Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
What provisions are in place to encourage brothel owners to approach the police with evidence of trafficking in women. [HL2696]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): We would encourage anyone with evidence of human trafficking to report their suspicions to the police either directly or via Crimestoppers, which provides a confidential way of reporting any concerns held.
However, there are no provisions in place that are aimed specifically at those who manage or assist in the management of a brothel, which in itself is an offence under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 and is often used in cases of trafficking for sexual exploitation.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prosecutions for trafficking there have been under UK Pentameter 2; and how that compares with UK Pentameter 1. [HL2697]
Lord West of Spithead: Pentameter 2 is still ongoing. Operational results will be released following the completion of the operation.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Of the 134 people charged under UK Pentameter 1, how many were convicted; and what sentences they received. [HL2698]
Lord West of Spithead: It is not possible to separate those whose convictions result from Pentameter and those who have been arrested and convicted outside of the timescale of that particular operation.
However, there have been 75 convictions for human trafficking offences to date.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord West of Spithead: Operation Pentameter 2 is still ongoing. The operational deployment of officers is a matter for the chief constables of each force and as such the Home Office does not hold this information centrally.
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 26 February (WA 118), what is their social welfare policy on polygamous marriages. [HL2229]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The current rules for paying income-related social security benefits to people in a polygamous marriage have been in place since 1988 when income support was introduced. They reflect the fact that polygamy is only recognised in UK law in circumstances where the marriage ceremony has been performed in a country whose laws permit polygamy, and the parties to the marriage were domiciled there at the time of the marriage.
Contributory benefits based on spousal contributions are generally not payable where a marriage is actually polygamous.
Any member of a polygamous marriage can claim a contributory or non-contributory social security benefit in his or her own right where he or she satisfies the relevant conditions of entitlement. There is therefore no financial advantage to claiming benefit as a member of a polygamous marriage.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage of people who have served a prison sentence in Northern Ireland were released on 50 per cent remission during the past five years. [HL2630]
Lord Rooker: Ninety four per cent of prisoners discharged at the end of their sentence in Northern Ireland in the years 2003 to 2007 were released on 50 per cent remission.
Lord Trefgarne asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many speeding motorists were observed by the mobile speed camera located on the north-east carriageway of the A3 just before the Hook underpass during the morning of Wednesday 19 March; and how much income was raised by that camera over the same period. [HL2709]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: This information is not held by the Department for Transport. Enforcement is entirely a matter for the local road safety partnership. They have the flexibility to enforce in response to community concerns or at sites where there are speeding problems and a high risk that casualties will occur.
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many British-flagged or British-owned ships have been subject to piracy in each of the past five years. [HL2732]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The numbers of British-flagged or British-managed ships that have reported piracy or armed robbery incidents to the International Maritime Bureau in each of the past five years are as follows:
| Year | Ships Managed By UK | Ships Flagged in UK |
The information available from the IMB relates to ships flagged in the UK or managed by UK companies. Information relating to British-owned ships is not available.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the exact wording on human rights in Northern Ireland in the agreement reached at St Andrews in 2006; and who was party to the agreement. [HL2407]
Lord Rooker: The 2006 St Andrews agreement was published jointly at St Andrews on 13 October 2006 by the British and Irish Governments. All parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly have endorsed the St Andrews agreement.
A copy of the full text has been placed in the Library of the House.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many companies have manufactured polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in the United Kingdom; at what sites; and when PCB production ceased. [HL2477]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): In contrast to dioxins, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) were manufactured in large quantities and found a wide range of applications due to their high thermal, chemical and electrical stability. They were first produced commercially around 1930 and approximately 66,500 tonnes were manufactured in the UK between 1951 and 1976. Of this, around 27,000 tonnes were exported to other countries where it would have been used in a range of products. There are no figures available on quantities of PCBs imported into the UK.
Monsanto (Solutia) was the only known producer of PCBs until 1976, based at Newport.
Commercial PCBs were manufactured by the direct chlorination of biphenyl leading to the production of oils containing mixtures of PCB congeners with between 21 per cent and 60 per cent chlorine. Commercial PCB mixtures were sold under a variety of trade names, the most common in the UK being the “Arochlor” range. While most literature focuses on only those PCB congeners with “dioxin-like” properties, sources will release a range of congeners, many of which will not possess such properties.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether municipal waste disposal sites in England and Wales have received chemical wastes from Monsanto; if so, how many such sites there
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The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Wastes are categorised as hazardous, non-hazardous or inert. Specific waste streams are then sub-categorised using the European Waste Catalogue. The term “chemical waste” is not a category that is currently in use.
The Environment Agency authorises waste types that are appropriate for landfilling but does not normally authorise individual and specific waste sources. The Environment Agency is therefore not able to state categorically which of 1,500-plus operational and closed landfill sites (including Bradford, Milton Keynes and Abergavenny) in England and Wales have received chemical waste from Monsanto.
Consignment notes held by waste management facilities would record the source of the waste. Prior to 2005, the Environment Agency was sent copies of these consignment notes, but the cost of extracting the required information from these records would be disproportionate. The Environment Agency retains these records for four years, so would not be able to provide a full account of wastes deposited by Monsanto even if data were readily available.
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What outcome they expect from the review of competition between water companies in the light of practical limits to intraregional competition. [HL2223]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The Government have commissioned Professor Martin Cave to carry out an independent review of competition and innovation in water and sewerage markets. Professor Cave will advise Ministers on the scope to deliver benefits and drive innovation through developing competition and contestability in all aspects of the supply chain in the water and sewerage sector, and will recommend changes to the legislative and regulatory frameworks needed to deliver those benefits. It would therefore not be appropriate for the Government to speculate on any outcomes at this time.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they will take to assist women subject to violence following the closure of half the former rape crisis centres. [HL2437]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Government recognise that rape crisis centres face significant challenges.
In the longer term, we need to consider what more can be done to assist in increasing their capacity and
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We also want to ensure that mainstream agencies and generic counselling and support services, such as Relate, are also equipped to deal with sexual violence disclosures.
The Government have invested around £10 million over the past four years in specialist services for victims of sexual violence; this supplements funding provided locally. This year alone we have already invested £3 million; this includes more than £1 million to rape crisis centres and a further £1 million to support the establishment of sexual assault referral centres and independent sexual violence advisers.
We have also provided £150,000 core funding to umbrella organisations, Rape Crisis England and Wales and the Survivors' Trust.
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the report No Recourse— No Safety, published by Amnesty International and the Southall Black Sisters. [HL2609]
Lord West of Spithead: The Government are committed to tackling all forms of violence against women, and we recognise the difficulties that women who have no recourse to public funds face. We have
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In February 2006, a letter was sent out from the Home Office to all local authority chief executives outlining the position of women who have no recourse to public funds and how local authorities can help and support these women within existing legislation. This was accompanied by a fact sheet, the purpose of which was to spell out the specific dynamics of domestic violence to assessors so that they are aware of the factors and circumstances that women can find themselves in.
This was followed by an announcement, at the Home Affairs Select Committee this month, of a new scheme under which victims of domestic violence whose applications for indefinite leave to remain are successful may qualify for a contribution towards their housing and living costs. The proposals under the new scheme will strengthen the way in which domestic violence cases are considered, enabling those victims who are vulnerable to access additional support. Further details on this programme of work will be available later in the spring.
In relation to women who are victims of trafficking for sexual exploitation, the Government recently made a commitment to ratify the Council of Europe Convention Against Trafficking in Human Beings by the end of 2008. This will enhance existing measures and provide victims of trafficking with support, including access to temporary residence permits.
The Government will continue to work with agencies in order to find a long-term solution to support this group of women.