Written Answers
Monday 28 January 2013
Abortion
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making with their investigation of allegations that gender abortions are taking place in England and Wales.[HL4628]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The police and Crown Prosecution Service continue to investigate allegations of sex selection abortions.
United Kingdom birth ratios are within normal limits. However, we continue to closely monitor birth ratios and we are in the process of analysing preliminary data.
Advisory Committee on Business Appointments
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments (ACOBA) followed proper practice in reviewing the application made by Lord Sassoon to become an executive director of Jardine Matheson with effect from 14 January 2013; whether any advice was sought or received on the application from HM Treasury or the Cabinet Office, and if so whether it was followed; and whether ACOBA took into account Jardine Matheson’s investment in businesses regulated by the Financial Services Authority including Rothschild Continuation Holdings, Jardine Lloyd Thompson, Jardine Reinsurance Management and Thistle Insurance in making its assessment. [HL4375]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on how many occasions in each of the last five calendar years the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments has considered applications from serving ministers. [HL4434]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a serving minister applying to the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments for advice in connection with a specific employment offer is required under the Ministerial Code to disclose it on the list of ministers' interests.[HL4435]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the website of the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments provided no information on 9 January on the announced appointment of Lord Sassoon to the board of Jardine Matheson.[HL4437]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Advisory Committee on Business Appointments provides advice only to former ministers; or whether it will also advise serving ministers in respect of specific employment offers.[HL4637]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The Ministerial Code requires former Ministers (and serving Ministers, if appropriate) to seek advice from the independent Advisory Committee on Business Appointments about any appointment or employment they wish to take up within two years of leaving office. As was the case under the previous Administration, the process is confidential.
The advisory committee considers each application on its individual merits and in accordance with the Business Appointment Rules for Former Ministers published on its website at: http://acoba.independent.gov.uk. The normal process was followed in respect of Lord Sassoon's recent application. As the committee makes clear on its website, it advised that it saw no reason why Lord Sassoon should not take up the appointment immediately after he left ministerial office, subject to the following conditions:
for three months from his last day in office, his activities on behalf of his new employer would be strictly limited to matters directly concerning the company's interests in Asia, and that he would have no involvement in its UK business or operation;for 12 months from the same date, he should not provide advice to his new employer, or any subsidiary of the Jardine Matheson Group, on the terms of any bid or contract directly relating to HM Treasury; andfor two years from the same date, he should not become personally involved in lobbying the UK Government on behalf of his new employer or any subsidiary of the Jardine Matheson Group.
The advisory committee publishes on its website the advice it has given on appointments. This information, which includes relevant dates, is also published in the advisory committee's annual reports. These are also available on the advisory committee's website going back to 1996.
Animals and Plants: Endangered Species and Extinction
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of animal and plant species which will become critically endangered or extinct if the global human population reaches 10 billion by the end of this century.[HL4605]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The Government have not made an assessment of how many species would become endangered or extinct due to population growth. However, the third Global Biodiversity Outlook, published by the Convention on Biological Diversity in 2010 and welcomed by the Tenth Conference of Parties, concluded that:
“Most future scenarios project continuing high levels of extinctions and loss of habitats throughout this century, with associated decline of some ecosystem services important to human well-being”.
The UK Government contributed towards funding the work on scenarios included in this report.
Armed Conflict: Rape
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have taken steps to ensure that women raped in war are given access to appropriate and necessary medical care by means of safe abortions by the International Committee of the Red Cross.[HL4580]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to ensure that their policy of providing safe abortions to women raped in war is followed by the International Committee of the Red Cross and other humanitarian organisations.[HL4581]
Baroness Northover: In the recent House of Lords debate on 9 January 2013 (Official Report, col. 208), the UK’s policy was made clear—including that there may be some circumstances where an abortion might be offered, despite being in breach of national law, such as when the life of the mother is at risk. The provision of such services depends on the specific circumstances of each situation.
As a humanitarian donor, the UK does not ask the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), or any other humanitarian organisation, to compromise its humanitarian mandate. All humanitarian organisations are free to determine how they operate within the guidance of humanitarian principles and in accordance with applicable international law.
The ICRC has little medical infrastructure of its own in conflict-affected countries. The majority of its assistance is provided as support to national health services who retain the primary responsibility for the medical care of their citizens.
The ICRC was aware of the recent debate and we continue to engage in dialogue with them on this. They are also aware of the UK’s policy and position.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will encourage the International Committee of the Red Cross to separate its United States funding from that of the United Kingdom, to ensure safe abortion services for women raped in war.[HL4582]
Baroness Northover: I refer the noble Baroness to my speech in the House of Lords on 9 January 2013 (Official Report, col. 208). UK aid is not in any way influenced by the restrictions in place on US funding.
Humanitarian organisations are subject to strict audit and accounting processes. Most organisations receive their funding from a variety of donors, each with its own particular terms and conditions. It is part of normal business for these organisations to follow the relevant terms and conditions for each donor’s contribution.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make representations to the Government of the United States regarding the ban on United
States aid being used for abortions for women raped in armed conflict.[HL4583]
Baroness Northover: I refer the noble Baroness to my speech in the House on 9 January in the debate on rape in armed conflict (Official Report, col. 208): DfID officials are in regular dialogue with both USAID and US-based international non-governmental organisations with regard to improving access to sexual and reproductive health services and rights. This includes reducing recourse to unsafe abortion.
US colleagues have been made aware of the debate, and we continue to have a dialogue on the issues raised including the UK position on the interpretation of international humanitarian law in these situations.
Aviation: Baggage Charges
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the proposal by the chairman of the European Parliament's Transport and Tourism Committee, Mr Brian Simpson MEP, to standardise airline baggage-charging rules across the European Union.[HL4798]
Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport has made no assessment. The charges commercial airlines levy for carrying baggage is a matter for airlines to decide as private commercial companies.
Aviation: Helicopters
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to issue new guidelines for helicopter flights over Greater London once the Air Accident Investigation Branch's findings relating to the incident at Vauxhall on 16 January are available.[HL4757]
Earl Attlee: It is too early to speculate about when the Air Accident Investigations Branch will complete its investigations of the accident involving an Augusta Westland AW109 helicopter at Vauxhall on 16 January 2013. There is no reason to believe that helicopter operations over London are unsafe. However, once the reasons behind the accident are known and clearly understood we will consider if any additional measures could further enhance safety.
Banks: HBOS
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect the Financial Services Authority to publish their report into the causes of the failure of HBOS in 2008.[HL4635]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has committed to produce a public interest report into the causes of the failure of HBOS (similar to the report it published on RBS). The report is expected to be published in the summer of 2013.
In order to do this, the FSA has had to complete all the enforcement investigations in order not to prejudice the outcome of ongoing enforcement action.
The FSA board minutes of 5 September 2012 provide additional detail regarding the scope, approach and governance of the work1.
1 http://www.fsa.gov.uk/static/pubs/board-minutes/5sep12.pdf
Banks: Iceland
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Sassoon on 8 January (WA 9–10), what are the penalties the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority can impose on Iceland if found guilty of failure to meet its legal obligations to United Kingdom and Dutch depositors under the European Union deposit guarantee directive; what are the enforcement mechanisms in relation to any such judgment; and whether they will provide an accumulated net figure for the amount owed by each failed Icelandic bank. [HL4611]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The European Free Trade Association (EFTA) Surveillance Authority (ESA) can issue decisions to a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) which the ESA considers is in breach of EEA law and refer the matter to the EFTA Court. As a member of the EEA, Iceland is required by EEA law to comply with judgments of EFTA court. Neither the ESA nor the EFTA court has the power to impose a fine on a member of the EEA.
The accumulated amounts owed by each failed Icelandic bank to the UK Government and the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) are set out in notes 15, 30, 31 and 33 of the Treasury's 2011-12 annual report. The report can be found on the Treasury's website1
1 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/dep_perf_reports_index.htm
Banks: Royal Bank of Scotland
Question
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that any out-of-court settlement by the Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) with the United States' and United Kingdom authorities is fully scrutinised and is approved in advance by UK Financial Investments and HM Treasury to minimise the net cost to the United Kingdom taxpayers’ interests in terms of both the overall cost to RBS and the proportion of any settlement going to United States rather than United Kingdom regulators.[HL4553]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The size of a fine, in relation to any breach of regulation, is a regulatory matter. It would not be appropriate for the Government to comment on an ongoing individual case.
The Government’s shareholding in RBS is managed on a commercial and arm's-length basis by UK Financial Investments Ltd (UKFI), a company wholly owned by the Government.
BBC: Royal Charter
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 11 December (WA 207–8), whether they have made representations to the BBC Trust about balance in the BBC's coverage of climate change, in line with clauses 44 and 45 of the agreement accompanying the BBC Charter.[HL4412]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I can confirm that the Government have made no representations to the BBC Trust about balance in the BBC’s coverage of climate change. Within the framework of the charter and agreement, the BBC is editorially and operationally independent of government and there is no provision for the Government to intervene in the BBC’s day-to-day activities. The fulfilment of the requirements of the agreement by the BBC is a matter for the BBC Trust.
Benefits
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students aged 19 and over in further education receive (1) jobseeker's allowance, (2) employment and support allowance, and (3) income support; and for each benefit, how many are (a) required to study as a condition of receiving benefit, and (b) studying on a voluntary basis.[HL4704]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The information requested is not available.
Burma
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider providing further humanitarian assistance to internally displaced people in Kachin State through local community organisations.[HL4786]
Baroness Northover: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given in the other place on 21 January by the Minister of State for International Development, the right honourable Alan Duncan MP (Official Report, col. 79W).
Community First
Questions
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Derby
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications have been made to the Community First matching fund in the United Kingdom. [HL4616]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost to date of the Community First matching fund.[HL4617]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: By 30 November 2012, the latest date for which figures are available, 4,585 applications for match funding had been made to the Community First Neighbourhood Matched Fund.
The total cost to date of the Community First Neighbourhood Matched Fund is £9.922,200.00 (incl. VAT). This financial year £24,600,000 in contributions from the community have matched the government funding.
This includes over 1,378,000 volunteer hours and £4.1 million in cash.
Deaf People: Benefits
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support will be available to deaf people who need communication support if they are unable to follow complex information when communicating verbally, following the passage of the Social Security (Personal Independence Payment) Regulations 2013.[HL4595]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The Government believe that support in personal independence payment should be targeted at those people who face the greatest barriers to participating in society. In order to do this, the assessment for personal independence payment considers individuals’ ability to carry out selected key activities, and what support they might need to do so. Ten of the activities are focused on daily living and two on mobility. Priority in the assessment will be focused on those people who are least able to carry out the activities.
The 10 key activities related to the daily living component cover a range of aspects of daily life, including one activity on the ability to communicate verbally. If an individual needs communication support to be able to understand complex verbal information, they could be awarded descriptor C in this activity, which has four points attached to it. While four points on its own will not be enough to bring entitlement to the daily living component, individuals may also score points in other activities within the assessment, depending on their individual circumstances. Individuals needing communication support to be able to understand basic verbal information will receive eights points, which in itself brings entitlement to the standard rate of the component.
Debt: Debt Management Companies
Question
Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to regulate the debt management industry.[HL4669]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): We have noted with some concern the latest report from the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) highlighting problems in the wider consumer credit industry and fully support any enforcement action they take. The Government have also commissioned research into the impact of capping the total cost of credit. The research will be published once complete, in the next few weeks. We have also strengthened the enforcement role of the Office of Fair Trading with a new power to suspend consumer credit licences with immediate effect where there is an urgent need to protect consumers.
We continue to work closely with industry to improve standards and to ensure that the issues faced by vulnerable customers in difficult economic circumstances are appropriately addressed.
Deportation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been returned from the United Kingdom to (1) Romania, and (2) Bulgaria, in each year since those countries acceded to the European Union, by reason of (a) failure to be able to maintain themselves economically, (b) criminal conviction, and (c) other reasons.[HL4681]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The number of people removed or who departed voluntarily to Romania and Bulgaria since the beginning of 2007 is:
(1) Destination as recorded on source database; all nationals returned to Bulgaria and Romania.
(2) Removals are recorded on the system as at the dates on which the data extracts were taken.
(P) Provisional figures. Figures will under record due to data cleansing and data matching exercises that take place after the extracts are taken.
The numbers of people removed or who departed voluntarily by reason of (a) failure to be able to maintain themselves economically or (c) other reasons is not available without examination of the individual records. To do so would incur disproportionate cost.
It is our policy not to disclose the countries to which we remove or deport foreign national offenders as this could jeopardise our diplomatic relations and our ability to continue to do so.
The Home Office publishes quarterly and annual statistics on the number of persons removed or departed voluntarily from the UK within Immigration Statistics. The data on removals and voluntary departures by destination and type are available in the latest release, Immigration Statistics: July-September 2012, tables rv.06 and rv.06.q, from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Science, research and statistics web pages at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science-research/research-statistics/migration/migration-statistics1/.
Data for October-December 2012 and annual figures for 2012 will be published as part of the regular Home Office publication scheme on 28 February.
Economy
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to protect the United Kingdom economy in general, and the financial sector in particular, if the number of European Union nations using the euro fell below five.[HL4577]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Government are undertaking extensive contingency planning to deal with all potential outcomes in the euro area.
Egypt
Questions
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when in 2011 they received 17 Mutual Legal Assistance requests from the Egyptian authorities; and whether those requests are being processed by the United Kingdom Central Authority.[HL4692]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): All 17 Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) requests from Egypt were received by the UK Central Authority (UKCA). However it is the usual policy neither to confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual MLA request, including the date a request was received or accepted.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether copies of the 17 Mutual Legal Assistance requests received from the Egyptian authorities in 2011 were forwarded to the Serious Fraud Office or to any other United Kingdom law enforcement agency.[HL4693]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: When a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request is received by the UK Central Authority (UKCA) they liaise with law enforcement agencies as appropriate and where necessary forward the request to a law enforcement agency for execution. However it is the usual policy neither to confirm nor deny the existence, content or status of any individual MLA request, including which law enforcement agencies have been, or are, involved in any specific request.
Embryology
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 5 December 2012 (WA 158–9), what examples there have been in which technical challenges associated with somatic cell nuclear transfer were overcome on the basis of insights gained from pronuclear transfer; and how else the optimisation of one of those techniques has already informed the development of the other. [HL4555]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): This is a technical scientific question and an issue likely to be addressed in peer-reviewed scientific literature.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 5 December 2012 (WA 158–9), why the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority used the term “mitochondria replacement” instead of “pronuclear transfer” or “spindle transfer”; what was the prior evidence to suggest that a lay audience would better understand “mitochondria replacement” than “nuclear DNA replacement”; and whether in effect it is the mitochondria that are actually replaced rather than the nuclear DNA of embryos as defined in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act.[HL4556]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that, as outlined in the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Lord Marland’s answer of 5 December 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 158-9), the aim in using such terminology was to enable a lay audience to understand the essential purpose of these techniques, which is to replace unhealthy mitochondria.
Descriptions of maternal spindle transfer and pro-nuclear transfer can be found on the HFEA’s consultation website at: http://mitochondria.hfea.gov.uk/mitochondria/ what-is-mitochondrial-disease/new-techniques-to-prevent-mitochondrial-disease/.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Marland on 19 November (WA 311–2) and 5 December 2012 (WA 158–9), to
what extent they consider that differential segregation of abnormal versus normal mitochondria through a bottleneck during oogenesis may contribute to the pathology of mitochondrial disease in offspring, and whether different tissues are known to be particularly susceptible to mitochondrial disease. [HL4557]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: This is a technical scientific research question and an issue likely to be addressed in the scientific literature.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Lord Marland on 19 November (WA 311–2) and 5 December 2012 (WA 158–9), by what methods they assess any increase in the mutation load of particular tissues due to differential segregation and the effects of pronuclear transfer on tissues with different energetic requirements or numbers of mitochondria; whether it is necessary or desirable to confirm that mitochondrial function is normal and to measure the proportion of abnormal mitochondria in various cell types after carrying out pronuclear transfer in embryos with abnormal mitochondria; and whether any such assessment should be made by producing stem cell lines from the reconstructed embryos or by induced pluripotent stem cells.[HL4558]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: This is a technical scientific research question.
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) agreed, in February 2011, to a request from the Secretary of State for Health to scope “expert views on the effectiveness and safety of mitochondrial transfer”. The authority established a small panel, with broad-ranging expertise, to collate and summarise scientific evidence submitted from a wide range of experts in the field. The HFEA submitted a report of the panel’s findings to the Department of Health on 18 April 2011. This report can be found on the authority’s website at: http://www.hfea.gov.uk/6896.html. As part of this report the panel considered background information on mitochondrial biology and disease.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 5 December 2012 (WA 158–9), whether the pronuclei are the nuclei of the gametes within the embryo and are therefore DNA-containing nuclei.[HL4559]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The department has sought advice from medical researchers through the Medical Research Council. The pronuclei are unique entities, they exist only in the zygote. The female pronucleus contains the nuclear DNA from the egg and the male pronucleus contains the nuclear DNA from the sperm.
Employment: Public Sector
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many new private sector jobs have been created since May 2010 in each region and country of the United Kingdom; and what has been the change in the number of people in public sector employment since May 2010 in each region and country of the United Kingdom.[HL4853]
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 Bates, dated January 2013.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics. I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question of how many new private sector jobs have been created since May 2010 in each region and country of the United Kingdom: and what has been the change in the number of people in public sector employment since May 2010 in each region and country of the United Kingdom. (HL4853)
Official estimates of public sector employment are produced quarterly for March, June, September and December. Estimates for interim months are unavailable. The latest available estimates are currently for September 2012.
Private sector employment estimates are derived using official quarterly public sector employment estimates. and total employment estimates from the Labour Force Survey. Again, estimates for interim months are unavailable and the latest available estimates are currently for September 2012.
All of these estimates relate to the number of people in employment. This is not quite the same as the number of jobs, since one person may have more than one job. The estimated change in the numbers in employment is not the same as the number of jobs created, since it is effectively a net figure, equivalent to the difference between jobs created and jobs that are lost.
It should be noted that English further education colleges and sixth form college corporations were reclassified from the public sector to the private sector from 1 April 2012. As a result an estimated employment of 196,000 moved from the public to the private sector between March 2012 and June 2012. Estimates of both public and private sector employment excluding the impact of this reclassification are available at United Kingdom level (at http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/about-ons/what-we-do/publication-scheme/published-ad-hoc-data/labour-market/december-2012/index.html). Work to produce similar estimates by region is currently underway, with a planned release date of 6 March 2013.
Estimates of net change in employment from March 2010 to September 2012 and June 2010 to September 2012 are attached at annex A.
| Net change in employment 1,2,3 | ||||
| Thousands, not seasonally adjusted | ||||
| From March 2010 to September 2012 | From June 2010 to September 2012 | |||
| Public Sector | Private Sector | Public Sector | Private Sector | |
1 Estimates are based on w here people are employed.
2 English further education colleges and English sixth form college corporations classified to public sector from 1993 to 31 March 2012 They are therefore included in public sector estimates from 1993 to Q1 2012. and to the private sector thereafter. Further details can be found at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/pse/public-sector-employment/q3-2012/stb-pse-2012q3.html
3 Quarterly changes in employment may be due to seasonal effects.
4 Public sector employment estimates for Scotland are in line with the Q3 2012 Public Sector in Scotland publication. Further details can be found at: http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Labour-Market/PublicSectorEmployment.
5 The estimate for Great Britain is the sum total of England, Wales and Scotland.
6 Estimates of public sector employment for Northern Ireland will differ to those published by DETINI. The ONS figures include HM Forces personnel.
7 UK estimates include overseas employees, those who did not state their region of workplace when surveyed as part of the Labour Force Survey and public sector employees that could not be assigned to a region.
EU: Budget
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the €26.98 billion proposed by the European Council in recent budget negotiations for the 11th European Development Fund (EDF) compares with the current budget; what is the proposed budget for European Union external spending; what position they will adopt on those proposals; whether the underspend in the EDF’s rolling programme can be retained; and what consequences any cuts would have for the Department for International Development’s programme. [HL4730]
Baroness Northover: The European Commission has proposed that the European Development Fund (EDF) amounts to €30.32 billion over 2014-20, compared to an allocation of €22.68 billion for 2008-13. The UK’s top priority in the negotiations for the European Union (EU) budget and EDF in the period 2014-20 is that the level of EU expenditure must be carefully contained. We oppose increases beyond real growth in any area of EU expenditure, including the EDF. However, we believe that it is also important to maintain or increase the proportion of official development assistance within a restrained overall budget. Any funds which do not get committed to programmes under the current EDF will reduce payments member states are required to make under the 11th EDF.
EU: Food
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the European Commission's evaluation report for the 2009–11 European Union Food Facility; whether the facility has been successful in tackling poverty, steadying food prices and supporting small farmers and producers; and whether that facility will be extended or replaced with similar programmes.[HL4731]
Baroness Northover: The final evaluation of the EU Food Facility confirmed that the global programme has been a success. It has managed to bridge the gap between humanitarian assistance and development. It has successfully mitigated the impact of high food prices for poor people and has strengthened poor people’s food security and livelihoods through context-specific programmes. A longer implementation period
and a narrowed geographical scope would have increased impact. The evaluation includes important lessons for future bilateral and multilateral assistance.
EU: Science and Technology
Question
Asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of their proposals to renegotiate the United Kingdom’s relationship with the European Union on participation in, and funding from, the science and technologies programmes of the European Union for United Kingdom businesses and research projects.[HL4542]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The Government are committed to help shape the future of an open, flexible and adaptable European Union, welcome the continuing high level of participation by the UK research base in EU research funding programmes and are actively engaged in the negotiations for the next funding programme (Horizon 2020).
Extradition
Question
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the decisions on the applications by Jordan for the extradition of Abu Qatada and that by Thailand for the extradition of Lee Aldhouse, they intend to re-examine and amend the relevant legislation to ensure that a higher threshold is applied to requests for the extradition of United Kingdom citizens to other countries than for the extradition of foreign nationals to their own country; and if not, why not.[HL4677]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Government are seeking to deport, rather than extradite, Abu Qatada to Jordan.
In terms of extradition, the Government have no plans to introduce a different threshold for extradition requests based on the nationality of the person requested.
Government Departments: e-mail
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many private email accounts are used by Ministers, special advisers and officials in the Department for Transport to communicate with each other and other parts of government.[HL4729]
Earl Attlee: The Ministerial Code, the Code of Conduct for Special Advisers, and the Civil Service Code set out how Ministers, officials and special advisers should conduct government business.
Government Departments: Ministerial Meetings
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what meetings took place between HM Treasury ministers and officials and directors and executives of Jardine Matheson over the last year, including in connection with overseas business promotion by ministers and officials, infrastructure and other investments by private sector sources in public project finance, and financial regulation.[HL4573]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): Treasury Ministers and officials engage with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors, as part of the policy development and delivery process.
The Treasury publishes a list of ministerial meetings with external organisations on its website1
1 http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/minister hospitality.htm
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many meetings of (1) the Multinational Chairman’s Group, and (2) the Business Advisory Group, took place at 10 Downing Street in 2012.[HL4889]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: As part of this Government’s transparency programme, details of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on the Cabinet Office website: http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/content/ ministers-transparency-publications.
Government of Ireland Bill
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they have made to mark the opposition to the Government of Ireland Bill in session 1912-13 in a similar fashion to the reception they are organising for the Government of the Republic of Ireland on 16 January to celebrate the passing of the Government of Ireland Bill in session 1912-13.[HL4608]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson): The event on 16 January to mark the centenary of the passing of the Second Reading of the third Home Rule Bill through the other place, addressed the historical events of the time including opposition to the Bill. Likewise the exhibition in Westminster Hall that was opened in March 2012—and which travelled both to the Oireachtas and Stormont—addressed Unionist opposition to the Bill.
Greece: Financial Support
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the reported comment by Angela Merkel that governments are likely to take a loss on Greek debt; and whether, and to what extent, the United Kingdom would be affected.[HL4591]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): It would not be appropriate for the Government to speculate on events in Greece.
The UK does not have any direct exposure to financial assistance provided to Greece, as set out in the Written Answer given on 14 June 2012 [HL584].
Health: Diabetes
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that all adults and children with diabetes type 1 and 2 get their recommended annual tests.[HL4672]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government will hold the NHS Commissioning Board to account for driving improvement in the quality of NHS services through the NHS mandate. The mandate is the main basis of ministerial instruction to the NHS Commissioning Board, which will be operationally independent and clinically led.
The NHS Commissioning Board is legally required to pursue the objectives in this document, including “managing ongoing physical and mental health conditions such as dementia, diabetes and depression so that we, our families and our carers can experience a better quality of life”.
The success of the NHS in delivering improvements in quality and outcomes for people with diabetes will be captured through the NHS Outcomes Framework, primarily through indicators in the domain on long-term conditions, and through indicators on mortality from conditions to which diabetes is a major contributory factor.
Health: Electronic Patient Record Systems
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many NHS trusts and foundation trusts currently have fully operational electronic patient record (EPR) systems; and how progress will be monitored to ensure that the NHS Commissioning Board achieves its target for all trusts to have EPR systems in place by 2014–15.[HL4795]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Information on how many National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts currently have operational electronic patient records is not held centrally.
The NHS Commissioning Board confirms it will be working with other key stakeholder bodies to establish mechanisms to maintain oversight of the implementation of electronic patient records across the system as part of its role.
Health: Melanomas
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce melanoma cases in the United Kingdom, including safety regulation for the sunbed industry.[HL4755]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Department has funded Cancer Research UK (CRUK) to run skin cancer prevention activity in England under SunSmart banner. In 2012-13 the department has built on the successes of previous years by continuing to target young people aged 16-24 with the key messages of the importance of avoiding sunburn and the dangers of sunbed use (especially by those under 18). Core activities have included disseminating SunSmart branded resources (leaflets and posters); ensuring messages are promoted to the target audience at specific events; and, working with general practitioners to raise awareness of skin cancer symptoms.
In July 2012, the department also commissioned and launched a separate campaign, Flag It, to encourage young people to look out for each other while enjoying the sun. The campaign highlighted the dangers of ultraviolet exposure and skin cancer by asking sun seekers to “flag it” when a friend needs to cover up, apply some sunscreen or stay in the shade.
The department has recently commissioned a repeat of CRUK’s successful sunbed campaign, previously launched at the end of 2011. This will be a nationwide initiative calling on young people to face the damage being inflicted on their skin in pursuit of a tan and is due to run in February 2013.
The Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 came into force on 8 April 2011 in England and Wales. Sunbed businesses are responsible for complying with the law and local authorities are responsible for ensuring the implementation and enforcement of the Act. To support compliance, the department has published Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010 Information for Sunbed Businesses and Guidance on the implementation of the Sunbeds (Regulation) Act 2010. Both sets of guidance are available at the following link: www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_125656.
A copy has already been placed in the Library.
Health: Organ Donation
Question
Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what means they have to facilitate and assist members of the public who launch their own local campaigns aimed at increasing organ donor registration.[HL4675]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has responsibility for promoting organ donation in the United Kingdom. NHSBT encourages individuals, businesses and charities to get involved in campaigning to promote public awareness of organ donation and to increase the number of people on the organ donor register. To facilitate this, NHSBT has a dedicated campaigns webpage that includes a downloadable campaign pack and an online “shopping” facility for members of the public to order leaflets and other promotional items.
NHSBT has a campaign team who are able to offer advice and guidance for larger promotional events. Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter also provide an interactive forum for supporters to share campaign ideas. Last year, during National Transplant Week, NHSBT established a dedicated campaign microsite that contained downloadable campaign materials, including template press releases to help supporters promote their campaign to local media outlets.
Health: Urology
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make an assessment of the impact of access to appropriate urology and stoma devices on (1) incidence of infection, (2) product wastage, and (3) ability to participate in employment.[HL4753]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Access to appropriate urology and stoma products is essential to enable people with urological conditions to avoid infection and to participate as fully as possible in the activities of daily life including employment. Specialist stoma nurses and other community nursing staff are trained to advise on the most appropriate products for individual patients, and prescribers can prescribe any products listed in Part IX of the Drug Tariff.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the importance of specialist nurses in improving outcomes for stoma and continence patients.[HL4754]
Earl Howe: While the Government value the role of specialist nurses, they have not made any assessment on their function in respect of the health outcomes for stoma and continence patients.
House of Lords: Catering
Questions
Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours
To ask the Chairman of Committees whether the Refreshment Committee of the House of Lords factored into calculations on the levels of House of
Lords catering subsidy the decision by the House of Commons authorities to open up more catering facilities to usage by Members of the House of Lords. [HL4530]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel): The widening of access rights to some Commons catering outlets was part of a set of reciprocal access arrangements agreed by both Houses last year. As the arrangements are reciprocal, the Administration’s financial plan has been drawn up on the basis that the impact on Lords outlets would be neutral.
Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours
To ask the Chairman of Committees whether any review of catering services in the House of Lords will take into account the implications of the full amalgamation of catering services throughout the Palace of Westminster and the opening of House of Commons catering facilities to members of the House of Lords.[HL4531]
The Chairman of Committees: The Refreshment Committee is currently reviewing the catering service provided in the House of Lords, but that review is not considering the amalgamation of catering services throughout the Palace of Westminster.
Last year, the Refreshment Committee of this House, and the House of Commons Administration Committee, agreed a set of reciprocal access arrangements which means that Peers can now access some Commons catering outlets, and MPs can access some Lords outlets, at certain times. Full details of the access arrangements can be found on the intranet.
House of Lords: Catering and Retail
Questions
Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours
To ask the Chairman of Committees what was the total net cost of House of Lords catering and retail services in (1) 2009–10, (2) 2010–11, and (3) 2011–12; and what is that sum as a proportion of the resource budget of the House of Lords.[HL4529]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Sewel): For the financial years requested, the total net cost of House of Lords Catering and Retail Services, and that sum as a proportion of the resource budget of the House of Lords, was as follows:
| Financial year | Total net cost of Catering and Retail Services (in £000s) | Cost as a proportion of the resource budget |
Asked by Lord Campbell-Savours
To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the end of year House of Lords catering and retail services outturn figures on (1) turnover, (2) profit, and (3) cost of subsidy, for (a) the Peers' Dining
Room, (b) the Home Room, (c) the River Restaurant, (d) the Bishops' Bar, (e) the Lords' Bar, (f) the Gift Shop, (g) banqueting and functions, and (h) Millbank House, in 2011–12.[HL4532]
The Chairman of Committees: The figures requested are set out below, plus (for the sake of completeness) those for the two remaining outlets. A positive contribution equates to “profit”, a negative contribution equates to “cost of subsidy”.
| Outlet | Turnover | Contribution |
These figures have been calculated using a number of assumptions. Costs which are directly attributable to particular outlets have been allocated to those outlets. Some central costs have been split between each of the outlets, banqueting and retail services. Others are assigned to administration and kitchen central cost centres, whose combined contribution was -£549,179. Different assumptions could, of course, produce a different set of figures, but these have been used consistently for management information since April 2008.
Housing: New Towns
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to comments by the Deputy Prime Minister on 22 November in a speech at the National House Building Council, whether they plan to enable development of a new generation of new towns and cities in England “drawing inspiration from the garden cities”; if so, what are the mechanisms through which they will be built; whether they have identified any possible locations for new towns and cities in England; and, if so, whether any of them are on sites previously identified as suitable for ecotowns. [HL3879]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Reflecting commitments made in both coalition parties’ general election manifestos and in the coalition agreement, the coalition Government have scrapped top-down Whitehall planning. This has included ending the last Government’s so-called eco-towns programme.
The eco-town programme was unsuccessful, with developers abandoning the process, a series of judicial reviews and the timetable being extended again and again. Additionally, there was significant local opposition
to many of these proposals and none was built under the last Government. Despite a Whitehall target of 10 eco- towns, none was ever built under the last Government.
This Government want to work with local communities to build more homes, and promote sustainable development. This is being supported by programmes such as the New Homes Bonus, Growing Places Fund and Get Britain Building. There is also a role for more bespoke assistance to unlock and kick start locally supported, locally led, large- scale sites suitable for housing..
As the first example of this approach, in August 2012, my department worked with local partners to remove barriers to the regeneration of former chalk pits at Eastern Quarry, Ebbsfleet, which will deliver around 22,600 homes in the years to come. This involved renegotiating planning obligations and the Highways Agency supporting necessary road improvements.
As a further example, in December 2012, we announced a £20 million injection of funding for the new town of Cranbrook, near Exeter. This will enable local partners to bring forward the delivery of new homes included in the local plan, and create 1,500 jobs in the town that will include 6,000 homes and a new rail station with links to London and Exeter.
We are keen to promote garden city design, as outlined in speeches by the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and my honourable friend, the Minister for Planning (Nick Boles); the latter’s recent speech on planning and design, and the merits of garden city design, can be found at: www.gov.uk/government/speeches/town-and-country-planning-association-conference-speech.
Garden city design is also encouraged in the National Planning Policy Framework.
We are in discussions with a number of local authorities and their partners about delivering well designed places with the attributes that people most value, such as quality, gardens, green space, community facilities and good local amenities.
The Autumn Statement announced £515 million of new funding to accelerate the delivery of a further wave of locally supported, locally led, large sites, including using surplus public sector land and property. We will make further announcements in due course.
Human Trafficking
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are strengthening the measures they are taking against the trafficking of women; and, if so, how.[HL4733]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The first report of the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group on Human Trafficking was published on 18 October 2012. It set out how the Government are strengthening their response to human trafficking.
Israel
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the use of live ammunition, following reports of the shooting of Samir Ahmad Abdul-Rahmin by Israeli soldiers.[HL4665]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): Officials from our embassy in Tel Aviv raised our concerns regarding the use of live ammunition in this case with the Director-General for Strategic Affairs in the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office on 17 January.
Israel and Palestine
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what replies they have received from the Government of Israel to representations made about the release of withheld Palestinian tax and customs revenues; and what action they will take if those revenues are not released. [HL4623]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Israeli Government maintain that they have suspended the transfer of clearance revenues to deduct debts the Palestinian Authority (PA) owes the Israel Electric Corporation. But we continue to lobby the Israeli authorities at senior levels to release the custom revenues, in accordance with the Paris protocol.
The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), raised the issue with Israeli Acting Foreign Minister on 2 January 2012. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), raised it with the Israeli ambassador to London on 3 December 2012. Our embassy in Tel Aviv continues to raise this issue with the Israeli Government at senior levels, most recently on 21 January.
We are also lobbying Arab League states to deliver on their pledge of providing a $100 million safety net —the Foreign Secretary raised this with Arab League Secretary-General El-Araby on 7 January and the Arab League discussed the issue in Cairo on 13 January. UK posts in key Arab states are lobbying host governments to deliver promised funding. We will continue to lobby Arab states at senior levels. We have also discussed the issue with European partners and following those discussions the European Commission has announced that it will front-load its payments of aid to the PA, bringing payments forward to help bridge the current crisis.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the welfare of the prisoner Samer Al-Issawi, currently on hunger strike. [HL4666]
Baroness Warsi: Officials at our consulate-general in Jerusalem are monitoring the continued hunger strike by Mr Issawi and other Palestinian prisoners and are in regular contact with the Prisoners Affairs Ministry in the Palestinian Authority.
We have lobbied the Israeli authorities underlining the need for those on hunger strike to receive appropriate medical care and are asking all sides to reach a solution that prevents loss of life.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the steps taken to establish a system to monitor the treatment of Palestinian children in custody, following the recommendations of the report, Children in Military Custody, published in June 2012.[HL4668]
Baroness Warsi: The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my honourable friend the Member for North East Bedfordshire (Mr Burt), has written to the Israeli ambassador to London to urge Israel to take action on this report. During his visit to Israel in November 2012, the Attorney-General, my right honourable friend the Member for Beaconsfield (Mr Grieve) discussed the report with the Israeli Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein and other senior interlocutors. Mr Weinstein agreed to further talks between UK and British legal experts on the subject.
In the mean time we have welcomed some small steps taken by the Israeli authorities. These include a recent Israeli military order which reduces the length of time children can be held in pre-trial detention and an announcement in December by the Israeli state attorney reducing, from April, the period a Palestinian minor falling under the jurisdiction of the West Bank military court system can be held before being brought before a judge.
We will continue to press the Israeli authorities for further action on the recommendations in the report.
Japanese Knotweed
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made in the pilot schemes for the control of Japanese knotweed.[HL4743]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): Following rigorous laboratory testing which identified the psyllid Aphalara itadori as a suitable biocontrol agent for Japanese knotweed, it was released under licence to two sites in spring 2010, subject to a programme of close monitoring. After reviewing the data collected, Fera, as licensing authority, approved releases to eight sites in England (7) and Wales (1) in spring 2011. The continuing monitoring has not identified any non-target impacts.
The psyllid has successfully overwintered outdoors but numbers remain low so additional releases have been made at the sites to boost numbers with the aim of achieving establishment. This rate of progress is not unexpected. Other classical biocontrol programmes have taken five to 10 years from release to achieve successful biological control.
Jeena International
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent representations they have received from the Jeena International organisation in relation to sex selection abortions; and whether either Ministers or officials intend to meet representatives of Jeena International to discuss their experience of that issue.[HL4554]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Government have not received any representations from Jeena International in relation to sex selection abortions since June 2012. Neither Ministers nor officials have had a recent request to meet representatives of Jeena International to discuss their experiences of this issue.
Manufacturing
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they are addressing the deterioration in the balance in international trade in manufactured goods.[HL4708]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The UK remains one of the world's leading manufacturing nations with internationally competitive manufacturing companies in a wide range of sectors. UK manufacturing makes a strong contribution to overall levels of productivity and generates over half the UK’s export of goods.
Government work closely with industry, and are taking steps to help the UK advanced manufacturing sector compete in domestic and global markets by encouraging innovation and business investment, strengthening supply chains, boosting skills, and supporting exports.
UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) works to support UK companies to grow their business by exporting and, through their overseas network, to promote the UK as an excellent place to invest. UKTI’s work to drive trade is at the heart of the Government’s ambitious target to get to a trillion pounds of exports a year over the next decade. This will only be achieved by getting more companies exporting and to increase the amount exported outside of the European Union. In support of this, UKTI has a target to double the number of companies it helps each year to 50,000 by 2015 and has a renewed focus on high growth emerging markets.
Museums: Loaned Artefacts
Question
Asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they have received on whether the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 provides a complete guarantee that artefacts from the National Palace Museum, Taipei, loaned to United Kingdom museums for special exhibitions could not legally be claimed by a third party.[HL4367]
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Part 6 of the Tribunals, Courts and Enforcement Act 2007 (the Act) provides protection from seizure for cultural objects on loan from abroad in temporary exhibitions in museums and galleries in the UK, provided that the conditions in Section 134 of the Act are met when an object enters the UK. One of the conditions is that the borrowing institution, which must be approved for the purposes of the Act by the Secretary of State under Section 136, has complied with the requirements to publish specified information about the objects under the Protection of Cultural Objects on Loan (Publication and Provision of Information) Regulations 2008.
There is one important exception to the protection under the Act: an object may be seized or forfeited by a UK court order where the court is required to make the order under an EU obligation or international treaty (Section 135 of the Act). Therefore, the protection against seizure cannot provide an absolute guarantee against seizure, as the UK is subject to these international and European Union obligations which may in certain circumstances require a UK court to make an order for seizure.
The Government believe that there are very limited circumstances under which a UK court would be required to make an order pursuant to an EU obligation or international treaty for the seizure of an object in the UK, and welcome the strengthening of cultural links between the National Palace Museum, Taipei and UK museums and galleries.
National Parks
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 15 October 2012 (WA 449), in which he stated that an announcement of a public inquiry into the proposals to extend the boundaries of the Yorkshire Dales and Lake District National Parks was “imminent”, what is the cause of the further delay since that Answer; and when the announcement can be expected.[HL4593]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): Since my previous response on this issue, the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority has secured the services of an experienced inquiry manager, who is working closely with both Defra and the inspector for the inquiry to finalise the necessary practical arrangements.
Once these arrangements are confirmed, the Secretary of State will issue a Written Ministerial Statement announcing the inquiry. I fully expect this to be within the next month.
Omagh Bombing
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 9 January (WA 100), whether they intend to review the matter of publication of the information relating to the Omagh bombing at any point in the future.[HL4839]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Government are not currently intending to review this matter.
Overseas Aid
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what humanitarian aid funding they allocated to the International Committee of the Red Cross in (1) 2009, (2) 2010, (3) 2011, and (4) 2012.[HL4579]
Baroness Northover: Humanitarian aid funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross has been allocated as follows: (1) 2009—£53.25 million, (2) 2010—£49.7 million, (3) 2011—£99.9 million, and (4) 2012—£59.2 million.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Derby
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of their international aid budget funds voluntary schemes independent of non-governmental organisations in the Department for International Development's target developing countries.[HL4615]
Baroness Northover: DfID often funds voluntary schemes independent of non-governmental organisations such as community projects using volunteers. Examples of this include: health sector budget support programmes where DfID works with self-help groups and other bodies to promote community awareness and monitoring of government services; and civil society programmes which target the poorest and most disadvantaged groups where a significant focus is on mobilising community groups.
The department’s systems do not separately identify expenditure associated with these groups from expenditure on other non-governmental organisations and so the department cannot provide this information without incurring disproportionate costs.
Police and Crime Commissioners
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the procedures for (1) disciplinary action against, (2) unseating, and (3) replacement of, an elected police and crime commissioner.[HL4706]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are directly elected and are accountable at the ballot box to the electorate of their police force area.
The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Act 2011 provides for the Police and Crime Panel (PCP) for the force area to consider non-criminal complaints. They will be able to use their powers to require the commissioner to attend a hearing to answer questions, request information and documents from the commissioner, and publish a report or recommendation. This will ensure the electorate are kept appraised of their PCC’s conduct and are able to call him or her to account during their term of office and ultimately at the next election.
The Independent Police Complaints Commission is responsible for investigating allegations of criminal behaviour against PCCs. A PCC is disqualified from office if convicted of a criminal offence which may carry a prison sentence. The respective Police and Crime Panel has the authority to suspend a PCC—but only if he or she is charged with a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence in excess of two years’ imprisonment.
A PCC is unseated or replaced at scheduled elections or through by-elections in the result of death in office, resignation or disqualification. Elections will be held every four years (3.5 years in the first term).
Population Growth
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which international bodies they have held discussions concerning the growth in global human population; what were the outcomes of those discussions; and what ongoing activity is being undertaken to understand the implications for resources, pollution and societal sustainability of increasing population. [HL4606]
Baroness Northover: DfID believes that a rising population is one of several demographic factors to take seriously. Other related factors include the age distribution within populations, the rise of the global middle class and increasing urbanisation. All of these have implications, both positive and negative, for resource availability and use, pollution and sustainability. We are in touch with a wide range of United Nations organisations as well as national and international institutions to help us to understand these issues and how to take them into account in our policies and programmes.
Religious Faith
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 17 January (WA 151–2), on what evidence they base the statement that the voice of people of faith has not always been heard; and whether they intend to operate a policy of positive discrimination in favour of the views of people of faith in the formulation and implementation of public policy.[HL4794]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): Representatives of churches and other faiths have often described the obstacles they have encountered in receiving a fair hearing from local and central government. The Government are committed to giving faith communities a seat at the table in public life, not a privileged position but that of an equal informer in the debate.
There is no policy of positive discrimination: the perspectives of people without a religious faith are just as important in the formulation and implementation of policy as those of faith.
Retail: Jessops
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will investigate the role of private equity ownership in the collapse of the retailer Jessops.[HL4670]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The appointed administrators will investigate the events leading up to the collapse of Jessops including a review of the validity of any security obtained and the status of a particular creditor. The Government will work with the administrators.
Administrators also have a statutory obligation to report to the Secretary of State on the conduct of the directors in an administration. If misconduct is apparent the Secretary of State then has power to seek the disqualification of the directors where it is believed to be in the public interest.
Roads: Congestion Charge
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the 5,416 congestion charge penalty appeals, both postal and personal hearings, cited as “refused” in Annex 2 of the Road User Charging Adjudicators’ Annual Report 2011–12, were refused because they were based solely on mitigation grounds.[HL4654]
Earl Attlee: Her Majesty’s Government have made no assessment of the appeals process. Under devolution, the Mayor and Transport for London are responsible for the London congestion charge scheme.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total cost for the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service adjudicators’ time in reaching their refusal decisions for the 5,416 postal and personal hearing congestion charge penalty appeals cited as “refused” in Annex 2 of the Road User Charging Adjudicators’ Annual Report 2011–12.[HL4655]
Earl Attlee: Her Majesty’s Government have made no assessment of such costs. Under devolution, the Mayor and Transport for London are responsible for the London congestion charge scheme.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service (PATAS) is allocating congestion charge penalty appeal hearings for appellants whose appeal grounds are solely mitigation, have already been identified as such by Transport for London, and when case law has established that in such circumstances there is no route of appeal to PATAS.[HL4701]
Earl Attlee: Under devolution, the Mayor and Transport for London are responsible for the London congestion charge scheme. As such, the Department for Transport has made no assessment of the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what independent and impartial adjudication is available to recipients of a congestion charge penalty whose initial representations, where based solely on mitigation grounds, have been rejected by Transport for London. [HL4702]
Earl Attlee: Under devolution, the Mayor and Transport for London are responsible for the London congestion charge scheme. As such, the Department for Transport has made no assessment of the Parking and Traffic Appeals Service.
Schools: Teachers
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Hill of Oareford on 18 December 2012 (WA 297) concerning the rate of turnover of teachers in the state sector, how those figures compare with those in other professions. [HL4799]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The rate of those leaving full-time service in the maintained schools sector in England for 2009-10 was 10.5%, a decrease on previous years’ figures. The figure for all full-time qualified teachers in maintained schools in England increases to 18.6% if those who transferred to other establishments within the maintained schools sector are included. This rate is similar to that seen in previous years (Annexe A).
A UK-wide survey of 775 organisations by the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) in 20092, the most recent year information is available for, found an overall turnover rate of 15.7%, considerably lower than the previous year’s turnover rate of 17.3% and considerably higher than the 10.5% observed for teachers. Turnover rates in this survey included all those leaving the surveyed organisation by way of voluntary or involuntary severance.
The 2009 CIPD survey compared the turnover rate for specific sectors and found, for example:
private sector services had an overall turnover rate of 16.8%; public sector services had an overall turnover rate of 12.6%; the education sector had a turnover rate of 15.0%; and the health sector had a turnover rate of 11.4%.
Further data are provided in Annexe B.
Local government surveys have also reported on occupations most frequently cited with retention difficulties. Fifteen per cent of authorities reported that they had retention difficulties with teachers in 2009; this compares to, for example, 28% reporting retention difficulties with adult social workers (Annexe C provides further data). Teachers were not present on this list in the 2010 survey, suggesting they had relatively fewer retention difficulties compared to other local government occupations at that time.
1 The figures are based on published information that is available in Table C1 of the additional tables, which are available at the following web link: http://www.education.gov.uk/researchandstatistics/ statistics/statistics-by-topic/teachersandschoolworkforce/a00196713/school-workforce-sfr.
The source of this information is the Database of Teacher Records, which is primarily collected for pensions administration purposes.
2 http://www.cipd.co.uk/binaries/recruitment_retention_ turnover_annual_survey_2009.pdf.
Taxation: Corporation Tax
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to review or limit the deductibility for corporation tax purposes of interest paid by United Kingdom companies to offshore owners and affiliates.[HL4572]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The UK tax system gives deductions for interest as a business expense. This is in accordance with international accounting standards and in line with most countries affiliated with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The Government keep all taxes under review.
The OECD work on base erosion and profit shifting will include consideration of rules on the treatment of cross-border interest payments.
Transport: Heavy Goods Vehicles
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the risk to cyclists and pedestrians of increasing the permitted speed of heavy goods vehicles on single carriageway roads.[HL4685]
Earl Attlee:Examining the Speed Limit for Heavy Goods Vehicles (HGVs) Over 7.5 Tonnes on Single Carriageway Roads: A Consultation Document was published on 9 November 2012 and closes on 1 February 2013. The Department for Transport is looking for any sources of information on the effects of HGV speed on collisions and casualties that we have not identified and that would enable a more robust appraisal of road safety. Ministers will carefully consider the evidence of all of the effects on the economy, environment and of course, road safety, including for cyclists and pedestrians, before deciding what to do next.
UK Border Agency: Staff
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government for how long the UK Border Force has been headed by an interim appointee; who is currently filling that post; and when they expect to make a permanent appointment to the post.[HL4747]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Tony Smith has been acting director-general of Border Force since 19 September 2012. An open competition to appoint permanently to the role has now concluded and an announcement will be made about the successful candidate shortly.
Vehicles: Number Plates
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review their policy in respect of number plates for vehicles.[HL4727]
Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport is currently reviewing the UK system for the production and control of number plates to see if any improvements could be made to strengthen the regime, while minimising any additional burdens on motorists and industry.
The British Standards Institute is currently undertaking a review of the British Standards for number plates.
Vietnam
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Vietnam about the trial on 8 January of 14 Catholic activists charged with subversion; whether they have made representations about the possible use of capital punishment in that case; and whether they have made representations about the effect of Article 88 of the Vietnam Penal Code, and Government Decree No. 38/2005/NÐ-CP of 18 March 2005 on freedom of speech.[HL4473]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon ( Mr Swire), during
the recent visit to the UK of Vietnam’s Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh, raised our concerns on civil, political and religious freedom in Vietnam, including this case.
The UK also supports the statement from the EU’s ambassador to Vietnam, Franz Jessen, on the trial of 14 Catholic activists. Ambassador Jessen expressed his concerns over the sentence and the fundamental rights for all persons to hold and freely express their opinions in a peaceful manner in accordance with the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, to which Vietnam is a party. He called for a review of the sentences.
Visas
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many applications for visas from overseas students currently studying in the United Kingdom have been received during the past 12 months; how long it takes on average to issue visas; and how many applications remain to be determined beyond a period of three months.[HL4703]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Data for applications for students applying through the tier 4 route from overseas:
Visa applications received in the 12 months to September 2012: 215,867 of these, number issued: 194,660.
Average time to resolve applications (irrespective of outcome): 7.5 days applications unresolved after 90 days on 8 Jan 2013: 194.
The data are for main applicants only and do not include applications from dependents.
Some students issued visas under tier 4 during the period shown will have completed their studies, whereas others would have applied for further leave to remain in the UK.
These data are based on internal UK Border Agency management information. They are provisional and subject to change.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 16 January (WA 134–5), how many non-European Union doctors were given United Kingdom work visas in each of the past three years; and how many European Union and non-European Union doctors were registered in those years with the General Medical Council.[HL4802]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Home Office does not collect information on the number of grants of entry clearance visas either to individual occupations or to the detailed qualifications of individuals.
The General Medical Council (GMC) registers doctors to practise medicine in the United Kingdom and collects data on the number of registrations. The following table shows the number of first registrations with the GMC in the last three years split by whether they gained their primary medical qualification in the European Economic Area (EEA), UK or the rest of the world.
| First Registration Year | Non-EEA | EEA excluding UK | UK |
Notes: Non-EEA/ EEA/UK—refers to where primary medical qualification was gained and not to nationality/country of citizenship or where they have immediately come from
The table also includes temporary registered doctors
Welfare Reform Act 2012
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the impact of the Welfare Reform Act 2012 on refuges in the United Kingdom with regard to support services for adult and child victims of domestic abuse.[HL4694]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The Welfare Reform Act 2012 does not affect the support services provided by refuges for victims of domestic abuse. Consequently, the Government’s impact assessments in respect of the Welfare Reform Bill did not address that point.
Ministers subsequently sought the views of the Social Security Advisory Committee over the draft universal credit regulations drafted under the powers of that Act were published on 10 June 2012.
Following the committee’s report the department responded to concerns recorded by the committee relating to the possible effect on refuges of the proposals for supporting housing costs for residents of refuges. The Government’s response was published can be found at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/docs/ssac-universal-credit-report.pdf (paragraph 47).