Written Answers
Tuesday 14 May 2013
Agriculture: Pesticides
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have received about harm to (1) water supplies, and consequently to human health, and (2) living organisms, especially insects, from the use of the herbicides glyphosate and atrazine; and whether they have analysed representations made by the manufacturers for possible inconsistencies and contradictions.[HL23]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): Applicants for the authorisation of plant protection products, such as herbicides, must provide extensive dossiers of data that show the potential effects of these products on humans, animals and the environment. Products are authorised only if Ministers are satisfied that they can be used without harm to people and animals and without unacceptable effects on the environment. Possible inconsistencies in these data are considered as part of the process.
Authorisations may be reviewed at any time if new data provided by applicants or published in open literature raise doubts about their safety in use. The European Union (EU) approval of glyphosate is also currently undergoing its periodic routine review, which will assess all the data provided by manufacturers and relevant reports from the published literature about its properties and the potential effects of its use.
EU approval of atrazine was withdrawn following an earlier review, and approval for its use in the UK ceased after 2007. No data have been required from manufacturers since then, although some studies relating to this substance have been published in the literature.
Alcohol: Licensing
Questions
Asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licensing authorities and local health bodies have instigated a review of a licence, since they formally became responsible authorities under the Licensing Act 2003 from 25 April 2012.[HL11]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licences under the Licensing Act 2003 have been (1) refused, (2) revoked, or (3) had new conditions imposed, since 25 April 2012.[HL12]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Alcohol licensing figures are collected by the Home Office, and include the numbers of reviews by licensing authorities, and the numbers of licences refused and revoked and
the numbers modified following a completed review. However, figures for the financial year 1 April 2012 to 31 March 2013 will not be published until this autumn.
Bees
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evidence they have so far received of harm to bees, both domesticated and wild, from the use of neonicotinoid insecticides.[HL22]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): There is a large amount of evidence from a variety of sources that relates to the effects of neonicotinoids on bees. Our current assessment of all this evidence was published in March and is available at: www.gov. uk/government/publications/an-assessment-of-key-evidence-about-neonicotinoids-and-bees. It found that, while we cannot exclude rare effects of neonicotinoids on bees in the field, effects on bees do not occur in normal circumstances.
Employment: Zero-hours Contracts
Questions
Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of people now employed on zero-hours contracts in the United Kingdom; what is their estimate of the numbers three and five years ago; and what is their estimate of the number of people on zero-hours contracts who are required to be on site at their place of work even if they are not being paid.[HL40]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many hours an employee on a zero-hours contract has to work in a month to be counted as employed rather than unemployed in the monthly employment statistics.[HL41]
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 Oakeshott, dated May 2013.
As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions asking:
what the estimate is of the number of people now employed on zero-hours contracts in the United Kingdom; what their estimate is of the numbers three and five years ago; and what is their estimate of the number of people on zero-hours contracts who are required to be on site at their place of work even if they are not being paid. (HL40); and
how many hours an employee on a zero-hours contract has to work in a month to be counted as employed rather than unemployed in the monthly employment statistics. (HL41).
Estimates regarding people working on zero-hours contracts are available from the Labour Force Survey (LFS). A zero-hours contract is defined as a contract of employment that does not specify a fixed number of hours per week and has no guaranteed minimum number of hours.
In accordance with the internationally agreed definition of employment, people on zero-hours contracts are classified as being in employment regardless of the number of hours they actually worked during the survey reference week. This includes anyone who was not required to work any hours during the reference week whilst remaining on their current contract of employment. The continued existence of the contract of employment is the key determinant of their employment status in these situations.
It is estimated that for the period October to December 2012 there were 200,000 people aged 16 and over in employment who reported that they were on a zero-hours contract in the UK. This is 0.7% of the total employment in the UK. For the October to December quarters in 2009 and in 2007 the estimates were 150,000 (0.5%) and 131,000 (0.5%), respectively. Data on additional contractual requirements of people on zero-hours contracts, such as being available on site at their place of work, are not collected on the LFS.
As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to a margin of uncertainty. It is estimated that the true value for the period October to December 2012 is likely to lie between 174,000 and 226,000. In addition, there is likely to be a degree of reporting error in these estimates as individuals may fail to identify their type of employment contract.
Energy: Tidal Generation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support proposals to make use of the tidal power of the Severn and its estuary using the English Stones site, tidal lagoons or canals and any other viable means.[HL25]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): We recognise that a traditional tidal barrage is not the only way of exploiting the outstanding resource of the Severn estuary. The Government are keen to hear about well developed proposals for harnessing the power of the Severn estuary.
However, any scheme would need strong evidence of value for money, economic benefits, energy saving and environmental impact mitigation before the Government could take a view on their potential.
Energy: Wind Turbines
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Verma on 25 April (WA 449), how many of the estimated 29,700 jobs in the round 3 offshore wind turbine programme are likely to be based in the United Kingdom. [HL17]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): All the jobs estimated under the various “build” scenarios for offshore wind in the RenewableUK report Working for a Green Britain Volume 2 would be based in the UK.
The Gambia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to update the Home Office Country of Origin Information Service report on the Gambia, originally issued in June 2011.[HL72]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The Home Office now plans to update its published country of origin information material on the Gambia in the second half of 2013.
Visas
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Palestinians from the Occupied Palestinian Territories require a visa before travelling to the United Kingdom, but Israeli citizens living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories do not require a visa to come to the United Kingdom for six months or less.[HL59]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration has been given to changing immigration rules to restrict access to the United Kingdom by all Israeli citizens who live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.[HL60]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): Visa regimes are based on nationality, not place of residence. Palestinians are required to obtain a visa before travelling to the United Kingdom. Israeli citizens, regardless of where they reside, are able to visit the United Kingdom visa free for up to six months.
No consideration has been given to changing the Immigration Rules to restrict access to the United Kingdom by Israeli citizens who live in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Visa regimes are kept under regular review.