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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The letter from the Minister for Veterans sets out the detailed background to the issue raised by the chairman of the Merits Committee and places the matter in context (paragraphs 2 to 5). It makes it clear that while the Minister was broadly satisfied with consultation
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Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 1 December (WA 104), what account was taken when drafting the letter to which he refers of the Gulf War veterans and their families who have no access to the internet. [HL810]
Lord Drayson: We are firmly committed to timely and effective consultation, and there is no intention to use the internet alone in future consultation exercises relating to Armed Forces pension and compensation regulations.
The Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme, and the Pensions Appeals Tribunals (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Rights of Appeal) Amendment Regulations 2006 apply to all members of the Regular Armed Forces, Reserve Forces and Gurkhas who are injured, become ill or die due to service in the Armed Forces on or after 6 April 2005. It therefore does not relate in any way to illnesses or injuries causally linked to service in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict.
NHS: Deficit
Lord James of Blackheath asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cash operating deficit currently forecast for the National Health Service in the current fiscal year; and what is (a) the level of any provisions or contingencies which may have been released in the calculation of this figure; (b) the origin, as to purpose and timing, of their creation of any such contingencies and provisions; whether any new contingencies and provisions have been created during the current fiscal year; whether any remaining contingencies and provisions outstanding from prior years or earlier creations within the present fiscal year have yet to be released into the forecast deficit; what is the cost of any redundancy or rationalisation programme which may have been incurred in the current fiscal year and the value of any revenue released which has been assumed to benefit the current fiscal year as a result; and what are the cost and consequences projected for any further redundancy programme to be implemented in the current fiscal year. [HL858]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): As reported in the National Health Service financial performance report for quarter two of 2006-07, the NHS as a whole is forecasting a £94 million net
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The contingency in 2006-07 has not been created from new funding provided by the department. As part of their management of the £5.5 billion central budget bundle distributed to them for the NHS, SHAs have established a level of contingency which currently stands at £350 million. This contingency is a prudent approach by SHAs to manage financial risk in the NHS while ensuring that services to patients are delivered.
There are a number of factors, not yet included in the NHS forecasts, which may have beneficial impact on the forecast outturn position. The most significant is the potential benefit arising from the lower reimbursement cost of generic medicines.
There will be redundancies resulting from the strategic health authority and primary care trust reorganisation which will release £250 million to front line services. The full benefit of the £250 million saving will happen in 2008-09 when all of the costs have been paid.
The cost of redundancies in the NHS is not collected centrally.
Passports
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The first interview offices will open early in the next financial year with the remainder opening in phases throughout 2007. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State will be making a Written Ministerial Statement in another place in the new year to provide more information on the timetable.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
How iris scans and fingerprints for the new passport interview regime will be obtained by the video links for remote areas. [HL758]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The new passport interviews being introduced in 2007 will not require any iris scans or fingerprints to be recorded from passport applicants. The identity interview, for first-time applicants over the age of 16 only, can therefore be accomplished by video link for those in remote areas.
Pensions: Winding Up
Lord Varley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures have been put in place since they accepted the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendation to speed up the winding up of occupational pensions schemes; and which schemes
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Since accepting the Parliamentary Ombudsman's recommendation to,
- “conduct a review—with the pensions industry and other key stakeholders—to establish what can be done to improve the time taken to wind up final salary schemes”,
the Government have published a report (Speeding Up Winding Up of Occupational Pension Schemes) on 2 November, setting out their belief that it is reasonable to expect a scheme—in the normal course of events—to complete the key activities of winding up in two years. The report also contains proposals for a series of measures to help schemes achieve this target.
The proposals include increased targeting by the Pensions Regulator of those trustees or administrators who are seen as taking excessive time to wind up schemes; provision of appropriate guidance and regulatory support by the Pensions Regulator for trustees and administrators; speeding up the reconciliation of scheme records and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) data; and requiring schemes to report to the Pensions Regulator after two years of wind-up (rather than three as at present).
Two HMRC-led measures in the report—streamlining internal processes and further publicising services1 which its national insurance services to pensions industry (NISPI) unit offers—have already been implemented. In addition, by the end of 2006, NISPI will expand its shared workspace pilot2 to cover eight, rather than just three, providers.
The Department for Work and Pensions continues to lead work across government, with colleagues at the Pensions Regulator, the Pension Protection Fund and HMRC to implement the remaining proposals in the report, and evaluate their effectiveness and the need for further action.
I shall write to the noble Lord shortly withsuch information as is available with regard to schemes which have been in the wind-up process.
1 Accrued GMP Liability Service (AGLS): a service where administrators can request up-to-date details of the GMP accrued for past and present members; and Contracted Out Contribution Information Service (COCIS): a service where administrators can request details of contracted-out contributions/earnings recorded for members.
2 Using a secure HMRC server as a means of exchanging data electronically with pension scheme administrators.
Police: Reorganisation
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans they have to initiate discussion on the merger of police forces in the United Kingdom. [HL759]
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The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The Secretary of State for the Home Department announced on 19 June that it was not his intention to proceed with the laying of orders to require the mergers of police forces.
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost for each of the police authorities in preparing the proposals and responses to the recent unsuccessful police merger plans. [HL760]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The amounts claimed at the Home Office's invitation for additional costs incurred on police merger planning and the amounts offered as a contribution towards those costs are set out in the attached table. My honourable friend the Minister of State for Policing, Security and Community Safety (Tony McNulty) provided these through a Written Ministerial Statement on 30 October 2006 in another place.
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