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29 Jan 2008 : Column WA109
| Blackburn with Darwen | ||
| Financial Year | Amount Awarded | Number of grants |
Lottery grants have been awarded by the Big Lottery Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Sport England, Arts Council England, UK Film Council and UK Sport. Details of each grant individually could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Official Visits: Secretary of State for Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the purpose of the visits by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to the United States; who the Secretary of State met; what Northern Ireland Office officials were present; and how much the officials' visit to the United States cost. [HL1152]
Lord Rooker: The United States continues to make a vital contribution to the peace process in Northern Ireland. As such it is important that my right honourable friend maintains regular contact with the US administration, key political interests and other influential opinion formers in order to help sustain their support for the peace process and critically achieve Stage 2 devolution. Such visits also enable my right honourable friend to support the devolved administration in the crucial area of attracting inward investment in Northern Ireland.
The Secretary of State was supported by a private secretary, the NIO political director and, on the visits in July and October, by the director of communications. For details of costs I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 28 January (Official Report, cols. WA 86-87).
Prisoners: Self-harm
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures are being taken in Northern Ireland to identify prisoners, including those on remand, who are vulnerable to self-harm or suicide; whether they are improving mental health assessments of prisoners on initial reception and after sentencing; and what are the implications for observing vulnerable prisoners while they are in their cells. [HL1124]
Lord Rooker: The Prison Service has introduced a considerable number of recent improvements and new initiatives in order to identify and support prisoners who are vulnerable to self-harm and suicide.
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I will write to the noble Lord setting out the detail of these improvements and I will make arrangements for a copy of my letter to be placed in the Library.
Prisons: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 14 January (WA 241) concerning Christmas leave for prisoners in Northern Ireland, who the two prisoners who returned to prison late were; and what punishment they received. [HL1411]
Lord Rooker: David Patrick Conboy, who was due back on 28 December, was returned to custody on 6 January, when he had been unlawfully at large for eight days. His date of release has accordingly been extended by eight days.
Phillip Ronald Gray, who was due back on 2 January, was returned to custody on 8 January, when he had been unlawfully at large for five days. His date of release has accordingly been extended by five days.
Both inmates have been charged under Prison Rules although their adjudications are currently adjourned as their cases have been referred to the PSNI with a view to prosecution. Both inmates have also forfeited the remainder of their home leave quotas.
Railways: East Coast Main Line
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will discuss with Network Rail and National Express East Coast whether further car parking provision is required for passengers on the East Coast Main Line between Leeds and London. [HL1470]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport specified that proposals to increase car parking for stations on the East Coast Main Line should be addressed during the replacement of the InterCity East Coast franchise that was undertaken during 2007. Details of the invitation to tender were published on the department’s website on 12 November 2007.
The winning bidder, National Express, has committed to increasing car parking spaces as part of its contractual obligations. Up to 2,000 more car parking spaces are to be provided by the end of the seven-year franchise with half of these expected within the first two years. Spaces will be provided at Wakefield Westgate and other stations between Leeds and London.
Railways: Electrification
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 11 December 2007 (WA 29), in view of the long-term nature of a railway electrification process, what would be the effect on the business case for railway electrification if the cost of oil was forecast at $200 a barrel in 2020 and passenger and freight train traffic continued to grow in line with the trends over the last five years. [HL1510]
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Lord Bassam of Brighton: A sustained rise in the cost of oil to $200 a barrel in 2020 would improve the business case for railway electrification, with the extent of any improvement depending on the specific scheme. However, any decision on electrification would need to take account of its effect on the implementation of the programme now being worked up to deliver the capacity improvements set out in the high-level output specification as part of the July rail White Paper.
Railways: Woodhead Tunnel
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will ensure that the Woodhead Tunnel is maintained in such a way that it could be reopened as part of any future expansion of the passenger and freight rail network. [HL1526]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: National Grid is installing a new transmission in the newer Woodhead Tunnel and this will need to be maintained to an appropriate standard. The older Woodhead tunnels will be sealed. National Grid's proposal would not preclude future consideration of reopening the route for rail use.
Regulators: Criminal Prosecutions
Lord Lyell of Markyate asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of (a) the British Hallmarking Council; (b) the Coal Authority; (c) the Compensation Commission; (d) the Office of Communications; and (e) the Office of Fair Trading, how many criminal prosecutions were brought by that regulator for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and, of those cases, how many gave rise to a conviction. [HL1374]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): (a) British Hallmarking Council—No criminal prosecutions or convictions in the last three years.
(b) Coal Authority—No criminal prosecutions or convictions in the last three years.
(c) Compensation Commission—We presume this was supposed to be referring to the “Competition Commission”, in which case there have been no criminal prosecutions or convictions in the last three years.
| Year | Prosecutions | Convictions |
(e) Office of Fair Trading—The OFT has not brought any criminal prosecutions in the last three
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Lord Lyell of Markyate asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of (a) the Football Licensing Authority; (b) the Gambling Commission; and (c) the Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England, how many criminal prosecutions were brought by that regulator for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and, of those cases, how many gave rise to a conviction. [HL1375]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Within each of the last three years no criminal prosecutions were brought by (a) the Football Licensing Authority or (b) the Gambling Commission (prior to 1 September 2007 neither the Gambling Commission or its predecessor the Gaming Board held powers of prosecution). The Historic Buildings and Monuments Commission for England (c) has brought one prosecution within this period which led to a conviction.
Lord Lyell of Markyate asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many criminal prosecutions were brought by the Information Commissioner for each of the last three years for which figures are available; and, of those cases, how many gave rise to a conviction. [HL1392]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The information requested is in the following table:
| Data Protection Act | Freedom of Information | |||
Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the letter from Lord Jones of Birmingham to Lord Berkeley dated 18 December 2007 regarding the Second Reading of the Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill has not been placed in the Library of the House, as the letter itself states. [HL1463]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): I regret the delay in depositing your letter in the Libraries of the House due to an administrative oversight. The papers were placed in the Libraries on 17 January.
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