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The department will be conveying messages on breastfeeding and healthy weaning through the Change4Life under-twos’ marketing strategy to be launched later in 2009.
Civil Service: Performance Pay
Question
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Statement by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 31 March (WS 83—84), what was the estimated size of the Cabinet Office's non-consolidated performance-related pay pot for the Senior Civil Service in each of the last five years for which information is available. [HL2904]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to the noble Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay on 6 May 2009 (Official Report, WA 115-16).
Coroners and Justice Bill
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government which recommendations made by the Shipman inquiry have not been incorporated in the Coroners and Justice Bill; and why those recommendations have not been so incorporated. [HL4220]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The coroner reform and death certification provisions of the Coroners and Justice Bill implement, in full or in part, a number of recommendations contained in the Shipman inquiry's third report, including the statutory duty on doctors to report certain deaths to coroners, the appointment of a Chief Coroner, an appeals system, independent inspection, and independent medical examiners to scrutinise the certificates of cause of death of all deaths not reported to the coroner. Other recommendations about coroners and death certification have been addressed by alternative means, including the framework within which services are delivered. As announced in the other place by my right honourable friend the former Minister of State for Constitutional Affairs (Harriet Harman) on 6 February 2006 (Official Report, cols. 607-08), and on several occasions in Parliament subsequently, the Government are not convinced that the inquiry's recommendation for a centralised death investigation service is the most effective model. Our preference is for coroners and medical examiners to be based at a local level, and while
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Criminal Justice Acts
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the provisions of the 65 Criminal Justice Acts since 1997 are not yet in force; and what are those provisions in date order. [HL4215]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): There is currently no central record of the information required. In order to obtain this information, a detailed investigation will need to be undertaken which will take some time. The information requested is being collated and I will write to the noble Lord as soon as possible.
Department of Health: Staff
Question
Asked by Baroness Campbell of Surbiton
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total cost to public funds of (a) the salaries and all other emoluments, Ministerial and Parliamentary, paid to each of the Ministers at the Department of Health; and (b) the salaries and other payments made to the Department's Permanent Secretary and Chief Medical Officer respectively. [HL4228]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Details of salary and other emoluments for the department's Ministers, Permanent Secretary and Chief Medical Officer for the financial year 2007-08 are recorded in the department's remuneration report, part of the Resource Accounts 2007-08, which are available in the Library, and can be found on page 25 of that document.
The DH resource accounts for the financial year 2008-09, including the department's remuneration report, are currently in preparation. Following audit and certification by National Audit Office, they will be laid before Parliament during July 2009. The remuneration report will contain information on salary paid and other emoluments received for the department's Ministers, Permanent Secretary and the Chief Medical Officer for the 2008-09 financial year.
The salaries to which Ministers are currently entitled are published in Factsheet M6 from the House of Commons Information Service and can be found at www.parliament.uk/documents/upload/M06.pdf.
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Education Maintenance Allowance
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will increase the education maintenance allowance from £30 a week. [HL4231]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): The education maintenance allowance is an incentive paid direct to young people to encourage them to participate in post-compulsory learning. We have no evidence to suggest that the current rate of weekly payment does not provide the required incentive. Since it was introduced participation in post-16 learning has increased each year. EMA is not designed to meet all a young person's living costs—help with these is provided through child benefit and working tax credits, or through the benefit system provided through the Department for Work and Pensions.
Employment: Compensation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many employers did not pay compensation awarded by tribunals in the period from 2003 to 2008; and what action they propose to ensure that enforcement against non-compliant employers takes place. [HL4117]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): Employment tribunals are adjudicating bodies and are not responsible for enforcing their awards or orders of costs. The Tribunals Service, therefore, does not hold data relating to the number of employers who did not pay compensation awarded at employment tribunals.
However, recent research into this issue by the Ministry of Justice showed that, at the time they were interviewed, 39 per cent of claimants who participated in the research had been awarded a monetary payment which had not been paid by the employer.
The Government have streamlined the enforcement process for claimants and are currently in discussion with the High Court Enforcement Officers Association to develop a service which will enable claimants to commission a High Court enforcement officer to enforce their award as soon as the respondent fails to make payment. This was set out in my Written Statement on 19 May 2009 (Official Report, col. WS 111).
Food
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have for increasing food production in England. [HL4238]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): The UK domestic agricultural sector makes an important contribution to the diversity of safe and nutritious food we enjoy, and will need to continue to respond to changes in global markets for food. The Government believe UK agriculture should produce as much food as possible, provided this can be done sustainably and is driven by consumer demand.
Primary responsibility for action to improve competitiveness rests—as in other sectors of the economy—with the sector itself. Government's principal role in this area is encouraging and enabling to ensure we have a thriving and sustainable agri-food sector. We are encouraging more resource efficient and environmentally sustainable agriculture by: providing guidance on nutrient management (Code of Good Agricultural Practice, issued January 2009); reducing water pollution (Catchment Sensitive Farming Programme and NVZs); and environmental stewardship schemes.
The Government are also helping rural businesses through the economic downturn by raising the funding limit on grants to 100 per cent for projects under the Rural Development Plan for England (RDPE). We are encouraging co-operation in production and marketing— for example, the Pigmeat Supply Chain Taskforce—and we are taking regulatory burdens seriously and arguing strongly against those we view as unnecessary or inappropriate with our European partners. And we are continuing our commitment to ensuring the right research and development strategy is in place across a wide range of areas, including the environmental impacts of local and seasonal foods; the water impacts of our food supply; and the integrating water quality, ecology and production at farm and catchment scale.
Food: Salt
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider a new campaign to persuade restaurants to reduce the salt in their food. [HL4212]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The Government have already secured voluntary public commitments from over 40 of the largest catering companies for action that will reduce salt in their food. These companies are from all parts of the catering industry including restaurants.
As the existing initiative is working well, the Government intend to continue their current work with these companies, as well as actively encourage new companies to reduce the salt content in the meals they serve. This will include targeting smaller businesses.
Health: Diabetes
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report in The Lancet on the number of cases of childhood diabetes in Europe. [HL4269]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): We have noted the findings of the report, which indicates that increasing numbers of children will be affected by type 1 diabetes. Primary care trusts will need to ensure appropriate planning of services and that resources are in place to provide high-quality care for the anticipated increased numbers of children affected.
Homelessness: Rough Sleepers
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many rough sleepers were estimated to be in (a) Birmingham, (b) Leeds, (c) Manchester, (d) Liverpool, and (e) Newcastle upon Tyne, in (1) 2000, (2) 2005, (3) 2007, and (4) 2008. [HL4128]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The table below shows the number of rough sleepers:
| 2000 | 2005 | 2007 | 2008 | |
House of Lords: Ministerial Responsibilities
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will appoint a Minister in the House of Lords with sole responsibility for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. [HL4235]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Davies of Oldham): Among other recent changes to the composition of the Government, I have been appointed as a Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State in Defra. I am carrying out these duties alongside my responsibilities as the Government's Deputy Chief Whip in this House. My departmental portfolio is as follows:
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all Defra business in the Lords;
deputy for the Minister of State's business;
Gangmasters Licensing Authority;
seasonal agricultural workers scheme (SAWS); and
Housing
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many selective licensing areas are in existence; what are their names, locations, relevant local authorities and dates of establishment; how many houses are included in each; and what percentage of those houses are owned by private landlords. [HL4272]
To ask Her Majesty's Government which applications by local authorities for selective licensing areas have been rejected; and for what reasons. [HL4273]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have commissioned research into the effectiveness of selective licensing areas (SLAs); if so, what research has taken place; and what is their assessment of the success of SLAs. [HL4274]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The table below highlights those local authorities that have been granted approval to operate selective licensing schemes under the Housing Act 2004.
We invite local authorities to work with departmental officials in the development of their selective licensing proposals so that the applications when submitted are consistent with published criteria. This has meant that the Secretary of State has not rejected any applications.
The Building Research Establishment (BRE) has conducted a review of local authority implementation of the licensing provisions under the Housing Act 2004, and this has included an assessment of those selective licensing regimes that were in operation at the time of the research. The final report is due to be published in July 2009.
| Authority | No. of Designations | Area | Date of Confirmation | Commencement Date | Valid Until | No. of privately rented properties |
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many empty dwelling management orders have been made; and, in each case, by which local authority. [HL4275]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: To date, 24 interim empty dwelling management orders (EDMOs) have been approved by the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS) since the legislation came into effect in April 2006. However, local authorities claim that in many cases the threat of an EDMO has been sufficient to make owners take action to bring long-term empty homes back into use.
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