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15 Oct 2007 : Column WA33
15 Oct 2007 : Column WA33
15 Oct 2007 : Column WA33
Monday 15 October 2007
Afghanistan: Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Operational Mentor and Liaison Teams (OMLTs) the United Kingdom is currently providing to assist Afghan army units; how the OMLTs are structured; and what resources they have. [HL5342]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Drayson): The UK currently provides five operational mentoring and liaison teams (OMLTs) to 3 Brigade, 205 Corps Afghan National Army (ANA), one for each kandak (battalion). To reflect the structure of 3 Brigade, there are three infantry kandak OMLTs, one combat support kandak OMLT and one combat service support kandak OMLT. The OMLTs are predominantly drawn from a UK infantry battalion (currently the 1st Battalion the Grenadier Guards, soon to be 2nd Battalion the Yorkshire Regiment). The combined strength of the OMLTs is around 250 personnel.
The OMLTs have the same equipment levels as other UK battle groups in theatre and can call upon close air support and other fire support in the same way as other UK battle groups.
Armed Forces: Russia
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What recent attempts have been made by submarines and other vessels of the Russian navy to enter United Kingdom waters; and what has been their response to such attempts. [HL5339]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Drayson): The UN Convention of the Law of the Sea (1982) allows right of innocent passage to all warships through territorial waters provided it is not prejudicial to peace, good order or security of the coastal state. Submarines and other underwater vehicles are required to navigate on the surface and to show their flag. It is normal international practice to seek diplomatic clearance before warships enter or transit territorial waters.
In September the Russian destroyer Severomorsk was invited to enter UK waters to participate in a memorial ceremony. HMS Lancaster hosted Severomorsk while in UK territorial waters.
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Commonwealth Development Corporation
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the possible sale of the CDC, formerly known as the Commonwealth Development Corporation. [HL5348]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): Under the agreement made when CDC was restructured in 2004, a separate fund management organisation, Actis, was formed to make and manage investments using the majority of CDC's capital. CDC's agreement with Actis ends in 2008. Under the same agreement, CDC was also allowed to identify other fund managers. For both these reasons, and given the need to ensure that CDC continues to be effective and have maximum development impact for the poor, DfID is reviewing the situation now to allow decisions about the future to be made in good time. No decisions have yet been made.
Food: Chocolate
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking (a) to encourage chocolate companies to give more power to cocoa farmers by sourcing from farmers’ co-operatives, and (b) to reduce the complexity of the supply chain so that the farm-gate price can become a greater percentage of the international cocoa price. [HL5350]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): DfID supports international policy research and dialogue to increase knowledge and understanding of the contribution that co-operatives can make to empowering farmers to access markets. DfID is currently funding an International Labour Organisation (ILO) programme to build capacity for co-operative development across Africa.
DfID has in the past supported the Day Chocolate Company (now the Divine Chocolate Company), which sells Fairtrade chocolate in the UK market, to source cocoa from the Kuapa Kokoo Farmers Union, a Ghanaian cocoa farmers’ co-operative. DfID has also provided funds to facilitate the development of cooperative practices across Ghana through DCC's parent company Twin Trading.
House of Commons: Members Priority
Lord Greaves asked the Chairman of Committees:
Whether the decision of the House of Commons authorities that staff and other users should be prepared to give way to Members when queuing has any implications for Members of the House of Lords, for staff working in the House of Lords, or in any House of Lords facilities. [HL5524]
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The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): It is a general principle within the House of Lords that courtesy governs the use of the House’s facilities. It is hoped that this principle extends to the use by Members of the House of Lords of facilities located in the House of Commons.
I have received no indication from the House of Commons authorities of any change affecting use by Members of the House of Lords of Commons facilities.
Iraq: Refugees
Lord Fowler asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much financial aid they have given to help refugees caused by the conflict in Iraq in (a) 2003; (b) 2004; (c) 2005; (d) 2006; and (e) 2007 to date; and what amounts they have provided to different organisations working in Iraq; and [HL5344]
What requests for help they have received from the Governments of Jordan and Syria to deal with the refugee problem caused by the Iraq conflict; and what response they have made; and [HL5345]
Further to the answer by Baroness Amos on 11 June (Official Report, col. 1463) that £744 million had been contributed since 1983 to the refugee problem caused by the Iraq conflict, whether they will provide a breakdown of this figure. [HL5347]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): In her answer on 11 June, Baroness Amos referred to the £744 million the UK has pledged for development and reconstruction in Iraq since 2003. This includes contributions from DfID, FCO, MoD, the Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) and the UK's share of EC funding. Some £125 million of the £744 million has been explicitly in contributions for humanitarian assistance for vulnerable Iraqis, including those who have been displaced internally or sought refuge in other countries in the region.
The UK has not received any direct requests from the Governments of Jordan and Syria for help to deal with the influx of Iraqi refugees to these countries. DfID has, however, supported internationally mandated humanitarian organisations providing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Iraqis, including refugees.
The UK has made the following disbursements since 2003, specifically for internally and externally displaced Iraqis:
| £ Sterling | |||
| Year | ICRC | UNHCR | IOM |
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North Korea: Aid
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with the European Commission about budget lines available for programmes in North Korea. [HL5386]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): The DPRK is currently eligible for assistance only from the food security budget line. However, following discussions with the Commission on 5 September we have been told that funds under the “non-state actors and local authorities in development thematic programmes” budget line might also become available, given that between 2007 and 2010 about €450 million will be available through this budget line for country interventions identified by EC delegations through a call for proposals.
The DPRK is potentially also eligible to receive support from the EC's Development Co-operation Instrument's geographic programme, but only once political conditions allow.
Northern Ireland Assembly: Policing and Justice
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are working to a specific timescale for the devolution of policing and justice to the Northern Ireland Assembly. [HL5312]
Lord Rooker: The precise timing for the completion of devolution is, under the terms of Section 4 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998, a matter for the parties in the Assembly and then for Parliament to decide. However, the British and Irish Governments made it clear in the St Andrews agreement that they believed it should be possible for the necessary community confidence to be built to enable the Assembly to request the devolution of policing and justice by May 2008.
The Government are therefore committed to being ready to complete devolution in May 2008, should the Assembly so request.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons are currently imprisoned following conviction for offences under the Immigration Acts; and how many of those are serving custodial sentences for trafficking of persons or the exploitation of persons for work or prostitution. [HL5353]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Data held centrally on the offences committed by sentenced prisoners are not sufficiently detailed to identify those serving sentences for offences under the Immigration Acts.
Taxation: Non-domiciled Taxpayers
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many United Kingdom resident taxpayers made a claim relevant to their income tax or capital gains tax liability to have been non-domiciled in the United Kingdom by completing box 9.5 of the non-resident pages of the income tax return form for the tax year 2005-06; and [HL5333]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The last full year's data relate to 2004-05, in which there were 115,000 non-domiciles completing box 9.5. HMRC's live systems show the latest figure (as at August 2007) for 2005-06 is 114,000 non-domiciles. This figure is expected to increase as more returns are processed.
Domicile is a general law concept and the principles that determine whether someone is domiciled within the UK or not are outside of tax legislation. Tax law merely sets out the implications for liability to tax of an individual's domicile status. Individuals not domiciled within the UK have been subject to different taxation rules to those domiciled within the UK in respect of income since 1914 (when the Finance Act 1914 introduced reform of the taxation of foreign income), since 1965 for capital gains tax (the year the tax was introduced) and 1986 for inheritance tax (the year that that tax was introduced).
15 Oct 2007 : Column WA38
Zimbabwe: Aid
Lord Blaker asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the value of the aid they have given to Zimbabwe in each of the last six years to the latest available date. [HL5391]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): Details of the UK's bilateral assistance and imputed multilateral assistance to Zimbabwe over the last six years for which data are available are laid out in the tables below. Since 2003, none of our aid has been given through the Government of Zimbabwe but has been directed instead through the UN and NGOs.
| Table 1: UK Total Bilateral Gross Public Expenditure on Development in Zimbabwe 2001-02 to 2006-07, (£ thousands) | |
| Financial Year | Bilateral Expenditure |
| Table 2: Imputed UK Share of Multilateral Aid to Zimbabwe for 2000 to 2005 (£ thousands) | |
| Calendar Year | Imputed aid |
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