Written Answers
Monday 17 December 2012
Abortion
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women seeking an abortion in the United Kingdom gave an address in (1) Northern Ireland, and (2) the Republic of Ireland, in each year since 1982. [HL3956]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The number of abortions provided to women resident in either Northern Ireland or the Republic of Ireland in England and Wales is set out in the following table. Data for Scotland are collected independently.
| Abortions to residents of Ireland taking place in England and Wales, 1982-2011 | ||
| Irish Republic | Northern Ireland | |
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of concerns about illegal abortions on the grounds of sex, whether they will require those undertaking abortions to include details of the sex of the aborted baby in the data reported annually by the Department of Health.[HL3991]
Earl Howe: The Government have no plans to change the way in which data on abortions are collected. The majority of abortions take place before 10 weeks gestation and it is not currently possible to identify a foetus’s gender at that stage.
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are in place to ensure that a woman who is ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, registered with a general practitioner there, and who exercises her right to come to England to have an abortion under the Abortion Act 1967, is able to access an NHS-funded abortion.[HL4008]
Earl Howe: Women travelling from Northern Ireland generally make their own arrangements and pay for abortions privately. Primary care trusts (PCTs) have delegated powers in limited circumstances only to provide abortion services to women who are ordinarily resident in Northern Ireland, and PCTs must make a judgment based on the circumstances of each particular case.
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether abortions are provided in England to NHS patients who have a reasonable requirement as defined by the National Health Service Act 2006.[HL4009]
Earl Howe: In England and Wales in 2011, 96% of abortions were funded by the National Health Service. A decision on whether an abortion should be NHS-funded rests with the primary care trusts.
Apprenticeships
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will implement the recommendations made by the Richard Review of Apprenticeships.[HL4033]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Richard review was published on 27 November. The Government will consider the recommendations over the coming months and consult in the spring on their implementation.
Arts: Funding
Question
Asked by The Earl of Clancarty
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport in the Evening Standard on 28 November that “over this Parliament’s lifetime, we will be investing some £2.9 billion in the arts”, whether they will give a detailed breakdown of that figure.[HL3839]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The level of investment referred to grant in aid and projected Lottery resources available to Arts Council England between 2010 and 2015, as set out in the following table.
| Financial Year | Grant-in-Aid* cash) | Lottery** (10-11 & 11-12 outturn, 12-13 onwards projected net cash) | Total (cash) |
| £000s | £000s | £000s | |
Includes Arts Programme, administration and capital funding. Excludes Museums Programme administration and capital funding; re-structuring costs in 2012-13; and funding from Department for Education for cultural education programmes.
**Invested by Arts Council England (ACE) from the National Lottery Distribution Fund. Outturn is actual Lottery income. Projected net cash is current projected Lottery income. These figures do not include funds transferred from ACE to the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
***Following the Autumn Statement announcement, Arts Council England grant-in-aid will be reduced by £3.864 million in 2013-14 and £8.693 million in 2014-15. No reduction has been applied to the figures in the table above for 2013-14 and 2014-15. It will be for the Arts Council to determine how the cut is applied to its activities.
Banking
Questions
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Bank of England’s financial stability report for November 2012, what assessment they have made of the way United Kingdom banks value their books.[HL3867]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Financial Stability Report (FSR) was published on 29 November 2012. The FSR is published twice a year under the guidance of the interim Financial Policy Committee, which brings together senior officials from the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and independent members. The FSR covers the committee’s assessment of the outlook for the stability and resilience of the financial sector at the time of preparation of the report, and the policy actions it advises to reduce and mitigate risks to stability.
Assessments of how UK banks value their books fall within the competence of the Bank of England and the Financial Services Authority. The Treasury is responsible for the overall institutional structure of financial regulation and the legislation which governs it and has no operational responsibility for the activities of the FSA and the Bank.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Financial Services Authority has taken any action relating to unauthorised trading by employees of a bank where that trading led to a profit for the bank.[HL3885]
Lord Sassoon: The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has a statutory objective to reduce the extent to which it is possible for a financial business to be used for a purpose connected with financial crime. In addition, under the FSA’s rules, a firm must take reasonable care to establish and maintain systems and controls as are appropriate to its business. The FSA will take action on any unauthorised trading, including the firm’s failings, due to weaknesses, in the procedures, management systems and controls.
Benefits
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many recipients of United Kingdom child benefit come from each European Union member state; for how many children they are paid; and what is the annual cost to the United Kingdom per country.[HL3897]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The information requested is not available. Entitlement to child benefit depends on the claimant being present, ordinarily resident and having a right to reside in the United Kingdom.
Information about the number of ongoing child benefit awards made under EC Regulation 883/2004 in respect of children resident in other EEA member states was contained in my reply to the noble Lord of 22 October 2012 (Official Report, 22 October 2012, cols. WA 4-6).
Broadcasting: Television Licences
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 15 March (WA 88), how many people were proceeded against at magistrates’ courts in 2011 for failure to pay a television licence fee in (1) England and Wales, (2) Scotland, and (3) Northern Ireland; how many of those were found guilty of fee evasion; how many fine defaulters were imprisoned; and whether they have considered decriminalisation of non-payment of a television licence fee.[HL3899]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The number of people proceeded against for failure to pay a television licence fee and found guilty of fee evasion in England and Wales in 2011 can be viewed in the following table.
Ministry of Justice data cover England and Wales only as matters of criminal statistics are devolved matters for the Scottish Government and the Department of Justice Northern Ireland.
Data for custodial receptions for fine defaulters in 2011 cannot be broken down by offence. To provide these data would involve contacting each criminal court for the court files to search for this information manually and extract the data from various sources which would be disproportionate to cost.
The Government considered a range of options to reform non-payment of a television licence fee, in the course of writing Swift and Sure Justice: The Government’s Plans for Reform of the Criminal Justice System, published in July of this year.
(1)Communications Act 2003, S.363
(2)The figures given in the table 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.
(3)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.
(4)The number of offenders sentenced can differ from those found guilty as it may be the case that a defendant found guilty in a particular year, and committed for sentence at the Crown Court, may be sentenced in the following year.
Source
—Justice Statistics Analytical Services—PQ HL 3899
Care Homes: Nutrition
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the risk of malnutrition in nursing homes; and whether they will take steps to ensure the nutritional requirements of older people are met.[HL3891]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published a quality standard on nutritional support in adults on 30 November, which gives a clear and authoritative statement of a quality service. This quality standard requires that all care services take responsibility for the identification of people at risk of malnutrition and provide nutrition support for everyone who needs it. The Care Quality Commission regulates and inspects providers of health and adult social care services to ensure they are meeting national standards including ensuring that service users are protected from the risks of inadequate nutrition and dehydration.
Reforms that we are making to the health and care system will help to tackle the underlying illnesses that give rise to poor nutrition, and we have set out our aims in outcomes frameworks covering public health, the National Health Service and social care. Specific outcomes strategies are being devised for long-term conditions, cardiovascular disease and mental health.
Similarly, public health interventions, with local government in the lead, will tackle the risk factors leading to relevant chronic diseases and dementia. Also as part of the reforms, new national organisations are being established to support improvement, including the NHS Commissioning Board and Public Health England. These bodies will work closely together to ensure that the system has the best intelligence on health and care needs and advice on the most efficient interventions for the public’s health.
Channel Tunnel
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent fire on a lorry shuttle in the Channel Tunnel, whether they have sought professional advice on whether the wagons used on those services are fully fit for purpose.[HL4095]
Earl Attlee: All of Eurotunnel’s lorry shuttle wagons are authorised for use in the Channel Tunnel by the Channel Tunnel Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) following the advice of its safety advisory body, the Channel Tunnel Safety Authority (CTSA). IGC and CTSA are fully satisfied that the wagons used by Eurotunnel are of a safe design. CTSA inspectors are investigating the recent fire, with Eurotunnel’s full and active co-operation, to ensure that any lessons from it are identified and learnt.
Children and Families Bill
Question
Asked by Baroness Hughes of Stretford
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their plans to extend special educational needs and disability pathfinder pilots to the autumn of 2014, when they plan to publish the Children and Families Bill.[HL3623]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): My department is working to bring forward legislation relating to special educational needs (SEN) in the current Session of Parliament. This legislation is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny and we will give careful consideration to the Education Select Committee’s report.
On 6 November, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Children and Families announced to the Education Select Committee an 18-month extension of the pathfinder programme, to September 2014. It will allow more time for the most effective pathfinder approaches to be fully documented and shared, particularly with non-pathfinder areas. It will support the implementation of the SEN and disability Green Paper reform programme including, subject to parliamentary approval, the legislative changes.
China
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they last raised the cases of Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia with the Government of China; and what information they have about their current circumstances. [HL3937]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): We remain very concerned about both Liu Xiaobo and Liu Xia. We call for their immediate release, and for greater freedom of expression in China. We raised their cases with the Chinese Government during the UK-China Human Rights Dialogue in January 2012 and plan to do so in next year’s dialogue. We have yet to receive a satisfactory response to our request for information on these and other cases of concern.
We also raised our concerns about Liu Xia’s extra-legal house arrest in our most recent quarterly update to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s Human Rights Report in September 2012. Our own representatives continue to be denied access to Liu Xia’s compound despite repeated attempts. EU diplomats most recently tried on 22 October. No requests to visit Liu Xiaobo in detention have been granted.
We regularly raise our concerns about the human rights situation with the Chinese embassy in London and with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beijing. The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), most recently raised our concerns during a meeting with the Chinese ambassador on 1 November. We will continue to do so, in concert with international partners.
Claims Management Companies
Question
Asked by Baroness Scott of Needham Market
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent publication by the Citizens Advice service on claims management companies, The Claims Pests.[HL3923]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Citizens Advice publication provides a useful summary of the evidence the organisation has collected about claims management companies’ (CMCs) practices, particularly those providing services in relation to payment protection insurance (PPI) mis-selling complaints. Citizens Advice has also made a number of recommendations for reform of the regulation of CMCs, including the strengthening of consumer protection controls in relation to data handling and misleading contracts, and a more proactive approach to redress for PPI complaints. The Government are committed to protecting consumers by eradicating the bad practices of some CMCs and other organisations
involved in the generation of leads. The Claims Management Regulation (CMR) Unit in the Ministry of Justice is making full use of its available resources to raise the standards of CMCs and to strengthen enforcement action against those which fail to comply. It also plans to introduce in April 2013 proportionate reforms to the rules which govern CMCs’ conduct. This action will go some way to addressing many of the concerns and recommendations made by Citizens Advice and the Government will continue to discuss possible further measures with the organisation, taking into account the need to ensure that any additional burdens on business are justified.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the decision by the International Monetary Fund to halt its loan programme to the Democratic Republic of the Congo because of concerns over transparency in that country’s mining sector, whether they will consult other members of the European Union on the merits of similar measures being taken by the European Union.[HL3983]
Baroness Northover: Her Majesty’s Government work with other bilateral and multilateral donors to push for greater transparency in the mining sector in Democratic Republic Congo and are in regular consultation with the European Union on the scale and form of its development assistance to that country. At present, all European Union development assistance is in the form of grants (not loans) that are not channelled through the Democratic Republic of Congo Government’s national budget.
Drones
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sanctioned, or have provided logistical or other assistance to, drone operations carried out by the United States in countries other than Afghanistan. [HL3006]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever): We do not routinely comment on the detail of operational co-operation with allies and partners.
Economy: Growth
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost to public finances and economic growth of rating agencies downgrading the United Kingdom’s sovereign credit rating.[HL3884]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Government’s overriding priority is to return the UK to sustainable, balanced economic growth. The actions taken to reduce the deficit and rebuild the economy have secured stability and positioned the UK as a relative safe haven, with interest rates near record lows, benefiting families, businesses and the tax payer.
Education: Funding
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the overall budget allocations for the Dedicated Schools Grant for each of the next three years.[HL3386]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): At the start of this spending period, the department announced that the Dedicated Schools Grant would be protected at flat cash per pupil. The overall budget will go up in line with pupil numbers. We do not yet have a settlement for the next spending review period.
Egypt
Questions
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the Government of Egypt about the freezing and return of Mubarak-era corrupt assets; and what action they have taken on the basis of those requests. [HL3963]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): A request from the Egyptian authorities for assistance in relation to the freezing and return of Mubarak-era corrupt assets would normally be made either as a formal request to the Home Office for mutual legal assistance (MLA) or to the Serious Organised Crime Agency in its capacity as the UK National Central Bureau for Interpol. Although I can confirm that the Home Office received 17 MLA requests from the Egyptian authorities in 2011, it is the usual policy neither to confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual MLA request.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress there has been on establishing the task force announced by the Prime Minister at the United Nations General Assembly on 26 September into identifying, freezing and returning Mubarak-era corrupt assets which are registered in London.[HL4013]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Officials from the Home Office, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Cabinet Office, Department for International Development and HM Treasury have been brought together under the leadership of the Minister of State for Crime
Prevention to build on and accelerate our existing effort to identify, freeze and return Mubarak-era stolen assets located in the UK. A multi-agency operational team, comprising staff from the UK Central Authority, Serious Organised Crime Agency, Metropolitan Police and Crown Prosecution Service has also been established under a single operational lead as part of the task force's work.
Employment: Statistics
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether for the purposes of statistics of the number of jobs in the economy a person who has two separate part-time jobs is counted once or twice.[HL4113]
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 Glen Watson, Director-General for ONS, to Lord Greaves, dated December 2012.
As Director-General for the Office for National Statistics (ONS), I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking whether for the purpose of statistics of the number of jobs in the economy a person who has two separate part-time jobs is counted once or twice. (HL4113)
The workforce jobs (WFJ) statistics provide estimates of the number of jobs in the economy. Because these estimates represent the number of jobs, where a person has two separate jobs, this counts as two jobs.
This differs from the number of people in employment, produced from the Labour Force Survey (LFS), which represents the number of people in employment where a person with two part-time jobs is counted once.
Health: Diabetes
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the Diabetes UK foot campaign; and what action they are taking to support it. [HL4031]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We have welcomed this important campaign by Diabetes UK. We are aware of the successful Implementing Integrated Foot Care Pathway meeting and the Putting Feet First parliamentary reception held on 22 October. Departmental officials working on diabetes attended both events.
There is significant geographical variation in lower limb amputation rates in people with diabetes, and this is outlined in the Atlas of Variation. It is important that people who have diabetes foot problems have access to appropriate diabetes foot care in line with National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidance.
In May 2012, NHS Diabetes set up diabetes foot clinical networks, with over 2,000 registered healthcare professional members, promoting and sharing best practice.
Health: Loneliness
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of loneliness in the elderly community at the risk of death.[HL3887]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The department has made no specific assessment of the impact of loneliness in the elderly community at the risk of death. However, we understand through our work with the Campaign to End Loneliness that loneliness can have a very negative impact on people’s health. Research shows that loneliness has an effect on mortality that is similar in size to smoking 15 cigarettes a day, and is associated with cardiovascular disease, dementia, poor sleep and depression.
The department is taking a number of steps to help address this important issue. So far this year, we have worked with the Campaign to End Loneliness to hold the first national summit on loneliness, and to launch a digital toolkit to support commissioners in understanding and mapping the issue in their local communities.
The department is also working to improve how loneliness is measured across the country. In 2013-14, there will be a measure of social isolation—among those in receipt of council services and carers—in the adult social care outcomes framework. The department is also working to develop a broader population-based measurement of loneliness, which will feature in both the adult social care and public health outcomes frameworks.
Health: Personal Health Budgets
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they allocated responsibility for personal health budgets to the National Commissioning Board rather than Clinical Commissioning Groups.[HL4025]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Clinical commissioning groups will have responsibility for personal health budgets. The NHS Commissioning Board will be responsible at national level for supporting implementation, just as it will support and oversee the commissioning system as a whole.
Health: Warfarin
Question
Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to educate general practitioners, and patients on long-term Warfarin treatment, about the use and management of self-monitoring. [HL3907]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government do not specify the content of medical training curricula. The content and standard of medical training is the responsibility of the General Medical Council (GMC), which is an independent professional body and the competent authority for medical training in the United Kingdom. Its role is that of custodian of quality standards in medical education and practice.
Guidance and information for general practitioners and patients about anticoagulation services, including the role of self-monitoring, has been published by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) Commissioning Guide: Anticoagulation Therapy Service (NICE, 2007) and NHS Improvement: Anticoagulation for Atrial Fibrillation: A Simple Overview to Support the Commissioning of Quality Services (2011). Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library.
Health: Whooping Cough
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent rise in cases of whooping cough in the United Kingdom, what assessment they have made of the number of cases of whooping cough internationally; what proportion of those who caught whooping cough in 2012 had been previously vaccinated; for how long they consider the whooping cough vaccine to be effective; and whether any whooping cough vaccine is licensed for use in adults, and in particular pregnant women.[HL3909]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Many developed countries have reported increases in whooping cough cases, although international comparisons are difficult due to different methods of surveillance and historical use of different vaccines and vaccine schedules used. The Health Protection Agency (HPA) regularly reviews the international literature on whooping cough and has had recent discussions with colleagues in the United States of America, Australia and Holland to understand how the outbreak in the United Kingdom compares with levels of disease reported elsewhere.
In the UK, a whooping cough vaccine is currently offered to all children at two, three and four months of age with a further dose offered pre-school. Among laboratory-confirmed whooping cough cases in England and Wales in infants up to the end of September 2012,
the vast majority of cases were too young to have any protection from vaccination. Only around 3% (10) cases in infants were known to have received three doses of vaccine. Among older children and adults (aged 1-44 years), an estimated 79% of laboratory-confirmed whooping cough cases in England and Wales were known to have received at least three doses of whooping cough vaccine.
Information on the vaccination status of confirmed whooping cough cases from January to September 2012 is shown in the following table.
| Age group (years) | Number reported to have received a full primary course of vaccine | Percentage reported to have received a full primary course of vaccine |
Source:
Health Protection Agency
Studies have shown that the first dose of vaccine is 62% effective in infants less than six months of age increasing to 95% for three doses. Three doses of vaccine are 83.7% effective at least 10 years after the primary course 1. The evidence suggests that protection against serious disease is very high but protection from infant vaccination declines in older adolescents and adults.
Not all vaccines against whooping cough are licensed for use in adults. Of the pertussis-containing vaccines that are currently licensed in the UK, only Repevax, Adacel, Boostrix and Boostrix-IPV are licensed for use in adults. Repevax has been routinely used in the UK childhood immunisation programme since 2004 and its safety is well established. Adacel, Boostrix and Boostrix-IPV are not currently marketed in the UK but they have been used extensively in other countries. Use in pregnancy is not contraindicated for any of these vaccines.
Note:
1. Campbell H, Amirthalingam G, Andrews N, Fry N, George R, Harrison T, Miller E. “Accelerating the control of pertussis in England and Wales”
Emerging Infectious Diseases 2012
; 18(1):38-47
Higher Education: Chartered Status
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether sixth form colleges will be permitted to apply for chartered status in the same way as that proposed for further education colleges.[HL4082]
Baroness Garden of Frognal: The Government are aware that sixth form colleges have expressed interest in being able to apply for chartered status, although there has been no formal request as yet. On 20 November
2012 Matthew Hancock, the Minister for Skills at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, launched a consultation on “Chartered Status for the Further Education Sector” (URN 12/1275). The consultation closes on 16 January 2013. The Government will consider the position of sixth form colleges in relation to chartered status in light of the responses received.
Homelessness
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to assist families with children living in temporary accommodation in the United Kingdom.[HL4041]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): This Government are committed to reducing homelessness and are taking action to help those families in temporary accommodation. On 9 November 2012 local authorities were given new powers under the Localism Act 2011 enabling them to use good-quality private rented sector accommodation to end the main homelessness duty. This will mean shorter waiting times for homeless households and less time spent in temporary accommodation. In addition, the Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2012 will help to prevent the use of poor-quality accommodation and prevent homeless households from being placed hundreds of miles away from their previous home.
We also have concerns about the number of families in bed and breakfast accommodation and have called on local authorities to do more to avoid this. This was one of the 10 challenges that we set local government in the recent ministerial working group report on homelessness. In addition, my honourable friend the Minister for Housing recently met with London boroughs with the highest homelessness numbers (including families in bed and breakfast for over six weeks) to discuss what the issues are and how they are going to resolve them.
The Government have invested £400 million in homelessness prevention over four years (2011-12 to 2014-15) and announced an additional £70 million investment over the last year to tackle rough sleeping, single homelessness and repossessions.
Housing
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Autumn Statement, what steps they will take to help first-time buyers get onto the housing ladder.[HL3968]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The Autumn Statement provided an additional £280 million for the FirstBuy scheme, building on the £180 million allocated to the scheme at Budget 2011.
Taken together, this investment will support 27,000 first-time buyers in England by March 2014. First-time buyers can also benefit from the NewBuy mortgage indemnity scheme, which enables people to buy a newly built home with a deposit of only 5% of the purchase price.
India
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have raised with the Government of India the issue of ratification by India of the United Nations Convention against Torture and its optional protocols, and the proposal for a visit of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture to India, including Kashmir.[HL3936]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): At the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review of India in May, we recommended that India expedite the ratification of the Convention against Torture and its optional protocol and adopt robust domestic legislation to this effect.
We have not raised the proposed visit by the UN Special Rapporteur but we understand that the visit has been postponed until after the ratification of the Convention against Torture.
Internet: 4G Spectrum
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the comments by Lord Sassoon on 5 December (Official Report, col. 714) that the figure of £3.5 billion to be received from the auction of 4G spectrum had been certified by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), what was the evidence on which the OBR was able to certify that figure; and whether evidence from non-government sources had been taken into account.[HL4007]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) costs all government policies. The policy costing note, published at Autumn Statement 2012, indicates that the OBR’s costing of 4G auction receipts is based on “independent analysis of revenues from comparable spectrum auctions outside the UK, and the increasing economic value of spectrum underpinned by the high level of anticipated competition in the commercial marketplace”1.
1Page 38 http://cdn.hm-treasury.gov.uk/as20l2_policy_costings.pdf.
Life Sciences
Question
Asked by Baroness Masham of Ilton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which official has lead responsibility for communicating with the life sciences industry; and in which directorate of which department they are based.[HL3779]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Lord Marland): The directorate is the Skills and Life Sciences Directorate. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) considers that the release of the name of the leading official would not meet the conditions of Schedule 2 to the Data Protection Act
NHS: GP Accreditation
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what NHS bodies will be responsible from April 2013 for the accreditation and re-accreditation of general practitioners with a special interest.[HL4015]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the current framework for the accreditation and re-accreditation of general practitioners with a special interest; and whether they plan to renew that framework in the light of the forthcoming abolition of primary care trusts. [HL4016]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): General practitioners with a special interest continue to play an important part in delivering specialised services in community settings. The current framework for accreditation and re-accreditation is under review and decisions on arrangements from April 2013 will be announced in due course.
NHS: Women Doctors
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of responsible officers and appraisers in the doctors’ revalidation scheme are women.[HL3997]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The General Medical Council estimates that 21% of responsible officers are female. Information about the gender of appraisers of doctors for revalidation is not available.
Protection of Freedoms Act 2012
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any powers of entry have been reviewed, pursuant to the duty contained in the Protection of Freedoms Act 2012; and whether any such powers have been abolished.[HL3865]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Section 42 of the Protection of Freedoms Act provides for a review across government departments of powers of entry which fall within the responsibilities of each department, within a period of two years from enactment—that is, from 1 May 2012.
This process has commenced and a number of departments have identified relevant powers to be subject to review. We have undertaken to provide a progress report to Parliament on the first six months of the review and we hope to be able to provide this shortly.
Public Health
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health was discontinued. [HL3919]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to replace the Cabinet Sub-Committee on Public Health with another body of equivalent seniority to consider cross-departmental aspects of public health.[HL3920]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Public Health Sub-Committee made an important contribution to the good progress that has been made in public health policy issues so far, in particular the development of the public health outcomes framework. Following the dissolution of the sub-committee, public health issues will now be mainstreamed into the broader domestic policy committees rather than sitting with a separate sub-committee. This will enable public health issues to be discussed and public health policy decisions to be taken by a wider group of Ministers from across government, who are of at least equivalent seniority to those members of the sub-committee.
Roads: Funding
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to finance the Lancaster-Morecambe
by-pass development; and, if so, what is their estimated timetable for funding.[HL4106]
Earl Attlee: Funding approval for the Heysham to M6 link road scheme was granted in February 2011. Subject to successful completion of the remaining statutory procedures and final approval, Lancashire County Council, the scheme’s promoter, plans to start construction in July 2013.
Roads: New Roads
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of funding announced in the Autumn Statement, how many miles of motorway or new or improved carriageway they expect to be constructed; and over what period.[HL3998]
Earl Attlee: The funding provided by the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement will increase investment in England’s motorways and major A roads supporting the economy and keep the country moving.
The Statement included funding of £1 billion to enable four new major road projects to start construction in this spending review period. These schemes (A5-M1 link, A1 Lobley Hill, A1 Leeming to Barton and A30 Temple Higher Carblake) will collectively add an additional 38 lane miles (61 lane kilometres) to the strategic road network by 2017-18.
A detailed table showing each scheme is below.
| Scheme | Additional Lane Miles* | Additional Lane Kilometres* |
rounded to one decimal place
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the increased expenditure on roads announced in the Autumn Statement, what are the estimated employment implications.[HL3999]
Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport has not made an assessment of the employment implications of the roads package announced by the Chancellor in his 2012 Autumn Statement. It is currently estimated that the four additional improvement schemes announced will generate over £5-worth of benefits for every pound spent on implementing them.
There are, however, some indications of the potential wider impacts of some of the specific major schemes announced. For example, the A5-M1 link road at Dunstable is projected to unlock the development of 7,000 houses and 40 hectares of employment land—potentially providing 4,000 jobs—at Houghton Regis.