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14 Dec 2010 : Column WA153

Written Answers

Tuesday 14 December 2010

Abortion

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): In 2009, the number of abortions fell by 3 per cent from 195,296 in 2008 to 189,100.

The department has been working to ensure that abortion providers are better integrated into the broader sexual health "family" of services, so that there are better pathways of referral to and from abortion services, which can help to ensure that women receive the other sexual health services that they need, particularly contraception.

Contraception plays a vital role in preventing unintended pregnancy and repeat abortions. Since 1 April 2009, any woman having an abortion on the National Health Service must be given advice about, and supplies of, contraception before they leave the clinic. In addition, a specification for abortion services has been issued to support implementation of this requirement.

Abortion should be seen not in isolation but in the context of wider public health issues, as the public health White Paper Healthy Lives, Healthy People: Our Strategy for Public Health in England highlights and the forthcoming sexual health strategy to be published in spring 2011 will make clear.

Abortions must be performed within the requirements of the Abortion Act. Our focus has been on ensuring early access to abortion services as evidence shows that the risk of complications increases the later the gestation. The evidence referred to is contained within the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' evidence-based clinical guidance The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.

Afghanistan

Question

Asked by Lord Rana



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA154

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): At the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit in Lisbon in November, the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) Heads of State/Government set out a clear plan for transition of security responsibilities to the Afghan Government, not a timetable for withdrawal.

No specific discussions have taken place between the UK and individual nations on the withdrawal of troops. However, NATO/ISAF already have a number of agreements in place with neighbouring countries to allow the movement of equipment and supplies to and from Afghanistan.

Armed Forces: Aircraft

Question

Asked by Viscount Trenchard

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): The decision not to bring the Nimrod MRA4 into service was difficult, owing to the nature of the military tasks to which it was designed to contribute, the amount of public money that had been spent on it and the impact of such a decision on the people who have dedicated their careers to delivering this capability or who depend on it for their livelihoods. All these factors were taken into account by Ministers in coming to the decision.

The Ministry of Defence will of course work to minimise the impact on the local community.

Armed Forces: Commemoration

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): There are no current plans to do so. All those who died or went missing believed killed between 1916 and 1921 are already formally commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. For the years between 1 September 1921 and 2 September 1939, responsibility for service burials reverted to the pre-1914 arrangements whereby ships, regiments and units, or the individual's family, buried their own dead and no central records are held.



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA155

Arms Trade

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): We requested details of other EU member states' no re-export provisions earlier this year following recommendations made by the Committees on Arms Export Controls (CAEC). The CAEC asked us to compare and contrast our national policy on no export provisions with the policies of other EU member states. We requested this information through the Council Working Group on Conventional Arms and the findings indicate that most other EU member states include no re-export provisions as part of end-user documentation (except for exports to some NATO countries), although Bulgaria, Italy, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Poland and Portugal have some form of mandatory no re-export provision as part of their export control legislation.

We do not hold copies of this legislation and are therefore unable to place copies of these in the Library of the House.

Aviation: Passenger Duty

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government are committed to exploring changes to the aviation tax system, including switching from a per-passenger duty to a per-plane duty. The Government have received representations on this matter from a range of organisations, including the Caribbean Tourist Organisation. Major changes in this area will be subject to consultation.

Banking

Question

Asked by Lord Hollick

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): We welcome the endorsement by the G20 of the Basel reforms to strengthen international capital and liquidity standards, which address a number of

14 Dec 2010 : Column WA156

the key weaknesses in financial regulation highlighted by the financial crisis. The Basel package represents a credible and crucial set of reforms that will strengthen the resilience of the banking system to the long-run benefit of the economy.

The UK has consistently argued for a high standard of regulation, while recognising that the short-term impact on economic recovery should be mitigated through appropriate transitional arrangements and careful calibration.

The Basel Committee has agreed an extended transition period, with most elements of the package phased in gradually from 2013 to 20191. This strikes the right balance. Extending the transition further would unnecessarily delay the move to greater financial stability.

Work completed by the UK authorities and Basel Committee indicates that strong net benefits will accrue from the package in the long run2. Overall, we believe that the agreed Basel package will deliver significantly greater future financial stability while supporting strong and sustainable economic growth.

Banking: Bonuses

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government are committed to a robust remuneration disclosure regime and the principles set out in Sir David Walker's report. The UK can exercise leadership in a number of ways, including promoting the globally aligned approach that Sir David calls for in his review.

Benefits

Questions

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Information requested for England, Wales and Scotland is shown in the following tables.



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14 Dec 2010 : Column WA158

England, Expenditure Per Capita, £2005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Benefit Expenditure excluding HB

1,649

1,677

1,762

1,859

1,992

HB Expenditure

240

255

270

291

340

Benefit Expenditure including HB

1,889

1,932

2,032

2,150

2,332

Wales, Expenditure Per Capita, £2005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Benefit Expenditure excluding HB

2,032

2,067

2,168

2,277

2,424

HB Expenditure

198

207

220

238

277

Benefit Expenditure including HB

2,230

2,274

2,388

2,515

2,701

Scotland, Expenditure Per Capita, £ Nominal Terms2005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Benefit Expenditure excluding HB

1,869

1,896

1,982

2,071

2,199

HB Expenditure

238

246

252

269

300

Benefit Expenditure including HB

2,108

2,142

2,234

2,341

2,498

Tables containing benefit expenditure by benefit, local authority and parliamentary constituency can be found at the following URL: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure.

Comparable data for Northern Ireland, obtained from the Northern Ireland Social Security Agency, is shown in the table below.

Northern Ireland, Expenditure Per Capita, £2005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Benefit Expenditure excluding HB

1,974

2,038

2,105

2,199

2,330

HB Expenditure

194

202

208

225

254

Benefit Expenditure including HB

2,168

2,240

2,313

2,424

2,584

Asked by Lord Laird

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Social security is devolved in Northern Ireland, although in practice the system there is very similar to that in Great Britain. A devolved, but broadly parallel, housing benefit system operates in Northern Ireland, administered by the Northern Ireland Housing Executive. It is for the Northern Ireland Executive (NIE) to make decisions on housing benefit policies in Northern Ireland. Where costs arise due to divergence between the Northern Ireland system and policy in Great Britain, the NIE must meet those costs.

Burma

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is leading the international community's work to ensure that refugees who crossed the Thai-Burma border last month are offered appropriate protection and assistance. UNHCR is liaising with the Thai authorities and working closely with non-governmental organisations and other donors. UNHCR deployed personnel from

14 Dec 2010 : Column WA159

UNHCR field offices in Kanchanaburi and Mae Sot to the border, where they provided material for temporary shelter and co-ordinated the provision of food, water and medical assistance by non-governmental organisations.

Care Homes: Mobility

Question

Asked by Lord German

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department has not issued such guidance to providers of residential care. However, providers are expected to demonstrate, as part of the process of registration with the Care Quality Commission, that, where practicable, they provide opportunity and support to residents in promoting their autonomy, independence, community involvement and participation in society.

Cayman Islands

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The privatisation of the water company is the responsibility of the Cayman Islands Government.

The Ministry of District Administration Works and Gender Affairs (DAW&GA) has confirmed to the Governor's Office that this process is ongoing.

Further information about this subject can be obtained from Kearney Gomez, chief officer at DAW&GA, at Kearney.Gomez@gov.ky.

Children: Care

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool



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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Around 17,100 children looked after at 31 March 2010 have been in care for more than five years.

On Thursday 25 November, we published data on the number of children for whom the decision has been made that they should be placed for adoption. This is available on the department's website via the link below:

http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000960/index.shtml.

Information on the number of children who have been placed for adoption at 31 March 2010 is available from Table A3 in the Statistical First Release Children Looked After in England (Including Adoption and Care Leavers) Year Ending 31 March 2010. Table A3 can be found at the Excel link titled "England Summary Tables", which is available on the department's website via the above link.

The department does not collect information on the number of voluntary adoption agencies (VAAs).

The Government recognise that concurrent planning can provide a way in which young children can achieve permanence with the minimum of placement moves and they expect local authorities to consider how they can make this available for those children who would benefit from this approach. This may require more collaborative working and stronger partnerships between local authorities and VAAs.

Consumer Prices Index: Housing Costs

Question

Asked by Lord German

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Chancellor has frequent discussions with the Governor of the Bank of England on a wide range of issues, but it is not government policy to comment on any confidential advice that he receives.

The Consumer Prices Advisory Committee (CPAC), on which the Treasury is represented, has been established to advise the UK Statistics Authority (UKSA) on improvements to the UK consumer prices index (CPI) recommended by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). On 6 December, the UKSA endorsed the conclusions and recommendations of the CPAC annual report. A key recommendation is that ONS should develop owner occupiers' housing costs indices, using the net acquisitions and rental equivalence approaches, for potential inclusion in an expanded CPI within two years.



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA161

Defence: UK-France

Question

Asked by Lord Lee of Trafford

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): We made a commitment at the UK-France summit on 2 November 2010 to intensify defence and security co-operation with France. We signed two treaties: a defence and security co-operation treaty and a treaty pertaining to joint hydrodynamics facilities. We also agreed to pursue joint initiatives in the following areas: operations and training; equipment and capabilities; unmanned air systems; defence industry; and research and technology.

Details of what was agreed at the bilateral summit and those initiatives to be pursued jointly with France can be found in the Summit Declaration on Defence and Security. I have placed a copy of the summit declaration in the Library of the House.

The Senior Level Group, established under the terms of the defence and security co-operation treaty, will deliver a progress report on co-operation to the next bilateral summit.

Economy: National Debt

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Office for Budget Responsibility forecast that central government gross debt interest will be £63.1 billon in 2015-16.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Question

Asked by Lord Bradley

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Decisions regarding the new discretionary fund will be made locally, enabling schools, colleges and training providers to target support at those young people in greatest need. It is not, therefore, possible to estimate the numbers of young people in receipt of EMA in Greater Manchester who

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will receive support under the new arrangements on entering an institution of further education in the 2011-12 academic year.

Education: Teacher Training

Question

Asked by Lord Liddle

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Government have stated their intention in the White Paper to reform the way in which initial teacher training (ITT) is performed and funded to improve the quality of teachers and teaching. The document sets out a number of steps that will be taken to achieve this, including reforming ITT so that more training is on the job. There will continue to be an important role for universities in ITT, particularly in the provision of academic content. Higher education institution/school partnerships will remain a valuable and integral part of teacher training.

The department expects to inform the Training and Development Agency for Schools of the ITT place targets for 2011-12 shortly. The agency will then write to ITT providers to provide details of ITT arrangements for that period. For 2012-13, we will publish for consultation our detailed proposals for the funding of ITT early next year.

Education: Training and Development Agency

Question

Asked by Lord Liddle

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Our plans for the future role and status of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) are set out broadly in the recently published White Paper The Importance of Teaching. The constitution of the organisation will remain unchanged into the next funding year and the TDA will continue to have an important role in securing a sufficient supply of good teachers for our schools. We are still working through the detail of its remit for 2011-12. We plan to set this out before the end of the year. We will also publish in the new year our plans for the future funding of initial teacher training in 2012-13 onwards in the light of government proposals to reform the funding of higher education. As part of that

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publication we will set out further details of the future role of the TDA in relation to initial teacher training in 2012-13 and beyond.

Embryology

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has advised that, under its adverse incident reporting requirements, centre 0017 has reported no cases of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS). Under the same requirements, centre 0101 has reported two cases of OHSS. Both of these cases involved admission to hospital with one graded as severe and the other as moderate.

Equality: Gay Rights

Question

Asked by Lord Avebury

Baroness Verma: In June 2010, the Prime Minister reinforced the Government's commitment to gay rights by launching an ambitious new work programme Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Equality. The Government are already making good progress towards implementing the commitments that it contains. For example, we have announced that the rights and freedoms Bill, which will be introduced in early 2011, will include the legislative changes needed to implement our commitment that historical convictions for consensual gay sex with over-16s will not show up on criminal records.

We have also concluded the listening exercise that we said we would hold on the next stage for civil partnerships and we will announce the next steps in due course.

In addition, last week the Government published the schools White Paper 2010, The Importance of Teaching, which explained how we will help schools to tackle homophobic and transphobic bullying.

Other measures that the Government will be taking to implement our commitments on gay rights will be outlined in the detailed action plan which will be published in due course.



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EU: Cohesion Funds

Questions

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The following table shows the breakdown between member states of the structural funds that they receive in the 2007-13 programmes, both by overall quantum and by allocation per person.

Structural and Cohesion Fund Allocations 2007-13
Current pricesERDFESFCohesion FundTotal SCEsAllocations per-head €
€ million€ million€ million€ million€

Belgium

1.2

1.1

2.3

221

Czech Republic

14.1

3.8

8.8

26.7

2615

Denmark

0.4

0.3

0.6

114

Germany

17.0

9.4

26.4

320

Estonia

1.9

0.4

1.1

3.4

2521

Greece

12.3

4.5

3.7

20.5

1857

Spain

24.0

4.0

8.0

36.0

853

France

9.0

5.4

14.4

240

Ireland

0.5

0.4

0.9

224

Italy

21.9

6.9

28.8

498

Cyprus

0.3

0.1

0.2

0.6

876

Latvia

2.5

0.6

1.5

4.6

1983

Lithuania

3.5

1.0

2.3

6.8

1973

Luxembourg

0.0

0.0

0.1

144

Hungary

13.1

3.7

8.6

25.4

2511

Malta

0.5

0.1

0.3

0.9

2138

Netherlands

1.1

0.9

1.9

117

Austria

1.0

0.5

1.5

181

Poland

35.0

10.0

22.0

67.0

1754

Portugal

11.9

6.5

3.1

21.5

2053

Slovenia

2.0

0.8

1.4

4.2

2104

Slovakia

6.7

1.0

4.0

11.7

2180

Finland

1.1

0.6

1.7

326

Sweden

1.2

0.7

1.9

212

United Kingdom

6.1

4.5

10.6

178

Bulgaria

3.4

1.2

2.3

6.9

884

Romania

9.5

3.7

6.5

19.7

907

Total EU 27

201.1

72.1

73.8

347.0

714

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

Baroness Wilcox: A specific answer to this Question is not readily available. Details of all direct beneficiaries of European cohesion policy programmes in all member states are available for viewing via the following: http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/country/commu/beneficiaries/index_en.htm.



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EU: External Action Service

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary, other Ministers and officials have regular contact with High Representative Baroness Ashton and her staff. These contacts include discussions on foreign policy priorities such as Iran, Sudan and the western Balkans where we support an effective coherent EU role. They also include discussions on medium-term policy priorities for the European External Action Service (EEAS)-for example, relations with strategic partners such as China and Russia and the EU contribution to conflict prevention, human rights and development. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and the Minister for Europe regularly express our firm view that the work of the EEAS must respect national competence and the principle of budget neutrality. We also want to see UK candidates succeed in a merit-based appointments system.

EU: Gendarmerie Force

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The UK does not provide any policy support to the European Gendarmerie Force (EGF), of which it is not part.

EU: Research and Development

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Government support initiatives to achieve more efficient and effective co-ordination between national research programmes. A notable example is joint programming, in which member states' funding bodies combine on a voluntary basis aspects of their national research programmes to address global challenges. The UK is actively involved in several of the joint programming initiatives launched under this initiative, in particular co-leading the one on agriculture, food security and climate change formally launched in October 2010.



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EU: Salaries

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government have taken wide-ranging measures to reduce the deficit, including a tough pay policy. European institutions cannot be immune from budget austerity. The Government will therefore continue to vote against the proposal for the 2009 salary increment, which remains in place following the ruling by the European Court of Justice.

The European Union (EU) remuneration package must be brought into line with member states' public sectors. We are pushing actively for reform and will engage fully in a review of the system for salary adjustments, starting next year. We are also taking other steps to reduce the administration budget-for example, through the annual EU budget negotiation-and we have worked with other member states in council to secure a process for European pensions reform, on which we will continue to engage.

Government Departments: Salaries

Question

Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): The non-consolidated performance payments made to Ministry of Defence civilians in August of each year are funded from the existing pay bill. That element of the pay bill has been accumulated over time at the expense of consolidated pay awards. They have proven to be a cost-effective way of rewarding staff because they reflect individual performance in year and the payments are non-pensionable and do not add to future pay bill growth. The total pay settlement has been frozen by the Treasury for two years from 2011-12 as part of the Chancellor's emergency Budget. The pay freeze applies to any proposed increases in pay that grow the size of the pay bill, so we cannot, for example, increase the size of salaries, uprate allowances or indeed increase the size of the non-consolidated pot from which performance awards are paid. If end-of-year non-consolidated performance payments were withheld, the estimated net saving in the pay bill for the MoD in the appropriate financial years would amount to:



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA167

Estimated savings (£ million)2011-122012-13

Civil Servants

41

41

Armed Forces

Nil*

Nil*

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer that I gave on 25 October 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 232) for the estimated net saving in the pay bill in the next two years if all salaries and increments were frozen.

Savings for 2013-14 and 2014-15 would be broadly the same order of magnitude but cannot be reliably calculated until the details of plans to reduce employee numbers are finalised.

Government Departments: Staff

Question

Asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Ministers routinely take advice from a range of people.

The Ministry of Defence does not have a standard definition for the term "unpaid adviser" but the following individuals could be described as acting in this capacity as members of the Defence Reform Unit Steering Group:

Lord Levene of Portsoken (chair);

Baroness Noakes;

Bjorn Conway;

Gerry Grimstone;

George Iacobson; and

Raymond McKeeve.

In addition, Dr David Allen (a non-executive director to the Defence Board) is a member of the group.

Gulf War Illnesses

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): I assume that the noble Lord is referring to the statement in my letter to him of 29 July 2010 (reference: MSU 04/04/02/09), which set out the Ministry of Defence's position in full on the Research Advisory Committee and its 2008 report. A copy is available in the Library of the House.



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The committee is composed of lay members, political appointees and scientific members, some of whom hold strong views on the issues that it considers. It was set up to provide accommodations to the Department of Veterans Affairs and does not operate as an independent scientific body.

Health: Funding

Question

Asked by Baroness Sherlock

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): As set out in Healthy Lives, Healthy People, published on 30 November 2010, Public Health England will allocate ring-fenced budgets, weighted for inequalities, to upper-tier and unitary local authorities in local government for improving the health and well-being of local populations.

This public health grant will be made under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003.

As a ring-fenced grant, it will carry some conditions about how the budget can be used.

The department will shortly publish a consultation document, following Healthy Lives, Healthy People, which will set out further details of the proposed funding mechanisms for public health.

Health: Multiple Sclerosis

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department's National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) welcomes applications for support into any aspect of human health, including multiple sclerosis. These applications are subject to peer review and judged in open competition, with awards being made on the basis of the scientific quality of the proposals made. In all disease areas, the amount of NIHR funding depends on the volume and quality of scientific activity.

Estimated spend by the department on multiple sclerosis research in 2009-10 is £2.1 million. In addition, the NIHR clinical research network provided National Health Service research infrastructure support to a range of studies in multiple sclerosis.

Higher Education: Student Loans

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick



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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer that I gave on 29 November.

No England-domiciled, full-time undergraduate student-or their family-will need to pay their tuition costs up front. Most new students will have more support for living costs than they do under current support arrangements.

The Government are also proposing a more progressive repayment structure for student loans for tuition charges and living costs, which will apply to all new students from the 2012-13 academic year.

Students will be expected to contribute only when they have left their course and are earning over £21,000; repayment will be 9 per cent of income above £21,000. Any outstanding loan balance will be written off after 30 years. About a quarter of graduates, those on the lowest incomes, will pay less than those on the current system do at present.

The Government will take steps to ensure that prospective students are made aware of the new student finance arrangements for 2012-13. This will include a range of written and on-line materials, to be made available in advance of the 2012-13 academic year.

Homelessness

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): A full impact assessment on Housing Benefit: Changes to Local Housing Allowance Arrangement has been published by the Department for Work and Pensions and copies have been made available in the House Library.

To help local authorities to provide support where it is needed to ensure a smooth transition, £190 million funding has been made available. In addition, existing customers will be given more time to adjust to any reduction in entitlement, by giving them up to nine months' transitional protection from the anniversary date of the claim.

House of Lords: Life Peerages

Question

Asked by Lord Bassam of Brighton



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Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Decisions on the creation of life peerages to the House of Lords remain a matter for the Prime Minister.

House of Lords: Publications

Question

Asked by Lord Naseby

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): It cost £1,000 to design the calendar and £2,884 to print 3,000 copies. Staff of the House are always happy to discuss domestic matters such as this directly with Members.

Housing Benefit

Questions

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Early next year, we will be providing local authorities with guidance on the amendment that we are making to the housing benefit payment provisions.

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester

Lord Freud: From April 2011, in cases assessed under the local housing allowance arrangements, local authorities will be able to pay housing benefit direct to the landlord where they consider that it would help the customer to secure a new tenancy or remain in their current home. It follows that the rent must be at a level that they can afford. We will work closely with local authorities to ensure that this provision is used in very specific circumstances where landlords are reducing rents to a level that is affordable for customers.

A number of other circumstances in which benefit is paid direct to landlord remain unchanged-for example, if the tenant is in arrears of eight weeks or more or the local authority considers that the tenant is unable or unlikely to pay their rent.

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester



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Lord Freud: We estimate that the transitional protection will be beneficial to around 68 per cent of housing benefit customers (over 600,000 at March 2010) who see a reduction in their eligible rent when their local housing allowance rate is reviewed on the anniversary of their claim falling on or after 1 April 2011. Some customers will not get transitional protection if they move or a change in their household means that they become entitled to the local housing allowance rate for a smaller property.

Iran

Question

Asked by Lord Rana

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The positive engagement of Afghanistan's neighbours is vital in ensuring a coherent political settlement and a smooth transition to an Afghan security lead. Iran is an important player and we are encouraging its co-operation and positive involvement in conflict resolution, though we remain concerned about Iranian links to militant groups in Afghanistan.

We have had some engagement with Iranian government officials on this issue and there are ongoing attempts to foster increased co-operation on counter-narcotics and cross-border security.

Museums: Funding

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

Baroness Rawlings: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport is not ending funding to its non-national museums such as the Design, Geffrye and Horniman museums. These museums have been allocated funding in the next spending period to 2014-15.

NHS: Debt

Question

Asked by Lord Warner

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): National Health Service trusts have a statutory duty to ensure that

14 Dec 2010 : Column WA172

revenue is not less than sufficient, taking one year with another, to meet outgoings properly chargeable to the revenue account. This is known as the break-even duty. The value of the cumulative deficit reported by NHS trusts at the end of the 2009-10 financial year for the purposes of this duty was £589 million. NHS foundation trusts are not subject to the same statutory break-even duty and do not, therefore, have cumulative or historic debt.

Both strategic health authorities and primary care trusts have a statutory duty in each financial year to contain revenue expenditure, measured on an accruals basis, within approved revenue resource limits. For these bodies, therefore, unlike NHS trusts, there is no corresponding concept of cumulative or historic debt.

Proposals set out in the NHS White Paper Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS are subject to the passage of the forthcoming Bill through Parliament. Detailed arrangements will be considered as part of that process.

NHS: Staff

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The number of physical assaults against staff reported by National Health Service bodies in England is collated annually by the NHS Security Management Service. Information is not available centrally on categories of perpetrators of reported assaults. Published figures therefore include all assaults and not only those committed by patients.

It is completely unacceptable for NHS staff to be assaulted or to have to work in fear of assault. We will take all possible steps to encourage co-operation between trusts, the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to ensure that appropriate action is taken against people who assault staff.

The NHS Security Management Service will continue to support and assist NHS organisations in taking action to prevent violence and abuse from occurring and in seeking criminal sanctions against those who assault NHS staff.

Northern Ireland Office: Website

Question

Asked by Lord Laird



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA173

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The memorial lecture for Lord Steinberg on 16 November was not posted on the Northern Ireland Office media centre website because it contained a large amount of Conservative Party-related material. It was, therefore, deemed more appropriate to treat this as a party speech and as a result it was issued through the press office at Conservative Campaign Headquarters.

Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission

Questions

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given on 10 November 2010 (Official Report, col. WA 89). The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is independent of government and as such is entitled to set its own programme of work, consistent with its statutory functions. I understand that the NIHRC is currently consulting on its strategic and business plans for 2011-13. These are shared with government and reviewed to ensure that the work plans are within its statutory remit.

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Details of funding received by the commission in each financial year since its creation can be found in the commission's annual report and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House or on the NIHRC website, www.nihrc.org. The accounting officer of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission holds delegated responsibility for considering value for money in the commission's operations. The Northern Ireland Office, as sponsor department, conducts a detailed review of all funding as part of the government spending review cycle with HM Treasury. During the course of each financial year, it reviews use of allocated funding through in-year monitoring rounds, regular review meetings, consideration of business cases and departmental efficiency exercises.

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given on 29 November (Official Report, cols. WA 414-15). Under paragraph 8 of Schedule 7 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission may determine its own procedure, including its code of governance, which describes in some detail the various responsibilities placed upon commissioners when exercising their functions. The code is still in the policy formulation stage and disclosure of the full draft in its current state would prejudice the Northern Ireland Office's ability to have free and frank exchanges of views or to give free and frank advice to the NIHRC. The code of governance is intended for future publication and a copy of the final version will be placed in the Library of the House.

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given on 29 November (Official Report, col. WA 415). The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is responsible for determining its own procedures and for the appointment of the chief executive. The noble Lord may wish to write to the commission directly on this matter.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Question

Asked by Lord Lawson of Blaby

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR). I have asked the OBR to reply.

Letter from Robert Chote, Chairman, Office for Budget Responsibility, to Lord Lawson of Blaby, dated December 2010.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the figures for privatisation receipts for each tax year from 2010-11 to 2015-16, as assumed by the financial transactions line in table 4.22 of the Office for Budget Responsibility's report Economic and Fiscal Outlook, published on 29 November 2010. [HL4754]



14 Dec 2010 : Column WA175

The information that you have requested has not previously been published by the OBR. In line with our release policy, the OBR aims to meet ongoing requests for supplementary forecast information where this will improve the quality of public debate on the public finances. We would therefore plan to release further information on our next scheduled release date that would provide information relevant to your request.

Our release policy is available on our website at: http://budgetresponsibility.independent.gov.uk/d/release_policy.pdf

Where the OBR publishes supplementary material, releases will be made in an orderly manner that promotes public confidence and gives equal access to information. The next scheduled release date for the publication of supplementary forecast information is 21 December 2010.

Overseas Territories: Debt

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Contingent liabilities are defined as liabilities that may give rise to future financial commitments. For overseas territory Governments, these can include, but are not limited to, healthcare schemes, pension arrangements and national insurance schemes.

Overseas territory debts are actual liabilities of overseas territory Governments. The UK has agreed with certain overseas territory Governments that their debt obligations will be limited, in the interest of sustainable public financial management and good governance.

Questions for Written Answer

Question

Asked by Lord Jopling

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: A total of 111 Questions for Written Answer tabled between 5 October and 11 November were allocated to the Cabinet Office. The nine questions awaiting a reply after 10 working days on 1 December 2010 represent 8 per cent of the Questions received by the department in that period. As of 14 December, five have been answered, three remain unanswered and one has been withdrawn.



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Railways: Colne-Skipton

Question

Asked by Lord Greaves

Earl Attlee: So far as the Department for Transport is aware, the most recent discussions between BRB (Residuary) Ltd and Lancashire County Council on transferring a section of the former Colne-Skipton railway with a view to its use as a cycle path took place on 20 July 2010. At that meeting, BRB (Residuary) Ltd explained the legal obligations and maintenance responsibilities that would need to be transferred to the county council as part of any sale.

The county council has yet to revert to BRB (Residuary) Ltd following those discussions.

Railways: Intercity Trains

Question

Asked by Lord Berkeley

Earl Attlee: The Statement from the Secretary of State for Transport on 25 November confirmed that the Department for Transport is looking at two options for the replacement of the HST fleet of trains: a revised bid from Agility Trains (which remains the preferred bidder for the Intercity Express Programme option) and an alternative option for an electric fleet of trains that can couple to diesel locomotives. If the latter option is chosen, it would require a new procurement exercise to be initiated.

Any new procurement exercise would be conducted in accordance with UK and European Commission requirements, allowing all organisations (or consortiums) with the appropriate technical, financial and manufacturing capability to express an interest.

Schools: Academies

Question

Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough



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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Independent schools registered as charities can convert to academy status. The Academies Act 2010 prevents academies from charging fees for admission or education subject to limited exceptions. Such exceptions might include after-hours clubs or tuition.

Where independent schools convert to academies, they may have non-European economic area pupils who are eligible to remain in the UK only on condition that they do not access state (non-fee-paying) education. In such cases, the academy is required under its funding agreement to charge fees to meet the full costs of providing education for such pupils.

Schools: Teaching Schools

Question

Asked by Lord Liddle

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The department expects the first Teaching Schools to be designated by the start of the next school year, in September 2011. They will be outstanding schools with outstanding head teachers, who will work collaboratively with other schools in an area to improve results for pupils, taking a leading responsibility for providing and quality-assuring teacher and leadership training and offering professional development for teachers.

Sport: Coaching Certificates

Question

Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton

Baroness Garden of Frognal: The governing bodies of 46 sports in England were provided with an opportunity to input into the UK coaching certificate review (UKCC) on behalf of the coaches and coaching systems that they represent.

In addition, there was a range of opportunities for the governing bodies of sport in the other home countries to input into the review to ensure that the future of the UKCC aligns to their coaches' needs.

The review did not consult sports teachers or coaches separately, but relied on the governing bodies' role in representing their workforce.

Taxation: Patents

Question

Asked by Lord Beecham

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): No such estimate has been made, nor are the Government providing additional financial support to this programme.

Telephone Helplines

Question

Asked by Lord Beecham

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The Department for Work and Pensions does not operate any family support helplines, as these are mostly funded through the Department for Education. However the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission, a Crown non-departmental public body of the department, does operate the child maintenance options service.

The child maintenance options service provides free information on the range of child maintenance arrangements available and supports parents to make informed decisions about the child maintenance arrangement most suited to their circumstances, whether this is a family-based arrangement, a statutory arrangement or one made through the courts.

As well as child maintenance options being available as a phone service, they are also available as a web-based service or through a limited face-to-face service.

Turkey

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The British Government have not carried out such an assessment. The treatment of minority religious groups in Turkey, including Christians, is addressed in the European Commission's annual progress reports on Turkey's accession process. The 2010 report states that freedom of worship in Turkey continues to be generally respected. However, the report notes a number of areas for continued focus. These include full implementation of the law on

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foundations, continued dialogue with the Alevi and non-Muslim religious communities and establishing a legal framework in line with the European Convention on Human Rights.

Universities: Drop-out Rates

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): The latest available information on higher education non-completion rates and numbers is provided in tables 1 and 2. Non-completion refers to the number or proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters who are projected to neither gain an award nor transfer to another UK higher education institution. Table 1 includes the benchmarks for each institution listed. The benchmarks take into account a number of student characteristics: entry qualifications; subject of study; and age to calculate the sort of values that might be expected for an institution's non-completion indicator. Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will become available from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) in April 2011. More information on non-completion in higher education is available from HESA at the following link: http://www.hesa.ac.uk/index.php/content/category/2/32/141/.



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Table 1
The 20 UK higher education institutions with the highest non-completion rates(1) Academic Year 2007-08
InstitutionPer cent projected to neither gain an award nor transfer (%)Benchmark (%)

UHI Millennium Institute

33.1

19.2

The University of Bolton

29.9

20.1

London South Bank University

29.8

18.7

The University of the West of Scotland

27.0

12.6

University of Glamorgan

26.4

20.5

Thames Valley University

26.3

19.7

London Metropolitan University

24.4

20.3

University of Derby

24.2

19.9

Newman University College

23.2

14.9

The University of Salford

23.0

16.9

The University of Wales, Lampeter

22.4

21.0

University of Ulster

21.7

14.3

The University of Central Lancashire

21.4

16.3

Middlesex University

21.4

18.3

Swansea Metropolitan University

20.8

14.1

The University of Huddersfield

20.3

17.3

The University of Wales, Newport

19.7

16.6

The Manchester Metropolitan University

19.6

16.3

St Mary's University College, Twickenham

19.5

13.4

Staffordshire University

19.2

17.7

Table 2
Non-completion of full-time first degree starters(2) at UK higher education institutions Academic Years 2005-06 to 2007-08
Academic YearTotal full-time first degree startersNumber projected to neither gain an award nor transferPercent projected to neither gain an award nor transfer (%)

2005-06

338,920

47,790

14.1

2006-07

324,725

44,810

13.8

2007-08

340,445

44,260

13.0

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