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In addition, figures provided below show the following non-recruitment related initiatives advertised to the wider public.
Financial Year | Initiative Promoted | Cost (£ 000) |
** Used services of Central Office of Information
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide the Civil Service Commissioners with the power to report to Parliament evidence indicating that the Government were misleading Parliament or the public or the fact that the Civil Service has refused to act on a justified complaint. [HL5538]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the Civil Service Commissioners conduct independent investigations of breaches of confidentiality by special advisers and report their findings to Parliament if Ministers did not act on them. [HL5539]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the leaking of information by government officials should only be a criminal matter where there is a breach of the Official Secrets Acts 1911 to 1989 or there is evidence of serious criminal misconduct in addition to the leak itself, for example accepting payment. [HL5540]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will ensure that the Cabinet Office, heads of government departments and the Civil Service Commissioners do more to inform potential whistleblowers of how to raise concerns and to encourage them to have the confidence to come forward with them. [HL5541]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): All these issues and the questions they raise will be addressed in the Government's forthcoming response to the Tenth Report of Session 2008-09 from the Public Administration Select Committee on Leaks and Whistleblowing in Whitehall.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals will be dealt with by HM Revenue and Customs High Net Worth Unit who were identified as a result of the recent agreement with Liechtenstein on sharing tax information. [HL5429]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): The UK-Liechtenstein tax information exchange agreement (TIEA) will have effect from 1 January 2010 for criminal tax matters and from 1 April 2010 for all other tax matters. Individuals have not yet been identified as a result of this agreement.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the work of the Centre for Research and Popular Education in Colombia concerning the human rights of displaced people. [HL5500]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): The Centre for Investigation and Popular Education (CINEP) has three main functions-to be a centre of thought on social and cultural issues in Colombia; an organisation for mediation in the context of the social conflict; and a documentation base that aids in understanding Colombia's development process. Our embassy in Bogota works with CINEP on a project aimed at improved capacity for investigative journalism on issues of conflict and peace. We welcome all efforts to improve the plight of the marginalised and growing population of more than 3 million displaced people in Colombia.
Additionally, the UK has funded a number of projects aimed at giving support and protection to internally displaced people (IDPs) in Colombia. We continue to urge the Colombian Government to take all appropriate steps to help them and address the issues they face, including extreme poverty and the restitution of their lands.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of reports of human rights abuses, including extrajudicial murders, in the Baluchistan province of Pakistan. [HL5517]
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: We are concerned at reports of human rights abuses in Pakistan, including in Baluchistan province. In our dialogue with the Government of Pakistan we continue to urge that any action to counter militant or insurgent activity is conducted to internationally recognised standards of human rights.
Bilaterally and with our EU partners, we continue to encourage Pakistan to meet its international human rights obligations and ratify outstanding covenants. Early implementation of human rights instruments will safeguard human rights in the longer term.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the rights of the people of Baluchistan peacefully to advocate or demonstrate in favour of greater autonomy or independence and a fairer share of the profits derived from its natural resources. [HL5518]
Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead: The people of Baluchistan enjoy a democratic right to representation at both provincial and federal levels of government. We urge all concerned to engage in dialogue and renounce violence as a means of achieving political objectives. We support the efforts of the Government of Pakistan to find a negotiated, peaceful and lasting settlement for Baluchistan, which takes into account the wishes of the Baluchi people. In this context, we have welcomed President Zardari's announcement in May 2009 of an 80 billion Pakistani rupees (£615 million) development package for Baluchistan.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 6 July (WA 107) and having regard to Chapter 14 of Annex H of the Home Office Nationality Instructions, under what circumstances an adult holding British nationality can concurrently be a citizen of India. [HL4956]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Annex H to Chapter 14 of the Nationality Instructions provides general information for nationality caseworkers, based on UKBA's understanding of Indian nationality law. It is, however, for the Indian authorities to determine which persons are citizens of India.
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the UK Border Agency Nationality Instructions refer to the case of Lee Thean Hock (Judicial Review No 25-64-2004 in the Malaysian High Court) as a precedent (Annex D to Chapter 12, paragraph 2.11.4), when paragraph 67 of the judgment of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in the case of AL & Others (Malaysia British Overseas Citizens) Malaysia [2009] UKAIT 00026 states that "the case is clearly not to be regarded as a precedent". [HL5516]
Lord West of Spithead: Within British nationality law there are provisions which require a person to be a British national, and to have no other citizenship or nationality. UKBA is therefore required, when considering such cases, to assess whether a person has any other citizenship.
It has been alleged that a Malaysian citizen loses that status on acquiring a British overseas citizen passport. However, two rulings have influenced UKBA's understanding of this position.
The first of these was the case of Lee Thean Hock, in which the Malaysian courts indicated that the issue of a BOC passport, was not sufficient for someone to be deprived of Malaysian nationality. The second, on which UKBA rely, is that of AL and Others. The Asylum and Immigration Tribunal ruled that, as the Malaysian constitution specifies that a person can be deprived of their citizenship by order if they acquire another nationality, it is not lost automatically on acquisition of another nationality or passport.
The Nationality Instructions on Malaysian citizenship refer to both of these rulings for the information of nationality caseworkers. It is on the basis of AL and Others that nationality caseworkers assume that the holder of a British overseas citizen passport will not have lost any claim to Malaysian citizenship unless the Malaysian authorities confirm that he or she has actually been deprived of that status by order, or his or her renunciation of that status has been registered by the Malaysian authorities.
Although the judge in the case of AL and Others stated that the Hock case is "clearly not meant to be regarded as a precedent", he also stated that "nevertheless, it may be regarded as throwing doubt upon the claims made on the appellant's behalf". It is of interest as it is a Malaysian court ruling which supports the UK 's understanding of Malaysian citizenship law and it is therefore relevant to providing context to the broader understanding of Nationality caseworkers.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons have been detained under the Immigration Acts 1971 and 1988 for over a year on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many of those were being held due to problems with the redocumentation process, because there was no viable route of return or because there was a policy of no compulsory returns to their countries of origin. [HL5515]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Home Office publishes statistics on the number of persons in detention in the United Kingdom solely under Immigration Act powers by length of detention on a quarterly basis. The latest published information as at 30 June 2009 can be found in table 11 of the quarterly Control of
19 Oct 2009 : Column WA47
Published statistics on immigration and asylum are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum-stats.html.
Detention may be used in the following circumstances: initially, while a person's identity and basis of claim are being established; where there are reasonable grounds for believing that a person will fail to comply with the conditions of temporary admission or release; as part of a fast-track asylum process; or to effect removal.
Information on the number of individuals requiring redocumentation is not held centrally and could be obtained only by examining each individual record at disproportionate cost.
There is no country to which the UK Border Agency does not as a matter of policy return individuals to. We may, however, suspend enforced removals to a country.
There are two countries to which we currently have a policy not to enforce returns: Zimbabwe and non-Arab Darfuris from Sudan. However, voluntary returns to these countries continue to be made.
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 5 October (WA 473), whether they have estimated the costs of the Chilcot inquiry; if so, (a) what are the estimated costs; (b) when the final costs will be published; and (c) whether they will publish the basis of the calculation of the costs simultaneously. [HL5537]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: I have nothing further to add to the answer I gave the noble Lord on 5 October (Official Report, col.WA 473).
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning elected Palestinian parliamentarians held in Israeli prisons. [HL5492]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): We remain concerned by the administrative detention of a significant number of Palestinians, including parliamentarians, in Israeli prisons. We continue to call for all elected Palestinian Legislative Council members detained by Israel to be either released or subject to due legal process. We made this explicitly clear in our 2008 Human Rights Report, published in March this year.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what regard the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland had to Section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 when he made appointments to the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission and the Northern Ireland Equality Commission. [HL5590]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: When making appointments to both commissions, the Secretary of State is not a public authority for the purposes of Section 75. However, he acts consistently with all the relevant statutory duties placed upon him. These include a duty to secure, as far as practicable, when making appointments, that the commissioners as a group are representative of the community in Northern Ireland.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they propose to pay bonuses to staff in the Northern Ireland Office in the current year; if so, to what percentage of staff; and what is their estimate of the total amount to be paid in bonuses. [HL5401]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: Performance payments have been made to staff in the Northern Ireland Office and its agencies in the current financial year. Approximately 28 per cent of 2,000 staff received payments totalling £599,048.50. Payments were paid in the 2009-10 financial year but were in respect of satisfactory performance in the 2008-09 reporting year.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 21 July (WA 353) concerning the Northern Ireland Office's Criminal Justice Directorate, whether they will place a copy of the business plan in the Library of the House. [HL5535]
Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Criminal Justice Directorate produced its 2009-10 directorate business plan on 1April 2009. In the interests of sustainability, this document is disseminated to staff electronically. A copy has, however, been placed in the Library.
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 21 July (WA 354) concerning the Northern Ireland Appointments Ombudsman, what are the detailed costs of the Ombudsman's office in each year since it was created. [HL5536]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The Northern Ireland Judicial Appointments Ombudsman was appointed in September 2006. The costs of his office for each year since his appointment is shown in the table below.
2006-07* | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | |
* Covers the period 25 September 2006 to 31 March 2007
** Includes electricity, maintenance, and other miscellaneous items
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