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Written Answers

Thursday, 9 February 2006.

Aviation: Global Positioning System

Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the outcome of the Civil Aviation Authority's review of the integrity of the global positioning system. [HL3654]

Lord Davies of Oldham: The results of the global positioning system (GPS) integrity study revealed certain shortcomings in GPS which necessitate further investigation to establish how to safely implement GPS for air navigation purposes. As a consequence, the Civil Aviation Authority has initiated a programme of GPS trial approaches to be conducted in 2006 under carefully controlled conditions. The purpose is to ensure that, when using GPS for specific phases of flight (eg on approach), the required degree of safety can be demonstrated both in UK airspace and by UK aircraft flying elsewhere.

Cancer: Bowel

Baroness Hayman asked Her Majesty's Government:

What projections they have made of the increase in diagnosis of bowel cancer that will result from the introduction of the national bowel cancer screening programme. [HL3459]

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): It is estimated that when the national bowel cancer screening programme is fully rolled out in England, an extra 4,000 cancers a year will be detected. Research has shown that screening with the faecal occult blood test every two years will cut the mortality from bowel cancer by 15 per cent in those people screened.

The National Health Service bowel cancer screening pilot in Coventry and Warwickshire showed that screen-detected cancers had no detrimental effect on bowel cancer services.

A national training programme for endoscopy has been established to make sure we have sufficient staff to diagnose the cancers, and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence produced updated guidance on Improving Outcomes in Colorectal Cancers in May 2004. This guidance is aimed at helping those involved in planning, commissioning, organising and providing bowel cancer services to ensure the configuration of appropriate high quality services.
 
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Baroness Hayman asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have received from cancer charities regarding the rollout of the national bowel cancer screening programme. [HL3460]

Lord Warner: Cancer charities have been involved with the development of the national bowel cancer screening programme for over two years. This is through their representation on the Bowel Cancer Advisory Group, and the Bowel Cancer Screening Working Group.

In addition, a Bowel Cancer Communications Group was set up in 2005 to discuss communications with the public when the bowel cancer screening programme begins. The voluntary sector is represented by Cancer Research UK, Cancer BACUP, Beating Bowel Cancer and Bowel Cancer UK. Other members include representatives from patient groups, researchers, NHS Cancer Screening Programmes and the NHS Cancer Screening Programmes Press Office. The group is considering all aspects of communications, including reaching ethnic minorities, people from deprived areas and hard-to-reach groups.

Council Tax

Lord Hanningfield asked the Chairman of Committees:

Who has been responsible for the payment of council tax since 1997 on the House of Lords residential apartments within the Parliamentary Estate. [HL3910]

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): Since 1997, council tax on the residential apartments within the House of Lords part of the Parliamentary Estate has been paid from the House of Lords Vote.

Cyprus

Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will use the status of the United Kingdom as guarantor power to make representations to the Government of Cyprus about possible reciprocal measures following moves by Turkey to open port services and other trade contacts with Cyprus. [HL3734]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): There is no formal linkage between Turkey's obligations under the Ankara agreement protocol and the EU's determination to end the economic isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community. None the less, on his recent visit to Cyprus, Turkey and Greece, my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary encouraged all parties to take the necessary steps towards a
 
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settlement of the Cyprus problem and the normalisation of relations on all directions. In this context, we support the removal of all obstacles to trade and travel in the region and will continue to work with all parties and EU partners to this end.

Education: West Wales

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of the working population in the region of West Wales and the Valleys has no qualifications. [HL3778]

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting: The proportion of working aged adults (18–59/64) with no qualifications in West Wales and the Valleys is 19 per cent. Therefore, 81 per cent of working aged adults (18–59/64) in West Wales and the Valleys are qualified to at least NVQ level 1 or equivalent*.

*Data from the 2004–05 Welsh local labour force survey.

EU: West Wales

Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much Objective 1 funding from the European Union has been received by the region of West Wales and the Valleys in each of the past five years; whether the Government have matched the amounts completely or partially; and, if partially, by how much. [HL3775]

Lord Evans of Temple Guiting : The Objective 1 funding received by West Wales and the Valleys for each of the past five years is shown below.

Calendar year	Drawdown funds received from EU
2000	£66,092,252
2001	£12,923,164
2002	£79,819,209
2003	£82,818,675
2004	£96,435,744
2005	£209,595,585

Locally sourced match funding is a critical element of making EU-funded projects work. It ensures local ownership of and commitment to projects that will be good quality and sustainable.


Match funding has always come from a wide range of different sources, not all funded by the Assembly, such as the private or voluntary sectors. Some 37 per cent of the total match funding in Wales in the current European programme has come from the private sector. Two years ago—when the proportion was lower, around 30 per cent—the European Commission said that, to the best of its knowledge, that was the highest proportion of match funding from the private sector anywhere in the European Union.





In the three spending reviews covering the period of the current structural funds programme, additional spending cover was provided for Wales for the European structural funds programme, over and above the Barnett formula, to ensure that the Assembly could implement this programme in full in Wales.

Food

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether health claims in the advertising and labelling industry of functional foods are an official endorsement of products as healthy; and whether they control and monitor such claims. [HL3772]

The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): Health claims on food are voluntary and do not represent an official endorsement, although they can provide useful information to help consumers make specific dietary choices. It is important that such claims are not misleading, and this is reflected in a statutory requirement. New European Commission rules on nutrition and health claims are also currently being negotiated.

Health claims are controlled by the enforcement of the legislation.

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to introduce tighter control on the labelling of inherently unhealthy foods that are marked with a health benefit. [HL3773]

Lord Warner: A proposal for a European Union regulation on nutrition and health claims made on food is currently under negotiation. The United Kingdom supports the inclusion of a provision for the establishment of nutrient profiles to control the use of nutrition and health claims on foods high in fat, salt and sugar.

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