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8 July 2008 : Column WA78
Lord Rooker: The £17,000 of grants for initiatives is broken down as follows:
Planning
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
On how many occasions Ministers and officials have met representatives of (a) the Fairfield Partnership and (b) the Town and Country Planning Association in the past five years. [HL4394]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): On the information currently available to the Government, they are aware of officials having met with the Fairfield Partnership on four occasions over the past five years.
The Government can confirm that both Ministers and officials have met and continue to meet with the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA). The TCPA provides support and works with Communities and Local Government (CLG) on policy related to housing and planning, and in particular over the last year has been working with the Government on the practical application of the key sustainability and development criteria for eco-towns. The TCPA plays no part in the assessment of individual eco-town schemes. The relationship with the TCPA is an ongoing relationship and involves regular meetings across CLG. Quantifying the number of occasions of these meetings could only be done at disproportionate cost.
8 July 2008 : Column WA79
Planning: Eco-towns
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what date Mr David Lock ceased to be employed as a government adviser on planning and eco-towns; and on how many occasions Ministers or officials have met him since that date. [HL4396]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Professor David Lock was employed as chief planning adviser to the Department of Environment from 1994 to 1997. However, he has never been employed as government adviser on eco-towns.
The Government asked the Town and Country Planning Association (TCPA) to advise them on some of the concepts and rationale for eco-towns when the initiative was first announced in March 2007, and at that time Professor Lock was chair of the TCPA. The TCPA continues to advise the Government on the practical application of the key sustainability and development criteria for eco-towns, but this advice is generic and available to all. It does not relate to the assessment of any individual schemes and neither the TCPA nor Professor Lock has any role in that.
Police: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 June (WA 176), what were the methods of disposal and the average immediate custodial sentence length (in months) for burglary for the south Belfast police district command unit in 2004—06. [HL4594]
Lord Rooker: The following table gives the method of disposal for those offenders convicted of burglary whose address fell within the south Belfast police district command unit.
Data cover the calendar years 2004 to 2006 and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.
8 July 2008 : Column WA80
Prisons: Drugs
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 24 June (WA 232) concerning drugs found in Northern Ireland prisons, what prosecutions have resulted from the finds listed in the Answer. [HL4487]
Lord Rooker: As Lord Tunnicliffe indicated, the Prison Service does not hold information on the outcome of cases handed over to police.
Railways: West Coast Main Line
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government are investing £8.8 billion in the modernisation of infrastructure on the west coast main line, incorporating such large-scale projects as the four-tracking of the route in the Trent Valley and a new layout at Milton Keynes.
Following completion of this work, a new timetable will be issued in December 2008 that will deliver a 45 per cent increase in long-distance services from London. Passengers will enjoy more seats, more frequent trains, new services and faster journey times.
Social Work
The Earl of Listowel asked Her Majesty's Government:
What measures they have in place to improve levels of retention and recruitment of teachers to social work. [HL4333]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The General Social Care Council’s Code of Practice for Social Care Workers states that social care workers must undertake relevant training to maintain and improve their knowledge and skills and contribute to the learning and development of others.
To support this, under the new framework for social work post-qualifying training, the “Enabling Others” module will equip social workers to supervise and assess social work students and will be available to a wider range of staff than the previous practice teaching award. In addition, social workers will develop skills in practice education through higher specialist awards.
Activities are currently taking place in regions to support the retention, support and development of existing practice assessors. This includes providing sub-regional network groups for practice learning co-ordinators, to update them on current developments within the new framework and to encourage the sharing of good practice.
8 July 2008 : Column WA81
Terrorism: Independent Reviewer
Lord Trefgarne asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the terms of reference of the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, Lord Carlile of Berriew; and how much he is paid from public funds. [HL4430]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The terms of reference of the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation are set out in the Official Report of the House of Lords of 8 March 1984, which states that the reviewer should make detailed inquiries of people who use the Act, or are affected by it, and the reviewer may see sensitive material.
The reviewer receives payment at a rate of £900 per day plus expenses.
8 July 2008 : Column WA82
Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 24 June (cols. WA 242-43), from which countries the 22 per cent of foreign heavy goods vehicles found to have prohibitable defects in 2006 came from. [HL4573]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency carried out prohibitions on vehicles registered in the following countries in 2006: Ireland, Netherlands, Poland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Czech Republic, Northern Ireland, Lithuania, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Turkey, Slovenia, Romania, Austria, Latvia, Bulgaria, Denmark, Greece, Estonia, Luxemburg, Switzerland, Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, Norway and a non-European country.
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