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The first prison cluster is planned to become operational by late 2012, and up to a further two by 2014. However, no construction work will commence until planning permission has been obtained and the procurement process is complete.
Public Bodies
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government which non-departmental public bodies, commissions and agencies receive Government sponsorship or funding. [HL327]
Lord Patel of Bradford: All public bodies publish annual reports and accounts which contain detailed information on funding and expenditure. The annual Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies provides information on total Government funding of non-departmental public bodies. Public Bodies 2007 can be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/about/public/bodies.asp. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. Public Bodies 2008 will be published shortly.
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Railways: St Pancras Train Shed
Question
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 29 September (WA 300-01), to what extent the Answer took into account (a) the disapplication of Section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, and whether this disapplication was rescinded on completion of the works at St Pancras as part of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project; and (b) the normal powers of the 1990 Act, including those of the local authority under Section 38 to issue a listed building enforcement notice in respect of any such works. [HL80]
Lord Davies of Oldham: My Written Answer did not take into account the disapplication of Section 7 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conversation Areas) Act 1990 because it did not need to. This disapplication was only for the construction period of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and that period has passed. My Written Answer referred to the current position with regard to the St Pancras train shed and not the position during the construction phase of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link project. Thus I can confirm that the normal powers of the 1990 Act now apply.
Recycling: Household Waste
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with local authorities the expansion of the number of receptacles for recycled household waste. [HL313]
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The Government believe local authorities are best placed to make decisions on the waste management strategy for their communities.
To ensure local authorities have the best information possible to inform them when making their waste management decisions Defra funds the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to provide guidance and to share best practice. The service offers local authorities in England operational, communications and waste prevention advice, skills training and some funding for local communications activities.
Recycling: White Goods
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will include smaller consumer recycling programmes for large household white goods such as refrigerators. [HL311]
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The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Arrangements for recycling of large household white goods are already in place. Since July 2007, producers of electrical and electronic equipment have been funding the collection, treatment and recycling of this type of equipment. A network of about 1,500 designated collection facilities—mostly at local authority civic amenity sites—is accepting waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) for recycling. Some retailers will also accept back items on a like-for-like basis or take away old equipment when they deliver a new item. During the first compliance period which ran from July to December 2007, 184,000 tonnes of household WEEE were collected for recycling.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) is currently running a consumer awareness campaign about the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). This is focused specifically on small items of WEEE, because this is where the greatest collection deficit lies at present: the UK only collects 10 per cent by weight of all small WEEE purchased, whereas for all WEEE (including large white goods), the UK collects 25 per cent by weight of all items purchased. WRAP will look to extend the scope of the campaign from April 2009 onwards.
WRAP has recently completed a demonstration project, showing that plastics from the UK's collective producer responsibility (CPR) scheme can be recycled back into new WEEE products (closed-loop recycling). This uses recycled fridge plastics to make new parts for washing machines at Indesit in Wales. Indesit has now incorporated this change into its production processes permanently.
Royal Mail
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will include provision in any legislation on the Royal Mail to give them power to prevent outside minority investors from seeking a majority of share capital or voting rights. [HL482]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform & Cabinet Office (Baroness Vadera): The Secretary of State said in his Statement on 16 December that his department will want to study the report in detail and he would respond with a full statement of government policy in the early part of next year. Until this work has been done it would not be appropriate to say what specific provisions will be included in legislation.
The Bill will be consistent with the Government's commitment to keep Royal Mail publicly owned.
Rural Payments Agency
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Farming and the Environment, Jane Kennedy, on 24 November
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The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): (a) The following table sets out the number of staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) for the past three years.
| Financial Year | No |
These figures include all RPA staff directly employed, contractors and agency staff.
(b) The following table sets out the expenditure paid out under the common agricultural policy for the past three years which includes schemes administered by delegated bodies and excludes devolved administrations.
| Financial Year | £ million |
(c) The following table sets out how many complaints have been dealt with for the past three years.
| Financial Year | No. |
Financial years cover the period 1 April to 31 March.
Schools: A-levels
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government in the three most recent years for which figures are available, what percentage of the primary school pupils identified as the most talented at key stage 2 (a) were entered in due course for A-level examinations; (b) achieved two or more A grades at A-level; and (c) were accepted for places in higher education. [HL118]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): Of those pupils who took at least one GCE A-level in 2008 and are recorded as attaining Level 5 in English and Maths at Key Stage 2, 36 per cent1 gained 2 or more A grades at A-level. The remaining information will incur disproportionate cost to produce.
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- 1 This analysis covers pupils who took at least one GCE A-Level (it does not include VCE or equivalent qualifications) in 2008 for which we have Key Stage 2 results. This analysis will therefore exclude some pupils with high attainment at Key Stage 2, who for whatever reason did not do A-Levels in 2008. It also only includes approximately half of pupils who took Key Stage 2 tests at independent schools in 2001 for which we do not have complete coverage of their results.
Shipping: Broadcasting
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following a recent incident off the west Wales coast involving a shipping vessel broadcasting inadvertently, they will introduce measures to prevent smaller vessel owners from mixing maritime radio transmissions, thereby endangering other shipping. [HL486]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): It is not possible to introduce measures that would prevent incidents of re-transmission of non-maritime radio transmissions on maritime frequencies, whether caused inadvertently or deliberately.
Such occurrences are rare, and as in this case, the problem can be quickly resolved, using existing coastguard procedures.
Shipping: Irish Lights
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are legal or constitutional reasons why they cannot give the Republic of Ireland notice that they (a) wish to withdraw from the 1985 agreement on the funding of the Commissioners of Irish Lights; and (b) no longer wish to subsidise navigational aids in the Republic. [HL385]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): There are no legal or constitutional reasons. Both Governments have accepted the need to update the arrangements for funding of Irish Lights. We are continuing negotiations aimed at reaching a new agreement.
Shipping: Lighthouse Authorities
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what savings would be achieved if the three lighthouse boards were amalgamated. [HL387]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): We do not believe that amalgamating the three general lighthouse authorities (GLAs) into one authority would offer major additional savings.
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The GLAs work together to drive down costs and have been proactive on reducing overhead costs where they can. In recent years, the GLA fleet has reduced from nine to six vessels and the number of depot sites from nine to four. These reductions have been significant, ensuring that light dues rates have not increased since 1993.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the boards of the three lighthouse authorities are paid more than (a) £50,000, (b) £70,000 and (c) £100,000 per annum. [HL388]
Lord Adonis: The information for 2007-08 is set out below:
| General Lighthouse Authority | Board members paid more than £50,000 but not more than £70,000 | Board members paid more than £70,000 but not more than £100,000 | Board members paid more than £100,000 |
Shipping: Navigation Aids
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what additional contributions, if any, they will require from ships entering United Kingdom ports to the General Lighthouse Fund to make up for the fund's investment performance and changes in the exchange rate between the pound and the euro in respect of the subsidy paid to the Irish Government for marine navigation aids. [HL386]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): Over the past year the General Lighthouse Fund has suffered from falls in investment income and adverse movement in the exchange rate between the pound and euro. These will be among the factors the Secretary of State for Transport will take into account in the annual review of funding before determining the light dues payable by ships calling at UK ports. A number of options, both to reduce costs and raise additional income, will be considered to ensure that the three general lighthouse authorities are properly funded to deliver their essential service.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what studies they have undertaken into alternative governance models for the organisations providing navigational aids, including having an independent economic and safety regulator and creating a not-for-profit
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Lord Adonis: No such studies have been undertaken.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what subsidies are paid by ships entering United Kingdom harbours to maintain the navigation aids in the territorial waters of (a) France, (b) Belgium, (c) the Netherlands, (d) Germany, (e) Denmark and (f) Norway. [HL390]
Lord Adonis: No charges are imposed on ships entering UK harbours to meet the costs of aids to navigation in these other countries.
Taxation: Interest Rates
Question
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Southwell and Nottingham
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in view of the reduction of the Bank of England base rate to 2 per cent, Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs will reduce the various rates of interest on late payments of tax. [HL480]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): HM Revenue and Customs recalculates its interest rates following any rate change in line with procedures laid down in legislation. The legislation sets out how the rates for various taxes and duties should be calculated and when they apply from. In accordance with the legislation the rate of interest charged on underpaid instalment payments of corporation tax changed from 4 per cent to 3 per cent on 15 December. All other rates will reduce in accordance with the legislation on 6January 2009. The rate of interest charged on underpayments of the main taxes will reduce from 5.5 per cent to 4.5 per cent.
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