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To ask Her Majesty's Government what legal limits exist on the right of United Kingdom passport holders to serve in the Armed Forces of other countries. [HL1129]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): There are no restrictions in law in the United Kingdom to prevent British nationals serving in the Armed Forces of other countries. It would be a matter for the country concerned to decide whether to allow a United Kingdom passport holder to serve in their forces.
Petitions: Government Departments
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether departments are required to publicise the actions taken by them in response to any electronic or paper petitions submitted to them. [HL804]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether departments are required to accept petitions in electronic format; and how many departments have facilities to do so. [HL805]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether petitions received by departments have to be made publicly available. [HL806]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): Individual departments are responsible for the handling of petitions directly submitted to them.
Information relating to such petitions is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many petitions were presented to departments in (a) session 2006—07, and (b) session 2007—08; how many have been presented in 2008—09; and on how many occasions the responsible department did not respond. [HL815]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they decide whether or not a petition submitted to a department is to be considered valid in terms of requiring a response. [HL816]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether departments are required by law to respond to petitions submitted to them; and, if so, whether those laws stipulate what steps the department should take by way of providing a response. [HL817]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Individual departments are responsible for the handling of petitions directly submitted to them.
Information relating to such petitions is not collated centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
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Police: Northern Ireland
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will review the practice whereby the Police Service of Northern Ireland sends every investigation file to the Northern Ireland Public Prosecution Service to decide on further action; and whether they will re-introduce discretion for police to decide on cases where there is insufficient evidence or where they decide an informal caution is warranted. [HL920]
The Attorney-General (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The separation of functions between the police as investigators and legally trained prosecutors reaching decisions as to prosecution is an important one which helps to maintain the integrity of the prosecution process. Currently, the Public Prosecution Service requires the police to submit a file in every case in which an investigation has produced evidence that an identifiable person has committed a criminal offence. What is required to be included in the file depends upon the nature of the police recommendation and a full file is required only where that recommendation is for prosecution. These arrangements are currently under review and consideration is being given to a number of options that may improve delivery of criminal justice without undermining the integrity and fairness of the process that is essential for public confidence to be maintained.
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To ask Her Majesty's Government how many break-ins to business premises have taken place in East Belfast during each month since January 2008; and what steps the Police Service of Northern Ireland is taking to reduce the number. [HL1188]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: That is an operational matter for the chief constable. I have asked him to reply directly to the noble Lord, and a copy of his letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Police: Traffic Patrols
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of police officers was dedicated to road traffic patrolling in (a) 1970, (b) 1980, (c) 1990 and (d) each year from 1997 to date, in (1) the Metropolitan Police, and (2) all other police forces. [HL1044]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The information requested has been centrally collected since 1994-95, and the available data are given in the table.
The available data refer to the number of full-time equivalent police officers primarily employed in the traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motorcycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. This does not include officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties.
| Percentage of Police Officers (FTE)l whose main function is Traffic2 | ||||||
- 1. This and other tables contain full-time equivalent figures that have been rounded to the nearest whole number. Because of rounding, there may be an apparent discrepancy between totals and the sums of the constituent items.
- 2. Staff with multiple responsibilities (or designations) are recorded under their primary role or function. The traffic function includes staff who are predominantly employed on motorcycles or in patrol vehicles for the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. The does not include officers employed in accident investigation, vehicle examination and radar duties.
- 3. Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary held data prior to 2002-03 on their Matrix database. They have advised that these data that are missing from the table are no longer available.
Severn River Crossing plc
Questions
Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the reduction in the rate of value added tax was not passed on through a lower toll charge by Severn River Crossing plc until 1 January; and, if so, how much revenue was collected by the concessionaire of the Severn Bridge crossing from the reduction in the value added tax rate not being passed on in December 2008. [HL1146]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): The new toll levels introduced on 1 January 2009 were set as part of the annual inflation review and adjusted to reflect the reduction in value added tax.
The increase in net revenue collected by the concessionaire in December 2008 as a result of the reduction in value added tax is approximately £128,000.
The concessionaire has not gained any additional revenue from this, but it has the effect of reducing the concession period by less than one day.
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Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will recoup from Severn Bridge Crossing plc any additional revenue it gained from not passing on the reduction in the rate of value added tax.[HL1147]
Lord Adonis: Severn River Crossing's (SRC) total revenue from the tolls is fixed at a defined amount under the concession agreement and the concession period will end when SRC achieves that amount. The reduction in VAT produced a small increase in the net toll revenues in December. This means that the total revenue defined under the concession agreement will be met slightly earlier than anticipated. As such SRC has not gained any additional revenue. Revised toll levels for 2009 have now been set below the level of annual inflation to reflect the recent reduction in the rate of VAT.
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Wales Office: Staff
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average number of days taken off on sick leave by staff in the Wales Office administrative section in 2008. [HL1019]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Sickness absence is recorded on a yearly basis from April to March.
For the year ending March 2008, the average number of days of sickness absence taken for all Wales Office staff was 9.29 days.
It is worth noting that this figure was skewed upwards by a small number of long term sickness absences.
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