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12 Feb 2009 : Column WA241
Prisons: Muslims
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what programmes are in place in prisons in England and Wales to prevent Muslim prisoners being exposed to extremist (a) views, and (b) indoctrination. [HL1294]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The National Offender Management Service is delivering a programme of work to address the risks associated with violent extremism and radicalisation in prisons including improved intelligence gathering; training and awareness-raising for staff, support for chaplaincy teams; and work to research and develop appropriate interventions. Within this programme a series of briefings, written materials and events have been delivered. Work is currently taking place to determine the future training needs.
Public Bodies
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Williams of Mostyn on 18 October 2001 (WA 101) and Lord Davies of Oldham on 18 July 2007 (WA 28), which members of the House of Lords and which members of the House of Commons held appointments on 1 February 2009 to the boards of public bodies as set out in Annex A of the Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies 2008—Making government work better issued on 2 February 2009; what was the date of each appointment; what these appointments were; and what remuneration was paid in connection with each appointment. [HL1360]
Lord Patel of Bradford:This information is not held centrally. Information on board membership and remuneration is published in individual bodies’ annual reports and accounts.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the issue of the Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies 2008—Making government work better, which confirmed that the expenditure by Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) for the period April 2007 to March 2008 amounted to nearly £43 billion, what is their current estimate of expenditure by NDPBs for the period April 2008 to March 2009. [HL1361]
Lord Patel of Bradford: This information is not held centrally. Estimates of expenditure by NDPBs for the current financial year is a matter for individual departments. Information on total expenditure by executive NDPBs for 2008/09 will be published in due course in the Cabinet Office report Public Bodies 2009.
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Railways: BR Residential Property
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the British Rail Residual Property Board spent in each year since its formation on (a) repairs and maintenance to abandoned railway lines; and (b) repairs and maintenance to bridges over and under abandoned railway lines. [HL1387]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis):BRB (Residuary) does not record separate figures for expenditure on disused railway lines from the overall cost of maintaining land on the rest of its burdensome estate. Figures for maintaining burdensome land dating back to 2005-06 are available as follows:
These figures account for removal of fly tipping, fencing, underground fires, etc.
The historic cost of repairs and maintenance to bridges over and above disused railway lines, including all inspections, assessments, major and minor works and some transfers to third parties is as follows:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what length of abandoned railway line the British Rail Residual Property Board owned, and was responsible for the repairs and maintenance of, in each year since its formation. [HL1388]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): BRB. (Residuary) Ltd does not record its land holdings by route mileage. The non-operational estate is recorded as a number of properties which includes buildings as well as land. There were 421 sites at the beginning of this financial year, of which the company anticipates selling 150 by March 2009.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much the British Rail Residual Property Board spent in each year since its formation on (a) repairs and maintenance of the abandoned railway line between Colne and the former boundary between Lancashire and the West Riding of Yorkshire, and (b) repairs and maintenance to bridges over and under that line. [HL1389]
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The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): The only expenditure recorded for this route was the removal of a tree which had fallen through a fence. Compensation of £10,000 was paid to the adjoining landowner and the fence was repaired at a cost of £3000.
Historic maintenance expenditure, including all inspections, major and minor works on the bridges over and under the route is as follows.
| Year | Inspection Costs | Maintenance Costs | Total |
Registered Commons
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Holbeach
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the seven authorities listed as Registration Authorities in Schedule 1 to the Commons Registration (England) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1961) represent all areas in which registered Commons are to be found; whether they are the only local authorities that have expressed a wish to be registration authorities; and whether new registration authorities will be added to the list as and when they apply or only at fixed intervals. [HL1248]
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): Commons registration authorities are defined in section 4(1) of the Commons Act 2006. Part 1 of the 2006 Act came into force on 1 October 2008 in the seven commons registration authorities participating in a pilot scheme, that is the county councils of Cornwall, Devon, Hertfordshire, Kent and Lancashire, the County of Herefordshire district council, and Blackburn with Darwen borough council. These authorities were selected from those which volunteered to take part in the pilot scheme, as representative of those commons registration authorities in England as a whole which have registered land within their areas.
Commons registration authorities were first designated under the Commons Registration Act 1965. There are 148 in England, of which approximately 116 have registered common land within their areas. We will review the pilot scheme in early 2010 before deciding whether to proceed with national implementation as planned, in regional tranches, from October 2010 onwards. On this basis, all commons registration authorities in England would implement Part 1 by October 2012.
12 Feb 2009 : Column WA244
Roads: Traffic Signs
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a traffic sign as defined in Sections 142 and 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 must be in compliance with Regulation 11 and Regulation 12 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 and can only be used in such circumstances as directed by the Secretary of State for Transport. [HL1309]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): Section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that a traffic sign may be specified by regulations or authorised by the Secretary of State. Regulations 11 and 12 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 identify the signs to which they apply. Regulations 11 and 12 of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 do not apply where the Secretary of State authorises the erection or retention of a sign of another character.
Traffic signs should be used in accordance with the applicable directions given by the Secretary of State for Transport.
It should be noted that only the Courts can provide a definitive interpretation of the law.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether non-prescribed traffic signs authorised by or on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport may only be used in full compliance with the content of the authorisation documents; and whether any deviation from the constraints of that authorisation voids the permission thus binding the highway authority to the content of the Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 and to the use of prescribed traffic signs. [HL1310]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): Section 64 of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 provides that a traffic sign may be authorised by the Secretary of State. An authorised traffic sign should be used in accordance with the applicable authorisation. It would be for the courts to determine the legal effect of any deviation.
It should be noted that only the courts can provide a definitive interpretation of the law.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a taxi rank created under the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1976 is considered to be a parking place; and whether such a taxi rank can be enforced under decriminalised parking enforcement. [HL1308];
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Regulation 18 of the Local Authorities' Traffic Orders Procedure (England and Wales) Regulations 1996 binds an authority to the content of Traffic Signs Regulations and General Directions 2002 and the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 by the use of the term “traffic sign”. [HL1311]
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The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): These questions appear to relate directly to issues that are currently before the Administrative Court. It would not be appropriate for the Secretary of State to address them.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to remove non-prescribed traffic signs that have not been authorised by the Secretary of State for Transport. [HL1313]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Lord Adonis): This Government have not exercised the power in Section 69(3) of the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984 relating to the removal of signs by giving directions to a local traffic authority.
Schools: Performance Tables
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government why IGCSE examination results are not included in calculations of value added between key stage 4 and key stage 5 for the 2008 school performance tables. [HL1212]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): International GCSEs (iGCSEs) are designed primarily as qualifications for overseas candidates and have been taken up by some schools in the independent sector. iGCSEs are currently not accredited by Ofqual or approved for funding in respect of pupils in maintained schools in this country, and unlike ordinary GCSEs, are not aligned to the National Curriculum programmes of study. Since they have not been accredited, there is no regulatory mechanism to ensure comparability between GCSEs and iGCSEs. iGCSE results are therefore not collected by the department or included in the achievement and attainment tables.
Secondary Legislation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review obsolete secondary legislation. [HL1272]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Government have no specific plans to review obsolete secondary legislation.
The Law Commission has a statutory duty to keep the law of England and Wales under review with a view to its systematic development and reform. This includes the repeal of obsolete and unnecessary legislation, including secondary legislation. However, the commission focuses its resources in this area of work on the repeal of obsolete primary legislation.
12 Feb 2009 : Column WA246
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