| Previous Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA377
Building on the interim arrangements that have been established under the teaming agreement, the Team CW governance arrangements will be developed further during the assessment phase. This will include work to finalise the best structure for overseeing and managing individual projects and the sector as a whole in a way that is consistent with this innovative way of working. Such work will assess the potential role of a senior responsible owner for weapons.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 15 July (WS 58) on complex weapons, who are the present shareholders and directors of Roxel (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd. [HL5151]
Baroness Taylor of Bolton: This is a matter for Roxel (UK Rocket Motors) Ltd. Company information can be found on its website at www.roxelgroup.com.
Channel Islands: Unfair Commercial Practices Directive
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is required to be implemented by the Governments of the Channel Islands under the provisions of protocol 3 of the treaty. [HL4918]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): No. Article 299.6(c) of the EU treaty specifies that the treaty only applies to the Channel Islands to the extent necessary to ensure the implementation of the arrangements for those islands set out in the UK accession treaty. These are contained in protocol 3 to that treaty, the effect of which is that the Channel Islands are within the common customs area and the common external tariff of the EU and are subject to certain provisions of Community rules on the free movement of goods and competition in agricultural trade.
E-Privacy and Data Protection
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which bodies act as the competent national authorities for the enforcement of the e-privacy and data protection directives; and for which articles of those directives they have responsibility. [HL5162]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The main national supervisory authority for the enforcement of the e-privacy and data protection directives is the Information Commissioner.
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA378
The UK implemented the data protection directive 95/46/EC through the Data Protection Act 1998. The UK transposed most of the requirements of the e-privacy directive 2002/58/EC by the introduction of the Privacy and Electronic Communications (EC Directive) Regulations 2003 which came into force on 11 December 2003. The regulations were laid before Parliament on 18 September 2003 by means of Statutory Instrument 2003 No. 2426.
The data protection powers of the Information Commissioner's Office are to:
conduct assessments to check organisations are complying with the Data Protection Act;serve information notices requiring organisations to provide the Information Commissioner's Office with specified information within a certain time period;serve enforcement notices and “stop now” orders where there has been a breach of the Data Protection Act, requiring organisations to take (or refrain from taking) specified steps in order to ensure they comply with the law;prosecute those who commit criminal offences under the Data Protection Act;conduct audits with the consent of organisations to assess whether their processing of personal data follows good practice; andreport to Parliament on data protection issues of concern.Appeals from notices are heard by the Information Tribunal, an independent body set up specifically to hear cases concerning enforcement notices or decision notices issued by the Information Commissioner.
The requirements under Article 5(l) of the e-privacy directive are satisfied by the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. The interception of communications without lawful authority is made a criminal offence under that Act. For the purpose of the e-privacy directive the police are competent enforcement bodies.
Government: Mail Delivery
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and its predecessors spent on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services in each of the past five years. [HL4975]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): In the past five financial years, BERR and its predecessor have spent the following on non-Royal Mail delivery and courier services:
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA379
Ofcom
Lord Corbett of Castle Vale asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The noble Lord will be aware that Ofcom has previously declined requests for the information that he has requested. Since then, however, Ofcom has amended the statement in the tariff table on the publication of the breakdown by individual operators so that these remain confidential if they are deemed to be commercially sensitive. Given that BT's tariff is based on published information from the last financial year, I am pleased to provide the following information.
BT's network and services charge for 2008-09 is £10,149,579. This represents 7.4 per cent of Ofcom's total income (£136,469,332) to be charged this year and 36 per cent of the total charges levied on the networks and services sector.
The income is higher than Ofcom's expenditure budget of £133.7 million due to the collection of costs from prior years which are known only on completion of the audit of Ofcom's annual accounts.
Petrol
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they have taken to encourage competition in the price of petrol between supermarkets. [HL5155]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The Government believe that the consumer is best served by the operation of open competition between companies and are committed to the operation of free open markets. The supply of transport fuels is a commercial matter that is subject to UK competition law under the Competition Act 1998. The regulation of the supply of transport fuels to consumers is therefore the responsibility of the Office of Fair Trading (OFT). The OFT has powers to investigate allegations of anti-competitive agreements and the abuse of a dominant market position in the fuel market.
Prisoners: Women
Baroness Stern asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many women prisoners serving indeterminate sentences for public protection in Bullwood Hall and Cookham Wood prisons have had their access to the courses necessary in order to apply to the Parole Board for release postponed because the prisons in question have become prisons for men; and for how long the women involved had to wait for those courses. [HL5077]
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA380
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath):I am unable to provide a precise Answer to this Question. The relevant information is not held centrally. Examination of each individual prisoner's record would involve significant disproportionate cost and would still not necessarily establish whether the change of function of the prisons was the cause of any delay in accessing offending behaviour courses.
However, as Bullwood Hall and Cookham Wood were in the process of becoming prisons for men, the offending behaviour needs of each prisoner were considered on an individual basis. The aim was not to move any women undergoing accredited programmes or interventions until they had completed them. There was difficulty with the Choices, Actions, Relationships and Emotions (CARE) programme as at that time Cookham Wood was the only prison delivering it. This programme is now provided at Downview.
Regional Development Agencies
Lord Hanningfield asked Her Majesty’s Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The regional development agencies’ total grant-in-aid budgets from 1999-2000 to 2008-09 are set out in the table below:
| Year | RDAs’ Total Grant-in-Aid Budget (£m) |
Answers received between Tuesday 2 September and Monday 8 September 2008
Gulf War Veterans
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 12 December 2007 (WA 54—55) and Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 4 June (WA 58) about the handling of the case of Gulf War veteran the late Mr T E Walker, what further information they have on the inquest into his death and its outcome.[HL5253]
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA381
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Newcastle-upon-Tyne coroner is conducting the inquest into Mr Walker's death. He adjourned the inquest in December 2007 at the request of Mr Walker’s parents’ solicitors, so that he could receive and consider further representations about its scope. We understand that the coroner is still waiting for the representations from the solicitors and he has recently written to them to clarify the position. The coroner will decide when to resume the inquest in the light of the response received.
House of Lords: Appointments
Lord Morris of Aberavon asked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements will apply to the appointment of new Peers following the recent White Paper on House of Lords reform; whether any guidance has been given to the House of Lords Appointments Commission; and, if so, what the content of that guidance is. [HL5022]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Government do not intend to bring forward legislation on House of Lords reform before the next general election. The White Paper sets out options and proposals for a wholly or mainly elected second Chamber. At this stage, it is not clear whether there will be appointments to a reformed Chamber.
No new guidance has been issued to the House of Lords Appointments Commission following the publication of the White Paper.
Internet: BT and Phorm
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
What communications they have received from the European Commission regarding users' complaints about the trials of Phorm technologies by BT in 2006 and 2007 and the planned future deployment of Phorm technologies. [HL5165]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): Her Majesty's Government have received a letter on this subject from the European Commission's Information Society and Media Directorate dated 3 July 2008. The Government are currently developing their response.
Police: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 19 June (WA 176), whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland will switch to a target based on the number of burglaries resulting in a conviction rather than the number of burglaries; and why there were 20 burglars convicted when 1,100 burglaries were recorded in south Belfast in 2006. [HL4593]
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA382
Lord Rooker: At present the Policing Board has no plans to switch to a target based on the number of burglaries resulting in a conviction within the Annual Policing Plan.
The chief constable has provided the following additional information. The 20 burglary convictions for 2006 for south Belfast is low in comparison to the number of recorded burglaries; however this reflects the fact that the majority of burglary offences are committed by a disproportionately small number of offenders.
| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |