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14 Sep 2011 : Column WA57
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA57
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA57
Wednesday 14 September 2011
Abortion
Question
Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to issue guidelines on counselling to clinics registered under the provisions of the Abortion Act 1967.[HL11618]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) issues guidance which is followed by abortion services. Its guideline, The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, highlights that abortion service professionals must be able to provide the degree of support and counselling required by each individual and identify those who require more support. For the minority of women who need formal, therapeutic counselling, services should have agreed care pathways in place, with access to trained counsellors with appropriate expertise. A new version of the RCOG guideline will be published shortly.
The issue of independent abortion counselling was discussed in the House of Commons on 7 September (col. 362-388) and the Government made it clear that they intended to consult on an offer of independent abortion counselling and would be developing proposals.
Armed Forces: Aircraft
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Royal Air Force and Royal Navy pilots were qualified to fly Harrier jets at 1 June 2010; and how many are still qualified.[HL11596]
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many RAF and Royal Navy pilots qualified to fly Harrier jets at 1 June 2010 have been retrained or redeployed to other flying duties since then, and how many are scheduled to leave the Armed Forces in the next 12 months.[HL11597]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): As at 1 June 2010, there were 109 Royal Air Force and 19 Royal Navy pilots qualified to fly Harrier aircraft. No pilots remain proficient to fly the aircraft.
Thirty-six Royal Air Force and 14 Royal Navy ex-Harrier pilots have been transferred to alternative flying positions within their respective services. The rest are undertaking other duties.
No fully trained pilots were made redundant as a result of tranche one of the RAF redundancy programme. The Royal Navy redundancy programme tranche one results are not being announced until 30 September 2011.
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA58
Armed Forces: Medals
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether consideration is being given to the award of posthumous Victoria Crosses to Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba and Trooper Thomas Tobin for their bravery during the Battle of Mirbat.[HL11681]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): No. At this distance from the event it would be wrong to question the assessments made at the time by the commanders intimately involved in reaching the decisions as to what honour, if any, should be awarded.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is possible to award either a Victoria Cross or a George Cross without the award being announced. [HL11767]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Any honour granted by the Sovereign to a British subject is normally announced in the London Gazette, although in exceptional circumstances (such as for reasons of security), an award may not be publicised immediately.
Armed Forces: Radiation
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty's Government what blood analysis testing is carried out on members of the United Kingdom Armed Forces to detect and prevent genetic damage caused by radiation.[HL11650]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Members of the UK Armed Forces who are classified radiation workers undergo annual radiation medicals in accordance with the Ionising Radiation Regulations 1999. These medicals are conducted by appointed doctors, appointed by the Health and Safety Executive in accordance with the regulations. There is no requirement to undertake any routine blood testing during these medicals and the decision to order any investigations is left to the clinical judgment of the appointed doctor based on the individual case. No routine testing to detect and prevent genetic damage is undertaken because no validated test currently exists for the levels of exposure seen during normal operations.
Assisted Dying
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the comments on euthanasia by Martin Green, the Government's National Dementia Champion for the Independent Sector, in the Daily Telegraph on 28 August reflect the policies of Her Majesty's Government.[HL11772]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The comments attributed to Martin Green were made in his capacity as the chief executive of the English Community Care Association, and not in his role as the Dementia Champion for the independent sector, and do not reflect the Government's position.
The Government believe that any changes to the law, in this emotive and contentious area, is an issue of individual conscience and a matter for Parliament to decide rather than government policy. Assisted dying remains unlawful in the United Kingdom.
Banking
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to bring United Kingdom banking liquidity requirements into line with those proposed by the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision.[HL11657]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): As part of Basel III, the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision agreed an international framework for liquidity with the intention of introducing global liquidity standards in order to promote a more resilient banking sector in 2015. In the EU, Basel III will be implemented through legislation on prudential requirements for credit institutions and investment firms, for which the European Commission adopted proposals on 20 July 2011.
The Financial Services Authority (FSA) introduced liquidity requirements for the UK banking sector in October 2009. These were designed to be in line with the principles set out by the Basel Committee so that the liquidity regime in place is sufficiently flexible to meet international standards when they are adopted. Details of the FSA's current liquidity requirements can be found online at: http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Library/Policy/Policy/2009/09_16.shtml.
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the answer by Lord Sassoon on 5 September ((Official Report, col. 14), what was the basis on which the Minister asserted that bankers' remuneration was less in 2010 than in 2009; to which bankers this refers in terms of seniority; and whether his assertion relates to basic pay alone or total remuneration including bonuses and vested and deferred equity. [HL11700]
Lord Sassoon: The remuneration committee chair of each bank has written to the Financial Services Authority to confirm that their firm's 2010 pay settlements are consistent with the commitments in the Merlin statement.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have the necessary baseline information on bank remuneration in 2011 to permit all necessary responses under Project Merlin.[HL11701]
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Lord Sassoon: The Government are closely monitoring the banks' progress in meeting the commitments made under Project Merlin and will provide further information at the appropriate time.
Banking: Switzerland
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider significantly restricting the activities in the United Kingdom of Swiss banks which will not provide full details of the accounts held with them in Switzerland by United Kingdom customers. [HL11617]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The proposed agreement between the UK and Switzerland on co-operation in the area of taxation does not require Swiss banks routinely to provide details of all UK accounts in Switzerland. It does, however, provide for a levy on relevant accounts and, in addition, extends the arrangements for the provision of information on request to HMRC through the Swiss tax authorities.
British Council
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty's Government what they class as the international development work of the British Council in the light of the Spending Review 2010.[HL11555]
Baroness Verma: The international development work of the British Council is that which it classifies as official development assistance (ODA) following the definitions set out in the Organisation of Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Development Assistance Committee (DAC) Statistical Reporting Directives. As such it includes only activities which are clearly focused on delivering economic welfare and development in ODA-eligible countries. Examples include building the capacity and quality of English language teaching; supporting education systems; and using cultural exchange to improve economic welfare.
Care Homes
Question
Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hanham on 5 September (HL 11495), whether they will take action to collect centrally information on financial gains made by care homes from delays in informing local authorities of the deaths of residents whose care the local authorities were, or are still, financing, and on any failure to recover overpayments. [HL11580]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We are currently undertaking a programme of work (a zero-based review) to review the data collected about adult social care. We will be considering finance and activity information as part of this programme.
Phase one of the programme provides the opportunity to address any current gaps in data collections, reform the returns and collection process and rationalise the burden on councils. It is also the phase where we will review the current arrangements by which the NHS Information Centre collects and makes available the data, to ensure these processes are effective and efficient.
Debt: Interest Rates
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider that current interest rate policy is designed to be fair to savers or borrowers.[HL11779]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Interest rate policy is set by the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England.
The MPC decides the appropriate level of the short-term interest rate, or bank rate, in order to meet the inflation target in the medium-term.
The inflation target and the independence of the MPC is a critical part of the UK's macroeconomic policy framework.
Debt: Public Sector
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether permitting United Kingdom local authorities to raise sterling funds in the bond market will lead to an increase in the cost to the public of funding compared with the previous practice of funding through central government; and whether those bonds will add to the amount of public sector debt outstanding for the purpose of measuring the reduction in public debt as a percentage of gross domestic product.[HL11660]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Within the constraints of the Prudential Code, local authorities are free to borrow from the Public Works Loan Board (PWLB) or the markets to finance capital expenditure as meets the needs of their individual Treasury management plans. All local authority borrowing forms part of the public sector net debt calculation.
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA62
Energy: Green Deal
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to offer financial incentives to increase the number of domestic and commercial properties in the United Kingdom that are insulated to modern energy conservation standards.[HL11750]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): The Government's Green Deal is a significant financial incentive as it will remove the up-front cost barrier and enable people to have energy efficiency improvements installed by accredited installers. The Government are committed to the success of the Green Deal and the 2011 Budget confirmed the Government would act to encourage and incentivise take-up ahead of its launch in 2012.
The Green Deal framework is being designed to allow providers to offer their own incentives to encourage demand. The Government published a Behavioural Change and Energy Use report on 6 July which announced a number of trials to test the impact of different incentives. The findings will provide useful information to both Government and providers as they prepare their offers.
Environment: Green Belt
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what area of England was designated as green belt in 1997; and what is the current area now designated as green belt.[HL11636]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): In 1997 there was an estimated 1,652,310 hectares of land designated as green belt. In 2011, green belt land amounted to 1,639,540 hectares. The 2011 figure excludes some 47,300 hectares of former green belt land re-designated as part the New Forest National Park created in 2005.
Environment: Protected Areas
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of land in England is designated as (a) national park, (b) area of outstanding natural beauty, and (c) green belt.[HL11634]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): The proportions of the land area in England covered by these designations are estimated as: national park (9 per cent); areas of outstanding national beauty (15 per cent) and green belt (13 per cent).
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA63
Environment: Urban Areas
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much of the land of England is designated as urban or developed.[HL11635]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Urban areas account for an estimated 9 per cent of the land area of England.
Female Genital Mutilation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with the relevant authorities in other European countries their successful prosecution of cases involving female genital mutilation.[HL11548]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): I refer my noble friend to the reply given to her on 20 July 2011 (Official Report, col. WA 311).
Financial Services: Fines
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether fines levied on financial services firms and individuals under the proposed new regulatory framework will be paid to the Government or used to reduce the contributions of regulated parties to the cost of regulation.[HL11702]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): Penalties imposed by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority on financial services firms and individuals will be applied, as now, for the benefit of authorised persons.
Fire Service College
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by Baroness Hanham on 5 September (WS 11), what are the current Fire Service College ownership and business arrangements. [HL11732]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): The Fire Service College is an executive agency operating as a trading fund under the sponsorship of the Department for Communities and Local Government.
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More information about the current arrangements at the Fire Service College can be found on the Fire Service College website (www.fireservicecollege.ac.uk) and in the pre-market engagement document announced in my Written Statement (www.communities.gov.uk/publications/fire/fscpremarketengagement).
Fluoridation
Questions
Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Earl Howe on 30 June (WA 464) and 14 July (WA 203), whether the methods used by public health observatories to detect potential adverse effects of water fluoridation provide adequate assurance about more modest associations involving large population effects, given the difficulty in detecting the effects of water fluoridation suggested in the paper 'Adding fluoride to water supplies' by KK Cheng et al in the British Medical Journal on 6 October 2007.[HL11651]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Professor Cheng suggests that small relative risks are difficult to estimate reliably by epidemiological studies. This is one of the reasons why we are consulting on more specific measures for comparing the health of populations in fluoridated areas with those in areas where no fluoride is added to the water.
Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 19 July (WA 266), whether (a) they also recognise the benefit of a multidisciplinary approach in updating the findings of the York (2000) and Australian (2007) systematic reviews and making them available to the public; and (b) the Cochrane Oral Health Group would be a suitable body to undertake this.[HL11653]
Earl Howe: Yes, we will be looking to involve a range of relevant disciplines in any new research projects that we commission and value highly the rigour that the Cochrane units bring to health services research.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Business Interests
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will record and publish (a) instances when United Kingdom diplomats lobby for United Kingdom business interests, (b) who they lobby for, and (c) meetings United Kingdom diplomats have with United Kingdom business interests.[HL11556]
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA65
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Charter for Business states that "the FCO will lobby on behalf of business interests".
As part of assessing our success in implementing the charter, we aim to capture and share examples where the FCO has effectively lobbied to help British business.
The FCO website already publishes details of meetings between business (and others) and FCO Ministers and the Permanent Under-Secretary. (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/publications-and-documents/transparency-and-data1/hospitality/).
The range of contacts FCO staff have with business is extensive and FCO staff interact with different sizes of companies from different sectors at many events-but to gather details of all the various meetings which are not already published would result in a disproportionate cost.
Gaza
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been requested by or on behalf of the United Nations to increase their financial assistance to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees to meet the need for humanitarian aid in Gaza as a result of Israel's blockade. [HL11584]
Baroness Verma: The UK is the second largest bilateral donor to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency's general fund. We are aware of the funding shortages affecting the agency and the requests for funding it has made to the UK and other donors. We are currently in the final year of a multi-year funding arrangement and are working with the agency on a proposal for subsequent support. We have also worked closely with it to maximise its programme efficiency and encourage other donors to provide predictable funding.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the dangers to the health of Gaza's population, in particular those under the age of 18, arising from Israel's blockade, in particular of delays in improvements to water purification and sewage treatment schemes, and the importation of medical equipment and supplies, including drugs and spare parts, and the imposition of travel restrictions preventing patients securing medical treatment outside Gaza; and what assessment they have made of the number of people who have died as a result of these restrictions.[HL11586]
Baroness Verma: The UK commissioned and funded reports on the humanitarian situation in Gaza by the World Food Programme (www.unispal.un.org/pdfs/WFPGazaFoodRep0611.pdf) and the United
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA66
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with other European Union member states or the European Union High Representative with a view to agreeing concerted European Union action to apply economic and other pressure on the Government of Israel to lift the blockade on Gaza and provide further international aid to that territory.[HL11587]
Baroness Verma: We have worked closely with the European Union in agreeing coherent messaging to be used by the international community to push Israel to ease restrictions as well as agreeing a set of indicators to measure progress. The United Kingdom played a key role in the drafting of a European Union local strategy to identify ways to improve access. Our support to the United Nations Access Co-ordination Unit also helps to ensure that United Nations and non-governmental organisation assistance reaches the people of Gaza.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the bombing of Gaza during August and the loss of life of civilians and children. [HL11720]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Our embassy in Tel Aviv monitors rocket attacks on Israel closely. As we have consistently made clear, all such attacks should stop.
From 18 to 21 August, we witnessed once again an alarming escalation in violence. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), issued a statement (http://www.fco.gov.uk/en/news/latest-news/?vievv=News&; id=645743582) making clear our concerns about the violence in Gaza and southern Israel. Nine Israelis were killed and many more were injured. In Gaza, at least 15 people were reported killed, including three children. We strongly condemned this appalling violence. The announcement of a ceasefire is welcome.
We have urged that everything is done to avoid further civilian casualties. It is vital that all sides show restraint and seek to reduce tensions.
Government Departments: Surveys
Questions
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the stakeholders that are contacted as part of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills
14 Sep 2011 : Column WA67
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): BIS last conducted stakeholder research in 2009. The research included contributing a small number of questions to the Ipsos MORI Captains of Industry Survey, which conducted 100 face-to-face interviews with board level directors of FTSE 500 firms. In addition, BIS commissioned its own independent research from Ipsos MORI. This consisted of an additional 279 telephone interviews of BIS stakeholders.
The research results will not be made available externally because answers provided were given to Ipsos MORI on the basis that they remain confidential. This information is therefore subject to a duty of confidence and public disclosure of the information would constitute an actionable breach of that confidence.
Releasing this information may also have the effect of discouraging companies from speaking openly to government in the future. It is important that government can hear honest opinions from business and other interested groups during the development of policy. This process relies on a relationship of trust, including an understanding that opinions given in confidence will not be shared more widely.
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty's Government who are the stakeholders that are contacted as part of the MORI Captains of Industry Survey; and what assessment they have made of the information collected in the survey.[HL11627]
Baroness Wilcox: Ipsos MORI conducts the Captains of Industry survey on an annual basis, with the aim of providing an authoritative view of senior business opinion in Britain. Ipsos MORI selects the respondents and conducts 100 face-to-face interviews with board level directors of FTSE 500 firms.
BIS last participated in the survey in 2009. This involved the addition of an extra section specifically about BIS and its policies to be asked of key departmental stakeholders as part of the larger generic survey. Results from the 2009 survey were disseminated to BIS staff to inform the ongoing development of policy.
Gypsies and Travellers
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to amend the Draft Traveller Planning Policy (DTPP) to make it consistent with the National Planning Policy Framework, and whether there will be a public consultation on the amended DTPP. [HL11591]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): The consultation on the Government's draft planning policy for Traveller sites ended on 3 August. We intend to publish a new planning policy as soon as possible following due consideration of the responses.
The consultation on the draft National Planning Policy Framework is open until 17 October. We welcome views from everyone on all aspects of the framework. This includes views on the consistency of the draft framework with the draft planning policy for Traveller sites or any other comments about our intention to incorporate planning policy for Traveller sites into the final framework
Health: Cytogenetics
Questions
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty's Government what use is made by the National Health Service of cytogenetic m-FISH (fluorescence in situ hybridisation) blood analysis.[HL11646]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the accuracy of m-FISH blood analysis. [HL11647]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridisation technology is no longer in use in the National Health Service and it has been superseded by more efficient and effective technology, such as microarrays and next generation sequencing, which are more cost-effective, less resource-dependent and have much wider applications.
Health: Vaccinations
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 14 January 2010 (WA 180-81), whether they will update the figures on the number of members of the emergency services who have been vaccinated against smallpox.[HL11712]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): A cohort of frontline health workers was vaccinated in 2005 to deal with any initial suspected or confirmed case of smallpox if they were to occur. The cohort comprised a total of 516 vaccinated personnel of whom 147 were doctors, 164 were nurses, 100 were ambulance staff, 32 were scientists and 73 held other related healthcare occupations.
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HM Treasury: Financial Advisers
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the fee arrangement with the financial advisers to HM Treasury in connection with a possible sale of HM Treasury's ownership of Northern Rock produces a higher fee if the sale takes place at an early date. [HL11614]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The fee arrangements with financial advisers are based on a competitive tendering process and are commercially sensitive.
Immigration: Deportation
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many successful judicial challenges on human rights grounds there have been to deportation orders this year; how many involved an argument that deportation would disrupt family ties; and in how many cases it has been successfully argued that deportation of a foreign criminal would disrupt family ties.[HL11719]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): As the former chief executive of the UK Border Agency indicated in her letter to the Home Affairs Committee on 19 October 2010 (copies available in the Library of both Houses), management information in this area is particularly complex. As such, identifying the exact number of foreign nationals who successfully challenged deportation due to interference with their family life would necessitate a review of individual case files. This would incur a disproportionate cost.
Independent Commission on Banking
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total cost of the Independent Commission on Banking.[HL11777]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Independent Commission on Banking is chaired by Sir John Vickers. Sir John is paid £60,000 per annum over the duration of the commission's deliberations to work an average of two days per week. Other commission members are not paid and work an average of one day a week on commission business.
The commissioners are supported by a full time secretariat of 14 officials drawn from HM Treasury, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Financial Services Authority, the Bank of England and the Office of Fair Trading. The pay costs of staff seconded to the secretariat are being met by their parent organisations.
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The commission has been provided by HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills with such other resources as are necessary to perform its task.
All costs are being met by reprioritisation from within existing budgets and there has been no consequent increase in public spending.
Inflation
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have reviewed the record of the Bank of England in forecasting inflation; and whether they will publish the outcome of any such review.[HL11780]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether HM Treasury produces its own forecasts of inflation or relies upon those of the Bank of England or the Office of Budget Responsibility.[HL11781]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Bank of England assesses the forecasting record of the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) in its quarterly inflation report each August.
The Office for Budget Responsibility's (OBR) forecast, set out in its Economic and Fiscal Outlook, is the official UK forecast.
HM Treasury publishes a compilation of independent forecasts, including for inflation, each month. These include forecasts made by the MPC, OBR, international institutions and City firms.
Justice: Voluntary Organisations
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government which voluntary organisations working in the penal sector have had their funding cut or reduced in the past 12 months.[HL11604]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): Financial information for all grants and contracts paid to voluntary and community sector providers since the department's inception is not collated centrally. Contracts with the voluntary and community sector are held at a range of levels: by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), sub-nationally, and by individual prison establishments. NOMS is currently putting in processes to collect data at a national level. However, the NOMS national grants budget for the voluntary and community sector has not been reduced.
To ask Her Majesty's Government by what proportion voluntary sector funding in the penal sector has been reduced; and how this compares with overall reductions in prison expenditure. [HL11605]
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Lord McNally: Financial information for all grants and contracts paid to voluntary and community sector providers since the department's inception is not collated centrally. Contracts with the voluntary and community sector are held at a range of levels: by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), sub-nationally, and by individual prison establishments. NOMS is currently putting in processes to collect data at a national level. However, the NOMS national grants budget for the voluntary and community sector has not been reduced.
Lebanon
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will seek to have the ceasefire line in Lebanon (the Blue Line) fully delineated; and if not, why not. [HL11621]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK fully supports the work to delineate the Blue Line between Lebanon and Israel as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1701. We welcome the progress that has been made by UN Interim Force in Lebanon so far and encourage all parties to continue their co-operation over this important work.
Migrant Workers: Employment
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Browning on 14 July (WA 211), whether they have under review avenues of immigration relating to applications by nationals of past and future European Union accession states for (a) accession work cards, (b) work permits (sector based schemes), (c) registration cards (yellow including exempt), (d) the highly skilled migrant programme, and (e) exempt registration cards; and whether they will review applications made by such nationals who are (1) seasonal and agricultural workers (2) students or (3) self-employed.[HL11792]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The Government will decide later this year whether the restrictions on labour market access applied to nationals of Bulgaria and Romania will, as EU law permits, be extended to the end of 2013. The Government are committed to applying such restrictions to nationals of any country joining the EU in the future and will consider in due course the form that they will take.
Nuclear Industry: Radiation
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty's Government what blood analysis testing is carried out on civilian nuclear workers in the United Kingdom to detect and prevent genetic damage caused by radiation.[HL11649]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): Under the Ionising Radiations Regulations 1999, employers, including those responsible for the safety of civilian workers in the nuclear industry, are required to have arrangements in place to keep radiation exposures to all workers as low as reasonably practicable below the relevant statutory dose limits. These limits, which are based on international standards, are set at levels far below those at which genetic damage might be expected. Hence there is normally no need for genetic damage to be assessed.
There is a requirement routinely to measure external doses using dosemeters and routinely analyse urine for internal exposures. The Health and Safety Executive approves the dosimetry services that assess and record these exposures.
In the rare event of a significant suspected radiation overdose then the Health Protection Agency can provide a service to test blood for possible chromosome damage. This test can detect some genetic damage caused by radiation but cannot be used to prevent genetic damage.
Overseas: Fragile and Conflicted Areas
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to judge whether a state is considered fragile or conflict-affected.[HL11554]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Government's methodology for identifying countries as fragile or conflict-affected captures a wide range of political, social, economic and security factors. Our recently published Building Stability Overseas Strategy, laid in the House on 19 July 2011 and available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk), is the first integrated cross-government strategy to address conflict issues. It sets out our definitions of stability and conflict. In fragile states, mechanisms to channel conflict are weak, illegitimate or dysfunctional, so violence becomes the primary mechanism to resolve conflict. Our new early warning system, also outlined in our strategy, will take a global view of countries in which political, economic and security shocks could trigger violence. This will be underpinned by all-source analysis from across Government and external experts. We will consider whether early warning signals demand a UK response and, if so, set the necessary action in motion.
Palestine
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will support a vote in September in the United Nations General Assembly to recognise Palestine as an independent state and a full member of the United Nations.[HL11588]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): My right honourable friend the Prime Minister made the UK's position on UN recognition of a Palestinian state very clear during the visit of President Obama. He agreed with the President that a Palestinian state was a legitimate goal, but the best way of achieving this was through a comprehensive agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
Palestinian action at the UN this month is now looking increasingly likely. We are working with partners to build consensus on a way forward that recognises the progress the Palestinians have made on their state-building efforts, that meets Israel's legitimate security concerns, and that avoids confrontation in the UN. Whatever action is taken in New York, it is important that this increases the prospects for a return to negotiations.
We have reserved our position on the question of recognition of a Palestinian state while we continue to urge all parties back to talks. Recognition is a matter for each government to decide bilaterally, and if needed, we will take a decision nearer to the time, in consultation with EU and other partners.
Racism
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government who were the representatives from the United Kingdom that attended the meeting of the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 23 and 24 August in Geneva; and which devolved administrations added representatives to the United Kingdom delegation or declined to do so.[HL11611]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): The UK delegation to the meeting of the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on 23 and 24 August was headed by the Deputy Director, Integration, in the Department for Communities and Local Government, supported by officials from DCLG, the Home Office, the Ministry of Justice and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. All three devolved Administrations were represented in the delegation, as were the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. A full delegation list can be found on Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's website at: http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/cerd/.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what organisations and individuals made submissions about the United Kingdom to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination Parallel Report on the 18th and 19th Periodic Reports of the United Kingdom under the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination that met in Geneva on 23 and 24 August 2011. [HL11716]
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Baroness Hanham: The website of the United Nations Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination indicates that the following organisations made submissions to the committee about the UK's 18th and 19th periodic reports:
Amnesty International;Anti-Caste Discrimination Alliance;Averroes Institute;Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights;Committee on the Administration of Justice;Equality and Human Rights Commission;Global Afrikan Congress UK;Indigenous Peoples Links; Middlesex University Department of Law; Down to Earth; & London Mining Network (joint report);International Dalit Solidarity Network;Irish Traveller Movement in Britain;Minority Rights Group International;Northern Ireland Council of Ethnic Minorities;Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission;The Odysseus Trust;Open Society Justice Initiative; Stop Watch (joint report);Still Human, Still Here; andUK NGOs Against Racism.Schools: Free Schools
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether free schools will be exempt from compliance with any provisions of the Equality Act 2010; and, if so, what are those exemptions.[HL11673]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Free schools are not exempt from compliance with any of the provisions of the Equality Act 2010. Free schools are legally academies, and like all schools are bound by the anti-discrimination provisions within the Equality Act 2010. In addition, as public authorities, free schools must comply with the duty to have due regard to equality issues when exercising their functions as per Section 149 of the Act. Certain free schools, such as single sex free schools and/or those with a religious character, will be exempt from specific anti-discrimination duties as applied generally to independent schools with those characteristics.
Schools: Music
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to follow recommendations 5 and 9 of Darren Henley's review of music education in England and to include music in the national curriculum and the English Baccalaureate.[HL11572]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Government recognise the importance of a broad and balanced education, including music, and we are responding to Darren Henley's review recommendations with a new national plan for music education.
The current review of the national curriculum will determine whether any subjects beyond English, mathematics, science and physical education should remain part of the national curriculum in future. We have already completed a call for evidence which attracted nearly 5,800 responses. We will draw on this and other evidence, including evidence from Darren Henley's review, in deciding our proposals for the new national curriculum. There will then be a further statutory consultation on those proposals early next year, before final decisions are taken.
We have no plans to include music in the English baccalaureate. The English baccalaureate has been introduced to address concerns that the number of pupils who currently receive a broad education in core academic subjects is far too small and has been in sharp decline. The English baccalaureate is designed to recognise the success of those pupils who attain GCSEs or established iGCSEs at grade A* to C across a core of academic subjects: English, maths, the sciences, a language and either history or geography. These are subjects that our leading universities say prepare students for the most competitive courses.
We encourage all pupils to study non-English baccalaureate subjects as well as those within the core in order to get a well rounded education, and the range of subjects within the baccalaureate is small enough to allow for that. Schools are in the best position to work with pupils to make choices that will allow them to achieve and progress, recognising the importance and value of achieving in these core areas, and also of study in other areas where they have an aptitude and interest.
From 2012, we will be opening up access to datasets which will enable parents and others to develop and use their own measures to show schools' success in the areas they are interested in. This will allow them to monitor performance in music and other creative subjects.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will include music in the English Baccalaureate through the establishment of a sixth pillar of creative and cultural education subjects.[HL11573]
Lord Hill of Oareford: The Government agree that it is important for pupils to study a wide range of subjects. In particular, the Government recognise the importance of music in a broad and balanced education, which is why they commissioned Darren Henley, the Managing Director of Classic FM, to conduct a review of music education and are responding to that review with a new national plan for music education, which will underline the importance of music as a subject.
We have introduced the English baccalaureate to address concerns that the number of pupils who currently receive a broad education in core academic subjects is far too small and has been in sharp decline. The
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We encourage all pupils to study non-English baccalaureate subjects as well as those within the core in order to get a well rounded education, and the range of subjects within the baccalaureate is small enough to allow for that. Schools are in the best position to work with pupils to make choices that will allow them to achieve and progress, recognising the importance and value of achieving in these core areas, and also of study in other areas where they have an aptitude and interest.
From 2012, we will be opening up access to datasets which will enable parents and others to develop and use their own measures to show schools' success in the areas they are interested in. This will allow them to monitor performance in music and other creative subjects. We have no plans to introduce a sixth pillar to the English baccalaureate.
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the link between the United Kingdom's economic and employment prospects and the United Kingdom's creative and cultural music education in schools.[HL11574]
Lord Hill of Oareford: High quality music and arts education are vital to enable lifelong participation in and enjoyment of the arts, as well as underpinning excellence and professionalism for those moving on to the UK's creative industries.
The Culture and Sport Evidence (CASE) Programme, funded by DCMS and its arm's-length bodies, cites good evidence that structured arts activities for young people raise wider attainment. This includes positive impacts on attainment (of 1 to 2 per cent), cognitive skills (of 16 to 19 per cent) and transferable skills (of 10 to 17 per cent) for arts participants against those who did not take part. The Government have not, however, researched the links between the economic and employment prospects of pupils studying music or creative subjects in schools.
The Government believe that children and young people should expect a rich and broad range of cultural experiences as part of their education. To support this aim, Darren Henley was invited to undertake a review of music education in England, which reported in February 2011, and whose recommendations we are now implementing. Mr Henley is currently undertaking a further review of cultural education. This review will complement that on music education, recognising the broad spectrum of cultural education, of which music is a part. The Henley review of cultural education will inform our broader approach to cultural education to improve young people's access to live theatre, encourage their appreciation of the visual and plastic arts, and work with museums and libraries to support their educational work.
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Syria
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any remarks were made on behalf of the United Kingdom at the United Nations Human Rights Council Special Session on "The situation of human rights in the Syrian Arab Republic" on Monday 22 August, and if so, whether they will place a transcript in the Library of the House.[HL11592]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): On 22 August the United Kingdom made a statement to the Human Rights Council 17th Special Session on Syria supporting the resolution calling for an end to the violence in Syria and supporting the rights of the Syrian people to liberty, dignity and freely to choose their own leaders. A transcript of this statement will be placed in the Library of the House.
Taiwan
Question
Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, during the current general assembly of the United Nations, they will support the application by the Government of Taiwan for participation as observers in the work of the International Civil Aviation Organisation and the United Nations Framework on Climate Change.[HL11690]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK is ready to support pragmatic solutions that allow Taiwan to participate effectively in international organisations where it is in the UK, EU and global interest.
UK Honours
Questions
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of people nominated by members of the general public for honours receive one.[HL11629]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Records are not kept centrally of the number of nominations for honours made by members of the public to government departments. The Cabinet Office does record which of the nominations it receives from government departments have public support. In the Birthday Honours List 2011, 49 per cent of the successful nominations for the Prime Minister's List either originated in nominations by members of the public or had been supported by members of the public, or were recommendations by third party/public/private sector organisations.
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To ask Her Majesty's Government whether consideration is being given to introducing a new rank lower than Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George, to recognise those who work abroad for the interests of the United Kingdom. [HL11768]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are no plans to add to the three classes of the Order of St Michael and St George-Knight or Dame Grand Cross (CGMG), Knight or Dame Commander (KCMG/DCMG) and Companion (CMG). Those who work abroad for the interests of the United Kingdom are also eligible for awards in the Diplomatic Service and Overseas List in the Order of the British Empire. In the Birthday Honours List 2011, 76 such awards were made.
UK Trade and Investment
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the Department for International Development's new Private Sector Department will work with UK Trade and Investment.[HL11553]
Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development (DfID) is committed to working closely with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) to support the UK Government's commercial diplomacy agenda, and to supporting the rollout of UKTI's strategy "Britain Open for Business". Under the International Development Act (IDA) 2002, DfID is not able to use staff time or financial resources to promote UK commercial interests; however, promoting wealth and job creation in developing countries is both morally right and in the UK's national interest.
Collaboration between DfID and UKTI occurs both centrally and at individual country level. Teams have worked closely to develop guidance for DfID, FCO and UKTI staff to provide information on aid-funded business opportunities and to promote the effective use of business networks in developing countries. In Uganda, joint UKTI and DfID work has led to an oil engagement strategy to ensure the effective, transparent and accountable use of oil resources; and in Vietnam DfID's work on improving the business policy environment has drawn on UKTI experience to facilitate the inflow of foreign direct investment.
UN: Responsibility to Protect
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess whether a situation invokes the use of the United Nations "responsibility to protect" norm; and how they judge whether a state "manifestly fails" to protect its population from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity. [HL11552]
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The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): All UN members agreed at the world summit in 2005 that states have a responsibility to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing and that the international community has a responsibility to help protect populations from these four crimes, which are defined under international law. Where these crimes may be taking place, it would be for the UK and other members of the international community collectively to decide what form of intervention would be achievable or appropriate. The international community's response should be guided by a practical assessment of the situation on the ground.
Visas
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs they estimate are currently filled by non-graduate, non-European Union students; and what rights
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The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The number of non-European Union nationals who are currently studying in the UK towards a first degree or below (currently a non-graduate) and are in employment is estimated to be 96,000 from the April-June 2011 Labour Force Survey.
The estimate is not for jobs filled but for people employed: some of those 96,000 may work more than one job. The Labour Force Survey does not make a distinction between those non-European Union nationals that have lived and been resident in the UK prior to moving into further education and employment and those that have recently come to the UK on visas for the primary reason of studying and/or working.
Non-European Union nationals wishing to enter the UK to study and work will need to meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules for entry clearance under the relevant tiers of the points-based system (PBS).
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