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21 Dec 2010 : Column WA269

Written Answers

Tuesday 21 December 2010

Agriculture: Theft

Question

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): It is not possible from information collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice or the Scottish Government, other than where specified in a statute, to identify the location of a theft or description of the items that were stolen. This level of detail will only be held on individual court records.

Airports: Security

Questions

Asked by Lord Marlesford

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The UK Border Agency has the following capability to check passengers arriving from and departing to overseas locations:

Port Arrivals (Fixed) Departures (Mobile)

Heathrow 164 27

Gatwick 38 19

Stansted 24 2

Checks are made on an intelligence-led basis.

Asked by Lord Marlesford

Baroness Neville-Jones: The UK Border Agency has a mobile capability to undertake departure checks at the airports listed. The electronic checking of travel documents is carried out using portable devices as set out below.

This is done on an intelligence-led basis.

Port Mobile Departures Mobile Devices

Heathrow 27 9



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA270

Gatwick 0* 19

Stansted two 2

Armed Forces: Overseas Bases

Question

Asked by Lord Jopling

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): As stated in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we will maintain our training areas in Canada to prepare our forces for operations. Our presence at the British Army Training Unit Suffield also reflects the UK's close and valued defence relationship with Canada.

Armed Forces: Uniforms

Question

Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): The expenditure over the past five complete financial years for replacing ceremonial uniforms, including hats, boots, belts, jackets, trousers and gloves, is provided in the following table.

Guard Regiment Financial Year
2005-062006-072007-082008-092009-10

Grenadier Guards

£38,000

£170,000

£349,000

£282,000

£86,000

Coldstream Guards

£151,000

£290,000

£146,000

£188,000

£35,000

Scots Guards

£28,000

£172,000

£69,000

£185,000

£37,000

Irish Guards

£33,000

£172,000

£114,000

£872,000

£61,000

Welsh Guards

£129,000

£163,000

£109,000

£86,000

£78,000

The expenditure for the Irish Guards in 2008-09 was necessarily higher because the cloth and colour of the ceremonial uniform striping was changed.

Expenditure in 2009-10 was lower than previous financial years, principally as there has been no business requirement to replace so many uniforms.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA271

Asylum Seekers

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): Failed asylum seekers whose asylum applications have been fully determined and whose appeal rights are exhausted are required to leave the UK as soon as possible. It is accepted that there will be some failed asylum seekers who are destitute and who are unable to leave the UK immediately due to circumstances beyond their control. These individuals can request the provision of support under section four of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 pending the resolution of the temporary barrier to their return.

There are additional safeguards for families with dependent children under 18 when their appeal rights are exhausted who continue receiving support until they leave the UK. Therefore, no asylum seeker or failed asylum seeker need be destitute while they have a valid reason to be here

Aviation: Air Quality

Questions

Asked by The Countess of Mar

Earl Attlee: The Cranfield University research on cabin air has been completed and the report has been sent out to independent scientific peer review. We expect publication of the report to take place in the new year.

Asked by The Countess of Mar

Earl Attlee: The swab testing research mentioned in the meeting note is currently being carried out by the Institute of Occupational Medicine in Edinburgh.

Aviation: Aviation Health Working Group

Question

Asked by The Countess of Mar

Earl Attlee: Sufficiently close links exist between the Department of Health and the Department for Transport at the policy level to enable any concerns about aviation health matters to be raised with the Department of Health if necessary.

The Aviation Health Working Group (AHWG) last met on 18 February 2010; a further meeting has not been scheduled.

Aviation: Security

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): Passenger name record (PNR) data are only collected by the UK's e-Borders system to the extent that it is known to the carrier. The Immigration and Police (Passenger, Crew and Service Information) Order 2008 specifies that only passenger information that is routinely held by the carrier on their reservation system or departure control system, or information that is obtained during the ordinary course of the carrier's business, may be required. PNR collection on flights between member states and Australia, Canada and the United States of America under EU agreements with those countries follows the same principle, as will PNR collection on flights between member states and third countries, and potentially between member states, when an EU PNR Directive is introduced.

Therefore, there are no implications for ordinary air travellers, as they are not required to provide any more data than they would normally provide in the course of booking their flight. Collection and analysis of PNR data will assist in preventing those travellers who wish to cause harm from doing so.

Banking

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Office of Fair Trading is currently investigating the way that the equity underwriting

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA273

market works and will, no doubt, carefully consider the findings of the Institutional Investor Council's report.

Banking: Equity Underwriting

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The OFT launched a market study of equity underwriting services for the different types of share issue used by FTSE 350 companies to raise equity capital in the UK (including rights issues, placings and other types of follow-on offer) on 6 August 2010. OFT intends to publish its report in late January 2011.

For further details please see the OFT page: http://www.oft.gov.uk/OFTwork/markets-work/current/equity-underwriting.

Banks: Information Sharing

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Government have no such evidence. Anyone with information as to whether enterprises may be acting in breach of competition law should submit that information to the Office of Fair Trading, which has the relevant powers to take appropriate action.

Benefits

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): There are strict controls on temporary migrants' access to benefits. Upon acquiring settled status, migrants are able to access benefits in the same way as British citizens. There is no comprehensive assessment of the possibility that immigrants send money to their families.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA274

British Transport Police

Question

Asked by Lord Bradshaw

Earl Attlee: The Cabinet Office-led review of public bodies, which preceded the introduction of the Public Bodies Bill, considered whether the British Transport Police Authority (BTPA) should be retained and, if so, in what form. The conclusion was that the BTPA should be retained on the grounds that it performs a technical function that should remain independent of government. The Public Bodies Bill is currently before Parliament. BTPA is listed in Schedule 7 to the Bill, reflecting the agreement that the body be retained in its current form at this stage. The Cabinet Office is developing proposals for future review of those non-departmental public bodies that are to be retained. Decisions on when next to review BTPA will be taken in due course.

Broadcasting: Licence Fee

Question

Asked by Lord Roberts of Conwy

Baroness Rawlings: The administration and enforcement of the television licensing system are the responsibility of the BBC, which operates independently of government. The day-to-day administration and enforcement of licence fees are undertaken by TV Licensing which acts as agent for the Corporation.

Under the terms of the BBC's charter, it is the responsibility of the BBC Trust to ensure that the BBC executive board delivers financial efficiency and value for money.

The trust is responsible for approving budgets, at the level of service licences or other significant activities likely to have implications for the delivery of the BBC's public purposes, put forward by the executive. Within this framework, day-to-day decisions about expenditure are the responsibility of the BBC executive.

Broadcasting: Offensive Material

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

Baroness Rawlings: In relation to broadcasting, Parliament has charged Ofcom with maintaining standards, notably to protect children and the general public from harmful and offensive material.

Ofcom is independent of the Government and responsible for safeguarding the public interest in broadcasting. It sets out the rules and guidance with which broadcasters must comply.

Within this framework, it is the broadcasters' job to make judgments about what individual programmes should contain and the time at which they are broadcast.

It is a long-standing principle that the Government do not interfere in programme matters, either on arrangements for scheduling or on content.

Census

Question

Asked by Lord Lea of Crondall

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 Lea of Crondall, dated December 2010.

As Director General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS) I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking whether or not a category of "British Arabs" will be included in the 2011 Census, as distinct from the category "Other". HL5400

The content of the census questions to be asked in the 2011 Census was set out in the Census Order (England and Wales) 2009 which has been debated and approved by Parliament and is now law. The questionnaires for the England and Wales census have been printed.

The 2011 Census questionnaire will provide the opportunity for people to record themselves as being both British and Arab, by ticking "British" in the national identity question and then "Arab" in the ethnic group question. The results from these two questions can then be grouped together to provide statistics on "British Arabs".

Children: Poverty

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA276

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government have taken action in the June Budget and this Spending Review to help low-income families. These steps have ensured that measures that can be robustly assessed from this Spending Review and June Budget will not lead to a measurable increase in child poverty over the next two years.

The Government believe that poverty is best tackled by addressing the causes of poverty, rather than the consequences. At the June Budget and Spending Review 2010, they set out a programme of welfare reform designed to simplify the welfare system and make work pay.

The Prime Minister has asked Frank Field MP to conduct an independent review on poverty and life chances in the UK; this has now been published and the Government welcomes his report. The Prime Minister also asked Graham Allen MP to conduct an independent review into early intervention. While awaiting the conclusions of these reviews, the Government chose to use some of the savings from withdrawing child benefit from families with a higher-rate taxpayer to fund significant above-indexation increases in the child tax credit, worth £180 in 2011-12 and £110 in 2012-13.

Civil Partnerships

Question

Asked by Lord Avebury

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): In July the Government published Working for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Equality, a programme of work including a commitment to update the list of overseas same-sex partnerships automatically recognised by the UK as equivalent to UK civil partnerships and to work bilaterally with other European countries to overcome the legislative or policy barriers which prevent UK civil partnerships being recognised abroad. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is currently working with the Government Equalities Office to take forward this work.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office provides UK civil partnership registrations in 20 posts worldwide where prior approval has been obtained from the respective host Governments of these countries. 256 civil partnerships were registered in 2009.

Civil Service: Salaries

Question

Asked by Lord Laird



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA277

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Under the Government's transparency commitment, the Cabinet Office has published departmental structure charts showing the name, job title and salary of all senior civil servants across central government. This can be found at:

http://transparency.numberlO.gov.uk/org-charts.php.

The Hutton Review of Fair Pay calculated 20 times the minimum wage as £228,186, assuming a 37 hour working week. The Government have welcomed the publication of this report and will give careful consideration to the findings so far. The Government look forward to the outcome of the final report and recommendations in March and will respond in more detail once they are in receipt of this.

Cluster Bombs

Questions

Asked by Lord Chidgey

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): All UK cluster munitions were withdrawn from service in May 2008. To date 48 per cent of the UK's stocks have been destroyed.

As the UK has no specialist cluster munition destruction facilities of its own, destruction has had to be contracted overseas. As a result, UK cluster munitions continue to be removed from the UK as they are called forward as part of the ongoing destruction process. It is our intention to have completed the destruction of all UK cluster munitions by the end of 2013.

As was announced to Parliament during the passage of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010, the US agreed to remove all of its stockpiles from UK territory by 2013. Since then the UK was able to announce to the First Meeting of States Parties to the Cluster Munitions Convention in November 2010 that, in fact, the US has now withdrawn all stockpiles from UK territory ahead of schedule.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Lord Astor of Hever: All UK cluster munitions are in a destruction programme and have been removed from service. As part of this destruction programme UK cluster bombs are only removed from the UK for destruction. As part of the destruction process, UK cluster munitions are securely stored at specialist facilities in Germany, while awaiting collection by the disposal contractor. Under current plans, it is our intention to have destroyed all UK cluster munitions by the end of 2013.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA278

We cannot comment on where US cluster munitions have been relocated. That is a matter for the USA.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Lord Astor of Hever: Approximately 48 per cent of UK cluster munitions have now been destroyed. The remainder are stored safely either in the UK or in Germany, pending disposal. The majority of the remaining stocks are stored by Joint Support Chain Services (JSCS) (formerly the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency) at their explosives storage facilities at Kineton (Warwickshire), Longtown (Cumbria), Eastriggs (Dumfries and Galloway) and Wulfen (Germany). Some stocks of UK M26 rockets are also stored at the US ammunition base at Miseau (Germany), due to JSCS's temporary storage capacity limitations and by one of our disposal contractors, NAMMO Buck, in Germany. All stocks are maintained for the purpose of ensuring their safe storage and, where appropriate, transportation. It is our intention to have completed the destruction of all UK cluster munitions by the end of 2013.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Lord Astor of Hever: Section 8 of the Cluster Munitions (Prohibitions) Act 2010 sets out that the Secretary of State is able to grant authorisation for visiting forces of states not party to the Convention on Cluster Munitions to possess cluster munitions on, or transfer them through, UK territory.

The US were made aware of this provision within the Bill, not least as it was required to enable the removal of their cluster munitions stockpiles. Authorisation was subsequently granted to the US to allow them to remove their cluster munitions in accordance with the legislation. This removal has now been completed and there are no foreign stockpiles of cluster munitions on UK territory.

No arrangements have been made with United States officials for future stockpiling and maintenance of cluster bombs.

Crime: Electronic Tagging

Question

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA279

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): I believe the noble Lord may be referring to the arrest of Mr Asil Nadir on 4 December 2010. The Ministry of Justice and the Serious Fraud Office are investigating this matter.

Where an electronic monitoring condition is imposed by the court the responsibility for fitting the tagging device and monitoring its operation is undertaken by Serco, a private company. In the case of Mr Nadir the condition of his electronic monitoring was agreed between the Serious Fraud Office and Mr Nadir before his return to the UK in September 2010 from northern Cyprus, where he had been resident for the past 17 years.

The Serious Fraud Office had no contact with any Serco employees concerning reporting of breach of bail conditions until Monday 6 December 2010 when the Serious Fraud Office along with others began investigations to determine what had happened over the preceding week.

I cannot comment any further on this case which is subject to ongoing judicial proceedings.

Crime: Reoffending

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Justice responsible for prisons (Crispin Blunt) wrote to Theresa K Moore MBE, chief executive of the Citizens Trust on 6 September 2010 following her letter to the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice dated July 2010 about its Pathways from Re-Offending project.

In his reply, the Minister confirmed an interest in the initiative and suggested that the most appropriate way forward was for the Citizens Trust to contribute their ideas and experiences in response to the Call for Evidence-Review of Offender Learning which closed on 24 September and/or the Green Paper Breaking the Cycle: Effective Punishment, Rehabilitation and Sentencing for Offenders which opened for consultation on 7 December and ends on 4 March 2011.

Crime: Violence

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA280

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 allows victims of certain serious violent and sexual offences, where the offender receives a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, to receive information about key developments in the offender's sentence. Such key developments will include where offenders are being considered for or granted a move to open conditions, a work placement in the community and release from prison.

Where the offender's release is determined by the Parole Board, victims can also choose to submit a victim personal statement to the board which sets out how the offence has affected them.

Eligible victims are also able to make representations about conditions which may be attached to the offender's licence on release. They can, for example, request that the offender is excluded from a particular area, such as where they (the victims) live. In all cases, licence conditions must be proportionate, reasonable and necessary and, in the case of indeterminate sentenced prisoners, must be approved by the independent Parole Board.

The interests of the victim to be provided with the personal information of the offender, such as their release location, must be balanced against the offender's interests and privacy and the need to rehabilitate the offender. There are sound public protection reasons for doing this, as it is necessary to ensure the successful supervision and reintegration of offenders into the community and prevent reoffending. Releasing the whereabouts of a particular offender's location could undermine this process and reduce the likelihood of a successful, law-abiding resettlement.

Furthermore, all information disclosed to victims must be compliant with the Data Protection Act 1998, which regulates the processing of any personal data about individuals including offenders, and with human rights legislation.

Disclosing very specific information such as an offender's location could be potentially unlawful. There may, however, be circumstances in which it may be proportionate, lawful and in the public interest to provide victims with more specific information about an offender's location. One example might be where the victim is at risk of serious harm from the offender.

Data Protection

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government support the proposed agreement and share the European Commission's goal of continuing to ensure a high level of protection for

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA281

personal data that are processed as part of transatlantic co-operation in criminal matters. However, the Government maintain their position that the United Kingdom, rather than the European Union, should negotiate rules concerning data exchanges between the United Kingdom and the United States under their bilateral arrangements.

Negotiations between the European Union and the United States began on 9 December. The Government will consider their position on the final agreement at the end of the negotiations.

Democratic Republic of Congo

Questions

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Baroness Verma: The food security situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo is very poor, with the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) ranking DRC as one of the countries most affected by chronic hunger and undernutrition. An estimated one in every four children under the age of five are underweight. A survey in 2008 established that 15 million people are severely and moderately food insecure and recent surveys suggest the situation is not improving. Through our humanitarian programme, the Department for International Development (DfID) is helping many thousands of children every year receive therapeutic food and treatment. Last year, we helped more than 55,000 children and expect to double our assistance to malnourished children in the year ahead. The UK is also tackling food insecurity by building roads, stimulating food production by making it easier for farmers to get goods to market.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Baroness Verma: The UK aid programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) does not specifically focus on agriculture. Belgium, the United States and the World Bank lead on this sector, which is consistent with donor efforts for burden sharing and division of labour. The UK aid programme in the DRC does invest heavily in the rehabilitation of the national priority roads network which stimulates agriculture by opening local and regional markets to food produced by Congolese farmers.

Asked by Lord Chidgey



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA282

Baroness Verma: The UK Government strongly support implementation of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), as well as related initiatives such as the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and African Union work to establish long-term investment plans and increase the proportion of national budgets for agriculture. The Department for International Development (DfID) is providing a £10 million grant to a multi-donor trust fund, with the World Bank, which will facilitate the implementation of the CAADP. DfID does not provide separate bilateral funding to the DRC to support CAADP implementation.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Baroness Verma: The UK aid programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) does not specifically focus on climate change and has not directly funded any assessment of the effect of climate change on agriculture and food security.

In December 2010, the Secretary of State for International Development announced extra support to the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR), which will include £7.2 million for a programme to help adapt farming systems in the developing world to climate change. The UK Government also support the Association for Strengthening Agricultural Research in Eastern and Central Africa-of which DRC is a member-to support research into agricultural issues, including climate change adaptation.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Baroness Verma: The UK aid programme in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) does not specifically focus on agriculture. Belgium, the United States and the World Bank lead on this sector which is consistent with donor efforts for burden sharing and division of labour.

The UK aid programme in the DRC does invest heavily in the rehabilitation of the national priority road network which stimulates agriculture by opening local and regional markets to food produced by Congolese farmers.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

Baroness Verma: The UK Government have spent £31.25 million on emergency food aid over the past five calendar years as set out in the table below. Figures for 2010 will be available in mid-2011.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA283

2005

n/a

2006

£8,250,000

2007

£6,100,000

2008

£11,000,000

2009

£5,900,000

Egypt

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We followed the elections with close interest. We are deeply concerned by reports of widespread fraud, media restrictions and denials of access to polling stations for independent national observers and candidate representatives. We are also concerned by reports of harassment and arrest of opposition candidates and their supporters in the run-up to and on the days of the elections, and cases of irregularities, which in some cases amount to serious allegations of interference in and disruption of the electoral process and call into question its credibility.

We remain convinced that a democratic Government is the best environment for ensuring the full enjoyment and protection of human rights in Egypt. We will continue to work to support free, fair and transparent presidential elections in 2011 and to call on the Egyptian Government to permit international observers to visit Egypt during election periods.

Employment

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): It is the Government's role to create an environment conducive to private sector growth and job creation. The Path to Strong, Sustainable and Balanced Growth sets out our approach to achieving this, including the launch of the growth review. This process will challenge all government departments on how they can better enable long-term private sector growth.

Equal Pay

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA284

Baroness Verma: This Government are committed to tackling the barriers that women face in the workplace and are taking a range of measures, including making pay secrecy clauses unenforceable, extending positive action and the right to request flexible working, consulting on a new system of parental leave, and promoting gender equality on company boards, including asking Lord Davies to fully investigate the issue.

On 2 December, the Government also announced they are working with partners to develop a voluntary approach on gender pay reporting in the private and voluntary sectors.

EU: Accession Fund

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

Baroness Verma: The EU's pre-accession assistance for all enlargement countries is provided through the instrument for pre-accession (IPA). The candidate countries of Turkey, Croatia and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia work under a decentralised management system. For these countries, the national authorising officer (NAO) is responsible for the expenditure of IPA funds. The NAO is typically a high-level public servant of the Treasury or Ministry of Finance in the country concerned. For all other enlargement countries, the Commission remains responsible for the expenditure of funds. Member states have full oversight of all proposals for the use of IPA funds.

Pre-accession assistance for Turkey is not directly conditional on Turkey making progress with constitutional reforms, but rather aims to support these reforms. For example, in the area of judicial reform, the setting up of an ombudsman or data protection authority depends on adequate legal frameworks being in place.

EU: European Investigation Order

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): I refer the noble Lord to my answer of 22 October 2010 (Official Report, WA 207). In this I explained

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA285

that the United Kingdom is unable to withdraw from the European Investigation Order and why this is the case.

EU: Hungarian Presidency

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Hungarian Government will not publish their final presidency programme until late December. Based on the Government's ongoing contacts with the Hungarian Government, we expect the presidency programme to focus on consolidating economic recovery, enlargement, the Eastern Partnership and the EU budget. The Government will discuss these issues in detail with the Hungarian Government in early 2011.

EU: UK National Sovereignty

Questions

Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Government have no difficulty reconciling the two Answers given to the Questions referred to above. The first Answer responded to a Question as to what transfers of competence had occurred since 1972 on the basis of either qualified majority voting or unanimity and made it clear that transfer of competence could only take place by way of a treaty amendment. The answer to the second Question set out the Government's clear intention not to agree to any treaty which transfers competence or power from the UK to the EU during the course of this Parliament.

Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA286

Lord Howell of Guildford: Article 5 of the Treaty on the European Union makes clear that the Union shall act only within the limits of the competences conferred upon it by the member states in the treaties. The treaties and subsequent amendments thereto have been agreed by the member states by consensus and not by either majority voting or unanimity in the Council of Ministers.

The current categories and areas of the Union competence are set out in Articles 2-6 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union:

Article 2

When the treaties confer on the Union exclusive competence in a specific area, only the Union may legislate and adopt legally binding acts, the member states being able to do so themselves only if so empowered by the Union or for the implementation of Union acts.

When the treaties confer on the Union a competence shared with the member states in a specific area, the Union and the member states may legislate and adopt legally binding acts in that area. The member states shall exercise their competence to the extent that the Union has not exercised its competence. The member states shall again exercise their competence to the extent that the Union has decided to cease exercising its competence.

The member states shall co-ordinate their economic and employment policies within arrangements as determined by this treaty, which the Union shall have competence to provide.

The Union shall have competence, in accordance with the provisions of the Treaty on European Union, to define and implement a common foreign and security policy, including the progressive framing of a common defence policy.

In certain areas and under the conditions laid down in the treaties, the Union shall have competence to carry out actions to support, coordinate or supplement the actions of the member states, without thereby superseding their competence in these areas. Legally binding acts of the Union adopted on the basis of the provisions of the treaties relating to these areas shall not entail harmonisation of member states' laws or regulations.

The scope of and arrangements for exercising the Union's competences shall be determined by the provisions of the treaties relating to each area.

Article 3

The Union shall have exclusive competence in the following areas:

customs union;the establishing of the competition rules necessary for the functioning of the internal market;monetary policy for the member states whose currency is the euro;the conservation of marine biological resources under the common fisheries policy; andcommon commercial policy.

The Union shall also have exclusive competence for the conclusion of an international agreement when its conclusion is provided for in a legislative act of the

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Union or is necessary to enable the Union to exercise its internal competence, or in so far as its conclusion may affect common rules or alter their scope.

Article 4

The Union shall share competence with the member states where the treaties confer on it a competence which does not relate to the areas referred to in Articles 3 and 6.

Shared competence between the Union and the member states applies in the following principal areas:

internal market;social policy, for the aspects defined in this treaty;economic, social and territorial cohesion;agriculture and fisheries, excluding the conservation of marine biological resources;environment;consumer protection;transport;trans-European networks;energy;area of freedom, security and justice; andcommon safety concerns in public health matters, for the aspects defined in this treaty.

In the areas of research, technological development and space, the Union shall have competence to carry out activities, in particular to define and implement programmes; however, the exercise of that competence shall not result in member states being prevented from exercising theirs.

In the areas of development co-operation and humanitarian aid, the Union shall have competence to carry out activities and conduct a common policy; however, the exercise of that competence shall not result in member states being prevented from exercising theirs.

Article 5

The member states shall co-ordinate their economic policies within the Union. To this end, the council shall adopt measures, in particular broad guidelines for these policies. Specific provisions shall apply to those member states whose currency is the euro.

The Union shall take measures to ensure co-ordination of the employment policies of the member states, in particular by defining guidelines for these policies.

The Union may take initiatives to ensure co-ordination of member states' social policies.

Article 6

The Union shall have competence to carry out actions to support, co-ordinate or supplement the actions of the member states. The areas of such action shall, at European level, be:

protection and improvement of human health;industry;culture;tourism;education, vocational training, youth and sport;civil protection; andadministrative co-operation.

Competences not conferred upon the Union in the treaties remain with the member states.



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Fluoridation

Questions

Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The requirements for consultations under the Water Industry Act 1991 are detailed in the Water Fluoridation (Consultation) (England) Regulations 2005. The regulations require that a "strategic health authority shall:

publish details of the steps they propose to take, and the manner in which individuals who would be affected by it and bodies with an interest can make representations regarding the proposal

in one or more newspapers circulating within the area to which the arrangements relate; andin such other media accessible within that area as the authority consider appropriate for the purpose of bringing the proposal to the attention of individuals affected and bodies with an interest".

Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

Earl Howe: The department has publicised the fact that it wishes to strengthen the evidence base on fluoridation and will consider, within available resources, soundly based proposals for research projects, including ones which reflect the recommendations of both the York report and the review by the Medical Research Council, Water Fluoridation and Health, published in 2002. A research project is under way on the extent and aesthetic effects of dental fluorosis and I understand the chief dental officer indicated, at a meeting with the noble Earl, that the evaluation of a new fluoride scheme would offer an opportunity to assess the effects on dental decay while adjusting for confounding factors. Any such evaluation could also be used to assess the cost-effectiveness of fluoridation.

Gaza

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA289

Baroness Verma: According to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) $43 million worth of Gaza reconstruction projects have now been approved by Israel, out of $190 million submitted. It is for UNRWA to set its priorities, and to liaise with Israel for project approval and entry of the necessary reconstruction materials.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Baroness Verma: The UK Government recognise the importance of water supplies and sewage to public health, but have no plans to seek such assurances, as the lead on these issues lies with the Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group (EWASH). EWASH co-ordinates project management among almost 30 donors, agencies and organisations working on water and sanitation projects in both the West Bank and Gaza, and also ensures that the donor community's messages to the appropriate Israeli authorities on these issues are coherent and consistent.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Baroness Verma: The Government are extremely concerned about the situation in Gaza, and agree with the report that, despite some progress following Israel's June announcement on easing of movement and access restrictions, changes on the ground have so far been limited and insufficient. The UK reiterates the need for immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of the crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and people to and from Gaza.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Baroness Verma: The UK Government have not made such an assessment. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) is in regular contact with the Israeli authorities on these matters and will be able to provide information on whether and when it expects to receive the construction materials needed for its projects. The UK and EU continue to call on the Government of Israel to allow fully implement measures they announced in June to ease movement and access restrictions on Gaza.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA290

Government Departments: Cars

Question

Asked by Lord Marlesford

Earl Attlee: The number of government car allocations supplied to Ministers by the Government Car and Despatch Agency as at 30 April 2010 was 77. As at 18 November 2010, the number of ministerial allocations stood at 13. A list of the departments and ministerial positions supplied with an allocation for each date specified has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Government Departments: Websites

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): The Director of the Government Communication Headquarters (GCHQ) recently estimated that over 20,000 malicious e-mails are detected on government networks each month, 1,000 of which are deliberately targeting them. It would not be in the interests of the UK's national security to provide further details of cyberattacks against government ICT systems. Such disclosure could undermine the integrity and security of departmental systems and thereby expose them to potential threats.

Government departments are required through the security policy framework to have technical controls in place to protect their ICT systems and web sites from a range of threats including cyberthreats. GCHQ, through CESG and GovCertUK, provides government departments with guidance on how to protect them against, detect and mitigate various types of cyberattack, as well as providing a single point for reporting government network security incidents.

Health: Dentistry

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We are committed to improving access to National Health Service dentistry. The operating framework for the NHS in England 2011-12 which sets out the key priorities for the NHS

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA291

over the next year states that primary care trusts should continue to commission improvements in access to NHS dentistry and we have now published our proposals for pilots to run in advance of a new dental contract we intend to introduce designed to increase access further and improve oral health particularly of children.

Health: Diabetes

Questions

Asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The information requested is not held centrally.

The Government's recent spending review confirmed that the department will increase spending on health research in real terms, through the National Institute for Health Research.

Asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon

Earl Howe: The department does not collect data on the cost of treating type 1 diabetes and its complications. Diabetes is a complex condition that affects all parts of the body, making it difficult to calculate an exact cost.

The research report, Growing Up With Diabetes: Children and Young People with Diabetes in England states that in January 2009, 22,783 children and young people aged 0-17 years in England were recorded as having diabetes. Of these, 21,136 were classified by type and the vast majority (20,488) had type 1 diabetes.

Health: Drugs

Questions

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA292

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Ellaone contains ulipristal acetate, a selective progesterone receptor modulator. Ellaone was licensed for use as a single 30 mg dose for emergency contraception by the European Committee for Medicinal Products for Human use (CHMP) in May 2009. It is used to prevent pregnancy for up to five days after unprotected intercourse or contraceptive failure, mainly by preventing or delaying ovulation. Ellaone is contraindicated for use during an existing or suspected pregnancy.

In the United Kingdom, Ellaone is licensed as a prescription-only medicine. Under medicines legislation, prescription-only medicines may generally only be sold or supplied by, or under the supervision of, a pharmacist on registered pharmacy premises against a prescription written by an independent prescriber. These legal restrictions apply equally to sale, supply and advertising of medicines via the internet.

Full information relating to the safe and appropriate use of a medicine is provided to healthcare professionals in the summary of product characteristics (SmPC) and to women in the patient information leaflet (PIL). The SmPC and PIL for Ellaone clearly inform women and healthcare professionals that it should not be taken by a woman who knows she is pregnant and that a pregnancy test should be undertaken if she suspects she is pregnant. The SmPC and PIL also provide information on the known side-effects for Ellaone, most common of which are headache, nausea, menstrual disorders, and abdominal pain.

There is no published experience of pregnancy termination with Ellaone and in clinical studies a 30 mg dose of ulipristal acetate did not interrupt existing pregnancies. Nevertheless, CHMP considered that such an effect could not be excluded and that Ellaone could potentially be used off-label in an attempt to terminate pregnancy. On this basis, no information on the potential use of ulipristal as an abortifacient has been included in the information provided for doctors and women. However, the publicly available risk management plan for Ellaone includes a number of measures taken to minimise the potential risk of off-label use, including a post marketing study to monitor how Ellaone is being used in real life.

When used in accordance with the product information, Ellaone is a safe and effective option for emergency contraception. As with all marketed medicines used in the UK, the safety of Ellaone is continuously monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), with independent expert advice from the Commission on Human Medicines. In the event of any important new safety information emerging, the MHRA will take action to ensure that this is accurately reflected in the product information and communicated to health professionals and women.

Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA293

Earl Howe: The department will await the outcome of the current public consultation, A new value-based approach to the pricing of branded medicines, to inform further development on how value-based pricing will be implemented. The consultation commenced on 16 December 2010 and will close on 17 March 2011. A copy of the consultation document has been placed in the Library.

Higher Education: Student Loans

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): We are currently in the process of reforming the way student support is delivered in England. The Student Loans Company (SLC) is in the last phase of a three-year service transformation programme, which began in 2009 to deliver a centralised, predominantly online student finance service for students known as Student Finance England (SFE). SFE has been taking on board one new academic cohort at a time from local authorities and progressively implementing improvements to the way students apply for support and graduates throughout the UK repay their loans.

The weak performance of the Student Loans Company in 2009 under the previous Administration was completely unacceptable. The new Government acted quickly, replacing the company's senior team and making clear our expectation for substantial improvements for students taking out a loan last summer. The Student Loans Company has significantly improved its service this year, though there is no room for complacency. There is still more to do to ensure that the service continues to improve and that students and their families receive the level of service that they have a right to expect. My department continues to work with the SLC to that end.

To date, the SLC has already made some major technological improvements, including data links with UCAS and with the Immigration and Passport Service. My department is currently working in partnership

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA294

with the SLC and Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs to make further improvements to the way household income is validated.

HMS "Caroline"

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): As I informed the noble Lord in my letter dated 13 September 2010, I expect to be in a position to update the noble Lord on the future of HMS "Caroline" early next year.

Homelessness: Rough Sleepers

Question

Asked by Lord Patten

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Since 1998, rough sleeping has been measured by single night street counts in areas where there was a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem. The table below shows street counts for the City of London and Westminster in the latest 10-year period.

YearCity of LondonWestminster

2001

30

169

2002

41

169

2003

36

133

2004

22

175

2005

12

133

2006

25

173

2007

45

112

2008

48

111

2009

38

110

2010

29

147

The rough sleeping street counts in the City of London and Westminster have not shown a consistent upward or downward trend throughout this period.

Since 1998, only councils in areas with a known, or suspected, rough sleeping problem were required to conduct an official rough sleeper count, which meant that only 70 councils submitted information to central government. Figures published in July 2010 showed that, under this previous method, on any given night there were 440 rough sleepers in England. However, the coalition Government wanted a more accurate measure of rough sleeping and when the remaining 256 councils provided estimates of the scale of the

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA295

problem in their areas this added a further estimated 807 rough sleepers, taking the national total to 1,247 rough sleepers on any given night.

Under new guidance, all councils across England will now provide information on rough sleeping. This move follows consultation with homelessness charities and councils and is aimed at getting a clearer picture of the scale of the problem in each area so that more targeted support can be provided to some of the most vulnerable in society.

Housing

Question

Asked by Lord Avebury

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing wrote to Her Majesty's Government on 12 April 2010 asking a number of questions about a traveller site in Essex. The Government replied to her letter on 31 August 2010. Communications between the special rapporteur and Governments are confidential at an initial stage until the summary of the letters and the answer of the Government are included in an addendum to the annual report submitted by the special rapporteur to the United Nations Human Rights Council. I will place a copy in the Library once the United Nations has made the correspondence public.

Immigration: Deportation

Questions

Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): It is government policy that foreign national prisoners should serve their sentences in their home countries, where this is possible. The United Kingdom is a party to prisoner transfer arrangements with 106 countries and territories. In addition, a prisoner transfer agreement with Rwanda came into force on 23 November 2010 and arrangements are being made for the implementation of the EU prisoner transfer agreement in December 2011.

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA296

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): Given the personal nature of this enquiry and public nature of the response, I am unable to divulge any details of the individual case. If he would like to write to me on this matter, I would be willing to respond in confidence in a more substantive manner.

Immigration: Detention

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Neville-Jones): Individuals who have been recognised as refugees would not normally be detained. Immigration Act powers of detention are not time-limited, nor do they require judicial involvement. This is a long-standing position that has been accepted by the courts and is fully in accord with Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights. Individuals who are detained under Immigration Act powers are able to apply to an immigration judge for release on bail and can challenge the lawfulness of their detention by way of judicial review. The question of possible constitutional implications does not, therefore, arise.

India

Questions

Asked by Lord Patten

Baroness Verma: The goal of the Government of India's Education for All scheme, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), is to give all children eight years of good quality basic education. The number of Dalit children now enrolled in school is in proportion with their share of the overall population. However, there are significant economic and social challenges in ensuring that Dalit and other disadvantaged children remain in school. The Indian Government, state governments and the Department for International Development (DfID) are working together to support disadvantaged children to complete their education, including by improving classroom practices and involving the community. We are looking at specific help for Dalit children and hope to make a further announcement on this shortly.

Asked by Lord Patten

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We have not raised the specific issue of the Devadasi system with the Government of India or British non-governmental organisations, and are therefore unable to give their estimates of the numbers involved.

However, through the EU-India human rights dialogue, we regularly raise the issues of women's rights and trafficking of children. We welcome the steps taken by the Indian Government and state governments to address the issue. We have also discussed Dalit and trafficking issues with British non-governmental organisations.

Through the EU we funded a project on the Education, Empowerment, Participation and Rehabilitation of Children vulnerable to or survivors of trafficking and sexual exploitation, in West Bengal and Andhra Pradesh from June 2006 to June 2010.

Inflation

Questions

Asked by Lord Myners

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): As previously explained, the Bank of England assesses public expectations for the rate of inflation by monitoring independent surveys. The latest Bank assessments of a range of surveys can be found on page 37 of the November 2010 Inflation Report, which can be found at:

http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/inflationreport/irlatest.htm

HM Treasury publishes a monthly compilation of independent forecasts of inflation. The December edition of Forecasts for the UK economy: a comparison of independent forecasts can be found on the Treasury website: Forecasts for the UK economy-HM Treasury.

Asked by Lord Myners

Lord Sassoon: As explained in previous Answers, inflation statistics are published on the Office for National Statistics (ONS) website.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA298

Institutional Investor Council

Question

Asked by Lord Myners

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): There have been no occasions when Ministers or the Permanent Secretary have met the Institutional Investor Council. Information on meetings with other senior officials is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

IRA

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: It is government policy not to discuss the detail of leaked documents.

Israel

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): It is the Government's long-standing view that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. We have made our views clear to the Government of Israel. We support the EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 13 December 2010 which underline these points.

Asked by Baroness Tonge

Lord Howell of Guildford: My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made our position clear in his Statement of 9 December in which he said:



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA299

"I am disappointed that Israel has not renewed the freeze on settlement construction and that peace talks are currently on hold. It is Britain's long-standing view that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.

"I spoke to US Envoy Senator Mitchell today to underline Britain's support for work to find a way forward. The leadership of the United States remains vital.

"There is an urgent need for progress to secure a two-state solution, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the future capital of two states and with a fair settlement for refugees. This is important for Israelis, for Palestinians and for the international community, including the UK.

We will continue to work with the United States, the parties to the conflict and with our EU and UN partners to achieve a two state solution. In addition, we will continue to press for an end to all settlement activity".

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord Howell of Guildford: We agree with the main elements of Mr Rabin's proposal: that there is an urgent need to secure a two-state solution, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the future capital of two states and with a fair settlement for refugees. My right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made this clear in his public statement on 9 December 2010, underlining his disappointment at Israel's failure to renew the settlements moratorium.

The EU's Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) also underlined these points on 13 December, making clear that "the EU will not recognise any changes to 1967 borders, including with regard to Jerusalem, other than those agreed by the parties". The EU's FAC made clear that this could include agreed territorial swaps.

Israel and Palestine

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Our embassy in Tel Aviv discusses concerns regarding the treatment of all Palestinian prisoners with the Government of Israel on a regular basis, underlining our view on the need for immediate action to ensure all cases are reviewed by a court in accordance with fair procedures, and that

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA300

rights, particularly to a fair trial and family visits, are upheld. We have made clear our concerns regarding administrative detention.

In this context, we also raise concerns with the Israeli Government about the application of due process and the treatment of Palestinian detainees, where Palestinian children are involved. I would refer my noble Friend to the Hansard record of the Westminster Hall Adjournment Debate, Official Report 7 Dec 2010, column 23-44WH, for further detail.

We are aware of the recent reports documenting alleged abuse of Palestinian children by Israeli security forces and are currently looking into these allegations.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord Howell of Guildford: Israel's occupation of the West Bank has a considerable negative effect on the daily lives of Palestinians. One of the ways in which this most clearly manifests itself is through the construction of settlements. As the EU's Foreign Affairs Council made clear on 13 December 2010, settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace.

The Government of Israel's policy of connecting settlements to already scarce water supplies and restricting Palestinian movement and access in occupied territory, including establishing a secondary road system, makes matters worse. It will be important to ensure a just solution on shared water resources as part of a final status agreement.

The UK Government continue to lobby hard on house demolitions and evictions in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. We have made clear to the Israeli Government that, subject to limited exceptions, house demolitions are in breach of Article 53 of the Fourth Geneva Convention.

Asked by Lord Dykes

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government receive a significant amount of correspondence from members of the public on the Middle East peace process, including on developments in recent weeks.

As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary made clear in his public statement on 9 December 2010, we are disappointed that Israel has not renewed the freeze on settlement construction and that peace talks are currently on hold. It is Britain's long-standing view that settlements are illegal under international law and an obstacle to peace. The Foreign Secretary

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA301

spoke to US Envoy Senator Mitchell on 8 December to underline Britain's support for work to find a way forward. The leadership of the United States remains vital.

We believe that there is an urgent need for progress to secure a two-state solution, based on 1967 borders, with Jerusalem as the future capital of two states and with a fair settlement for refugees. This is important for Israelis, for Palestinians and for the international community including the UK.

We will continue to work with the United States, the parties to the conflict and with our EU and UN partners to achieve a two state solution. In addition, we will continue to press for an end to all settlement activity.

ITER Fusion Project

Question

Asked by Lord Jenkin of Roding

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government are disappointed that the European Parliament was not able to agree on financing the funding shortfall required for the ITER Fusion Project for 2012 and 2013. We will continue to work actively towards a funding solution, based on the types of elements already proposed and agreed in council, and are determined that this issue will be resolved before the additional commitment appropriations agreed on are required. Funding for ITER for 2014 onwards will depend on the outcome of EURATOM Framework Programme 8 negotiations.

The European Commission, managing the EURATOM funding for ITER, has said that the main reasons for the construction cost increase include insufficiently rigorous cost estimates in 2001; the need for additional, more complex technical components; material and construction costs rising at faster than average inflation rates; higher resources than foreseen for complying with quality assurance requirements; and greater complexity than envisaged in project integration with seven parties involved and in the process of calls for tender from industry.

Ivory Coast

Question

Asked by Lord Myners



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA302

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK Government recognise states rather than Governments. However, in line with the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Côte D'Ivoire and others in the international community, we are of the view that Mr Alassane Ouattara won the presidential election run-off on 28 November 2010. It is he, rather than Mr Laurent Gbagbo, who has the democratic legitimacy to form a Government.

Kosovo

Questions

Asked by Lord Hylton

Baroness Verma: I refer my noble friend to the answer provided by my noble friend Lord de Mauley on 27 September 2010, Official Report col. WA544 on Kosovo.

The bilateral aid allocation to Kosovo for 2011-12, which to date has included Department for International Development (DfID), Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and Conflict Prevention Pool funding, is still being finalised following the spending review.

The EU's Common Security and Defence Policy budget for the period October 2010 to October 2011 will provide €165 million to the Common Security and Defence Policy Mission (EULEX) in Kosovo. Approximately 15 per cent of this expenditure can be attributed to UK funds.

There are currently 17 United Nations (UN) development and humanitarian agencies operating in Kosovo. DfID support takes the form of core funding to the headquarters of a number of these agencies. The level of funding varies from agency to agency and is not earmarked for use in Kosovo. However, we estimate that the UK contribution to the Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) budget will be approximately £0.46m in 2010-11. We are not yet in a position to estimate 2011-12 costs.

Asked by Lord Hylton

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): As of 27 November 2010, the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO)'s Peacekeeping Force in Kosovo (KFOR) had 8,430 military personnel. As NATO does not break down the total cost of operations to the level of individual operations such as KFOR, it is not possible to give an overall headline cost figure for the mission.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA303

We continue to push for greater transparency as part of broader NATO reforms. This includes greater transparency on individual operation costs.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord Howell of Guildford: We continue to welcome the international community's engagement in Kosovo and its assistance in helping Kosovo make further progress towards a stable, secure and prosperous European future.

There is a significant international presence in Kosovo. Each agency has a specific role to play. Some, such as the International Civilian Office, have a supervisory role. Others, such as the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), have, primarily, a mentoring, monitoring and advisory role.

The Government believe that these organisations should remain in Kosovo until the conditions for their departure, or for the transfer of their powers to the Government of Kosovo, have been met. For example, the UN Interim Administration in Kosovo (UNMIK) has significantly reduced its operation, with the Government of Kosovo, supported by EULEX, taking on responsibility in the field of rule of law. The Kosovo Force (KFOR), the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation peacekeeping force, has drawn down to a deterrent presence of 8,430 military personnel, with plans for a further drawdown to 5,000 in February 2011, and to 2,500 when conditions allow. The International Civilian Office, which will remain present until the International Steering Group determines that Kosovo has implemented the terms of the Comprehensive Settlement Proposal, has already downsized aspects of its operation in line with progress made.

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord Howell of Guildford: The European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) has made a significant and positive contribution to building up Kosovo's rule of law institutions. The mission plays a vital role in supporting greater Euro-Atlantic integration for Kosovo. The Government would also like to see EULEX further increase its presence and visibility in the north and strengthen its response to organised crime and corruption.

For more detailed examples and an exposition of government policy, I refer the noble Lord to comments made during a 15 November 2010 European Committee debate in the other place by my honourable friend the Minister for Europe (David Lidington), [General Committee Debates, Official Report, cols. 3-18].



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA304

Asked by Lord Hylton

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government have not carried out an assessment of this report. The UK is committed to stability in Kosovo and the western Balkans. Working with other international actors, we will continue to support Kosovo's progress towards a stable and prosperous European future.

Museums, Libraries and Archives Council

Question

Asked by Lord Smith of Finsbury

Baroness Rawlings: On 9 December Arts Council England announced that it was to take over a number of the functions relating to museums and libraries, including the V&A purchase grant, following the abolition of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council. Arts Council England will be consulting the museums sector in the new year on this and other aspects of the museums functions which it is inheriting before reaching a conclusion about the level of funding that will be made available to these grants for the next spending period.

NHS: Admissions

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government agree that patients deserve better care at night and weekends and senior doctors should be available to provide medical care as needed. We are committed to the National Health Service-to sustain and to improve services in the face of a tough economic climate. NHS trusts are responsible for deciding the number of consultant posts required to meet local needs, and we have made it clear that efficiency savings must not impact adversely on patient care and that every penny saved must be reinvested in support of front-line services and improving quality.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA305

Medical Education England has been asked to consider with the profession, the service and medical Royal Colleges, how best to secure better patient outcomes and the right level of supervision for trainees through greater consultant involvement in direct clinical care at night and at weekends.

NHS: Reform

Question

Asked by Lord Dykes

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government have received responses to the NHS White Paper consultation both that argue that the timetable is too challenging and should give more time to pilot the changes and that ask us to act more quickly and press ahead with our reforms.

Rapid progress on reform, within a carefully designed and managed transition process, is essential to deliver vital short-term productivity improvements. Liberating the NHS: Legislative Framework and Next Steps, published on 15 December 2010, explains our approach to the transition and shows how we have refined the timetable in response to the views raised during the consultation.

Northern Ireland Office: Political Directorate

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Officials from the Political Liaison and Protocol Division hold meetings and have discussions, as appropriate, with a range of contacts on matters relevant to the policy responsibilities of the Northern Ireland Office.

Office for Budget Responsibility

Questions

Asked by Lord Myners



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA306

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 Myners, dated 10 December 2010.

As chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility I have been asked to reply to your recent question.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will describe the methodology used by the Office for Budget Responsibility to audit annual managed expenditure during the current Comprehensive Spending Review period and the limitations, if any, of this audit.

The OBR's terms of reference state that: "As part of the Spending Review, and consistent with the approach taken in the June Budget, the OBR provided independent scrutiny of the Government's estimated costing of annually managed expenditure (AME) policies".

The methodology used by the Office for Budget Responsibility for this scrutiny, and a discussion of the uncertainties involved in costing policies, is set out in Chapter 3 of "Spending Review 2010 policy costings" document, which was published alongside the Spending Review. You can find this at: http://cdn.hm-treasury. gov.uk/sr2010_policycostings.pdf.

The OBR then published a full updated forecast of total AME spending to 2014-15 in Chapter 4 of the November Economic and Fiscal Outlook. The foreword in this publication explains the methodology used to compile these forecasts. We will publish further detail on forecast methodology next year.

Asked by Lord Myners

Lord Sassoon: Dave Ramsden is managing director of the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Directorate in HM Treasury. There are currently 114 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff in this directorate. In April 2010, prior to the interim Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) being established, there were 129 FTE staff in this directorate reporting to Dave Ramsden.

12 OBR staff members were formerly in the Macroeconomic and Fiscal Policy Directorate in HM Treasury.

Overseas Aid

Questions

Asked by The Earl of Sandwich



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA307

Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) currently has programme partnership arrangements (PPAs) with 31 civil society organisations. All but two of these (Fairtrade Labelling Organisation and International Planned Parenthood Federation) are due to end on 31 March 2011. Following a review of DfID support to civil society organisations, it was decided to run a new competitive round of PPAs, which would include all PPAs due to end in March 2011. We are in the final stages of the PPA appraisal and decision-making process and will inform all applicants of the outcome shortly.

Asked by The Earl of Sandwich

Baroness Verma: The Latin America partnership programme arrangement (LAPPA) was developed in 2008 as part of the Department for International Development's (DfID's) graduation strategy from the previous Latin America programme. It was seen as a cost-effective, administratively light way for DfID to support development in, as well as lesson learning from, an important region of the world. The existing programme of support ends in March 2011.

Consistent with DfID's graduation policy, DfID will not be extending this support beyond the current PPA period. DfID has advised all successful PPA applicants to ensure that their work in Latin America is covered as part of their organisations' general PPA arrangement for 2011-14. This includes the 12 British non-governmental organisations currently receiving additional PPA funding to support their work in Latin America.

Asked by Lord Elton

Baroness Verma: Our central records do not hold information at this level of detail. The Department for International Development's (DfID's) Counter-Fraud Unit takes a robust approach to investigating and pursuing allegations of unintended use. The Counter-Fraud Unit's records of completed fraud investigations show losses of £260,477 for the 2009-10 financial year. This relates to direct payments only. All attempts are made to recover funds, where possible, to ensure losses

21 Dec 2010 : Column WA308

to DfID are minimised. Investigations by the Counter-Fraud Unit also seek to identify areas that require strengthening and learn lessons to ensure aid funds are used as intended.

The central losses register, maintained by the department, shows losses advised to the department for the 2009-10 financial year of £313,612. This includes the figure of £260,477 identified by the Counter-Fraud Unit. The main difference between this figure and those recorded by the Counter-Fraud Unit is accounted for by an inability to trace detailed records in a recipient organisation. Total losses on the register equates to 0.004 per cent of total UK ODA and 0.006 per cent of the aid paid directly by the UK.

We do not include details of losses disbursed by the European Union, directly on behalf of the UK, in our records.

Questions for Written Answer

Question

Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I regret the delay in responding to the Question for Written Answer tabled by Lord Stoddart of Swindon. The Cabinet Office aims to answer Questions within the 10 working day period.

Railways: Compensation

Question

Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market

Earl Attlee: For franchised operators, compensation entitlements for poor performance are set out in a passengers' charter. The detailed arrangements for the operation of compensation schemes are a matter for individual train operators. We have no current plans to mandate the way compensation is paid to customers.

Railways: Railcards

Question

Asked by Lord Ashcroft

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport does not subsidise the senior railcard in any way.



21 Dec 2010 : Column WA309

Railways: South West Trains

Question

Asked by Lord Patten

Earl Attlee: The National Passenger Survey (NPS) produced by Passenger Focus provides a network-wide picture of customers' satisfaction with rail travel. Passengers' opinions are collected twice a year from a representative sample of passenger journeys. Passengers' overall satisfaction and satisfaction with 30 specific aspects of service can be compared over time.

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