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29 Jun 2005 : Column WA23
Written Answers
Wednesday, 29 June 2005.
The first Written Answer was published yesterday without the table.
Migration: Leave to Enter UK
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons were given leave to enter the United Kingdom in employment-related categories in 2004; and what number they estimate will be admitted in each of the five years 2005 to 2009, following the changes to the work schemes announced in Controlling our Borders: Making Managed Migration Work for Britain. [HL492]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The latest published data relate to 2003 and are shown in the table. In a flexible and dynamic labour market, such as that of the UK, it is impractical to make forecasts of this nature. The Government's plans for changes to the work schemes are outlined in Controlling our Borders: Making Migration Work for Britain, the five-year plan for asylum and immigration. The Government are committed to ensuring that UK employers have access to the skills and experience they need in order to maximise the economic benefits to the UK from migration. Skilled migrant workers should be enabled to fill vacancies which cannot be filled from within the UK or EU. Data for 2004 will be published in the Home Office statistical bulletin Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom, 2004 in August 2005. Further information on immigration can be found in the Command Paper Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom 2003 (Cm 6363), available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/commandpubs1.html.
Climate Change
Lord Lester of Herne Hill
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that, unless action is taken, there will be a growing risk from climate change of adverse effects on economic development, human health and the natural environment and of irreversible long-term changes to our climate and oceans. [HL663]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Bach): Unless action is taken to tackle climate change, there will be a growing risk of adverse effects on the environment, societies and economies.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change stated in its third assessment report in 2001 that projected climate change will have beneficial and adverse effects on both environmental and socio-economic systems, but the larger the changes and rate of change in climate, the more the adverse effects predominate.
The department funded the "Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change" scientific conference held at the Met Office earlier this year. The conference indicated that there is now greater clarity and reduced uncertainty about the impacts of climate change across a wide range of systems, sectors and societies. In many cases, the risks are more serious than previously thought. (Papers and presentations are available on the conference website at www.stabilisation2005.com)
The seriousness of the potential effects reinforces the need for urgent and ambitious action to tackle the emissions that cause climate change. For this reason, climate change is a priority for the UK's presidencies of the G8 and the EU this year. The "Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change" conference found that technological options for significantly reducing emissions over the long term already exist. Large reductions can be attained using a portfolio of options whose costs are likely to be smaller than previously considered.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they consider that mankind's activities are contributing to global warming and that governments and others must address this issue. [HL664]
Lord Bach: There is now very strong evidence that human activities are affecting the global climate. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) in its 2001 report noted that there was new and stronger evidence that most of the warming observed over the past 50 years is attributable to human activities.
Addressing this issue is a government priority, particularly during the presidencies of the G8 and EU during 2005. The UK hosted an international scientific conference "Avoiding Dangerous Climate Change" in February this year to provide an up to date scientific context to the UK's consideration of climate change in its presidency of the G8. The conference considered the risks and potential impacts of climate change associated with a range of different stabilisation levels of greenhouse gas concentrations.
29 Jun 2005 : Column WA25
Committee on Radioactive Waste Management
Lord Jenkin of Roding asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to make new appointments to the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management to replace Dr Keith Baverstock and Dr David Ball. [HL712]
Lord Bach: The Committee on Radioactive Waste Management's (CoRWM's) immediate priority is to complete its current round of consultation on its proposed radioactive waste management options short-list and how these options should be assessed. Generally, its work is currently progressing to schedule and in line with the target of delivering its recommendations by July 2006. Both CoRWM and Defra have taken steps to widen the committee's access to scientific and expert advice. We shall keep under review the question of whether there would be value in making any new appointments to CoRWM in light of the committee's terms of reference and our judgment as to how well it is achieving them.
Lord Jenkin of Roding asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the names of the people appointed to serve on the Scientific Advisory Group to advise the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management; and what are the terms of their appointment. [HL713]
Lord Bach: The Defra chief scientific adviser's expert panel for the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management is an ad hoc group. The members are:
Professor Bill Gelletly OBE (Professor of Physics, University of Surrey)
Professor Peter Guthrie OBE (Professor of Engineering for Sustainable Development, University of Cambridge)
Professor Stephen Sparks FRS (Professor of Earth Sciences, University of Bristol)
Professor Nigel Bell (Professor of Environmental Pollution, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine)
Members were invited to join the group by the Defra chief scientific adviser on the basis of their known expertise in fields relevant to the committee's work. They are paid a daily fee for attendance at meetings and for preparatory work, plus travelling expenses.
DTI: Meetings with Helen Liddell
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any representative, official or Minister from the Department of Trade and Industry has met or had any contact with the right honourable Helen Liddell since 6 May. [HL708]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Trade and Industry (Lord Sainsbury of Turville): The right honourable Helen Liddell has met my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, the Minister of State for Trade, the Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government (Sir David King) and Sir Stephen Brown, chief executive, UK Trade and Industry.
In addition, the High Commissioner (designate) to Australia has held meetings with a number of other officials from the department. She has made these calls in preparation for taking up her appointment.
Electoral Registration
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they can provide an estimate of the number of electors in the United Kingdom who are registered at two or more addresses; and, if not, whether they intend to ask the Electoral Commission or other bodies to make the necessary investigations. [HL627]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): It is possible for certain categories of electors who spend their time equally between two addresses to be lawfully registered at more than one address. Information is not collected on the number of such persons registered. It is not currently intended to ask the Electoral Commission or any other body to investigate this subject.
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