Previous Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page

Question

Asked by Lord Kilclooney

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): An official from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from our Embassy in Washington took part in Mr Mohamed's return to the UK. They were accompanied by a Metropolitan Police Service doctor and seven police officers to ensure the security of the flight and to comply with police procedures during the return. They travelled to the US, then by charter flight to Guantanamo Bay, before returning to the UK with Mr Mohamed. A private charter was necessary to ensure security

20 Apr 2009 : Column WA343

and because there is no other flight available from Guantanamo Bay to the UK. The total cost of the travel involved was £121,269. This includes cost of the charter flight (£105,695) and other travel costs, including scheduled flights from the UK to the US.

Since Mr Mohamed has returned to the UK he has been entitled to support in accordance with his immigration status, which is being reviewed following his return.

Gulf War Illnesses

Question

Asked by Lord Tyler

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Ministry of Defence was not represented at the symposium held in the House of Lords on 24 March. My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and Minister for Veterans, Kevan Jones MP, received an invitation three days before the event took place but was already committed to another longstanding engagement overseas. My own Private Office did not receive an invitation.

Health: Cerebral Palsy

Questions

Asked by Baroness Finlay of Llandaff

Baroness Thornton: This information is not collected centrally. Using data for England and Wales held by the Office for National Statistics, the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU) at the University of Oxford gives the following figures for the incidence of low birth weight (<2,500g at birth):

YearPer cent

2007

7.1

2006

7.4

2005

7.5

2004

7.5

2003

7.7

Information for 2008 is not yet available.



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA344

This information can be found at www.statistics. gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=5768.

Information provided by NPEU suggests it is difficult to accurately estimate the correlation between cerebral palsy and low birth weight. The overall incidence of cerebral palsy is about two per 1,000 live births. This would be equivalent in 2007 to about 1,520 children up to 16 years of age.

Information is not available on the average cost in England or the United Kingdom of health and social care for a child with cerebral palsy.

Homelessness

Questions

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): We have allocated a total of £200 million to local authorities and voluntary organisations over the three years from 2008-09 to 2010-11 to support their strategies for tackling and preventing homelessness in their area. That includes rough sleeping.

In addition, a further £80 million capital funding has been allocated through our Places of Change programme to work in partnership with voluntary organisations to build on the success of improving hostels and day centres.

We also recently announced a £200 million mortgage rescue scheme to help vulnerable homeowners. The scheme is available to all local authorities and will aim to help up to 6,000 of the most vulnerable households avoid the trauma of repossession over the next two years. The scheme is now operational.

The latest statistics show that the proportion of homelessness acceptances due to mortgage repossessions has remained at 4 per cent since the end of 2007.

Asked by Baroness Byford

Baroness Andrews: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.

Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). These households are known as “accepted” households. If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes so.



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA345

Information on the numbers of households housed in temporary accommodation is reported quarterly by local authorities as at the last day of each quarter. The figure includes: those households which have been accepted as owed the main homelessness duty; those for which enquiries are pending; those being accommodated for a limited period because they have been found intentionally homeless and in priority need; those being accommodated pending possible referral to another authority, and those being accommodated pending the outcome of a local authority review or county court appeal.

The number of “accepted” households and households in temporary accommodation in London and in the rest of England can be found in tables 3 and 7 respectively of the quarterly Statutory Homelessness Statistical Release. This is available on the web and in the Library: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/statistics/xls/1173159.xls

Information is also collected on the number of people who sleep rough—that is, those who are literally roofless on a single night. The 2008 English rough sleeper estimate was 483, of which 238 were in London. A further breakdown of this count and the count guidance are published and can be found at the following web address: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/homelessness/roughsleeping/.

Asked by Baroness Byford

Baroness Andrews: Information about English local housing authorities' actions under the homelessness legislation (Part 7 of the Housing Act 1996) is collected quarterly at local authority level.

Data collected include the number of households accepted by local housing authorities as eligible for assistance, unintentionally homeless and in priority need, and therefore owed a main homelessness duty (to secure that suitable accommodation is available). If a settled home is not immediately available, the authority must secure temporary accommodation until a settled home becomes so.

The above local authority data include counts of households for whom a main duty is ended during a quarter. Some of these may have found their own accommodation, but we cannot identify these cases specifically within the figures.

The local authority data also include counts of numbers of applicants who are accepted as owed a main homelessness duty, during a quarter, and had also been accepted within the previous two years.

Hotel and Hostels

Question

Asked by Baroness Neville-Jones



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA346

Lord Davies of Oldham: In 2008 there were (a) 12,560 hotels and (b) 350 hostels in the United Kingdom. (Figures taken from the Inter Departmental Business Register, UK Business: Activity, Size and Location 2008).

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Question

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): There are no plans to do so.

Housing

Questions

Asked by Lord Greaves

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Information on the regional housing pot budget of £4 billion for 2009-10 is not available by local authority.



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA347

The regional housing pot consists of three separate programmes: the Homes and Communities Agency's National Affordable Housing programme, the Local Authority Decent Homes programme and the Private Sector Renewal and Regeneration programme.

The Affordable Housing programme element of the regional housing pot is allocated to registered social landlords and other affordable housing providers on the basis of competitive bidding and meeting criteria of value for money; quality; deliverability; and fit with national, regional and local priorities. Funding allocations for local authority decent homes and private sector renewal elements are made direct to local authorities based on recommendations from the regional assemblies and, in the case of London, the mayor.

The Minister for Housing and Planning is responsible for making decisions on allocations to each region of regional housing pot funding. The regional housing pot is distributed between each region formulaically, the formula being made up of indicators reflecting national policy objectives.

Regional assemblies and, in London, the mayor make recommendations to the Minister for Housing and Planning on the funding priorities within their area.

Ministers for the regions have no direct role in the regional housing pot distribution.

Human Rights

Questions

Asked by Lord Laird

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) works with a wide range of stakeholders, including Governments, international institutions, non-governmental organisations and civil society, in countries around the world to promote human rights.

Our recently published annual report on human rights gives many examples of the work that we do on human rights in terms of the FCO's overall strategic objectives, our major thematic preoccupations and in the countries of most concern where human rights problems are frequent or endemic.

A copy of this report can be found online at www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf15/human-rights-2008.

This report was laid before Parliament on 26 March 2009 (Command Paper number 7557).

Asked by Lord Laird



20 Apr 2009 : Column WA348

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Government have made no assessment of the current level of human rights protection in Ireland.

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Malloch-Brown: A list of referral requests is not available because the Government do not keep statistics of such requests.

Of the 14 cases referred to, six resulted in a finding of one or more violations of the convention.

In deciding whether to request a referral to the Grand Chamber, the Government consider each case on its merits and in the light of Article 43 of the convention, which provides for requests to be accepted if the case raises a serious question affecting the interpretation or application of the convention or its protocols, or a serious issue of general importance.

Immigration

Questions

Asked by Lord Avebury

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Case Resolution Directorate processes cases in line with the four priorities announced by the Home Secretary in July 2006. A consent order will only agree to prioritise a case in line with those priorities and is dependent on an assessment of the individual facts of the case concerned.

Asked by Baroness Warsi


Next Section Back to Table of Contents Lords Hansard Home Page