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The UK only supports organisations that comply with the human rights principles endorsed by the international community at the 1994 ICPD. Coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisation violate the human
22 Feb 2010 : Column WA214
The UK has committed £100 million to the United Nations Population Fund's Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security over the period 2007 to 2012. DfID has committed £42.5 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation over the period 2008 to 2015.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 14 January (WA 170-1), whether the mistake concerning research licence numbers has occurred with respect to other research licences; and whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Head of Information checked the information provided and cited reference numbers used by the authority to track applications for licences and renewals of licences. [HL1948]
Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it is not aware that the human error the noble Lord refers to has occurred elsewhere relating to its records about research licences. The reference numbers to which the noble Lord refers are suffixes to licence numbers. These suffixes have no relevance to the accuracy of data but refer instead to the sequencing of licences for individual research projects.
The HFEA has also advised that it has nothing further to add to the information already provided on the circumstances in which the data error occurred.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has lost any records following a request from researchers. [HL2007]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in considering applications for animal-human hybrid embryos, takes into account practice in other countries which allow such embryos. [HL2008]
Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it considers applications for the creation of human admixed embryos in line with the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended). As outlined in my Written Answer of 9 November 2009 (Official Report, col. WA110-11), the process used to determine whether to grant a research licence is set out in a decision tree used by the HFEA's research licence committee. This can be found on the HFEA's website at www.hfea.gov.uk/1128.html.
The HFEA has received numerous requests from researchers since its establishment in 1991, including 703 requests under the Freedom of Information Act since 2005 alone. The authority has advised that the information sought by the noble Lord on records lost following requests by researchers could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.
22 Feb 2010 : Column WA215
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81-2), what are the costs of providing information about the number and nature of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority licence conditions or other sanctions. [HL2058]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81-2), whether any previous chief executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was approached by anyone wishing to make a disclosure, as described in the Authority's document on Public Interest Disclosure; and what was the outcome of any such disclosures. [HL2059]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81-2), what was the misconduct in the five cases referred to; how many individuals were charged with misconduct in each of those cases; what were the consequences in each case; how long those charged with misconduct had been employed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA); and in what capacity any employees guilty of misconduct were subsequently employed by the HFEA or the Department of Health. [HL2060]
Baroness Thornton: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has a record of two individuals approaching the previous chief executive with a public interest disclosure. These individuals were not members of HFEA staff and, therefore, were not covered by the document referred to in my Written Answer of 8 February (Official Report, col. WA 81-2). One approach followed an HFEA inspection and resulted in the individual meeting with members of the HFEA Executive. The outcome was an unannounced inspection and subsequent consideration by a HFEA licence committee. The other disclosure was anonymous, so it was not possible to pursue in the same way. The HFEA has also advised that it is unable to provide any information regarding disclosures which may have been made to all other chief executives since 1991.
The HFEA has advised that of the five cases of misconduct mentioned in my Written Answer, four were unauthorised absence and one was misuse of email. One person was charged with misconduct in each of these cases. One case resulted in an oral warning, two cases resulted in the individual leaving the employment of the HFEA and in the two remaining cases, where the individuals involved appealed the findings of the misconduct inquiries, their appeal was upheld. Those concerned were employed for periods ranging from five months to three years and six months. The HFEA is of the view that it is not appropriate to provide further detail on these cases, due to the risk of identification of those involved.
The HFEA has advised that providing information on the number and nature of licence conditions or other sanctions, requested by the noble Lord, would involve scrutinising every licence issued since 1991 and cross-referring to licence committee minutes, inspection reports, incident reports and press cuttings.
22 Feb 2010 : Column WA216
Energy: Generation Projects
Question
Asked by Lord Jenkin of Roding
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 3 February (HL Deb, col 198), what are the energy generation projects for which (a) consent has been given, and (b) construction is taking place. [HL1887]
The Minister of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The table below shows consents granted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (and previously the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) for electricity generating stations in England and Wales since 1 January 2007.
Applications for consent for onshore electricity generating stations of up to and including 50 MW are made to local planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA). A spreadsheet showing the data for renewables projects a) consented and b) under construction under the TCPA regime in England and Wales in the last 3 years has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
According to the latest Energy Markets Outlook Report (December 2009), 9GW of new electricity generating plant is currently under construction (paragraphs 2.4.4 & 4.3.11). This can be viewed at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/Media/viewfile.ashx?FilePath= What_we_do\UKenergysupply\Energymarkets\outlook\1_ 20091216110910_e_@@_energyMarketsOutlook2009.pdf &filetype=4
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