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30 Jan 2008 : Column WA117
30 Jan 2008 : Column WA117
30 Jan 2008 : Column WA117
Wednesday 30 January 2008
Arts: Funding
Lord Denham asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual subsidy per seat of each of the producing theatres funded by Arts Council England in London and the regions, for the last year for which figures are available; and what is the total seat capacity of each of those theatres. [HL1230]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for it. Arts Council England has said that information on individual theatres is confidential and commercially sensitive.
The average subsidy per ticket available in 2005-06 was £5.82. The total number of tickets available for 2005-06 was 7,437,000.
Lord Denham asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the annual subsidy per seat actually sold in the producing theatres funded by Arts Council England in London and the regions, for the last year for which figures are available; and what is the total seat capacity of those theatres. [HL1231]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Arts Council operates at arm's length from the Government and decisions about which arts organisations to fund are entirely for them. Arts Council England have said that information on individual theatres is confidential and commercially sensitive.
The average subsidy per seat sold in 2005-06 was £8.76. The total number of tickets available for 2005-06 was 7,437,000.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
What support they intend to give to retired miners and widows of miners in the British Coal litigation seeking to pursue complaints against their former solicitors, having regard to the finding of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner's Special Report: Investigation into the handling of Coal Health Compensation Scheme complaints by the Legal Complaints Service and the Solicitors Regulation Authority that “a catalogue of systematic administrative failures and poor management controls were identified” on the part of the Legal Complaints Service; and [HL1440]
What support they intend to give to retired miners and widows of miners in the British Coal litigation seeking to pursue complaints against their former solicitors, having regard to the findings of the Legal
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What support they intend to give to retired miners and widows of miners in the British Coal litigation seeking to pursue complaints against their former solicitors, having regard to the findings of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner's Special Report: Investigation into the handling of Coal Health Compensation Scheme complaints by the Legal Complaints Service and the Solicitors Regulation Authority that “The Legal Complaints Service could not provide a complete list of miners' complaints it had received” and that “overall almost 5 per cent of all miners complaints received by the Legal Complaints Service could not be accounted for”; and [HL1442]
What support they intend to give to retired miners and widows of miners in the British Coal litigation seeking to pursue complaints against their former solicitors, having regard to the finding of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner's Special Report: Investigation into the handling of Coal Health Compensation Scheme complaints by the Legal Complaints Service and the Solicitors Regulation Authority that on conduct investigations, and notwithstanding several requests, the Solicitors Regulation Authority had only provided “limited and incomplete information”; and [HL1443]
What support they intend to give to retired miners and widows of miners in the British Coal litigation seeking to pursue complaints against their former solicitors, having regard to the finding of the Legal Services Complaints Commissioner's Special Report: Investigation into the handling of Coal Health Compensation Scheme complaints by the Legal Complaints Service and the Solicitors Regulation Authority that “The small number of referrals made to the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal is a disappointing result given the gravity and extent of the misconduct involved” and that those referrals which had been made by the Solicitors Regulation Authority were taking between 15 and 26 months, which the Commissioner found to be “too long”. [HL1444]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Complaints about solicitors are a matter for the Law Society rather than Government, since the legal profession is independent. However the Government believe that it is important that miners who complain to the Law Society about their claims under the coal health compensation scheme get the level of service and compensation that they deserve. The Government therefore seek regular updates from the Law Society to ensure that progress is being made in continually improving the service, and are awaiting a detailed response from the Law Society to the Legal Services Complaints Commission Special Report.
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The Government take a close interest in this issue. Bridget Prentice and Malcolm Wicks sent a joint letter to all the solicitors involved in the scheme to remind them again of their obligations to pay back money to claimants where this was taken without their consent.
The Government plan to provide details of claimants under the Coal Health Compensation Scheme to enable the Law Society to further raise awareness among retired miners following the success of the Rother Valley pilot. This will be on a phased basis over the next 12 months.
Last summer's Rother Valley pilot was a joint initiative between the LCS, Rother Valley MP Kevin Barron, and the DBERR. Former miners in the Rother Valley constituency received written invitations to information sessions in the constituency that were hosted by Mr Barron and attended by LCS caseworkers. This resulted in over 330 new complaints to the Legal Complaints Service.
The Government have legislated in the Legal Services Act 2007 to create an independent Office for Legal Complaints, which will remove complaints handling from the legal professional bodies. It will also enable approved regulators to deal more effectively with cases of widespread wrongdoing in the future.
Broadcasting: Children's Television
Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will continue to fund the Pygmalion programme which provides specific training for writers and producers of children's television. [HL1034]
Lord Davies of Oldham: To date, Performing Arts Labs (PAL), the company which organises Pygmalion, has secured funds from bodies such as Skillset (the Sector Skills Council for Audiovisual industries) and the Arts Council. A grant from Skillset is still active and will be fully drawn down by 31 January 2008. While the Government do not fund programmes like this directly, PAL will continue to be eligible for funds from both the Arts Council and Skillset in the future.
Climate Change: London Low Emissions Zone
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the introduction of the London low emission zone, whether they intend to monitor improvements in air quality in the coming weeks.[HL1553]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Formal monitoring of the performance of the London low emission zone is a function of the London Mayor and Transport for London, and there are no plans for the Government to report on this separately.
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The Government currently operate 15 automatic air quality monitoring sites in London, the data from which are posted on a public access website within hours of their collection. In addition, a more extensive network of monitoring sites is operated by the London boroughs, and these are collectively maintained, and their data gathered, by the Environmental Research Group (ERG) at King's College London.
There are no plans to expand or alter this network in light of the introduction of the London low emission zone, and any significant change in air quality, due to the zone or otherwise, will be picked up by the network.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the question by Lord Alton of Liverpool on 3 December (Official Report, col 1548—9) in connection with the use of the hamster test in research and treatment, whether a licence is needed to use the hamster test for treatment as well as for research; whether it is the intention that paragraph 1(1)(f) of Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 will require a licence for treatment, and paragraph 3(5) for research; and whether the test has been used without a licence; and [HL903]
Whether in vitro fertilisation clinics have been required to inform patients that their sperm is being examined or tested according to Schedule 2, paragraph 1(1)(f) or Schedule 2, paragraph 3(5) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; and whether sperm function has been tested in this way without the knowledge or specific consent of the patient. [HL1008]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Section 4(1)(c) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 prohibits the mixing of human and animal gametes without a licence. Under paragraph 1 of Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) can, under a treatment licence, permit the mixing of human sperm with animal eggs. Such a licence must specify that the activity is permitted.
A treatment licence issued from the HFEA does not as standard permit the practice of mixing human sperm with hamster eggs and any application made for a treatment licence must specify that they wish to undertake this procedure for the licence to contain such permissions.
The HFEA has no knowledge of anyone undertaking this procedure without the relevant licence being in place and although there is no specific requirement in the 1990 Act for consent to be obtained, it is good practice and would be expected.
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Provisions in Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill seek to put in place a statutory requirement for effective consent to be obtained prior to the use of human sperm in this test.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 November (WA 78) and 18 December 2007 (WA 115), whether they will specify the relevant provisions of legislation in which all experiments that lack a compelling scientific rationale would already be prohibited. [HL1149]
Lord Darzi of Denham: Schedule 2, paragraph 3(2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, requires that the creation of embryos for research may not be licensed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority unless it is necessary or desirable for the purposes set out in that paragraph, or the purposes set out in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology (Research Purposes) Regulations 2001. Schedule 2, paragraph 3(6) states that no licence under this paragraph [research licences] shall be granted unless the authority is satisfied that any proposed use of embryos is necessary for the purposes of the research.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority therefore cannot permit the use of embryos in research unless the scientific rationale is one of the purposes as decided by Parliament, and the authority believes the use of embryos is necessary for that purpose.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 18 December 2007 (WA 116), whether they will specify the relevant provisions of legislation that would prevent the Home Office from permitting the implantation into an animal of any interspecies embryo in which the animal cells primarily produce extra-embryonic tissues.[HL1150]
Lord Darzi of Denham: Before granting a licence the Secretary of State is required to consult one of the Home Office inspectors appointed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 (ASPA). The Secretary of State may also seek advice on applications from an independent assessor and/or the Animal Procedures Committee (the statutory advisory committee established by ASPA).
A number of categories of licence application are automatically referred to the Animal Procedures Committee for advice. These include applications of any kind raising contentious issues, or giving rise to serious societal concerns (for example involving the creation of embryos through tetraploid complementation using human material).
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Advice is sought from independent assessors in cases involving highly specialised science, and where there are significant animal welfare concerns or concern as to the likelihood of success or about the approach being taken.
Section 5 of ASPA allows the Secretary of State discretion when reaching licensing decisions. It is not sufficient that an application satisfies the requirements of the Act for it to be granted. Using this discretion, the Secretary of State can adopt policies that certain categories of work will not be licensed. There are several examples of this such as the use of great apes and the testing of alcohol and tobacco products.
Environmental Protection: Aarhus Convention
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 January (WA 13—14), when they will report on the measures they have taken to comply with Article 9(4) of the Aarhus Convention. [HL1543]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The report is available on the Defra website and can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/environment/internat/aarhus/index.htm.
Euro
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will provisionally discuss with representatives of the eurozone and the European Central Bank a possible application for United Kingdom membership of the eurozone. [HL1574]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Government's policy on membership of the single currency is unchanged. It remains as set out by the then Chancellor in his Statement to the House of Commons in October 1997, and again in the Statement on the five tests assessment in June 2003.
The then Chancellor announced in Budget 2007 that, “the Government do not propose a euro assessment to be initiated at the time of this Budget”. The Treasury will again review the situation at the next Budget as required by the June 2003 Statement.
Fluoridation
Earl Baldwin of Bewdley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 November (WA 78) (a) what steps they will take to ensure that parents know to ask the Department of Health or the British Fluoridation Society about the appropriate fluoride content of
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Whether, in the light of the concerns about dental fluorosis and other possible health effects referred to in the reports on fluoridation by the NHS Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York in 2000 and the National Research Council of the US National Academy of Sciences in 2006 and of the increase of fluoride in the general environment since the present concentration of 1 part per million (ppm) was established over 40 years ago, they will consider lowering the fluoride concentration in the United Kingdom water fluoridation schemes to 0.8 ppm as suggested in the “York review”, or alternatively to 0.7 ppm as recently implemented in the Republic of Ireland. [HL893]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): We are not aware of any risk to overall health associated with the use of fluoridated water to reconstitute infant formula milk. Should they wish, parents can obtain data on the fluoride content of their local water supply from their local water service providers. A list of these and contact numbers can be found on the National Fluoride Information Centre (NFIC) website at www.fluorideinformation.com/default1.aspx.
If parents living in fluoridated areas are concerned about reconstituting infant formula milk with optimally fluoridated water they could use bottled water with low fluoride content for making up the milk. Alternatively, ready-made milk formula is available from all supermarkets.
We have established the National Fluoride Information Centre at the University of Manchester to provide independent and unbiased objective information on all aspects of fluoride and fluoridation, which it makes available through its website.
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