Written Answers
Tuesday 8 July 2014
Advisory Bodies
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government which advisory committees provide advice on chemicals, toxicology and endocrinology; how they are funded; and what each committee costs per annum.[HL569]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): There are a number of Scientific Advisory Committees that provide advice to Government on chemicals, toxicology and endocrinology. They are listed as follows.
The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment provides advice to the Food Standards Agency, the Department of Health, Public Health England, and other Government departments and agencies on matters concerning the toxicity of chemicals. The costs of meetings are met by the Food Standards Agency, which comes to a total cost of around £35,000 per annum.
The Committee on Carcinogenicity is an expert scientific committee of the Department that provides expert advice on matters concerning the potential carcinogenicity of chemicals, ranging from natural products to new synthetic chemicals used in pesticides or pharmaceuticals. The costs of its meetings are met by Public Health England including travel costs for members and fees, at a total cost of around £10,000 per annum.
The Committee on Mutagenicity is an independent advisory committee that provides advice to Government departments and agencies on matters concerning the potential mutagenicity of chemicals, ranging from natural products to new synthetic chemicals used in pesticides or pharmaceuticals. The costs of its meetings are met by Public Health England including travel costs for members and fees, at a total cost of around £10,000 per annum.
The Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollutants (COMEAP) is an expert scientific committee of the Department that provides expert advice on the effects on health of both outdoor and indoor air pollutants on the basis of currently available data. The costs of its meetings are met by Public Health England, including travel costs and fees for members, at a total cost of around £14,000 per annum.
The Hazardous Substances Advisory Committee is an expert scientific committee of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) that provides expert advice on how to protect the environment, and human health via the environment, from potentially hazardous substances. The costs of its meetings are met by DEFRA at a total cost of around £30,000 per annum.
The Advisory Committee on Toxic Substances advises the Health and Safety (HSE) Executive Board on matters relating to the prevention, control and management of
hazards and risks to the health and safety of persons arising from the supply or use of toxic substances at work, with due regard to any related risks to consumers, the public and the environment. Funding for the committee comes from HSE and four meetings in total in the last three years have cost £2,000.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what quality control and audit procedures are in place to ensure that their advisory committees perform to the highest standards, that they are using up-to-date methodology and science, and that their advice is sound and accepted by the broader scientific community. [HL571]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Viscount Younger of Leckie) (Con):All committees operate according to the guidelines and standards outlined in the Code of Practice for Science Advisory Committees (CoPSAC[1]). Any advisory committee that is classified as a Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) is also subject to formal Cabinet Office procedures including a full triennial review.
CoPSAC is underpinned by The Principles of Scientific Advice to Government’, published in 2010 (Annex A to CoPSAC), and the ‘Nolan’ principles for public life (the “Seven Principles of Public Life” (Annex C).
The principles “provide a foundation on which independent scientific advisers and government departments should base their operations and interactions”. Members are also expected to abide by the Nolan Principles, which include the principles of objectivity and accountability.
Any “issues of concern over the application of the Principles, or other guidance” should be raised to the Chief Scientific Adviser. “If the matter of concern cannot be effectively resolved or is especially serious CSAs should approach the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) and Ministers should approach the GCSA and the Minister for Science. The matter will be examined against a clear set of criteria, which include a breach of the Principles or CoPSAC.”
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether their advisory committees, if they need to undertake a review for which they do not have the expertise, are permitted to commission organisations that specialise in that field.[HL572]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: There is nothing in the Code of Practice for Science Advisory Committees (CoPSAC[1]) that prevents a committee from commissioning additional advice from experts, and committees are encouraged to “seek a wide range of advice from the best sources, particularly when there is uncertainty”.
CoPSAC states “Where a SAC lacks the relevant expertise for a particular project or task (as opposed to the committee’s on-going work), the committee can co-opt appropriate experts or establish sub-groups to include such people on an ad hoc, time-limited basis”.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how scientists are appointed to their advisory committees; how they ensure that an appropriate range of expertise and experience is represented on those committees; and how they ensure that the best scientists apply for membership of the committees.[HL573]
Viscount Younger of Leckie: The Code of Practice for Science Advisory Committees (CoPSAC[1]) lays out the procedures for appointment to Committees.
CoPSAC indicates that the arrangements for the appointment of Committee members and the lines of accountability should be set out in each Committee’s Terms of Reference.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/278498/11-1382-code-of-practice-scientific-advisory-committees.pdf
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recourse is available to members of the public who wish to complain about the practice and outcome of scientific inquiries conducted by government advisory committees.[HL574]
Viscount Younger of Leckie:: Members of the public may write to the Chair of the advisory committee. If necessary, complaints can be escalated in writing to the Chief Scientific Advisor for the department in question, or the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.
Advisory Committee on Pesticides
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 1 July (WA 231–2), with which other government advisory committees the Advisory Committee on Pesticides works where their wider work is relevant to pesticides.[HL814]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): The Advisory Committee on Pesticides has worked with the Defra Expert Committee on Pesticide Residues in Food; the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment; the Committee on Mutagenicity; the Committee on Carcinogenicity; the Veterinary Products Committee; and the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens, where appropriate.
The extent of this work has varied from simple information exchange, to requests for specific specialist advice, to joint working groups.
Apprentices
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will protect apprentices by introducing an official body to police the terms and conditions of apprenticeships.[HL724]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): We do not believe there is a need for such a body. Under the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 (ASCL), apprentices are employed under an Apprenticeship Agreement, this ensures they are protected under the Employment Rights Act 1996. Apprentices’ pay is covered under the National Minimum Wage regulations and HMRC is responsible for ensuring compliance with these regulations. HMRC provides comprehensive advice and guidance for employees through the Pay and Work Rights Helpline. This is available via the GOV.UK website at https://www.gov.uk/pay-and-work-rights-helpline .
Arab Partnership Economic Facility
Questions
Asked by Lord Stone of Blackheath
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 26 June (WA 177), what were the exact amounts of money given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development to the Arab Partnership Economic Facility in the financial years 2012–13 and 2013–14; and what are the projected amounts for 2014–15 and 2015–16.[HL672]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 26 June (WA 177), what were the exact amounts of money given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development to the Arab Partnership Participation Fund in the financial years 2012–13 and 2013–14; and what are the projected amounts for 2014–15 and 2015–16.[HL673]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 26 June (WA 177), what were the exact amounts of money given by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department for International Development to the Conflict Pool in the financial years 2012–13 and 2013–14; and what are the projected amounts for 2014–15 and 2015–16.[HL674]
Baroness Northover (LD): The FCO and DFID support Egypt through the Arab Partnership Economic Facility (APEF), which is funded and managed by DFID, the Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF), which is co-funded by the FCO and DFID and is managed by the FCO, and the tri-departmental (FCO, DFID, MoD) Conflict Pool. We estimate that since
2011 approximately £17m has been spent in Egypt through regional programmes funded by the APEF; due to the regional nature of this funding we are not able to further disaggregate the amounts spent. A small amount of APEF funding has been spent by the Embassy on local-level economic projects, as follows: £129,538 in 2012-2013; £784,801 in 2013-14; and £629,000 in 2014-2015. All APEF funds for 2014/15 have now been allocated.
Through the Arab Partnership Participation Fund (APPF), £1.5m was provided in financial year 2012-2013; £1.3m in 2013-14; and £1.3m has been allocated for 2014-15.
Through the tri-departmental (FCO, DFID, MOD) Conflict Pool (CP) £264,386 was provided in 2012-13; £458,370 in 2013-2014; and approximately £2m is allocated for 2014/15.
We are not currently able to provide projected amounts for 2015/16. From 2015/16 onwards, the Conflict Pool will be replaced by the Conflict Stability and Security Fund (CSSF), which will have a global budget of £1billion. CSSF allocations by country and according to government department will be finalised in early 2015. FCO and DFID funding for the Arab Partnership for 2015/16 has not yet been agreed.
Armed Forces: Deployment
Questions
Asked by The Marquess of Lothian
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the present British armed forces deployments to (1) Lithuania, (2) Estonia, and (3) Latvia, in support of NATO commitments; and also to Finland. [HL537]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): The UK has put in place a significant and comprehensive package of measures to demonstrate our commitment to NATO and collective defence and to reassure our Eastern Allies.
The UK has no planned exercises or deployments in Finland, however we have recently completed or are participating in the following exercises in the Baltic region;
• Exercise STEADFAST JAVLIN in Estonia (17-23 May). The UK deployed 80 personnel from the 1st Battalion, the Duke of Lancaster’s Regiment under NATO command for a field exercise.• Exercise BALTOPS in the Baltic Sea (6-21 June). The UK deployed a warship (HMS Montrose) on this NATO maritime exercise in the Baltic Sea.• Exercise SABRE Strike in Estonia and Latvia (9-20 June). The UK deployed 1 Company from the Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (approximately 100 personnel), 12 Artillery and Engineer experts and two exercise controllers to participate in a U.S. Army Europe-led multi-national brigade exercise.• Exercise RAMSTEIN GUARD in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania and North Atlantic (21-25 July). The UK will send two observers from the Joint Ground
Based Air Defence Command based at High Wycombe to assess the UK’s ability to support this annual series of NATO Air defence exercises in the future.• Exercise BALTIC HOST in Baltic States (6-12 Oct 14) The UK will provide staff officers to participate in a tri-national Command Post.
There are also 4 RAF Typhoon aircraft deployed to Lithuania in support of NATO's peacetime Baltic Air Policing mission which will return at the end of August. There are at present no plans to extend these commitments further, as future mission rotations are filled by Allies for the foreseeable future. However, we keep the situation under constant review and any potential future UK participation would be dictated by the regional situation and NATO requirements.
Asked by The Marquess of Lothian
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether future British armed forces deployments are planned to (1) Lithuania, (2) Estonia, and (3) Latvia, in support of NATO commitments; and also to Finland. [HL538]
Lord Astor of Hever: The UK has put in place a significant and comprehensive package of measures as part of NATO’s response to the changing geopolitical situation in Europe to demonstrate our commitment to NATO, collective defence and reassure our Easter Allies.
In additions to those exercises ongoing or recently completed, the UK is also currently examining its ability to support the following exercises in the Baltic States:
• Exercise SABER JUNCTION in Lithuania (14 August – 17 September 2014).• Exercise SILVER ARROW in Latvia (29 September – 5 October 2014).• Exercise IRON SWORD in Lithuania (12-14 November 2014).
The UK does not currently plan to exercise in Finland but is engaging Finland on building stronger military partnerships which should lead to mutual training opportunities in 2015.
For completeness, there are also 4 RAF Typhoon aircraft deployed to Lithuania in support of NATO’s peacetime Baltic Air Policing mission which will return at the end of August. There are at present no plans to extend these commitments further, as future mission rotations are filled by Allies for the foreseeable future. However, we keep the situation under constant review and any potential future UK participation would be dictated by the regional situation and NATO requirements.
Asylum: Gender Recognition
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have conducted a review of the effectiveness of the UK Border Agency’s training manual “Gender Identity Issues in the Asylum Claim” which is primarily used to educate UK Border Agency case officers in trans-related issues and in evaluating testimonies. [HL374]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The document referred to is guidance to asylum decision makers rather than a training manual. The guidance was last reviewed and revised in June 2011.
Separately, training for new asylum caseworkers is provided through the Foundation Training Programme, which has been developed in consultation with stakeholders including the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and A:gender, the cross-civil service staff support network for transgender staff.
British Nationals Abroad
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many British citizens currently live abroad and in which countries.[HL631]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The World Bank’s ‘Bilateral Estimates of Migrant Stocks in 2010’ provides an estimate for the number of British born migrants residing in other countries.
According to these estimates, there are approximately 4.7 million British born migrants living abroad.
http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTPROSPECTS/Resources/334934-1110315015165/T1.Estimates_of_Migrant_Stocks_2010.xls
The United Nations (UN) Department for Social and Economic Affairs updated this table for 2013. The UN’s ‘Trends in International Migrant Stock: Migrants by Destination and Origin’ suggests that around 5.0 million British born migrants are residing overseas.
http://esa.un.org/unmigration/data/subsheets/UN_MigrantStockByOriginAndDestination_2013T10.xls
The table below provides the top twenty countries by number of resident UK born migrants according to the World Bank 2010 and UN 2013 datasets.
There are known gaps in the estimates produced by both the World Bank and the UN, so the lists of countries drawn from their respective databases may not be complete and may not be directly comparable (see attached table).
| Table 1: Stock of British Born migrants by top 20 destination countries | |||||
| World Bank Data 2010 | UN 2013 Data | ||||
| Destination | Estimates | Destination | Estimates | ||
Source: World Bank Bilateral Matrix 2010, UN Bilateral Matrix 2013
Burma
Question
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how Chin and Karenni children are likely to be reached by the Myanmar Education Consortium in Myanmar. [HL684]
Baroness Northover (LD): A local partner of the Myanmar Education Consortium (MEC), Kayan New Generation Youth, is working with Karenni communities in four states: Kayah, Kayin, Naypyidaw and Shan (south). The MEC is not currently supporting partners in Chin State. However, it is supporting a local organisation, Linguistic Society, working in Rakhine, which is developing early childhood care and development material in one of the ethnic languages used in Southern Chin and adjoining Myebone township in Rakhine.
Community Relations
Question
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of any growing tension between Sunni and Shi'ite Muslim communities in the United Kingdom.[HL734]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The UK has a proud track record of inter faith and intra faith cooperation. The Government is working with all communities to ensure that extremist individuals do not provoke tensions
Constitutions: Scotland
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with the First Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, with regard to an interim constitution for Scotland; and what was the outcome of any discussions that took place.[HL805]
The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Wallace of Tankerness) (LD): There have been no discussions with the Scottish Government on an interim constitution for Scotland.
Criminal Law
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the criminal offences introduced between 1997 and 2013 in a form easily understood by the general public.[HL452]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): The Government wants to avoid bringing in new criminal offences where they are not needed and will continue to scrap unnecessary and out of date laws, but where there is a genuine need to create a new criminal offence we will continue to do so.
To publish an accessible list of criminal offences introduced between1997 to 2008 would incur a disproportionate cost to the public purse.
During this parliament, however, the Government committed to publishing the number of offences it created each year. My department is responsible for doing so and publishes an annual statistical bulletin on the number of new criminal offences added to the statute book. The bulletins cover primary and secondary legislation containing criminal offences enforceable in England and Wales. The latest bulletin covering the period 2009 to 31 May 2013 is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/revised-new-criminal-offences-statistics-in-england-and-wales-june-2009-may-2013. The next bulletin should be available in December and will cover the period from 1 June 2013 to 31 May 2014.
Driving under Influence: Drugs
Questions
Asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in the development of a communications campaign to raise awareness amongst the adult population of the changes to drug driving legislation.[HL585]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The Department for Transport’s communications teams are currently developing a communication strategy to ensure that the Department meets its statutory duty to raise public awareness of the new drug drive legislation. This will include the development of a new THINK! drug drive campaign.
Asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration has been given to reviewing the drug limit for driving in relation to the normal therapeutic dosage range; and what assessment has been made of the risk of illicit users of prescription medicines avoiding prosecution on those grounds.[HL586]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action has been taken regarding the education of healthcare professionals in respect of the changes to the drug driving legislation.[HL587]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in producing guidance for healthcare professionals and the police in respect of the changes to the drug driving legislation; and what consultation has taken place about the proposed guidance. [HL588]
Baroness Kramer: The Government published the summary of responses to the consultations on its proposed drugs and limits to be specified in regulations on 27 March 2014, which is available in the libraries of the House and at:
www.gov.uk/government/consultations/drug-driving-proposed-regulations
The Government’s proposals on the limits for those drugs most associated with medical use were based upon scientific and medical advice and were supported in the public consultation. There are therefore no plans to review the limits and Parliament will shortly have the opportunity to debate the regulations.
The summary sets out the issues raised in the consultation and the action Government proposes to take including the education of healthcare professionals. Guidance to healthcare professionals was published on 3rd July 2014 after consulting with the medical colleges and is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/drug-driving
It is for the police to amend their procedures to take account of the new drug driving legislation.
East Coast Railway Line
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that the East Coast rail line will continue to connect directly the north-east of England with Edinburgh and Scotland, with stops on some services in Northumberland.[HL583]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The Invitation To Tender (ITT) for the Inter City East Coast franchise retained services for all stops currently served by the franchise, including Edinburgh, Aberdeen and all other stops in Scotland, and stops at Northumberland. The ITT specified minimum levels of train services including those between the North-East of England and Scotland and we anticipate bidders will offer services over and above this minimum requirement.
Heart Diseases
Questions
Asked by Lord Black of Brentwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to improve the diagnosis of atrial fibrillation.[HL622]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the publication of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence clinical guideline 180, what action they are taking to ensure appropriate risk stratification and uptake of anti-thrombotic therapy among patients with atrial fibrillation. [HL623]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): NHS England is taking a number of actions to improve the care and management of people with atrial fibrillation (AF). It has published Our Ambition to Reduce Premature Mortality: A resource to support commissioners in setting a level of ambition, which identifies improved management of AF as a priority for reducing premature mortality. The resource can be found at:
www.england.nhs.uk/ourwork/sop/red-prem-mort/
National Health Service Improving Quality’s Living Longer Lives programme includes promoting the use of a simple but effective audit tool called Guidance on Risk Assessment and Stroke Prevention for Atrial Fibrillation (GRASP-AF) which simplifies the process of identifying patients with AF who are not receiving the right treatment. NHS Improving Quality is currently collaborating with partner organisations, including charities, to support the nationwide roll-out of GRASP-AF.
This work will be supported by the publication of an economic analysis commissioned by NHS Improving Quality using GRASP data which demonstrates both the current and potential impact of atrial fibrillation management on the number of AF related strokes.
Discussions are also underway to consider whether opportunistic testing for atrial fibrillation (AF) should be encouraged nationally as part of the NHS Health Check programme.
Higher Education: Ethnic Groups
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many ethnic minority students, broken down by ethnicity, attended universities in (1) 1990, (2) 2000, (3) 2010, and (4) the latest year for which figures are available.[HL715]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): Information on enrolments at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) has been collected and published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) since the academic year 1993/94. More details about the statistics available are published at the following link:
Statistics on enrolments by students from ethnic minority backgrounds are available in the charged for volume: ‘Students in Higher Education Institutions ‘which can be requested at the following link:
https://www.hesa.ac.uk/publications-and-products?task=show_pub_detail&pubid=1
A summary of the statistics in the volume has been provided in the table. Figures for the Academic Year 1990/91 are not available from HESA.
| UK domiciled enrolments (1) by ethnicity | |||
| UK Higher Education Institutions | |||
| Academic Years 2000/01, 2010/11 and 2012/13 | |||
| Ethnicity(2) | 2000/01 | 2010/11 | 2012/13 |
Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record.
Figures are based on The HESA Standard Registration Population.
(1) Enrolment counts include students in all years of study.
(2) HESA’s categorisation of ethnicity changed in Academic year 2001/02 and again in Academic year 2003/04. As a result, 2000/01 figures may not be categorised on exactly the same basis as figures for later years.
(3) Numbers have been rounded to the nearest five, so components may not sum to totals.
NHS: Empty Property
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the value of unoccupied property and unused land owned by the National Health Service. [HL740]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The information requested is not collected centrally.
National Health Service organisations are responsible locally for making decisions regarding the use of their facilities, including the use of property and land.
Orders and Regulations
Question
Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what factors they take into account when they propose use of negative, affirmative or super-affirmative resolution procedures for secondary legislation.[HL790]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): Every delegated power has to be treated on its own merit and the level of parliamentary scrutiny proposed will depend on the nature of the delegated power, past precedent and the level of interest in a particular policy area. In line with the recommendations of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, the Government has agreed not to create additional procedures where it is not necessary to do so.
Pesticides
Questions
Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of recent analysis from the International Union for Conservation of Nature Taskforce on Systemic Pesticides, which concluded that neonicotinoids and fipronil pose serious risks to a wide range of pollinating insects and other wildlife, they support the restoration of use of these products when the EU moratorium expires.[HL593]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): The analysis has not yet been published in full, but a preliminary assessment by the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the information which is available did not identify any new factors concerning the potential effects of those substances. The European Commission is expected to commence a review in 2015 of the current European Union restrictions on three neonicotinoid active substances and fipronil. We will determine our position in light of the relevant scientific information which is available at that time.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in their consideration of the application by Syngenta to grant emergency permission for the production and use of neonicotinoid pesticides this autumn, they will take into account of the results of the peer-reviewed paper “Comparative acute toxicity of twenty-four insecticides to earthworm, Eisenia fetida” by Wang Y et al published in Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety.[HL730]
Lord De Mauley: Syngenta announced on 3 July that they were withdrawing their application for emergency authorisation of the use of thiamethoxam. The Government has therefore not concluded its consideration of the application.
Political Parties
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will request that the Electoral Commission review the rules governing the names of political parties. [HL745]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Electoral Commission are responsible for registering party names and descriptions and they have stated where a candidate represents a political party, it should be clear to voters which party the candidate represents. The Government supports this principle and will continue to consider how best to ensure that information on ballot papers is clear to voters.
Road Signs and Markings
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the extent of worn-down and faint road markings, including zebra crossings; and what assessment they have made of the impact on road safety.[HL555]
The Minister of State, Department for Transport (Baroness Kramer) (LD): The assessment of the condition of road markings including those for zebra crossings is a matter for individual local highway authorities.
The Department for Transport provides guidance for traffic authorities on the installation and maintenance of road markings in the Traffic Signs Manual and in Departmental Standards. Compliance with the latter is mandatory on the trunk road network, and constitutes good practice elsewhere.
However, traffic authorities must balance competing demands on their resources. In particular, severe weather imposes a heavy burden and emergency repair works can divert resources from carrying out routine maintenance operations, no matter how desirable. It would not be appropriate for central Government to interfere in authorities’ freedom to decide how best to discharge their statutory duty to maintain the highways under their control.
Schools: Standards
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the new Schools Challenges Cymru programme in Wales; and what measures they are taking to tackle underperformance in English state-funded schools.[HL568]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): There is value in all administrations in the UK learning from each other, including from results achieved by Schools Challenge Cymru programme. There is a clear parallel between what this aims to achieve and the academies programme in England: tackling underperformance of schools and encouraging greater collaboration. School-led improvement is at the core of our education reforms and we continue to encourage networks of school-to-school support in which the best schools work with schools in difficulties.
We have a robust and comprehensive framework for tackling underperformance in English state-funded schools. Statutory guidance to local authorities sets out our expectation that they should take swift action where maintained schools are underperforming, including replacing the governing body with an interim executive board and converting the school to an academy with a strong sponsor. The guidance can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/schools-causing-concern--2
The Department for Education will take decisive action where an academy is under-performing, which can ultimately lead to the termination of their funding agreement and transferring a school to another high performing academy chain.
Ofsted has implemented a more rigorous inspection framework, with performance data forming part of the information used to target inspections on the weakest schools.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by Elizabeth Truss MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Education and Childcare, that “our 15 year-olds are up to three years behind their peers in the top-performing countries in reading and mathematics”, what action they propose to address this.[HL698]
Lord Nash: The Department for Education believes that improving the quality of teaching in literacy and numeracy is crucial to building the foundation for future study and work. The Government has revised the national curriculum and set more rigorous and challenging content in English and mathematics to match the highest performing countries around the world. The new programmes of study for English and maths will challenge pupils to realise their potential in an increasingly competitive global market.
The new maths GCSE will have more content, be more challenging and – alongside English - will be double weighted in school performance tables. The Department has recently allocated £11 million to fund over 32 new maths hubs to support a more challenging maths GCSE to improve the quality of maths education. This initiative, which includes a teacher exchange programme with Shanghai, will enable every school and college in England, from early years to the post-16 sector, to access locally-tailored support in all areas of maths teaching and learning.
The new national curriculum for English places a greater emphasis on reading and requires pupils to study a range of books, poems and plays.
The national curriculum for English will give teachers greater flexibility and freedom which will help to raise standards and expectations for all pupils. It has been significantly slimmed down and will free up teachers to use their professional judgement to design curricula that meet the needs of their pupils.
The new English language GCSE will place greater demands on pupils and has more emphasis on those skills demanded by employers. The new English literature GCSE will build on this foundation, and encourage students to read, write and think critically.
Special Educational Needs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why independent special schools were removed from the official published league tables, and whether they will consider restoring them.[HL700]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): Independent schools, including independent special schools, are not required to follow the national curriculum, conduct teacher assessment or enter pupils for key stage 2 national curriculum tests. They have never therefore been published in the primary school performance tables. However, they have always been included in the secondary school performance tables.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the definition of “full-time education” in relation to special educational needs at each stage of the education system.[HL731]
Lord Nash: Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 provides that the parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable (a) to his age, ability and aptitude, and (b) to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise, but there is no definition of full-time education in education legislation.
There are regulations covering the number of days (190) a year that maintained schools must be open, but no requirements as to the number of hours per day.
Trees: Imports
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many young trees were imported into the United Kingdom for the 2013–14 planting season; how this compares with the previous year; and what assessment they have made of the impact of such imports on the health of trees in the United Kingdom.[HL737]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): The data provided relates to forest reproductive material, the generic name for the seeds, cones, cuttings and planting stock used in forest establishment. It does not cover imports for non-forest reproductive purposes. This data is only available in financial years and relates to imports from the EU and elsewhere. In summary, 2,416,665 plants (bareroot and container) were imported into the UK in 2012/13. In 2013/14, 3,064,388 plants (bareroot and container) were imported. This is an increase of 647,723.
We assess the impacts of tree and plant pests and diseases using the Plant Health Risk register that was published recently. This is publicly available on the Fera website at: https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/phiw/riskRegister/
Where necessary, we introduce additional plant health requirements in response to threats associated with movements from other Member States. For example, we have recently instigated measures to require notification for plane, ash, sweet chestnut, oak, elm and pine introduced into England from all other EU Member States. This information can be used to direct surveillance and eradication activities against pests and diseases affecting these species.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Northover on 23 June (WA 136), why they will not place in the Library of the House a document that is freely available to commercial investors.[HL629]
Baroness Northover (LD): The publication of the requested document is a matter for the TCI Government.
UK Border Force
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Taylor of Holbeach on 30 June (WA 230), why the information requested could not be released because the number was under five.[HL738]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The information could not be released as, in accordance with the Data protection Act, care needs to be taken to avoid the risk that any individual could be identified from statistical information where the statistics contain low numbers, as in this case.
The actual figure has been replaced with “fewer than 5” as this is an appropriate figure, sufficiently large enough to render it impossible to identify any individuals.
Vocational Training
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of calls from Ofsted for employers to play a greater role in rating training providers. [HL721]
Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon (Con): The Department of Business, Innovation and Skills is committed to securing greater involvement of employers in all aspects of Further Education. We therefore welcome any measures introduced by Ofsted to improve the quality of inspections by arranging the involvement of employers. As the independent inspectorate acting on behalf of Parliament, it is for Ofsted to determine the exact nature of how this would operate within its inspection process.
Voting Behaviour: Young People
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actions they are taking to increase voter turnout amongst 18 to 25 year-olds.[HL750]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Government is committed to maximising electoral registration to help support the highest possible turnout in elections.
The introduction of online registration on June 10 in England and Wales will make it easier and more convenient for young people to register to vote.
The Government announced that all 363 local authorities and valuation joint boards in Great Britain and five national organisations, including UK Youth and the Scottish Youth Parliament, will be sharing £4.2 million of funding aimed at ensuring every eligible person in the country is signed up to the electoral register and has their chance to vote.
Warships
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the annual savings arising from the Warship Support Modernisation Initiative introduced in 2005–06. [HL392]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): The Warship Support Modernisation Initiative (WSMI), introduced in 2002, encompasses three separate contracts between the Ministry of Defence and the operators within Her Majesty’s Naval Bases (HMNB) at Clyde, Devonport and Portsmouth.
Figures on savings are provided in the tables below. These are broken down on an annual basis where information is held in that format.
Annual Savings from the WSMI arrangement with Babcock Marine Ltd at HMNB Clyde
Based on the contractual share-line arrangements and the final/interim cost settlements the savings to MOD were as follows:
| Financial Year unless indicated otherwise | Savings to MOD (£) ex VAT |
* The negative values relate to an overrun share arrangement where the annual cost for the year was greater than the target cost agreed.
Annual savings from the WSMI arrangement with Devonport Royal Dockyard Ltd Babcock Marine at HMNB Devonport
Based on the contractual share-line arrangements and the final/interim cost settlements agreed under contract the savings to MOD were as follows:
| Financial Yearunless indicated otherwise | Savings to MOD £) ex VAT |
Annual savings from the WSMI arrangement with BAE Systems at HMNB Portsmouth
Based on the contractual share-line arrangements and the final/interim cost settlements agreed under contract the savings to MOD were as follows:
| Financial Year unless indicated otherwise | Savings to MOD (£) ex VAT |