Written Answers
Monday 10 February 2014
Afghanistan
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the estimated future costs of a continued British presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of the main armed forces in 2014.[HL4995]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): NATO has not yet finalised its operational plan for its post-2014 Afghanistan mission. Until NATO planning has matured, it remains premature to speculate what future costs or residual military presence the UK will have in Afghanistan after 2014.
Benefits: Crisis Loans
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the breakdown nationally between different categories of need for which Crisis Loans were made in the last year in which the Department for Works and Pensions administered the scheme.[HL5011]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud) (Con): Table 1 provides the total expenditure on Crisis Loans in Great Britain in 2012/13 broken down by application reason.
| Table 1: Expenditure on Crisis Loans in 2012/13 by reason for application | |
| Reason for Application | Expenditure |
Notes
:
• The information provided is Management Information. Our preference is to answer all Parliamentary Questions using Official / National Statistics but in this case we only have Management Information available. It is not quality assured to the same extent as Official / National statistics and there are some issues with the data, for example, these amounts do not include expenditure on applications which were processed clerically and have not yet been entered on to the Social Fund Computer System.
• Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
• Figures may not sum due to rounding.
• Crisis Loan expenditure figures include awards made in respect of applications that were received prior to the end of the scheme on 31 March 2013 but processed and paid after this date.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much was advanced by way of Crisis Loans to residents of Newcastle upon Tyne in the last year the Department for Works and Pensions administered the scheme; and what was the breakdown of categories of need.[HL5012]
Lord Freud: Table 1 provides the expenditure on Crisis Loans in Newcastle upon Tyne in 2012/13 broken down by application reason.
| Table 1: Expenditure on Crisis Loans in Newcastle upon Tyne 2012/13 by reason for application | |
| Reason for Application | Expenditure |
Notes
:
• Local Authority figures have been produced by linking Social Fund Computer System data with the National Benefits Database to obtain the Local Authority the person lived in at the time of application. There are 7% of cases where we cannot link the records in this way.
• Expenditure figures are rounded to the nearest £100.
• Figures may not sum due to rounding.
Bullying: Racist Bullying
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 28 January (WA 206–7), how the £45 million they provide to Beatbullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s Bureau to develop initiatives to tackle bulling will be deployed specifically to reduce racist bullying of Gypsy, Traveller and Roma children.[HL5110]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): The Government is providing £4 million, not £45 million as stated in the question, of funding over two years from spring 2013 to four anti-bullying organisations. They are: Beatbullying, The Diana Award, Kidscape and the National Children’s
Bureau. The funding is provided for the organisations to develop effective initiatives to prevent and tackle all forms of bullying, including racist bullying. Each of these organisations provides anti-bullying training to pupils and/or teachers in schools; and schools have the freedom to decide how best to use this training relative to their particular context. Schools where Gypsy, Traveller or Roma pupils have experienced bullying can use the training they receive alongside other anti-bullying initiatives that focus on, for instance, community cohesion and relationships across the school.
Cyprus and Northern Cyprus
Question
Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the United Kingdom’s role as a guarantor power for Cyprus, the recent agreement between the Prime Minister and the President of the Republic of Cyprus gave support for the position articulated by the Finance Minister of the Republic of Cyprus on 23 January on the BBC programme HARDtalk that there would be “no talks unless the Turkish Cypriots agree to a federated sovereign single state first”.[HL4965]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The Prime Minister, my Rt. Hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), and President Anastasiades reaffirmed, when they met on 15 January, that they both “support a settlement agreed under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, based on the United Nations Charter and the UN Security Council Resolutions on Cyprus, as well as on the principles upon which the EU is founded, for a State of Cyprus with a single sovereignty, single international personality and a single citizenship, in a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as described in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions.”
The precise form of the future federation is for the two communities to agree through detailed negotiations under UN auspices. The UK continues to support ongoing efforts to restart formal talks leading to a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus.
Democratic Republic of Congo
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government at what time on 8 June 2011 the charter flight carrying five returnees from the United Kingdom to the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Nigeria arrived at N’djili airport, Democratic Republic of the Congo. [HL5083]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): There was no charter flight to the Democratic Republic of the Congo via Nigeria in 2011.
Education: Funding
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of the Education Funding Agency to deliver value for money in its allocation of funds to academies.[HL5137]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): On 29 January, the National Audit Office published the report “Performance and capability of the Education Funding Agency”. This included an assessment of the value for money of the Agency.
The full report is available here:
http://www.nao.org.uk/report/performance-capability-education-funding-agency/
A copy has been placed in the House Library.
Education: Mathematics
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the statement by the Advisory Committee on Mathematics Education expressing concerns over changes to A-levels in 2016.[HL5017]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to prevent a repeat of the 2002 fall in numbers of students taking maths at A-level, as a result of changes to the system.[HL5018]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): The independent review of A levels, led by Professor Mark Smith, found that A level mathematics required more substantial change than other subjects. That is why Ofqual, the independent qualifications regulator for England, announced1 last year that first teaching of the revised mathematics A level should be delayed from September 2015 to September 2016, to allow enough time for a fuller consideration of the changes that are necessary.
The Russell Group has established the A level Content Advisory Board (ALCAB) to advise on the content of mathematics and further mathematics A levels. ALCAB will provide advice on content alongside the developing structure of the qualification, and the qualification criteria will be developed with input from ACME and other subject experts. Further opportunities for the mathematics community to be involved in the development process will be available through the planned consultation on draft mathematics AS and A level qualification criteria, which is due to take place later this year.
ACME has raised concerns about the potential impact on take up of maths as a result of the decoupling of the AS and the A level. Returning A levels to exams at the end of two years will ensure that students gain a deeper understanding of mathematics and put an end to the routine of constant assessment. We have decided to retain the AS as a stand-alone qualification which
can be co-taught with the A level, as we recognise that they are a valuable step for some maths students who are not ready to commit to the full A level. We do not agree that de-coupling the AS from A level will lead to a fall in the numbers of students taking mathematics at A level, however; involving higher education and other experts in the reform of A levels will mean that students can be confident that the new A levels will prepare them better for university. The Department for Education therefore expects that the impressive increases in the number of students studying mathematics —now at a 17 year high—will continue as we progress these reforms.
We have an ambition for the overwhelming majority of young people in England to study mathematics at least to age 18 by 2020. We want to be in a position where all students and their parents think about which kind of maths they will pursue as part of their post-16 programme rather than if they will continue to study mathematics at all. That is why students who have not achieved at least a grade C in GCSE Mathematics by the age of 16 are required to continue to study mathematics post 16. Furthermore, new “Core Maths” qualifications will be available from 2015, which build on GCSE study and develop competence in more advanced mathematical thinking and problem solving and will be suitable for those students who do not go on to study A level mathematics.
1See Ofqual’s announcement on the timetable for A level and GCSE reform on its website:
http://ofqual.gov.uk/news/reform-timetable-correspondence/
Electoral Registration
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 31 January (WA 265), whether they will now answer the original question.[HL5222]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): As was the case under the previous administration, electoral registration is one of the services covered by the Local Government Finance Settlement. Electoral Registration is funded through both the Revenue Support Grant and business rates. Neither of these funding streams are ring fenced.
Due to the method of allocation it is not possible to disaggregate the funding that is provided for electoral registration.
EU: UK Membership
Question
Asked by Lord Stevens of Ludgate
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Livingston of Parkhead on 24 January (WA 174), how the estimate of 3.5 million jobs in the United Kingdom being dependent on European Union membership was calculated.[HL5028]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Livingston of Parkhead) (Con): The estimate of 3.5 million jobs linked to trade with the European Union is based on the assumption that the share of UK employment linked to trade with the EU is equal to the share of total UK value added (GDP) generated in the production of goods and services exported to the EU.
The calculation uses data from UK Input-Output tables to estimate the proportion of UK value-added content generated in exports of goods and services and applies this to the values of UK exports to the EU. This is then divided by total UK GDP and the resultant proportion then applied to the total UK labour force to estimate the proportion of the labour force linked to EU exports on a value-added basis.
Flooding
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the response of the Environment Agency to the flooding in the Somerset Levels in 2012–13 and 2013–14.[HL5045]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): No specific assessment has been made of the Environment Agency’s response to the 2012-13 flooding of the Somerset Levels, although lessons learned from across the country were fed into the National Risk Assessment.
With regard to the current flooding, Oliver Letwin, Minister for Government Policy, is reviewing the Government’s response to severe weather, including flooding, to identify what more we can do to mitigate and respond to such events in the future.
Government: Ministerial Responsibilities
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to appoint any further Ministers with responsibilities for particular cities or areas; if so, what account they will take of (1) the existing responsibilities of the MPs for those areas, and (2) the responsibilities for their own constituencies of any MPs appointed in such a capacity; and whether, in the case of the Minister for Portsmouth, they took account of those factors in respect of his role as MP for Sevenoaks.[HL5054]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Hill of Oareford) (Con): I refer the noble Lord to the reply given on Wednesday 29 January 2014 (Official Report) Column Ref: WA236.
All Ministers are required to conduct themselves in accordance with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.
Health: Academic Health
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 24 January (WA 178), what criteria will be adopted in reviewing the future funding of academic health science networks.[HL5059]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): NHS England has advised that the future funding of Academic Health Science Networks will be reviewed using the same criteria applied to any other National Health Service programme, in that delivered benefits will be compared to available resources at the time. Academic Health Science Networks remain a priority for NHS England and following the successful establishment of all 15 networks it is expected that their benefits will continue to justify a significant investment.
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many academic health science networks (AHSNs) have been established; what is the budget for each AHSN; what are their success criteria; when the first evaluations of progress will be made; and how they will receive parliamentary and public scrutiny.[HL5069]
Earl Howe: 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs) have been established in England.
The following table lists the first year budgets for each AHSN.
| AHSN | 2013-14 funding |
All AHSNs are supported by five year contracts, which are focused on delivering four core objectives. These are to:
— Focus on the needs of patients and local populations: support and work in partnership with commissioners and public health bodies to identify and address unmet medical needs, whilst promoting health equality and best practice;
— Build a culture of partnership and collaboration: promote inclusivity, partnership and collaboration to consider and address local, regional and national priorities;— Speed up adoption of innovation into practice to improve clinical outcomes and patient experience: support the identification and more rapid spread of research and innovation at pace and scale to improve patient care and local population health; and— Create wealth: through co-development, testing, evaluation and early adoption and spread of new products and services.
Success criteria for individual AHSNs will be based on the AHSN contract objectives and delivery against approved AHSN annual business plans.
NHS England has established the AHSN Governance Group, which will provide on-going assurance to NHS England's Executive Team on the business planning, annual reporting, funding arrangements and return on investment of NHS England’s investment in AHSNs. AHSNs will submit their first annual reports at the end of this financial year.
The Secretary of State retains ministerial responsibility to Parliament for the provision of the health service in England. As an arm’s length body to the Department of Health, NHS England is accountable to Parliament via Department of Health ministers.
Health: Cancer
Question
Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many National Health Service hospitals currently meet the target of 24 per cent of their cancer patients receiving intensity modulated radiotherapy; and when they expect all National Health Service hospitals to have met that target.[HL4981]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Since 1 April 2013, radiotherapy treatment has been planned and paid for nationally by NHS England to guarantee access to innovative radiotherapy where clinically appropriate, safe and cost effective.
All National Health Service providers of radiotherapy in England offer access to intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). The official data for November, provided by the National Clinical Analysis and Specialised Applications Team, report that 39 out of 50 centres have met the 24% target for IMRT.
NHS England is working with the remaining centres to get them on target as soon as possible.
Health: Patient Records
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients may revoke their implied consent for the release of their medical records; and, if not, why not. [HL5199]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Medical records are held in confidence and should only be shared with patient consent unless there is a legal authority that overrides or sets aside the duty of confidentiality or exceptionally where the public interest warrants such sharing, for example, to safeguard children or vulnerable adults.
Consent is implied for direct care purposes when patients present for care, that is, it is generally accepted that patients understand that their records need to be shared amongst those who are providing them with care and are content for this to happen in order to receive the best care possible. Where the legal basis for sharing is consent, implied or otherwise, then that consent can be withdrawn at any time.
Health: Vaccinations
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why there is a shortage of yellow fever vaccine in the United Kingdom; and what steps they are taking to rectify the situation.[HL5171]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The manufacturer, Sanofi Pasteur MSD, has experienced temporary manufacturing issues which have led to supply problems with its single dose yellow fever vaccine, “Stamaril”. The company is at present unable to confirm when normal supply will resume.
Officials have been working with the company and the National Travel Health Network and Centre to help ensure that people are able to obtain yellow fever vaccine. No other company has a United Kingdom marketing authorisation for this product. However travel clinics have access to supplies of yellow fever vaccine which are licensed in other countries. Under the Medicines legislation, doctors in the UK can prescribe unlicensed medicines to meet the needs of individual patients on their own responsibility.
Homeless Families
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Stowell of Beeston on 18 December 2013 (WA 220), whether they have received any reports of the misreporting by local authorities of the number of homeless families placed in non-self-contained bed and breakfast accommodation beyond the six-week limit; and whether they plan to investigate any such reports. [HL4967]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to ask local authorities in London to confirm that all homeless families placed in bed and breakfast annexes are being reported in their statistical returns.[HL4969]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con): We have received no reports from a third party of the misreporting by local authorities of the number of homeless families placed in non-self-contained bed and breakfast accommodation beyond the six-week limit.
The data that we receive from local authorities are subject to rigorous checks—both when they are entered onto the system, and when summarised for the statistical release. Any queries are resolved with local authorities before publication.
Two local authorities have notified us of an error in the published figure for their own area since we started publishing local authority level figures in Live Table 793 in March last year. The first one was revised last year, the next time the statistics were published, and the more recent one will be revised when the details of the required correction are known.
As has been made clear, the use of any annexe for families with children which is not self contained and where facilities are shared will be unlawful if used for longer than six weeks. Such a breach is already covered within our published figures, which are defined as including all families that have been in either a bed and breakfast hotel or annexe for over six weeks, where the case is not pending review.
Local authorities are routinely sent the guidance—which states that households in bed and breakfast annexes are to be included—each time a new set of data are requested. As stated above, all data are subject to rigorous checks.
The Homelessness (Suitability of Accommodation) (England) Order 2003 is intended to ensure that families with children are not required to share facilities with other households indefinitely. Bed and breakfast accommodation is defined as accommodation which is not self-contained in which a toilet, personal washing facilities or cooking facilities are shared by more than one household.
Immigration Bill
Questions
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the consequences would be for a British citizen deprived of their citizenship under the amendment to section 40(4) of the British Nationality Act 1981 currently being considered as part of the Immigration Bill were that deprivation to take place while the individual citizen was in the United Kingdom.[HL5155]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): Where an individual is in the UK, and is deprived of their citizenship, we would seek to deport them to their country of origin/birth.
If there are statelessness issues, for example, because they have renounced their prior nationality, we would expect the individual to seek to resolve these issues and do not consider that they would be a bar to
deprivation. In some circumstances, where a person is genuinely unable to return to their country of birth or get another nationality, it may be necessary to grant limited leave to remain in the UK however the rights and privileges of British citizenship would still be removed.
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when considering whether to revoke someone’s citizenship under the proposed amendment to section 40(4) of the British Nationality Act 1981 currently being considered as part of the Immigration Bill whether any limit will be placed on how many years ago the activity considered to have been seriously prejudicial to the United Kingdom’s vital interests need have taken place.[HL5156]
Lord Taylor of Holbeach: The proposed amendment to section 40 (4) of the British Nationality Act 1981 is clear that the Secretary of State should be “satisfied that the deprivation is conducive to the public good because the person, while having that citizenship status, has conducted himself in a manner which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom”.
Each deprivation decision will be subject to detailed consideration and be the personal decision of the Secretary of State. There will be no time limit, but the conduct being considered must have taken place after the individual became a British citizen.
Israel
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the imprisonment of Mohamed Bader.[HL5085]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv have not made representations on this specific case.
Kenya
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to ensure that the wording on the proposed memorial to victims of the Mau Mau emergency commemorates the experience of all who were affected by the emergency.[HL5142]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi): The UK is working with the Kenyan Human Rights Commission, the Mau Mau War Veterans Association, the Nairobi Governor’s Office, and the National Museums of Kenya to make
sure the proposed memorial is as inclusive as possible and promotes reconciliation. The exact design, including any wording on the plaque, is yet to be agreed.
Mexico
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to strengthen a diplomatic and trade relationship with Mexico.[HL5184]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The UK enjoys excellent bilateral relations with Mexico and we are committed to further strengthening this important relationship with one of the key emerging powers. Over the past 12 months, several Government Ministers visited Mexico, including the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for East Devon (Mr Swire). Just this week, the Deputy Prime Minister, my right hon. Friend the Member for Sheffield Hallam (Mr Clegg) has travelled to Mexico, accompanied by my hon and noble Friend, the Minister of State for Trade and Investment (Lord Livingston of Parkhead),with a trade delegation of over 40 companies from the energy, education and manufacturing sectors. Recent inward visits from Mexico include President Peña Nieto, Finance Minister Videgaray, Foreign Minister Meade and Deputy Foreign Minister for Europe, de Icaza. Plans are in place for similarly numerous and productive visits in the year to come.
The UK and Mexico have agreed a target to double bilateral trade by 2015 from its 2009 level to £4.2 billion. We have increased the resource available at our Embassy in Mexico City and established a trade taskforce to help overcome practical obstacles.
Both the UK Government and the Mexican government are also preparing for an exciting year of cultural and trade and investment events in 2015: the “Year of the UK in Mexico” and “the Year of Mexico in the UK”.
National Security
Questions
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are conducting research on and tests of robots for military and security purposes which are able to act without detailed human control; and, if so, at what cost.[HL4856]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): The Ministry of Defence’s science and technology programme does not fund research or tests of robots that are able to act without human control of the command decision-making process.
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they define activity “which is seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom”; and whether this would include (1) any form of protest against military activity or within the vicinity of military or civil infrastructure, and (2) political activity aimed at breaking up the United Kingdom.[HL5152]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The Government does not wish to be overly prescriptive about the meaning of “seriously prejudicial to the vital interests of the United Kingdom”, as the circumstances of each case will be different. However we intend it to cover those involved in terrorism or espionage or those who take up arms against British or allied forces.
New Enterprise Allowance
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they are giving to local authorities regarding council tenancy agreements which restrict any business activity if the tenant is in receipt of the New Enterprise Allowance.[HL5132]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Stowell of Beeston) (Con): Social tenants are not prevented from running a business from their home by law, but tenancy agreements may include terms preventing them from doing so, or contain a provision allowing tenants to run a business from home with the landlord’s consent. Historically, there has been a misperception among tenants that they cannot work from home even where this has not been prevented by their tenancy.
The Department wrote to all social landlords in November 2010 drawing their attention to guidance issued by the Charted Instituted of Housing designed to ensure tenants are provided with encouragement; help and advice on home working guidance, “Running a Business from Home”, includes advice for local authorities and other social landlords on how to amend their tenancies, if necessary, to make it easier for new and existing tenants to work from home.
NHS: Funds
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure the efficient distribution of NHS funds.[HL5126]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): NHS England is responsible for allocating the budgets for commissioning NHS services as set out in the Mandate. This will prevent any perception of political interference in the way that
money is distributed between different parts of the country. The Government expects the principle of ensuring equal access for equal need to be at the heart of NHS England's approach to allocating budgets.
The majority of commissioning resource goes out to clinical commissioning groups who, along with other local partners across health and care, will decide on how these funds are spent to greatest effect locally.
Some services are centrally commissioned by NHS England as this offers the opportunity to improve on standards and ensure national consistency.
Whether commissioned nationally or locally, the quality and value of these services should show measurable improvement, and progress in reducing health inequality and unjustified variation.
North Korea
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what analysis they have made of reports that Kim Jong-un has killed surviving relatives of his executed uncle Jang Song-thaek, including children; and when HM Ambassador in Pyongyang last raised with the government of North Korea their policy of “guilt by association”.[HL4976]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): Whilst we are aware of the reported executions of members of Jang Song Thaek’s family, we have no definitive information to confirm such executions have taken place. However, given the evidence documented by the United Nations that North Korea imposes a guilt by association policy, it is plausible these reports are accurate.
The UK regularly raises our substantial concerns about human rights violations with the North Korean government, including our opposition to the use of the death penalty in any circumstance.
Our Ambassador to Pyongyang raised the issue of guilt by association directly with senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 30 January. He was told that North Korea does not operate such a policy and that each case is judged individually.
Schools: Free Meals
Question
Asked by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking, if any, to ensure value for money in the allocation of capital funds to schools to deliver the free school meals initiative.[HL5138]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): The Department for Education has allocated £150 million capital in 2014-15 to support schools in providing the universal infant school meals entitlement from September 2014.
Funding for maintained schools will be given to local authorities, rather than directly to schools. Authorities will then decide how best to target their funding according to local need, but we would expect them to consider the value for money offered in each case in the same way that they do for other projects they manage.
Funding for academies will be delivered through the Academies Capital Maintenance Fund, to which academies may bid if they need to upgrade kitchen or dining facilities. In assessing all bids to the Fund, the Education Funding Agency looks to ensure that the project being proposed achieves good value for money.
Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund
Question
Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund is due to recommence accepting bids.[HL5068]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): In April 2013, NHS England became the direct commissioner of specialised services. In order to achieve a nationally consistent approach to commissioning, it had to bring together differing regional and local approaches to contracting with providers, different sets of standards, and varying levels of access to services around the country.
NHS England has advised that the scale of the task has resulted in a level of unplanned expenditure. To manage this unplanned expenditure both in year and into the future, NHS England has needed to concentrate its efforts on its core commissioning requirements. The Specialised Services Commissioning Innovation Fund announced by NHS England in August 2013, sits outside the core requirements and in October NHS England reluctantly took the decision to suspend it.
NHS England has advised that once these challenges have been addressed and its five year strategy for specialised services has been developed, it will be able to reconsider how best to support the adoption of innovations in specialised services.
Wildlife: Illegal Trade
Question
Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what data they are collecting to tackle the illegal international trade in wildlife products such as rhinoceros horn and ivory.[HL5094]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): The Government uses data from a variety of sources to inform its position on combating the illegal trade in elephants, rhino and other wildlife. For example, the two monitoring programmes of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES): Monitoring the Illegal Killing of Elephants (MIKE) and the Elephant Trade Information System (ETIS), are valuable sources of information on trends in and levels of illegal hunting and trade in elephants and their ivory. We also use data published by other governments and a wide range of expert groups and organisations. These include the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s Specialist Groups; TRAFFIC (the wildlife monitoring network); the World Conservation Monitoring Centre; and non-governmental organisations.
Young People: Eating Disorders
Question
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to tackle the rise in eating disorders in young people in the United Kingdom.[HL5128]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): We take the issue of eating disorders very seriously, especially among young people, and we are concerned to see the numbers of admissions rising.
We are working with Internet security companies, charities and departments to explore how to protect children and young people from harmful Internet content related to eating disorders.
This answer refers to England only. The devolved administrations are responsible for health policy in other parts of the United Kingdom.