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We have stressed to the Government of Nepal that in seeking to tackle impunity it will be important to show action in high profile and emblematic cases such
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Olympic Games 2012: Lorries
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many lorry movements to and from the Olympic site in East London have been made and are projected to be made. [HL154]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The number of lorry movements to and from the Olympic site to the end of 2008 will be approximately 200,000. From 2009 to mid 2011 there will be approximately 600,000 lorry movements to and from the site. The ODA is looking to bring at least 50 per cent of materials, by weight, to the Olympic Park by sustainable means such as rail and water.
Palace of Westminster: Cyclists
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what area is covered by the cycle parking exclusion zone around the Palace of Westminster (excluding buildings owned by the Parliamentary Estate). [HL126]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The cycle parking exclusion zone around the Palace of Westminster is a matter for Westminster City Council.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the risk posed by cycle bombs in the vicinity of the Palace of Westminster; and whether there have been any fatalities or serious injuries caused by cycle bombs in the United Kingdom or elsewhere. [HL127]
Lord West of Spithead: We are aware of 31 reported incidents, five of which have occurred within the United Kingdom, involving the use of improvised explosive devices disguised as or hidden upon bicycles that have taken place between August 1939 and June 2008. The highest reported number of fatalities resulting from one bicycle improvised explosive device is 22. The most recent incidents involving a bicycle bomb in the UK were on 13 August 1994 in Brighton and Bognor Regis. The incident in 2008 was in Pakistan and resulted in five deaths.
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Passports
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom passport holders hold (a) one United Kingdom passport, (b) two United Kingdom passports, and (c) the passport of another country. [HL400]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The information requested is not available. The normal policy of the Identity and Passport Service is for any individual to hold only one UK passport. A second passport may exceptionally be issued where there is a demonstrated need to hold two passports for business travel or to allow travel between incompatible countries. Information about second UK passports is held only in individual records and a total is not available.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom passport holders also hold a Pakistan passport. [HL401]
Lord West of Spithead: The information requested is not available. Although applicants for British passports are required to send in any uncancelled passports with their application, including any foreign passports held, these are returned after identity has been confirmed and no statistical record is kept.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom passports were issued by United Kingdom diplomatic missions overseas in each of the past five years. [HL403]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The number of passports issued by United Kingdom diplomatic missions overseas in each of the last five year was as follows:
2003-04—447,409;2004-05—452,901; 2005-06—449,164; 2006-07—416,731; and2007-08—375,715.To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they impose restrictions on United Kingdom nationals holding passports issued by other countries. [HL405]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): In line with the fact that the British Nationality Act 1981 contains no restrictions on British nationals additionally holding other nationalities, no restrictions are placed on British nationals holding passports issued by other countries.
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Pensions
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the effective average employer's percentage contribution to public sector pension schemes; and what would it be if those schemes were fully funded on the lines of a private sector scheme. [HL179]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): Information is not held centrally across public sector pension schemes to calculate an overall average employer contribution rate, which would in any case be misleading, as it would, for example, combine unfunded pay as you go schemes with funded schemes that have investment surpluses and deficits. Questions about the details of schemes would be for those responsible for the individual schemes.
Pensions: Taxation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Statement by Lord Myners on 8 December (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 252) that the Government have no plans to adversely change the taxation of pensions, how that Statement relates to their proposals in the Pre-Budget Report to cap the lifetime allowance and the annual allowance at a cost of £400 million a year by 2011—12. [HL169]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): The Government introduced a streamlined and simplified regime for the taxation of pensions on 6 April 2006. As part of that regime, tax relief, estimated to be worth around £30 billion in 2007-08, is given to incentivise saving for a pension.
Pensions tax relief for individuals is limited by annual and lifetime allowances that were pre-announced from their introduction in 2006-07 until 2010-11. The then Financial Secretary to the Treasury also announced that those allowances would be subject to quinquennial review and the Pre-Budget Report 2008 sets the rates for the next five year period, from 2011-12 to 2015-16.
As with all areas of policy the Government keep both the system of relief for pension contributions and the taxation of pensions under review.
Police: Custody
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals over the past 24 months have been arrested by the Metropolitan Police, detained for nine hours or more and released without charge. [HL119]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The number of individuals arrested by the Metropolitan Police in 2005-06 was 200,029, this figure increased during the financial year 2006- 07 to 220,258.
Data collected by the Home Office does not include figures for individuals detained for less than 24 hours; however data are available for those detained for over 24 hours and subsequently released without charge.
In 2005-06 97 individuals were detained for over 24 hours and up to 36 hours and subsequently released without charge by the Metropolitan Police; for this year the number of individuals detained for more than 36 hours is not available.
In 2006-07 230 individuals were detained for over 24 hours and up to 36 hours and released without charge by the Metropolitan Police; a further six individuals were detained for more than 36 hours.
Police: Minority Groups
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 26 November (WA 330), why grant-in-aid is paid to the British Association for Women in Policing and the National Association of Muslim Police. [HL419]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Government's vision is to have a police service that has the trust and confidence of all communities and that reflects the communities it serves.
Grant-in-Aid is paid by the Home Office to the British Association of Women in Policing (BAWP) and the National Association of Muslim Police (NAMP), to support the work they do towards delivering this vision.
Political Parties: Donations
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 26 November (WA 304), how many donations were given to political parties in each of the past three years (a) above £9,999, (b) between £5,000 and £9,999, and, (c) between £2,000 and £4,999. [HL333]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Government do not collect information on the number of political donations. The Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 requires registered political parties to submit quarterly donation reports to the Electoral Commission, listing all donations received during the previous quarter above the reporting thresholds. These are £5,000 in the case of a central party and £1,000 in the case of one of
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The commission does not hold information on donations received below the reporting thresholds identified above. Donations received above these thresholds are grouped in bands according to their value. The first such band groups all reportable donations below £25,000. I have asked the commission to write to the noble Lord providing further data on donations in the form in which they are held. The commission will place a copy of their letter in the libraries of both Houses.
Prisoners: Deportation
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign prisoners are detained after their sentence has expired whilst awaiting deportation; and how many were so detained two years ago. [HL252]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign prisoners detained after their sentence has expired whilst awaiting deportation are held in prison; and how many in immigration removal centres. [HL253]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what arrangements they have put in place over the past two years to reduce the amount of time foreign prisoners who are to be deported spend in custody after their sentence has expired. [HL254]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The chief executive of the UK Border Agency has regularly written to the Home Affairs Select Committee in order to provide all of the most robust and accurate information relating to the deportation of foreign criminals. These letters include information on the numbers of such individuals who have been either deported or removed, the numbers of those held in detention and information relating to the improvements to the deportation system, which has led to record numbers of foreign criminals being deported each year since 2006.
Copies of these letters are available in the Library of the House.
Prisoners: Mental Health
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many prisoners in England and Wales were on suicide watch or special observation as a result of severe mental illness, including depression, in each of the past five years. [HL250]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): Information on suicide watch or special observation as a result of severe mental illness is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Prisons have a broad, integrated and evidence-based suicide prevention strategy. A prisoner focused care planning system for at risk prisoners, called Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork, (ACCT), was introduced across the prison estate between 2005 and 2007 in partnership with the Department of Health. Its key benefits include:
a faster first response and assessment;the provision of flexible, individual, accountable care; anda multi disciplinary approach.As part of the ACCT process decisions are taken about how the individual will be managed to reduce the risks that they will harm themselves, including the frequency of conversations and observations. Levels of observation will differ in each case and will change over time. Constant supervision is a temporary arrangement where a prisoner is supervised by a designated member of staff on a one to one basis, remaining within eyesight at all times and within a suitable distance to be able to physically intervene quickly. It is required when it is believed that the prisoner could, at any time. make an attempt to kill themselves.
Acute suicidal crisis may be temporary and the case management approach afforded by ACCT provides the opportunity to reduce the level of supervision progressively, substituting alternative supports. as the prisoners' condition improves.
While not being able to answer the specific question posed, I can provide information on the numbers of ACCT plans, (and its predecessor), which were opened in each of the past five years.
| Measure | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 |
Prisoners: Voting Rights
Question
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to introduce legislation in relation to the ban on voting by convicted prisoners, having regard to the declaration of incompatibility made by the Scottish Registration Appeal Court in Smith v Scott [2007] SC 345 under Section 4 of the Human Rights Act 1998 in relation to the ban on voting by convicted prisoners. [HL370]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): As the noble Lord is aware, the Government have undertaken the first stage of a two-
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Prisons: Titans
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they intend to publish the list of sites for the first three Titan prisons; whether they intend to purchase compulsorily the necessary land for their development; and when they expect to start construction work in each of the locations. [HL340]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): We are currently undertaking a search for potential sites for prison clusters (“Titans”) within the north-west, the West Midlands and the south-east, but have not yet confirmed or purchased any sites. Details of these will be published in due course.
Land required for prison development can be purchased by agreement or compulsorily. Normally we seek to purchase land by agreement. We intend to follow the normal planning route and will hold pre-application consultations with the relevant planning officers, local councillors and other interested parties prior to submitting planning applications.
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