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10 July 2008 : Column WA91
10 July 2008 : Column WA91
10 July 2008 : Column WA91
Thursday 10 July 2008
Airports: Stansted
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many and what proportion of air passengers travelled to Stansted Airport by public transport in each of the past 10 years. [HL4563]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The table below shows the number and proportion of air passengers who travelled to or from Stansted Airport by public transport in 1996 and 2000 to 2007. Data for 1997 to 1999 are not available.
Broadcasting: Digital Switchover
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their timetable for the switchover to digital television in Northern Ireland; whether the independent television licensee in Northern Ireland, UTV, is preparing for this switchover; and whether the free-to-air service, Freesat, from ITV will be available from UTV in Northern Ireland. [HL4480]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Northern Ireland switchover will start in 2012 and Digital UK will have a Northern Ireland regional manager in place by September 2010. Freesat is available to 98 per cent of UK households; it is not possible to give a regional breakdown. Digital UK continues to work with broadcasters such as UTV as part of switchover preparations.
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
What discussions they have had with the Government of the Republic of Ireland about the switchover to digital television in that country; and whether the timing of the switchover to digital television in the Republic of Ireland will influence the timescale for switching to digital television in Northern Ireland. [HL4481]
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Lord Davies of Oldham: James Purnell, former Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, met Eamon Ryan, the Irish Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources, earlier this year to discuss digital switchover and related issues in Ireland. Officials continue to work together on these issues.
Northern Ireland is scheduled to switch over from the analogue signal to digital in 2012. We understand that the Irish Government have not yet set a date for digital switchover in Ireland.
Burma: Prisoners
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have made to the Government of Burma about the conditions in which political prisoners in Burma are held. [HL4525]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): We are gravely concerned by the continued arrests of political activists and the conditions in which they are held in prison. Up to 2,000 political dissidents remain behind bars, many without charge and in unknown locations, outside of external supervision.
We have called repeatedly upon the Burmese regime, both in our public statements and through the regular contact between our ambassador in Rangoon and senior government representatives, to grant unhindered access to all political detainees by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international humanitarian organisations, in accordance with international norms. We have also expressed our concern about the conditions in which political prisoners are held. We will continue to do so.
Under UK chairmanship, the UN Security Council reaffirmed its call on the regime to release all political prisoners on 2 May. The release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, is vital if Burma is to begin the process of inclusive national reconciliation that is the country's only path to a more prosperous and stable future.
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they are taking to secure the reinstatement of regular access to Burma's prisons for international monitors such as the International Committee of the Red Cross. [HL4526]
Lord Malloch-Brown: We are gravely concerned by the continued arrests of political activists and the conditions in which they are held in prison. Up to 2,000 political dissidents remain behind bars, many without charge and in unknown locations, outside of external supervision.
We have called repeatedly on the Burmese regime, both in our public statements and through the regular contact between our ambassador in Rangoon and senior government representatives, to grant unhindered
10 July 2008 : Column WA93
Under UK chairmanship, the UN Security Council reaffirmed its call on the regime to release all political prisoners on 2 May. The release of political prisoners, including Aung San Suu Kyi, is vital if Burma is to begin the process of inclusive national reconciliation that is the country's only path to a more prosperous and stable future.
Fees
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Architects (Recognition of European Qualifications etc and Saving and Transitional Provision) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1331) contain, in Section 5A(2) of the Architects Act 1997 inserted by Regulation 8, a prohibition on charging a fee for registration of architects established in a European state and wishing to practise on a temporary and occasional basis in the United Kingdom, while the Farriers’ Qualifications (European Recognition) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/646) do not. [HL4459]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): In the Farriers’ Qualifications (European Recognition) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/646), Regulation 4 inserts subsection (5) into Section 4 of the Farriers (Registration) Act 1975:
“(5) No fee may be prescribed under subsection (1)(a) in respect of registration under section 7(6), and no fee may be prescribed under subsection (1)(b) in respect of retention in the register of the name of a person registered under section 7(6)”.
Section 7(6) of the Act provides:
“(6) Subject to section 15, a person is entitled to be registered in Part V of the register if the person has the benefit of regulation 8 of the European Communities (Recognition of Professional Qualifications) Regulations 2007 in connection with the provision by the person of services as a farrier on a temporary and occasional basis (the person having complied with any requirements imposed under Part 2 of those Regulations in connection with the provision by the person of services as a farrier)”.
Therefore, there is a prohibition against charging for registration as a farrier in respect of provision of services on a temporary and occasional basis, as required by Article 6(a) of Directive 2005/36/EC.
Government Departments: Race Equality Targets
Lord Ouseley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which government departments achieved their race equality targets for 2007—08; which have not; what targets have not been achieved; why those targets were not achieved; and what they will do to fulfil their legal obligations in this respect. [HL4393]
10 July 2008 : Column WA94
Lord Davies of Oldham: Public bodies, including the Civil Service, have a statutory race equality duty to promote equality of opportunity, community cohesion, and eliminate harassment and discrimination. Individual departments are responsible for publishing details of their own race equality schemes that set out how they propose to meet their legal obligations. Schemes are regularly reviewed by departments. The new diversity and equality strategy for the Civil Service will be published in due course.
Government: Contracts
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 23 June (WA 205), how many government contracts have been issued in the past 10 years for periods in excess of 10 years; in what spheres of operation; and for what amounts of money. [HL4608]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Individual departments are responsible for making decisions on the value and period of their contracts. The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Government: Ministerial Flights
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the total number of (a) international flights, and (b) domestic flights, taken by Ministers and officials on government business in each of the past three years. [HL4500]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Since 1999, the Government have published a list of all overseas travel by Cabinet Ministers costing over £500. Information for the financial year 2006-07 was published on 25 July 2007 (Official Report, Commons, col. 1112W). Details for the financial year 2007-08 will be published before the Summer Recess, and will for the first time include details of overseas visits undertaken by all Ministers. Information in respect of all flights made by Ministers and civil servants over the past three years could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Travel by Ministers and civil servants is undertaken in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Management Code respectively.
Hazardous Substances
Lord Jenkin of Roding asked Her Majesty's Government:
What their position is on the possibility of extending the scope of the restriction of hazardous substances directive (2002/95/EC) to include medical devices. [HL4676]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The scope of the restriction of hazardous substances (RoHS) directive (2002/95/EC) excludes both medical devices and monitoring and control instruments. The European Commission is currently developing proposals for a revised directive that may include bringing those two categories into scope at some future point. The Government will finalise their position on that particular issue once formal proposals are laid before the Environment Council for negotiation (expected to be towards the end of this year).
Health: Prostate Cancer
Lord Steel of Aikwood asked Her Majesty's Government:
What conclusions they have drawn from the report in April's edition of Lancet Oncology analysing declining mortality rates from prostate cancer from 1994—2004 in the United States and the United Kingdom, particularly the difference in prostate-specific antigen testing rates of men in 2001 of 57 per cent in the United States and 6 per cent in the United Kingdom. [HL4659]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The authors of the Bristol University report published in Lancet Oncology (April 2008) could not say that the differences in the fall in mortality between the United States of America and the United Kingdom were due to prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing. Other factors, particularly treatment and variations in data collection, may play a significant role, but we have to wait for evidence from randomised controlled trials of prostate cancer screening before we can say that early detection using PSA testing saves lives.
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