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Written Answers

Thursday 25 July 2013

Agriculture: Genetically and Non-genetically Modified Crops

Question

Asked by The Countess of Mar

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the return on public investment in research and development in England of (1) genetically modified crop research, and (2) non-genetically-modified crop research.[HL1328]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): It would be very difficult to produce such a comparative estimate, and the Government has not attempted to do so. Most of the publicly-funded research in England which has involved the development of GM crop plants has been basic rather than applied research, supported by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. A number of general reviews have indicated that there is a good return on public investment in basic agricultural research, although lead times for economic returns often extend beyond ten years or more.

Apprenticeships

Question

Asked by The Earl of Courtown

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many apprenticeship places have been created since the start of the current Parliament; in which sectors; and how many apprenticeship places there were for each year between 1997 and 2010.[HL1718]

Baroness Garden of Frognal: Information on the number of Apprenticeship starts in each quarter since 2002/03 and by sector subject area is published in Supplementary Tables to the Further Education and Skills Statistical First Release (SFR) at the following link:

http://www.thedataservice.org.uk/Statistics/fe_data _library/Apprenticeships/

Figures prior to 2002/03 are not available.

Broadcasting: Channel 69

Question

Asked by Lord Clement-Jones

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the final destinations of equipment surrendered as part of the Programme Making and Special Events Channel 69 funding scheme.[HL1842]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Ofcom and Equiniti, the organisation responsible for administering the funding scheme for the Programme Making and Special Events sector, had an agreement in place which required Equiniti to present proposals for disposing surrendered equipment to Ofcom for approval.

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Equiniti engaged an experienced government surplus disposals business, Ramco Limited, to arrange disposal of equipment surrendered under the scheme (which was all marked as part of the surrender process to enable later identification). Over the course of the scheme, a small volume of disposals were authorised by Ofcom under this arrangement. These were made under conditions ensuring lawful use of equipment both before and after 31 December 2012. Following completion of the scheme, Ramco Limited arranged disposal of remaining equipment to Computers-R-Us Inc., a US-based concern. Ofcom consented to the disposal of this equipment on the condition that any new users were located only in territories where use remains lawful (which excludes re-importation to the UK and other EU countries) and/or to recycling and disposal businesses.

Child Poverty

Question

Asked by The Earl of Courtown

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to combat child poverty.[HL1758]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The evidence consistently shows that the best routes out of poverty are through parents being in work and through a child’s educational achievement.

We are introducing the universal credit which will reduce child poverty through making work pay and providing an effective route out of poverty. Universal credit will improve work incentives by allowing individuals to keep more of their income as they move into work, and by introducing a smoother and more transparent reduction of benefits when they increase their earnings.

We are also firmly committed to giving children the best opportunities in life. Targeting education as a route out of poverty, we are investing £2.5 billion in the pupil premium to raise educational attainment of poor children, as well as 260,000 disadvantaged two-year-olds receiving 15 hours a week of free early year's education.

We have consulted on and are developing better measures of child poverty which include, but go beyond income to provide a more accurate picture of the reality of child poverty and drive the right action. Our consultation on how best to measure child poverty closed on 15 February. The complexity of the issue means we need to take time to ensure we have the best option for measuring child poverty, so we can ensure we properly tackle the causes. We will publish our response as soon as we can.

Cyclists

Question

Asked by The Earl of Listowel

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they give to cyclists in London on protecting their respiratory health against pollution.[HL1867]

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Earl Attlee: The Government gives no such advice, a number of comprehensive assessments have shown that the health benefits of cycling (through reduced mortality and morbidity as a result of increased energy expenditure) greatly outweigh the risks due to poor air quality and road traffic casualties.

Developing Countries: Women and Girls

Question

Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to include peace and security concerns in the Department for International Development’s Strategic Vision for Women and Girls after the current revision of the Strategic Vision.[HL1742]

Baroness Northover: The Government has made substantial progress in implementing the DfID Strategic Vision for Girls and Women since its launch in March 2011. There are significant opportunities to further this work and the Secretary of State has called for an emphasis across DFID on women and girls in order to achieve greater impact in the run up to 2020 and beyond.

DFID is now working on how to deliver this. The critical importance of women, peace and security and making progress for girls and women in fragile and conflict affected states are key topics that will all be considered. DFID also appreciated the urgency of tackling violence against women during and after conflict; the need for security structures that work for women and girls; and the role of women as leaders in peace processes.

Driving: Licences

Question

Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the report published by the RAC Foundation on young driver safety, and in particular its proposal for the introduction of graduated driver licensing as adopted in other countries.[HL1877]

Earl Attlee: We intend to issue a green paper which will cover these issues later this year.

Employment: Work Programme

Questions

Asked by Lord German

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what performance levels they set for contractors who provide services for the Work Programme.[HL1808]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the minimum level of performance standard they expect from contractors who provide them with services for the Work Programme.[HL1809]

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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Work Programme performance is measured by expressing the number of job outcomes achieved in a period as a percentage of the number of referrals made to the Programme in the same period.

Minimum performance levels (MPLs) are set for three payment groups – Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants aged 18 to 24 (payment group 1), Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants aged 25 and over (payment group 2), and new Employment and Support Allowance claimants (payment group 6). MPLs vary over the life of contracts, as set out below:

Energy: Underground Coal Gasification

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the earliest date by which they plan to have commercial underground coal gasification, with carbon capture and storage, operating in the United Kingdom; and what they expect to be the unit cost of electricity and gas produced by it.[HL1681]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Baroness Verma): A number of companies have indicated an interest in exploring the potential of offshore coal seams through Underground Coal Gasification (UCG), which involves the partial in-situ combustion of deep underground coal seams to produce a gas for use as an energy source. The technology is very much in its infancy at this stage, and therefore the potential of UCG with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and the expected unit costs of generation have not been assessed.

The Government regularly reviews progress in the sector and will play its part by creating a regulatory environment which helps rather than hinders the ambitions of developers. The Coal Authority, our Non-Departmental Public Body, is in the lead as the freehold owner of the coal resource and the licensing body for the exploitation of coal. To date the Authority has issued some 14 conditional near offshore UCG licences to companies

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keen to pursue the technology further. These enable prospective operators to secure the rights to the coal while projects are developed but importantly do not permit UCG operations to commence until all other rights and permissions are in place.

Equality Act 2010

Question

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester

To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they have not yet implemented section 165 of the Equality Act 2010 which places a duty on taxi drivers to assist passengers who are wheelchair users.[HL1773]

Earl Attlee: This matter has been subject to discussions across Government. My honourable Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Transport (Norman Baker) is keen to make announcement as soon as possible.

EU: Roma Inclusion

Question

Asked by Baroness Whitaker

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to support the proposal by the European Commission for a Council Recommendation on Roma inclusion.[HL1754]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Her Majesty’s Government notes the European Commission’s proposal for a Council Recommendation on Roma inclusion; we are keen to encourage all Member States, particularly those with large and disadvantaged Roma populations, to take effective action to integrate their Roma citizens. Our priority will be to secure a flexible Council Recommendation that takes account of the different situations in different Member States. In order to achieve this we will engage positively with the negotiations on the Commission’s proposal and play an active and constructive role in them.

Film and Television Industry

Questions

Asked by Lord Wills

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the contribution of the film and television industries to United Kingdom exports in the last three years.[HL1787]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The most recent three years of data are shown in the table below. This information is already available in tables D1 and D2 from the ONS’ International Trade in Services statistics at: http://www. ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/itis/international-trade- in-services/2011/stb-itis-2011.html

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Source:

Office for National Statistics ITIS survey

Asked by Lord Wills

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the contribution of the film and television industries to United Kingdom employment in the last three years.[HL1788]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Latest available data from the DCMS Creative Industries Economic Estimates show that total of 72,000 people were employed in the film, video and photography sectors in 2010. For television and radio the total number employed was 114,000. These data include those working in the Creative Industries or in a creative role in another industry. Data for 2009 are shown below, earlier data are not available due to discontinuities in the underlying labour force survey data provided by the ONS.

This information is already available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/creative-industries-economic-estimates-december-2011

Source:

DCMS, Creative Industries Economic Estimates

Food: Food Banks

Question

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Derby

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what incentives are provided to supermarkets to donate waste food to food banks at the end of trading.[HL1296]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley): The Government does not currently offer incentives to supermarkets to redistribute surplus food. We do however recognise the good work of organisations that redistribute surplus food to provide access to nutritional meals for those who may otherwise struggle. In addition, most major retailers already have partnerships with redistribution charities. In 2012, Defra held a meeting with retailers and food distribution charities to explore the current barriers to redistribution. The Waste and Resources Action Programme is working with Fareshare and FoodCycle to deliver a trial to increase food redistribution from retail stores.

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Gallipoli 100th Anniversary

Question

Asked by Lord Wakeham

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign in 2015 and the contribution made by the 410,000 British volunteers who came from all over the British Isles, together with the troops of many nations.[HL1644]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Prime Minister announced plans to commemorate the First World War centenary in October 2012. The Gallipoli Campaign was identified as one of the six key events to be marked within the United Kingdom First World War Centenary Commemoration Programme (together with those marking the start of the war; the Battle of the Somme, the Battle of Jutland, the Battle of Passchendaele and the 100th anniversary of the armistice). The commemorations will honour those who served and remember those who died. Detailed plans around the individual events will be announced in due course.

The Minister for Sport and Tourism visited the Australian War Memorial in May 2013 to discuss the commemorations with his Australian counterparts.

Gaza

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any programme exists for providing sufficient drinkable water for the population of Gaza, between now and 2016; and, if so, what is preventing its implementation.[HL1481]

Baroness Northover: The improvement of water, sanitation and hygiene in the West Bank and Gaza is coordinated by the Emergency Water, Sanitation and Hygiene group (EWASH), a coalition of donors, government agencies and non-governmental organisations working in this sector. Further details about their work is available at http://www.ewash.org/.

Whilst the Israeli authorities have approved the entry of materials for some water, sanitation and hygiene projects in Gaza, the delays and costs associated with the Israeli approval process for international reconstruction projects still present considerable challenges for the civilian population of the Gaza Strip and increase the cost to donors.

The UK Government continues to press the Israeli Government, bilaterally and by working with others such as the EU, on the need to ensure adequate access to water in Gaza. We have repeatedly called for ‘the immediate, sustained and unconditional opening of Gaza crossings for the flow of humanitarian aid, commercial goods and persons from and to the Gaza Strip’ as stated in the EU Foreign Affairs Council Conclusions of May 2012.

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Government Departments: Ministerial Meetings

Questions

Asked by Lord Empey

To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates they have convened meetings attended by the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chairman of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland and the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland.[HL1765]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of attendees at any meetings they have convened with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chairman of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland and the Minister of Justice for Northern Ireland; where any such meetings took place; and what was discussed and determined at any such meetings. [HL1766]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson): The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland met the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Chairman of the Parades Commission for Northern Ireland and the Minister for Justice for Northern Ireland on Monday 4 February, Wednesday 10 April, Tuesday 14 May and Wednesday 3 July 2013. These meetings took place in Stormont House and via video link from Stormont House to 1 Horse Guards Road.

Also in attendance at these meetings were senior officials from the Northern Ireland Office and Department of Justice along with members of the PSNI Service Command Team and the Secretary of the Parades Commission.

These meetings provide participants with an opportunity to have a general discussion and to exchange views on progress of the parading season in Northern Ireland. No decisions are taken at these meetings and there are no discussions about operational matters relating to specific parades.

Government Departments: Ministerial Responsibilities

Question

Asked by The Earl of Listowel

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which Minister in the Department for Work and Pensions has strategic responsibility for those granted refugee status as they make the transition to mainstream benefits.[HL1898]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Being granted Indefinite Leave to Remain as a refugee allows a person to claim benefits on the same basis as a UK national (subject to the general rules of entitlement) and responsibility would fall to the Minister for Employment, Mark Hoban MP.

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House of Commons: Voting Restrictions

Question

Asked by Lord Rennard

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to legislate to restrict votes in the House of Commons on matters defined as affecting England only to Members of Parliament representing English constituencies.[HL1521]

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: In January 2012, the Government announced the establishment of a Commission to consider how the House of Commons might deal with legislation which affects only part of the United Kingdom, following the devolution of certain legislative powers to the Scottish Parliament, the Northern Ireland Assembly and the National Assembly for Wales. The Commission published its report in March 2013. The Government will provide a substantive response to it in due course.

Immigration

Questions

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the rationale behind the Home Office tweet of Wednesday 3 July stating that “There will be no hiding place for illegal immigrants with the new “Immigration Bill””.[HL1547]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The UK has a rich history as a diverse and welcoming society and our immigration policy is created to ensure we attract the brightest and the best. However those who are in the country illegally face removal and our communications reflect this.

We use a variety of channels, including social media, to raise awareness of government policy and our work to deliver that policy, including our efforts to counter illegal immigration. The Home Office Twitter account plays an important role, alongside more traditional methods such as press releases.

Asked by Lord Faulkner of Worcester

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which international organisations' employees are exempt from entry clearances under the rules of the UK Border Agency.[HL1573]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria the UK Border Agency follow in determining which are the international organisations whose employees qualify for exempt entry clearances.[HL1574]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the list of international organisations whose employees qualify for exempt entry clearances, under the rules of the UK Border Agency, was last revised.[HL1575]

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Lord Taylor of Holbeach: A list of the international organisations whose employees are exempt from entry clearance requirements appears on the Home Office’s website at:

http://www.ukba.homeoffice.gov.uk/sitecontent/documents/policyandlaw/ecis/ecg/exempt-organistions-list.pdf.

All employees of international organisations who have exemption from suit and legal process (i.e. not subject to domestic law) are exempt from immigration control. The detail of this is set out in the secondary legislation applicable to each international organisation recognised by Her Majesty’s Government and in the Immigration Act 1971.

The Home Office is advised by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office which organisations are recognised as international organisations. This recognition occurs when Her Majesty's Government enters into a formal international agreement with such organisations.

The list was last updated in August 2011.

Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the list of international organisations whose employees qualify for exempt entry clearances was last updated by the UK Border Agency; and whether that list is approved by Ministers.[HL1678]

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The list was last updated in August 2011. It is not approved directly by Ministers. Legislation is passed in order to grant the international organisations on the list immunities and privileges. That legislation is subject to Parliamentary scrutiny and Ministerial approval.

Internet: Pornography

Question

Asked by Baroness Benjamin

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the action taken by the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOD) to ensure that United Kingdom websites providing explicit pornography keep such material out of reach of those aged under 18; and whether they will take steps to assist ATVOD in acting in relation to websites operating from outside the United Kingdom.[HL1512]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the suggestion by the Authority for Television on Demand that United Kingdom financial institutions should consider whether it is possible to decline to process payments from the United Kingdom to the operations of non-United Kingdom websites which appear to be breaking the Obscene Publications Act 1959 by allowing children to access explicit hardcore pornography.[HL1515]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: I welcome the work that the Authority for Television on Demand (ATVOI)) has undertaken in this area to explore with UK financial institutions and card companies the possibility of declining to process payments to websites operating from outside

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the EU which allow under 18s in the UK to view explicit pornographic content. The protection of children online is of the utmost importance and we will watch this work with interest. ATVO) provided a report on this area to the UKCCIS executive board on July, 8th, 2013 and we look forward to receiving further reports on their progress in due course.

Justice: Funding

Question

Asked by Lord Northbourne

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much funding they provided annually in respect of family justice in the last five years for which figures are available.[HL1558]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): In its final report published in November 2011, the Family Justice Review estimated that the Family Justice System costs the public purse over £1.6 billion each year. This estimate was of the costs to the Government in 2009-10 and included HMCTS,

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the then Legal Services Commission (now the Legal Aid Agency), CAFCASS and CAFCASS Cymru and local authorities.

The Government does not have the details of the costs to local authorities over the last five years because of the fact that many fund family law cases as part of a broad allocation of resource for social work, care services and legal support. However, the table below shows the estimated costs to HMCTS and the funding allocated to CAFCASS for the period 2008-09 to 2012-13 along with estimated costs for the Legal Aid Agency (LAA) up to 2010-11. The costs for HMCTS are gross and do not take into account fees received by them. The costs for the LAA are net of any income received by them. This is consistent with the way the Family Justice Review estimated the overall cost of the system.

The costs to the LAA for 2011-12 are not yet available as legal aid funding is reported by funding scheme rather than by category of law, hence extracting data at this level of detail takes time to collate. The agency will write to the noble Lord by the end of August with the details.

1 HMCTS costs for 2012/13 exclude the costs of the Court of Protection and Probate

Local Government Ombudsman and Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman

Questions

Asked by Lord Touhig

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the efficiency as a means of redress of complaints against health and social care assessments, including those related to waiting times, to the Local Government Ombudsman and the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman.[HL1804]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent assessment they have made of the length of time it takes for complaints against (1) the Local Government Ombudsman, and (2) the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman, to be responded to.[HL1909]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Department has not undertaken either of these assessments. Information on complaints against the Local Government Ombudsmen and the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman are available at:

www.Igo.org.uk and

www.ombudsman.org.uk

Muttahida Quami Movement

Questions

Asked by Lord Ahmed

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the allegations made on BBC Newsnight on 10 July by the leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement, Mr Altaf Hussain, against the United Kingdom Government and UK law enforcement services; and whether they intend to take any action in response to those allegations.[HL1593]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach): The police are the appropriate body to investigate any allegations of criminal acts. Anyone with evidence of criminal acts being planned or commissioned from the UK should pass that information to the appropriate UK police force. The murder of Imran Farooq is the subject of an ongoing Metropolitan Police investigation. It would therefore be inappropriate to comment further.

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Asked by Lord Ahmed

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to consider the presence in the United Kingdom of the leader of the Muttahida Quami Movement, Mr Altaf Hussain.[HL1594]

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: For reasons of confidentiality, the Home Office does not routinely comment on individual cases.

Northern Ireland Parades Commission

Question

Asked by Lord Kilclooney

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the total amount, including expenses, paid to each member of the Northern Ireland Parades Commission during the first six months of 2013.[HL1794]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson): The Parades Commission for Northern Ireland operates independently of Government. The Noble Lord may wish to write to the Commission directly on these matters.

Overseas Aid

Questions

Asked by The Countess of Mar

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the breakdown of spending on genetically-modified agricultural projects directed at Africa undertaken by (1) United Kingdom universities or research institutes, (2) African universities or research institutes, and (3) international institutions, which are receiving funding from the Department for International Development, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs or the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (including through partnerships) since 2005.[HL1713]

Baroness Northover: DfID does not track expenditure made by UK or African can universities and research institutes in developing countries, nor would it be economic to do so. DEFRA has not funded international organisations to do work on genetic modification directed at Africa. BBSRC has provided £2 million of support since 2005 to research partnerships involving the use or production of a GM crop, usually to enable improved agricultural traits, for the potential benefit of countries in Africa and South Asia.

DfID estimates that 10% of its total agricultural research funds have been invested in the application of advanced biotechnology since 2005. This includes expenditure on the development of GM crops, but also on non-GM marker-assisted breeding and other advanced biotechnologies. The Natal agricultural research budget for this period was £440.7m. The development and use of GM crops has considerable potential for developing crops that have improved nutritional characteristics, are more productive and resilient to pests, disease and extreme weather.

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Asked by Lord Chidgey

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they monitor the Department for International Development’s bilateral aid spending on nutrition.[HL1732]

Baroness Northover: DfID annually reports its spending on Basic Nutrition according to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Development Assistance Committee definition. In addition, DfID is working with other donors who support nutrition to agree a joint approach to tracking investments in programmes which are aimed at reducing undernutrition but which do not meet the Basic Nutrition coding definition. Together these data will provide a comprehensive overview of the United Kingdom’s bilateral aid spending on nutrition.

Asked by Lord Chidgey

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they monitor the Department for International Development’s bilateral aid spending on under-five child health. [HL1733]

Baroness Northover: DfID does not track inputs, allocations and expenditure according to the category requested. The UK's codes are based on the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Development Co-operation Directorate (DAC) codes which are used for reporting Official Development Assistance and, as a DAC member, the UK is committed to the transparent reporting of development assistance in a way that permits international comparisons. Details of the total expenditure on health are in Statistics on International Development 2007/8 — 2011/12, published in May 2013 and at

https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development/about/statistics.

Asked by Lord Boateng

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for International Development has any plans to launch bilateral nutrition programmes in (1) Ghana, (2) Rwanda, (3) Kyrgyzstan, and (4) Sierra Leone, to support or develop those countries' plans to address malnutrition.[HL1778]

Baroness Northover: In each of the 4 countries specified. DFID currently runs programmes in sectors which contribute to the key underlying determinants of nutrition, such as health, water, sanitation and hygiene and education although there are currently no bilateral nutrition programmes.

At the Nutrition for Growth event, the UK committed an additional £604 million between 2013 and 2020 for programmes in relevant sectors to deliver nutrition results, as well as committing an additional £375 million for direct nutrition programmes. Decisions on new bilateral nutrition programmes and the incorporation of nutrition goals and indicators into other investments will be taken by DFID country offices. Officials in Whitehall will work closely with Country offices, partner governments, donors and the Scaling Up Nutrition movement as part of the decision-making process.

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Asked by Lord Boateng

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are on target to reach the objective to reach 20 million children under five with the United Kingdom's aid programme by 2015, as stated in the Department for International Development position paper Scaling Up Nutrition published in 2011; and how many children have been reached so far.[HL1779]

Baroness Northover: The UK is committed to reaching 20 million children and pregnant women with nutrition relevant programmes by 2015. It is making good progress towards achieving this target. DfID’s Annual Report for the period 2012 — 2013 set out that DfID had reached 12.9 million children under 5 or pregnant women with nutrition programmes, compared to 5.5 million up to 2011-12.

As part of the UK's continued commitment to scale up its nutrition portfolio, new programmes have been approved, in Ethiopia, Kenya and Zambia, for example. In Zambia, the programme will result in 100,000 fewer children under five being stunted by 2016. In Ethiopia the programme will deliver nutrition interventions to 3.5 million children under the age of five by 2017. In Kenya the programme will prevent and treat acute malnutrition. It will provide annual treatment for 19,200 children under the age of five with severe acute malnutrition; treatment for 37,850 children under five and 11,300 pregnant or breastfeeding women with moderate acute malnutrition with further preventative care for 68,350 children under five and pregnant or breastfeeding women by 2015.

Overseas Conflict: Sexual Violence

Questions

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Derby

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 9 July (WA35), what consideration has been given to inviting religious leaders from recipient countries to attend the high level event in the autumn designed to mobilise global leadership to prevent sexual violence in conflict.[HL1715]

Baroness Northover: The Call to Action event in the autumn will highlight the actions the international community needs to take for the protection of women and girls in emergencies. The UK's commitment to addressing sexual violence in conflict and, more broadly, in tackling the many forms of violence against women and girls that manifest themselves in emergencies. Preparations for the event are underway and officials are considering what role religious leaders might play.

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Derby

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 9 July (WA35), whether the proposed technical training and guidance for field staff and advisers will include advice on how to engage with religious communities when providing humanitarian support to the victims of sexual violence in conflict. [HL1716]

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Baroness Northover: The guidance and training for DfID advisers and staff is based on the United Nations Inter-Agency Standing Committee Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings. These guidelines draw attention to the role that religious leaders and groups can play in the provision of psychological and social support, and in encouraging survivors of violence to seek appropriate care.

Palestine

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the recent United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs report on Palestinians at risk of forcible transfer.[HL1482]

Baroness Northover: The issue of forcible transfer has been highlighted in a number of recent reports from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, including a factsheet about communities on the Jerusalem periphery. It is an issue that the government takes very seriously.

We are funding the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) to provide free legal support to Palestinian communities at risk, including to all 23 Bedouin communities in the Jerusalem periphery. Such support has proven effective, as in 95% of the cases where NRC have provided legal aid, demolition orders have been suspended. The UK provides core financial support to the International Committee of the Red Cross and to the United Nations, both of whom have provided assistance to communities affected by demolitions and displacement in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

The UK has made clear that we view demolitions and evictions as causing suffering to ordinary Palestinians, harmful to the peace process and, in all but the most limited circumstances, contrary to international humanitarian law, and we condemn them.

Press Regulation

Questions

Asked by Lord Prescott

To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they propose to present to the Privy Council the all-party Royal Charter on press regulation; and whether they will do so before the completion of the consideration of the draft Royal Charter on that subject now before the Privy Council.[HL1727]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: It has been widely known that the Press Charter will be considered and a decision taken before the cross party charter is submitted to the Privy Council. In considering the PressBoF Charter, the Government is following a robust procedure, in line with usual Privy Council processes. We want to see a tough new system of press self-regulation implemented swiftly,

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Asked by Lord Prescott

To ask Her Majesty’s Government who are the members of the Privy Council considering the draft Royal Charter on press regulation.[HL1728]

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Membership of the Privy Council Committee which will be considering the PressBoF Royal Charter is published on the Privy Council website: http://privycouncil.independent. gov.uk/royal-charters/petitions-for-royal-charters/

Public Bodies

Questions

Asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top

To ask Her Majesty’s Government to which public bodies the Department for Communities and Local Government has appointed a chairperson since May 2010; and who was appointed in each case.[HL1770]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Since May 2010 the Department for Communities and Local Government has appointed new chairmen to three public bodies. These were the Local Government Ombudsman, the Building Regulations Advisory Committee and the Audit Commission.

The following individuals were appointed: Dr Jane Martin was appointed Chairman of the Local Government Ombudsman; Neil Cooper was appointed Chairman of the Building Regulations Advisory Committee; and Jeremy Newman was appointed as Chairman of the Audit Commission.

This figure does not include re-appointments.

Asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top

To ask Her Majesty’s Government to which public bodies the Department of Health has appointed a chairperson since May 2010; and who was appointed in each case.[HL1771]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): The Secretary of State has made 19 Chair appointments since 1 May 2010:

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Asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top

To ask Her Majesty’s Government to which public bodies the Department for Transport has appointed a chairperson since May 2010; and who was appointed in each case.[HL1797]

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport has appointed a chairperson to the following public bodies since May 2010 (including re-appointments):

Railways: High Speed 2

Question

Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many properties in each affected borough or district are located within the safeguarded areas for HS2 construction.[HL1764]

Earl Attlee: The table below details how many properties in each affected borough or district are located within the safeguarded areas for HS2 construction.

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Notes:

Method

Figures have been produced by mapping the latest (May 2013) OS Address Layer / Property Point dataset against the July 2013 Safeguarded area.

The ‘Stage B’ sections around Northolt Corridor and Bromford Viaduct areas are not included pending their confirmation.

The Safeguarding boundaries have been split into LA Borough sections and a query performed to count the number of Postal Points within each section. These numbers form the results above.

The dataset is derived from Royal Mail data, based on any property with a postal address.

Limitations

The total figure for each borough / district includes both dwellings and businesses. It also includes areas safeguarded for surface running and tunnels.

The figures provided are purely total properties in the area, and do not account for how many of those properties would be likely to meet the eligibility conditions for purchase under statutory blight provisions.

The dataset may not capture all the properties within the Safeguarding boundaries as the point is located at the centre of each property parcel. A property parcel may be within the Safeguarding boundary, however the centre just outside. In this instance, the property would not be counted. The Postal Point layer contains all properties with a postal address—this would exclude plots of land such as roads, allotments, derelict industrial land etc. All ‘PO BOX’ entries were removed before calculations run.

Railways: Intercity Express Trains

Question

Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 15 October (WA 452), what is the current total real cash value of the Intercity Express Programme contract over the 27.5 year period; and what will be the estimated annual payment, at 2012 prices, when both the Great Western and East Coast fleets are in service including the additional trains added to the contract to replace the IC225 fleet on the East Coast.[HL1763]

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Earl Attlee: The Intercity Express Programme contract has a net present value of approximately £5.8 billion at 2009 prices, and a nominal value of approximately £22 billion over 27.5 years. The estimated annual payment, at 2012 prices, when both Great Western and the full East Coast fleets are in service in 2020-21 is approximately £539 million.

Roads: Heavy Goods Vehicles

Question

Asked by Lord Brabazon of Tara

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the policy in France of restricting heavy good vehicles to the inside-lane on uphill stretches of two-lane dual-carriageways, motorways and trunk roads, and at certain times of day; and, whether they have any plans to introduce a similar policy in the United Kingdom.[HL1723]

Earl Attlee: We have made no specific assessment of the French policy.

In a few, very specific, locations where there have been congestion problems caused by lorries trying to overtake on extended uphill sections of the strategic road network, restrictions on lorry overtaking have been put in place by the Highways Agency. These restrictions have only been kept in place where monitoring has provided clear evidence of overall journey time improvements. In some locations, there is evidence that the overtaking restrictions have also improved journey times for HGVs.

The current list of HGV overtaking ban sites is below.

Shipping: Navigation Stations

Questions

Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the projected cost of the rollout of seven differential eLoran electronic navigation stations; what has been the cost to date of the eLoran project; and whether the cost will be met entirely by public funds.[HL1817]

Earl Attlee: The Initial Operational Capability project to install or upgrade eLoran equipment at seven ports along the east coast of the United Kingdom will cost £0.709m. Expenditure on developing eLoran since 2008 is £2.14m. These costs are met from public funds, including the General Lighthouse Fund, Home Office budgets and, from 2008 to 2011, a Department for Transport grant.

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Asked by Lord Berkeley

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any shipping companies have made an official complaint about GPS jamming in British territorial waters or GPS vulnerability since 2010, or have requested the rollout of differential eLoran stations; and, if so, which.[HL1818]

Earl Attlee: No official complaints about GPS jamming or vulnerability have been received. However, the vulnerability of satellite navigation systems (including GPS) to space weather events is widely recognised.

The Lights Advisory Committee, which represents the views of shipping companies in the annual corporate planning round for the General Lighthouse Authorities (during which all expenditure, including the sanction for eLoran, is considered), has supported the development of eLoran since its inception.

Taiwan

Question

Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will support the admission of Taiwan as an observer at the forthcoming meeting of the International Civil Aviation Organisation.[HL1816]

Earl Attlee: The Government supports Taiwan’s practical participation in international organisations where this does not require statehood.

Taiwan continues to seek meaningful participation in the International Civil Aviation Organisation and we support Taiwan’s attendance of the General Assembly in an unofficial capacity, as occurred at the previous Assembly in October 2010.

Taxation: Mansion Tax

Questions

Asked by Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to HM Treasury research on a mansion tax quoted by Mr David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, what is the regional breakdown of the estimated 55,000 residential properties worth over £2 million between Greater London, South-East England, and the rest of the United Kingdom.[HL1465]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to HM Treasury research on a mansion tax quoted by Mr David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, what is the median estimated payment of mansion tax in respect of their estimated 55,000 properties liable to pay the tax.[HL1466]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to HM Treasury research on a mansion tax quoted by Mr David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, what is the estimated breakdown of the £2 billion payable annually in mansion tax in respect of properties worth (1) £2 to £3 million, (2) £3,000,001 to £5 million, (3) £5,000,001 to £10 million, and (4) over £10 million.[HL1467]

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To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in relation to HM Treasury research on a mansion tax quoted by Mr David Gauke, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, (1) on whose authority HM Treasury officials' time was used on that research, (2) whether it was approved by the Permanent Secretary, and (3) whether it was made available on equal terms for use by Conservative and Liberal Democrat Treasury Ministers.[HL1468]

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place HM Treasury’s research into a mansion tax in the Library of the House.[HL1469]

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton): The Treasury does not have a precise regional breakdown of properties worth over £2million. However, this can be approximated from the regional breakdown of residential property transactions over £2 million.

The table below provides the regional breakdown of residential property transactions over £2 million in 201 1-12 by Government Office Region, drawn from HM Revenue & Customs' Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) returns. In 2011-12, 71 per cent of residential property transactions over £2 million were for properties in Greater London, 17 per cent were in South East England, and 12 per cent were in the rest of the United Kingdom.

The research referred to by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury is a simple calculation arrived at by dividing £2 billion (which the Opposition have stated would be the amount they would seek to raise through a mansion tax) by 55,000 (an internal HMRC estimate of the number of properties valued at over £2 million) to give a 'mean' average of £36,000. The Treasury does not have an estimate of the median payment in respect of the estimated 55,000 properties liable to pay the Opposition's proposed mansion tax.

The £2 billion referred to is the amount which the Opposition have stated they would seek to raise through a mansion tax. The Treasury does not, therefore, have a breakdown of the £2 billion payable annually in mansion tax in respect of properties worth (1) £2 to £3 million, (2) £3,000,001 to £5 million, (3) £5,000,001 to £10 million, and (4) over £10 million of properties worth over £2million.

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The research, quoted by the Exchequer Secretary, was carried out as part of the usual Budget process by the Treasury.

This was part of wider work to consider a number of policy options at Budget 2012, including the introduction of the higher rate of SDLT for residential transactions of more than £2 million, and the Annual Tax on Enveloped Dwellings, a tax on non natural persons owning residential properties valued at more than £2 million.

The research quoted by the Exchequer Secretary of the Treasury was included in submissions that were sent to both Conservative and Liberal Democrat Treasury Ministers for consideration.

The data supporting the statement made by the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury has been provided in the answers to questions HL1465, HL1466, HL1467, HL1468.

Unemployment

Question

Asked by The Earl of Courtown

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their proposals to enable those not in education, employment or training to get back into education, employment or training.[HL1701]

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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): In December 2011, Department for Work and Pensions, the Departments for Education, and Business Innovation and Skills published “Building Engagement, Building Futures: Our Strategy to Maximise the Participation of 16-24 year olds in Education, Training and Work”.

The strategy sets out the Government’s approach to improving opportunities for young people, to succeed in education and training and gain the skills needed to secure employment and an Apprenticeship.

Young Offenders Institutions

Question

Asked by Baroness Doocey

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) Vietnamese, and (2) Afghan, nationals under 18 years old were accommodated in the youth secure estate in each year between 2009 and 2012.[HL1568]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): It is not possible to provide information on the number of 1) Vietnamese, and 2) Afghan nationals under 18 years old who were accommodated in the youth secure estate in each year between 2009 and 2012 because it would require the manual inspection of each individual’s record, which could only be done at disproportionate cost.