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Elections: Security of Ballots
Lord Norton of Louth asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps are taken to ensure the security of ballot papers and other election material prior to destruction of such material one year after an election. [HL3713]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The responsibility for storing electoral documents rests with locally appointed electoral registration officers upon receipt of the sealed bags of documents from the returning officer.
Under rule 57, Schedule 1 to the Representation of the People Act 1983, registration officers must ensure that there is no opportunity for any individual to identify how a specific elector has voted. In order to achieve this requirement, ballots are sealed up separately from other election documents. The documents are then stored in a secure place by the electoral registration officer.
As a further security measure, access to either the ballot papers or the list recording the elector number can only be gained by order of the House of Commons, the High Court or a county court. Circumstances in which such an order may be appropriate are where the result of an election has been legally challenged, or a relevant police authority has cause to investigate possible electoral malpractice.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 8 May (WA 88), what is their assessment of the accuracy of the judgment of Dr Susan Millns from Kent Law School in the journal Res Publica in January 2003 (Volume 9, page 88); and what alternative interpretation the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has used for the cited text on page 320 of Regulating Reproduction: Law, Technology and Autonomy; and [HL3609]
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 21 April (WA 234—35) and 8 May (WA 88), how consideration of comments received from those opposed to cloning human embryos has affected any decision of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's research licence committee. [HL3610]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The department has been informed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) that it has no view on the accuracy of Dr Susan Millns's judgment in the journal Res Publica in January 2003. This is Dr Millns's own assessment and opinion of Regulating Reproduction: Law, Technology and Autonomy. The HFEA considers that the book is an
22 May 2008 : Column WA212
On the question of the HFEA's consideration of research licence applications involving the creation of embryos by cell nuclear replacement, there is nothing further I can add to my previous Answer.
Employment
Baroness Hollis of Heigham asked Her Majesty's Government:
What percentage and number of male and female staff, disaggregated by part-time and full-time work, are employed in companies employing (a) over 500 employees; (b) 50 to 500 employees; (c) five to 50 employees; and (d) fewer than five employees. [HL3747]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The ONS's annual business inquiry (ABI) gives a split of the total number of employees by sex, full time/part time and firm size. It does not, however, cover all sectors. Financial intermediation (approximately 1 million employees) and public administration (around 5 million employees) are excluded.
Also, the firm size breakdown in the ABI has a maximum size band of over 250 employees.
Table 1 gives the total number of employees, split by gender, full time/part time and firm size based on the 2005 ABI.
Table 2 gives the number of employees by gender, full time/part time and firm size as a percentage of the total number of employees.
| Table 1 | |||||
| Males | Females | ||||
| Full Time | Part Time | Full Time | Part Time | Total Number of Employees | |
| Table 2 | ||||
| Males | Females | |||
| Full Time | Part Time | Full Time | Part Time | |
22 May 2008 : Column WA213
Energy: Nuclear Material
Lord Vinson asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have ruled out reprocessing nuclear waste for use in nuclear power stations; and whether they have considered how much carbon dioxide-free electrical power could be produced from that waste. [HL3627]
Lord Bach: The Government are aware that nuclear fuel, after use in a reactor, can be reprocessed to separate out reusable plutonium and uranium. The plutonium can then be turned into mixed oxide fuel for reuse in reactors.
We would consider any commercial proposals for new reprocessing but these would have to go through detailed approval processes, as with new reactor proposals. In the absence of any such proposals, the Government have concluded that any new nuclear power stations that might be built in the UK should proceed on the basis of a once-through cycle, with spent fuel disposed of as waste. We are not currently expecting any proposals to reprocess spent fuel from new nuclear power stations. Should such proposals come forward in the future, they would need to be considered on their own merits at the time and the Government would expect to consult on them.
EU: Food
Lord Willoughby de Broke asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have secured a derogation for British beef from European Union food regulations which ban the making of mince from carcasses more than six days-old. [HL3642]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): To date, no derogation has been secured. The Food Standards Agency continues to work closely with industry representatives and other stakeholders to try to find an acceptable solution to this issue. British meat industry representatives have also, very recently, made representations to the European Commission.
EU: Parliamentary Scrutiny
Lord Willoughby de Broke asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Malloch-Brown on 6 May (WA 49—50), which European Union legislative proposal has been amended or vetoed as a result of a recommendation of the European Union Scrutiny Committee of either House. [HL3510]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave the noble Lord Vinson on 6 May 2008 (HL 2446).
22 May 2008 : Column WA214
European Communities (Finance) Act
Lord Burnett asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the projected net benefit or net cost (in sterling) to HM Treasury, over the period 2007—13, of the measures contained in the European Communities (Finance) Act 2008. [HL3679]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Based on the European Commission's forecasts and assumptions, and using the financial perspective table agreed on 17 December 2005, Treasury estimates for the extra costs to the United Kingdom were set out in an Answer given in the House of Commons on 20 December 2005 and are as follows:
Latest estimates of the UK net contribution to the EC Budget over the period 2007-08 to 2010-11 were included in table C9 of the Financial Statement and Budget Report (HC 388, page 194). Later financial year estimates for the United Kingdom's contributions to the EC Budget will be published in future pre-Budget Reports and Financial Statement and Budget Reports.
Food: Salt
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What estimate they have made of (a) the number of lives that have been saved by the Food Standards Agency's campaign to reduce salt intake; and (b) the cost of this campaign since it began in 2004; and [HL3700]
What estimate they have made of the morbidity avoided by the Food Standards Agency's campaign to reduce salt intake since it began in 2004. [HL3701]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The Food Standards Agency's (FSA's) activities on salt include both consumer awareness campaigns, and work with the food industry to reformulate products with lower salt levels. The 0.5 gram reduction in salt intakes that has been achieved so far as a result of this work is estimated to have resulted in 3,500 lives being saved annually. It is not possible to estimate the morbidity avoided specifically.
The total cost of the FSA's campaign (January 2004 to March 2008) has been £15,227,000. This includes all campaign costs such as advertising, production, research, marketing, public relations, web and partner grants.
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