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Older People: Student Loans
Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are proposing action to eliminate discrimination in the provision of student loans to people over the age of 55. [HL2822]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): In 2006-07, the age limit was raised to 60 years of age, and the additional requirement for the student to enter into an agreement to work after their studies was removed. Eligibility for student loans prior to 2006 was limited to students aged under 55 or under 50 for students not intending to enter employment upon graduating.
During the passage of the Higher Education Act 2004 through Parliament, concerns were raised about the upper age limit on student loans. The Government agreed to set up a working group in response to these concerns to look at the issues. The working group, including, among others, Baroness Greengross, representatives from Age Concern, the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education, the NUS and UUK, met on 28 September and 30 November 2004 and presented its findings to the Minister on 19 January 2005.
Following these meetings, the Minister agreed that there should be no age limit applied to the fee loan when this was introduced in 2006 and agreed to review the current position on age limits for maintenance loans with the intention of increasing this to match the state pension age for the 2006-07 academic year.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are using the National Register of Unaccompanied Children to track referrals of children where trafficking is suspected. [HL2934]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The National Register of Unaccompanied Children (NRUC) is not currently being used to track referrals of suspected cases of
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Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have agreed arrangements for safely accommodating trafficked children, as provided for in the United Kingdom Action Plan on Tackling Human Trafficking and the Unaccompanied Asylum-Seeking Children's Reform Programme. [HL2935]
Lord West of Spithead: The Government’s proposed specialist model for accommodating unaccompanied asylum seeking children is currently being negotiated with local authorities. The specification for authorities that wish to be part of the new arrangements includes provision for the safeguarding and accommodation of children suspected to be victims of trafficking.
Planning: Appeals
Lord Christopher asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many planning appeals, excluding those in respect of industrial or commercial development, were received by HM Inspectors for each of the past five years ended 31 December; and of these, how many were rejected and how many were successful. [HL3076]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Unfortunately we are unable to provide the data on planning appeals in the format requested. However, the table below shows the number of planning appeals determined by the Planning Inspectorate for the calendar years 2003 to 2007 and the number of those appeals that were allowed (successful) and dismissed (rejected).
A further breakdown is given between those appeals relating to development for householder and major and minor dwellings (ie excluding those in respect of industrial or commercial development) and the total of those relating to all other types of development.
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Police: Hand-held Computers
Lord Taylor of Warwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): A number of police forces have issued hand-held computers to some of their officers, and six have run pilot trials funded by the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA). In order to accelerate the deployment of hand-held devices in the police service, the Home Office has made a total of £50 million available, spread over the next three years. The programme is managed by the NPIA, working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Association of Police Authorities.
Forces have submitted proposals which are being assessed against the programme's objective of an additional 9,000 hand-held computers to be in use by September 2008. An announcement on the apportionment of the funding to the selected forces can be expected towards the end of April.
Prisoners: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people were serving life sentences in Northern Ireland prisons in January of each of the past 10 years. [HL2757]
Lord Rooker: The total number of people serving life sentences in Northern Ireland prisons in January in each of the past 10 years is given in the following table.
| Year | Number of life sentence prisoners |
1 The population figures are taken on the last Thursday of January in each of the past 10 years.
Residential Care
Lord Rix asked Her Majesty's Government:
What actions the Department of Health will take to ensure that the experiences described in the Joint Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman and Local Government Ombudsman report, Injustice in Residential Care, are not repeated. [HL2980]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Local councils and health trusts are responsible for ensuring that the needs of service users and patients are properly assessed and that those needs are met. To safeguard service users and patients, local councils and the National Health Service are required by law to have formal complaints procedures and to help and assist service users and patients who may wish to make use of them. In the event that anyone is not satisfied with the way their complaint has been dealt with, they are entitled to ask the Local Government Ombudsman to investigate complaints against local councils and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman to investigate complaints against the NHS.
The Regulatory Reform (Collaboration etc. between Ombudsmen) Order 2007, which came into force on 1 August 2007, enables the ombudsmen to work together more effectively in investigating and reporting on complaints which cross their jurisdictions.
The Injustice in Residential Care report, which deals with the failures of Buckinghamshire County Council and the Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire Mental Health Partnership Trust to provide adequate services to a service user with severe learning disabilities, is the result of the first collaborative investigation between the Local Government Ombudsman and Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman under the new arrangements. A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.
It is important to note that the findings in the report, unacceptable as they are, were focused on the failure by a single council and mental health trust to deliver quality services to an individual service user. We expect the local authority (LA) and the trust to revise their policies to ensure no reoccurrence of these events. It is the responsibility of all LAs and health trusts to identify the required resources from the funding the Government provide, to ensure that they are delivering appropriate services.
Royal Visits
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the announcement by the President of the Republic of Ireland that HM the Queen would be allowed to visit the Republic only if and when policing and justice are transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly, whether that announcement reflects their policy. [HL2754]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Both Governments are aware of each other’s views on a possible visit and agree that it should take place when they judge the time to be right.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the announcement by the President of the Republic of Ireland that HM the Queen would be allowed to visit the Republic only if and
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Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government advise Buckingham Palace on official travel overseas by Her Majesty the Queen. Both Governments are aware of each other’s views on a possible visit and agree that it should take place when they judge the time to be right.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether they will make representations to the Government of the Republic of Ireland regarding the proposed visit of HM the Queen to that country. [HL2756]
Lord Malloch-Brown: Both Governments are aware of each other’s views on a possible visit and agree that it should take place when they judge the time to be right.
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