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7 July 2010 : Column WA47



7 July 2010 : Column WA47

Written Answers

Wednesday 7 July 2010

Abortion

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

Baroness Verma: I have arranged for the requested documents to be placed in the Library of the House.

The Department for International Development (DfID) does not support abortion as a method of family planning. We believe the best way to eliminate unsafe abortion is to provide access to family planning information, services and supplies and to ensure that women have more control over the circumstances in which they have sex. In countries where abortion is legal. DfID will support programmes that make abortion safe and accessible. In countries where it is illegal and women are dying due to unsafe abortion. DfID will help make the consequences of unsafe abortion more widely understood and will consider supporting processes of legal and policy reform.

In the coming months DfID will he reviewing its aid programmes to determine how we can achieve better value for money for the taxpayer and accelerate growth towards the MDGs.

Agriculture: Farming

Question

Asked by Baroness Byford

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): We do not know how many farmers are currently contributing towards the Campaign for the Farmed Environment as participation is voluntary and there is no requirement to sign an agreement or to register. It is an industry-led initiative which promotes environmental action by farmers to encourage farmland birds and other wildlife and to protect natural resources.

However, a Defra survey of a representative sample of arable holdings, carried out in February and March 2010, indicated that over three-quarters of respondents had an understanding of the campaign to at least

7 July 2010 : Column WA48

some degree. Approaching 60 per cent of farmers indicated that they had taken or intended to take action in direct response to the campaign, with 25 per cent reporting that they had already taken action.

Armed Forces: Defence Strategy

Question

Asked by Lord Ramsbotham

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Government are engaging with Parliament, academia, the defence industry and key allies and partners and will be providing individual members of the Armed Forces and their families with the opportunity to contribute.

Aviation: Training

Question

Asked by Lord Corbett of Castle Vale

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Details of each occasion that the RAF has used reciprocal agreements to carry out low-flying training activities overseas are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. Available information indicates that the RAF has flown fixed-wing aircraft on exercise in France, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Sweden and the United States during the past three years. Over the same period RAF helicopters have exercised in Germany, Norway, Spain and the United States.

Benefits

Question

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The primary responsibility for the care of disabled people lies with local authorities. The Independent Living Fund is a discretionary fund administered by a non-departmental public body and is subject to the usual

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strict budgetary limits. It supplements the local authorities' role by making discretionary payments to severely disabled people to enable them to live independently.

The fund's budget for 2010-11 has been increased by 3 per cent on 2009-10 but, in part because of an increase in care costs, in order to remain in budget the trustees are unable to accept new applications for the remainder of 2010-11. As a result of this decision the Independent Living Fund will be able to continue to support its 21,000 existing users and to help some 600 new users to whom offers of funding have already been made this year.

Bovine Tuberculosis

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): Yes, the districts of Mendip and Bath and North East Somerset are in a high risk TB area, where cattle herds have been required, since January 2010, to be tested annually for the disease.

Crime: Perjury

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Wallace of Tankerness): Perjury is a criminal offence which is investigated by the police and referred to the relevant prosecuting authority for consideration and possible prosecution. The prosecution of offences in the criminal courts is not a matter for the Bloody Sunday Tribunal.

If a police investigation in England produces evidence of perjury against any individual who gave evidence before the Tribunal when it sat in England, the Crown Prosecution Service, if required to advise, will review the case in accordance with the Code for Crown Prosecutors to determine whether prosecutions should be commenced.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Questions

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool



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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are deeply concerned about the death of Floribert Chebeya and the wider implications for human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of Congo. My honourable friend the Minister for Africa made a statement on 3 June calling for a full, proper, and transparent investigation into the death of Mr Chebeya. President Kabila has since ordered a full investigation into the death of Mr Chebeya.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

Lord Howell of Guildford: The UK responded to Mr Philip Alston's report in session at the UN High Commission for Refugees in June. We fully support the work of the Special Rapporteur and have called upon all UN members, including the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), to co-operate fully with the mandate.

We are deeply concerned about the death of Floribert Chebeya and the wider implications for human rights defenders in DRC. The Minister for Africa made a statement on 3 June calling for a full, proper, and transparent investigation into the death of Mr Chebeya. President Kabila has since ordered a full investigation into the death of Mr Chebeya.

We will continue to monitor the situation closely.

Department for Transport: Consultants

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

Earl Attlee: The "A30 Bodmin-Indian Queens Improvement Supervisor" project was awarded as part of the Highways Agency's wider contract for design services. The cost of the project was based on prices submitted by Mouchel in its tender, which was accepted into the wider contract.

The specific milestones, resources and target costs for the project were determined through negotiation between Highways Agency officials and Mouchel. The details of those negotiations are commercially sensitive. However, as stated in my previous response, the total contract value for the project was £1,136,789.



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Elections: Registration

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): Officials are reviewing the wording and design of the annual canvass form used by electoral registration officers to collect information for the registration of eligible electors. This includes considering whether greater clarity can and should be provided around the nationality and immigration status requirements for registration in the context of the wider legislative framework.

Electoral Reform

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): There are no plans to extend the review of electoral reform in the UK to include the overseas territories. While we encourage territory Governments to ensure all elections are fair and inclusive, it is primarily the responsibility of the territory Governments to decide how elections in their territory are run.

Following the recommendations in the final report of the Commission of Inquiry in the Turks and Caicos Islands, a constitutional and electoral reform adviser was appointed. She has held a number of public consultation meetings in the Turks and Caicos Islands and will put forward suggestions to reform both the constitution and the electoral system. These will be considered carefully by the Government.

Energy: Gas Storage

Question

Asked by Lord Roberts of Conwy



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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): Neither Germany nor the UK has designated reserve gas storage capacity. The amount of commercial gas storage capacity in the two countries, expressed as the ratio of this capacity to average daily gas consumption, is equivalent to around 77 days in Germany and 16 days in the UK (based on 2008 data for gas consumption). This reflects a number of structural differences between the two markets, including: the amount of indigenous production (which in the UK is now declining); the amount and diversity of gas import capacity; and the availability of market-driven arrangements for demand-side response.

Energy: Power Stations

Question

Asked by Lord Jenkin of Roding

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): The consultation on grandfathering support for dedicated biomass, anaerobic digestion and energy from waste under the renewables obligation closed on 28 May and we are currently considering the responses. I expect to announce the outcome shortly.

Finance: Derivatives

Questions

Asked by Lord Myners

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): In October 2009, the European Commission published a communication on ensuring efficient, safe and sound derivative markets, within which it announced its intention to publish draft legislation in 2010 designed to enhance the resilience of over-the-counter (OTC) derivatives markets.

On 14 June 2010, the Commission published a consultation paper which covers issues relating to organisational and risk management standards for central clearing counterparties (CCPs); interoperability

7 July 2010 : Column WA53

between CCPs; requirements for clearing of OTC derivatives; and the reporting of OTC derivative trades to trade repositories.

The UK is monitoring the consultation process closely, and is feeding in views as appropriate. The consultation closes on 9 July 2010 and a final proposal from the Commission is expected in September.

In the UK, the Treasury published a joint paper with the Financial Services Authority (FSA) entitled "Reforming OTC Derivatives Markets" in December 2009 setting out its joint position on specific questions relating to the OTC derivatives markets (http://www.fsa. gov.uk/pubs/other/reform_otc_derivatives.pdf).

Food: Chicken

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): Member states were required to bring in laws, regulations and administrative provisions to comply with Council Directive 2007/43/EC by 30 June 2010. The European Commission has a system in place to ensure that Community legislation on animal welfare is properly implemented and enforced. This includes a planned programme of visits by the Food and Veterinary Office to member states.

Government: Contracts

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is not aware of any government agency contributing funds for the contracts between Fibrecity Holdings Ltd, H2O International Ltd, H2O Support Services, Innovation and World Wide Distribution Centre and Fibre Associates Ltd with Bournemouth Borough Council and Dundee City Council.



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Housing Benefit

Question

Asked by Lord Marlesford

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The Department for Work and Pensions provides a subsidy to local authorities in Great Britain which covers about half of the cost of administering housing benefit and council tax benefit. In 2010-11 the Government have provided £515 million, plus an additional £50 million to help local authorities manage the additional workload due to the downturn.

Human Rights

Question

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government remain committed to giving effect to the UK's obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights, which includes giving effect to the right to freedom of expression there enshrined. Further, it must be anticipated that any proposal by the European Commission to amend Regulation EC/864/2007 would be ECHR compliant since that compliance is a requirement of all European legislation. Once the European Commission publishes any proposal to amend that regulation, the Government will consult on its proposal and then decide whether or not they should participate in the measure, as is provided under the UK's Protocol to Title V of the Lisbon treaty. Any decision on this would consider all the relevant evidence available, including its impact on the existing laws and practice in the area throughout the UK.

Independent Networks Co-operative Association Ltd

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The note of the meeting on 30 March was intended to inform recipients, principally in Broadband Delivery UK, about discussion of universal broadband that took place at the meeting and was not intended to be a full note of the whole meeting. It was not necessary or appropriate to pass this routine note to the Permanent Secretary. The note has already been released pursuant to a request under the Freedom of Information Act, but I will place a copy in the Library of the House.

The Ministers and senior management referred to in the 10 June email reply to Guy Jarvis were Jeremy Hunt MP, Vince Cable MP, David Willetts MP, Baroness Wilcox, Ed Vaizey MP, Simon Fraser, Jonathan Stephens, Philip Rutnam, Rachel Sandby-Thomas, David Hendon, Sam Sharps and Rachel Clark.

MEPs: Salaries

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Information on salaries, allowances and expenses available to Members of the European Parliament is held by the European Parliament and not by the Government. Detailed information is available on the European Parliament's website at: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/eplive/expert/multimedia/20090511MLT55628/media_20090511MLT55628.pdf.

Salaries

UK Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) who were re-elected in the June 2009 elections had the option of retaining their existing salary mechanism, which ties their salary to that of a UK Parliament back-bench MP, or of moving on to the new MEPs pay statute agreed by the previous Government. All newly elected UK MEPs in the June 2009 elections were automatically enrolled onto the new MEPs pay statute. The monthly pre-tax salary of MEPs under the new pay statute is €7807.12. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not hold information on which re-elected UK MEPs opted to remain on the previous salary system.

Taxation of salaries

If, after the application of an EU tax, a UK MEP has not been taxed to the level of an equivalent UK taxpayer, the UK Government will levy additional taxes until all UK MEPs have been taxed to the rate applied to equivalent UK taxpayers.



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Travel expenses

MEPs will be refunded the actual cost of their travel tickets for attending meetings of the European Parliament on presentation of receipts, up to a maximum of a business class air fare, a first class rail fare or €0.49 per km for car journey, plus fixed allowances based on the distance and duration of the journey to cover the other costs of travelling (such as motorway tolls, excess baggage charges or reservation fees). MEPs can also be refunded up to €4148 per year for other travel outside their own member state undertaken as part of their work, and be reimbursed for up to 24 return journeys within their own member state.

Daily allowance

There is a flat-rate allowance of €298 for each day that MEPs attend on official business as long as they sign an attendance register. This covers hotel bills, meals and all other expenses involved. On days when plenary votes are held, if MEPs miss more than half the roll-call votes this allowance is reduced by half. For meetings outside the EU, the allowance is €149 subject to signing a register with hotel bills refunded separately.

General expenditure allowance

There is a flat-rate allowance which covers expenditure such as office rent and management costs, telephone and postal charges, computers and telephones. The allowance is halved for Members who, without due justification, do not attend half the number of plenary sittings in one parliamentary year (September to August). The allowance is €4202 per month.

Medical costs

MEPs are entitled to a reimbursement of two-thirds of medical expenses incurred by themselves and their families. Apart from the proportion of reimbursement, the detailed rules and procedures of this system are the same as that which covers EU civil servants.

Other entitlements

The European Parliament provides equipped offices to MEPs in both Brussels and Strasbourg. MEPs can make use of Parliament's official vehicles on official business when in either city.

Pensions

MEPs are entitled to a pension from age 63. The pension is 3.5 per cent of the salary for each full year's exercise of a mandate but not more than 70 per cent in total. The European Parliament meets the cost of pensions from its budget.

Parliamentary assistants

MEPs have a maximum monthly allowance of €19364 to cover parliamentary assistants. None of these funds is paid to MEPs themselves but they are instead paid directly by the European Parliament. Assistants based in MEPs' member states are handled by qualified paying agents.

Montserrat

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): It was agreed during the Montserrat Constitutional Review negotiations that the electoral system, and the details of electoral law, were matters for the Montserrat Legislature and should not be prescribed in the Constitution. However, it was also agreed that a new Constitution should establish an independent Electoral Commission to monitor elections and to review and make recommendations for any changes to the boundaries of the electoral districts.

The Report of the Constitutional Commissioners, all of whom were Montserratians, was published in 2003. The report was based on widespread public consultation, including among Montserratian communities abroad. It formed a valuable basis for the negotiations that followed, which were always held between a government team and the full Legislative Council of Montserrat. The council did not need to be given power to reject recommendations made by the Constitutional Commissioners, since it was not bound by them. The Legislative Council accepted the majority of the recommendations of the Constitutional Commissioners.

National Lottery

Question

Asked by Lord Ouseley

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Government fully respect the independence of the National Lottery and the principle of additionality-that lottery funds are additional to, not a substitute for, existing government expenditure.

To that end, we are making changes to the lottery shares to restore money to sports, arts and heritage, and we will also ensure that the Big Lottery Fund focuses its funding on the voluntary and community sector, not mainstream public services.

Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body and no assessments are made by Government of any of the publicity material it issues.



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Copies of the Bill of Rights Forum Report have been placed in the Library of the House and can be found at: www.billofrightsforum.org.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Questions

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is an independent body and the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) has no role in deciding who is represented at any of the events it organises.

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: For security reasons we do not provide details of which events Ministers plan to attend in Northern Ireland.

The list of invited speakers is a matter for the commission.

Pedlars

Questions

Asked by Lord Lucas

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): None. My department is currently considering the responses to a consultation earlier this year in which, among others, views were sought on draft guidance intended to help better inform local authorities as to the legitimate activities of certified pedlars and the illegitimate activities of those who trade outside of acceptable pedlar practice without a street trader licence.



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Asked by Lord Lucas

Baroness Wilcox: No.

Asked by Lord Lucas

Baroness Wilcox: My department is currently assessing the effects of the services directive on the street trader licensing and pedlar certification schemes, in view of the fact that it is now our view that pedlars selling goods fall within the scope of the directive (as well as the provision of services more generally). The certification of pedlars under the Pedlars Act 1871 is an authorisation scheme within the terms of the services directive and we must be satisfied that any such schemes fall within the permissible limits set by the directive. The Provision of Services Regulations 2009 amended the definition of a pedlar in the Pedlars Act 1871 so as to remove references to service provision. Menders of chairs who provide their services as pedlars are therefore no longer subject to the Pedlars Act. Pedlars who retail goods remain subject to the Act and it is this coverage which is currently under review.

Prisons: Expenditure Cuts

Question

Asked by Lord Avebury

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): Following the general election and the subsequent need to look closely at spending decisions, responses to a number of IMB reports have been delayed. The boards will receive a response as soon as possible. I am grateful to the boards for the work they do.

Public Bodies

Question

Asked by Lord Selsdon



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Lord Taylor of Holbeach: This information is published in the annual Cabinet Office Public Bodies report.

Copies are available from the Libraries of the House and can be downloaded from www.civilservice.gov.uk/ndpb. The information is as follows:

DateStaffing (in Executive NDPBS)

31 March 2006

93,416

31 March 2007

96,456

31 March 2008

92, 695

31 March 2009

111,129

Information for 2009-10 will be published in Public Bodies 2010 in due course. However, in line with our commitment to greater transparency, returns from a workforce management information scoping exercise covering staffing levels as at 31 March 2010 in most NDPBs and other public bodies have been published on the Cabinet Office website. This can be downloaded from www.cabinet-office.gov.uk. This management information is incomplete. It has not been collated or held centrally before now. We are endeavouring to collate accurate and comprehensive headcount data to support effective management practices.

Refugee and Migrant Justice

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Legal Services Commission (LSC) is working closely with the administrator and others to ensure that urgent arrangements are made so that clients continue to receive the advice they need. The LSC has experience of handling the transfer of work when a provider leaves the market and is satisfied that there is adequate capacity to absorb the extra workload. Although some initial disruption is unfortunately inevitable, every effort will be made to minimise this. The LSC is making urgent arrangements for other providers to take on RMJ cases that require prompt advice-for example, clients held in detention.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord McNally: The Legal Services Commission (LSC) has recently run a tender exercise for asylum and immigration contracts from October 2010. There has been significant long-term interest in the work from organisations, both not-for-profit organisations and private solicitor firms.

Ongoing cases for Refugee and Migrant Justice's clients are currently in the process of being reallocated to other immigration providers who can progress their

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cases. The LSC is also working with immigration providers to ensure continued availability of services for clients detained at immigration removal centres.

St Helena: Airport

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

Baroness Verma: We are currently considering the question of access to St Helena. I will inform the House of any decision that is made.

Timber

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): The UK Government timber procurement policy is mandatory for all government departments, their agencies and non-departmental public bodies. Local authorities are encouraged to adopt the policy voluntarily.

An Environmental Data Services (ENDS) report in December 2008 revealed that only 7.5 per cent of local authorities had a timber procurement policy.

Since 2009, Defra and the Central Point of Expertise in Timber (CPET) have been working with the Timber Trade Federation (TTF) and WWF UK on a joint approach to encourage local authority uptake and implementation of a timber procurement policy.

A newly developed toolkit is available on the CPET website free of charge, which specifically helps local authorities implement a responsible timber procurement policy-www.cpet.org.uk/local-authorities.

To date we have only anecdotal evidence that there has been, as a direct result of our work with TTF and WWF UK, an increase in the number of local authorities seeking to implement a timber procurement policy.

Trade and Investment

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick



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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): UK Trade & Investment is targeting 17 key high growth markets, including China and India, based on their potential for growth and other criteria such as their market match and scope for UKTI help. Of the 23,600 UK businesses that UKTI helped in 2009-10, nearly 40 per cent were seeking help in regards to these high growth markets. We are responding to this demand for help to secure new business by: ensuring there are targeted services and advice available for businesses considering these markets; raising greater awareness among UK business of these markets drawing on our expertise here and in our overseas network; communicating to business the specific opportunities in them; and campaigning for better access for UK companies.

In addition to this, senior Ministers are actively engaging with overseas Governments in these markets. For instance, in support of British business in India, both the Secretary of State for Business and the Foreign Secretary have already met the Indian Commerce Minister to discuss further activity to ensure that the UK-India business relationship strengthens further. In regards to China, the Chancellor of the Exchequer visited in June. The Foreign Secretary hopes to visit in the very near future and the Prime Minister will visit in November. Discussion is also ongoing with the Chinese Government to identify dates in the autumn for the annual economic and financial dialogue and joint economic and trade commission. All of these will offer opportunities for active engagement by British business.

Trades Union Congress

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Government provide funding to the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to support a number of programmes but do not keep a central record of expenditure. The main sources of direct government funding over the past five years have been from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Department for International Development.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills provided funding to the TUC for the Union Learning Fund (ULF) and unionlearn, the TUC's learning and skills organisation, to support trades unions in working with employers to raise skill levels in the workplace. The department also provided funding via the union modernisation fund and strategic partnership fund to support modernisation projects to help trades unions respond to technological, economic and other changes in the workplace. The total amount of funding provided from 2005-06 to 2009-10 in respect of these programmes was £69.8 million.



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The Department for International Development provided funding to the TUC to support the Partnership Programme Arrangement and the Strategic Framework Partnership Agreement. The total amount of funding provided from 2005-06 to 2009-10 was £2,186,780.

Turkey

Question

Asked by Lord Patten

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): It is not our practice to comment on ongoing legal cases in Turkey. We are following developments in the Ergenekon case closely. While it is for the Turkish courts to assess the evidence against individuals, the European Union expects Turkey, as a country negotiating to become a member, to uphold the highest international standards throughout the investigation and trial.

Unemployment

Question

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Stephen Penneck, Director General for ONS, to Lord Roberts of Llandudno, dated July 2010.

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many jobs were lost in (a) each English region, (b) Scotland, (c) Wales, and (d) Northern Ireland, in (1) 2009, and (2) the first two quarters of 2010. (HL862)

Statistics regarding the number of jobs lost are not available.

National and regional estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and redundancies, are available from the ONS website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp? vlnk=1944.

West Lothian Question

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government aim to announce their plans for the commission by autumn 2010. No decisions have yet been taken about consultation.

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