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Ministry of Defence: Strategic Capabilities
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What strategic capabilities the Ministry of Defence will seek to develop in the United Kingdom in the next decade. [HL800]
Lord Drayson: The capabilities that the Ministry of Defence will seek to develop in the next decade are set out in Delivering Security in a Changing World, Future Capabilities (Cm 6269).
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The future capabilities paper sets out the changes that we will make to both force structures and capabilities to ensure that our Armed Forces are best placed to meet the operational requirements of the 21st century.
The capabilities that we will acquire or further develop include: network enabled capability (enabling the Armed Forces to respond quickly and decisively in a co-ordinated fashion, allowing the same military effect to be achieved with less), new aircraft carriers (improving our Army's ability to project power from the sea), a medium-weight land forces capability based on the future rapid effects system (improving our deployability, agility and flexibility), the Typhoon and Joint Combat Aircraft (able to deliver world-class offensive and defensive air capabilities) as well as C-17 and A400M air transport aircraft (providing enhanced tactical and strategic airlift to all three services).
The capabilities are already being implemented and will continue to be, over the coming months and years.
National Insurance Contributions
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord McKenzie of Luton: From April 2003 an additional 1 per cent. national insurance contribution (NIC) by employers, employees and the self-employed was introduced on all earnings above the NICs threshold to deliver the largest sustained spending growth in the history of the NHS while meeting the fiscal rules.
National Offender Management Service
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the National Offender Management Service has decided not to enter into any strategic partnership for services to be supplied uniformly throughout England and Wales and has required service providers to bid individually to supply each regional offender manager with identical services, even when there is no competitive service on offer. [HL786]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: It is not correct to suggest that the National Offender Management Service has decided against having any strategic partnerships for delivery of services across England and Wales. Through contracting, NOMS already has partnership arrangements in place for a range of services including property services, electronic monitoring and prison escort and custody services. NOMS will look centrally at what needs to be provided and will put in place the most appropriate strategy for delivery of those services, which may be at a national, regional or local level depending on the service and market place. Where identical services are required across regional boundaries NOMS will not be looking for service providers to bid individually to provide the service to each region.
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National Savings and Investment: Competition
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why private sector undertakings are not allowed to compete on equal terms with National Savings and Investment by providing consumers with other tax-free products, such as alternatives to premium bonds or children's bonds. [HL899]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: Private sector organisations are able to provide a range of tax-advantaged products to savers including individual savings accounts, child trust fund accounts and friendly society tax exempt saving plans.
The Government's policies on this wide range of tax-favoured savings and investments provide over £2 billion every year in tax relief to savers. NS&I is unique in the retail savings market as it is a debt-financing arm of the Government. As such, NS&I has been responsible for raising finance for successive administrations. Its sole objective has been the delivery of cost effective debt financing since 2000.
Northern Ireland Civil Service
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been appointed to the Northern Ireland Civil Service without open competition since 2000. [HL672]
Lord Rooker: The attached table shows the number of appointments made to the Northern Ireland Civil Service without open competition since 2000.
| Year | Number |
| 2000 | 16 |
| 2001 | 26 |
| 2002 | 7 |
| 2003 | *235 |
| 2004 | 9 |
| Total | 293 |
* includes 218 appointments to the Youth Justice Agency.
Northern Ireland Parades Commission
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The Parades Commission obtains legal advice from the Crown Solicitor's Office, Northern Ireland.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any forms, files or information have been disclosed without authority from the Northern Ireland Parades Commission since 2002; and, if so, when such disclosure occurred; what was disclosed; and when the disclosure was discovered. [HL637]
Lord Rooker: The Parades Commission is not aware of the disclosure of any forms, files or information without authority having been made since 2002.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which body the Northern Ireland Parades Commission has paid for legal advice in each year since its creation; and how much has been paid. [HL638]
Lord Rooker: The Parades Commission has advised that it does not normally pay for legal advice to any outside body and receives notional invoices from the Crown Solicitor's Office which are not paid from its budget.
Lord Laird: asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: The membership of the Parades Commission is being reconstituted during the autumn/winter, and the commission will be reviewing its procedures and documentation in the autumn.
Northern Ireland: Autistic Spectrum Disorder
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Rooker on 8 June (WA90–91) and 14 June (WA119), whether they will indicate how, in Northern Ireland, they estimated a yearly figure of 200 children and young people requiring autistic spectrum disorder provision; how they identified a requirement of £0.5 million; and whether that was a one-off, fixed or variable annual grant. [HL731]
Lord Rooker: Following the submission of a four-board paper on the development of autism services and in consultation with the four boards, the department allocated an additional £0.5 million recurrent funding to improve the life outcome for 200 children and young people with autism. Multidisciplinary diagnostic assessment and early intervention teams are now operational within each health and social services board area.
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
What co-ordination is being developed among trusts, boards and the Northern Ireland Office to address issues pertaining to autistic spectrum disorder on a strategically planned basis. [HL732]
Lord Rooker: The Department of Health, Personal Social Services and Public Safety and the Department of Education have an interdepartmental special educational needs steering group, with administrative and professional representation, to ensure that each
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department's resources and services are deployed to best effect to meet the needs of children and young people, including those with an autistic spectrum disorder
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