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The principle that no appointee should be out of pocket as a result of his or her appointment was also applied to the members of all these bodies, who also receive reimbursement for their travel expenses.
Police: National Computer
Lord Warner asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many requests have been made for corrections to individual entries on the Police National Computer in the last year for which information is available in (a) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (b) the rest of England.[HL5250]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): This information is not held centrally. This is a matter for individual police forces.
Post Offices: Cornwall
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
In respect of the proposed closure of post offices in Cornwall by Post Office Ltd, (a) what financial criteria have been applied to inform the decision-making process; (b) how the availability, cost and practicality of access to alternative post offices has been assessed; (c) whether the option of allowing those staff operating small post offices to provide other retail services at the same time has been considered; and (d) who is requiring Post Office Ltd to close a specific number of post offices in Cornwall, and requiring that if one post office is saved from closure another is to be closed instead.[HL5243]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): In identifying post offices to propose for closure, Post Office Ltd (POL) acts within the criteria set by the Government in their May 2007 response to the public consultation on the future of the Post Office network (available at www.berr.gov.uk/files/file39479.pdf). The implementation of the programme within the Government's framework is an operational matter for POL. I have therefore asked Alan Cook, managing director of POL, to write directly to the noble Lord setting out how the criteria are implemented in the development of each area plan.
In relation to other retail services, it is for sub-postmasters, not Post Office Ltd, to decide whether they wish to operate other services alongside their Post Office outlet. Currently, 80 per cent of rural post offices offer other retail services.
There is no requirement to close a specified number of branches in any county or local area plan. In addition, where a closure proposal is withdrawn, there is no requirement to close an alternative branch. However, the future sustainability of many of the remaining offices is closely tied to the migration of custom from
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Questions for Written Answer: Costs
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 217—18) concerning the disproportionate cost of answering Parliamentary Questions, who decides what grade of civil servant answers questions; and how much it costs to make such a decision.[HL5294]
Lord Rooker: Allocation of Parliamentary Questions to civil servants is taken by the head of the business area responsible for the subject matter posed in the question.
The cost in reaching this decision is negligible.
All draft answers are cleared at senior civil service level before being submitted to Ministers for consideration.
Questions for Written Answer: Late Answers
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many Questions for Written Answer remained unanswered, in breach of the 14-day rule, when the House of Lords rose for the Summer Recess on 22 July; how many of them related to the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal as a discrete and specialised jurisdiction; what proposals they have for reducing the delay in the answering of such Questions; and how they will make affected people without internet access aware of Answers provided during the Summer Recess.[HL5251]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): When the House of Lords rose for the Summer Recess on 22 July 2003 there were 37 Questions for Written Answer which remained unanswered and in breach of the 14-day rule. None of those Questions related to the future of the Pensions Appeal Tribunal. Publication of the Answers to Parliamentary Questions is a matter for the House authorities.
Supreme Court
Lord Carlile of Berriew asked Her Majesty's Government:
In the light of the Constitutional Reform Act 2005 and the White Paper An Elected Second Chamber: Further reform of the House of Lords, whether they have any proposals to avoid a perception among litigants in the Supreme Court that there are two tiers of Supreme Court Justices—those who are life Peers and those who are not. [HL5225]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Constitutional Reform Act 2005 provides that on the creation of the Supreme Court, all sitting Law Lords and those subsequently appointed directly to the Court, will be known as Justices of the Supreme Court. I am confident that all Justices will apply the same exceptional and high standards to those cases put before them.
Terrorism: Stop and Search
Lord Warner asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people have been stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 since its introduction in (a) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (b) the rest of England.[HL5247]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Statistics on the number of stop-searches conducted under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are in the Statistical Bulletin Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers Under PACE. The latest version of this can be found here:
www.justice.gov.uk/docs/arrests-recorded-crime-engl-wales-2006-07.pdf (Table PC, Page 15)
The Ministry of Justice also publishes the Statistical Bulletin, Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System. This details the number of Section 44 stop-searches broken down by ethnicity. This can be located here:
www.justice.gov.uk/docs/stats-race-criminal-justice.pdf (Table 4.6, Page 34)
Publications for previous years can be located at the Home Office Statistical Bulletins Archive located here:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pubsstatistical.html
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html
Lord Warner asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people who have been stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been provided with a copy of the form which is completed at the time of the stop.[HL5248]
Lord West of Spithead: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of people provided with a copy of the form which is completed during a stop and search under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000.
Practice Advice On Stop and Search 2006 advises that forms must be completed at all stops. The guidance further states that an officer, when making a stop under Section 44, must provide the person stopped with a copy of the completed form.
Lord Warner asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people stopped and searched under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 have been (a) arrested and (b) charged in (1) the Metropolitan Police Authority area and (2) the rest of England.[HL5249]
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Lord West of Spithead: Statistics on the number of stop-searches conducted under Section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are published in two reports on a yearly basis. The Ministry of Justice report Statistics on Race and the Criminal Justice System and the Ministry of Justice Statistical Bulletin: Arrests for Recorded Crime (Notifiable Offences) and the Operation of Certain Police Powers Under PACE both contain statistics on the number of people stop-searched under the Terrorism Act and resultant arrests. The latest version of these publications can be located at:
www.justice.gov.uk/publications/arrestsfornotible offences.htm (page 13 and 28)
www.justice.gov.uk/publications/raceandcjs.htm (page 35 and 36)
Publications for previous years can be located at the Home Office Statistical Bulletins Archive located here:
www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbarchive.html
Ulster-Scots
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Tunnicliffe on 21 July (WA 216) concerning funding for Ulster-Scots language and culture and Irish language and culture in Northern Ireland, why the Answer only applies to the Irish community; and what is the situation as regards the Ulster-Scots community. [HL5293]
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 28 July [HL5194].
Zimbabwe
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Bach: We recognise that these talks are a potential step forward, but one that must now be matched by action on the ground. It is important that the negotiations do not take place in a climate of fear. The ongoing violence against supporters of the Movement for Democratic Change needs to end and non-governmental organisations should be allowed to resume their vital humanitarian work in the rural areas and among the people who need them most. The negotiation must also lead to an outcome that reflects the will of the people as they voted on 29 March.
Answers received between Tuesday 16 September and Monday 22 September 2008
Alcohol
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
In light of the report by the Royal College of Physicians, whether they will review their policies on cut-price drinking and the opening hours of public houses.[HL5232]
29 Sep 2008 : Column WA408
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government have commissioned a detailed academic study from the School of Health and Related Research at Sheffield University (ScHARR) to look at the evidence on the relationship between alcohol price, promotion and harm. The second phase of the ScHARR review is due in September, and the Government will examine the findings of both phases and consider if any further actions on alcohol and price might be both proportionate and necessary in order to have a significant impact on alcohol-related harm. There are no current plans to change the existing licensing regime, which allows the setting of hours to be decided locally, subject to the views of responsible authorities, such as the police, and interested parties, such as residents living in the vicinity.
Alcohol: Labelling
Baroness Coussins asked Her Majesty's Government:
What meetings they have planned to discuss the mandatory codes proposed in the consultation on alcohol retailing Safe, Sensible, Social-consultation on further action with representatives of (a) working men's clubs, (b) the cinema and theatre industries, (c) historic houses, (d) small sports clubs, and (e) the hospitality and tourism industries; and [HL5264]
What is their response to the findings of the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited report published by the Department of Health in July that 57 per cent of labels on alcoholic drinks purchased in the off-trade include information on alcohol units and of the KPMG report published by the Department of Health on the same day that 85 per cent of alcoholic drinks products sold in the on-trade include information on alcohol units on the label; and [HL5265]
How the term “market share” was defined and calculated in the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited study commissioned by the Department of Health and published in July; and how this differs from market volume; and [HL5266]
What were the 62 separate features examined by the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association Technology Limited study commissioned by the Department of Health to determine compliance with the voluntary labelling agreement between the Department of Health and the producers of alcoholic drinks in the United Kingdom. [HL5267]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The department currently has no specific meetings planned with representatives from working men's clubs, the cinema and theatre industries, historic houses, small sports clubs and the hospitality and tourism industries to discuss a mandatory code for alcohol retail. However, government officials have organised a series of national and regional meetings to allow a wide range of organisations, including those you have identified, to provide views to the consultation.
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The findings of the School of Health and Related Research pricing and promotion review, the KPMG review on the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards and the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) review of labelling and a further monitoring review, to be carried out towards the end of the year, will be considered alongside the responses to the government consultation and the mandatory code. We will then decide what actions need to be taken to tackle the harm that alcohol misuse causes, to prevent irresponsible practices and to provide an environment where people are able to drink sensibly. This includes whether or not a mandatory code on alcohol retail should be introduced and whether mandatory labelling of alcohol products should be introduced.
The methodology used by the CCFRA, including the definition and calculation of market share and the 62 separate features it examined, is explained in its report, Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime, a copy of which is in the Library.
Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made to date with the British-French helicopter initiative; and what further progress they anticipate in the short term and in the longer term.[HL5300]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The British-French helicopter initiative has stimulated considerable activity. EU member states and NATO allies have identified, through questionnaires, deficiencies in their helicopter capabilities that preclude them from deploying on operations. Advanced tactical training was identified as one of the areas in which EU member states were deficient and which, if resolved, could assist some member states in their planned operational deployments.
In the short term, urgent work is being undertaken in the European Defence Agency to produce a European helicopter tactics training syllabus and to demonstrate its use in supporting EU member states with tactics training prior to operational deployments. The first students should be available for operational deployment in 2009. In the longer term, all EU member states have offered to work together to address the perceived shortfalls in helicopter tactical training. This work is vital and will build on nations' ability to work together in testing operations. In the longer term, the EDA plans to investigate the possibility of taking a more multinational approach to helicopter upgrades to achieve efficiencies and operational deployability.
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