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1. Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.
20 Jun 2011 : Column WA253
2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System.
3. World Area of Origin Based on a client's nationality. The mapping for "world areas"' are based on the present day.
4. Data are not available prior to 2002.
5. Data are not yet available after September 2010.
6. Data are available on the department's tabulation tool at http://83.244.183.180/100pc/tabtool.html
7. Time Series - Year Of Registration Dates are based on an annual reporting period 1 April - 31 March.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Romanians and Bulgarians in total have been allocated national insurance numbers since those countries' accession to the European Union; how many of those were for self-employment; and how many such nationals have been issued with accession worker cards and under which card categories.[HL9865]
Lord Freud: The available information is in the table below. Information relating to self-employment National Insurance Number (NINo) registrations is not available; such information is required as part of the NINo allocation decision-making process, but is not held centrally on IT systems.
20 Jun 2011 : Column WA254
| Table 1: | |||
| NINo Registrations to Bulgarian and Romanian Adult Nationals entering the UK (Thousands). Time Series - Financial year Of Registration Date | |||
| Total | Bulgaria | Romania | |
Source: 100% extract from National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System Notes:
1. Definitions and conventions: Figures are rounded to the nearest ten and displayed in thousands. Some additional disclosure control has been applied.
2. Registration date is derived from the date at which a NINo is maintained on the National Insurance Recording & Pay As You Earn System.
3. Most recent data is at December 2010.
4. Bulgaria and Romania both gained entry to the European Union in January 2007.
5. Time Series - Financial Year Of Registration Date Years are Financial based (1 Apr - 31 Mar).
6. Data are published at http://83.244.183.180/mgw/live/tabtool.html
Separate information relating to the number of Bulgarian and Romanian Nationals issued with accession worker cards and under which card categories has been provided by UK Borders Agency below:
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Source: Control of Immigration: Quarterly Statistical Main Tables - Q1 2011 (January to March 2011)
1) Figures rounded to the nearest five and may not sum to the totals shown because of independent rounding.
2) Accession Cards are issued for A2 (Romanian and Bulgarian) nationals who are skilled workers. The Sectors Based Scheme allows A2 nationals to do low-skilled work in the food manufacturing sector. The scheme is quota based and the 2011 quota is set at 3,500. The Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme is also a quota-based scheme allowing farmers and growers in the United Kingdom to recruit low-skilled A2 nationals to undertake short-term agricultural work. The quota in 2010 and 2011 the quota is for 21,250 places.
Northern Ireland Office: Scientific Advisers
Question
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty's Government who is the Departmental Chief Scientific Adviser for the Northern Ireland Office; and (a) when they were appointed and for how long, (b) what is their academic or experience background, (c) what is their civil service rank, (d) whether their post is full-time or part-time, and what other work commitments they have, and (e) on how many occasions during the past year they have had meetings with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland or the Minister to whom they have direct responsibility.[HL10080]
Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Northern Ireland Office does not have a Departmental Chief Scientific Advisor.
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012
Questions
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tickets for the Olympic Games 2012 have been reserved for the use of HM Government.[HL9659]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government, along with Olympic venues outside of London, have been allocated 8,815 tickets for the Games-about 0.1 per cent of the 8.8 million available.
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The tickets will be used to promote economic growth, build international relations and reward young people taking part in the School Games. Some will be given to host towns and cities outside of London and others will be made available through a ballot for staff who have been heavily involved in delivering the Games (and paid for at cost by those staff members).
paid for by the Government-3,750
business leaders and dignitaries-3,300;
paid for by staff working on the Games-3,000; and
paid for by the relevant host town or city-2,065.
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tickets for the Paralympic Games 2012 have been reserved for the use of HM Government.[HL9660]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: No decisions have yet been taken on whether the Government will apply for Paralympic tickets.
Overseas Aid
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of official development assistance was allocated to Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development DAC codes 13010 (Population Police and Administrative Management), 13020 (Reproductive Health Care), 13030 (Family Planning), 13040 (Sexually Transmitted Disease control) and 13081 (Personnel development for population and reproductive health) in (a) 2005-06, (b) 2007-08, and (c) 2009-10. [HL9642]
Baroness Verma: Details of UK official development assistance (ODA) are published on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's Development Assistance Committee (OECD DAC) website (www.oecd.org/dac) and are available to download from their online database at http://stats.oecd.org/qwids/. The relevant figures are reproduced below.
| 2005 £m | % UK ODA | 2006 £m | % UK ODA | 2007 £m | % UK ODA | 2008 £m | % UK ODA | 2009 £m | % UK ODA | |
|
Personnel development for population and reproductive health |
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of official development assistance will be allocated to Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development DAC codes 13010 (Population Police and Administrative Management), 13020 (Reproductive Health Care), 13030 (Family Planning), 13040 (Sexually Transmitted Disease control) and 13081 (Personnel development for population and reproductive health) in (a) 2011-12, (b) 2012-13, and (c) 2013-14. [HL9643]
Baroness Verma: Future UK official development assistance has not yet been allocated to this level of detail.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of European Union official development assistance is allocated to middle income countries in (a) Europe, (b) Asia, (c) Africa, (d) Middle East, (e) Latin America, and (f) elsewhere.[HL9779]
Baroness Verma: The latest European Commission annual report on development assistance was produced in 2010, covering commitments and spending for 2009. The full report, which includes data on all regions, countries and sectors, is available in the library of the House and on the European Commission website at: http://ec.europa.eu/europeaid/multimedia/publications/publications/annual-reports/2010_en.htm
We expect the 2011 report, covering 2010 data, to be finalised in mid-2011 and available together with other documents and statistics on the European Commission website.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money each country receives from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument. [HL9781]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The figures below are ENPI commitments by country, in millions, for the period 2007-2010.
Algeria €220 Egypt €558Israel €8Jordan €265Lebanon €187Libya €8Morocco €654 Palestine €632 Syria €130Tunisia €300 Armenia €98.4 Azerbaijan €92 Belarus €20Georgia €120.4 Moldova €209.72 Russia €120Ukraine €494 Inter-Regional Programmes €260.8 Regional Programme-South €343.3 Regional Programme-East €223.5Cross-border Co-operation Programmes
€277.1Governance Facility and Neighbourhood Investment Fund
€400More data are available on the European Neighbourhood Policy website at http://ec.europa.eu/world/enp/funding_ en.htm
Pensions
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 17 May (WA 310-11), where the figures in table 1C of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission's interim report provide a breakdown of both median and average figures of service length for the largest public service pension schemes; and whether they will commission and maintain a full accounting of all public sector pension schemes and their liabilities. [HL9697]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Table 1.0 of the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission's interim report, published on 7 October 2010, provides a breakdown of median and average pensions in payment for the largest public service pension schemes. As noted in my previous Answer, it does not show the average lengths of service associated with these payments. More detailed information may be available from departments that lead on individual public service pension schemes.
Individual public service pension schemes publish resource accounts compliant with international accounting standards, including disclosure of pension scheme liabilities.
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The commission's final report recommends establishing a framework that ensures independent oversight of the governance, administration and data transparency of public service pension schemes. The Government have accepted the recommendations of the commission as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trade unions and others.
Public Sector: Terms and Conditions
Question
Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 8 June (WA 144), whether the information on the website referred to could be provided in tabular form, or summarised if necessary, in the Official Report.[HL9852]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: I have placed a copy of the table in the Library of the House and sent a copy to the Noble Lord.
Publications: Information and Press Officers Directory
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they propose to publish the next edition of the Information and Press Offices Director.[HL9776]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Central Office of Information. I have asked the chief executive to reply to the noble Lord.
Letter from Graham Hooper, Joint Chief Executive for Central Office of Information, to Lord Rogan, dated 14 June 2011.
As chief executive of the Central Office of Information (COI), I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question HL9776 asking when the next edition of The White Book will be published.
The COI is currently collating information and will then produce a new edition of The White Book, formally known as the Information and Press Officers Directory, based on staffing returns as at June 2011. The intention is to update this bi-annually and make it available on subscription.
Religious Freedom
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will appoint a special envoy for international freedom of religion and belief, and re-establish a Foreign and Commonwealth Office Freedom of Religion Panel to advise the Government on violations of religious freedom and methods of promoting religious freedom.[HL9832]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): My noble friend has written to my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs with a series of recommendations for how the Government should strengthen their policy to promote freedom of religion or belief overseas, including the ideas contained in this question. The Foreign Secretary will reply to my noble friend in due course. I will ensure that a copy of his response is placed in the Library of the house.
Sport: Cricket
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much public money was used to stage the first test match between England and Sri Lanka at Cardiff.[HL9741]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor their sporting bodies, UK Sport and Sport England, provided any funding towards the staging of the first test match between England and Sri Lanka. As sport is a devolved matter, they have also contacted colleagues in the Welsh Government, who have advised that the Welsh Government did not provide any funding.
Sudan
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of who has been responsible for the fighting in Kadugli, the Sudanese capital of Southern Kordofan; of the number of people who have been displaced; of the role of the United Nations mission; and of the humanitarian and security implications. [HL9782]
Baroness Verma: Our initial reporting from Kadugli suggests that violence has been carried out by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Sudan People's Liberation Army.
The latest unconfirmed reports from the UN that we have received indicate that about 53,000 people have fled fighting in Kadugli. Some of these displaced people have turned to UNMIS for refuge, and are now camping by their gates. The role of UNMIS is critical in the protection of these civilians, as such we welcome the additional deployment of a Bangladeshi battalion to enable UNMIS to carry out this role.
We are very concerned that the continuing violence will have a negative impact on the long-term security and humanitarian situation. Together with our international partners, we are supporting the AU-facilitated negotiations to resolve their differences. We are urgently pressing both parties to cease hostilities and seek a peaceful resolution to their differences.
Emergency humanitarian co-ordination meetings have taken place on a regular basis in Khartoum and Juba. At present, lack of access hinders a more accurate assessment.
20 Jun 2011 : Column WA261
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether recent events in Abyei and South Kordofan will affect the United Kingdom's intention to grant official recognition to the Republic of South Sudan on 9 July. [HL9783]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are greatly concerned at the violence in Abyei and South Kordofan, however the UK still expects to recognise the state of South Sudan on or after 9 July 2011.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to persuade the Government of Sudan to seek a negotiated future for the 75,000 Sudan People's Liberation Army soldiers in Joint Integrated Units in South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions of Sudan.[HL9784]
Lord Howell of Guildford: This issue forms a part of wider discussions on the Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. We continue to urge both sides to come to an agreement on the long-term Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration process, cease hostilities immediately and return to the negotiating table. Michael Ryder, the UK Special Envoy to Sudan, visited Addis Ababa on 12 and 13 June, to participate in talks intended to find a negotiated solution.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the displacement of the Ngok Dinka people from Abyei, Sudan, and the attempt to prevent supplies from reaching them by closing the border, constitutes a policy of ethnic cleansing; and whether they will provide extra assistance so that the Dinka Ngok people can survive in areas of Northern Warrap, and are not forced to move further South away from Abyei.[HL9785]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are very concerned at reports that native Ngok Dinka have been driven out of their homes in Abyei since the Sudanese Armed Forces' (SAF) takeover of Abyei which began on 21 May. We have condemned this in the strongest terms and have called on the SAF to withdraw their troops immediately, in accordance with the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. However, we have not seen evidence that this constitutes a deliberate attempt at ethnic cleansing on the part of the Government in Khartoum. We believe that any lasting solution to the Abyei problem must make provision for both the settled Ngok Dinka population and the nomadic Misseriya.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the number of people displaced from Abyei, Sudan.[HL9786]
20 Jun 2011 : Column WA262
Lord Howell of Guildford: According to reports received from the UN sources, it is estimated that over 100,000 people have been displaced since the start of violence in Abyei on 21 May. At present, lack of access hinders a more accurate assessment. We are working with the United Nations to ensure that once security and access is achieved, assistance will quickly reach these displaced civilians.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the impact on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of recent events in Abyei and South Kordofan, Sudan. [HL9787]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are deeply concerned by the Sudanese Armed Forces' takeover of Abyei, and the recent violence in South Kordofan. It is clear that these events undermine the efforts to reach a successful conclusion to the African Union (AU) facilitated Comprehensive Peace Agreement negotiations.
Presidents Bashir and Kiir attended talks in Addis Ababa aimed at resolving the current situation. We continue to support the AU's efforts including through the presence of Michael Ryder, UK Special Envoy, in Addis Ababa.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what reports they have received of the destruction of churches, including the Episcopal cathedral, following attacks in Southern Kordofan.[HL9923]
Lord Howell of Guildford: Many buildings in Southern Kordofan have been destroyed, and there are reports of people being targeted for their religious and ethnic backgrounds. Given the difficulty of independent access within the region we are not in a position to confirm the reported destruction of the cathedral.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the aerial bombardment of Parieng County of South Sudan's Unity State and of recent fighting in Kadugli, Southern Kordofan. [HL9924]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are very concerned at the latest reports of violence in South Kordofan, which include continued fighting in Kadugli and aerial bombardments in several locations across the State. Our latest information is that this bombing extends to contested areas at the north of Unity State. We call on all parties to immediately cease hostilities and engage constructively in the African Union-facilitated talks in Addis Ababa.
Tote
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what racing organisations will receive the 50 per cent share of the net proceeds from the sale of the Tote; and how the proceeds will be split amongst the recipients. [HL9722]
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Baroness Garden of Frognal: I refer my noble friend to the Written Ministerial Statement of 7 June (Official Report, col. WS7). The Government look forward to working closely with racing to discuss the detail and to design appropriate arrangements for the disbursement of the substantial share of the net proceeds of the Tote sale from which racing will benefit.
Tractors
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the European Union directive concerning the design of rollover safety features on mini tractors involving 38 pages of fitting instructions; whether such directives are consistent with their policy of simplifying regulation; and whether they can give an assurance that the directive does not constitute a non-tariff barrier against Japanese manufacturers. [HL9564]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Directive 86/298/EEC of the European Parliament and Council concerns rear-mounted roll-over protection structures (ROPS) for "narrow-track" agricultural and forestry tractors. It specifies the technical requirements for the design and performance of such structures to protect the operator in the event of a roll-over incident.
As an alternative to complying with the directive, it is permissible to comply with an international (OECD) standard. This ensures the directive does not constitute a non-tariff barrier to trade. The Health and Safety Executive is not aware of any complaints about the directive in these respects from Japanese or any other manufacturers.
Unemployment
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 6 June (WA 77), what steps they are taking to reduce high and persistent levels of unemployment, particularly youth unemployment, on the Isle of Wight.[HL9799]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): We are doing many things to support those that are unemployed, including implementing the Work Programme, which has recently gone live and will roll out around the country, including the Isle of Wight, through June.
The Work Programme will be the single biggest payment-by-results employment programme the United Kingdom has ever seen, providing personalised support to an expected 2.4 million claimants over the next five years to help them find and sustain employment.
Work Programme providers will not be required to deliver centrally specified support, which may be inappropriate for many claimants, but instead will be
20 Jun 2011 : Column WA264
For the Work Programme to be successful we need to tap into the experience, knowledge and specialist skills of local partners in order to deliver the personalised and localised services required in today's labour market. We expect prime providers to engage with local partners and work with a broad range of sub-contractors to deliver the tailored, targeted support that can help individuals from all claimant groups into work.
In addition to this, the support Jobcentre Plus advisers have available to offer is being bolstered with a series of Get Britain Working measures, for which Government are asking for the active engagement of employers, partners and claimants themselves in every community in Britain.
From April 2011 we have put in place a much more flexible and personalised approach to the way Jobcentre Plus delivers to claimants. Jobcentre Plus managers and advisers will have far more flexibility to judge which interventions will help its claimants, tailored to personal and local labour market needs.
We are also committed to supporting young people into work. In this year's Budget the Chancellor announced funding for up to 100,000 work experience placements over the next two years as part of our support for moving young people into the world of work and providing them with the experience that employers tell us is really important. We are also funding up to 40,000 additional apprenticeship places for young unemployed people over the life of this Parliament and plan to introduce an extension to Work Experience placements where employers want to offer a young person an apprenticeship to help smooth the transition for both the employer and the young person.
The Prime Minister recently announced an enhanced £60 million package of support including a £30 million Innovation Fund, provision of early access Work Programme places for vulnerable 18 year-olds, and additional support for 16 and 17 year-old jobseeker's allowance claimants.
We have also announced measures to improve and support vocational training including sector-based work academies and access to apprenticeships for vulnerable young people.
Water Management: Overseas
Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton
To ask Her Majesty's Government what policies they will introduce following the resolution of the World Meteorological Congress in May-June 2011 to improve the international exchange and publication of data on water resources.[HL9823]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): The Government will continue to implement the policy on the exchange of hydrological data and products agreed by the thirteenth World Meteorological Congress in 1999. There were no changes to that policy at the recent sixteenth congress.
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