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Fuel Poverty
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many elderly people are affected by fuel poverty in each (a) county; and (b) region in England; and what proportions of the total number of elderly people these represent. [HL4313]
Lord Bach: Fuel poverty is calculated at a household level. The lowest level of aggregation available for fuel poverty is at Government Office Region. The latest available dataset is for 2005 and shows the following for households where the oldest member is over 60 years of age:
| Government Office Region | Number of Fuel Poor Elderly Households | Total Number of Elderly Households | % of Households that are Fuel Poor |
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Health: Hospitals
Lord Jones asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Since 1 January 2001 90 new National Health Service hospital building schemes have opened.
Housing: Insulation
Lord Jones of Cheltenham asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): CLG's decent homes programme, directed at social housing and to support vulnerable households in the private sector, includes provision for effective insulation of the home.
A decent home should provide a reasonable degree of thermal comfort and this includes having an effective amount of insulation. The level of insulation considered to be effective depends on the type of wall construction, the presence of a loft and the effectiveness of the home's heating system. The detailed standard is set out in A Decent Home: Definition and guidance for implementation, Communities and Local Government, June 2006 and published on the department's website.
The 2006 English House Condition Survey estimated that 3,486,000 homes across the whole of the housing stock did not have effective insulation as set out by the decent homes standard. Details are provided in Table 1 below.
India: Social Exclusion
The Earl of Sandwich asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they are making with non-governmental organisations in tackling social exclusion in India; what evaluations are planned; and whether they will use this experience in their regular human rights dialogue with the Government of India, bilaterally and through the European Union. [HL3693]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Countering social exclusion, promoting equality and tackling discrimination in India remain a high UK priority. We continue to support the Government of India's efforts in these areas. We also work in active partnership with a number of non-governmental organisations, such as Action Aid. We ensure that their evaluations feed into our discussions with the relevant Indian authorities, including the National Human Rights Commission. The social exclusion of Dalits was discussed at the latest round of the EU-India Human Rights Dialogue in New Delhi on 15 February where reference was made to the Indian Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment's existing schemes for the development of scheduled castes. The Department for International Development supports several Indian government initiatives to combat caste discrimination and social exclusion in all its forms.
Maritime Architecture
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to encourage innovative investment and activity in maritime architecture in Britain, drawing on examples from the Netherlands and elsewhere. [HL3968]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Department for Communities and Local Government (CLG) works across government to encourage innovation and disseminate best practice in housing design, for example through the support to the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE).
However, it is for local planning authorities to plan positively for the achievement of high quality design, including considering innovative and original schemes brought forward by developers.
Northern Ireland: National Stadium
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
In what circumstances they would provide funding from outside the Northern Ireland block grant for a national stadium for the Province with a memorial to IRA members who committed suicide. [HL3798]
Lord Tunnicliffe: This is a devolved matter and therefore for the Northern Ireland Executive to consider.
Parades: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what £62,220, listed in section three of the 2006—07 annual report of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission under the sub-heading “Commission's expenses”, was spent. [HL3956]
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Lord Tunnicliffe: The figure includes the costs of monitors, courier services, official cars, conferences and catering.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what £77,339, listed in section three of the annual report of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission under the sub-heading “Professional advisors' service”, was spent; who were the advisors, how they were they selected; and what services they provided. [HL3957]
Lord Tunnicliffe: The Northern Ireland Parades Commission has confirmed professional advisors' services were provided by Stakeholder Communications, which provided media consultancy advice; Moore Stevens UK, which performed the internal audit for 2006-07; and HELM Consultancy, which prepared the commission’s annual accounts for 2005-06. The selection processes for the above services were handled by the NIO procurement unit and were subject to the unit's procurement process.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what £68,103 indicated in note 3 to the accounts in the 2006—07 annual report of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission as “travel, subsistence and hospitality” was spent. [HL4112]
Lord Tunnicliffe: I have been informed by the Northern Ireland Parades Commission that the rounded expenditure on “travel, subsistence and hospitality” for 2006-07 was as follows:
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What equality considerations are used by the Northern Ireland Parades Commission in appointing consultants and sub-contractors. [HL4113]
Lord Tunnicliffe: Parades Commission appointment processes are handled by the NIO procurement unit and are subject to the equality provisions contained in the Central Procurement Directorate's management consultancy framework.
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Northern Ireland Parades Commission processed only 81.1 per cent of payments during 2007 within 30 days in accordance with the Confederation of British Industry Prompt Payers Code, as noted in its annual report 2007; what invoices were not paid within 30 days during that period; and why they were not paid. [HL4240]
Lord Tunnicliffe: The figure of 81.1 per cent relates to the departmental percentage. The Parades Commission paid 94.2 per cent of invoices within 30 days. From a
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Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much was allocated in the Northern Ireland Office budget for the Northern Ireland Parades Commission in each year since its creation; and how much was passed to the commission. [HL4241]
Lord Tunnicliffe: This information has appeared in the Parades Commission’s annual report and financial statements since its inception. Copies of these reports are held in the Library.
Parliament: Cost
Viscount Tenby asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the cost per member for 2007—08 and the previous three financial years of (a) the House of Commons; (b) the House of Lords; and (c) the European Parliament; and [HL4100]
What is the cost for 2007—08 and the previous three financial years of maintaining (a) the House of Commons; (b) the House of Lords; and (c) the European Parliament including (i) salaries, pensions, travelling allowances and secretarial expenses for members; (ii) salaries, allowances and pensions and other costs of supporting staff; (iii) accommodation, including rent, operating costs and security; and (iv) all other administrative costs, including payments to parliamentary bodies; and [HL4101]
What was the number of sitting days of (a) the House of Commons Chamber; (b) the House of Commons, Westminster Hall; (c) the House of Lords Chamber; (d) the House of Lords Grand Committee; and (e) the European Parliament plenary sessions in the (i) 2006—07 Session; (ii) 2007 calendar year; and (iii) 2007—08 financial year. [HL4102]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Precise comparisons between the cost of the European Parliament and the Westminster Parliament are difficult. The requested information is set out below. The House of Commons and House of Lords have provided data relating to costs on a resource basis, consistent with their resource accounts. The European Parliament has not adopted resource accounting and budgeting and all its cost figures have been presented on a cash basis.
| Per Capita Cost per Member | ||||
| £'000s | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 unaudited provision |
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