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Identity Cards: HM Treasury
Baroness Anelay of St Johns asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish (a) any analysis they have made of the potential use that HM Treasury may make of the National Identity Register or identity cards introduced following enactment of the Identity Cards Bill; and (b) their estimate of the costs that will or may be incurred by HM Treasury in connection with such use. [HL2858]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Treasury has not made any analysis of any potential direct use it may make of the National Identity Register. The Government have set out their overall analysis of the benefits of ID cards in the benefits overview document that was published by the identity cards programme in June 2005. (www.identitycards.gov.uk/library/2005-06-27–Identity–Cards–Scheme–Benefits–Overview.pdf.) The Treasury is represented on the Ministerial Committee on Identity Cards that oversees the work on benefits planning and realisation.
Irish Language Agency
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 30 November (WA 41) on the Irish Language Agency, why no consultation exercise was undertaken on the relocation of the agency's headquarters. [HL2741]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 10 October 2005 (Official Report, col. WA 41).
Naval Shipbuilding Projects
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration will be given within the proposed maritime industrial strategy to the inclusion of French shipyards in future naval shipbuilding projects. [HL2730]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The defence industrial strategy (DIS) has conducted a thorough and wide-ranging review of all sectors of the UK defence industry. The essential contribution of DIS to the wider aim of ensuring that the equipment capability needs of the Armed Forces can be met, now and in the future, is in promoting a sustainable industrial base that retains in the UK the infrastructure, skills, technologies, IP and capacity needed to ensure appropriate sovereignty.
In each sector where we judge these may be at risk we will be setting in train strategies to ensure sustainment of those key capabilities. The maritime industrial strategy (MIS) team will take forward the
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defence industrial strategy within the maritime sector. This will address how best to sustain those critical industrial skills and technologies we need for the future, while simultaneously delivering improved performance, quality and competitiveness.
With regard to French shipyards, given that both we and France are embarking on major, complex carrier procurement projects, we are examining areas of mutual benefit and opportunities to deliver economies on that project. It is for industry to put forward proposals which will be judged on their merits and in light of national policies. It has been agreed with France that for co-operation to work it must deliver cost savings and must do so without delaying the UK or French programmes.
North/South Implementation Bodies
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to cross-border implementation bodies, how they define new policies and extra funding under their current policy of care and maintenance. [HL2850]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The North/South implementation bodies' functions are set out in the North/South Co-operation (Implementation Bodies) (NI) Order 1999. The funding of the bodies is determined by reference to those functions.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under the financial arrangements governing the activities of cross-border bodies, who must be party to agreement on the yearly budget for each body. [HL2949]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): In arriving at the yearly budgets for each of the North/South implementation bodies, the parties involved are the United Kingdom Parliament, Dail Eireann, the bodies themselves, both sponsor departments and their Ministers along with both finance departments and their Ministers.
Northern Ireland Compensation Agency
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much compensation has been paid to civilians in each county of Northern Ireland as a result of the alleged activities of the security forces; and for each county how many claims there have been since 1998.[HL2305]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): I refer the noble Lord to my response of 15 November 2005 (Official Report, col. WA 138) when I provided statistics relating to compensation payments in South Armagh. In my Answer I provided details of claims dealt with by both the Compensation Agency and the Ministry of Defence. The figures in
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relation to Compensation Agency claims incorporated those claims which originated in Newry, which is regarded locally as being part of the "South Armagh area".
In fact Newry straddles the county line between Counties Down and Armagh; hence the information which I am providing in response to this Question may appear slightly at odds with my Answer of 15 November 2005.
The Compensation Agency has operational responsibility for administration of the statutory compensation scheme under the Terrorism Act 2000. The following table shows the number of claims, by county, which have been administered by the Compensation Agency from 1998 to present.
In addition to those claims administered by the Compensation Agency (NIO) the Ministry of Defence has provided the following information:
Compensation claims administered by Headquarters Northern Ireland (HQNI) mostly concern helicopter activity giving rise to damage to crops and buildings or the scaring of livestock. The following table shows the number of claims administered by HQNI from 1998 to present.
Details of compensation payments in respect of claims administered by the Directorate for Safety and Claims at MoD were previously given in my response of 15 November 2005. As I had previously stated these claims are not recorded by county, but are for the whole of Northern Ireland.
Northern Ireland: Artigarvan Primary School
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 10 November (WA 101) concerning Artigarvan Primary School, how much extra funding was requested in 2005–06; for what purpose; and on what basis. [HL2329]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): £16,000 was requested to provide a covered sandpit, new fencing and removal of trees in the 2005–06 year and this amount was allocated. No extra funding was requested for the 2005-06 year. Funding for a new replacement school has been requested and an economic appraisal approved at an indicative cost of £2.5 million, but it is not possible to say when this will be allocated.
Northern Ireland: Department for Social Development
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In each of the past five years, what funding the Northern Ireland Department for Social Development has given to groups and organisations; to which groups and organisations such funding was given; how much the funding was in each case; and for what purpose the funding was provided. [HL2878]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The Department for Social Development has funded/funds a wide range of organisations via a number of policies and programmes. This includes grants provided directly by the department and through third parties on:
Neighbourhood Renewal Schemes;
Londonderry Regeneration Initiative;
Community Regeneration and Improvement Special Programme;
Community Economic Regeneration Scheme;
Environmental Improvement grants;
Comprehensive Development Schemes;
Grants to District Councils (for Travellers);
Peace II and EU Structural Funds (Interreg IIIA and URBAN II) ;
The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only by means of a special administrative exercise that would entail a disproportionate cost.
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