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18 Dec 2007 : Column WA113
18 Dec 2007 : Column WA113
18 Dec 2007 : Column WA113
Tuesday 18 December 2007
Airports: Stansted
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What assistance the Department for Transport has provided to BAA with regard to its plans for the expansion of Stansted Airport. [HL927]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government’s support for expansion at Stansted—including maximising the use of the current runway and the construction of a second runway—is set out in the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper. BAA sits as an observer on the Department for Transport’s Stansted project board and is therefore present during discussions on project progress. This group manages the work that it is necessary for the Government to undertake in order to ensure the delivery of its policies relating to increased capacity at Stansted. BAA’s director of Stansted Generation 2 regularly meets senior officials in the department to update them on BAA’s progress towards submitting its planning application for a second runway. The department has engaged with BAA to ensure that BAA’s surface access modelling work complies with the department’s standards. The respective legal and policy teams have also met to discuss timetabling and to ensure that all the necessary legal procedures are on track.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What assessment they have made of the environmental impacts of the construction and operation of a second runway at Stansted airport. [HL929]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: For the 2003 Future of Air Transport White Paper, the department assessed and consulted on a range of environmental impacts associated with new runway options at Stansted. Since then, BAA has carried out a detailed appraisal of the impacts of a proposed second runway and is close to being able to submit a planning application for this. As part of this assessment, the department has worked with BAA to examine the impacts of a second runway on the strategic road and rail networks.
Asylum Seekers: Unaccompanied Children
Baroness Tonge asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What arrangements are in place for the reception of returned unaccompanied asylum-seeker children; and what monitoring methods are in place. [HL792]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): A case owner who is seeking to return a child will work closely with
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Arrangements vary from case to case and country to country but are usually that a parent, guardian or other person who can be trusted to care for the child’s welfare will be able to meet the child at the port of arrival and care for them thereafter. This case-by-case consideration means that a formal system of monitoring is not considered necessary.
Banking: Loss of Tax Revenue
Baroness Miller of Hendon asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is their estimate of the reduction in tax revenue arising from United Kingdom banks and other institutions in the current fiscal year that will result from the losses in the American mortgage market, collateralised debt obligations and similar financial instruments. [HL980]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Table B8 of the 2007 Pre-Budget Report and Comprehensive Spending Review (Cm 7227) contains an updated estimate for the main components of public sector receipts for the current fiscal year, as well as the changes to the estimates of individual taxes since Budget 2007. These changes include the allowance made in the Pre-Budget Report for the impact of financial market turbulence on receipts from corporation tax and income tax and national insurance contributions, along with other factors. Updated estimates for tax receipts will be provided in Budget 2008.
Benefits: Personal Care
Baroness Thomas of Winchester asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What safeguards are in place to protect recipients of personal care budgets, who thereby become employers, from contravening employment laws. [HL1032]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Individuals have been able to have a cash payment, called a direct payment, in lieu of a social care service since 1997. With a direct payment, an individual can choose to contract directly with individuals or purchase services from agencies. If someone decides to employ a personal assistant directly (even for only a few hours a week), they have the same legal responsibilities as any employer has towards their employee.
We know that these sorts of responsibilities—for example, paying tax and national insurance and arranging liability insurance and the provision of statutory leave entitlements—can be a barrier to the
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Community Leadership Fund
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What are the assessment criteria for grants from the Community Leadership Fund; whether these include delivery impact; if so, what is meant by that term; who are the assessors; and whether they include persons who are theologically qualified and who have experience and knowledge of local Muslim and other communities. [HL907]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The assessment criteria for awarding grants from the Community Leadership Fund are:
the extent to which the proposal aligns with the stated objectives of the fund;the level of change that the proposed work will realise and the value for money; andthe capacity of the applicant to deliver the proposed work.All applicants will also be checked to ensure that they meet the terms of the statutory authority under which the grants are made (the Charities Act 2006) and government financial requirements.
Funding decisions are taken by the Secretary of State on the advice of a panel of civil servants. Experienced and knowledgeable advice on Islam, Muslim communities and other communities is provided by three Muslim community advisers engaged by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Each project funded by the Community Leadership Fund is evaluated individually against the project activities and the measures for effectiveness agreed at the start of that project.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 23 October (WA 100—1) and 21 November (WA 78) regarding relevant paragraphs in the Declaration of Helsinki and guidelines produced by the International Society for Stem Cell Research, whether they will seek to enshrine in primary legislation a simple prohibition of all such experiments that lack a compelling scientific rationale. [HL588]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 21 November 2007 (Official Report, col. WA78) to an identical Question from his Lordship.
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Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 November (Official Report, col. WA 132) regarding the scope of Clause 4(2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, whether, if this clause may cover techniques that require implantation of an embryo in a womb following injection of human embryonic stem cells into an embryo of another species in which the animal cells primarily produce extra-embryonic tissues so as to create a substantially human organism, it is envisaged that the 14-day limit may no longer necessarily apply. [HL701]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill provides that no embryo other than a permitted embryo may be implanted in a woman. This would mean that any embryo containing any animal material, even when that animal material would be destined to become extra-embryonic tissue, is prohibited from implantation into a woman. The Home Office would not permit the implantation of such an embryo into an animal. This reflects the Government’s commitment to a ban on reproductive cloning.
If greater regulatory control over this activity was shown to be necessary in future, then the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill provides the power to extend the remit of the 1990 Act, through the regulation-making power provided by new Section 4A(5)(e).
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 November (WA 131) and 3 December (WA 159) regarding the need for fully informed consent on the part of women donating eggs for research, whether they will describe how the risks of adverse clinical effects associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome that were released by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority during its consultation in 2006 differed from those described in guidelines produced by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists in September 2006; and [HL770]
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 November (WA 131) and 3 December (WA 159) regarding the need for fully informed consent on the part of women donating eggs for research, whether they will describe the incidents in which adverse clinical effects associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) have been recorded by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority at each respective licensed centre; and whether treatment has always been discontinued whenever OHSS was or is suspected. [HL771]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' Green-top Guideline No.5, on the management of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS), contains detailed information on the symptoms, diagnosis and classification of severity of OHSS. This is a markedly different document from
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Information on the incidents of adverse clinical effects associated with OHSS occurring in each HFEA licensed centre, and whether treatment was discontinued where OHSS was suspected, is not routinely collectedly by the HFEA. However, I have asked the HFEA to make an analysis of the incident reports referred to in my Answer given on 5 December (Official Report, col. WA196) and I will write to the noble Lord with the result, and place a copy in the Library.
Fire and Rescue Service: FiReControl
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is the current estimated total cost for the delivery of the FiReControl project; how this figure compares to estimates made in (a) 2004; (b) 2005; and (c) 2006; and what are the reasons for any variance between these figures, other than annual inflation. [HL843]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The 2007 FiReControl business case estimates total costs for the delivery of the FiReControl project to be £1.4 billion over 15 years (2004-05 to 2019-20). The outline business case published in 2005 had previously estimated total costs to be £1 billion over 13 years (2004-05 to 2017-18). This variance is due to increased certainty on costs following the award of the IT contract and signing of the lease agreements, the addition of a further two years of running costs and annual inflation.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is the current estimated total cost for the delivery of information technology contracts required by the FiReControl project; and how this figure relates to the earliest-made estimate. [HL844]
Baroness Andrews: The current FiReControl full business case estimates the cost of procuring information technology at each regional control centre to be £11.5 million at 2006-07 prices. This compares with a figure of £9 million at 2005-06 prices in the outline business case published in 2005. The scope of the IT procurement expanded between the outline and full business case to include furniture, training, station-end equipment and implementation of an integrated risk management tool for the fire rescue and service.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
When each of the nine regional fire control centres will become operational; what is the anticipated start date for each centre; and whether each start date differs from the earliest-made estimate for each centre. [HL845]
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Baroness Andrews: The forecast go-live dates for each of the nine region control centres are:
October 2009—east Midlands, north-east and south-west
January 2011—Yorkshire and Humberside
Estimates for the regional rollout order and earliest achievable dates for all the nine regions were first published in November 2004. When this information was published, it was made clear that it was indicative and there was a high degree of uncertainty around the dates. The rollout dates have been refined as the technology and accommodation procurements have progressed.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What is the present estimated capital cost required for the creation of each regional control centre; and how this figure relates to the earliest-made estimate for each centre. [HL847]
Baroness Andrews: There are no capital costs required for each regional control centre because the land and buildings for the RCCs have been procured under the private developer schemes and will be leased by the local authority companies.
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they will publish a detailed list of the capital assets realised to date from the implementation of the FiReControl project. [HL848]
Baroness Andrews: The FiReControl project will produce two types of capital assets: the buildings, which will be leased by the regional control centre companies, and the infrastructure, which will provide the networked call-handling and mobilising functionality. Three buildings have reached practical completion: east Midlands, north-east and south-west. We are currently working with EADS Defence & Security Systems Ltd in developing the infrastructure, and the first element—the data migration toolkit—will be completed shortly.
Government: Agencies
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
What services that were delivered or provided by local authorities in 1997 are now delivered or provided by agencies or bodies at a regional level. [HL227]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Regional assemblies have been designated in accordance with the provisions of the
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