Written Answers
Monday 25 February 2013
Abkhazia and South Ossetia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they are advising travellers not to visit Abkhazia and South Ossetia; and what reports they have received of any difficulties experienced by United Kingdom citizens visiting those countries.[HL5307]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): We advise British citizens not to travel to the Georgian breakaway regions of Abkhazia and South Ossetia as we judge there to be continued humanitarian and security issues following the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia; and there is no UK diplomatic representation available in these Georgian breakaway regions, significantly limiting the Government’s ability to assist travellers in emergency situations.
We have had no recent reports of any difficulties experienced by UK visitors to the regions. The advice, which is reviewed regularly, is based on the situation on the ground rather than specific cases.
Abortion
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 4 February (WA 1), which mothers' countries of origin display a gender imbalance in the birth ratio, and what in each case is the size of that imbalance.[HL5234]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Recent analysis has shown that women from some countries had birth ratios different from that of the United Kingdom as a whole; i.e. 100 female births to 105 male births. There are many possible causes of these ratios. The department is carrying out further analysis of related data. We do not consider it is in the public interest to disclose details of the countries in question while this analysis is under way as it is not currently possible to conclude that these variations are the result of intervention rather than natural variation.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they intend to take to ensure that the law on abortion is adhered to in the light of the assertions in the BBC “Panorama” broadcast of 4 February 2013 that doctors routinely notify abortions on the grounds of a threat to the mental health of the mother when no evidence of any such threat exists.[HL5235]
Earl Howe: Abortion is legal only if carried out under the terms of the Abortion Act 1967 (as amended). An abortion performed under Section 1(1)(a) or Section 1(1)(b) of the Abortion Act (the continuance of pregnancy would involve risk, greater than if the pregnancy were terminated, of injury to the physical or mental health of the pregnant woman, or any existing children in her family) may be determined by taking account of the pregnant woman's actual or foreseeable environment. Each woman’s individual circumstances should be assessed to enable doctors to reach their opinion in good faith.
Allegations of terminations carried out outside the Abortion Act are taken extremely seriously and doctors, or other health professionals, failing to adhere to the Abortion Act will be referred to the police.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 5 February (WA 27), what estimate they have made of the cost of testing aborted foetuses to ascertain (1) their gender, and (2) the nature of any disability from which they suffered; and what consideration they will give to monitoring to ensure the effective implementation of the law on abortion.[HL5280]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 5 February (WA 27), whether it is a matter for Her Majesty’s Government or for the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to decide whether testing of aborted foetuses should be required to ascertain (1) their gender, and (2) the nature of any disability from which they suffered, in order to ensure effective monitoring of the implementation of the law on abortion.[HL5281]
Earl Howe: No estimate has been made of the cost of testing aborted foetuses to ascertain their gender. Although we keep all evidence under review, we currently have no plans to introduce such a practice. United Kingdom birth ratios are within normal limits. However, we continue to closely monitor ratios and related data. If indications or evidence should emerge of sex-selective abortions being performed, we would work with relevant bodies to discuss evidence-based steps and actions to address this issue. In addition, if anyone had specific evidence of sex-selective abortions being performed, we would refer to the police to investigate.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists produced a report in June 2010, Termination of Pregnancy for Fetal Abnormality in England, Scotland and Wales. This report is intended to help doctors and other health professionals, within the law, to support women and their families when a foetal abnormality is diagnosed. It is designed to be explanatory rather than prescriptive. The report highlights that, following a termination performed for a foetal abnormality, pathological examination of the foetus may be undertaken in addition to that undertaken pre-procedure as part of diagnostic testing. This might be at the request of the clinician, with parental consent, or the parents and is to ascertain the cause of the disability. Experience from foetal diagnosis is leading to a better understanding of the
natural history of many foetal disorders and has improved prognostic information for parents in relation to future pregnancies.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 5 February (WA 27), whether they, or the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, require an impartial translator to be present when doctors are consulted by women in relation to abortions if those women do not have a good command of the English language; and whether any such consultations are required to be undertaken without family members being present. [HL5282]
Earl Howe: In its clinical guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion, of November 2011, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists recommends that, “Services should be culturally sensitive and professional interpreters should be available if required” and that “while women may choose to use family or friends as interpreters, in gaining consent to a procedure the provider needs to be absolutely certain that the woman is fully consenting. This can be guaranteed only if an independent professional interpretation service is used”.
The guideline also states that services should make sure that “written, objective, evidence-guided information is available for women considering abortion to take away before the procedure. Information should be available in a variety of languages and formats”. It also says that services should identify issues which make women particularly vulnerable including violence or abuse, in particular girls under the age of 16 should be given “the chance to disclose during a private moment when a parent or adult is not present”. In practice, most abortion services have a policy that all women should be seen on their own at some stage, without a partner or family member present, to ensure there is no coercion or other issue affecting the decision-making process.
Africa: Tourism
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to give additional aid to African countries reliant on wildlife-based tourism in order to support efforts to conserve wildlife.[HL5386]
Baroness Northover: DfID is giving a £9.2 million grant to the World Wildlife Fund UK (WWF-UK) over three years from 2011 to 2014. The grant focuses on supporting programmes in Tanzania, Kenya and Nepal where WWF trains communities to safeguard ecosystems and supports local organisations to improve government and private sector policies and practices on low-carbon development sustainability and the use of natural resources.
In 2012 Defra gave £8.5 million to 33 new projects under the Darwin Initiative, which has backed wildlife conservation projects in some of the world’s poorest countries for the last two decades. Many of these
were in Africa, including a project in Liberia to build the capacity of the next generation of conservation professionals.
Agriculture: Pesticides
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have adjusted their risk assessment methodology for pesticides to test the safety of systemic pesticides such as nicotinoids; and, if not, whether they plan to do so, and when.[HL5641]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The current EU risk assessment for systemic pesticides applied as seed treatments, pellets, or granules considers risks to honey bees foraging flowering crops grown from seed or in soil treated with such products. Data are collected from semi-field or field studies. In the last two years, two international risk assessment schemes have been developed that outline step-wise procedures which, in the first instance, use information on the likely exposure in pollen and/or nectar and data on the toxicity of honey bees under laboratory conditions. If there is the likelihood of concern then further data, for example from semi-field or field studies, may be requested. The European Food Safety Authority is considering these schemes along with other information in developing a new bee risk assessment scheme for use by all member states. UK experts are contributing to this work.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the length of time residues of nicotinoid pesticides can remain in soil after a treated crop has been harvested, and of the take-up of those pesticides by wild plants.[HL5642]
Lord De Mauley: An assessment of the environmental fate and behaviour of pesticides in air, soil and water is a standard requirement in the EU pesticides regime. It includes an assessment of persistence and mobility for both the active substance and metabolites or degradation products formed in the environment. For persistent compounds, there is an assessment of the potential to accumulate in soil. There is also a consideration of the possibility of residues occurring in crops planted in the soil after crops previously treated with neonicotinoids were grown. In all cases, the current assessments of neonicotinoids meet the regulatory requirements.
Arab Spring
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the European Union response to the Arab Spring: the state of play after two years. [HL5404]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: In May 2011, the EU launched the revised Neighbourhood Policy—A Partnership for Democracy and Shared Prosperity. Progress on implementation has been mixed, in part due to the transitory position of many Governments in southern Mediterranean countries and the longer-term nature of the EU’s response, but also due to political sensitivities in some EU member states over moving ahead with ambitious offers in areas such as trade.
In terms of financial support, the EU has allocated approximately €660 million of new funding for the southern neighbourhood. In Tunisia, bilateral grant funding has increased by around 40% from 2010. The EU has also leveraged external funding, primarily through the European Investment Bank, of around €1 billion and has increased its focus and funding for the development of civil society. We have seen measures to improve prioritisation of EU support and increased focus on tangible ways to assess progress through new generation action plans.
However, the EU has not succeeded in fully implementing the policy of conditionality and “more for more” or “less for less” consistently. Progress on trade agreements has also been slow. The EU agreed mandates for deep and comprehensive free trade agreements with four southern Mediterranean countries —Tunisia, Morocco, Egypt and Jordan in December 2011. It will have taken 14 months to launch negotiations on the first of these—due to take place in Morocco on 26 February. Tunisia will be the second but there is no certainty around dates. For Egypt and Jordan, tangible progress is still some way off.
Asylum Seekers
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 6 February (WA 57–8), where is the major point of illegal entry to the United Kingdom by asylum seekers first registered in Greece; what response they have received from the European Commission regarding their expressed concern about the low number of fingerprint matches from asylum seekers who have entered the European Union illegally via Greece; and whether they will finance European Convention on Human Rights-compliant accommodation in Greece specifically for such returned asylum seekers. [HL5496]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The nature of illegal migration makes it impossible to establish with certainty how and where illegal immigrants evade our controls but we have observed that those who seek to enter the UK illegally tend to do so either with the use of forged documentation or clandestinely, often by targeting channel ports. However, we have tough measures in place to combat these risks, which involve the border force working closely with our French and Belgian partners in order to detect and disrupt individuals seeking to evade border checks in northern France and Belgium. Other preventive measures include research
and analysis of migration trends, debriefing of illegal migrants in the UK and work with our partners in the UK and abroad to gather intelligence about migration routes.
In 2012, FRONTEX increased its operational activity at the Greek land border with Turkey. As part of those operations FRONTEX assists local law enforcement authorities with technologies and processes that encourage the correct registration of illegal migrants in Greece. Within the updated Greek action plan, submitted to and approved by the Commission, there are specific actions designed to improve the recording of fingerprints at the border.
We continue to offer practical support to Greece via the European Asylum Support Office (EASO), including expertise on the management of asylum systems and reception centres in order to build capacity there. The Government have no plans to provide bilateral financing for accommodation for asylum seekers in Greece but building reception facilities that meet relevant human rights standards is a key part of the Greek action plan on asylum and migration, which is being supported by EASO.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many asylum applicants whose cases have been outstanding for 12 months have so far applied for permission to work in the United Kingdom; how many applications have been granted; and how they are publicising that right.[HL5557]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: At the end of October 2012 (the most recently published data) there were 2,903 asylum applicants (including dependants) with cases pending an initial decision after 12 months or more. The department does not routinely collate the specific information on how many of those have applied for permission to work, and to do so would incur disproportionate cost. Detailed guidance about our permission to work policy is published on our external website at: http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/ asylum/support/employment.
Bahrain
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are supporting current attempts by the European Union to assist genuine national reconciliation and the implementation of human rights norms in Bahrain. [HL5406]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Bahraini Government have asked the international community for their assistance in implementing the reforms necessary to improve the human rights situation. We strongly support them in this effort, and whether bilaterally or multilaterally
through the EU we remain committed to providing assistance where appropriate for the benefit of all Bahrainis.
Bangladesh
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they most recently discussed human rights violations in Bangladesh with the Government of Bangladesh; and what specific cases were raised during those discussions.[HL5272]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): I raised the issue of human rights violations in Bangladesh with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister, Dr Dipu Moni, when I met her in December. More recently, when our High Commissioner in Dhaka, Robert Gibson met the Bangladesh Foreign Secretary, Mr Md. Shahidul Haque, on 28 January, he raised among other things, the International Crimes Tribunal, disappearances, including the specific case of Ilias Ali, political violence, the Rohingyas, and the rule of law.
Human rights remain a crucial component of our bilateral and multilateral discussions with Bangladesh. We also provide a range of human rights assistance to Bangladesh on the rule of law and democracy as part of our capacity building programmes. Such assistance is fully in line with UK values and international human rights standards.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Government of Bangladesh the imprisonment of the Acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Opposition Party, Mirza Fakrul Islam Alamgir.[HL5273]
Baroness Warsi: Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Acting General Secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has been released from imprisonment.
The British Government will not be raising this specific case with the Bangladesh Government. We will continue to raise the importance of the judiciary and law enforcement being impartial during meetings with the Bangladesh Government, including when I visit this month.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will discuss with the Government of Bangladesh the case of Mahmudur Rahman, who has been held under office arrest for over two months in Bangladesh. [HL5274]
Baroness Warsi: Mahmudur Rahman is not officially under office arrest. He is refusing to leave office in order to avoid arrest. The British Government will not be raising this specific case with the Bangladesh Government.
We will continue to raise the importance of an impartial, transparent judicial process, which adheres to the rule of law with the Bangladesh Government, including when I visit this month.
The British Government support the role of responsible media in a democratic society.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they most recently discussed with the Government of Bangladesh reported abuses by Bangladesh law enforcement agencies, including the Rapid Action Battalion.[HL5275]
Baroness Warsi: We regularly raise our serious concerns about any allegations of human rights abuses, including by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), with the Bangladeshi Government.
We welcome the Bangladesh Government’s assurances that they are committed to protecting human rights and recognise the positive progress that has been made across a range of social development indicators. But allegations of extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearance are deeply concerning. We call on the Bangladesh Government to conduct an impartial, credible, and transparent investigation into all such allegations.
Banking: LIBOR
Question
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which British-based banks have been fined for manipulation of the LIBOR or other infringements since 1 January 2010; what were the amounts involved; by whom were any fines imposed; to what extent banks’ assets comprising taxpayer rescue packages have had to be paid to overseas countries; and to what extent and for what purpose United Kingdom fines have been imposed.[HL5286]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): To date, two British-based banks have been fined by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) and other regulatory authorities. The fines are imposed to punish the misconduct that has taken place and to deter future misconduct of a similar nature. Barclays was fined £59.5 million by the FSA for misconduct which breached its principles for business and fined $360 million by US regulators. The Royal Bank of Scotland was fined £87.5 million by the FSA for misconduct which breached its principles for business and fined $475 million by US regulators.
The Government have made it clear to RBS that, on this occasion, the US fines should be met in full from past, present and future reductions in bonuses and variable remuneration for RBS, and not by the taxpayer.
Banks: Iceland
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 28 January (WA 263), and in the light of the recent decision by the Court of the European Free Trade Association against the United Kingdom, what is the current net amount owed by each failed Icelandic bank and an indication of the retrieval methods they intend to or are using in each case.[HL5205]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Government expect full recovery of the amount that Iceland is liable for regarding failed banks.
During 2011-12, the administrator for Icesave paid out dividends to HM Treasury and the FSCS of £1.3 billion. Of this, £0.4 billion was used by the Financial Service Compensation Scheme to repay part of the loan with HM Treasury, £0.7 billion was allocated to the Depositors’ and Investors’ Guarantee Fund share of the loan and the remaining £0.2 billion was used to reimburse HM Treasury for its statutory debt payments for deposit balances in excess of £50,000.
On 28 January, the European Free Trade Association Surveillance Authority lost its case in the Court of the European Free Trade Association against Iceland for breach of its obligations under the EU deposit compensation arrangements. The UK was an interested party in the case because a ruling against Iceland would have allowed the Government to seek interest from Iceland for the pre-financing of £2.3 billion of compensation paid out to UK depositors of Landsbanki h.f.’s UK branch in place of the Icelandic Depositors’ and Investors’ Guarantee Fund when it failed during the financial crisis.
Details of HM Treasury’s claims in the administration of Landsbanki h.f., Heritable Bank Plc and Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander Ltd (KSF) are set out in Sections 30, 31 and 33 of the Treasury Annual Reports and Accounts 2011-12.1
Further details will be published in the Treasury Annual Reports and Accounts 2012-2013 later this year.
1 222.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/hm_annual_report_2012.pdf
Barnett Formula
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received during the past six months from the Welsh Government in relation to their entitlement to consequential payments under the provisions of the Barnett Formula.[HL5503]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): HM Government have ongoing discussions with the Welsh Government on issues relating to public spending, including the operation of the Barnett formula.
Benefits
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have changed the rules or guidance on eligibility for housing benefit after the decision at a Social Security Tribunal in the Vasile case in Bristol in 2012; and, if not, why not.[HL5055]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): There are no plans to change the rules or guidance related to housing benefit as a result of this case.
A person who is not “habitually resident” in the United Kingdom is not entitled to housing benefit. The Social Security Tribunal has ruled that the claimant in this case is habitually resident and, subject to the other eligibility rules, entitled to housing benefit.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what grounds they pay child benefit and child tax credit to European Union nationals in the United Kingdom for children left behind in European Union states; which and what proportion of European Union member states do not pay for the children of resident United Kingdom nationals left behind in the United Kingdom; whether such payments are requirements of EC Regulation 883/2004; and whether they will support a modification of the amounts paid to reflect the cost of living in the country where a child is resident or the equivalent rate.[HL5252]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): Child benefit and child tax credit is intended to help families in the UK. Generally, therefore, it is not payable in respect of children resident outside the UK. However, both child benefit and the child tax credit are classed as “family benefits” under the EC social security co-ordinating Regulations (EC Regulation 883/2004 and 987/2009) which the UK has administered since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973 and is payable to EEA nationals in respect of members of their family resident in another member state.
The EC Regulations are directly applicable to all member states in equal measure. Nationals of other EEA member states who are working in the UK and paying compulsory UK national insurance contributions are entitled to claim UK family benefits in respect of children living in another member state. Similarly, UK nationals working and paying social security contributions in another member state are entitled to that member state’s family benefits in respect of their children resident in the UK.
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that pensioners claim the benefits to which they are entitled.[HL5341]
Lord Freud: The Government are committed to ensuring pensioners receive the support they are entitled to.
The latest estimates of take-up of all income-related benefits in 2009-10 were published in February 2012. The take-up report is available online at: http://statistics. dwp.gov.uk/asd/income analysis/feb2012/tkup full report 0910.pdf.
The Department for Work and Pensions makes information available in various locations (for example, our website at www.gov.uk, and leaflets available from our DWP information line on 0845 7313233) to ensure that people are aware of the benefits to which they may be entitled and how to claim them. In addition, the department is actively involved with around 4,000 local community partnerships across England, Scotland and Wales which provide a wide range of advice and support for pensioners.
The department writes to people up to four months before they reach their state pension age explaining their options, including how to claim their state pension or how to defer receiving it until later. State pension can be claimed online, by phone, or by submitting a claim form. When a customer makes a claim to state pension or reports a change in their circumstances, a customer adviser will also discuss a pension credit application with those who may be entitled. There is also a visiting service available to support vulnerable customers who are unable to access its services through other channels, such as telephony, post or online
Pensioners can, where eligible, claim housing benefit and council tax benefit alongside pension credit in a single phone call, without the need for a signed claim form. Calls to the 0800 claims number from a BT landline or from the six largest mobile phone networks are free.
Further information on benefits is also available on the department's website: https://www.gov.uk/browse/benefits.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they have transposed the requirement in Directive 2004/38/EC that “persons exercising their right of residence should not, however, become an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system of the host member state during an initial period of residence”; how they define “initial period” in regulations; and to which social security housing benefits they have not applied this directive.[HL5495]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Immigration (European Economic Area) Regulations 2006 transpose Directive 2004/38/EC. Regulation 13 states that EEA nationals or their family members who become an unreasonable burden on the social assistance system of the United Kingdom during the initial period of residence do not have a right to reside in the UK. Directive 2004/38/EC defines the “initial period” of residence as three months and the same definition is used in the regulations. Housing benefit is categorised as social assistance and this part of the directive applies to it. There are no housing benefits to which this directive is not applied.
British Citizenship
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government where the Life in the UK test centres are located.[HL5654]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): There are 64 test centres located across the UK.
The full details of test centre locations are in the table below.
Name | Address | Post code | ||||
217 High Street (Leon House Precinct; left corner shop front entrance) | ||||||
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what precautions were made to validate the accuracy of the information in the Life in the UK Test Study Guide.[HL5655]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The Life in the UK Test Study Guide is published by The Stationery Office (TSO) to help candidates taking the Life in the UK test. The study guide that is currently available is based on the previous edition of the Life in the UK handbook, which was published in 2007. Some of the information in the old handbook, and consequently the study guide, is out of date. A new handbook was published on 28 January. TSO intends to publish a revised study guide, to accompany the new handbook, very shortly. Best endeavours were made to ensure the accuracy of the new handbook, which underwent a thorough quality assurance process.
Burma
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Burmese Ambassador to the United Kingdom about arrests in Burma under the right to protest law.[HL5277]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): Ministers have not raised our concerns under the right to protest law specifically, but continue to raise our concerns with regards to the need for improved political freedoms more generally.
The Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised our concerns regarding political prisoners and freedom of expression with the Burmese Government during his visit to Burma on 12 to 15 December. The same issues were also raised by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs and Member for Richmond (Yorkshire) (Mr Hague) and Mr Swire with the Burmese Ambassador and the Burmese Foreign Minister on 11 February, during the latter’s recent visit to the UK.
Government officials will continue to monitor these issues and engage with Burmese counterparts on them.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the Government of Burma on the formation of a joint domestic and international board with the involvement of the United Nations to investigate the numbers of political prisoners remaining in Burma’s prisons.[HL5278]
Baroness Warsi: We regularly raise the continued detention of political prisoners with senior members of the Burmese Government. Most recently, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), and the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire), raised our concerns with the Burmese Foreign Minister during our meeting in London on 11 February. Our Ambassador to Burma also met with a senior Burmese Minister on 16 January and encouraged progress on the implementation of the review. In all our discussions with the Burmese Government we continue to emphasise the need for the review mechanism to be inclusive, credible and transparent.
We welcome the Burmese President’s announcement on 7 February that a committee is to be set up to review the cases of those political prisoners who remain detained. It is also encouraging that the President has asked for the committee to include not only government ministers but also representatives of civil society organisations and political parties.
We will be monitoring developments closely and will continue to call for the unconditional release of all political prisoners at every opportunity.
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom Ambassador to Burma has met the new leadership of the Karen National Union. [HL5279]
Baroness Warsi: Our ambassador has not met the new Karen National Union (KNU) since the change in leadership last December. Officials at our embassy in Rangoon have met the KNU on numerous occasions over the last year and plan to meet the new KNU leadership at the earliest opportunity. We are also funding peace and reconciliation experts to support both the KNU and the United Nationalities Federation
Council, a collection of the political wings of ethnic armed groups, in their approach to negotiations, and in drafting a framework for political dialogue.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have taken or intend to take any action to assist the Government of Burma in the development of mobile telecommunications in that country.[HL5317]
Baroness Warsi: We continue to explore ways to assist British companies interested in investing in Burma as part of our broader commitment to promoting ethical and responsible investment in support of Burma’s democratic reform process. Our new UK Trade & Investment team in Rangoon is closely monitoring the Burmese telecommunications sector and supporting interested British companies as appropriate.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which organisations will be distributing British aid for internally displaced people in areas of Burma controlled by the Kachin Independence Organisation.[HL5447]
Baroness Northover: For the safety and security of the organisations working in conflict areas it is not appropriate to make such details public.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of British aid to Burma goes directly to indigenous Burmese organisations.[HL5448]
Baroness Northover: DfID directly funds one indigenous Burmese organisation. While this amounts to less than 1% of the total funding allocation for Burma over the four-year spending period, indigenous Burmese organisations do receive significant UK aid through multi-donor funds and through international non-governmental organisations which DfID funds. The UK is investing in helping Burmese organisations to build capacity for their future which will help them reach the high financial and management requirements we set for all partners we support.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they give to companies interested in trading and investing in Burma.[HL5449]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Green of Hurstpierpoint): Since the suspension of EU sanctions in April 2012, the British Government have made a commitment to promoting responsible trade and investment in support of Burma’s democratic reform process. A UKTI office in Rangoon opened in July 2012 and provides a full range of UKTI services to help companies to understand the market and key areas of opportunity.
UKTI offers a practical guide for business in Burma, which is available through the UKTI website and which includes advice on the suspension of EU sanctions. The British Government urge all UK companies entering
Burma to abide by international standards of corporate governance and social and environmental responsibility. In particular, this means adhering to the OECD guidelines for multinational enterprises and the UN’s guiding principles on business and human rights.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are giving to the Government of Burma in relation to reviewing and drafting laws in Burma. [HL5509]
Baroness Northover: UK assistance to Burma in relation to reviewing and drafting laws has been principally to Burma’s Parliament and civil society, rather than direct to the Burmese Government. Last year the UK hosted a visit by the Bills Committee to Parliament, and the UK has arranged visits of advisers to Burma who have discussed with MPs the foreign investment law and the central bank law. The UK, through the British Council, is assisting the parliamentary committee in Burma in drafting the new higher education law. Also through the British Council we have supported a civil society consultation process on forest and land laws.
Businesses: Invoice Payments
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to publish (1) their response, and (2) the individual responses, to the public consultation implementing Directive 2011/7/EU on combating Late Payment in Commercial Transactions.[HL5376]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): Her Majesty’s Government will shortly publish a joint response document with the Government of Scotland that will also summarise the responses to the consultation. A copy will be placed in the Library.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the amount of money owed to businesses as a result of late payment of invoices. [HL5377]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: Research on the amount of money owed to small and medium-sized businesses is regularly commissioned by BACS. Following a survey in summer 2012, it estimated UK small and medium-sized businesses were owed almost £36.4 billion in late payments.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have made of the likely impact on the United Kingdom’s gross domestic product of enforcing (1) early payment schemes and (2) prompt payment schemes on commercial transactions.[HL5378]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Government have no plans to enforce early payment schemes or prompt payment schemes on commercial transactions and have not, therefore, assessed the potential impact of such schemes. While the Government do not believe that it is appropriate to impose specific payment terms on commercial contracts outside their own supply chain, they are working with business-representative organisations and corporations to drive a culture of prompt payment.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place between the Cabinet Office and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills regarding enforcement of the prompt payment code. [HL5380]
Viscount Younger of Leckie The prompt payment code is administered independently by the Institute of Credit Management. Officials at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and at the Cabinet Office have regular discussions on increasing prompt payment in both government and private sector supply chains, including though promotion of the prompt payment code.
Cats
Question
Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to raise and promote public awareness about responsible cat ownership.[HL5644]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): Defra is working with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG—a group of animal welfare organisations and animal-keeping representatives) to see how we can better inform all prospective animal owners about their responsibilities before they acquire the animals. In particular, we are looking at placing helpful and difficult-to-ignore advice on websites that advertise pet animals.
Charities
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 5 December (WA 157–8) concerning government support for British-based and foreign charities, whether they will now arrange for such information to be collected centrally and published in detail in the Official Report and other relevant publications.[HL5216]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are no plans at this time to record such data in the way suggested.
Children: Childcare
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the relative merits of childcare being delivered by parents as opposed to others; and whether they will introduce measures to enable one parent to provide full-time childcare until their children reach the age of three.[HL5214]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The Government recognise that children spend a significant amount of time with their parents, who are rightly their most important carers. However, many young children spend time with other childcare providers, enabling their parents to work. The Effective Provision of Pre-school Education (EPPE) study found that pre-school attendance improved the all round development of children when they entered primary school compared to “home” children with no pre-school experience and the benefit to children from disadvantaged homes is the greatest. High quality provision has a positive and lasting impact on child outcomes, which is why the Government are providing significant investment in high quality early years. On 29 January, the Government published More Great Childcare (available at: https://www.education.qov.uk/publications/standard/ publicationDetail/Pagel/DFE-00002-2013 which set out proposals to further reform and improve current formal childcare arrangements. Copies of the report have been placed in the Libraries.
We have no plans to introduce specific measures to enable one parent to provide full-time childcare until their children reach the age of three. The UK already has one of the most generous systems of leave for parents in the EU. However, we are proposing to increase flexibility, choice and control for working parents through a new system of shared parental leave, alongside extending to all the right to request flexible working. These measures will help families balance childcare with employment.
Civil Service: Redundancy
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 January (WA 242), why they will not extrapolate and collate the numbers of civil servants made redundant throughout the Civil Service annually from each individual department’s resource accounts. [HL5203]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: I refer the noble Lord to my Answer of 24 September 2012 (Official Report, col. WA 336). This matter has been delegated to individual departments. But I remind the noble Lord that as a result of the size of the deficit this Government inherited the country was spending 120 million GBP a day in interest payments alone at the time of the general election. As such, the Civil Service has had to play its
part in tackling the largest budget deficit in the developed world. The sheer scale of the economic challenge has meant it has had to become smaller, faster, more flexible and better able to deliver our ambitious programme to reform the public services on which we all rely.
Courts: Closures
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria will be applied by HM Courts and Tribunal Service in determining whether and which magistrates’ court buildings will be closed following the forthcoming review.[HL5302]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): It is important that the provision of court and tribunal services in England and Wales includes an estate that is efficient, well utilised and offers value for money. Any future proposal by the Government to close magistrates’ courts would be subject to full public consultation and the consultation would include the criteria on which the proposals had been put forward.
Crime: Joint Enterprise
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to reform the law that provides for joint-enterprise prosecutions to be made.[HL5325]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many individuals were convicted between 1 January 2010 and 31 December 2012 under joint-enterprise charges; and how many such cases were brought during that period.[HL5326]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many appeals are currently pending for convictions of individuals prosecuted under the joint-enterprise provisions.[HL5327]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have advised police authorities to use joint-enterprise provisions in cases where individuals have died in police custody.[HL5328]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have advised police authorities to apply joint-enterprise provisions at public events, such as football stadiums, where offences are being committed.[HL5329]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received about miscarriages of justice in cases brought under joint-enterprise provisions; and whether they have any plans to hold a public inquiry into the use of such provisions. [HL5330]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): We are aware of criticisms by families of convicted offenders and campaign groups that the law on joint enterprise criminalises innocent bystanders or those who have had minimal involvement in the commission of an offence. We do not accept those
criticisms, however, and have no plans to amend, or to hold an inquiry into, a law that plays an important role in bringing those involved in the commission of offences to justice.
The decision whether to arrest and prosecute a suspect under joint-enterprise law is purely a matter for the police and the Crown Prosecution Service, depending on the particular circumstances of the case. We have not advised them to apply the law in relation to football violence, deaths in custody or any other specific scenario. However, the Crown Prosecution Service recently published general guidance for prosecutors on handling joint-enterprise cases. The guidance can be viewed online at the following address: http://www.cps. gov.uk/legal/assets/uploads/files/JointEnterprise.pdf.
Although we hold data on the total number of prosecutions and convictions for offences in England and Wales, we do not currently hold information on whether those offences were committed as part of a joint enterprise; or whether any of the offenders convicted for their part in a joint enterprise subsequently appealed.
Defamation Bill
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact across the whole United Kingdom of the non-application of the Defamation Bill to Northern Ireland; what steps they will take to ensure that the Bill, when enacted, is applied consistently to publications which circulate throughout the United Kingdom; and whether they have held discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive about the introduction of corresponding legislation there.[HL5315]
Lord Newby: The law of defamation is a devolved matter. During development of the Defamation Bill, we consulted the Northern Ireland Executive about whether they wished to seek a legislative consent Motion for the extension of any provisions in the Bill to Northern Ireland. In the event, no such extension was sought. When the Bill is enacted, the existing provisions for determining jurisdiction for civil actions between different parts of the United Kingdom will apply.
Diplomatic Service
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons have been learnt as a result of the attack on the United Kingdom Ambassador in Benghazi, in particular in relation to the security of diplomatic personnel leaving diplomatic premises.[HL5301]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): We study carefully all significant attacks on our offices and staff to try and ensure that we learn all the necessary lessons for our security
regime. We do not disclose the details of our security measures, but we have paid particularly close attention to the incidents mentioned and the challenging security environment in Benghazi.
Following the attack on our Ambassador in June 2012, we suspended operations at our Benghazi office. Sadly, there have been a number of subsequent attacks, including that on the US Special Mission Compound in September 2012 in which the US Ambassador and three of his colleagues were killed.
Disabled People: Personal Independence Payment
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of Motability customers with adapted cars or wheelchair-accessible vehicles who could lose their entitlement under the Personal Independence Payment.[HL5396]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure a speedy reconsideration or appeal process for Motability customers who lose adapted cars or wheelchair-accessible vehicles following their Personal Independence Payment assessment. [HL5397]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what temporary provision they have asked Motability to make for those scheme users who lose their entitlement under the Personal Independence Payment but are likely to regain entitlement at appeal, especially for those who use adapted or converted vehicles.[HL5398]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial support they will offer to Motability to help those with adapted cars or wheelchair-accessible vehicles who lose their entitlement under the Personal Independence Payment.[HL5399]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): As an independent charity, Motability is wholly responsible for the administration of the Motability scheme, including setting policy on the recovery of vehicles. We are continuing to work closely with Motability to understand what impact the introduction of PIP might have on its customer numbers and to ensure the smooth introduction of PIP as it relates to users of the Motability scheme. The Government have no plans to fast track appeals for Motability customers or provide financial support to the Motability scheme to help those people who lose their vehicle through personal independence payment reassessment.
Drones
Questions
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 6 February (WA 62) concerning the use of unmanned aerial vehicles by police forces to carry out surveillance,
whether the consent of Parliament is necessary for this type of surveillance; and whether it is intended to carry out public consultation on the policy. [HL5531]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Police use of unmanned aerial vehicles would need to comply with existing Civil Aviation Authority regulations. Covert use likely to obtain private information would be subject to authorisation under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. That Act requires that covert investigatory techniques are used only if they are necessary and proportionate for purposes such as preventing or detecting crime or in the interests of national security. It makes deployment subject to independent overview, inspection and right to redress in case of individual complaint. Any overt use of a surveillance camera system by the police will be subject to a new CCTV code of practice on which the Home Office is currently consulting under the Protection of Freedoms Act.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for a robust legal framework to ensure that there is accountability and reparation when things have gone wrong as a result of drone attacks, as suggested by the United Nations Special Rapporteur.[HL5676]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The Government’s position is that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles against terrorist targets is a matter for the states involved. We expect all states concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting military operations.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure that when drone attacks take place information is recorded on (1) the extent of civilian casualties, (2) the identity of those targeted, and (3) the legality of strikes in cases where the United Nations does not recognise that there is a conflict.[HL5677]
Baroness Warsi: The Government’s position is that the use of unmanned aerial vehicles against terrorist targets is a matter for the states involved. We expect all states concerned to act in accordance with international law and take all feasible precautions to avoid civilian casualties when conducting military operations.
Drugs: Orphan Medicines
Question
Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence’s High Specialised Technologies programme will consider the affordability of ultra-orphan medicines.[HL5372]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently engaging with stakeholders on the process it will use in the evaluation of such technologies and will formally consult on the process and methods in due course. We understand that NICE will publish an interim process to allow an early start on the evaluation of eculizumab for atypical haemolytic uraemic syndrome after April 2013.
Dunfermline Building Society
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Newby on 29 January (WA 299–300) why, in accordance with the Dunfermline Building Society Compensation Scheme, Resolution Fund and Third Party Compensation Order 2009, they have decided to activate the mechanism in the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Contribution to Costs of Special Resolution Regime) Regulations 2010 and require the independent valuer to reconsider his determination of a cap of £2.365 billion on the recoverable amount payable by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme; and whether they will extrapolate the current relevant outstanding amounts rather than provide a web link to HM Treasury's 2011–12 annual report.[HL5206]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Contribution to Costs of Special Resolution Regime) Regulations 2010, provide a mechanism under which an independent valuer, appointed to determine the amount that the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) would have recovered had an institution gone into insolvency without stabilisation powers being exercised, may be required to reconsider their determination.
In the case of Dunfermline Building Society (DBS), the independent valuer, Mr Ian Burns of Smith and Williamson, produced his report on 31 July 20121.
Both the FSCS and HM Treasury subsequently requested that Mr Burns reconsider his determination. HM Treasury did so in order to ensure value for money for the taxpayer. The decision by the FSCS to challenge the determination is a matter for the FSCS. The cap on the FSCS contribution will not be known until after Mr Burns produces his revised assessment notice, which is expected later this year.
As outlined in Section 34 of the Treasury’s accounts for 2011-2012, the administrator for Dunfermline has paid out dividends to HM Treasury totalling £633 million. Further dividends are expected over the period of the administration, as determined by the administrators. As at 31 March 2012, HM Treasury’s claim in the administration stood at £0.9 billion. Current relevant outstanding amounts for HM Treasury’s claim in the DBS administration will be published in the Treasury’s audited accounts for 2012-13 on HM Treasury website in summer 2013.
1 http://www.fscs.org.uk/uploaded files/final report.pdf
Education: AS-Levels
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to end the AS level qualification.[HL5110]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The AS-level is a valuable qualification, and a useful means to secure breadth within an A-level programme. It will therefore be retained as part of our A-level reforms, but be redesigned as a high-quality, stand-alone qualification. The AS-level will be as intellectually demanding as an A-level, and cover half of the content.
Education: English and Maths
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Statement by Lord Nash on 7 February (Official Report, col. 412), what provision they will make for pupils between the ages of 16 and 18 who have not reached the attainment threshold in English and maths.[HL5432]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): From September 2013, students who do not hold GCSE A*-C in English and mathematics will be required to continue to study towards achieving these qualifications. From September 2015, GCSEs will be comprehensively reformed. The reformed GCSEs in English and mathematics will replace existing GCSEs as part of the English and maths requirement for students between the ages of 16 and 18 once they are introduced.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to enhance the provision of English and maths teaching in schools and further education colleges to meet the needs of 16–18 year-olds who are deemed to be “not secure” in those subjects. [HL5433]
Lord Nash: From September 2013, students who do not hold GCSE A*-C in English and mathematics will be required to continue to study towards achieving these qualifications.
Education: GCSEs
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for each year between 2007 and 2012, what proportion of secondary schools offered (1) French, (2) Spanish, (3) German, (4) Portuguese, (5) Polish, (6) Italian, (7) Chinese, and (8) Arabic, at GCSE level; and, of those schools, which offered (a) two or more, (b) three or more, (c) four or more, (d) five or more, and (e) six or more of those languages at GCSE level.[HL5237]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The department does not collect information on the subjects offered at GCSE level by schools. We do, however, publish information on GCSE examinations taken in schools which includes entries for individual subjects.
This information for 2012 is available on our website here: http://www.education.gov.uk/schooIs/performance/ downloaddata.html. Click the link “KS4 qualification and subject data”, relevant information is available in the tabs GCSE—Certificates-1 and GCSE Certificates 2. Similar information for 2011 is available on our website here: http://www.education.gov.uk/schools/performance/ 2011/download data.html. Click the link “Full GCSE”, relevant information is available on the GCSE_Entries tab. Similar information for 2010 is available on our website here: http://www.education.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000985/index.html. Click the link “Zip Archive”, relevant information is available on the GCSE_Entries tab. Similar information for 2007-09 has been placed in the House Libraries.
Education: Leavers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people left (1) school, (2) sixth form college, and (3) further education college, at the end of Year 12 in each of the past five years.[HL5358]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash): The information requested is shown in the table below. The table shows the number of 161 year-olds in full-time education in maintained schools, sixth form colleges and FE colleges and of these, the numbers and proportion no longer recorded as being in education and training the following year2 aged 17.
Young people in Full Time Education at 16 not in Education or Training at 17 by Institution Type at 16 | ||||||
Academic year in which young person was age 17 | ||||||
2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 | ||
1 Based on academic age—the age of the young person at the beginning of the academic year, 31 August.
2 Education and training here include full-time or part-time study in education or an apprenticeship.
Note: The percentages have been calculated on unrounded figures. The table presents figures that have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
Egypt
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect European Union grants and loans to be available to Egypt for new work in public health and education, including adult literacy; and over what timescale.[HL5407]
Baroness Northover: The European Union (EU) funds budget support operations in the health and education sectors in Egypt. In the education sector, EU funds will support reforms to pre-university education until May 2013 and to technical and vocational education for the next five years. There is no specific focus on adult literacy. In the health sector, the EU funds the Egyptian Ministry of Health and Population to increase the reach of primary healthcare until 2015. The health and education sectors are not part of the EU’s programming priorities for the next programming period (2014-2015).
Egypt also benefits from the Erasmus and Tempus schemes, which fund Egyptian students to study in Europe and help build the capacity of Egyptian higher education institutions.
The EU aims to provide macrofinancial support in the form of loans once an IMF package has been agreed with Egypt.
Egypt and Tunisia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether funds from the British-Arab Initiative, or other sources, will be made available for developing and extending internal democratic dialogue in Egypt and Tunisia. [HL5402]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: The UK’s Arab Partnership was established to support those in the region that are putting in place the building blocks of more open, free societies, underpinned by vibrant economies.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office-led £40 million Partnership Fund focuses on three key areas, all of which contribute to democratic dialogue: political participation; good governance (including better access to justice and support for civil society initiatives to strengthen the rule of law and transparency); and public voice. Across the programme we are working to ensure an inclusive approach, in particular strengthening the participation of women, youth, and the protection of human rights.
In Egypt, we spent £1.3 million in the financial year (FY) 2011-12 and have committed £1.7 million to projects in FY 2012-13. This includes projects to strengthen political processes and the role of parliament, such as elections-witnessing, and induction training for members of the Egyptian parliament.
In Tunisia, we spent £1 million in FY 2011-12 and have committed £2.8 million in FY 2012-13. This includes projects to strengthen the constituent assembly and the future parliament and parties’ ability to engage with citizens: and support emerging Tunisian civil society.
Across the Middle East and North Africa Region, including both Tunisia and Egypt, we have funded further projects to promote internal democratic dialogue, including the BBC Media Action programme of working with partner television stations in six countries (Morocco,
Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Jordan and Iraq) to produce “Question Time” style debate programmes for Arabic-speaking audiences. We also fund a multicountry debate programme—Young Arab Voices—led by the British Council in partnership with the Anna Lindh Foundation to provide young people in the target countries with opportunities and skills for debate.
Elections: Police and Crime Commissioners
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will review the electoral timetables for local authority and police and crime commissioner elections to enable future police and crime commissioner elections to involve a booklet of election addresses such as those produced for mayoral elections.[HL5190]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Government have no plans to review the electoral timetables for local authority and police and crime commissioner elections. In the last election every household received information about the November elections for police and crime commissioners from the Electoral Commission. Information about every candidate was also published online and could be ordered in paper form from a free automated telephone service.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the cost of the police and crime commissioner elections held in November 2012; and what is their forecast of the running costs of the commissioners, deputy commissioners and their offices over the next four years.[HL5191]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: Until all claims for election expenses are received from returning officers we cannot give a definitive figure, but we estimate that the police and crime commissioner (PCC) elections cost £75 million.
We do not expect the running costs and day-to-day expenditure of PCCs to be any greater than that of existing police authorities, which was less than 1% of the total cost of policing. However, it will be for PCCs to decide on the support needed in their offices, and to publish those costs and justify them to the public.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will evaluate the new structures involving police and crime commissioners prior to the next elections for those positions.[HL5192]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: There are no plans to evaluate the structures in the near future. The Electoral Commission has a statutory duty to report on the administration of all elections and it is expected that the report will be presented to Parliament in February.
Employment Law
Questions
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to ensure that private healthcare employers are required to pay employees wages and redundancy payments.[HL5347]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to change employment law to prevent employers from delaying payments owed to their workforce and to compensate employees for money owed.[HL5348]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to change employment law to ensure that where employers refuse to pay wages to avoid bankruptcy, workers receive what is owed within a short period of time rather than face the delay of a lengthy legal process.[HL5349]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie): The Government currently do not have any proposals to change employment law relating to these matters as existing legislation already provides safeguards and routes for redress for employees.
Employment rights legislation already makes provision for employees to be paid a whole range of entitlements, including wages, and provides them with a method for obtaining payment if their employer does not comply, by applying to an employment tribunal, which can order their employer to pay the amounts due. Private healthcare employers are subject to the same duties and obligations of legislation as any other employer.
In the period April 2011 to March 2012, there were 83,300 unauthorised deductions and breach of contract claims, demonstrating that many employees already make use of employment tribunal to recover unpaid wages. Of these, 68,400 claims disposed of in the same period, 29% were resolved by means of an ACAS conciliated settlement, showing that such disputes can also be successfully resolved by parties without needing to go through the time and cost of a full employment tribunal hearing.
Further protection is provided for employees whose employer is formally insolvent and unable to pay. Eligible employees who find themselves in this situation and whose employment has been terminated are able to claim a guaranteed statutory minimum amount from the National Insurance Fund. Employees who are owed statutory amounts by an employer which is not formally insolvent are able to petition to have the business wound up or their employer declared bankrupt and if this is done, they can make a claim for payment from the National Insurance Fund. They should seek independent legal advice on the costs of doing so against the payments they may receive, before taking any such action. Citizens advice bureaux provide a free advisory service.
Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to change employment law so that in the event of a business closing, the workforce have the legal right to review the financial accounts and business interests of the employer.[HL5350]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: This matter is not related to employment law, and we have no intention to bring proposals forward. There is no automatic statutory right to inspect books/papers/formal accounts. Such a right would not be appropriate as in many cases it is unlikely that this information exists. Where it does exist there are already measures available to allow employees as creditors to obtain this information.
In a winding up by the court, creditors may apply to the court for an order to inspect any books and papers in the company’s possession. In both the normal operation of business and in the case of a voluntary liquidation, the company directors are required to lay a statement of the company’s affairs before the creditors. In administration, the directors are generally required to submit a statement of affairs to the administrator who is required to disclose it to the creditors. There are other provisions for an individual to see company records where that company is not trading.
Employment: Women
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they are taking to ensure fair pay, flexible working conditions and greater provision of childcare for working women.[HL4736]
Baroness Stowell of Beeston: We have launched a voluntary initiative, Think, Act, Report, to promote transparency on gender equality. Think, Act, Report asks private and voluntary sector employees to tackle barriers for women at work by taking a step by step approach to greater transparency on pay and other workplace issues. On 14 November 2012, the Government published a progress report, which showed that over a million employees are working in organisations signed-up to this initiative.
The Government are extending the right to request flexible working to all employees from 2014, which will allow qualifying parents to decide how best to share their caring responsibilities.
The Prime Minister has established a commission on childcare to look at how to reduce the costs of childcare for working families and burdens on childcare providers, which will report shortly. In addition, the Government recently announced new measures to encourage new childcare provision, including £2 million over the next financial year to help up to 6,000 new childcare businesses with start-up costs.
We have already increased the entitlement to free education and care for 3 and 4 year-olds to 15 hours a week and extended this entitlement to 260,000 of the most disadvantaged 2 year-olds.