Previous Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page



3 Mar 2009 : Column WA127

Written Answers

Tuesday 3 March 2009

Afghanistan

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) is conducting counterinsurgency operations in Afghanistan in support of the democratically elected Government of Afghanistan as they seek to build capacity and attempt to dismantle the insurgency through a politically led approach.

ISAF operations are making a big difference on the ground. However, Afghanistan's problems cannot be solved by military means alone.

Africa: Health and AIDS

Questions

Asked by Baroness Northover

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) has not withdrawn any funding for the Inter-Country Support Programme on Health and AIDS in Southern Africa (ICS) as the programme was not approved.

Following a mid-term review of DfID's regional programme in Southern Africa it was decided in October 2008 that the DfID-Southern Africa (DfID-SA) office should rebalance its commitments. It was agreed that DfID would not proceed with the design of ICS. Instead it will focus its work on other health and AIDS programmes; namely, a £12.5 million new programme to improve access to quality essential medicines in countries; and delivering on an existing £19 million programme providing behaviour change communication programmes.



3 Mar 2009 : Column WA128

The ICS programme was being designed to provide support to three key partners, the regional teams of UNAIDS and WHO and a challenge fund for regional civil society organisations (CSOs).

DfID remains very committed to UNAIDS and WHO. We recently agreed new institutional strategies for 2008-11 with both organisations. DfID will provide up to £34.8 million core funding to UNAIDS and £44 million core funding to WHO over this period. We rely on their management systems to ensure they allocate funds to regional and country programmes to deliver on their strategic objectives.

DfID has historic funding relationships with two CSOs: the Anglican Church of Southern Africa (ACSA) and the Health Economics and HIV/AIDS Research Division (HEARD) at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. DfID has taken steps to ensure the sustainability of these organisations, providing short-term funding and facilitating discussions to secure funding from other donors. DfID has also given advice and is providing technical assistance to ACSA on resource mobilisation. DfID has been able to provide some £1 million support to ARASA (AIDS and RIGHTS Alliance of Southern Africa) through another donor.

Asked by Baroness Northover

Asked by Baroness Northover

Lord Tunnicliffe: The Department for International Development (DfID) has not withdrawn any funding for the Inter-Country Support Programme on Health and AIDS in Southern Africa (ICS). This programme was not approved.

DfID remains seized of the importance of tackling AIDS in the hyper-endemic Southern Africa region and will remain a significant donor for HIV and AIDS and Health in the Southern Africa region, spending up to £61 million in the current financial year. It is expected that this level of spend will continue during 2010-11 and may increase the following year.

There is no change in DfID's policy. DfID remains committed to championing the global health and HIV/AIDS architecture including within the Southern Africa region. DfID has forged an excellent working relationship with others donors, national governments and regional institutions within Southern Africa. We remain active partners in the multi-donor group convened by the UNAIDS regional team, which is collectively monitoring whether there is any impact on the regional level approach to health and AIDS as a result of this and other donor decisions.



3 Mar 2009 : Column WA129

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Question

Asked by Lord Astor of Hever

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The original proposals submitted by industry indicated cost benefits to the UK and other nations from adoption of the commercial approach to procurement of this aircraft. This approach maximised the use of both civil practice and certification to deliver cost savings to the customers. Following detailed analysis by all nations involved, the contract to design and develop the A400M assumed that the bulk of the aircraft would be certified by the civil authorities with the nations taking responsibility only for the certification of the military aspects.

Avian Flu

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The following measures are in place to reduce the likelihood of avian flu entering the United Kingdom and to limit its economic and social impact.

We keep the level of threat under constant review. This is done through monitoring the international reports of disease incidence worldwide and assessing whether there is a change in threat for the UK. These assessments are published on the Defra website and stakeholder organisations are advised when a new assessment is published. Our current assessment is that the UK is at a low but constant risk of the virus being introduced.

There are a number of pathways through which the virus might be introduced. Trade in domestic poultry, other captive birds and poultry products is regulated. Regulation is based on international veterinary standards and certification designed to reduce the likelihood of the virus being transmitted via legal trade routes. The UK's Border Agency is responsible for undertaking anti-smuggling controls on products of animal origin (including avian products such as poultry meat and eggs) from third countries. These controls are risk-based, taking into account information from Defra on the changing global animal health situation.

Speedy detection of the virus in the UK and then swift action to contain and eradicate it is essential to limiting its impact. Keepers of domestic poultry and other kept birds practicing good biosecurity, maintaining vigilance and reporting suspicion of disease promptly to their vet is key. In addition, there is an official

3 Mar 2009 : Column WA130

surveillance programme undertaken in all European member states to help detect the virus, including less virulent strains. In wild birds it is used to help detect a change in risk for domestic poultry and other kept birds allowing controls to be triggered that help prevent disease spread (eg housing of birds).

We have well developed contingency plans for dealing with outbreaks. These have been activated eight times since April 2006. In addition, we have undertaken exercises with stakeholder partners to test out different scenarios. No two incidents are the same and after each one there is a lessons learnt exercise the conclusions of which are published on the Defra website.

In addition, vets from all the Governments of the EU meet at least once per month to discuss and adopt laws on animal health controls and meet more frequently if there is a major outbreak. The UK also attends OIE (the world animal health organisation) forums and provides funds for developing countries to help control disease and limit its spread worldwide.

Belarus: Religious Groups

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Our embassy in Minsk constantly monitors all human rights issues, including those related to religious freedoms and minority issues. Since a report concerning the treatment of the pastor of the New Life Church in May 2008, we have not received any further reports about the harassment of religious groups in Belarus, though we remain concerned about the human rights situation there. Our ambassador recently raised this issue with other EU heads of mission and expressed his concern. Our embassy in Minsk plans to lobby the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in the near future.

BNFL: Sale of Assets

Questions

Asked by Lord Astor of Hever

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform & Cabinet Office (Baroness Vadera): The decision on the form of the announcement was taken by the Board of BNFL, having consulted with the shareholder executive and the MoD.

As is common, with transactions of this nature, it was a term of the Jacobs proposal that the price and other commercially sensitive terms remained confidential. The Jacobs proposal was materially superior to the other proposal received.

The board of BNFL was advised in relation to the disposal by NM Rothschild and Freshfields.

British Coal Compensation

Questions

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change & Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The total expenditure under the vibration white finger scheme is broken down as requested above. These costs are actuals as at 31 January 2009:

(a) capita: £490 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); (b) medical services: £35 million;(c) all other contractors: £106 million (this includes records management, consultants, technical costs and medical records collection);(d) Solicitors Co-ordinating Group: These costs are not recorded separately, they are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(e) claimants' solicitors costs: £187 million (includes Solicitors Co-ordinating Group and the UDM costs);

3 Mar 2009 : Column WA132

(f) UDM and Vendside Limited: These figures are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(g) defendants' solicitors costs and counsel: £47 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); and(h) compensation paid (including CRU*): £1.8 billion

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The total expenditure under the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is broken down as requested above. These costs are actuals as at 31 January 2009:

(a) capita: £490 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme);(b) medical services: £405 million;(c) all other contractors: £106 million (this includes records management, consultants, technical costs and medical records collection);(d) Solicitors Co-ordinating Group: these costs are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);(e) claimants' solicitors costs: £l billion;f) UDM and Vendside Limited: These costs are not recorded separately and are shown as part of the claimants' solicitors costs (see e);g) defendants' solicitors costs and counsel: £47 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme); andh) compensation paid (including CRU*): £2.3 billion.

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) scheme is due to be substantially completed on 30 November 2009. We expect around 2,000 claims still to be in process at that point with offers made but going through remaining stages. We expect these to reach settlement during 2010. These are estimated costs for COPD as at 31 October 2008:

(a) Capita and all other contractors: c£677 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme. Includes claim handling costs, consultants, records managements, medical records collection and technical costs but excludes legal fees). Medical costs (COPD Only): c£406 million;(b) claimants' legal costs: c£1,047 million;(c) defendant's legal costs: c£52 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme);(d) department's internal costs: information not available (these costs are not included as part of our forecasting exercises); and (e) compensation which remains to be paid to the claimants: c£30 million (including CRU*).

Asked by Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The vibration white finger (VWF) scheme is due to be substantially completed on 1 May 2009 by which time we expect just some 400 claims will remain to be settled. These are estimated costs for VWF as at 31 October 2008:

(a) Capita and all other contractors: c£677 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme and includes claim handling costs, consultants, records management, medical records collection and technical costs but exclude legal fees). Medical costs (VWF only): c£35 million;(b) claimants' legal costs: c£192 million;(c) defendant's legal costs: c£52 million (this is a total figure and cannot be broken down by scheme);
Next Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page