Written Answers
Wednesday 25 July 2012
Airports: Airport Hubs
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their definition of an airport hub.[HL1949]
Earl Attlee: There is no single widely agreed definition of a hub airport. However, on 12 July this year the Department for Transport published a draft aviation policy framework which said:
“Although there is no single agreed definition of a hub airport, a key characteristic of hub airports across the world is that they are able to serve destinations that other airports are not. This is because a hub airport supplements local demand with transfer passengers, providing traffic volumes which support higher frequencies of services on more popular routes, and enabling services on more marginal routes that would not otherwise have proved viable with fewer passengers”.
We intend to publish a call for evidence later this year, which will explore in more detail the characteristics and role of a hub airport.
Airports: Gatwick
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, after the expiry of the planning agreement between Gatwick Airport and local authorities in 2019, a second runway could be built there subject to all necessary permissions.[HL1948]
Earl Attlee: The coalition's position on a second runway at Gatwick Airport remains as set out in our programme for government.
The expiry of the 1979 planning agreement is a matter for the local planning authority and airport operator.
Airports: Gatwick and Heathrow
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of whether primary legislation would be required to allow a high speed rail link to be constructed between Gatwick and Heathrow airports.[HL1945]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any department has since 2010 carried out an assessment of the possibility of building a high speed rail link between Gatwick and Heathrow airports; and, if so, which.[HL1946]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the possible role of the private sector in improving the transport infrastructure between Gatwick and Heathrow airports.[HL1947]
Earl Attlee: The Government have not conducted any assessments relevant to determining the case for such a link.
Later this year, the Government will publish a call for evidence on maintaining effective UK hub airport connectivity. Any such proposals could be put forward as part of this process and would be assessed accordingly.
Commonwealth
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 17 July (WA 25–6), what steps they are taking to achieve a co-ordinated approach by all members of the Commonwealth in their policies and contributions to the Food and Agriculture Organisation, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the World Food Programme, the International Food Policy Research Institute, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, the Global Partnership for Education, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the World Health Organisation and similar multilateral organisations.[HL1781]
Baroness Northover: The arrangements for co-ordination between the UK and other Commonwealth countries vary between the different organisations. There is a Commonwealth group in UNESCO which provides an excellent forum for exchanges of views amongst members from different parts of the world with different perspectives—this is an arrangement which appears to work well and we are exploring the scope for replicating it elsewhere. In other organisations the UK is part of regional groups which include Commonwealth partners, and works with Commonwealth countries to agree approaches in the margins of executive boards and other meetings. There are also periodic meetings of Commonwealth Health and Education Ministers which address issues relevant to the work of some of the named bodies.
Courts: Vulnerable Witnesses and Victims
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the annual cost of the provision of special measures to support vulnerable witnesses and victims in court proceedings.[HL1691]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): HM Courts and Tribunals service does not maintain the records required to evaluate the annual cost of the provision of special measures to support vulnerable witnesses and victims in court proceedings. Most special measures are dependent upon the existence of specific equipment or the configuration of particular courts. Given these, special measures do not require significant additional court resources annually.
Criminal Justice: Under 25s
Question
Asked by Baroness Healy of Primrose Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures have been introduced in the criminal justice system to address the particular needs of young adults aged 18 to 24 years.[HL1789]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Ministry of Justice is committed to addressing individual needs of all offenders, including young adults. We want to move away from central prescription because individual needs are best understood locally.
Work to date that focuses on the particular needs of young adults includes the inclusion of consideration of age and/or lack of maturity in Sentencing Council Guidelines and cross departmental work led by the YJB to deal with transitions issues in young people who are transferring between youth and adult services. In addition, NOMS is currently working on developing a specific commissioning strategy for young adult offenders through its programme of work to define its commissioning intentions.
Criminal Justice: Victim Support
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what role they envisage for Victim Support in England and Wales following the election of police and crime commissioners in November.[HL1865]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government's policy is to move to a mixed model of national and local commissioning, with police and crime commissioners responsible for the latter. This will not come into effect, however, until April 2014 or April 2015. Victim Support's annual £38 million grant funding from the Ministry of Justice is guaranteed until April 2014.
Victim Support's skills, experience and national coverage ought to stand it in good stead in bidding to run services for victims and witnesses, whether nationally or locally.
Data Protection
Questions
Asked by Lord Harris of Haringey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the standards of data security in the National Health Service and in health bodies. [HL1872]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The published National Health Service information governance (IG) toolkit contains detailed requirements with supporting guidance for
NHS organisations and others involved in health to regularly assess their local data security capabilities and attainment.
These requirements are based upon the published International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) ISO/IEC 27001:2005 approach for information security management systems. Organisations are required to publish an assessment of their performance against key security requirements at 31 March each year.
Published assessments can be found at: www.igt. connectingforhealth.nhs.uk.
In addition, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) has a duty to seek to improve the information governance practice of registered providers of healthcare, in relation to processing of patient and personal data. Supported by the National Information Governance Committee in the execution of its responsibilities, the CQC will monitor adherence to IG standards and report on the trends in performance of IG practices across health and social care.
Asked by Lord Harris of Haringey
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the approach taken by the Office of the Information Commissioner on fining public sector bodies that have themselves referred data breaches to his attention.[HL1873]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government have not made any such assessment.
The Information Commissioner may serve a data controller with a monetary penalty notice if he is satisfied that a serious contravention of the Data Protection Act's principles has taken place of a kind which is likely to cause substantial damage or distress. However, he cannot serve such a notice in response to any matter which comes to light as a result of a good practice assessment conducted under Section 51(7) of the Act.
The Information Commissioner's guidance on notification of data security breaches states that he will take into consideration the voluntary reporting of breaches by data controllers when deciding on the most appropriate course of action, which could include the imposition of monetary penalty notices.
Driving: Dangerous Driving
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to implementing a comprehensive review of the justice system for cases concerning death or injury by careless or dangerous driving, to assess its fairness to all concerned, including victims.[HL1731]
Earl Attlee: The coalition Government have no current plans for a review of the justice system for cases concerning death or injury by careless or dangerous driving.
There was a Government review of road traffic offences involving bad driving in 2005. This resulted in the two new offences of causing death by careless or inconsiderate driving and causing death by driving whilst unlicensed, disqualified or uninsured to be brought into effect in 2008.
The Government are creating a new offence of “causing serious injury by dangerous driving”. It will carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison and allow the courts to impose tougher punishments on dangerous drivers who devastate the lives of others. The changes are being taken forward as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 which will be commenced in due course.
Driving: Drink-drive Limit
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are considering lowering the drink-drive limit. [HL1831]
Earl Attlee: The Government have no plans to lower the drink-drive limit in England and Wales.
Embryology
Question
Asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect that all Clinical Commissioning Groups will adhere to the 2012 updated National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guideline on fertility after its publication, given current variations in the provision of IVF treatment on the National Health Service.[HL1787]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The current National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) fertility guideline is not mandatory for National Health Service commissioners but the Government have consistently encouraged commissioners to take full account of this guideline, in particular the recommendation to offer three full cycles of in vitro fertilisation to qualifying couples. The updated NICE fertility guideline is expected to be published later in 2012. In the reformed NHS, infertility treatment services will be commissioned by clinical commissioning groups with the NHS Commissioning Board providing oversight and support.
EU: State Aid Modernisation
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what approach they will take to the forthcoming European Union state aid modernisation review.[HL1665]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Government strongly support the European Commission's proposals to simplify and streamline the state aid process and to link state aid closely to the growth agenda.
We shall engage co-operatively with the Commission on the revision of the individual frameworks and guidelines and ensure that the principles of market failure and proportionality are embedded in the rules.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the timetable is for the forthcoming European Union state aid modernisation review.[HL1666]
Baroness Wilcox: The European Commission intends that the principal elements of the modernisation package will be in place by the end of 2013.
The work will take place in stages. Work is already under way on revision of the regional aid guidelines, and initial work will begin over the autumn on other guidelines including those on risk capital, environmental aid and aid for research, development and innovation. Work will also start on the procedural regulation which governs the way the Commission handles state aid cases.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will be holding a formal public consultation on the United Kingdom's priorities for the European Union state aid modernisation review.[HL1667]
Baroness Wilcox: We do not intend to hold a formal public consultation. We shall however, consult widely on an informal basis. This will include all levels of government and industry bodies.
The European Commission will also hold full public consultations on all proposed revisions to frameworks and guidelines. There will therefore be plenty of opportunity for interested parties to have their points included in Commission consideration of future policy.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the proposed European Union state aid modernisation review will enhance their capacity to address market failures which restrict the growth of small and medium-sized enterprises.[HL1668]
Baroness Wilcox: We anticipate that the modernisation process will include a proposal to increase the amount of aid available for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME) investment and consultancy available under the general block exemption regulation (GBER). We also expect that the risk capital guidelines will be revised to help bridge the equity gap faced by SMEs. The UK shall also work with the Commission to ensure that the more generous intervention rates for SMEs across all types of aid are maintained.
G8
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the best possible engagement with civil society in future G8 meetings, and in the work of the UN Committee on the Post Millennium Development Goals to be chaired by the Prime Minister.[HL1767]
Baroness Northover: The Prime Minister and his fellow co-chairs of the United Nations (UN) Secretary General's High Level Panel on the post-2015 Development agenda—President Yudhoyono of Indonesia and President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia—have made clear that they want to encourage all parties to engage, including citizens (especially the poorest, most vulnerable and marginalised), the private sector and civil society. We expect the High Level Panel to have an active engagement and outreach strategy over the course of its life. We also expect the UN Secretary General to appoint panellists who are drawn from civil society organisations. The Secretary of State for International Development has already established regular meetings on post-2015 with United Kingdom (UK) development non-governmental organisations (NGOs) through the umbrella organisation Bond. As it develops its G8 agenda the UK Government will likewise consult regularly with a broad set of civil society organisations.
Government Departments: Apprentices
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total number of staff employed within the private offices of Ministers and the permanent secretary at 10 Downing Street on 1 June; and how many of them were (1) under the age of 21, (2) apprentices under the age of 21, and (3) apprentices over the age of 21.[HL1322]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprentices (1) under the age of 21, and (2) over the age of 21, were employed within 10 Downing Street on 1 June, excluding agencies and non-departmental public bodies.[HL1420]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: Further to my answer on Tuesday 3 July 2012 (WA147) the Prime Minister's Office is an integral part of the Cabinet Office. On 1 June 2012, nine civil servants were employed within the Private Office of the Prime Minister and none was under the age of 21.
Government Departments: Staff
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many teams and units are situated in the Cabinet Office; what are the names of those teams or units; and how many staff each employs.[HL1397]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: As part of this Government's commitment to transparency, departments are required to publish organisational charts every six months. These can be found at http://data.gov.uk/organogram/cabinet-office.
Health: Nurses
Question
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what additional funds are available to support mentoring activities for student nurses in NHS establishments.[HL1799]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Multi-Professional Education and Training Levy (MPET) funds central investment in the training and development of the healthcare workforce. In 2012-13, £1.596 billion was allocated through MPET to the strategic health authorities (SHAs) for the development of the non-medical workforce of which student nurses are a part.
This money is not ring-fenced for particular purposes, but SHAs are required, through a service level agreement with the department, to work in partnership with clinical placement providers and higher education institutions to ensure students are supported properly. This includes mentorship of student nurses.
Health: Service Increment for Teaching
Questions
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government (1) what is the total budget for the service increment for teaching (SIFT), (2) what is the range of professions eligible for the payment, and (3) how many individual trainees in each discipline were trained using SIFT in 2011–12.[HL1797]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The service increment for teaching (SIFT) budget is one element of the £4.9 billion multi professional education and training (MPET) budget. The total budget for SIFT for 2011-12 and 2012-13 is shown in the following table. However, specific elements of the MPET budget are not ring-fenced. It is for strategic health authorities to determine how best to use the available resources to support the development of their local workforce.
The professions eligible for the payment of SIFT are doctors and dentists. The number of full-time equivalents trained using SIFT in 2011-12 was 22,874, of which 19,302 were medical and 3,572 dental.
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to include the training of graduate registered nurses within service increment for teaching (SIFT) arrangements.[HL1798]
Earl Howe: The Government are committed to the principle of tariffs for education and training as the foundation to a transparent funding regime.
Service increment for teaching currently supports the additional costs incurred by National Health Service organisations in providing clinical placements for medical and dental undergraduates.
Moving to a tariff-based system would enable a national approach to the funding of all clinical placements (both medical and non-medical) and postgraduate medical programmes to support a level playing field between providers and professions.
The department has been working with stakeholders, including some of those who are likely to be most affected by the introduction of tariffs, to develop proposals for the introduction of tariffs for clinical placements for non-medical education and training and undergraduate clinical placements for medical students in secondary care, and to consider the safest way to implement them without causing unnecessary destabilisation.
House of Lords: Internet
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask the Chairman of Committees how much has been spent on employing consultants to work on the development of internet services in the House of Lords in the past five years.[HL1605]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel): Since April 2009, the House of Lords has spent £249,128 on consultancy for development of internet services. £146,519 of this represents the Lords’ share of bicameral costs and £102,609 was for Lords-specific work. Such information for the financial years 2007-08 and 2008-09 is no longer available.
House of Lords: Leader’s Group on Working Practices
Question
To ask the Leader of the House which of the 55 recommendations included in the report of the Leader's Group on Working Practices (1) have been brought into operation, (2) are under active consideration by the appropriate domestic committee, (3) have been rejected by the House or the appropriate domestic committee, and (4) have not been acted upon.[HL1968]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde): I have considered all the recommendations from the Leader's Group. I refer the noble Lord to the 8th, 10th and 11th Reports from the Procedure Committee, Session 2010-12, the 3rd Report from the Liaison Committee, Session 2010-12, the minutes of the relevant meetings, and the House's debates on those reports. The noble Lord will also wish to be aware that some of the Leader's Group's recommendations (for example
recommendation 2 in respect of questions to Secretaries of State or recommendation 11 in respect of Back-Bench questions on Statements) endorsed the status quo or were directed at the Lord Speaker rather than the Leader of the House (recommendation 4) and so do not fall into any of the categories he has listed.
House of Lords: Members’ Attendance
Question
To ask the Chairman of Committees how many current Members of the House of Lords who were Members throughout the first session of this Parliament attended the House on the following proportion of sitting days in that Session: (1) 10% or fewer, (2) over 10% but under 20%, (3) 20% or over but under 33%, (4) 33% or over but under 50%, (5) 50% or over but under 66%, (6) 66% or over but under 90%, and (7) 90% and over.[HL1967]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel): The table below shows attendance rates at sittings of the House for the 644 Members who were eligible to sit in the House of Lords for all 293 sitting days in the 2010-12 Session. The table excludes 42 Members who were ineligible to attend some or all of the sitting days during the session because they were subject to suspension or to statutory disqualification, or were on leave of absence.
| Attendance rate | Number of Members |
Human Trafficking and Servitude
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the recent convictions for slavery in the Connors case, whether they intend to instigate an official inquiry into the numbers of UK victims of servitude and human trafficking.[HL1759]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): The Government have no such plans.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with Chief Constables about giving investigations into cases of servitude and human trafficking a higher priority; how many convictions there have been for trafficking in each of the past 10 years; what action they are taking to seek tougher sentences for those found guilty of such crimes; and whether they will pass a new Slavery Act into law to close any loopholes.[HL1760]
Lord Henley: Policing priorities are a matter for chief constables and police authorities (and, from November 2012, police and crime commissioners).
The number of defendants found guilty at all courts for human trafficking offences, in England and Wales, from 2005 to 2011, can be viewed in the attached table. The Sexual Offences Act 2003 came into force in 2004 and the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004 came into force in 2005, therefore data for the full 10 years are not available.
The Sentencing Council is currently working to revise existing guidelines on sexual offences which will include new guidelines on human trafficking for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The council does not have a remit to change legislation or statutory maxima for sentences.
It will instead be working within the legislation to ensure a consistency of approach to sentencing and greater clarity around how sentences are calculated.
The Government have recently made a number of changes to strengthen the law on human trafficking (in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012) and will be bringing human trafficking for non-sexual exploitation within the unduly lenient sentences regime from 6 August 2012. The Government have no plans to introduce a new Slavery Act.
| Defendants found guilty at all courts for human trafficking offences, England and Wales, 2005-2011(1)(2) | |||||||
| Offence | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 |
(1) The figures given in the table on court proceedings relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe.
(2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(3) Includes offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, Sections 57, 58 and 59.
(4) Includes offences under the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004, Section 4.
Source:
Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
[Ref: 568-12 ROC]
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the numbers of male victims of servitude and human trafficking.[HL1762]
Lord Henley: Male victims of human trafficking are identified through the national referral mechanism (NRM). The NRM started on 1 April 2009 and data
are available from this date onwards. NRM data do not reflect all instances of human trafficking, only those where the individual was referred to the NRM (and, in the case of adults, where they have consented to be referred to the NRM). All published NRM data, including the number of trafficked victims by gender, are available on the UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) portion of the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) website: http://www.soca.gov.uk/about- soca/about-the-ukhtc/national-referral-mechanism/statistics.
I have placed copies of the NRM statistical reports covering the period 1 April 2009 to 31 December 2011 in the Library of the House.
Immigration: Checkpoints
Question
Asked by Lord Willoughby de Broke
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Henley on 27 June (WA 71), without individual details, what is the total number of Ministers who have specific security protection allowing them to use priority channels at UK Border Agency checkpoints.[HL1714]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): As I set out in my response on 27 June 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 71) to the previous question from the noble Lord we are unable to provide the total number of Ministers who have specific security protection arrangements, including whether they use the priority channels at UK Border Agency checkpoints. To reveal the total number would compromise the integrity of the security arrangements of the individuals concerned.
Investment: Foreign Investment
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role of university science parks in attracting foreign direct investment to the United Kingdom.[HL1793]
Baroness Verma: Science parks are part of an array of assets that support the attraction of foreign direct investment to the UK. They provide a platform for companies seeking proximity to complementary networks and like minded business that will help their business to flourish. The UK has a strong offering in terms of science parks, which are world renowned for the depth of their networks, innovation and science.
The type of investment that the science park may attract includes; sales and marketing, research and development or project offices. Being in close proximity to the university can also allow the company to reduce its overheads by utilising existing assets in the form of labs and research material when it is looking to undertake its own research and development. Renting lab space, for example, is far cheaper than custom building your own.
Metrication
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 12 July (WA 279) concerning Thames Water leakages, why they used metric rather than imperial measures, and whether, in future, they will use only imperial measures or quote both measures.[HL1676]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): Metric units of measurement were adopted as the primary system of measurement by the public sector and for the majority of trade uses on 1 October 1995. Failure to adopt the metric system would have had a negative effect on the UK's international competitiveness. However, imperial units can continue to be used as supplementary indications alongside metric units for as long as businesses or the public find them useful. Whether to use imperial units alongside metric ones is a decision for the public sector organisation or business concerned, taking into account the needs of the audience and the business case. I understand that there are no plans to report leakage in imperial measures.
NHS: Mergers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 4 July (WA 180), whether the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) has discretion to investigate a proposed merger of an NHS foundation trust with one or more NHS trusts if they consider that competition issues arise that are equivalent to those raised by the proposed merger of two foundation trusts; whether there are any specific legislative provisions that debar the OFT from undertaking such an investigation; and whether they have received legal advice on whether any such legislative provision is compliant with European Union competition law.[HL1417]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): In certain circumstances, where it would otherwise be uncertain as to whether the Enterprise Act 2002 general merger control regime for enterprises in the UK would apply to cases involving NHS foundation trusts, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 applies the Enterprise Act 2002 merger control provisions to NHS foundation trusts. These circumstances are where two or more NHS foundation trusts cease to be distinct activities and where one or more NHS foundation trusts and the activities of one or more businesses cease to be distinct activities. This is intended to avoid legal uncertainty as to when the merger control regime in the 2002 Act would apply to mergers involving NHS foundation trusts.
It would be for the OFT to assess in any particular case whether a relevant merger situation as per Section 23 of the Enterprise Act 2002 has arisen by assessing whether two or more enterprises have ceased to be
distinct, or there are arrangements in progress or contemplation which, if carried into effect, would lead to enterprises ceasing to be distinct, and whether the jurisdictional thresholds as per Section 23 of the said Act are satisfied. The OFT has not, to date, examined a merger of an NHS foundation trust and an NHS hospital trust.
NHS: Primary Care Trusts
Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government in how many cases since May 2010 the North Yorkshire Primary Care Trust has denied treatment to a patient. [HL1887]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The information is not held centrally. Individual primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning decisions relating to their local populations.
Olympic and Paralympic Games 2012: Transport
Question
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Earl Attlee on 17 July, which Ministers are entitled to use the Olympic Route Network (ORN) in London at all times during the Olympic Games; which Ministers are entitled to use the ORN only when they are travelling to or from an Olympic Games-related event; and how many (1) British people, and (2) overseas visitors, are entitled to use the ORN in London during the Olympic Games.[HL1764]
Earl Attlee: 1. The Olympic Route Network (ORN) covers 109 miles (or 1%) of roads in London. Most of this network is open to all drivers. Games lanes form approximately one-third (30 miles) of the total length of the ORN. Use of the Games Lanes is restricted to members of the Games family. This group includes athletes, technical officials, IOC members, accredited media, and others involved in ensuring that the Games run smoothly. We expect approximately 55,000 out of 80,000 Games family to use the lanes daily, mostly travelling in coaches, minibuses, and other shared vehicles.
2. Ministerial cars are not authorised to use ORN Games lanes. The only exemptions are on security grounds for cars carrying Ministers who are designated as protected persons. However, there is a firm expectation that wherever possible, Ministers will use public transport to get to any Olympics events they are attending. Subject to security considerations, Ministers are also being strongly encouraged to use public transport on non-Olympics business in central London for the duration of the Games.
3. We do not have a breakdown of the numbers of British vs. overseas visitors who may use the Games lanes.
Pensions
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 23 April (WA 362–3), when the extra employers' contribution by the Exchequer of 8.5% for reducing the deficit in the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund (PCPF) commenced; how long it is intended to continue; and how far the extra member contributions of between 1% and 2.4% being made from 1 April 2012 by those listed to the Ministerial Pension Scheme will go towards eliminating the PCPF deficit.[HL307]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: On 27 April 2012, the Government Actuary's Department published the Parliamentary Contributory Pension Fund Valuation (PCPF). This valuation can be found at www.official-document.gov.uk/document/hc1012/hc19/1907/1097.pdf.
Ports
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact Sefton Borough Council’s conditional grant for a Mersey capital dredge will have on other ports; and whether the conditional grant meets the funding criteria under the terms of the Ports National Policy Statement. [HL1834]
Earl Attlee: The award in round 2 of the Regional Growth Fund of a grant to Sefton borough council for a capital dredge in the Mersey estuary at Seaforth is contingent on confirmatory due diligence, which includes ensuring any award is compatible with EU state aid rules. The potential impact on competition with other ports was taken into account by HM Government when making the conditional award. This was an exceptional response to an exceptional economic situation and does not constitute a change in the market-led ports policy set out in the National Policy Statement for ports.
Questions for Written Answer
Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
to ask the Leader of the House why, on 19 July, 20 Questions for Written Answer remained unanswered after 10 working days.[HL1821]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde): All departments strive to answer Questions for Written Answer within the 10 working day target. My office has explored with the relevant departments why delays have occurred in specific cases. In most cases delays are due to the departments concerned aiming to provide a comprehensive and accurate answer, which can take longer when the information sought is not readily available from a department's records, or needs to be cross-referenced across departments.
Railways: Catering Services
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the new franchises for the West Coast and East Coast Main Line services require, or will take into account, proposals for the provision of catering facilities on those services.[HL1879]
Earl Attlee: Bidders for both franchises will consider the appropriate catering arrangements in developing their proposition for the franchise.
The quality and deliverability of bidders' plans for catering are considered as part of the franchise award process, alongside their wider plans for the franchise and overall value to the taxpayer.
Railways: Copy Pit Line
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are proposals to repair and upgrade the Copy Pit railway line between Burnley and Hall Royd Junction when the Todmorden Curve rail link is reinstated. [HL1838]
Earl Attlee: Network Rail is responsible for the renewal and maintenance of the railway. It has informed us that major renewal work is planned to be carried out on the Copy Pit line, prior to a new Burnley to Manchester service being introduced.
Railways: European Train Management System
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisional levels of unreliability have been found during the trial of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) on the Cambrian Line; whether those levels only allow the ERTMS to be used with new rolling stock, or whether it can be retro-fitted to old rolling stock as well; what implications those levels have for speed restrictions; and whether any speed restrictions have increased or decreased line capacity.[HL1828]
Earl Attlee: Network Rail and Arriva Train Wales hold performance data for ERTMS on the Cambrian line.
On initial introduction, the system suffered from some significant reliability problems. However, through joint working with the ERTMS supplier, these have been largely resolved and the system is performing well.
The reliability issues were not due to retro-fitment on existing rolling stock. They resulted from broader issues with the introduction of new technology. Indeed there has been wide-scale train retro-fitment of ERTMS on the continent.
For these reasons the Department for Transport believes that ERTMS is suitable for both retro-fit and for new rolling stock. ERTMS will not reduce speed and is expected to deliver further capacity enhancements in the future.
Railways: Franchises
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a bidder for a franchise may identify a cheaper or better way of attaining the franchise objectives as part of the bidding process.[HL1829]
Earl Attlee: Bidders are required to deliver specified performance outcomes, and must comply with the train service requirement and all other aspects of the franchise agreement and invitation to tender. In all other respects, bidders are encouraged to deliver innovative methods of delivering the business that are more efficient or improve outcomes for passengers.
Railways: Funding
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 19 July (WA 83–4), what funding was provided by the Department for Transport to Network Rail in 2011–12.[HL1944]
Earl Attlee: The funding provided by the Department for Transport to Network Rail for 2011-12 was £3,581 million.
Railways: High Speed Rail
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have examined the forecasting techniques used in France to evaluate their TGV High Speed Railway Lines, and, if so, what was their assessment of those techniques.[HL1827]
Earl Attlee: We have made no specific assessment of the forecasting techniques used in France to evaluate the TGV.
Registration of Deaths
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the average time taken for the registration of deaths of drug addicts in the United Kingdom. [HL1643]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: 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 Turnberg, dated July 2012.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking what is the estimate of the average time taken for the registration of deaths of drug addicts in the United Kingdom. (HL1643)
Table 1 below provides the number of deaths and the average length of time taken to register a death, where the underlying cause was drug-related, for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, for deaths registered in 2010 (the latest year available). Figures are not available on the deaths of drug addicts because the medical history of the deceased, including whether or not they were a drug addict, is not recorded at death registration.
The average length of time taken to register a death (also known as the registration delay) is calculated as the difference between the date each death occurred and the date it was registered, measured in days, divided by the number of drug-related deaths. Due to the differences in the death registration systems between the countries of the UK, figures are presented separately for England and Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
In England and Wales almost all drug-related deaths are certified by a coroner following an inquest. The death cannot be registered until the inquest is completed, which can take many months or even years. If someone is to be charged in relation to the death, the coroner must adjourn the inquest. At this point, the coroner can carry out an accelerated registration, so ONS is notified that the death has occurred. However, the full details are not recorded (including the verdict) until the inquest is completed. It is not possible to include these deaths in the drug-related deaths figures until all details have been recorded.
The death registration system in Northern Ireland is similar to that used in England and Wales.
In Scotland a death must be registered within eight days. The Procurator Fiscal has a duty to investigate all sudden, suspicious, accidental, unexpected and unexplained deaths and any death occurring in circumstances that give rise to serious public concern. The Procurator Fiscal may order a fatal accident inquiry, although a death can be registered (with a cause given as unascertained, pending investigations), before the investigations are completed.
The number of deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales each year by sex, age, cause and substances involved in the death are published annually
and are available here: www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/subnational-health3/deaths-related-to-drug-poisoning/index.html.
ONS intends to publish more detailed analysis of registration delays associated with drug-related deaths in the annual statistical bulletin in August 2012.
1 Cause of death was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes shown in Box 1 below.
2 Figures include deaths of non-residents.
3 Figures are for deaths registered in 2010.
Source:
Office for National Statistics, National Records of Scotland and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency
Transport: Trams
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of proposals for tram lines running from King's College Hospital, London, to London Bridge.[HL1772]
Earl Attlee: Her Majesty's Government have made no assessment of such proposals. Such a project would fall under the responsibility of the Mayor and Transport for London.
UK Border Agency: Staff
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many UK Border Agency staff have been transferred back to the United Kingdom from overseas immigration offices to deal with the 2012 Olympic Games; and what effect this will have on waiting lists for visa applicants.[HL1705]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): The UK Border Agency has not transferred any staff back to the United Kingdom from overseas to deal with the Olympic Games.
UN: Drugs and Crime Strategies
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the view expressed by the Secretary-General of the United Nations that illegal drug control and anti-crime strategies should be part of sustainable development efforts.[HL1669]
Baroness Northover: In some countries, drug trafficking and other forms of organised crime can pose a very serious threat to development and poverty reduction. For example in Jamaica, links between criminals, the police and politicians in some cases threaten stability, while the security situation is also a major threat to investment prospects, particularly foreign direct investment, across the economy. The World Bank's World Development Report 2011 also showed how organised crime contributes to instability in some countries after the formal end of conflict.
DfID works closely with other government departments and agencies, including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Ministry of Defence and Home Office, to address all issues that threaten stability overseas, including organised crime. The precise approach varies from country to country, but the Government's overarching objectives are set out in the Building Stability Overseas Strategy and the Organised Crime Strategy, Local to Global. This can be found at: www. homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/crime/organised-crime-strategy.