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We continue to urge the Kenyan Government to implement all of the recommendations of the Waki Commission, including those on reform of the judiciary. This will be vital in combating the culture of impunity and restoring the trust of the Kenyan people in their country's institutions.
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Ministry of Justice
Question
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government what expenditure was incurred in moving the offices of the Ministry of Justice. [HL4638]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The expenditure incurred in relocating 2,200 staff from five separate buildings to a single HQ (102 Petty France) in 2008-09 was £2,683,113. It is estimated that this rationalisation of the estates will contribute more than £10 million annually in savings which, over the duration of the lease will produce savings in excess of £200 million.
NHS: Primary Care Trust Finances
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS hospital trusts (a) did not have a balanced budget in the fiscal year 2008-09 without one-off balancing items; and (b) carried forward historic debts into the current financial year. [HL4745]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The number of National Health Service trusts that did not have a balanced budget in the fiscal year 2008-09 without one-off balancing items is not available from the accounts. Information about carried forward historic debts into the current financial year is given in the following table. This information is taken from the 2008-09 unaudited NHS trust summarisation schedules.
Olympic Games 2012: Temporary Venues
Questions
Asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will request the Audit Commission to investigate all decisions made and evidence submitted by the Olympic Delivery Authority to the Olympic Board and London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and all the decisions made by LOCOG at its board meeting held on 19 March regarding temporary venues and other relevant matters. [HL4786]
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Lord Davies of Oldham: There are no plans for any investigation into either the decisions made or evidence submitted to the Olympic Board on 19 March.
The decisions made by the board regarding temporary venues and other matters were based on sound and robust information and follow transparent joint working between the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in assessing all the available options.
LOCOG and the ODA have held several briefing sessions with a number of MPs and Peers and are happy to undertake further meetings to explain the rationale behind the Olympic Board's decision as are the BOA and British Shooting. The latter has accepted that Bisley is not a viable option for the 2012 events and will work with London 2012 on legacy for the sport.
Asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider an investigation by a cross-party group of Peers into all evidence, and principally the integrity of the selection process, submitted by the Olympic Delivery Authority to the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games for the determination of temporary venues, including financial and contractual considerations the decision of which was announced by the Chairman of the Olympic Board following its meeting on 19 March. [HL4787]
Lord Davies of Oldham: There are no plans for any investigation into either the decisions made or evidence submitted to the Olympic Board on 19 March.
The decisions made by the board regarding temporary venues and other matters were based on sound and robust information and follow transparent joint working between the Olympic Delivery Authority and the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games in assessing all the available options.
LOCOG and the ODA have held several briefing sessions with a number of MPs and Peers and are happy to undertake further meetings to explain the rationale behind the Olympic Board's decision as are the BOA and British Shooting. The latter has accepted that Bisley is not a viable option for the 2012 events and will work with London 2012 on legacy for the sport.
Passports
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the average waiting time for biometric appointments for foreign students; and how that varies between offices used for that purpose. [HL4536]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Appointments in the United Kingdom are currently available within our agreed standard of 15 days for applicants who are prepared to attend at any of our sites. The average waiting time for a premium single appointment is
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Information on waiting times for students overseas applying for visas is not available because the UK Border Agency is unable to distinguish appointment times by type of visa. I am able to give figures for all appointments-of our 328 application points around the world, 110 allow walk-in appointments and there is no waiting period. These sites handle approximately 60 to 70 per cent of all applications. Of the 218 sites that require appointments, only 10 per cent currently report average waiting times from inquiry to the next available appointment, which is 1.08 days.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the new Passport Office in Armagh City has any signage at its external elevation at the public footway. [HL4835]
Lord West of Spithead: The IPS office in Armagh does not have external signage. The office provides an interview facility for first-time adult passport applicants by appointment. It delivers no other passport service. Applicants using the office are provided written or verbal directions to site when selecting their preferred interview date. Applicants are additionally able to reference detailed location maps via IPS' Direct.gov web portal. When introducing its revised application process IPS sought to distinguish between "interview only" and "regional issuing" offices so as not to mislead other applicant types into believing emergency travel documents or related services could be delivered from offices such as Armagh.
Police: Protection
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any foreign nationals in the United Kingdom are given police protection; if so, how many; and at what cost. [HL4814]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Pervez Musharraf has been granted police protection in the United Kingdom; whether the same protection is provided to all former heads of state or government; and whether any contribution is made by their country of origin towards such costs. [HL4815]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): It is long established Home Office policy not to comment on protective security arrangements and their related costs for any individuals or groups.
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The noble Lord will appreciate that disclosure of such information could compromise the integrity of those arrangements and affect the security of the individuals concerned.
Prisons: HMP Albany
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much time per day out of their cells prisoners are allocated at HMP Albany; how much they got on average in practice before the new timetable was introduced; and how much they get on average now. [HL4853]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): During 2007-08 prisoners at HMP Albany spent an average of 9.9 hours out of their cells per week day against a target of 10 hours. In 2008-09, the year in which the core day was introduced, the average time out of cell in HMP Albany was 10.1 hours against a target of 9.7 hours.
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