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Royal Travel: Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In view of the street violence in Dublin on Saturday 25 February, whether they will be changing their advice to the Royal Family on the safety of any proposed visits to the Republic of Ireland. [HL4428]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): When we advise the Royal Family about travel, we take full account of all the circumstances likely to affect their security.
Sexual Offences
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons have been (a) cautioned; (b) prosecuted; or (c) convicted in England and Wales in each relevant year since 1985 under (i) Section 36 of the Sexual Offences Act 1956; (ii) Section 1 of the Street Offences Act 1959; (iii) Sections 1 and 2 of the Sexual Offences Act 1985; (iv) Sections 46 and 47 of the Criminal Justice and Police Act 2001; and (v) each of Sections 47 to 49, 52 and 53 and 57 to 60 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003. [HL4276]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Data on the number of persons who have been cautioned, proceeded against at magistrates' courts and found guilty at all courts for the above offences in England and Wales from 1985 to 2004, are provided in the table.
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| Year | Cautioned | Proceeded against | Found guilty |
| 2001 | 16 | 6 | 5 |
| 2002 | 95 | 586 | 549 |
| 2003 | 74 | 420 | 396 |
| 2004 | 115 | 410 | 376 |
. . . = Not available
(1) These data are provided on the principal offence basis.
Shipping: P&O Takeover
Lord Mason of Barnsley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the possible impact on British ports and seaport terminals of the takeover of P&O by Dubai Ports World; and, if so, whether they will hold discussions with the parties concerned. [HL4493]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Office of Fair Trading announced on 3 February its assessment that it did not believe that the then anticipated acquisition of P&O by DP World would result in a significant reduction of competition in the relevant markets. With respect to other considerations, a change in ownership of a port or terminal does not affect the port authority's responsibility to meet its obligations.
Sport: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the current status of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's Soccer Strategy; and what steps they have taken to distribute the £8 million which was earmarked for football in the Province. [HL4380]
The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office (Lord Rooker): The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) remains committed to the Soccer Strategy. DCAL has assisted the Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) establish a Soccer Strategy Implementation Committee (SIC) to oversee the implementation of the Strategy by the Irish Football
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Association (IFA). The SCNI is responsible for the development of sport including the distribution of funding. Through the SIC, the SCNI is currently assisting the IFA to implement changes in the governance and administration of soccer recommended under the Soccer Strategy.
Tax Credits
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 9 February (WA 122), why child maintenance payments received are excluded from the assessment of income for the purpose of determining awards under the tax credit regime. [HL4363]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The child and working tax credits are part of the tax system, so the rules regarding the treatment of maintenance payments for tax credit purposes follow the same rules as those for income tax. As maintenance payments are exempted from income tax in the hands of the person receiving them it follows that they are disregarded when calculating the amount of tax credits to which the claimant is entitled. The Government decided that the treatment of maintenance received in the tax credit rules should follow the income tax rules.
Tax Law Rewrite Project
Lord Forsyth of Drumlean asked Her Majesty's Government:
For the latest year for which figures are available, what is the annual cost of the Tax Law Rewrite Project; and [HL4424]
For the latest year for which figures are available, how many ful-time employees the Tax Law Rewrite Project employs (a) excluding secondees, and (b) including secondees. [HL4425]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The cost of the Tax Law Rewrite Project to HM Revenue and Customs in 2004–05 was just under £3 million. The project has 34 employees, of whom 29 are full time. Thirteen of these employees are either secondees or working on fixed-term contracts.
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