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Arts Funding
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to respond to the concerns expressed by the chair of the Arts Council, Sir Christopher Frayling, in his Royal Society lecture 2005 on the erosion of the arm's length principle by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. [HL1543]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Culture, Media and Sport (Lord McIntosh of Haringey): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport does not agree with the assertion that the arm's length principle is being eroded. She believes in the importance of the principle that decisions on funding for the arts continue to be taken free from political interference.
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Child Support Agency
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House the minutes of the discussions they have had with Child Support Agency management over its corporate governance action plan and assurance statement. [HL1493]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Baroness Hollis of Heigham): My right honourable friend the Secretary of State holds regular meetings with the chief executive of the Child Support Agency to discuss all aspects of Child Support Agency performance—including key risks and governance.
The detail of the corporate governance action plan and assurance statement is a matter for the Child Support Agency chief executive.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions
The Duke of Montrose asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the framework for phase I of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme contains separate targets for the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and for greenhouse gas emissions, against which any progress can be measured. [HL1521]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Whitty): Carbon dioxide is the only greenhouse gas covered by the Greenhouse Gas Emission Allowance Trading Directive in phase I (2005–07) of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. However, there is
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provision for the expansion of the scheme to include other greenhouse gases in phase II (2008–12) and beyond.
The Government's proposed amendment to the UK national allocation plan increases the level of effort required from operators covered by the scheme. The allocation of allowances is around 5 per cent below the finalised emission projections in the amended NAP, compared to 0.7 per cent below the provisional projections in the NAP approved in July 2004. This puts the UK ahead of most other member states in terms of effort against business as usual.
The Duke of Montrose asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many European Union member states have submitted their national allocation plans under the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme; and how many have been approved by the European Commission. [HL1522]
Lord Whitty: All 25 member states have submitted their national allocation plans for phase I (2005–07) of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme. The Commission has approved 21 national allocation plans (eight on 7 July 2004, eight on 20 October 2004 and five on 27 December 2004). The Commission has yet to announce decisions on NAPs from Poland, the Czech Republic, Italy and Greece.
The Duke of Montrose asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage reduction from 1990 levels of carbon dioxide emissions across Europe will be achieved by the national allocation plans for phase 1 of the European Union Emissions Trading Scheme that have been submitted so far; and whether this represents satisfactory progress towards the 2012 target set in the Kyoto protocol. [HL1523]
Lord Whitty: The Greenhouse Gas Emission Allowance Trading Directive states that prior to 2008, the total quantity of allowances to be allocated shall be consistent with a path towards achieving or over-achieving each member state's target under the EC burden sharing agreement (the joint fulfilment of commitments under the EU's Kyoto protocol target) and the Kyoto protocol.
The Commission has not published information on progress made by member states in meeting their Kyoto targets. However, the UK Government have commission consultants, Ecofys, critically to analyse member states NAPs within which an assessment of the cap compared to emissions in 1990 has been made. Information on member states on which we have information is detailed in the following table. The information alone is not sufficient to determine accurately what percentage reduction on 1990 levels is being achieved through phase I of EU ETS across the EU as a whole, as information is not available for all member states.
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A quantitative analysis of the impact of EU ETS alone is not sufficient to determine the level of progress across the EU as member states may have other policies in place to bridge any gap, including purchase of project credits. Additionally member states may choose to use phase II of the scheme to meet their Kyoto targets, and as a result allocations may be tighter for the period 2008–12.
1 Incomplete data for other Member States.
2 Data source: Ecofys Analysis of the National Allocation Plans for the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, August 2004.
A3
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been killed or seriously injured on the single carriageway portion of the A3 at Hindhead in each year since 1997. [HL1459]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The figures are as follows:
| Year | Killed | Seriously injured |
| 1997 | 1 | 2 |
| 1998 | 1 | 7 |
| 1999 | 0 | 3 |
| 2000 | 3 | 5 |
| 2001 | 1 | 0 |
| 2002 | 1 | 5 |
| 2003 | 5 | 8 |
| 2004 | 0 | 3 |
The 2004 figures are for the first 10 months of the year only.
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many serious accidents there have been on the single carriageway portion of the A3 at Hindhead in each year since 1997. [HL1460]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The figures are as follows:
| Year | Number of accidents with killed or seriously injured casualties |
| 1997 | 3 |
| 1998 | 6 |
| 1999 | 2 |
| 2000 | 5 |
| 2001 | 1 |
| 2002 | 5 |
| 2003 | 7 |
| 2004 | 2 |
The 2004 figure is for the first 10 months of the year only.
Cyprus: Ercan Airport
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether (a) United Kingdom; (b) European Union; and (c) United States official trade delegations now fly into Ercan airport in Turkish Northern Cyprus; and whether the isolation of Northern Cyprus is likely to decrease following the general election there on 20 February. [HL1451]
Baroness Crawley: I am unable to comment on whether official trade delegations from the EU or the US now fly into Ercan Airport in the north of Cyprus, but I can confirm that no official UK trade delegations have done so.
The EU has already made clear its determination to end the isolation of the Turkish Cypriots. We support this and believe that it will make a Cyprus settlement more likely, less costly and easier to consolidate—something that is undoubtedly in the interests of all Cypriots.
The Government's objective remains the reunification of Cyprus, and we continue to support all efforts to achieve this aim in a manner that is fair, viable and lasting for the benefit of all Cypriots. We therefore welcome the continued strong support for settlement and re-unification among Turkish Cypriots as reflected in the outcome of their elections on 20 February.
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