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).
TUESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
At half-past two o’clock
*The Lord Gavron—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how successful the plan to charge rent to organisations involved in digging holes in the road has been in the pilot areas.
*The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take in view of the apparent continuation of the violation of human rights of ethnic minority groups in Burma.
*The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the future of Ministerial accountability in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
*The Baroness Howe of Idlicote—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to retain the office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments in its present form and with its current responsibilities, once the present Commissioner’s term of office expires.
*The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the implications for the economy of the recent rise in the number of personal bankruptcies.
Civil Contingencies Bill—Third Reading [The Lord Bassam of Brighton]
Housing Bill—Consideration of Commons Amendments and Reasons [The Lord Rooker]
Local Authorities (Indemnities for Members and Officers) Order 2004—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 21st July be approved. [28th Report from the Joint Committee]
†Landfill Allowances and Trading Scheme (England) Regulations 2004—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 13th October be approved. [31st Report from the Joint Committee] [21st Report from Merits Committee]
†Landfill (Maximum Landfill Amount) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 13th October be approved. [31st Report from the Joint Committee]
WEDNESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER
*The Lord Montagu of Beaulieu—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was their reason for ordering the further review of the work of English Heritage soon after the last review.
*The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask the Chairman of Committees whether he will issue instructions to security staff that they require all Members and officials of the House to wear their passes upon entering and whilst in the building.
*The Lord Burnham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is intended that the Ministry of Defence Major Projects Report will include a full up-dating on the Bowman project as on 31st March 2004 and details of subsequent progress.
†*The Baroness Walmsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans to reduce the pregnancy rate in 16 and 17 year-old girls.
†*The Lord Goodhart—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the electoral system.
†Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill—Consideration of Commons Reason [The Lord Bach]
Civil Partnership Bill [HL]—Consideration of Commons Amendments [The Baroness Scotland of Asthal]
THURSDAY 18TH NOVEMBER
[At eleven o’clock]
*The Lord Williams of Elvel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the initiative of the London School of Economics and the Institut des Sciences Politiques student unions to set up a European Student Alliance; and, if so, how they propose to encourage it.
*The Baroness Neuberger—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Health Protection Agency will ensure that all medical and other health practitioners provide guidance and counselling to those young people who have received letters warning of the possible risk of vCJD contamination from plasma products in their National Health Service treatment.
*The Lord Wallace of Saltaire—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress in strengthening European security they expect the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe ministerial meeting in December 2004 will achieve.
*The Lord St John of Bletso—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are a sufficient number of peace-keeping forces in Macedonia; and, if not, what plans they have for future British troop deployment.
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 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 Baroness Buscombe—To call attention to the significance of intellectual property rights protection for the creative industries; and to move for papers.
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 Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they are giving to how business rates for small businesses are levied.
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 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 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 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 Equatorial Guinea.
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 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 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.
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the working of the Cross Border Bodies set up as a result of the Belfast Agreement of 1998; and in particular the operation of the bodies by the Northern Ireland civil service.
The Lord Harris of Haringey—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are satisfied with the ability of the Critical National Infrastructure to withstand cyber-attack.
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the key current objectives in their relations with Cuba.
The Lord Macdonald of Tradeston—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the Ofcom report on the future of public service broadcasting.
The Lord Skidelsky—To call attention to the state of the oil market and its implications for world economic growth; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will act with their Quartet partners in the furtherance of the planned Road Map Agreement for two states in Israel and Palestine.
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take further steps to explain the arguments for United Kingdom adhesion to the European Monetary System and the euro.
The Baroness Neuberger—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether alcoholic drinks should carry a warning about the potential dangers of Foetal Alcohol Syndrome to pregnant women and their unborn children.
PART II
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
[The date in brackets is that on which the Report was published]
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 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-Cancún (16th Report, HL Paper 104). [16th 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]
The Baroness Harris of Richmond—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Judicial Co-operation in the EU: the role of Eurojust (23rd Report, HL Paper 138). [21st July]
The Lord Scott of Foscote—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Strengthening OLAF, the European Anti-Fraud Office (24th Report, HL Paper 139). [21st July]
The Lord Williamson of Horton—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Sexual Equality in Access to Goods and Services (27th Report, HL Paper 165). [22nd September]
The Lord Bowness—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on EU Security Strategy (31st Report, HL Paper 180). [26th October]
The Lord Norton of Louth—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on the Constitution on Parliament and the Legislative Process (14th Report, HL Paper 173). [29th October]
The Lord Renton of Mount Harry—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on The EU and Climate Change (30th Report, HL Paper 179). [10th November]
The Lord Peston—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Select Committee on Economic Affairs on Monetary and Fiscal Policy: Present Successes and Future Problems (3rd Report, HL Paper 176). [11th November]
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled on 15th November, or unanswered after 21 days]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
16th September
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have withdrawn funding from the Churches Education Project in Northern Ireland; if so, for what reason; and whether they have alternative proposals for reducing sectarianism and intolerance. [NIO] (HL4288)
7th October
The Baroness Billingham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the prohibition of sponsorship agreements under section 10 of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 was intended to cover the sponsorship of events outside the European Union, which may be televised in the United Kingdom; and, if not, whether they will consider amending the Act to address this. [DoH] (HL4317)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Northern Ireland departments and agencies are required to ensure that the banks with which they hold accounts follow a policy of equality for all; and, if so, how such a policy is monitored and measured. [NIO] (HL4337)
11th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 31st March (WA 158), whether a wildlife liaison officer for the Police Service of Northern Ireland has been appointed; and, if not, when an appointment will be made. [NIO] (HL4359)
12th October
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have studied the report “Guns or Growth”, recently published by the Control Arms Group; and whether, when they hold the Presidencies of the European Union and the G8, they will endeavour to ensure that all members take account of sustainable development before approving arms exports. [DTI] (HL4377)
13th October
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have concerning the recently reported sale of arms by a British businessman to Sudan; and what action they are taking to enforce European Union and British sanction policies in regard to the sale of arms to Sudan. [FCO] (HL4414)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Coalition forces discovered on 1st April 2003 300 chemical biological protection suits and masks in the Fedayeen Barracks at As Samawah, Iraq; and whether a similar cache was discovered by British troops in the Basra region at about the same time. [MoD] (HL4415)
14th October
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce single equalities legislation to tackle the complexities and differential powers involved in anti-discrimination legislation; and, if so, when. [DTI] (HL4465)
18th October
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the allegations in the Financial Times article on bribery controls, published on 18th October, are well-founded; and, if not, what is the true position. [DTI] (HL4498)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department have refused cover for any company during the past five years because they have received evidence of bribery or corruption. [DTI] (HL4499)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12th October (WA 50), where, on what dates, and in what way the appointment of a director to Waterways Ireland was advertised; and whether this was in keeping with the agreement of 30th March 2001 with the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union. [NIO] (HL4504)
19th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7th September (WA 106) concerning the Ulster Political Research Group, on what dates discussions took place that included members of the Northern Ireland civil service; and whether at those meetings arrangements were made for a seminar to provide presentational skills to paramilitary groups. [NIO] (HL4532)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the then Northern Ireland Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure informed the Northern Ireland Assembly on 10th September 2002 that the Waterways Ireland Director of Marketing and Communication had been appointed following open competition; and, if he did, whether the statement was correct. [NIO] (HL4533)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which key industry representatives were consulted on European Union regulation 1915/2003. [DEFRA] (HL4535)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who decided which depleted uranium should be held as a national asset and which should be regarded as waste; and when this decision was made. [DEFRA] (HL4538)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what uses are projected for the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium held as a national asset. [DEFRA] (HL4539)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what body holds the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium that are held as a national asset; and what value is assigned to this asset. [DEFRA] (HL4540)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium that are held as a national asset appear in the national asset register; and, if so, at what value. [DEFRA] (HL4541)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether depleted uranium waste is held (a) as a discrete material; or (b) mixed with other material; and, if the latter, what is the total tonnage of the waste material. [DEFRA] (HL4542)
20th October
The Lord Jopling—To ask the Leader of the House, further to her Written Answer on 13th October (WA 59), whether, bearing in mind that on 19th October 62 written questions tabled for three weeks or more remained unanswered, she will review the answers she has given on this issue since her appointment in 2003 and take an initiative to ensure that answers are given within the target time of two weeks. [LHoL] (HL4550)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which UK sport and recreation programmes and initiatives the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have promoted through their diplomatic missions abroad since the year 2000; and whether they will place in the Library of the House any briefing notes available for distribution through United Kingdom Embassies on the London 2012 Olympic Bid. [FCO] (HL4554)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the recommendations of the Cunningham Report on Elite Sport Funding they do not intend to implement. [DCMS] (HL4556)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many water purification units are held by water authorities; and in which years they were manufactured. [DEFRA] (HL4558)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when water purification units were last released for emergency use at home and overseas; and how many were then released. [DEFRA] (HL4559)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what occasions in the past five years water purification tablets were made available in emergencies at home and overseas. [DEFRA] (HL4560)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many beaches in England and Wales have been affected by oil pollution in the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and in 2004 to date. [DEFRA] (HL4563)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether officials employed in Cross Border Bodies located in Northern Ireland are subject to Northern Ireland employment law. [NIO] (HL4584)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Director of Corporate Services for Waterways Ireland is an employee of Waterways Ireland rather than a secondee from the civil service; and when the Director will be appointed. [NIO] (HL4585)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further measures they have in mind to help resolve the conflict with the trout fisheries and their representative organisations over the further culling of cormorants. [DEFRA] (HL4589)
21st October
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Irish Garda are co-operating to prosecute those who are endangering public health through criminal activity in the area of waste disposal and transportation. [NIO] (HL4598)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons they have learned from the expenditure of £12,364,000 on the procurement contract for the Royal Air Force Centrifuge which has now been abandoned. [MoD] (HL4600)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their procedure for the appointment of the Waterways Ireland’s Director of Marketing and Communication was approved by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the Department of Finance and Personnel and the North South Ministerial Council; and, if so, on what date in each case. [NIO] (HL4608)
25th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to allow private hire taxis to use bus lanes in Belfast. [NIO] (HL4629)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to place further restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL4630)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the standard programme of weapons refreshment training which reservists are expected to undertake on embodiment; how many days are required for this training; and what proportion of relevant reservists embodied since 1st January 2003 have undertaken the full programme. [MoD] (HL4636)
15th November
The Baroness Northover—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to the Israeli government regarding the recent arrest of Mordechai Vannunu. (HL4996)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the issue of a £5 coin of size and weight comparable to that of the disused half-crown coin. (HL4997)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, in terms of buying power, was the equivalent in 1939 of the present £5. (HL4998)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is the case that not all shopkeepers and banks will accept payment by means of the recently issued £5 coins. (HL4999)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the recently issued £5 coins are suitable for day-to-day use. (HL5000)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been allocated to funding—
(a) the construction of new children’s centres; and
(b) the running costs of new children’s centres;
and how many such centres will be built; and on what basis these funds are being allocated. (HL5001)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when the responsibility for funding children’s centres passes to local government in 2005, they will provide local government with any necessary additional funding; and, if not, what assurances they have that local government will be able and willing to provide the funds for capital works and running costs. (HL5002)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to United States Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan’s instruction to the United States Department of Defense concerning the administration of anthrax vaccine to United States troops; and whether there is any action they will be considering in the light of his decision. (HL5003)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics they have on the number of children in families living in poverty in the years 2002-03; 2003-04; and 2004-05 (at the latest date for which figures are available). (HL5004)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the new needs-based formula grant system for local authorities in England has not been implemented; and why the phasing-in regime has been stopped. (HL5005)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current format for an imprint on an election leaflet. (HL5006)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Lancashire district and unitary authorities are included in the Central Lancashire city region, as described in section D2 of Moving Forward: The Northern Way. (HL5007)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the United States’ moratorium on interactive facilities with dolphins, in particular in neonatal care centres; and, if so, whether they will introduce a similar moratorium in the United Kingdom. (HL5008)
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER AWAITING ANSWER
15th NOVEMBER 2004
[Tabled on the dates shown]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
16th September
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have withdrawn funding from the Churches Education Project in Northern Ireland; if so, for what reason; and whether they have alternative proposals for reducing sectarianism and intolerance. [NIO] (HL4288)
7th October
The Baroness Billingham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the prohibition of sponsorship agreements under section 10 of the Tobacco Advertising and Promotion Act 2002 was intended to cover the sponsorship of events outside the European Union, which may be televised in the United Kingdom; and, if not, whether they will consider amending the Act to address this. [DoH] (HL4317)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Northern Ireland departments and agencies are required to ensure that the banks with which they hold accounts follow a policy of equality for all; and, if so, how such a policy is monitored and measured. [NIO] (HL4337)
11th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 31st March (WA 158), whether a wildlife liaison officer for the Police Service of Northern Ireland has been appointed; and, if not, when an appointment will be made. [NIO] (HL4359)
12th October
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have studied the report “Guns or Growth”, recently published by the Control Arms Group; and whether, when they hold the Presidencies of the European Union and the G8, they will endeavour to ensure that all members take account of sustainable development before approving arms exports. [DTI] (HL4377)
13th October
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have concerning the recently reported sale of arms by a British businessman to Sudan; and what action they are taking to enforce European Union and British sanction policies in regard to the sale of arms to Sudan. [FCO] (HL4414)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Coalition forces discovered on 1st April 2003 300 chemical biological protection suits and masks in the Fedayeen Barracks at As Samawah, Iraq; and whether a similar cache was discovered by British troops in the Basra region at about the same time. [MoD] (HL4415)
14th October
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce single equalities legislation to tackle the complexities and differential powers involved in anti-discrimination legislation; and, if so, when. [DTI] (HL4465)
18th October
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the allegations in the Financial Times article on bribery controls, published on 18th October, are well-founded; and, if not, what is the true position. [DTI] (HL4498)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department have refused cover for any company during the past five years because they have received evidence of bribery or corruption. [DTI] (HL4499)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12th October (WA 50), where, on what dates, and in what way the appointment of a director to Waterways Ireland was advertised; and whether this was in keeping with the agreement of 30th March 2001 with the Irish Municipal Public and Civil Trade Union. [NIO] (HL4504)
19th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 7th September (WA 106) concerning the Ulster Political Research Group, on what dates discussions took place that included members of the Northern Ireland civil service; and whether at those meetings arrangements were made for a seminar to provide presentational skills to paramilitary groups. [NIO] (HL4532)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the then Northern Ireland Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure informed the Northern Ireland Assembly on 10th September 2002 that the Waterways Ireland Director of Marketing and Communication had been appointed following open competition; and, if he did, whether the statement was correct. [NIO] (HL4533)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which key industry representatives were consulted on European Union regulation 1915/2003. [DEFRA] (HL4535)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who decided which depleted uranium should be held as a national asset and which should be regarded as waste; and when this decision was made. [DEFRA] (HL4538)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what uses are projected for the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium held as a national asset. [DEFRA] (HL4539)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what body holds the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium that are held as a national asset; and what value is assigned to this asset. [DEFRA] (HL4540)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the 59,860 tonnes of depleted uranium that are held as a national asset appear in the national asset register; and, if so, at what value. [DEFRA] (HL4541)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether depleted uranium waste is held (a) as a discrete material; or (b) mixed with other material; and, if the latter, what is the total tonnage of the waste material. [DEFRA] (HL4542)
20th October
The Lord Jopling—To ask the Leader of the House, further to her Written Answer on 13th October (WA 59), whether, bearing in mind that on 19th October 62 written questions tabled for three weeks or more remained unanswered, she will review the answers she has given on this issue since her appointment in 2003 and take an initiative to ensure that answers are given within the target time of two weeks. [LHoL] (HL4550)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which UK sport and recreation programmes and initiatives the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have promoted through their diplomatic missions abroad since the year 2000; and whether they will place in the Library of the House any briefing notes available for distribution through United Kingdom Embassies on the London 2012 Olympic Bid. [FCO] (HL4554)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which of the recommendations of the Cunningham Report on Elite Sport Funding they do not intend to implement. [DCMS] (HL4556)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many water purification units are held by water authorities; and in which years they were manufactured. [DEFRA] (HL4558)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when water purification units were last released for emergency use at home and overseas; and how many were then released. [DEFRA] (HL4559)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what occasions in the past five years water purification tablets were made available in emergencies at home and overseas. [DEFRA] (HL4560)
The Lord Fearn—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many beaches in England and Wales have been affected by oil pollution in the years 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 and in 2004 to date. [DEFRA] (HL4563)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether officials employed in Cross Border Bodies located in Northern Ireland are subject to Northern Ireland employment law. [NIO] (HL4584)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Director of Corporate Services for Waterways Ireland is an employee of Waterways Ireland rather than a secondee from the civil service; and when the Director will be appointed. [NIO] (HL4585)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further measures they have in mind to help resolve the conflict with the trout fisheries and their representative organisations over the further culling of cormorants. [DEFRA] (HL4589)
21st October
The Lord Maginnis of Drumglass—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the Irish Garda are co-operating to prosecute those who are endangering public health through criminal activity in the area of waste disposal and transportation. [NIO] (HL4598)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons they have learned from the expenditure of £12,364,000 on the procurement contract for the Royal Air Force Centrifuge which has now been abandoned. [MoD] (HL4600)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their procedure for the appointment of the Waterways Ireland’s Director of Marketing and Communication was approved by the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, the Department of Finance and Personnel and the North South Ministerial Council; and, if so, on what date in each case. [NIO] (HL4608)
25th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to allow private hire taxis to use bus lanes in Belfast. [NIO] (HL4629)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to place further restrictions on the sale and use of fireworks in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL4630)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the standard programme of weapons refreshment training which reservists are expected to undertake on embodiment; how many days are required for this training; and what proportion of relevant reservists embodied since 1st January 2003 have undertaken the full programme. [MoD] (HL4636)
26th October
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Choose and Book electronic booking system for out-patient appointments will be sufficiently operational to achieve the Department of Health’s targets for booking and choice throughout primary and secondary care by the end of 2005. [DoH] (HL4639)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new Choose and Book electronic booking system for out-patient appointments will be fully deployed and in use throughout primary and secondary care to allow the Government’s interim target of 25 per cent of outpatients referrals fully booked by January 2005 to be met. [DoH] (HL4640)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether local health communities are satisfied that the Choose and Book system will be delivered in time to meet the targets for booking and choice; and whether these communities are devising alternative systems to meet interim booking targets. [DoH] (HL4641)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether alternative booking systems devised by local health communities will have any detrimental effects on clinical governance, staff morale, clinical engagement and security of patient referral data; and, if so, what are those effects. [DoH] (HL4642)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the impact on the uptake of the new Choose and Book system if alternative booking systems are developed by local health communities to meet booking and choice targets. [DoH] (HL4643)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will revise the targets for booking and choice, particularly interim targets, to ensure that the new Choose and Book system is the only booking system developed and implemented. [DoH] (HL4644)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the cost to public funds of: (a) the preparation of the Civil Partnership Bill; (b) the preparation of Government amendments to the bill; and (c) briefing of Ministers in relation thereto. [DTI] (HL4645)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the continuing pay gap between women and men in the United Kingdom, they will introduce legislation to strengthen the Equal Pay Act 1970 by simplifying the procedure for determining whether there is equal pay between men and women for work of equal value, and requiring large employers to introduce employment and pay equity schemes. [DTI] (HL4660)
27th October
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to consult with sports bodies about the proposals to implement in 2006 the European Union age discrimination laws. [DTI] (HL4672)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact the European regulations prohibiting age discrimination is likely to have upon sport; and whether there will be an exemption for sport. [DTI] (HL4673)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the proposed Charity Bill will affect those clubs that have registered with the Inland Revenue as Community Amateur Sports Clubs; and whether they will be required to register as charities. [HO] (HL4676)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why a picture of Brian Cowen was included on the Northern Ireland Office’s department report for 2004; and whether the Eire government contributed any funding for the department for the publication of the document. [NIO] (HL4688)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the appropriate European Union (EU) authorities about the apparent inclusion of a former prisoner and member of the Irish Republican Army at a recent presentation for Peace II EU funding in Brussels. [NIO] (HL4691)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what mechanism exists to monitor the efficiency of services in each of the Northern Ireland departments. [NIO] (HL4692)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the statement by the Vice Chairman of the Northern Ireland Policing Board, Mr Denis Bradley “if a police officer was killed within the next couple of months I think that policing could be set back for a long period of time”, as reported in the Belfast Newsletter on 26th October. [NIO] (HL4693)
28th October
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether on 31st March £976 million was due to be collected by the Child Support Agency from non-resident parents; and, if so, how much of this money is still owed to single parents. [DWP] (HL4705)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many haemophilia patients have been infected with HIV and hepatitis C by contaminated blood and blood products; and, of these, how many have since died in each case. [DoH] (HL4709)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the government of Belarus the maintenance of academic freedom and fair employment and recruitment practices. [FCO] (HL4710)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the last five years, how many festivals have received funding in Northern Ireland for—
(a) Irish cultural activity; and
(b) Ulster Scots cultural activity;
and how much the funding was in each case. [NIO] (HL4714)
1st November
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 7th June (WA 1), whether they accept the findings of the scientific study, published by The Lancet on its website on 28th October, that 100,000 Iraqi civilians have died in Iraq since the invasion, mostly as a result of air strikes by coalition forces. [FCO] (HL4724)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Criminal Records Bureau in Liverpool is meeting its performance targets. [HO] (HL4725)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to any delays in the processing of applications at the Criminal Records Bureau, what is their estimate of —
(a) the costs to voluntary organisations; and
(b) the number of persons wishing to volunteer who have been unable to do so. [HO] (HL4726)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will set up a department either within the Criminal Records Bureau, or external to it, which would help voluntary organisations wishing to make representations about any delays in the processing of applications. [HO] (HL4727)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Crown Prosecution Service is correct to decline prosecution cases following fatal road traffic accidents because adverse weather conditions are considered a permissible defence. [LSLO] (HL4738)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will investigate if the composition of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland’s staff is in accordance with section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998. [NIO] (HL4742)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the remuneration of the Director of Marketing and Communication of Waterways Ireland has changed since that appointment was made. [NIO] (HL4743)
2nd November
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the future of the Five Power Defence Agreement. [MoD] (HL4753)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the refit of HMS Endurance was originally envisaged to cost; and how much it has cost. [MoD] (HL4754)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their view of the European Union Directive limiting copyright on sound recordings to fifty years. [DTI] (HL4758)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan about the attacks made by their army on two refugee camps near Nyala in Darfur on 2nd November. [FCO] (HL4764)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the main outcomes of the Asia-Europe Meeting in Hanoi on 8th October; whether and how Burma was represented amongst the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN); and what further dialogue between the European Union and ASEAN they will encourage. [FCO] (HL4766)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of school absences are attributable to parents taking school children on holiday during term-time; and whether they support the nationwide introduction of the six-term, standard school year as recommended by the Local Government Association. [DfES] (HL4769)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the negotiations of Sheffield and Sunderland local education authorities with local travel agents offering discounts on family holidays taken during school holidays. [DfES] (HL4770)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will set out the constitution, membership, responsibilities, reporting lines and governance arrangements of the Shareholder Executive. [DTI] (HL4771)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Integrated Children’s System database is fully compliant with data protection and human rights legislation. [DfES] (HL4779)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what statutory authority it is intended that the Integrated Children’s System database will operate. [DfES] (HL4781)
3rd November
The Lord Vinson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Low Pay Unit takes into account the permanent benefit in kind given to workers by way of rent, council-tax free accommodation and free meals when assessing their true level of remuneration. [DTI] (HL4786)
The Lord Pendry—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide a definition of an “indecent chant” at a football match. [DCMS] (HL4788)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 1st November (WA 8), what are the short term health effects associated with the ingestion of pyridostigmine bromide; and how they differ from those of exposure to organophosphates. [MoD] (HL4789)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the combined ingestion of repeated doses of pyridostigmine bromide (PB) and dermal exposure, inhalation or ingestion of organophosphate pesticides (OPs) would have any different human health effect from ingestion of PB alone or exposure to OPs alone. [DoH] (HL4791)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their proposals with regard to the future of exception sites, that is, those sites in rural areas that would not normally be designated for housing but may be if the housing is affordable housing developed by a registered social landlord. [ODPM] (HL4793)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many villages have benefited from affordable houses on exception sites since 1997. [ODPM] (HL4794)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many units of social housing have been built on exception sites since 1997. [ODPM] (HL4795)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they believe that Russia still offers investment and business opportunities, in the light of the recent withdrawal of loans by Société Générale and ING from a Russian oil company. [FCO] (HL4799)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the 5,200 consultant surgeons in England and Wales are women. [DoH] (HL4801)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to encourage women to train as surgical specialists; and when they expect numbers to attain equality with men. [DoH] (HL4802)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent official survey of 3,267 civil servants working in the Department of Trade and Industry that showed that 17 per cent of respondents thought that the leadership of the department made “good long-term decisions”, while 23 per cent of staff thought that there was “effective leadership at the department”. [DTI] (HL4806)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will set up an independent inquiry into the present state of morale amongst civil servants in the Department of Trade and Industry. [DTI] (HL4807)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (a) landowners; and (b) tenant farmers in England and Wales, lease land to the Ministry of Defence. [MoD] (HL4810)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of military training takes place on private land. [MoD] (HL4811)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military training exercises take place on private land. [MoD] (HL4812)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research was undertaken between 1993 and 2003 into the effects for British troops of exposure to fall-out from the demolitions by United States forces of the Iraqi chemical arms bunkers at Khamisiyah in March 1991; and when they first knew that sarin and cyclosarin were involved. [MoD] (HL4814)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have instructed British officials in Sudan to investigate allegations that chemical weapons have been used against civilians in Darfur. [FCO] (HL4816)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to stop the sale of false identities to teenagers via the internet. [HO] (HL4825)
4th November
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they propose to intervene to ensure that university departments of national and regional importance remain available; and whether South-East Asian studies and Chinese, Japanese and Korean languages are examples of departments which are currently under threat of closure. [DfES] (HL4826)
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to intervene in the proposed closure of the Department of South-East Asian studies at Durham University. [DfES] (HL4827)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 1st November (WA 8), whether the fact that no case of acute organophosphate poisoning was recorded in United Kingdom troops in the Gulf in 1990-91 indicates that no cases occurred at that time, in the light of the statements in Health and Safety Executive Guidance Note MS17 concerning the difficulty of diagnosis. [MoD] (HL4828)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give an assurance that patients who are to take part in the Medical Research Council PACE trials on chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and fibromyalgia (FM), or who are to be referred to any of the centres for CFS, ME or FM, will not, as a consequence of the psychiatric intervention involved, suffer a foreseeable deterioration in their medical condition. [DTI] (HL4829)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients who enrol for the Medical Research Council PACE trials are required to sign a statement giving consent and waiving their rights to sue for damages should any harm flow from the graded exercise component of the trials. [DTI] (HL4830)
The Lord Chan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign nationals have been deported after conviction (excluding those convicted of immigration offences) since 2000; and for what reasons. [HO] (HL4831)
The Lord Chan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the most recent figures, broken down by country of origin, of the number of overseas students enrolled in colleges and universities in the United Kingdom. [DfES] (HL4832)
The Lord Chan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance they issue on the admission of non-United Kingdom citizens to undergraduate medical degree courses. [DfES] (HL4833)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many local authorities offer no facilities for the disposal of withdrawn pesticide products. [DEFRA] (HL4834)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take following the publication of the results of the Danish part of the Interphone study, which investigated the links between tumour risk and mobile phone use and concluded that the average size of tumours was significantly higher for regular users than for non-users. [DoH] (HL4835)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the study by the Pfeiffer Treatment Center in the United States which examines the links between chemical imbalances in the brain caused by diets unsuited to individuals and poor or violent behaviour; and whether they plan to support similar research in the United Kingdom. [DoH] (HL4838)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what studies have been commissioned in the United Kingdom into dietary causes of bad behaviour in school children; and what were their conclusions. [DoH] (HL4839)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many local authority physical education advisers there were for each year from 1999-2000 to 2003-04. [DfES] (HL4841)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to monitor the number of children participating in two hours a week of physical education and school sport during school hours at schools which are not in designated school sport partnerships. [DfES] (HL4842)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in line with their planning policy guidelines for open spaces, sport and recreation (PPG 17), how many local authorities have compiled audits of both the supply and demand for playing fields in their localities. [ODPM] (HL4843)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the principal concerns of the European Commission regarding the sale of the Tote to a racing trust; on what date these concerns were brought to the attention of the Government in writing; and what the Government’s response to them was. [DCMS] (HL4844)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many service personnel have claimed the Boarding School Allowance over the last three years. [MoD] (HL4847)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions during the past 12 months Ministers or civil servants within the Department for Culture, Media and Sport have been in contact with the owners or operators of gambling casinos in the United States; and what subjects have been discussed. [DCMS] (HL4851)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Early Years Managers from the private sector will be eligible to take the new qualification in managing integrated centres (the National Professional Qualification in Integrated Leadership) when it is rolled out. [DfES] (HL4852)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Sudan concerning the evacuation of 88 humanitarian aid workers from West Darfur on 1st November following further developments in the security situation. [DfID] (HL4853)
The Baroness Whitaker—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts they have made to encourage Ms Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf to accept the mandate of United Nations Special Rapporteur on Trafficking. [FCO] (HL4854)
5th November
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring is taking place of the post-conflict effects on the physical health of the civilians of Afghanistan. [FCO] (HL4855)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether members of diplomatic missions accredited to the United Kingdom may make substantial financial donations to non-charitable political causes in the United Kingdom; whether they are aware of any such donations; and, if so, what action they propose to take. [FCO] (HL4856)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which British military units have so far been equipped with the Bowman communications system and which units have not, showing in each case the date by which it is planned to have Bowman in operational use. [MoD] (HL4857)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) concerning a formal United Kingdom-specific report on the treatment of prisoners; and whether they expect the ICRC to produce such reports in the future. [FCO] (HL4858)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the advertising hoarding promoting wind power, which is adjacent to the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 near the junction of the M1, is in accordance with the advice in Planning Policy Guidance Note 19 and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Circular 5/92. [ODPM] (HL4859)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers are trained and authorised to carry firearms in each police authority in the United Kingdom. [HO] (HL4861)
The Baroness Harris of Richmond—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the radio system they are putting in place for the Fire Service is different from that operated by both the Police and the Ambulance Service. [ODPM] (HL4862)
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many young people under the age of 18 were held in custody for breach of an anti-social behaviour order as their primary offence since 15th September; and what proportion of these were held on remand. [HO] (HL4863)
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 11th October (WA 22-23), what is the ethnic breakdown of the 121 young people under the age of 18 held in custody for breaches of anti-social behaviour orders as their primary offence between 16th June 2004 and 15th September 2004. [HO] (HL4864)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Youth Sports Trust is the national coordinating body for the European Year of Education through Sport; and what support it has given to UK Sport’s “Start Clean” campaign. [DCMS] (HL4869)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are promoting the teaching of French and German in primary and secondary schools; and how they evaluate the success of this initiative since 1997. [DfES] (HL4871)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the draft Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of any statements they have made in the inter-sessional Working Group of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on the draft Declaration; and what steps they are taking to mark the end of the International Decade of the World’s Indigenous People, being celebrated between 1995-2004. [FCO] (HL4872)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure the proceedings and findings of the Board of Enquiry into the death of Sergeant John Nightingale are brought into the public domain. [MoD] (HL4873)
8th November
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Lord Rooker on 21st June (WS 42), whether the other leisure uses under the Dome roof include a casino; if so, of what size; whether plans for the outer rim of the Dome, currently known as the Dome waterfront, include the construction of a casino; and, if so, of what size. [ODPM] (HL4874)
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Lord Rooker on 21st June (WS 42), what rights of refusal or control English Partnerships hold over future uses or development of the Millennium Dome or the adjoining 190 acres of land on the Greenwich Peninsula under the contracts with Meridian Delta Limited. [ODPM] (HL4875)
The Lord Willoughby de Broke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how holders of current Countryside Stewardship agreements will be affected by the introduction of the Single Farm Payment scheme in 2005; and whether such agreements will remain effective to the end of their term. [DEFRA] (HL4876)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what independent research the statement by the Lord Bassam of Brighton on 3rd November (HL Deb, col. 379) was based that “of the homes that currently fail to reach the decent homes standard on the thermal comfort criteria, above 20 per cent have standard assessment ratings of 65 and above”. [ODPM] (HL4877)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many foreign-registered cars and lorries have been caught speeding by speed cameras; what is the procedure for sending notices of fines to drivers in other European Union member states; and how many drivers of such vehicles have paid the fines. [DfT] (HL4878)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek information from the United Nations Secretary-General on the extent to which southern African governments have complied with his request, made in 1998, that they restrict defence expenditure to 1.5 per cent of their gross domestic product. [FCO] (HL4879)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek information from the United Nations Secretary-General as to what proportion of Zimbabwe’s gross domestic product is represented by their reported purchase of $240 million worth of jet fighters and armoured vehicles from China. [FCO] (HL4880)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they have made to the allegations against a United Kingdom-based company, Avient Limited, in Annex 3 of the initial United Nations Expert Panel report on the Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources and Other Forms of Wealth in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, published in October 2002. [FCO] (HL4881)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they had prior knowledge of contracts between the United Kingdom-based company, Avient Limited, and the governments of Zimbabwe and the Democratic Republic of Congo to supply military services, as claimed by Mr Andrew Smith, a director of the company. [FCO] (HL4882)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give the dates and subjects of discussions between representatives of the United Kingdom-based company Avient Limited and the United Kingdom High Commission in Harare. [FCO] (HL4883)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean on 27th October (WA 125) on minors with Indian nationality, whether the instruction dated 11th February 1997 by the then Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to H M High Commissioner to India, to approach the government of India—
(a) sought clarification that involuntary acquisition of another citizenship does not automatically deprive an individual of Indian citizenship; and
(b) stated that British National (Overseas) status could be acquired exclusively by making a written application for registration for that status. [FCO] (HL4884)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the value of their contracts signed with Halliburton and its subsidiaries in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [MoD] (HL4885)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many support vehicles will be assembled in the United Kingdom. [MoD] (HL4886)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the value of the support vehicle contract will be spent outside the United Kingdom. [MoD] (HL4887)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the planned in-service date of the Future Rapid Effect System. [MoD] (HL4888)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the planned fully operational in-service date of the Apache AH 1 attack helicopter. [MoD] (HL4889)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any future payment from United States plasma companies to people with haemophilia damaged by their products, or to their families, in consequence of litigation, will affect payment of statutory benefits or ex-gratia payments currently available to them in the United Kingdom. [DoH] (HL4890)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the statement made by the Lord Bach on 2nd November (HL Deb, col. 166) that, if the amendment to the Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) Bill to vouchsafe, after next April, continuance of the burden and standard of proof used in the current war pensions scheme for claims for war or war widows’ pensions was approved by the House of Lords “it would mean that the Bill would fall”- and the Ministerial statement to the same effect in the House of Commons - were endorsed by the Cabinet and backed by the Prime Minister. [MoD] (HL4891)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the current number of homeless people in (a) London; and (b) the whole of the United Kingdom. [ODPM] (HL4892)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the number of homeless people at Christmas-time in (a) 1980; (b) 1990; and (c) 2000. [ODPM] (HL4893)
The Lord Addington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their targets for increased physical activity and sport in the United Kingdom. [DCMS] (HL4894)
The Lord Addington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which departments were consulted when drawing up targets for increased physical activity and sport in the United Kingdom. [DCMS] (HL4895)
The Lord Addington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what resources are needed to reach their targets for increased physical activity and sport in the United Kingdom. [DCMS] (HL4896)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to gauge the reaction from sports clubs to the proposed average increase in fees from £5 to £125 a year for alcohol licences, announced by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport on 4th November. [DCMS] (HL4897)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether planning permission is required to demolish a sports facility in circumstances where the land is to be left dormant for five years. [ODPM] (HL4898)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 4th November (HL Deb, col. 432), how Planning Policy Guidance 17 will protect sports facilities from being demolished. [ODPM] (HL4899)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long the freeze on new applications to Sport England community lottery fund lasted; what the impact of this freeze has been; and which Regional Sports Boards are now accepting applications for community lottery funding. [DCMS] (HL4900)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many sports clubs have registered as charities since the Charity Commission recognised the promotion of community participation in healthy recreation as charitable in 2001. [HO] (HL4902)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the volunteer reserve sergeant airman number T2662568 was supported by the Ministry of Defence in his claim to return to his civilian employment at his original status and salary. [MoD] (HL4903)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision is made under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985 for legal representation of reservists in reinstatement committee proceedings. [MoD] (HL4904)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a Ministry of Defence observer was at the hearing of the reinstatement committee case number RC03/010/LEIC concerning volunteer reserve sergeant airman number T2662568. [MoD] (HL4905)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the remedies available from a reinstatement committee under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985 compare to those available under other legislation for a claim of unfair dismissal. [MoD] (HL4906)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the allocation of legal expenses arising from a reinstatement committee under the Reserve Forces (Safeguard of Employment) Act 1985 varies from that available under other legislation for a claim of unfair dismissal. [MoD] (HL4907)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the further use of lottery funds for heritage protection, including essential maintenance, and for heritage-related learning programmes. [DCMS] (HL4908)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to increase, maintain or decrease in real terms their financial support for the protection of the nation’s heritage; and what they intend any such increase or decrease to be. [DCMS] (HL4909)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what priority they give to out-of-classroom learning experiences, including outdoor activities; how they are responding to issues of risk assessment in this context; what resources they plan to make available for such experiences; and what arrangements they are making to enhance the professional development of teachers in this sphere. [DfES] (HL4910)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to raise the level of public awareness of the role of out-of-classroom learning experiences in education. [DfES] (HL4911)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so by what statutory provision, treason remains a criminal offence. [HO] (HL4912)
9th November
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons have been charged with illegal acts against (i) persons; and (ii) scientific and research establishments from the following organisations—
(a) London Animal Action;
(b) People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals;
(c) Stop Primate Experiments at Cambridge; and
(d) Stop Huntingdon Animal Cruelty. [HO] (HL4913)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the organisation Victims of Animal Rights Extremism. [HO] (HL4914)
The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the link between malnutrition and aggressive behaviour of children found in the United States, they will undertake an epidemiological review of diet, malnutrition and behaviour in the United Kingdom. [DoH] (HL4915)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what circumstances energy companies are allowed to install water turbines in the weirs of the River Thames. [DTI] (HL4916)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what rates the energy companies generating power from turbines in the River Thames are permitted by OFGEM to sell power to (a) Windsor Castle; and (b) other customers. [DTI] (HL4917)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 5th November (WA 50), what published risk assessment supports the statement that “the risk of incendive sparking from mobile equipment is low”; and how this level of risk compares with that from wrist watches. [DTI] (HL4918)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the advice given by the Health and Safety Executive not to use mobile phones at petrol station forecourts because “they can create a serious distraction for people” is proportionate to the risks involved. [DWP] (HL4919)
The Earl of Listowel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the increase in the risk of (a) sudden infant death syndrome, and (b) acute lower respiratory infection experienced by infants inhaling environmental tobacco smoke. [DoH] (HL4920)
The Earl of Listowel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training midwives, health visitors and general practitioners receive to enable them to alert parents who smoke to the risk of environmental tobacco smoke to their infant. [DoH] (HL4921)
The Earl of Listowel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the impact of environmental tobacco smoke on (a) the likelihood of pre-term pregnancy; and (b) foetal growth. [DoH] (HL4922)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, before making a statement on a matter which is the subject of a complaint to the National Contact Point on an alleged breach of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s guidelines for multinational enterprises, they consult the National Contact Point on whether the terms of the statement might prejudice the complaint. [DTI] (HL4923)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they informed Rights and Accountability in Development and its Congolese partner, Action contre l’impunité pour les droits humains, that they had been accepted as complainants against the United Kingdom-based company, Avient Ltd, in respect of alleged violations of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s guidelines for multinational enterprises. [FCO] (HL4924)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether criminal courts have discretion when imposing custodial sentences on offenders responsible for the care of children to delay the start of the sentence to allow time for the best possible interim care arrangements to be made for those children; and, if not, whether they will introduce legislation to create such discretion. [HO] (HL4925)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many parking places there are within the urban areas of Newry, Lurgon, Dungannon, Armagh and Portadown. [NIO] (HL4926)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government in what way the isolation of Northern Cyprus has been reduced since the majority of Turkish-Cypriots voted in support of the Annan Plan for a settlement in Cyprus. [FCO] (HL4927)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when officials in the Department for Education and Skills responsible for secondary education last met representatives of those who wish to retain grammar schools in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL4928)
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government—
(a) how many National Health Service patients had hip replacements in 2003;
(b) what is the estimated length of time that patients have to wait for such an operation; and
(c) what is the estimated number of patients awaiting hip replacements at present. [DoH] (HL4929)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many convictions for the smuggling of illegal meat have been recorded by H M Customs and Excise in the last two years ending in October 2004. [HMT] (HL4930)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the incidence of tuberculosis in the badger carcasses which have been collected and tested as part of the road traffic accident survey in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Shropshire. [DEFRA] (HL4931)
The Earl Peel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will conduct an environmental impact assessment on the possible effects of any compulsory right of access to coastal areas prior to any extension of the definition of “open country” to include coastal land of any description. [DEFRA] (HL4932)
The Earl Peel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will conduct an assessment of the potential impact on business and the rural economy arising from compulsory right of access to coastal areas prior to any extension of the definition of “open country” to include coastal land of any description. [DEFRA] (HL4933)
The Earl Peel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost of implementing the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 in Surrey. [DEFRA] (HL4934)
The Earl Peel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total acreage of access land in Surrey opened up under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000. [DEFRA] (HL4935)
The Earl Peel—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total acreage of land in Surrey that is accessible by way of voluntary agreement. [DEFRA] (HL4936)
The Lord Clement-Jones—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they first knew that sarin and cyclosarin were involved in the fall-out from the demolition by United States forces of the Iraqi chemical arms bunkers at Khamisiyah in March 1991, to which British troops were exposed; and why this information was not included in the paper 1990-1991 Gulf Conflict Health and Personnel Related Lessons Identified, published by the Ministry of Defence on 4th November. [MoD] (HL4937)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 21st October 2003 from the Baroness Hollis of Heigham to the Baroness Byford, what is the present position on the negotiations regarding the European Union Directive on Environmental Liability. [DEFRA] (HL4938)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the letter of 21st October 2003 from the Baroness Hollis of Heigham to the Baroness Byford, what will be the effect on small and medium-sized businesses of the European Union Directive on Environmental Liability. [DEFRA] (HL4939)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provision will be made in the Working Time Directive for mobile workers in the vehicle recovery industry in times of exceptional or emergency demand. [DTI] (HL4940)
10th November
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent any severe side-effects from a mass smallpox vaccination programme can be alleviated by having available adequate stocks of vaccinia immune globulin injections. [DoH] (HL4941)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the ideal number of vaccinia immune globulin injections which should be stockpiled, in order to reduce the severity of side-effects from a mass vaccination programme against smallpox, which would be provided in the event of a terrorist attack. [DoH] (HL4942)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (a) the size of the United Kingdom’s stockpile of smallpox vaccination material; and (b) the number of vaccinia immune globulin doses which they hold to alleviate severe side-effects from smallpox vaccinations; and what are the comparable figures in the United States. [DoH] (HL4943)
The Lord Smith of Leigh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to reform and simplify council tax benefit to (a) improve take up; and (b) integrate the benefit with tax credits. [DWP] (HL4944)
The Lord Smith of Leigh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to accelerate the pace of change in health funding so that primary care trusts in the most deprived communities receive their proper share. [DoH] (HL4945)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that the Northern Ireland Department of Education’s proposals on the admission criteria for post-primary school places will not be made during December in view of the Christmas holiday. [NIO] (HL4946)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to ensure that all their files in Northern Ireland are available for inspection from 1st January 2005; and what steps are they taking to ensure that the records are not altered before that date. [NIO] (HL4947)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 4th November (WA 39), whether they have discussed with the government of Eire the possible effects of the Official Languages Act 2003 on the Ulster Scots Agency, in Northern Ireland and in Eire. [NIO] (HL4948)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the unemployment ratio for (a) Catholics; and (b) Protestants in Northern Ireland; how this has changed since 1984; whether the ratio differs for (i) men and women; and (ii) different age groups; and whether they consider that it is a good indicator of the relative position between Catholics and Protestants in the labour market. [NIO] (HL4949)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any public body in Northern Ireland has researched the unemployment ratio for Catholics and for Protestants; what views if any were reached, and by which body; and whether they will publish the results of any such research. [NIO] (HL4950)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Bach on 9th November (HL Deb, col. 754), why the Minister used the term “safety test” rather than proficiency test. [MoD] (HL4951)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the memorandum by the Ministry of Defence to the House of Commons Defence Committee (HC 572-11, Ev 105) where an in-service date for the first of the new aircraft carriers is not precisely stated, this means that the forecasted in-service date of October 2012 will be delayed further. [MoD] (HL4952)
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with severe heart disease to Germany for treatment by the injection of stem cells following successful operations in that country. [DoH] (HL4953)
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any National Health Service funding will be made available to treat patients with severe heart disease in the United Kingdom by injecting stem cells; whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has considered this procedure; and, if not, whether it is planning to do so. [DoH] (HL4954)
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with severe diabetes to Canada for treatment to enable them to cease to need insulin. [DoH] (HL4955)
[As amended on 11th November]
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any National Health Service funding will be made available to operate on patients with severe diabetes in the United Kingdom to enable them to cease to need insulin; whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has considered this procedure; and, if not, whether it is planning to do so. [DoH] (HL4956)
[As amended on 11th November]
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are any plans to send National Health Service patients with Parkinson’s disease to Sweden for treatment by the injection of stem cells to enable them to cease to take dopamine inducing drugs. [DoH] (HL4957)
The Lord Jacobs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any National Health Service funding will be made available to treat patients with Parkinson’s disease in the United Kingdom by injecting adult stem cells; whether the National Institute for Clinical Excellence has considered this procedure; and, if not, whether it is planning to do so. [DoH] (HL4958)
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many copies of their Guide to the European Union they have distributed; at what cost; to which recipients; and whether, in pursuit of their declared intention to encourage national debate, they will send a publication to the same recipients on the disadvantages of membership of the European Union. [FCO] (HL4959)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that a work pattern allowing eight consecutive weeks of 59 hours driving for heavy goods vehicle drivers in the pre-Christmas period is either compliant or safe, following the compliance guide recently published by the Freight Transport Association. [DfT] (HL4960)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current guidelines by the Association of Chief Police Officers for recruitment of a police constable; and whether these are applicable in each constabulary. [HO] (HL4961)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recognition the Police Service of Northern Ireland gives for salary purposes to past service in the full-time reserve when people are recruited as regular constables. [NIO] (HL4962)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recognition constabularies give for salary purposes to past service in the Police Service of Northern Ireland full-time reserve when people are recruited as regular constables. [HO] (HL4963)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many probationary constables in the United Kingdom, broken down by constabulary, have failed to become police constables in each of the last three years due to having failed firearms training tests. [HO] (HL4964)
The Lord Rogan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many probationary constables in each of the constabularies in the United Kingdom are currently awaiting re-examination for firearms competence. [HO] (HL4965)
The Lord Rea—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the latest Adult Diet and Nutrition Survey, what proportion of adult men and women (stated separately) met each of the following dietary targets, recommended by the Department of Health—
(a) fat intake (35 per cent energy);
(b) saturated fat intake (11 per cent energy);
(c) NME sugar intake (11 per cent energy);
(d) salt intake per day (5 grams women, 7 grams men);
(e) NSP dietary fibre intake per day (18 grams); and
(f) fruit and vegetable intake per day (five portions per 400 grams);
and what proportion of adult men and women met all of these targets. [DoH] (HL4966)
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the total unclaimed sums handed over to National Savings and Investments to the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt in each of the last ten years. [HMT] (HL4967)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Warner on 9th November (HL Deb, col. 750), whether obesity or smoking costs the National Health Service more. [DoH] (HL4968)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have conducted examining the short and long-term complications, including morbidity, mortality and psychological sequelae, of a termination of pregnancy in girls under the age 16. [DoH] (HL4969)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many abortions have been performed on girls under the age of 16; and what is the corresponding abortion rate per 1,000 in this age group in every year since 1967. [DoH] (HL4970)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (a) the 30-day mortality rate; and (b) the one-year mortality rate, after abortions performed on girls under the age of 16 in every year since 1967. [DoH] (HL4971)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are (a) the 30-day mortality rate; and (b) the one-year mortality rate, after carrying a pregnancy to term for girls under the age of 16 in every year since 1967. [DoH] (HL4972)
11th November
The Lord Jacobs—To ask the Chairman of Committees why Questions for Written Answer tabled in this Parliamentary Session and answered after the end of the Session will not be printed in the Official Report, given that such questions are on public record. [CoC] (HL4973)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines or directions (other than those contained in Planning Policy Guidance 15) they have given to planning authorities in England on the subject of applications for change of use for barns or other farm buildings which are of historic or architectural interest. [ODPM] (HL4974)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the exemption from licensing given to Powergen Renewables Offshore Wind Limited under the Electricity (Exemption from the Requirement for a Generation Licence) (No. 2) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1776) will be available to all windfarm owners. [DTI] (HL4975)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Cosmetic Products (Safety) (Amendment) Regulations, made on 8th September, are numbered 2004/2361 when the Regulatory Reform (Patents) Order, made on 22nd September is numbered 2004/2357. [DTI] (HL4976)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in view of the cost to businesses from increased taxation, no regulatory impact assessment was prepared in respect of the Redundancy Payments (Continuity of Employment in Local Government, etc.) (Modification) (Amendment) Order 2004 (S.I. 2004/1682). [DTI] (HL4977)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 10th November (HL Deb, col. 893), in what way and when the approval of Parliament will be sought to the merger between the Board of Inland Revenue and H M Customs and Excise. [HMT] (HL4978)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the training of fighter pilots and the supply of a crew for an attack helicopter by a United Kingdom-based company, for purposes related to an internal armed conflict, under contracts with a legally-based government, conforms with domestic and international law. [FCO] (HL4979)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give further details of the operations by an MI 24 attack helicopter in the Democratic Republic of Congo, said by the United Kingdom-based company Avient Limited to have been involved in the relief of isolated places; and what steps were taken by the National Contact Point for the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development Guidelines to obtain independent corroboration of the company’s account of the use made of this machine. [FCO] (HL4980)
The Lord Lamont of Lerwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs intends to reply to the letter to him from the Lord Lamont of Lerwick sent in August about H M Embassy in Asuncion, Paraguay. [FCO] (HL4981)
The Lord Lamont of Lerwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which embassies in Central and South America have been closed in the last five years, ending ambassadorial representation; in which cases the properties were sold; and in each such case what loss or profit occurred. [FCO] (HL4982)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recruits, including Commonwealth recruits, to all three respective military services, have tested positive to (a) HIV; and (b) hepatitis B over the past four years. [MoD] (HL4983)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many journalists, including television correspondents, are attached to the Black Watch battle group in Iraq. [MoD] (HL4984)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the Armed Forces are responsible for looking after journalists attached to the Black Watch battle group in Iraq. [MoD] (HL4985)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will further persuade their NATO allies to commit resources, promised at Istanbul, to the next phase of International Security Assistance Force expansion in Afghanistan; and what progress has been made since September 2004. [FCO] (HL4986)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Iraqis have applied for asylum in the United Kingdom in the last 12 months; how many Iraqi asylum seekers have been forcibly removed from the United Kingdom during that period; how many remain in detention or removal centres; and what plans they have for their removal in the coming weeks. [HO] (HL4987)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Annual Report and Accounts 2003 for Tourism Ireland, why that body undertook no work to support Ulster Scots cultural tourism into Northern Ireland during 2003; and why the report refers to the island of Ireland’s Celtic past but not the Ulster Scots connection. [NIO] (HL4988)
12th November
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Fireworks Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/1836) define “night hours” in paragraph 7(3)(b) as ending at 12am. [DTI] (HL4889)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why no regulatory impact assessment was prepared in respect of the Gas (Third Party Access) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2043) given the provision made by paragraph 5. [DTI] (HL4990)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the rights of people affected by coal mine subsidence will be changed by the implementation of the Coal Mining Subsidence (Subsidence Adviser) (Revocation) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2241). [DTI] (HL4991)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the importation of Spanish eggs was not banned two years ago when those eggs were identified as being the cause of a significant number of salmonella outbreaks. [DEFRA] (HL4992)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they did not ban the importation of Spanish eggs when the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency announced in October that the use of Spanish eggs by the catering industry was a major source of salmonella outbreaks in the United Kingdom. [DEFRA] (HL4993)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent report by the Food Standards Agency and the Health Protection Agency, what steps are being taken to ensure consumers are not put at risk from salmonella-infected Spanish eggs being used within the catering industry. [DEFRA] (HL4994)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether tighter import controls will be placed on eggs to ensure that food safety problems, particularly within the catering industry, are kept to a minimum. [DEFRA] (HL4995)
15th November
The Baroness Northover—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they intend to make to the Israeli government regarding the recent arrest of Mordechai Vannunu. (HL4996)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the issue of a £5 coin of size and weight comparable to that of the disused half-crown coin. (HL4997)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, in terms of buying power, was the equivalent in 1939 of the present £5. (HL4998)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is the case that not all shopkeepers and banks will accept payment by means of the recently issued £5 coins. (HL4999)
The Lord Brightman—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the recently issued £5 coins are suitable for day-to-day use. (HL5000)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much money has been allocated to funding—
(a) the construction of new children’s centres; and
(b) the running costs of new children’s centres;
and how many such centres will be built; and on what basis these funds are being allocated. (HL5001)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when the responsibility for funding children’s centres passes to local government in 2005, they will provide local government with any necessary additional funding; and, if not, what assurances they have that local government will be able and willing to provide the funds for capital works and running costs. (HL5002)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to United States Federal Judge Emmet Sullivan’s instruction to the United States Department of Defense concerning the administration of anthrax vaccine to United States troops; and whether there is any action they will be considering in the light of his decision. (HL5003)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what statistics they have on the number of children in families living in poverty in the years 2002-03; 2003-04; and 2004-05 (at the latest date for which figures are available). (HL5004)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the new needs-based formula grant system for local authorities in England has not been implemented and why the phasing-in regime has been stopped. (HL5005)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current format for an imprint on an election leaflet. (HL5006)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Lancashire district and unitary authorities are included in the Central Lancashire city region, as described in section D2 of Moving Forward: The Northern Way. (HL5007)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the United States’ moratorium on interactive facilities with dolphins, in particular in neonatal care centres; and, if so, whether they will introduce a similar moratorium in the United Kingdom. (HL5008)
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]
Committed to a Select Committee
Assisted Dying for the Terminally Ill [HL]
Committed to a Committee of the Whole House
Tobacco Smoking (Public Places and Workplaces) [HL]
Parliamentary Commissioner Act 1967 (Amendment) [HL]
Constitution for Europe (Referendum) [HL]
Waiting for Report
Wild Mammals (Protection) (Amendment) [HL]
Constitutional Reform [HL]
Waiting for Third Reading
Civil Contingencies [16th November]
Sent to the Commons
Fishery Limits (United Kingdom) [HL]
Air Traffic Emissions Reduction [HL]
Human Rights Act 1998 (Making of Remedial Orders) Amendment [HL]
Smoking in Public Places (Wales) [HL]
Civil Service (No. 2) [HL] (formerly Executive Powers and Civil Service [HL])
Returned to the Commons with amendments
Waiting for consideration of Commons amendments
Civil Partnership [HL] [17th November]
Waiting for consideration of Commons amendments and reasons
Armed Forces (Pensions and Compensation) [17th November]
Waiting for Royal Assent
Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims [HL]
Highways (Obstruction by Body Corporate)
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 Criminal Justice Act 2003 (Categories of Offences) Order 2004 [*23rd Report]
Draft Institute of Trade Mark Attorneys Order 2004
Draft Motor Vehicles (Wearing of Seat Belts) (Amendment) Regulations 2005
Draft Electricity and Gas (Energy Efficiency Obligations) Order 2004
Draft Social Security, Child Support and Tax Credits (Decisions and Appeals) Amendment Regulations 2004
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Local Authorities (Indemnities for Members and Officers) Order 2004 [16th November]
Draft Agency for International Trade Information and Co-operation (Legal Capacities) Order 2004
Draft Landfill Allowances and Trading Scheme (England) Regulations 2004 [16th November, *21st Report]
Draft Landfill (Maximum Landfill Amount) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004 [16th November]
Draft Criminal Defence Service (Choice in Very High Cost Cases) (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 2004
Draft Building Societies Act 1986 (International Accounting Standards and Other Accounting Amendments) Order 2004
Draft Environmental Information Regulations 2004 [*23rd Report]
Draft Freedom of Information (Time for Compliance with Request) Regulations 2004
Draft Freedom of Information (Removal and Relaxation of Statutory Prohibitions on Disclosure of Information) Order 2004
West Northamptonshire Development Corporation (Area and Constitution) Order 2004
NEGATIVE INSTRUMENT
| Praying time
expires | To be
debated |
| Instrument reported by the Merits of Statutory Instruments Committee | | |
Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Appeals) (England) Regulations 2004
[23rd Report] | 27th November | |
REGULATORY REFORM ORDERS IN PROGRESSProposals referred to the Regulatory Reform Committee for first-stage scrutiny
Draft Regulatory Reform (Registration of Births and Deaths) (England and Wales) Order 2004
Draft Regulatory Reform (Joint Nature Conservation Committee) Order 2005
Draft Regulatory Reform (Prison Officers) (Industrial Action) 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]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2004 [27th Report]
Draft Regulatory Reform (Execution of Deeds and Documents) Order 2004 [34th Report]
Waiting for Affirmative Resolution
Draft Regulatory Reform (Unsolicited Goods and Services Act 1971) (Directory Entries and Demands for Payment) Order 2004
SPECIAL PROCEDURE ORDER IN PROGRESS
Waiting for expiry of resolution period
Yorkshire Water Services Limited (Langthwaite Water Treatment Works First Time Filtration Scheme) Compulsory Purchase Order 2004 [3rd December]
COMMITTEES
[Unless otherwise indicated, Committees meet in the Lords’ rooms
in the Committee Corridor as indicated in the daily broadsheets]
TUESDAY 16TH NOVEMBER
Merits of Statutory Instruments 4.00 pm
| (Select Committee) | in Committee Room G |
| Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee) | 4.15 pm |
WEDNESDAY 17TH NOVEMBER
| European Union (Sub-Committee F) | 10.30 am |
| European Union (Sub-Committee C) | 3.00 pm |
Science and Technology (Sub-Committee II) 3.30 pm
| (Energy Efficiency) |
| European Union (Sub-Committee G) | 3.30 pm |
| Human Rights (Joint Committee) | 4.15 pm |
| 
