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19 May 2008 : Column WA155
19 May 2008 : Column WA155
19 May 2008 : Column WA155
Monday 19 May 2008
Advertising: Television
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have held with consumer protection groups about child viewing of inappropriate television advertisements. [HL3383]
Lord Davies of Oldham: DCMS Ministers have held no discussions with consumer groups on this issue.
The Communications Act 2003 gives Ofcom the statutory responsibility for the regulation of broadcast advertising. Under this system, all commercial broadcasters are subject to strict statutory standards codes which contain specific rules to prevent harm to children.
In addition, the Government recently announced as part of their Children's Plan that they will commission a new independent assessment of evidence relating to the impact on children of their changing commercial environment. Furthermore, the Government recently accepted all the recommendations from the Byron review, including the need to oversee work by the advertising industry on future-proofing regulation for digital media and ensuring that video games are advertised appropriately to children.
Africa: Railways
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Crawley: The UK Government recognise the important contribution that railways make in promoting trade and connecting countries and communities.
Railway construction requires the combined efforts of different development partners, particularly the
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DfID is the largest donor to the Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility which is hosted by the African Development Bank to prepare regional infrastructure projects. DfID also supports a number of multi-donor initiatives that aim to facilitate private sector investment in infrastructure such as the Public-Private Infrastructure Advisory Facility to which the UK is the largest donor.
The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA) was launched after the 2005 G8 Gleneagles summit to promote increased infrastructure investment in Africa. The UK continues to lead in supporting the work of the ICA.
Africa: Wind-up Radios
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to provide greater support for the provision of wind-up radios in Africa. [HL2961]
Baroness Crawley: The Department for International Development (DfID) does not directly support the provision of wind-up radios in Africa, nor is it likely that we will do so in the near future. Our support to radio in Africa continues to be in supporting national, regional and community radio stations to deliver quality programmes that are relevant to poor people's lives. We have also supported projects which aim to promote supportive regulatory environments for radio in Africa.
Armed Forces: Casualties
Lord Burnett asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many members of the Armed Forces were wounded on active service in each year from 1997 to 2007 inclusive. [HL3394]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The number of service personnel categorised as very seriously injured or seriously injured whilst deployed on operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Balkans between 2001 and 2007 is shown in the following table:
| Operation | Total | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
This information can be found on the Ministry of Defence's website at:
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DoctrineOperationsand DiplomacyPublications/OperationsinTheBalkans/TheBalkanCasualtyTable.htm.
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DoctrineOperationsand DiplomacyPublications/OperationsInIraq/OpTelic CasualtyAndFatalityTables.htm.
www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/AboutDefence/CorporatePublications/DoctrineOperationsand
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Records for other operational theatres and those for years prior to 2001 are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Bees
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have assessed the non-financial costs to the environment of the total or partial loss of the honey bee population in the United Kingdom. [HL3525]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Pollination contributes to propagation of biodiversity and the functioning of ecosystems and it is recognised as a key ecosystem service that is threatened globally. Although there are other pollinators, many flowers have evolved completely dependent on pollination by bees. There are also complex interactions between managed honey bees and wild pollinators; there have been concerns about removing managed bees from nature reserves because of their impact on wild pollinators. A European Union 6th Framework Project, “Alarm”, which includes several UK participants, has been running since 2004 and is due to complete in 2009. It focuses on ecosystem services and the relationship between society, economy and biodiversity; it will include an assessment of risks associated with loss of pollinators.
Canada: Seal Hunting
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they next expect to meet Canadian representatives to discuss seal hunting; and whether they will press the Government of Canada to outlaw the practice. [HL3487]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): My honourable friend the Minister for Marine, Landscape and Rural Affairs, Jonathan Shaw, wrote to the Canadian High Commissioner on 22 April this year agreeing to a meeting once the EU-commissioned report on the impact of any regulatory or other EU-wide measures in response to seal hunting has been published.
The Canadian Government are fully aware of the Government's opposition to the seal hunt.
Care Services: South Shields
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what dates since 2001 was the provision by Bamburgh Court Care Centre in South Shields (a) of elderly care, and (b) for dementia, separately inspected by the Commission for Social Care Inspection and other inspection authorities. [HL3428]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): We have been informed by the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that it only has information from 1 April 2002, when its predecessor, the National Care Standards Commission (NCSC) took on the responsibility of regulating social care provision. Inspections of the service, which is now called St Michael's View, prior to 1 April 2002 were the responsibility of South Tyneside local authority.
Since 1 April 2002, the NCSC and CSCI have inspected the service on:
Common Agricultural Policy
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the European Commission's forthcoming review of the Common Agricultural Policy will include plans to create a single sustainable land management framework. [HL3468]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The European Commission's legislative proposals for the CAP health check reforms are due to be published on 20 May. They have indicated that this will not be a radical reform, but an adjustment to improve existing CAP mechanisms. We do not expect this to include a significant shift in relation to land management.
Computer Systems: DfID
Lord Harris of Haringey asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of the Department for International Development, on how many occasions in the last year malicious programs have compromised its computer systems; for each occasion, how many machines were affected; how long it took to remove the programs from the system; and what the impact was on the department's activities. [HL3002]
Baroness Crawley: It is not in the interests of the UK's national security for departments to confirm whether they hold information about attacks against their IT systems. This would enable individuals to deduce how successful the UK is in detecting these attacks and so assist such persons in testing the effectiveness of the UK's IT defences. This is not in the public interest.
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e-Borders
Baroness Hanham asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will set out the complete timetable for use of “all available passenger data” within the e-Borders programme including (a) Travel Document Information, (b) Other Passenger Information, and (c) Authority to Carry data. [HL3584]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): e-Borders is currently in receipt of and processing 30 million (annualised) electronic records of travel document information (TDI) for international passengers and crew entering and leaving the UK. The receipt and processing of TDI data for 100 per cent of passenger international and crew movements will be achieved by March 2014.
The e-Borders system already collects and uses a small sample of other passenger information (OPI) which it has used to de-risk the main programme.
From summer 2009 we will begin the incremental capture of other passenger information and by December 2013 the e-Borders solution will allow the receipt and processing of 100 million targeted/selected OPI passenger movements.
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