees; if so, how many new applications of this kind they have received; and how many of any such new applicants are in receipt of full National Asylum Support Service support. [HO](HL3675)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take steps to speed up the issue of letters acknowledging fresh applications for asylum from Eritreans who had previously exhausted their rights of appeal. [HO](HL3676)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cattle were slaughtered under the tuberculosis testing and surveillance scheme in each of the most recent 12 three-month periods; and how much compensation was paid by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to farmers in each period in respect of cattle slaughtered under the scheme. [DEFRA](HL3677)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Ministry of Defence’s definition of “recruitment” relates to the enlistment and acceptance of a recruit at a Recruitment Office, or to the commencement of basic training. [MoD](HL3687)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, upon enlisting and being accepted at a Recruitment Office, a new recruit can start his or her basic training forthwith. [MoD](HL3688)
The Lord Monson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Cyprus about the ability of Turkish Cypriots to vote in European Parliamentary elections and be represented in that Parliament so that the situation can be improved in time for the next elections to that Parliament. [FCO](HL3690)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that parents are involved in policy decisions and programme delivery in Children’s Centres. [DfES](HL3691)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 5th July (WA 68), why there have been no prosecutions in 2003 in respect of seizures of imports under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Regulations 2003. [DEFRA](HL3692)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 5th July (WA 68), what action was taken with the 99 live animals and birds that were seized under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Regulations in 2003. [DEFRA](HL3694)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Whitty on 5th July (WA 68), what were the species of the live animals and birds seized under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Regulations in 2003. [DEFRA](HL3695)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, furt
BILLS IN PROGRESS
[The date in square brackets is the date for which the bill is set down]
Waiting for Second Reading
Life Peerages (Residency for Taxation Purposes) [HL]
Constitution for Europe (Referendum) [HL] [10th September]
Medway Council [20th July]
Committed to a Select Committee
Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill [HL]
Committed to a Grand Committee
Committed to a Committee of the Whole House
Tobacco Smoking (Public Places and Workplaces) [HL]
Highways (Obstruction by Body Corporate)
Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (Amendment) [HL]
Recommitted to a Committee of the Whole House
Constitutional Reform [HL] [14th September]
Waiting for Report
Wild Mammals (Protection) (Amendment) [HL]
Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) [8th September]
Waiting for Third Reading
Employment Relations [8th September]
Fire and Rescue Services [20th July]
Sustainable and Secure Buildings [22nd July]
Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery [7th September]
Sent to the Commons
Fishery Limits (United Kingdom) [HL]
Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims [HL]
Air Traffic Emissions Reduction [HL]
Human Rights Act 1998 (Making of Remedial Orders) Amendment [HL]
Health Protection Agency [HL]
Smoking in Public Places (Wales) [HL]
Public Audit (Wales) [HL]
Civil Service (No. 2) [HL] (formerly Executive Powers and Civil Service [HL])
Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) [HL]
University of Wales, Cardiff [HL]
Returned to the Commons with amendments
Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.)
Waiting for consideration of Commons reasons and amendments
Traffic Management [20th July]
Waiting for Royal Assent
Scottish Parliament (Constituencies)
Statute Law (Repeals) [HL]
Carers (Equal Opportunities)
AFFIRMATIVE INSTRUMENTS IN PROGRESS
[The Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee has drawn attention
to those instruments marked * in the reports indicated]
[The date in square brackets is the date for which the instrument is set down]
Waiting for consideration by the Joint Committee
Draft Student Fees (Approved Plans) (England) Regulations 2004
Draft Legal Services Complaints Commissioner (Maximum Penalty) Order 2004
Draft Penalties for Disorderly Behaviour (Amendment of Minimum Age) Order 2004
Draft Northern Ireland Act 2000 (Modification) (No. 2) Order 2004 [21st July]
Draft Legal Services Ombudsman (Extension of Remit) Regulations 2004
Draft Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001 (Amendment) and Police Reform Act 2002 (Modification) Order 2004
Referred to the Northern Ireland Orders Grand Committee
Draft Budget (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [20th July]
Draft Anti-social Behaviour (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [20th July]
Draft Criminal Justice (No. 2) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [20th July]
Draft Dangerous Wild Animals (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [20th July]
Draft Vehicle Testing (Temporary Exemptions) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [20th July]
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Designation of Public Authorities) Order 2004 [21st July]
Draft Solicitors (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2004 [21st July]
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums Order 2004 [*14th Report] [22nd July]
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Expenses Limits for Permitted Participants) Order 2004 [22nd July]
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Counting Officers’ Charges) Order 2004 [22nd July]
Draft Child Support (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2004
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (North East Region) Order 2004 [*15th Report] [22nd July]
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (North West Region) Order 2004 [*15th Report] [22nd July]
Draft Regional Assembly and Local Government Referendums (Date of Referendums, Referendum Question and Explanatory Material) (Yorkshire and the Humber Region) Order 2004 [*15th Report] [22nd July]
HYBRID INSTRUMENTS IN PROGRESS
Reported from the Hybrid Instruments Committee
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 2004
REGULATORY REFORM ORDERS IN PROGRESS
Proposals referred to the Regulatory Reform Committee for first-stage scrutiny
Draft Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2004
Draft Regulatory Reform (Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971) (Directory Entries and Demands for Payment) Order 2004
Reported following first-stage scrutiny by the Regulatory Reform Committee
Draft Regulatory Reform (National Health Service Charitable Trust Accounts and Audit) Order 2004 [11th Report]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Trading Stamps) Order 2004 [24th Report]
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Regulatory Reform (Local Commissioner for Wales) Order 2004 [24th Report]
COMMITTEES
[Unless otherwise indicated, Committees meet in the Lords’ rooms
in the Committee Corridor as indicated in the daily broadsheets]
TUESDAY 20TH JULY
| European Union (Sub-Committee A) | 10.30 am |
| Merits of Statutory Instruments | 4.00 pm |
| (Select Committee) | |
| European Union (Select Committee) | 4.15 pm |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) | 4.15 pm |
| House Committee | 4.15 pm |
WEDNESDAY 21ST JULY
| Draft Charities Bill (Joint Committee) | 9.00 am |
| Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform | 10.30 am |
| (Select Committee) |
| European Union (Sub-Committee F) | 10.30 am |
| Science and Technology (Sub-Committee II) | 3.00 pm |
| (Energy Efficiency) | in Room 134, Millbank House |
| European Union (Sub-Committee G) | 3.30 pm |
| Constitution Committee | 4.00 pm |
| Human Rights (Joint Committee) | 4.15 pm |
TUESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER
| European Union (Sub-Committee B) | 4.00 pm |
WEDNESDAY 8TH SEPTEMBER
| European Union (Sub-Committee D) | 10.30 am |
THURSDAY 9TH SEPTEMBER
| European Union (Sub-Committee C) | 10.30 am |
| Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Bill [HL] | 10.30 am |
| (Select Committee) |
TUESDAY 14TH SEPTEMBER
| Economic Affairs (Select Committee) | 4.00 pm |
WEDNESDAY 15TH SEPTEMBER
| European Union (Sub-Committee E) | 4.15 pm |
FRIDAY 17TH SEPTEMBER
| Science and Technology (Select Committee) | in Ipswich |
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