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Flooding: Insurance
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of homes are insured for flood damage to the property and to the contents respectively in properties that are (a) owner-occupied; (b) rented in the private sector; (c) rented from local authorities; and (d) rented from housing associations and other "third sector" providers; and what action they are taking to increase these proportions. [HL5482]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Nearly all household insurance in the UK includes cover against flooding as standard. The Office for National Statistics publishes information on family spending, which enables the proportion of households in different income categories with structural and contents insurance to be estimated. However, breakdown of these data by housing tenure is not available.
The Government have asked the Financial Inclusion Taskforce to work with the insurance industry to develop options for promoting increased take-up of key insurance products among financially excluded households. The Government will consider the taskforce's recommendations, in developing their detailed action plan for financial inclusion, later this year.
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are holding or plan to hold discussions with the Association of British Insurers (ABI) over their announcement that they are conducting an in-depth review of the 2007 summer floods across the United Kingdom as part of their forthcoming review of the ABI statement of principles on the provision of flood insurance. [HL5483]
Lord Rooker: Ministerial colleagues and officials are in regular contact with the insurance industry and the Association of British Insurers. We are working together with the mutual aim of ensuring continued widespread availability of flood insurance cover through the association's statement of principles. As part of this we will be undertaking some joint work over the coming months to review the statement of principles.
Flooding: Thames Barrier
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
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The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The Environment Agency is currently undertaking its “Thames Estuary 2100” project to deliver a flood risk management plan for the tidal Thames through to the end of the century.
It will recommend what will be required to manage increasing flood risk, and when it will be required, depending on the impacts of climate change. An assessment of the current estuary defences, including the Thames Barrier, and the options for future flood risk management will be included in this research.
The project is due to report its recommendations to the Government at the end of 2009. Findings currently indicate that the defences provide a better standard of protection than previously understood and so are unlikely to require any major changes until after 2030.
Government: Air Travel
Baroness Sharp of Guildford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether any guidance is issued to civil servants in relation to the choice of class for air travel. [HL5608]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Civil Service Management Code states:
“Departments and agencies must ensure staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities”.
The code is available at www.civilservice.gov.uk/publications/pdf/csmc_june06.pdf
Baroness Sharp of Guildford asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many senior civil servants are eligible to travel first class rather than business class when travelling long distance by air. [HL5609]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Data on the number of senior civil servants eligible for first-class air travel are not collected centrally by the Civil Service. The Civil Service Management Code states:
“Departments and agencies must ensure that staff use the most efficient and economic means of travel in the circumstances, taking into account any management benefit or the needs of staff with disabilities”.
The code is available at www.civilservice.gov.uk/publications/pdf/csmc_june06.pdf.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Lord Jenkin of Roding asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Department of Health's response to the letter of 14 August from Mrs Harriet Bullock of Southwold, Suffolk, the widow of a National Health Service patient infected with contaminated National Health Service blood products, informed her that
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): I am very sorry that the reply from the department to Mrs Bullock to her letter of 9 July was open to misinterpretation. The letter was prepared by the customer service centre, using information supplied by the department's blood policy team, but did not fully reflect the department's dealings with the Archer inquiry. No criticism of the Archer inquiry team was intended in the reply of 14 August. An apology for the unfortunate wording of the original reply was sent to Mrs Bullock on 17 September and this was copied to the inquiry team.
Our officials are co-operating fully with the Archer inquiry team, and have met with them twice, on 25 April and 19 September. In addition, we are releasing copies of official documents from 1970 to 1985 to assist their inquiries. It is expected that the final batch of documents will be released by the end of October.
House of Lords: Guests' Dress Code
Lord Laird asked the Chairman of Committees:
Further to the Written Answer on 22 October (WA 83) concerning the dress code of guests in the House of Lords, whether he will draw the attention of Members and appropriate staff to the dress code and the case for maintaining standards. [HL5712]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): I have asked the House authorities to remind staff of their role in advising Members and their guests of the agreed dress code in the Peers' Dining Room, the Guest Dining Room, the Guest Room bar and the Barry Room. I will also issue a reminder of the rules in the next edition of the Red Benches newsletter for Members.
IRA
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proof they have that the Irish Republican Army has ceased criminal activities in Northern Ireland. [HL5680]
Lord Rooker: Successive Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) reports have made it clear that the Irish Republican Army (IRA) has eschewed violence, is committed to the political path and that the leadership is firm in its implementation of this strategy.
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The 15th IMC report stated that the Provisional IRA as an organisation continued not to be involved in other forms of criminal activity.
Marine Pilots
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
When the national occupational standards for the training of marine pilots were accredited; and when they will be brought into force. [HL5484]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: National occupational standards for marine pilots were accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority in July 2000 and are being used by competent harbour authorities, which are responsible for determining the qualifications required from persons applying for authorisation as a marine pilot.
Work is ongoing on the development of assessment criteria for the national occupational standard.
Markets Abuse Directive
Baroness Noakes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will publish the legal advice among the tripartite authorities about the operation of the Markets Abuse Directive to which the Governor of the Bank of England referred in giving evidence to the Treasury Select Committee. [HL5529]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Any such advice would be subject to legal privilege and would not be published.
National Anthem
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they issue central guidance on the playing of part or all of the national anthem when the Queen's representative attends a function. [HL5581]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport does not issue guidance on the playing of the national anthem when the Queen's representative attends a function. No statute law exists to regulate the national anthem or the occasions when it is played; this is solely a matter for the owners of premises or the organisers of an event.
Northern Ireland: Robert McCartney Murder
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been charged in connection with the murder of Robert McCartney in 2005 in Belfast. [HL5506]
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Lord Rooker: PSNI has advised that three people have been charged in connection with the murder of Robert McCartney. All three have been returned for trial.
Parliament: Fixed Terms
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ask the Electoral Commission or any other body to investigate and report on the desirability or otherwise of fixed-term Parliaments. [HL5441]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Government have no plans to ask the Electoral Commission or any other body to report on the issue of introducing fixed-term Parliaments for the UK legislature.
However, the Government are currently taking forward a wide-ranging constitutional debate, and the review that we are holding into the constitution will undoubtedly raise questions about issues such as the introduction of fixed-term Parliaments.
Police: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the current percentages of members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland who are (a) Roman Catholic; (b) female; (c) Muslims; (d) born in the Republic of Ireland. [HL5536]
Lord Rooker: I am advised by PSNI that the current percentages for regular officers as at 1 October 2007 are:
(a) Roman Catholic—23.02 per cent; (b) Female—21.70 per cent;(c) The PSNI currently meets statutory monitoring obligations in line with the Fair Employment and Treatment Order (NI) 1998, the Fair Employment (Monitoring) Regulations (NI) 1999 and the Police (NI) Act 2000, by monitoring community background. The PSNI holds data on members of the Police Service who are members of the Roman Catholic community and on those who are non-Catholic and on ethnic background. The PSNI does not monitor beyond these categories; and (d) Born in the Republic of Ireland—1.31 per cent.Sentencing: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to offer guidance to the judiciary in Northern Ireland about sentencing of convicts; and when such guidance was last offered. [HL5532]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The sentencing framework, that is the statutory range of sentences available to a judge in connection with particular offences, is a matter for the Government.
Constitutionally, it would not be appropriate for the Government to offer guidance to the judiciary on sentencing in individual cases.
The Northern Ireland Court of Appeal delivers guideline judgments on sentencing practice and procedure in Northern Ireland. These sentencing guideline cases encourage consistency in sentencing throughout the courts of Northern Ireland and support sentencers in their decision-making.
In addition, the Judicial Studies Board of Northern Ireland publishes significant decided cases on its website (www.jsbni.com).
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Waste Management: Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much each local authority has paid in penalties for failure to meet their respective targets as set out under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme in each year since the introduction of the scheme. [HL5463]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Since the introduction of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, all waste disposal authorities have met their obligation not to landfill biodegradable municipal waste in excess of allowances held in a scheme-year and, therefore, none have been liable to penalties.
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