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Sudan
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the main obstacles to development assistance in southern Sudan through (a) local government organisations, (b) the United Nations, and (c) non-governmental organisations, between now and the elections. [HL6319]
Lord Brett: The development challenges in southern Sudan are enormous, and the key obstacles to delivering development assistance to address those challenges are weak capacity and instability. At present neither the Government of Southern Sudan and its state governments, nor the United Nations, nor local or international non-governmental organisations have adequate capacity to respond to these challenges. Severe instability and insecurity have plagued southern Sudan in recent months with some 300,000 people displaced by localised insecurity, largely tribal in nature.
Between now and the elections these obstacles will be reinforced as government is likely to become more focused on the political process than on achieving long-term development objectives.
The UK Government are supporting a number of measures to address insecurity including:
a £50 million contribution to the Sudan Recovery Fund, supporting stabilisation activities in Jonglei and Lakes states through interventions that will build communities' confidence in the Government's ability to provide security;a £5.6 million contribution to the Southern Sudan Peacebuilding Fund, strengthening both the Government's and NGOs' support for peace and reconciliation activities; and12 Nov 2009 : Column WA236
Terrorism Act
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been stopped under Schedule 7 (Port and Border Controls) to the Terrorism Act 2000; how many have been detained; how many arrested; and how many subsequently convicted of a terrorist offence since 2004. [HL6306]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to my noble friend separately.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the ethnicity and religious backgrounds of persons stopped, detained and arrested since 2001 under the Terrorism Act 2000. [HL6307]
Lord West of Spithead: It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to my noble friend separately.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many students have been stopped, detained or arrested under the Terrorism Act 2000 in the past five years. [HL6308]
Lord West of Spithead: It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to my noble friend separately.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they retain the DNA and fingerprints of those detained under the Terrorism Act 2000; and, if so, for how much longer they will continue to do so. [HL6309]
Lord West of Spithead: It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to my noble friend separately.
Treaties of Rome
Question
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty's Government which policy areas are not covered by the Treaties of Rome, as amended. [HL6334]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead): The EU has only the competences that have been conferred on it by member states. Competences not conferred on the EU through the treaties remain the exclusive competence of the member states. The Union may act only within the limits of the competences conferred on it. The fact that the Union is given competence in relation to a specific area does not mean that it can act on any aspect of that area, nor that it can act in any way it chooses. The Union can only exercise the powers it has been given by the member states for the purposes for which they were given and in accordance with the principles laid down in Articles 2 to 6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, as amended.
Unemployment
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what particular help they will provide to areas such as the West Midlands, Yorkshire, Humberside and Scotland where the biggest rises in joblessness have been experienced. [HL5681]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): Jobcentre Plus has recruited additional staff nationally to deal with the rising number of customers claiming jobseeker's allowance and to support these customers back into work as quickly as possible. Specifically in the West Midlands we have recruited over 1,100 staff, in Yorkshire and the Humber we have recruited over 1,500 staff and in Scotland we have recruited over 1,500 staff.
The strengthened rapid response service provides help for people about to be made redundant. Funding nationally was doubled from £3 million to £6 million in 2008-09 and was doubled again to £12 million from April 2009.
Other measures include the day-one offer, which provides additional support from the first day of claim; the six-month offer, which introduces additional options for the longer-term unemployed, including a recruitment subsidy of £1,000, work-focused, pre-employment and in-work training and more support for those considering self-employment; the local employment partnerships extension, which extends this help to all newly unemployed customers and strengthens the links with participating employers; and the young person's guarantee and associated future jobs fund, which will guarantee the offer of a job, work-focused training or meaningful activity for all 18 to 24 year-olds before they have reached the 12-month stage of their claim to jobseeker's allowance.
The Government also direct substantial financial support to disadvantaged areas through the working neighbourhoods fund in England and the deprived areas fund in Scotland and Wales. These flexible funds enable areas to develop local solutions to help overcome problems of worklessness, complementing
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The 15 city strategy pathfinders supported by DWP include Birmingham City Region, South Yorkshire, Glasgow, Dundee and Edinburgh. City strategy pathfinders bring together local stakeholders, including Jobcentre Plus, in partnership to tackle worklessness, child poverty and social exclusion through aligning services behind shared priorities. Each pathfinder has responded to the recession by revising its business plans to reflect activity to tackle the high level of newly unemployed while retaining focus on the most disadvantaged areas.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will respond to the National Young Volunteers Service's proposed programme of community service to tackle the effects of mass unemployment among young people. [HL6257]
Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government are pleased that the National Young Volunteers Service is supporting the Backing Young Britain campaign, which was announced by Ministers on 29 July.
The Government will be introducing arrangements early next year to make two-week work experience opportunities available to jobseekers aged 18 to 21 who have been on jobseeker's allowance for three months. They will remain entitled to jobseeker's allowance. We also committed, as part of Backing Young Britain, to increase the number of graduate and non-graduate internships available to young people, with 10,000 internship and work experience opportunities for non-graduates, and a total of 20,000 graduate internships.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for unemployment if the fiscal stimulus is not maintained in the foreseeable future. [HL6258]
The Financial Services Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Myners): On 4 November 2009, HM Treasury published a paper setting out the estimated effect on employment of discretionary economic stimulus put in place since November 2008 (see Employment Impact of Government Interventions http://www.hm-treasury.gov. uk/foi_economic_stimulus.htm).
Since Budget 2009, policy measures to directly and indirectly support jobs like the additional funding for Jobcentre Plus and support for business have continued. Going into 2010, there will continue to be significant government support in place, including discretionary measures and fiscal support provided by the automatic stabilisers. According to IMF data, the size of the UK's automatic stabilisers compares very favourably with our international competitors.
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Vehicles: Clamping
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any documents issued by the Security Industry Authority indicate that it is permitted for a licensed clamper to place a clamp on a vehicle displaying a disabled badge; and, if so, in what circumstances. [HL6030]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): It has not proved possible to answer the Question tabled in the time before Prorogation, but I will write to the noble Lord separately
Visas
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government to which companies they have contracted out visa work in Pakistan and India; and what annual payments are made to those companies. [HL6222]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Outsourced visa services for UK visa applicants in Pakistan and India are contracted to VFS Global. The contractual arrangements are commercially sensitive.
Young Offenders: Transfers
Questions
Asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (a) male prisoners, and (b) female prisoners, were transferred between young offender institutions in the 12 months to September. [HL6125]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The transfer of prisoners is the responsibility of individual establishments in accordance with Prison Service instructions on the categorisation of prisoners and guidance issued by the NOMS
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Asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will monitor the impact on education of young offenders being transferred to another institution; if so, how they will monitor it; and how and when they will report the findings. [HL6129]
Lord Bach: It has not proved possible to respond to the noble Lady in the time available before Prorogation and I will write once a response is available.
Young People: Custody
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged under 18 were in custody in each year since 1992. [HL5903]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many young people aged under 18 were sentenced to custody in each year since 1992. [HL5904]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Bach): The requested information in these questions is supplied in two parts. Data are not readily available back to 1992.
(1) Table 1 in answer to HL5903
The following table gives, for England and Wales, first the numbers of under-18 year-olds in custody since 2000 and secondly the number in prison establishments since 2003
| 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | |
1 as provided by Youth Justice Board (inclusive of detainees in secure children's homes and severe training centres)
2 as published in Ministry of Justice monthly briefing statistics, prison population only
* Figure available but not yet finalised
This table is derived from published information to be found at the following websites:
http://www.yjb.gov.uk/en-gb/yjs/Custody/CustodyFigures/ http://www.justice.gov.uk/ publications/populationincustody.htm(2) Table 2 in answer to HL5904
| Total juveniles sentenced and numbers sentenced to immediate custody England and Wales. 1992-2007 | ||
| Year | Sentenced | Immediate custody |
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