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The Department for Education and Skills is developing good practice guidance on multi-agency transition planning, which will be made available early in 2007. A series of regional seminars on transition later in the year will help to spread local good practice and raise awareness of available regional support and expertise.
EU: Citizenship
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What progress has been made on the European Union’s proposal to review the decision to promote active European citizenship. [HL1768]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The European Union’s proposal to renew the decision to promote active European citizenship, the Europe for Citizens programme, was adopted on 11 December 2006. The programme entered into force on 1 January 2007.
EU: Enlargement
Lord Monson asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the call by the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, speaking at the Fabian Society on 24 January, for Georgia, Ukraine, Moldova, Armenia and Azerbaijan to be considered for European Union membership, whether they have made an assessment of how far east and south the boundaries of the European Union should extend. [HL1827]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): Article 49 of the Treaty on European Union states that any European country may apply for membership if it respects the principles of liberty, democracy, respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and the rule of law. The Government believe that enlargement has proved our strongest tool for spreading stability and prosperity in Europe and that it is right to keep open the possibility of eventual membership for the European countries to the east and south of the EU, provided that they meet the membership conditions. My right honourable friend the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, did not say that those countries should be “considered for EU membership”.
EU: Withdrawal
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, under international treaties presently in force, the United Kingdom would have the legal power to withdraw from the European Union if Her Majesty's Government or Parliament so resolved. [HL1863]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): Parliament may amend or repeal any existing Act of Parliament, including the European Communities Act 1972. There is no formal procedure for withdrawal in the EU treaties, nor are there any provisions in the treaties or any other international obligations which affect the ultimate ability of the UK to withdraw from the EU. However, given that the UK has been a member of the EU for more than 25 years, and its laws and economy are intricately bound up with those of the EU, the Government would in practice have to negotiate the terms of any departure over a lengthy period.
Freedom of Information
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they will publish in the Official Report the anonymised text of the following requests for information submitted to the Information Management Group of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office—(a) 1027-06; (b) 0004-07; (c) 0036-07; (d) 0039-07; and (e) 0049-07; and whether they will provide an explanation of the basis on which those requests were said to constitute requests for the “same or similar information”. [HL1698]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): The following are the texts of the five requests made under the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO).
I am writing to request information under the FOI Act 2000.
On 14 December 2006, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the FCO, Lord Triesman, said that: the British consulate-general in Hong Kong spoke to the Nepalese consul-general on 6 December explaining fully the criteria for applications (for British nationality) and he will be informing the Nepalese community what essential documentation is required to accompany applications (Official Report, col. WA 217).
I would like to be provided with the details provided to the Nepalese consul in Hong Kong, including what essential documentation is required to accompany applications for British nationality.
The requested information can be sent to me by post as follows.
I am writing to request information under the FOI Act 2000. The information that I am requesting is likely to be held by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong or centrally by the FCO.
Since February 2006, the British consulate-general in Hong Kong has been receiving requests for reconsideration of British citizenship applications, made under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997, which were in the past refused because of an incorrect interpretation of Indian citizenship law.
I would like to be provided with the following statistical information for the period February 2006 to December 2006:
(a) the number of reconsiderations requests received in the period, and
(b) of the reconsideration requests received in the period, the number of applications where the British citizenship certificate of the applicant has been received by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong for onward transmission to the applicant.
I would further like to be provided with details for February 2006 to December 2006:
(a) how many British citizenship certificates were received by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong which were defective in some way—for example, the personal particulars were recorded incorrectly—which made it necessary for the citizenship certificates to be returned to the Home Office to be corrected and reissued, and
(b) of the certificates returned to the Home Office to be corrected and reissued in the relevant month, how many have been received by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong for onward transmission to the applicant.
The information can be provided to me, in Excel or Word format, to this e-mail address or by post to:
I am writing to request information under the FOI Act 2000.
On 18 October 2006, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the FCO, Lord Triesman, said that a file search for documents pertaining to the discussions between the United Kingdom and the Government of India, referred to by the Indian Minister of External Affairs in the Lok Sabha on 25 July 1991, concerning the future of British passport holders of Indian origin in Hong Kong had been initiated (Official Report, col. WA 187).
I would like to be provided with all information held pertaining to the file search, including the results of the file search and any documents that were found.
The requested information can be sent to me by post as follows:
I am writing to request information under the FOI Act 2000.
On 18 October 2006, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in the FCO, Lord Triesman, said that a file search for documents pertaining to representations received between 4 August 1995 and 4 February 1997 from the former governor of Hong Kong and Hong Kong legislative councillors concerning the future of the solely British ethnic minorities of Hong Kong had been initiated (Official Report, col. WA 187).
I would like to be provided with all information held pertaining to the file search, including the results of the file search and any documents that were found.
The requested information can be sent to me by post as follows:
I am writing to request information under the FOI Act 2000. The requested information is likely to be held by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong.
I would like to know how many British Overseas citizen passports have been issued by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong between 1 December 2006 and 15 January 2007.
Additionally, out of the British Overseas citizen passports that have been issued in Hong Kong between 1 December 2006 and 15 January 2007, I would like to know: (i) how many were renewals, and (ii) how many were first-time applications.
The requested information can be sent to me by post as follows:
Section 5 of the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004 states:
5(1) In circumstances in which this regulation applies, where two or more requests for information to which Section 1(1) of the 2000 Act would, apart from the appropriate limit, to any extent apply, are made to a public authority—
(b) by different persons who appear to the public authority to be acting in concert or in pursuance of a campaign,
the estimated cost of complying with any of the requests is to be taken to be the total costs which may be taken into account by the authority, under Regulation 4, of complying with all of them.
(2) This regulation applies in circumstances in which—
(a) the two or more requests referred to in paragraph (1) relate, to any extent, to the same or similar information, and
(b) those requests are received by the public authority within any period of 60 consecutive working days.
The five FOI requests were received from the same applicant within a period of 25 consecutive days and are considered to be requests for similar information as defined in subsection (2)(a) above, as they all closely refer to British nationality and passport-issuing matters relating to Hong Kong. The FCO believes that the aggregated cost of responding to all five requests, two of which consisted of more than one specific request for information, would have greatly exceeded the appropriate limit as set out in the Freedom of Information and Data Protection (Appropriate Limit and Fees) Regulations 2004.
The applicant has exercised his right under the provisions of the FOI Act to seek an internal review of the FCO’s decision to aggregate the costs of these requests. The FCO is currently reviewing its decision accordingly.
Gambling: Casinos
Viscount Astor asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Lord Davies of Oldham: Yes. The existing law contains some anomalies; for example, British-based casino operators are subject to much more stringent rules on where and how they can advertise than are overseas online gaming operators.
From September 2007, we are replacing the current piecemeal approach with one that is consistent, fair and includes a requirement on all operators to advertise responsibly.
Gulf War Illnesses
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 8 January (WA 21) about the case of Wing Commander Dr Derek Hall, what representations they have now received from Dr Hall about the Written Answer; what reply they are sending; whether, in light of Dr Hall’s willingness for the correspondence to be made public, they will place a copy in the Library of the House; and whether they will be taking any action as a result of Dr Hall’s representations to them. [HL1502]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): I can confirm that Dr Hall has written to me. Other than replying to his letter shortly, we are not planning to take any other action as a result of his letter. I will place copies of Dr Hall’s letter and our reply in the Library.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Truscott on 17 January (WA 157), what precedents there are for a Minister of the Crown to inform the Royal British Legion (RBL) by way of an Answer to a Parliamentary Question of an error in the minutes of a meeting of the RBL, or that of another voluntary organisation, without having consulted the organisation, when the minutes were confirmed as a correct record by those who attended; and whether they will apologise to the Royal British Legion in this instance.[HL1600]
Lord Drayson: The Answer on 17 January 2007 (Official Report, col. WA157), which was provided by me, not my noble friend Lord Truscott, made clear that the misunderstanding regarding the record of the Gulf War Group meeting of 5 September 2006 was resolved at the subsequent meeting of 7 December. It is our understanding that that closed the issue.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 8 January (WA21), what benefits British veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War, including those with illnesses which remain medically unexplained, have derived from (a) government monitoring; and (b) monitoring by the Medical Research Council of United States government-funded and other research in the United States into Gulf War illnesses; and from which specific projects, on what dates and with what practical effects such benefits were derived.[HL1601]
Lord Drayson: I can add nothing to the Answer that I gave my noble friend Lord Morris of Manchester on 8 January 2007 (Official Report, col. WA21).
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 23 January (WA222), what study they have made of the health effects of not complying, when vaccinating troops deployed to the 1990-91 Gulf War, with the guidance given to doctors on the product licence summary that the anthrax vaccine licensed by the Secretary of State for Health should be used alone; and what estimate they have made of the number of troops affected. [HL1647]
Lord Drayson: The Answer given on 9 October 2003 (Official Report, col. WA67-79) by my noble friend Lord Bach made clear that the guidance, both in 1990-91 and now, does not require that the anthrax vaccine be used alone. The overwhelming evidence from independent research into the combination of vaccines and tablets administered to UK forces at the time of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict is that they would not have had an adverse health effect.
Homelessness
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the homelessness directorate of the Home Office informs those being offered food and drink in Howick Place, SW1, opposite New Scotland Yard, about available hostel and other overnight accommodation; and [HL1563]
Whether the homelessness directorate of the Home Office is encouraging the appropriate health and social services professionals to take advantage of the opportunity provided by the nightly distribution of food and drink in Howick Place, SW1, to offer help to those who sleep on the streets in the Victoria area; and [HL1604]
Whether the homelessness directorate of the Home Office has conducted any investigation into whether the nightly offering of food and drink in Howick Place, SW1, has led to an increase or a decrease in the number of those sleeping on the streets in the Victoria area; and, if so, whether they will publish the results.[HL1652]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Government provide support and £6.5 million homelessness grant funding to Westminster City Council, which has responsibility for reducing rough sleeping in its area. The local authority and its partners believe that the proliferation of soup runs across the borough, such as those provided at Howick Place, is damaging to its rough sleeping strategy. The Government support the authority's strategy to provide the most effective help possible to reduce the number of rough sleepers in the borough.
Westminster operates building-based services (BBS) for rough sleepers inside buildings rather than on the streets to remove the incentive for people to appear on the streets as rough sleepers in order to access services. Outreach workers encourage people on the streets into BBS.
In Victoria, services are provided at the Passage day centre. These services address support needs, reconnect people to their home area and refer individuals to appropriate hostel accommodation. There are practical facilities, including food, showers and laundry; healthcare, including mental health and substance misuse services; training and employment services.
The Government’s success in tackling rough sleeping is based on interventions to change people’s lives for the better. Soup runs provide food to a wide range of people, only some of whom are homeless or in any form of housing need, and often contribute to street culture and draw new people into homelessness.
We are committed to sustaining reductions in the number of rough sleepers and to further reduce numbers in London. In 1998 there were 1,850 rough sleepers on the streets of England on any single night; in 2006 there were just over 500. The 2007 annual estimate of rough sleeping will be published in September.
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