1 Children looked after continuously for at least twelve months as at 31 March excluding those children in respite care.
2 The number of children aged 5 to 15 looked after continuously for at least 12 months at 31 March 2011, including those for whom it was not possible to identify the school attended.
3 The number of children for whom it has been possible to identify the school attended and the outcome of the most recent Ofsted inspection before 31 March 2011. It is not always possible to identify which school a child attends, perhaps because a Unique Pupil Number has not been provided to enable a successful match. Similarly, it has not been possible to match an Ofsted report to 2600 children. The majority of these children (2170) attend schools converting to academy status and it is likely that they had not been inspected in the period before March 2011 because they would not be due for inspection until the new school had reached a steady state.
4 Percentages are based on the number of children for who it has been possible to identify the school attended and the outcome of the most recent Ofsted inspection before 31 March 2011.
National and Regional figures have been rounded to the nearest 10. Local Authority figures have been rounded to the nearest 5. x = number less than or equal to 5, or percentage where the numerator is less than or equal to 5 or the denominator is less than or equal to 10 which have been suppressed to protect confidentiality.
Children: Offences against Children
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many offences against children were committed in Lincolnshire in each year from 1996 up until the last year for which records are available.[HL2064]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): It is not possible to identify the total number of offences committed against children from the police recorded crime data collected by the Home Office.
In general, the age of the victim cannot be identified from the police recorded crime data and whether the victim of a crime was a child can only be determined by the definition of specific individual offence classifications. The available data for those offences are given in the table.
1 The police recorded crime coverage was extended and the counting rules changed in 1998/99. Data before and after that date are not directly comparable.
2 The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally in 2002/03 and police recorded crime figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.
3 The Sexual Offences Act 2002, introduced in May 2004, altered the definition and coverage of sexual offences. For some offences it took time for these changes to bed in.
China
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the Tibetan monk, Lobsang Lozin, who self-immolated at Tsodun Kirti monastery in Tibet; and what representations they have made to the Government of China about the immolation of Tibetan monks.[HL1758]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are aware of reports that on 17 July, Lobsang Lozin, an 18 year-old monk from the Gedhen Tashi Choeling Kirti monastery in Barkham, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, self-immolated outside the assembly hall of his monastery. Chinese state media has not confirmed reports that he has died.
We have been robust in raising our concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet with the Chinese Government, in particular the large number of self-immolations that have occurred in Tibetan areas since March last year. We are deeply concerned about the immolations and the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) set out our concerns most recently in Parliament on 20 June.
In common with its international partners, the UK has raised our concerns with the Chinese authorities. We urge them to lift restrictions on access to Tibetan areas imposed on foreigners, including diplomats and international media. We call upon all parties to engage
in substantive dialogue to address Tibetan concerns and relieve tension. We believe a long-term solution depends on respect for human rights and genuine autonomy for Tibetans within the framework of the Chinese constitution.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what conclusions they have drawn about the right to freedom of religious belief in China from the cases of Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daqin, Bishop Su Zhimin and Bishop Shi Enxiang.[HL1952]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We have serious concerns about freedom of religion in China, including government restrictions on religious organisations and the treatment of individuals associated with these groups including these cases.
The prohibition of some religious groups, and the legal restrictions and harassment aimed at others, undermines freedom of religious belief in China, a point officials raised with the Chinese delegation at the most recent round of the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2012. We have repeatedly made clear that such actions are not consistent with Article 18 of the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, nor indeed with Article 36 of the People's Republic of China's Constitution.
We are concerned by the cases of Bishop Thaddeus Ma Daquin, Bishop Su Zhimin and Bishop Shi Enxiang and will continue to seek opportunities to raise our concerns about individual cases and on issues relating to freedom of religious belief with the Chinese Government.
Cities: Economic Development
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each of the recently announced City Deals, how much of the resources allocated will be provided by way of government grant and how much by permitted borrowing by the relevant local authorities.[HL1971]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): City Deals are bespoke agreements in which the Government agreed to proposals initiated by individual cities. They are not about the allocation of government grant but the devolution of powers to cities.
Commonwealth
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Commonwealth Secretariat plays a significant role in the co-ordination of member countries' policies within the United Nations and other international organisations, including on human rights, global finance, trade,
environment and climate change, arms control, the arms trade, non-proliferation of nuclear, biological and chemical weapons, food security, education, migration and refugees.[HL2067]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK is committed to ensuring that the Commonwealth realises its potential fully and maximises its impact for the benefit of all member states. We welcomed the series of reforms recommended by the Eminent Persons Group at the last Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in Perth. Amongst these, we supported a recommendation that the Commonwealth Secretariat should strengthen its strategic partnerships with the United Nations and other international organisations, and advocacy on behalf of its members within these organisations on areas of particular relevance to Commonwealth states. It is also positive that the initial discussion paper on the secretariat's new strategic plan for 2013-16 referred to a strengthening of such strategic partnerships. We look forward to engaging with Commonwealth Foreign Ministers in New York in September 2012 to conclude the modernisation agenda which was discussed by heads in Perth.
Crime: Burglary
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many burglary offences were committed in Lincolnshire in each year from 1996 up until the last year for which records are available.[HL2059]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): The available information relates to burglary offences recorded by the police in Lincolnshire and is given in the table.
| Burglary offences recorded by the police in Lincolnshire | |
| Year | Number of offences |
1 The police recorded crime coverage was extended and the counting rules changed in 1998/99. Data before and after that date are not directly comparable.
2 The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally in 2002/03 and police recorded crime figures before and after that date are not directly comparable.
Crime: Drugs and Alcohol
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) arrests, and (2) detentions, for drug and alcohol-related crimes involved Asian girls and young women in each of the last two years.[HL2076]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Henley): The level of information requested is not collected centrally. Arrests and detentions data supplied to the Home Office by police forces cannot be broken down to show whether offences were alcohol or drug-related.
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much criminal injuries compensation has been awarded to victims in each year from 1996 up until the last year for which records are available in each of the 43 police force areas in England and Wales.[HL2063]
Lord Newby: I have placed the information in the House of Lords Library. The figures given reflect awards paid under the tariff schemes first introduced in 1996.
Cuba
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the statements of the family and supporters of Oswaldo Paya Sardinas that the Government of Cuba were responsible for his recent death, the death of his party colleague Harold Cepero, and the injury of two foreign politicians, Angel Carromero from Spain and Jens Aron Modig from Sweden.[HL2078]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are aware of the comments made by the family of Oswaldo Paya Sardinas and supporters regarding the nature of his death. Our embassy in Havana is monitoring the situation closely in conjunction with European Union partners and will continue to do so. The embassy has also been in contact with Mr Paya's family to offer our condolences and a member of the embassy's staff attended the wake. The Minister of State, my honourable friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Mr Browne), also issued a statement of condolence on 24th July.
Cybercrime
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what resources they have allocated to protect the United Kingdom from the effects of cyber attacks on the United Kingdom’s defence capability.[HL1990]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): As we set out in the Strategic Defence and Security Review, we attach a high priority to the cyberdefence of our systems. Our forces depend on computer networks, both in the UK and on operations around the world, but our adversaries present an advanced and rapidly developing threat to these networks.
This is reflected in the establishment of the Global Operations Security Control Centre to co-ordinate cyberdefence of our systems. In addition to this, the Defence Cyber Security Programme (DCSP) aims to mainstream cybersecurity throughout the Ministry of Defence and ensure the coherent integration of cyberactivities across the spectrum of defence operations. The DCSP is funded as part of the Cabinet Office’s National Cyber Security Programme, and will run from 2011-2015 with an allocation of £90 million of new money.
We are also making significant investments into new cybercapabilities from the core defence budget, including a further £30 million of additional funding.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the UK's bilateral aid, and what proportion of the total aid programmes of Western nations to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is being used for security sector reform.[HL1953]
Baroness Northover: For the purposes of this response, security sector reform (SSR) has been defined as police and army and the justice system reform. 10% of the UK's £145 million bilateral aid programme budget for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) this year is allocated to police reform. In addition, the UK also supports security sector reform (SSR) in DRC through the conflict pool (CP). Of the £1.6 million spent on SSR activities last year through the CP, only £400,000 was official overseas development assistance (ODA).
Unfortunately, accurate information about the proportion of aid from Western nations dedicated to SSR is not available. The two largest donors operating in the sector are the European Union (EU) and the USA. The EU also has two SSR missions, EUSEC and EUPOL, in DRC estimated €20.6 million this year. About 10% (€59 million) of the EU's budget for programming in DRC from the Development Fund and Stability instruments is directed at SSR. The USA
budget for SSR in 2012 is approximately US$26.5 million. (This does not include US Department of Defence funding).
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) troops are based in the Eastern Congo; what discussions they have had with their commanders; and what assistance they are giving them in apprehending Bosco Ntaganda and bringing him before the International Criminal Court.[HL1954]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has 17,041 troops in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, of which we understand 15,300 are currently located in the eastern provinces of North and South Kivu and Orientale. Our embassy in Kinshasa has regular contact with MONUSCO commanders. Their overall priority is the protection of civilians, with wider security sector reform a key element. It is the responsibility of Congolese authorities to apprehend alleged war criminals on its territory, including International Criminal Court-indicted Bosco Ntaganda. MONUSCO, in line with its mandate, stands ready to support action by the Congolese authorities.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the African Union’s proposal to send an international force to the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo to neutralise the M23 Rebels.[HL2052]
Lord Howell of Guildford: We are pleased to note the engagement shown by members of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region during their meeting in Addis Ababa on 11 July, in the margins of the African Union summit. We look forward to hearing in more detail how they plan to take forward their proposal to deploy a force to the border region in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Diego Garcia
Question
Asked by Baroness Falkner of Margravine
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Lord Howell of Guildford on 13 July (HL Deb, col. 1401), what advice they have received on the legal position on the use by the United States of the British Indian Ocean Territory of Diego Garcia in the case of military action by Israel or the United States against Iran.[HL1970]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): I do not wish to speculate on hypothetical scenarios. The UK's policy on the use of Diego Garcia by the United States (US) is based on the 1966 exchange of notes (updated in 1976 and with subsequent amendments and additions).
The notes allow the US to use the base as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships and require the US to seek prior approval for any operations that they wish to undertake from Diego Garcia.
Drugs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the role of zero-tolerance and abstinence-based treatment in the United Kingdom's drug policy.[HL2073]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding is available for zero-tolerance drugs policies and abstinence-based treatment in the National Health Service.[HL2074]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government's drug strategy that we published in 2010 sets out how we will help people recover from dependence on drugs and alcohol. In 2012-13 the department allocated £466.7 million to primary care trusts through the pooled treatment budget. Local areas are responsible for using this money to commission the drug treatment services appropriate to the needs of their population. The 2007 United Kingdom guidelines on clinical management of drug misuse and dependence provide advice on when psychosocial interventions should be delivered without concurrent pharmacological interventions.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of how many girls below the age of 21 are dependent on drugs, according to ethnic origin. [HL2075]
Earl Howe: Information on the number of young people who are dependent on drugs is not collected. Among the small number of young people whose use of drugs is a problem, most have not been using drugs for long enough to become dependent in the way adults can. Further information about substance misuse among young people and its treatment is available at: www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/yp20ll/commentaryfinal.pdf
Education: Special Educational Needs and Disability
Question
Asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any meetings have been held between Ministers of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and of the Department for Education to discuss proposed changes to the education of children and young people with learning difficulties or disabilities; and whether a group of officials from both departments has been established to oversee the likely impact of the proposals on young people aged between 16 and 25.[HL1857]
Lord Newby: The Government are committed to improving arrangements for children and young people with learning difficulties or disabilities, so that they have the best chance to be healthy, succeed in education, and progress towards independence and employment.
The Minister of State for Children and Families is responsible for education policy and delivery with respect to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities up to age 18, and for 19 to 25 year-olds with a statutory Learning Difficulty Assessment in place.
Officials from the Department for Education hold regular discussions with Ministers and officials from other government departments about the proposals in the Special Educational Needs and Disability Green Paper, including the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. The Children's Minister has also spoken to the Minister of State for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning on several occasions to discuss shared policy interests in this area, including hosting a joint round-table event with college principals and the Association of Colleges to discuss our proposals for young people.
Embryology
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 11 December 2008 (WA 8-9), how many human embryos were created in each year since the commencement of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990; what is the latest cumulative number; and how many of those have resulted in live births.[HL1899]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 11 December 2008 (WA 8-9), how many animal-human hybrid embryos have been created since the passage of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 2008. [HL1900]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that the Written Answer provided by Lord Darzi of Denham on 11 December 2008 (Official Report, cols. WA 8-9), referred to by the noble Lord, provides the number of embryos created from the commencement of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 until 2007. Figures for the number of embryos created during 2008, 2009, 2010 and the first half of 2011 are set out in the following table:
| Year | Embryos created |
The HFEA has advised that the number of live births following In vitro fertilisation treatment in each year to 2009 is publicly available in the dataset published alongside the HFEA report Latest UK fertility treatment data and figures: 2009-10. The dataset and report can be found on the HFEA website at: www.hfea.gov.uk. Since the report's publication, a further six months' worth of data has been verified, in line with the HFEA verification schedule, and figures for the first half of 2010 are provided in the following table:
| Year | Number of Babies Born |
The HFEA has also advised that according to information submitted to the authority by licensed research centres, no human admixed embryos have been created under a HFEA-licensed research project since 1 October 2009.
Employment: Youth Contract
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what engagement they have had with Local Enterprise Partnership leaders in the development and promotion of the Youth Contract.[HL1756]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The department carried out an extensive consultation with a significant number of employers about the design and delivery of the new wage incentive. This included engagement with large and smaller employers, employer representative bodies and Work Programme providers. While we did not specifically consult with Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) in this instance, the department is keen to work with LEPs to ensure that skills and tackling worklessness are priorities, to support more effective approaches to help people to improve their chances of finding work, making the link between growth, unemployment and social exclusion.
Energy: Electricity
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the average costs without subsidies used for planning purposes per megawatt hour of electricity generated from (1) existing, and (2) new, (a) nuclear power stations, (b) onshore wind farms, (c) offshore wind farms, (d) gas-fired power stations, (e) coal-fired power stations, and (f) bio-mass fired power stations. [HL2091]
Lord Newby: DECC has published estimates of the future costs of various generation technologies on the DECC website. The most recent estimates can be found in the reports highlighted below:
Annex D of the ‘Government response to the consultation on proposals for the levels of banded support under the Renewables Obligation for the period 2013-17 and the Renewables Obligation Order 2012’ contains the latest levelised cost estimates for selected renewable technologies: http://www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/consultation/ro¬banding/5936-renewables-obligation-consultation-the-government.pdf;a report by Parsons Brinckerhoff (PB) (2011) contains the latest levelised cost estimates for selected non-renewable technologies: www.decc.gov.uk/assets/decc/11/about us/economics-social-research/2127-electricity-generation-cost-model-2011.pdf.
For ease of reference, Table I below replicates levelised cost estimates for projects starting in 2011 and 2017 for selected technologies using a simplified assumption of 10% discount rate across technologies to aid high level comparison between technologies.
Table 1: Indicative Levelised Cost Estimates for Selected Electricity Generation Technologies
| 2010 prices | Source | Projects starting in 2011, £/MWh | Projects starting in 2017, £/MWh |
NB: All estimates are for ‘Nth of a Kind’ (NOAK) projects except nuclear where the first estimate for projects starting in 2011 is based on ‘first of a kind’ estimate and the estimate for projects starting in 2017 is based on a ‘nth of a kind’ estimate. *The estimate for onshore wind is for England and Wales only. Cost estimates for RO Banding review (2012) are in £2010/11 financial year prices.
These levelised costs estimates are highly sensitive to the assumptions used including those on discount rates (for simplicity the table above uses the same discount rate for all technologies as opposed to technology specific discount rates), capital costs, fuel and EU ETS allowance prices, operating costs, and load factor. It should be noted that the estimates shown above are indicative estimates of levelised costs and given the uncertainties it is often more appropriate to consider a range of cost estimates.
DECC does not have estimates for the average costs per megawatt hour of electricity generated from existing stations.
Energy: Light Bulbs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has received from organisations representing people with medical conditions that may be adversely affected by low energy light bulbs. [HL2020]
Lord Newby: Officials from Defra and the Department of Health have met and received correspondence from the Spectrum Alliance, which lists its members as: Lupus UK, Eclipse Support Group, XP Support Group, the Skin Care Campaign, ES-UK, Lupus Europe and Migraine Action. Lord Taylor of Holbeach will be meeting representatives of the Spectrum Alliance on 22 August.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has held with the Department of Health about possible exemptions on medical grounds for photo-sensitive people when the ban on non-directional lighting is reviewed.[HL2021]
Lord Newby: Defra and the Department of Health work closely together in developing government policy on artificial lighting. We want to ensure that appropriate lighting solutions remain available for people with light-sensitive health conditions as energy efficient lighting becomes more widely used in the UK.
Commission Regulation 244/2009, which sets minimum standards for the environmental performance of non-directional household lamps, must be reviewed by 2014. The two departments will continue to work closely together to ensure that this review takes full account of the best available scientific evidence about the health effects of artificial light and the needs of those with light-sensitive health conditions.
Energy: Nuclear Power
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated cost of storing plutonium at Sellafield for 2013–17.[HL2057]
Lord Newby: The estimated costs of storing plutonium at Sellafield have not been disclosed as a single line item in the Sellafield Plan, published on 1 August 2011, as they relate in part to commercial contracts with third parties. The Sellafield Plan (a link to the electronic document is included below) contains a section entitled ‘Safe Storage of Pu’ which provides information on this topic. http://www.sellafieldsites. com/publications/sellafieldplan/Sellafield Plan.pdf
Energy: Wave and Tidal Power
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the support provided for the development and operation of wind farms, whether they have any plans to provide similar support for tidal and wave technology.[HL2029]
Lord Newby: The renewables obligation (RO) is currently the Government's main mechanism for incentivising the deployment of large-scale renewable electricity deployment including marine technologies. Marine energy has the potential to make a significant contribution to the UK's electricity demand as set out in the Written Ministerial Statement of 25 July which announced the results of the RO banding review for the period 2013-17: http://www.decc.gov.uk/en/content/cms/news/wms_ro_1m/wms_ro_lm.aspx
This increases the level of support for wave and tidal technologies to 5 ROCs/MWh to a project cap of 30MW.
EU: External Action Service
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Howell of Guildford on 13 July (WA 284–5), whether a reporting framework has been established to monitor the three objectives, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs has set out for ambassadors and staff in working with European External Action Service delegations.[HL2003]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Government are committed to ensuring that their diplomatic missions overseas work constructively with European Union (EU) delegations in pursuit of the three objectives set out in my previous reply (Official Record 13 July, WA 284-5):
delivering value for money; and
ensuring that EU external action promotes UK security and prosperity.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly asks for and receives reports from our embassies and high commissions on their own performance and that of the local EU Delegation against these objectives. The most recent reporting exercises were carried out in May and July of this year. Posts have also been instructed to work closely with EU Delegations to ensure that the UK is helping to lead and shape EU action locally and that EU Delegations advance our objectives and amplify UK influence with host countries.
First-tier Social Security and Child Support Tribunals
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many registered medical practitioners have participated in First Tier Social Security and Child Support Tribunals in each of the last five years.[HL1904]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many First Tier Social Security and Child Support Tribunals have disclosed their decisions in each of the past five years.[HL1906]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): (1) Medical practitioners sit as medically qualified panel members on a range of appeals in the First-tier Tribunal, Social Security and Child Support (SSCS), including disability living allowance, industrial injuries disablement benefit, vaccine damage, compensation recovery and some employment and support allowance appeals where the work capability assessment is a factor. They may be either registered or licensed to practise.
The data management system for the SSCS tribunal is a live database that is continuously updated and it is not possible to extract retrospective figures for the numbers of medical members hearing appeals.
The table below shows approximate numbers of medically qualified panel members at specific points between 2008 and 2012 as recorded in locally held management information.
| Number of Tribunal medically qualified panel members 2008-2012 | |
| Year | Number of medically qualified panel members |
(2) SSCS tribunal decisions are issued to the appellant, their representative (if they have one), and the first-tier agency that made the original decision, either on the day of the appeal hearing or shortly afterwards. The SSCS tribunal does not publish First-tier Social Security and Child Support appeal hearing decisions or disclose them to any other parties.
Flags: Union Flag
Question
Asked by Lord Lamont of Lerwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Ministers, in their next meeting with the chairman of the National Gallery, will inquire why the National Gallery is not flying the Union Flag above its premises during the run-up to the 2012 Olympic Games.[HL1696]
Lord Newby: The matter of whether or not to fly a Union Flag from the National Gallery in the lead up to and during the Olympic Games is a decision for that body. However, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport encourages all bodies to fly the Union Flag all year round.
Food: Security
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is intending to spend in the current financial year on research to promote food security and sustainable production; and which research organisations are undertaking this research. [HL1993]
Lord Newby: Defra will invest around £60 million in 2011/12 on agriculture and food research underpinning sustainable production and food security. This includes £28 million on farming and food research and the remainder on animal health and welfare.
The names of research organisations undertaking research on completed and on-going projects can be found on the Defra Science Search Web Page using the following link: http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx? Location=None&Module=FilterSearchNewLook& Completed=0
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the oral answer by Baroness Northover on 25 July on the Food Security Summit, whether the Prime Minister will announce at the event that as chair of the G8 next year the United Kingdom will press for the development priority to be hunger and nutrition and tackling the structural causes of hunger. [HL2072]
Baroness Northover: The UK will use its G8 Presidency in 2013 to advance the global development agenda and ensure the G8 delivers on its commitments, including the New Alliance on Food and Nutrition Security. We will set out the UK's priorities for 2013 later this year.
Forced Marriage
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Forced Marriage Protection Orders have been made to date.[HL2077]
Lord Newby: Since the introduction of the Forced Marriage (Civil Protection) Act 2007 on 25 November 2008 and up to the end of March 2012, there have been 437 Forced Marriage Protection Orders made.
G8
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the issues of “land grabbing”, the improvement of land rights, especially for women, and the structural relationship of land rights to hunger, are on the agendas of both the next G8 meeting to be chaired by the United Kingdom, and the UK high-level meeting on food, to be held during the period of the Olympic Games.[HL1766]
Baroness Northover: The coalition Government recognise that competing pressures on land for food and fuel risk impacting adversely on the food security of the poorest, due to a combination of lack of transparency and good governance and a complex mix of land rights issues. Private sector companies can play a critical role in improving livelihoods and providing job opportunities in developing countries, but such opportunities need to be better harnessed. Within the coalition’s emphasis on private sector development, the UK Government also support improved property rights, for example in Rwanda where we are helping at least 6 million landholders obtain formal titles to their land. The UK Government, as part of the G8, welcome the successful negotiation of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the context of National Food Security and supports the broad-based consultation process and pilot use of the Principles of Responsible Agricultural Investment.
The event on hunger during the Olympics will focus on tackling stunting and under-nutrition generally. Although the consideration of land rights is not a specific section of the event, it may be raised as one factor in restricting poorer people’s access to sufficient food. The UK Government are still considering what development issues to prioritise for their forthcoming G8 presidency.
Government Departments: Cars
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 19 July (WA 78), what were the makes and models of cars supplied to each government department by the Government Car and Despatch Agency for use by Ministers in those departments.[HL1995]
Lord Newby: Ministers at the departments that have taken a departmental pool car from the Government Car and Despatch Agency would have access to the following makes and models of cars, with comparative figures provided for ministerial car allocations as at March 2010:
| Department | Number of GCDA ministerial car allocations @ 31/03/10: | Number of GCDA cars allocated to departments for use by Ministers @ July 2012: | July 2012 makes and models: |
Government Departments: Overseas Offices
Question
Asked by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne
To ask Her Majesty’s Government , further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 11 July (WA 254-55), whether their Vietnam office will close with the end of their bilateral programme there; whether the base of the UK’s Climate Change Unit will change following the announcement by the Department for International Development (DfID) of the closure of the Indonesia bilateral programme; and what is the rationale for a separate DfID office in China and Kosovo following the closure under DfID’s bilateral review of the bilateral programmes in both countries.[HL2045]
Baroness Northover: The DfID Vietnam office is due to close with the end of the bilateral programme. Although the DfID Indonesia programme has already closed, there are no plans to change the UK Climate Change Unit.
The DfID bilateral programme in China has closed. The rationale for maintaining a DfID presence in China is to help build a relationship with China to identify ways in which we and they can work together as partners on shared global development objectives such as poverty reduction in third countries or regions.
The DfID Kosovo programme is due to close on 30 November 2012, at which time the office will also close.
Government Departments: Parliamentary Units
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and its predecessor departments, spent on running its Parliamentary Unit in each of the past 10 years for which information is available.[HL1631]
Lord Newby: Parliamentary work is carried out in the Parliamentary and Cabinet Business Team, which is part of the secretariat in core Defra. Costs incurred by the Parliamentary and Cabinet Business Team are not separately identifiable on the department’s finance IT system. This has been the case for a number of years and consequently the amount spent on running the unit cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate costs.
Government Departments: Policy
Questions
Asked by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many full-time equivalent staff in the Department of Health have been tasked with working on cancer policy for each of the past three years.[HL1979]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The number of full-time equivalent staff (FTE) in the department working on cancer policy for each of the past three years has been presented in the following table.
| Year | FTE staff |
Asked by Baroness Morgan of Drefelin
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what forecasts have been made of how many full-time equivalent staff in the Department of Health will be tasked with working on cancer policy for each of the next three years.[HL1980]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what forecasts have been made of the numbers of full-time equivalent staff within (1) the NHS Commissioning Board and (2) Public Health England will be tasked with working on cancer policy for each of the next three years.[HL1981]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what forecasts have been made of the numbers of full-time equivalent staff who have worked on cancer policy within the Department of Health and who will be transferred or have been transferred to work on cancer policy within (1) the NHS Commissioning Board, and (2) Public Health England.[HL1982]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The information requested is not available. The process for agreeing the functions transferring from existing to new organisations and the members of staff that transfer with these functions has not been completed. This information will eventually be held by the new organisations that will be responsible for this work.
Once the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England have taken up their responsibilities in this area, the Department of Health will work with them to deliver the commitments set out in Improving Outcomes: A Strategy for Cancer, which was published in 2011. A copy has already been placed in the Library.
Government Departments: Staff
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence, Ursula Brennan, left her post; what was the reason for her departure; what is her new Civil Service post; for how many months she had served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Defence; and what has been the average tenure of this post by the previous 10 incumbents.[HL1702]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): Ursula Brennan left her post as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of
Defence on 29 June 2012 to take up post as the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Justice. Mrs Brennan filled her post in defence for 20 months, having been appointed at the beginning of November 2010. The tenures of the previous 10 incumbents are listed below:
Sir Bill Jeffrey KCB 2005-2010
Sir Kevin Tebbit KCB CMG 1998-2005
Sir Richard Mottram GCB 1995-1998
Sir Christopher France GCB 1992-1995
Sir Michael Quinlan GCB 1988-1992
Sir Clive Whitmore GCB CVO 1983-1988
Rt Hon Sir Frank Cooper GCB CMG 1976-1982
Sir A.L Michael Cary KCB 1974-1976
Sir L James Dunnett GCB 1966-1974
CMG Sir Henry Hardman KCB 1963-1966.
Government: Official Visits
Question
Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
To ask Her Majesty’s Government to which countries Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint has paid official visits since his appointment as a Minister of State; what were the dates of those visits; who accompanied him; and what are the estimated costs of each visit.[HL1850]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint): During my time as Minister for Trade, I have visited a total of 42 countries, including a number of key partner countries more than once. On some of these visits I have been accompanied by a delegation of British businesses, in others I have linked up with trade delegations in country, and in virtually all I have engaged with the British business community. As with all Ministers, my travel is detailed in full on the Cabinet Office website.
Health and Social Care Act 2012
Questions
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how, following the implementation of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, they will ensure the allied health professions are adequately represented within (1) the Department of Health, (2) Public Health England, (3) Health Education England, and (4) the regional offices of the National Commissioning Board.[HL1890]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what national and regional leadership roles will exist for allied health professionals within the new National Health Service structures created by the Health and Social Care Act 2012.[HL1957]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Chief Health Professions Officer (CHPO) is the Government’s most senior allied health professions adviser. Following the implementation
of the Health and Social Care Act 2012, the role is to be retained in the NHS Commissioning Board in order to provide clinical advice and professional leadership. Other organisations within the new health and social care architecture will be able to access to the CHPO’s advice, including the department, Public Health England and Health Education England.
We understand the NHS Commissioning Board Authority is currently addressing how best to incorporate leadership roles for allied health professionals within the new National Health Service structures.
Health and Social Care: Northern Ireland
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what research they have commissioned into the virtues of the model of health and social care integration adopted in Northern Ireland.[HL1916]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department has not commissioned research specifically on the model of health and social care integration adopted in Northern Ireland.
We have committed in the care and support White Paper, Caring for our Future: Reforming Care and Support, to work with partners (including the NHS Commissioning Board, Monitor and local government) to co-produce a framework that will support the removal of barriers to making evidence-based integrated support the norm. Development of this work will include looking at integration exemplars, including those from other countries with different care systems, to draw on their examples and lessons to further develop the case for change and to promote more integrated care in England.
Health: Allergies
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve the diagnosis and cure of allergies.[HL2092]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are proposing to improve the systems for training and sharing information between health professionals responsible for the diagnosis and cure of allergies. [HL2093]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department funded a project in the North West Strategic Health Authority to pilot the concept of an integrated regional service for allergy and immunotherapy services, and the “lessons learned” report has been widely disseminated. This includes recommendations specifically on training and information sharing for health professionals involved in the care of people with allergies. We expect local and national commissioners to take full account of this report in developing allergy services in the light of local needs and priorities.
Health: Defibrillators
Questions
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress the National Defibrillator Programme has made in installing automatic external defibrillators.[HL2068]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they monitor the National Defibrillator Programme and if so, how.[HL2069]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department is not responsible for the provision of automatic external defibrillators.
From February 2007, responsibility for continuing the legacy of the National Defibrillator Programme was devolved to ambulance trusts.
Health: HIV/AIDS
Question
Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to tackle the issue of stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS in the United Kingdom.[HL1984]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department has recently awarded a new contract to the Terrence Higgins Trust for a national programme of HIV prevention for men who have sex with men, and people from black African communities, the groups most at risk from HIV. One of the programme’s objectives is to reduce the stigma linked to HIV.
The African Health Policy Network, through the previous departmental national HIV prevention programme, produced resources for Christian and Muslim faith leaders and African community-based organisations. These faith toolkits are used to increase levels of awareness around HIV and to change perceptions of HIV and Africans in the United Kingdom.
In addition, the department’s planned sexual health policy document will consider how work can be undertaken at all levels to reduce and challenge HIV stigma.
Health: Musculoskeletal Conditions
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government who leads on (1) musculoskeletal conditions, and (2) research, at the NHS Commissioning Board.[HL1930]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We understand that both musculoskeletal conditions and research are likely to fall within the responsibility of the NHS Commissioning Board’s medical director, Sir Bruce Keogh. Detailed portfolios within the board’s medical directorate have not been finalised but it is likely that issues on musculoskeletal conditions would in the first instance fall to the clinical lead for domain 2 of the NHS outcomes framework, improving the quality of life for people with long-term conditions.
Health: Pre-natal Diagnostic Tests
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the past 12 months, any concerns have been raised by the United Kingdom National Screening Committee over the accuracy of pre-natal tests, especially biochemical serum tests.[HL1898]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The United Kingdom National Screening Committee (UK NSC) advises Ministers and the National Health Service in all four countries about all aspects of screening policy and supports implementation. Using research evidence, pilot programmes and economic evaluation, the committee assesses the evidence for programmes against a set of internationally recognised criteria. Screening can never be 100% accurate and that is why screening programmes are subject to very strict evaluation, and independent expert advice from the UK NSC, before they are introduced, in order to ensure they do more good than harm at a reasonable cost.
The NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme is aware of an issue with some laboratory machines providing extreme biases when analysing biochemical assays. The NHS Fetal Anomaly Screening Programme is working with manufacturers on behalf of the laboratories to identify the reasons for this and improve the accuracy of the biochemical serum test.
Health: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people with rheumatoid arthritis in (1) England, and (2) the United Kingdom; and what is their estimate of the number of people diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in the last year in (a) England, and (b) the United Kingdom. [HL1927]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence estimated, in its 2009 clinical guideline, that there were about 400,000 people with rheumatoid arthritis in the United Kingdom, with about 12,000 people developing the disease each year. These figures would equate to a prevalence of about 335,000 and an annual incidence of about 10,000 for England. Estimates for individual years are not available.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were receiving biologics as part of their treatment for rheumatoid arthritis in the last financial year; and what was the estimated cost to the National Health Service.[HL1928]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of trusts who prescribe biologics in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis.[HL1929]
Earl Howe: Information is not held centrally on the number of people treated. The following table provides information on the use of biologics for the calendar year 2011, the latest available matching period for primary and secondary care data.
| Biologic medicines - use and cost, England 20111- 2 | |||
| Care setting | Prescription items (000s) 3 | Volume by number of packs (000s) | Cost MON 4' 5 |
Sources: Prescription Cost Analysis, IMS HEALTH: Hospital Pharmacy Audit
1 Biologics drugs are defined in part of the British National Formulary (BNF) section 10.1.3 under Cytokine modulators. The drugs are abatacept, adalimumab, anakinra, belimumab, certolizumab pegol, etanercept, golimumab, infliximab, rituximab and tocilzumab.
2 Some medicines such as some within the defined biologics group can be delivered directly to the patient by commercial companies under 'homecare' arrangements managed by hospitals. There are no separate 'homecare' figures available for these medicines.
3 Primary care - number of prescription items written in the UK and dispensed, in the community, in England.
4 Primary care - net ingredient cost.
5 Secondary care - cost at National Health Service list price, which is not necessarily the price the hospital paid.
No assessment has been made of the number of NHS trusts that have prescribed biologics in accordance with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis.
NICE clinical guidelines are based on an assessment of the best available evidence and are developed through wide consultation with stakeholders. They represent best practice and we expect commissioners and clinicians to take them into account in their decision-making.
Healthcare: Costs
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 25 June (WA 25-6), what is the text of the 18-month deadline under new European Union (EU) Regulation 883/2004, which refers to the date the claim is submitted to the United Kingdom; and for each EU country what were the actual pensioner healthcare payments for UK state pensions and the average pensioner healthcare charge in the last two years.[HL2015]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Article 66(5) of Regulation 987/2009 states: “the claims shall be paid to the liaison body of the creditor member state referred to in Article 66 of the implementing Regulation by the debtor institution within 18 months of the end of the month during which they were introduced to the liaison body of the debtor member state. This does not apply to the claims which the debtor institution has rejected for a relevant reason within that period”.
The most recently published average pensioner healthcare costs for each Member State is shown in the following table:
| Country | Currency | Local Currency | Annual costs shown in euros | Year published |
Note: For non-EURO countries the exchange rate has been taken as of 27 July 2012
Total payments to Member States for healthcare provided to UK state pensioners are shown in the following table (all figures in local currency):
| Figures in local currencies | ||
| Claim By | 2010-11 Total | 2011-12 Total |