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Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many meetings about staffing the housing branch of the Northern Ireland Department of Social Development has held with (a) the South Ulster Housing Association; and (b) the Gosford Housing Association since 1 January 2004; and whether anyone from the department involved in these meetings was an applicant for employment by either of these two housing associations. [HL1261]
Baroness Amos: Members of staff from the regulation and inspection branch of housing division in the Department for Social Development, Northern Ireland have held one meeting about staffing with South Ulster Housing Association and one meeting with Gosford Housing Association since 1 January 2004.
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An officer from the division's regulation and inspection team that had been involved in the meeting about staffing in Gosford Housing Association had applied for a post in South Ulster Housing Association. Having declared this potential conflict of interest up front, this officer was not involved in the meeting, nor had access to the inspection papers relating to staffing in South Ulster Housing Association. Housing division is satisfied that any actual or perceived conflict of interest was appropriately handled in this instance.
Northern Ireland: Nationalist and Unionist Festivals
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have carried out any detailed analysis of funding for Nationalist and Unionist festivals in Northern Ireland since 1 January 2003; if so, how much each received per year; and for what projects. [HL1323]
Baroness Amos: The majority of NI departments do not record or hold information in respect of the community background of recipients of this funding. Therefore it has not been possible to conduct a detailed analysis in respect of community background.
Northern Ireland and Eire: Co-operation in Education
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19 January (WA 101), whether the Belfast agreement, signed on 10 April 1998, provided for practical co-operation in education between Northern Ireland and Eire; and, if so, how it so provided. [HL1353]
Baroness Amos: Paragraphs 8 and 9(i) of Strand Two of the agreement set the framework for discussions which led to the North/South Ministerial Council identifying education as a matter for co-operation and implementation where existing bodies would be the appropriate mechanism for co-operation in each separate jurisdiction. Within this matter a range of issues were identified for initial consideration by NSMC and others were subsequently included, by agreement of both sides, at education sectoral meetings of NSMC.
Joint working groups of the two education departments are taking forward work on the education issues identified.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Since the entry into force on 2 December 1999 of the North/South Ministerial Council agreement, whether the Department of Education in Northern Ireland has had dealings with the education department in Eire which have not been reported to the council. [HL1355]
Baroness Amos: There is nothing in the North/South Ministerial Agreement made between the British and Irish Governments which requires the Department of Education to report all its dealings with the Irish Department of Education and Science to the council.
Montserrat
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
What further consideration they are giving to proposals for facilitating cruise ship visits to Montserrat, sports tourism, a safe harbour for fishing boats during the hurricane season and a recreation area for the needs of the local population. [HL1381]
Baroness Amos: Small cruise ships already visit Montserrat from time to time, with passenger landings subject to sea conditions. While some improvements to passenger handling and harbour facilities might be possibilities for the future, the present transport infrastructure priority of the Montserrat Government and DfID is completion of the island's new airport and re-introduction of fixed-wing air services this year. Some good recreation areas and facilities already exist, such as football and cricket pitches and two all-weather sports courts. The possibility of more facilities will be considered as part of development of a new capital town at Little Bay. DfID is also supporting work to develop Montserrat's excellent potential for more tourism.
European Union-Japan Action Plan
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek to accelerate progress on the United Kingdom's proposals within the European Union-Japan action plan; and which priority areas they will put forward. [HL1209]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean): The action plan agreed in 2001 remains the principal framework for European Union (EU)-Japan co-operation across a wide range of issues. These include international peace and security, trade and financial issues, global and societal challenges, and people to people exchanges. Since the adoption of the action plan, the EU and Japan have strengthened their co-operation in these fields. The UK will seek to build on this during our EU Presidency, and will ensure that a meeting of the Steering Committee for the EU-Japan Action Plan will be held in our presidency.
We welcome further development of EU-Japan dialogue reflecting the conclusions of the 2003 EU-Japan Summit; in particular on international security and conflict issues, and the global environment, where the EU and Japanese positions have much in common.
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Blasphemy
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, having regard to the judgment of the Supreme Court of Ireland in Corway v. Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited (1999) IR 485, that permission should not be given to institute a criminal prosecution for blasphemy in view of the uncertain state of the law relating to that offence, they consider that the common law offence of blasphemy to be obsolete and unenforceable in the United Kingdom. [HL1200]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Government do not consider the Irish Supreme Court case of Conway v. Independent Newspapers (Ireland) Limited means that the common law offence of blasphemy is obsolete and unenforceable in the United Kingdom. The Irish case concerns the status of the Irish common law offence of blasphemy. The Irish Supreme Court found that it was not clear what the elements of the blasphemy offence are in Irish law, in light of the Irish Constitution, and so agreed that the Irish High Court was right not to authorise a private blasphemy prosecution.
We will however continue to keep the blasphemy laws in England and Wales under review.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 February (WA 98), what is the relevant link between the benefits of the new provision against incitement to religious hatred and the issue of whether the blasphemy laws should be repealed. [HL1339]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The Government do not consider that the benefits of the new provision on incitement to religious hatred and the issue of whether blasphemy should be repealed are linked.
Public Order Act 1986: Section 4A Prosecutions
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prosecutions have been brought for offences contrary to Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986; and how many of these prosecutions were successful. [HL1301]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The number of defendants proceeded against and found guilty of offences under Section 4A of the Public Order Act 1986 in England and Wales, as identified in the Home Office court proceedings database, are shown in the attached table.
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Information for Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Office and for Northern Ireland for the Northern Ireland Office.
Statistics for 2004 will be available in autumn this year.
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Number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for offences, under the Public Order Act 1988 Section 4A. England and Wales, 1996–2003:
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* =Not applicable
..=Not available
(1) These data are on the principal offence basis.
(2) Staffordshire Police Force was able only to supply a sample of data for magistrates' courts proceedings covering one full week for each quarter for 2000.
Estimates based on this sample are included in the figures, as they are considered sufficiently robust at this high level of anlysis.
Source:
RDS—Office for Criminal Justice Reform.
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