Ethiopia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they give, when allocating aid to Ethiopia, to the human rights situation in that country, particularly in relation to the Oromo population. [HL1445]
Baroness Northover (LD): When allocating aid to Ethiopia, Her Majesty’s Government assesses the commitment of the Ethiopian government to our ‘Partnership Principles’, one of which relates to ‘Human Rights and International Obligations’. This assessment shapes how we work with the Government of Ethiopia in delivery of our aid.
We are concerned at recent events related to student protests in Oromia and have raised this issue at the highest levels of the Ethiopian government. We will continue to raise our concerns, press for an investigation into what happened, and for any members of the security forces who have used excessive force to be held to account.
EU Regional Policy
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their priorities regarding the European Union cohesion policy.[HL1627]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Neville-Rolfe) (Con): The budget and main regulations governing European Union cohesion policy for the 2014-20 programming period were agreed formally in December 2013. The focus now is on effective implementation.
Eurogroup
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom has ever been offered the opportunity to attend Eurogroup meetings; and if so, on how many occasions and what was their response. [HL1494]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): In the context of the euro area sovereign debt crisis the Eurogroup has met in an extended format on occasion, including in May 2011 and January 2012. Chaired by the Eurogroup President, these meetings were attended by Ministers from non-euro area Member States including the United Kingdom.
European Union: Legislative Competence
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the statement of the Foreign Secretary on the Andrew Marr Show on 20 July, which powers of the European Union they consider must be repatriated to Member States; what they consider should be done at national level and what should be done at a European level, and how the they propose to secure those changes. [HL1586]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The UK is working with partners to achieve a reformed European Union (EU), that is more competitive, flexible and democratically accountable. This includes ensuring that action is taken at a national level wherever possible and at EU level only where necessary.
We have already made progress over reforms such as bringing fish stock decisions from pan-EU to regional level and removing UK liability for any further Eurozone bailouts. We will continue with partners to make sure decisions are only made at EU level where they cannot be better made at national level.
Female Genital Mutilation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to governments in countries where female genital mutilation (FGM) is practised; and what steps they have taken to verify reports that ISIS is introducing compulsory FGM in areas they control.[HL1581]
Lord Popat (Con): The Government is playing a key role in supporting and strengthening the international movement to end female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide, within a generation. Given that the vast majority of communities who practise FGM are found in 29 countries clustered in West Africa, Egypt, Sudan and the Horn of Africa and that change must come from within affected communities, we have sought to support the existing African-led movement to end FGM, and build upon the success of the Africa Group 2012 UN resolution that banned the practice.
It is in this spirit that the Prime Minister, my right honourable friend the Member for Witney (Mr Cameron), convened the first global summit on ending FGM and child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) on 22 July 2014. The Girl Summit brought together 650 participants from 50 affected countries. It resulted in 32 countries signing the Summit Charter and private and public financial pledges of $88 million to end CEFM and $7million for FGM. Ministers and senior officials worked with all countries affected by FGM, including countries where it is practised by diaspora communities, in advance of the Summit to encourage them to develop new commitments to end FGM. This is in addition to the UK’s flagship programme of £35 million over 5 years to support African countries to end FGM, and an additional £12 million commitment in Sudan.
Reports that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) is introducing compulsory FGM in areas they control remain unconfirmed. Staff at our Embassy in Iraq have spoken to the Head of UN Human Rights Office, the Head of UN Women, and the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq, all of whom were unable to confirm the reports. We also remain in contact with the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF). On balance, we conclude that the threat, while a serious matter, is not new. We continue to follow developments as closely as possible.
Financial Conduct Authority
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many visits there have been from April 2014 to the last month for which data are available to the page on the Financial Conduct Authority website listing unauthorised firms and individuals to avoid. [HL1639]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): This Question has been passed on to the FCA. The FCA will reply to directly to the noble Lord directly by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.
Food Supply Networks Review
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord De Mauley on 14 July (WA 94), on what date they received Professor Elliott’s final report into the food chain; whether any amendments have subsequently been made; when it was ready for publication; and whether it will be published before 30 July.[HL1378]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): Professor Elliott submitted a first draft of his final report to Defra and Department of Health in June 2014. We received an amended draft on 4 July ahead of any final formatting and the correction of typing errors. The final print ready version was received on 18 July and will be published shortly.
Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment has been made at the Girl Summit 2014 of the role played by the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation (GAVI) in safeguarding the health of women and girls, and in addressing gender-related barriers to accessing immunisation services; and what assessment they have made of the cost-effectiveness so far of the United Kingdom’s contribution towards GAVI’s programme, agreed in the Multilateral Aid Review of March 2011. [HL1437]
Baroness Northover (LD): The focus of Girl Summit 2014 was on ending female genital mutilation and child, early and forced marriage. No specific assessment was made at the Summit on the role of the GAVI Alliance in safeguarding the health of women and girls or addressing gender-related barriers to accessing immunisation services. However, GAVI is rolling out
two vaccines that will directly benefit girls and women: rubella vaccine, which protects against a disease damaging to unborn children; and Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine, which helps prevent cervical cancer, one of the leading causes of death in young women in sub-Saharan Africa. GAVI will immunise over 30 million girls with HPV vaccines during 2013-2020 which will prevent over 150,000 women dying each year. GAVI is working to overcome the barriers to introducing the HPV vaccine in developing countries by reducing the high cost of the vaccine and tackling the challenges of immunising girls aged nine to thirteen years by integrating HPV immunisation with wider health interventions targeted at adolescent girls.
The UK’s support to GAVI remains a highly cost-effective way to achieve childhood immunisation results at scale. The 2011 UK Multilateral Aid Review (MAR) ranked GAVI as being very good value for money. The 2013 MAR Update confirmed that GAVI is continuing to make reasonable progress. An example of this is that GAVI helped to secure a reduction in price of 35% between 2010-2012 of the three vaccines it spends the most money on.
Health Services and Social Services
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the actual or estimated annual expenditure, stated in 2010 prices, in (1) 2013–14, and (2) 2009–10, on each of the following items of National Health Service and social care expenditure: (a) primary care, (b) community health services, (c) community mental health services, (d) continuing care, (e) public health, (f) social care (national), (g) social care (local government), and (h) social care (privately funded); and what was the total actual or estimated expenditure from public funds on health and social care for each of those years in 2010 prices.[HL1483]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): For some elements of the question, the information is not collected to the detail requested. There are discontinuities in all categories stipulated in the question and therefore any comparison between the two years would be invalid. Such information as is available is as follows.
In 2009-10, primary care trusts (PCTs) reported the following spending outturns relating to commissioning activity in their accounts returns:
| 2009-10 | |
| £m | |
In this year, PCTs did not separately report spending to the detail requested on:
- community mental health services; and- public health.
Spending on social care cannot be provided to the detail requested; however the Department for Communities and Local Government has reported total net spending on social care by local authorities of £20,963 million in 2009-10. This is a net figure and includes any income from service user charges and from Department of Health grants to local authorities.
Since 2009-10, there have been a number of changes to the way spending is categorised and recorded:
- primary care – spending is not comparable to the 2009-10 spending outturns. The 2013-14 spending outturn will exclude any public health spending, and other such functions that have now transferred elsewhere in the health and social care system, that would have been included in the 2009-10 spending outturn.- community health services – spending is only recorded for services commissioned by clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) and excludes any direct commissioning undertaken by NHS England itself.
NHS England has reported the following spending outturns relating to commissioning activity in 2013-14:
| 2013-14 | 2013-14 | |
| Nominal | in 2009-10 prices | |
| £m | £m | |
Public Health England has responsibility for the following additional public health related spending:
| 2013-14 | 2013-14 | |
| Nominal | in 2009-10 prices | |
| £m | £m | |
The Department for Communities and Local Government has reported the following total net spending on social care by local authorities in 2013-14, net of any income from service user charges and grant funding provided by NHS England:
| 2013-14 | 2013-14 | |
| Nominal | in 2009-10 prices | |
| £m | £m | |
These figures are indicative. Final figures spending figures and breakdowns will be available later this year.
The Department of Health’s Total Departmental Expenditure Limit (TDEL) is used. This is the total Revenue and Capital DEL expenditure, excluding
depreciation, by those bodies within the Departmental Group. These are the standard spending controls against which the Department of Health is held accountable to Parliament.
This data is comparable across the two years. The following table summarises the TDEL outturn for both years:
| 2009-10 | 2013-14 | 2013-14 | |
| Nominal | Nominal | in 2009-10 prices | |
| £m | £m | £m | |
Higher and Further Education: Admissions
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they intend to take to increase the number of students enrolling in further and higher education; and how they intend to fund any growth in student numbers in 2015–16, in the light of the announcement on 20 July that the student loan book will not be sold.[HL1512]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): Further and Higher Education Institutions are responsible for attracting students. The Government has implemented a reform programme enabling FE colleges to use their freedoms and flexibilities to provide the high quality skills their learners, local economy and businesses need. There is an increased drive for employer ownership of skills funding, a continuing growth, and reform of, the Apprenticeships programme and an opportunity for individuals aged 24 and over studying at Level 3 and 4 to have access to Loans to help meet up-front course fees. The Government will raise the cap on HE student numbers to fund up to 30,000 additional places in 2014/15 and remove this cap altogether in 2015/16, except for high risk providers. Funding for this expansion is already agreed with HMT over the Spending Review period. Student numbers are not contingent on the sale and all departments’ budget provision beyond 2015-2016 will be agreed as part of the next Spending Review.
Higher Education: Ethnic Groups
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support universities to address the problems highlighted in the recent report published by the Nuffield Foundation and the London School of Economics entitled Black and Minority Ethnic Access To Higher Education: A Reassessment. [HL1514]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Government is committed to access to Higher Education (HE) based on talent and potential, irrespective of background. Promoting equal opportunities is taken very seriously
and we have put in place a strong legal framework which protects the rights of people not to be discriminated against, through the Equality Act 2010.
Whilst universities are independent and autonomous organisations, responsible for their own admissions decisions, the Equality Act places clear duties and responsibilities on them to ensure that students with protected characteristics do not face discrimination or less favourable treatment whilst applying to, and studying in, higher education.
Hong Kong
Question
Asked by Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how often, and with what result, they have raised breaches of Hong Kong's Basic Law with China in the last five years.[HL1441]
Lord Popat (Con): We monitor closely the implementation of One Country, Two Systems, as enshrined in the Sino-British Joint Declaration and the Basic Law.
We discuss issues relating to Hong Kong regularly at senior levels with the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (SAR) Government and with the Chinese authorities. As the former Foreign Secretary noted in the most recent Six Monthly Report to Parliament, Official Record 10 July Col 33WS, Hong Kong’s unique constitutional framework has worked well. We have made clear that it is vital it continues to be respected, and is seen to be respected, by all sides.
Indonesia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom to worship of British Christian and Jewish visitors to Indonesia.[HL1601]
Lord Popat (Con): Indonesia has a strong tradition of religious diversity and tolerance and in general those of minority faiths in Indonesia, including any British visitors, are able to practise their religion. Various denominations of Christian churches are well represented across Indonesia. The Jewish community in Indonesia is very small, although there is at least one working synagogue. However, we are concerned that there has been a rise of localised instances of inter- and intra-religious conflict, and examples where the rights of religious minority groups have not been protected.
The former Senior Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the right honourable Baroness Warsi, convened meetings of international leaders, including with the Foreign Minister of Indonesia, to generate practical steps to promote freedom of religion or belief, and to fight religious intolerance within our societies. Our Ambassador in Jakarta has discussed these issues with Indonesian Ministers, civil society,
and religious leaders. We have supported projects to improve respect for freedom of religion or belief. We also raise freedom of religion and belief concerns at the annual EU-Indonesia Human Rights Dialogue. We continue to monitor the situation and raise any concerns with the Government of Indonesia.
Internet
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what if any financial arrangements they have with the Internet Computer Bureau which allow the latter to make money from the sale of dependent territory domain names.[HL1060]
Lord Popat (Con): The British Government has no financial arrangement with the Internet Computer Bureau, which is the Domain Name Registrar or Network Information Centre for a number of domains including for some of the Overseas Territories.
Iraq
Questions
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the state of freedom of religion and belief in Iraq.[HL1590]
Lord Popat (Con): We are deeply concerned about the situation in Iraq including freedom of religion and belief. We condemn the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant’s (ISIL) threats to ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq, including Christian, Yezidi and Turkomen and the desecration of mosques and churches by ISIL. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the member for Bournemouth East ( Mr Ellwood), met Archbishop Athanasius of the Syriac Orthodox Church in London on 29 July and issued a statement strongly condemning the persecution of Christians and other minorities in Iraq. Our Ambassador in Baghdad has met religious representatives, including Chaldean Patriarch Luis Sako, and the Consul General in Erbil has met the Archbishop of Erbil and the Archbishop of Mosul to discuss the current situation, the needs of the Christian community, and UK humanitarian assistance to those displaced by fighting in Iraq. On Sunday 3 August, the British Chargé d‘Affaires attended a service at St George’s Anglican Church in Baghdad, joined by officials from our Embassy, to highlight the British Government’s continued support to Christians and other minorities affected by recent violence in Iraq.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to respond to the humanitarian situation caused by the displacement of persons from ISIS-controlled areas of Iraq.[HL1592]
Baroness Northover (LD): We are deeply concerned by the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Iraq. DFID deployed an advisory team to Erbil in June 2014 to conduct a rapid humanitarian assessment and has committed £5 million of humanitarian aid to respond to the level of need in the north of Iraq. This will be distributed to those most in need through trusted and long-standing humanitarian partners.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to referring the alleged human rights abuses committed by ISIS to the International Criminal Court for further investigation and eventual prosecution.[HL1593]
Lord Popat: We condemn all human rights abuses in Iraq. However, Iraq is not a state party to the International Criminal Court and any referral would need to be through the UN Security Council. We have no plans for this at present but we will keep this under review. We are calling on the Government of Iraq to ensure that all crimes and human rights abuses committed in Iraq are properly documented to assist with the investigation, and bringing those responsible to account in the future.
Asked by The Lord Bishop of Coventry
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to assist religious leaders in Iraq to respond collaboratively and in a non-sectarian manner to the human rights abuses allegedly committed in Iraq.[HL1594]
Lord Popat: We condemn the reported human rights abuses in Iraq and call for those responsible to be held to account. We meet representatives of Iraqi religious groups both in the UK and in Iraq, and fund a series of grass roots meetings with religious leaders of different faiths to combat sectarianism. We are encouraging influential religious leaders in Iraq to speak out publicly and condemn sectarian violence. The High Council of Religious Leaders in Iraq has issued a strong statement of solidarity with Christians and Muslims in Mosul and Ninevah, citing the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant's actions to be entirely un-Islamic.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Iraqi President, Speaker and acting Prime Minister about the early establishment of an inclusive government there. [HL1648]
Lord Popat: Our Ambassador in Baghdad has made representations to the Speaker and President to urge the early establishment of an inclusive government and we continue to raise this with Iraqi leaders at the highest levels. The former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right Hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), also discussed the issue with Prime Minister Maliki during his visit in June.
Israel
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the total number of dual national British–Israeli citizens serving in the Israeli Defence Force.[HL1353]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of British citizens engaged in operations against the Palestinian people in Gaza.[HL1354]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): The Government has made no assessment of the number of British and British-Israeli citizens serving in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). Any UK national serving abroad in the armed forces of any state is bound by the laws of armed conflict and any local laws that apply.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to take any action against those British citizens serving in the Israeli Defence Force. [HL1355]
Baroness Warsi: The Government has made no assessment of the number of British and British-Israeli citizens serving in the Israeli Defence Force (IDF). Any UK national serving abroad in the armed forces of any state is bound by the laws of armed conflict and any local laws that apply.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have published any information for the British citizens travelling to Israel regarding the possibility of their involvement in operations in Gaza.[HL1356]
Baroness Warsi: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) publishes travel advice on its website for any British citizens planning to travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The FCO currently advises against all travel to Gaza.
Lloyds Banking Group
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to take any action in connection with those who served on the board of Lloyds Banking Group when that company was involved in LIBOR fixing and manipulating the Bank of England’s Special Liquidity Scheme.[HL1659]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): We support the proportionate enforcement action announced recently by the FCA
against Lloyds Banking Group (LBG) and are clear that such abuses are completely unacceptable. The action by the new, tougher Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) shows that the system is working, and we are committed to taking further action to dealing with abuses, tackling the unacceptable behaviour of the few and ensuring that markets are fair for the many who depend on them.
Enforcement action against individuals and/or firms with regard to financial conduct issues are a matter for the FCA and law enforcement institutions.
Malaysia
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Warsi on 21 January (WA 136), what progress has been made in resuming the European Union–Malaysia Human Rights Dialogue; and whether they have asked the government of Malaysia how it reconciles the endorsement of the 2004 Amman Message (recognising the validity of all eight Islamic legal schools including Shia) with actions taken by the Malaysian authorities. [HL1624]
Lord Popat (Con): Discussions continue between the EU and Malaysia on the resumption of the EU-Malaysia Human Rights Dialogue. We are keen to have a Dialogue of substance. Bilaterally, we have regular conversations with the Malaysian government on human rights issues, including freedom of religion.
Marriage: Ceremonies
Questions
Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will ensure that registered civil partners wishing to undergo a marriage ceremony with religious elements receive equal treatment as same sex couples who are not registered civil partners and wish to marry in the same way.[HL1313]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Conversion of Civil Partnership) Regulations 2014 bans the use of religious services at conversion.[HL1314]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Government is committed to ensuring that couples wishing to convert their civil partnership in to a marriage can do so from 10 December 2014.
The draft Marriage of Same Sex Couples (Conversion of Civil Partnership) Regulations 2014, which were laid in the House on 3rd July 2014, provide for a simple conversion process, which is not, and was never envisaged to be, a marriage ceremony. The draft regulations were prepared in accordance with the provision made by Section 9 of the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Act
2013, in particular subsections (4) and (5), which was debated at length in both Houses of Parliament during the passage of the Bill.
The process was conceived in line with responses from those in civil partnerships to the public consultation in 2012, which called for a simple, straightforward and low cost way for couples to convert their civil partnership into a marriage. Stakeholders expressed a desire for a conversion process which would not undermine the significance of the original civil partnership and which would avoid creating undue new burdens or costs for couples. Accordingly the conversion process was not envisaged to be a process which would replicate a marriage ceremony, whether religious or secular, but was rather intended to be an easy administrative process by which couples converted their civil partnerships and had these recognised as marriages from the date the civil partnership was formed. Couples who did want to celebrate the conversion with family and friends could choose to hold some form of non-statutory celebratory ceremony following the conversion itself, if they so wished.
We continue to listen to the views expressed by stakeholders during the implementation of the Act. We have heard views articulated by stakeholders in recent weeks raising concerns with the conversion process as set out in the draft regulations as laid and in particular regarding the possibility of incorporating religious elements within conversions. We will consider these views and whether suitable options exist for addressing them within the legal framework established by the Act over the summer.
Mediation
Question
Asked by Baroness Hayter of Kentish Town
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will publish their response to their consultation on Alternative Dispute Resolution for consumers which began in March.[HL1599]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The Government intends to publish the response to the consultation on Alternative Dispute Resolution for consumers in the autumn.
Middle East
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of Israeli civilians who have been (1) killed, and (2) wounded, as a result of rockets fired at Israeli cities in the past fortnight; what assessment they have made of the number of Palestinian civilians living in Gaza who have been (1) killed, and (2) wounded, as a result of the latest military intervention by Israel in Gaza; and what proportion of those Palestinian casualties they estimate were children.[HL1393]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): As of 24 July, two Israeli civilians have been killed (one by mortar bomb, one by rocket fire). 11 Israeli civilians have been injured. The Palestinian Ministry of Health figures, as of afternoon of 24 July, records the number of Palestinian civilians killed as 738 and injured as 4620. As of the morning of 24 July, 170 Palestinian children have been killed and 1,213 children have been injured.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the statement by the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights that Israel's latest military offensive in Gaza “could amount to war crimes”.[HL1522]
Lord Popat (Con): We have taken note of the statement by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We have not responded directly but we have commented on a number of the issues she has raised. The UK is deeply concerned by the continuing bloodshed in Gaza. It is tragic that so many innocent civilians, including women and children, have been killed and injured. The UK has consistently made clear that Israel must act proportionately, exercise restraint, and take every step to minimise civilian casualties, in line with International Humanitarian Law. The urgent priority now is to stop the bloodshed, re-impose a cease-fire and work to find a longer term solution. All our efforts will be concentrated on that objective.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the government of Israel concerning the reported shooting of unarmed Palestinian civilians in the West Bank between 25 and 26 July by both the Israel Defence Forces and by settlers.[HL1543]
Lord Popat: Officials from our Embassy in Tel Aviv raised this issue with the Israeli Defence Forces and the Israeli Border Police on 25 July.
Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv raised the issue of violence in the West Bank with the Yesha Council (the main settler organisation) Foreign Envoy and the Israeli Director of External Affairs on 28 July.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to assess the impact of prolonged attacks on Gaza on (1) the mental health of the population, and (2) water supplies.[HL1544]
Baroness Northover (LD): DFID works closely with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Human Affairs (OCHA), which manages the process of collecting, analysing and sharing information about
the humanitarian situation. According to OCHA’s most recent assessment at least 373,000 children require direct and specialised psychosocial support and 1.5 million people not in shelters have no or extremely restricted access to water.
The UK will provide more than £15 million in emergency support for Gaza. DFID activated a £3 million Rapid Response Facility (RRF) which will mean that more than half a million people in Gaza will receive medical care, clean water and sanitation. Three of the NGOs funded under the RRF are providing psychosocial support and one will be providing advanced mental health care. DFID also brought forward £3 million in funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross to help them repair water infrastructure, deliver emergency medical services and protect the civilian population.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel concerning the Palestinians reportedly killed and injured during West Bank protests against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.[HL1578]
Lord Popat: Our Ambassador to Tel Aviv raised the issue of violence in the West Bank with the Yesha Council (the main settler organisation) Foreign Envoy and the Israeli Director of External Affairs on 28 July.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made as to whether the shelling of the Ash Shuja’iyeh district, the United Nations school compound and Al Shifa and Al Wafah hospitals should be investigated as possible war crimes. [HL1580]
Lord Popat: We have not made an assessment of whether the incidents you raise should be investigated as possible war crimes. However, the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Runnymede and Weybridge (Mr Hammond), along with the Secretary of State for International Development, my right honourable friend the Member for Putney (Justine Greening), issued a statement expressing shock at the deaths at the UN school on 25 July. International Humanitarian Law is clear that all feasible precautions must be taken to avoid harm to civilians during a military attack.
Ministers
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 22 July (WA 197), how many of the 13 ministers who are not in receipt of a ministerial salary are members of (1) the House of Commons, and (2) the House of Lords.[HL1458]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): There are currently three Ministers who are Members of the House of Commons and 10 Ministers who are Members of the House of Lords who are not in receipt of a ministerial salary.
Information on current government Ministers, including those who are unpaid, was published in July 2014. I will place a copy in the Library.
National Careers Service
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of training in autism awareness National Careers Service advisers are expect to have.[HL1523]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Neville-Rolfe) (Con): National Careers Service contractors are required to have a well qualified and professional workforce to underpin the delivery of impartial careers information, advice and guidance (IAG) to young people and adults. In order to meet this requirement all advisers must hold qualifications which are appropriate to their role. For front line advisers this will include IAG qualifications at level 3 and above which includes assessments of an advisers ability to establish effective communication with all customers to help them make informed choices, including those individuals with conditions such as autism. Contractors are required to have workforce training and development plans in place to make sure staff are equipped to meet the needs of all customer groups, which will include awareness training about specific learning disabilities and difficulties.
Nigeria
Questions
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of reports that Royal Dutch Shell's subsidiarity in Nigeria has failed to deal with oil pollution from its pipelines, as recommended by the United Nations Environment Programme.[HL1509]
Lord Popat (Con): We are aware of the UN Environment Programme report on pollution in the Niger Delta. Oil spills in the Niger Delta occur because of criminal activity as well as oil company operations. We continue to closely monitor the situation in the Delta and raise pollution both with the Nigerian government and the oil companies.
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), saw the environmental degradation in the Delta first hand during his visit to Nigeria in February 2014. On that visit he discussed these issues with President Jonathan and senior officials at Shell.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effects of oil pollution on the Bodo community in Rivers State in Nigeria; and whether they have any plans to meet representatives of Royal Dutch Shell to ascertain a timetable for the clean up of the oil spills there.[HL1510]
Lord Popat: We are aware of the impact that oil pollution has had on the Bodo community and a number of other communities in Rivers State Nigeria. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr Simmonds), discussed the area's environmental problems with Shell during his visit to the Delta in February 2014.
We maintain an ongoing dialogue with the Government of Nigeria and oil companies operating in the Delta, including Shell, through which we continue to press for environmental responsibility in the oil and gas sector.
Asked by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to request information from Royal Dutch Shell on any plans to ensure that its pipeline infrastructure in Nigeria is properly maintained to international standards.[HL1511]
Lord Popat: We maintain an ongoing dialogue with Shell and other oil companies operating in the Niger Delta and use such discussions to raise environmental concerns and stress the oil companies’ corporate responsibility, including the maintenance of equipment.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made representations to the government of Nigeria concerning reports of abductions in North-Eastern Nigeria this year in addition to the recent kidnapping of girls in Chibok; and whether they have asked the government of Nigeria what steps are being taken by federal and state governments there to rescue those abducted and to provide protection for civilians from further abductions.[HL1552]
Lord Popat: The Government is playing a leading role in the international response to the threat posed by Boko Haram, including its despicable practice of abducting men, women and children in north-eastern Nigeria. On 12 June the former Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right honourable friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), announced a substantial new package of UK military, intelligence and development to support Nigeria as it tackles terrorism.
We continue to engage with Nigerian officials at both federal and state level to discuss their efforts to secure the release of those abducted and to provide protection for their civilians from the terrorist threat.
North Korea
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Baroness Warsi on 23 July (HL Deb, cols GC 460–4) on the Commission of Inquiry Report on human rights in North Korea, whether any projects to improve the substantive human rights of North Koreans, rather than cultural, economic or humanitarian initiatives, are to be implemented; and whether such projects are being considered for North Korean refugees outside the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.[HL1623]
Lord Popat (Con): It is not possible for the UK to carry out projects in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) without the cooperation of the DPRK authorities. This has an impact on the type of projects we are able to support, although we have successfully taken forward projects in some areas of human rights, such as disability rights. In the Financial Year 2014/15 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO’s) Human Rights and Democracy Programme is funding a project delivered by the Thomson Foundation titled ‘Inside Out: Working in North Korea to connect its journalists to the Internet world’, which aims to give North Korean journalists a greater understanding of freedom of expression by teaching them Internet skills. Our other engagement projects are about finding concrete ways to inform North Korean citizens about the UK and its values, so that in the long term they recognise the benefits of working with the outside world from which they are normally isolated.
Our Embassy in Seoul supports the North Korean refugee community through its “English for the Future” programme, which is funded with a mixture of FCO programme funds and corporate sponsorship. We also reserve one of our Chevening scholarships for this community. These programmes help new settlers tackle some of the barriers which can prevent their successful integration into South Korean society and improve their future prospects. The FCO’s Human Rights and Democracy Programme has also previously funded projects with North Korean refugee groups in the Republic of Korea which are more directly related to human rights in the DPRK, such as documenting the effects of torture or producing a report on the rights of women. We remain open to funding similar projects in the future.
Orders and Regulations
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments.[HL1420]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Neville-Rolfe) (Con): The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has laid 71 statutory instruments(SI’s) in this year to date. The table below shows those that have been identified as correcting errors in previous SI’s and the SI’s corrected.
The legal advisers in the Department for Business have this year reviewed and refreshed both the processes for the checking of SI’s and the training given to lawyers on drafting SI’s. This should reduce the incidence of drafting errors.
The table does not include drafts of affirmative instruments which were superseded by a further draft in identical form by reason of affirmative resolutions not having been obtained before the end of the 2013-2014 Parliamentary session and the identical draft being laid in the 2014-2015 session.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many statutory instruments from the Ministry of Justice have been laid this calendar year; of those, what percentage corrected errors in a previous instrument (including drafts of affirmative instruments that had to be superseded by correcting drafts); and what steps that Department is taking to reduce the need for correcting instruments.[HL1427]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): The Ministry of Justice laid 80 statutory instruments between the start of the calendar year and 25 July 2014. The Ministry of Justice does not keep records of which statutory instruments corrected errors in previous instruments. However, it estimates that
three instruments (less than 4% of the total) were expressed to be correcting errors made in, in consequence of a defect in, or in substitution of, a previous instrument and were as a result issued free of charge to known recipients of the original instrument.
The Ministry of Justice is strongly committed to improving the quality of statutory instrument drafting. In addition to providing training to relevant staff and adopting rigorous checking process (including a requirement that all instruments are subject to a second and third pair of eyes check by a lawyer who has not drafted the instrument), a new post of Statutory Instrument Co-ordinator has been established within the Legal Directorate to co-ordinate the sharing of best practice. The Ministry of Justice will also be participating in work being led by the Treasury Solicitor and First Parliamentary Counsel to enhance further the quality, consistency and effectiveness of statutory instruments across government.
Palestinians
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have sent emergency aid for the children of Gaza including medical, food and shelter.[HL1357]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): We have released £10 million since the latest crisis began. We are giving the UN Relief and Works Agency £4 million in new funding to provide healthcare, clean water, blankets and cooking equipment to help tens of thousands of Palestinians affected by the violence in Gaza, and £3 million to the UN World Food Programme to provide food vouchers to vulnerable families. We are also bringing forward £3 million to support the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross in repairing water infrastructure and providing emergency medical support.
DfID is already spending almost £350 million from 2011-2015 to address a broad range of Palestinian development and humanitarian needs, of which approximately £30 million per annum is spent on Gaza.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to provide medical aid in Gaza, in particular to hospitals treating injured civilians. [HL1521]
Baroness Northover (LD): The UK is the third largest donor to UNRWA, the main provider of health services in Gaza, and we have announced a further £6 million to their Flash Appeal for this crisis. We have activated a £3 million Rapid Response Facility on Saturday, under which ten charities have been awarded a portion of £3 million to help them meet urgent needs. This will mean that more than half a million people in Gaza will receive medical care, clean water and sanitation.
We have also brought forward £3 million in funding to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which will be used to help them repair water infrastructure damaged by airstrikes and deliver emergency medical services. And we support the UN Access Coordination Unit to work with the World Health Organisation, Israel, the Palestinian Authority and aid agencies to facilitate the transfer of medical equipment and supplies and patient referrals in and out of Gaza.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they will take to encourage a total lifting of the blockade of Gaza.[HL1577]
The Senior Minister of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Warsi) (Con): In close co-ordination with our European Union partners and the Office of the Quartet Representation, the Government continues to press the Israeli government at ministerial and official level to ease access restrictions. Supporting legal trade for Gazans is firmly in Israel’s long-term interests.
We have also encouraged the Egyptian authorities to ease the movement of bona fide travellers through Rafah, and to consider expanding Rafah to goods transit in the medium term, which will help to ease humanitarian pressures.
Pensions: Advisory Services
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their consultation document Freedom and Choice in Pensions (CM 8901), on what they intend to spend the £20 million allocated in the budget for financial advice and guidance.[HL1459]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): At Budget the Government announced that it will be making available a development fund of £20 million, which will fund preparatory work to get the guidance guarantee up and running in good time for April 2015.
The Treasury has obtained approval for an advance of £10 million from the Contingencies Fund, to allow work on service design and implementation to proceed. I refer the noble Lord to the WMS of 21 July. The Treasury will be publishing a progress update on the service design and implementation strategy in the autumn.
Prisoners: Dependants
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the case for a statutory duty on courts to identify whether individuals sentenced to prison or held on remand have children or vulnerable adults dependent on them.[HL1045]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Faulks) (Con): The Government has considered the case for a statutory duty on courts to inquire about the existence of dependants and satisfy themselves of the adequacy of care arrangements. The Government remains concerned, however, that the proposed statutory duty may be impractical for the courts to operate and not be effective in encouraging defendants and offenders to disclose, as early as possible, the existence of dependants. The Government is, however, examining alternative approaches to ensuring that information about dependants of those sent to custody is recorded.
Public Expenditure
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent calculations by the Taxpayers’ Alliance that £120 billion of public funds was wasted last year; and what actions they are taking to ensure that public spending offers value for money.[HL1519]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The Government is committed to maximising value for money in all areas of public spending, and has introduced a programme to drive efficiencies and reduce wasteful expenditure. By 2014-15, departments working with HM Treasury and the Efficiency and Reform Group in the Cabinet Office will be saving £20 billion a year compared to 2009-10. Spending Round 2013 identified over £5 billion additional efficiency savings in 2015-16.
The Government sets clear principles and guidance for the management of public resources, including achieving value for money, in Managing Public Money. Ensuring value for money is the personal responsibility of each Accounting Officer. The methods by which civil servants determine the long run value for money of programmes are set out in The Green Book: Appraisal and Evaluation in Central Government.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the Barnett formula, in the light of the referendum on Scottish independence. [HL1667]
Lord Deighton: The Government position has been consistent: our priority has been to reduce the deficit and ensure a secure economic future for the whole of the UK.
We have also been clear that no significant changes to the Barnett Formula are in prospect.
Public Expenditure: Wales
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have had with ministers of the Welsh Government during the last 12 months regarding replacing, or amending, the Barnett Formula as it applies to Wales.[HL1496]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The Government is working closely with the Welsh Government to devolve new tax and borrowing powers through the Wales Bill. The devolution of tax powers requires an adjustment to the Welsh Government’s block grant as it will instead retain certain tax revenues. The proposed block grant adjustment mechanisms are set out in the Wales Bill Command Paper.
The Government has not had any discussions with ministers of the Welsh Government during the last 12 months regarding replacing, or amending, the Barnett Formula as it applies to Wales.
The Government position is clear: our priority remains reducing the deficit and ensuring a secure economic future for the whole of the UK.
Religious Freedom
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they place any restrictions on the freedom to worship of those of all faiths from Brunei, Indonesia or Turkey visiting the United Kingdom.[HL1603]
Lord Popat (Con): The UK does not place any restrictions on freedom to worship by those of all faiths from any country. Freedom of religion or belief and respect for religious diversity and pluralism are at the heart of British society.
Religious freedom is a valuable indicator of wider democratic principles and is often a test of other fundamental freedoms.
We stress that freedom of religion or belief and freedom of expression are interdependent, interrelated and mutually reinforcing.
Republic of Ireland
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Randerson on 23 July (WA 221), whether they will publish on a weekly basis details of all issues of an economic and political importance discussed with the government of the Republic of Ireland.[HL1598]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Wales Office (Baroness Randerson) (LD): No. In accordance with the provisions of the Belfast Agreement, to which the Noble Lord’s former party now subscribes, the Government maintains close relations with the Irish Government on matters of political and economic importance. As is the case with other Governments, it reports to Parliament at key stages.
Revenue and Customs
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the identified savings from current and planned reorganisations of HM Revenue and Customs, including the potential numbers of reductions in headcount by region.[HL1432]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the consultation procedures with all HM Revenue and Customs staff in respect of current and planned reorganisations; and what are the criteria for decisions being made on future campus sites of HM Revenue and Customs offices.[HL1433]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support will be made available to regions that lose HM Revenue and Customs offices.[HL1434]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the costings of any future relocation of HM Revenue and Customs offices regionally and nationally, including those of retraining staff, redundancy and any additional resources.[HL1435]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): HMRC is currently undertaking a programme of work to transform the services it provides to give its customers a modern, efficient service, delivered in a modern and flexible way that is convenient for them. To do this, HMRC needs to continue to become a smaller and more professional organisation that is able to maximise the revenues that pay for the UK’s public services, while making sustainable cost reductions and improving their customer service.
Efficiencies required by the 2010 and 2013 Spending Reviews mean that HMRC’s staffing levels in relation to these plans alone will reduce to 54,000 Full Time Equivalent posts (FTE) by 2015 and to 52,000 FTE by 2016. Reduced staffing levels mean a reduced need for accommodation and HMRC has recently closed consultation on the proposed closure of 12 offices between now and December 2015. The decisions will be announced in the autumn.
In addition to requiring efficiencies, the 2010 and 2013 Spending Reviews provide resources to increase revenue yield and to increase the department’s capacity for digital business and online services. In consequence, the costs arising from the changes HMRC is making are not readily identified and need to be considered against the savings achieved through improved working methods, increased revenue yield, reduced running costs and overall greater efficiency in the service it provides. All redundancy costs are made against strict value for money criteria.
HMRC is still developing its plans for the future, including extensive discussions across the whole of the department through a series of events designed to start conversations with all staff about building the future of the organisation.
HMRC is consulting with its staff on the way forward through a nationwide series of face-to-face events known as “Building our Future”, attended by
every individual within the department. “Building our Future” explains the changes being made, the background to them and includes group discussions at which individuals consider how they can contribute.
HMRC remains strongly committed to providing services to the regions. It has for example recently introduced a new Needs Enhanced Support service. This includes a mobile advisory service to ensure that accessible and tailored advice is available to the 1.5 million customers who need extra help.
Its longer-term strategy continues to look to bring people together into Regional Centres, providing flexibility, improved efficiency, greater cost-effectiveness and improved career development opportunities for its staff.
These will be drawn from its existing campus locations, where 80% cent of the department’s workforce is currently based. These centres will be supplemented by specialist sites, for location-specific work, and touchdown locations, where HMRC has a business need for a presence in a community.
Russia
Questions
Asked by The Marquess of Lothian
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they are using to assess the impact and effectiveness of current European Union sanctions on Russia. [HL1476]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns): We judge the impact and effectiveness of sanctions based on a range of economic and political factors. Sanctions are designed to impose a cost for Russia’s actions in Ukraine, deter further escalation of this crisis, and support the wider diplomatic effort. EU measures already announced have exacerbated negative trends in Russia’s economy: capital flight in the first half of 2014 was greater than for the whole of 2013; and we have seen a significant reduction in expected growth. Russian access to western financial markets will be severely constrained as lenders consider the risks of Russian exposure in the current climate. The strengthening of sanctions should signal clearly to the Russian leadership that their policy of trying to destabilise Ukraine will have a cost for the Russian economy. The EU’s measures have in-built review mechanisms. The sanctions implemented on 31 July are in force for one year, with a review of implementation after three months.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to ensure that United Kingdom companies conducting business in or with the government of Russia in compliance with European Union sanctions will not be subject to any penalties applied by United States authorities which allege that sanctions have been breached on the basis of the United States' system of sanctions.[HL1685]
The Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills & Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Livingston of Parkhead) (Con): The European Union has co-ordinated very closely with the United States on sanctions against Russia. The European Union and the United States acting in a co-ordinated manner not only has the maximum possible effect on Russia’s policy calculations but also ensures that we reduce to an absolute minimum the likelihood that any UK companies that comply with the European Union legislation will nevertheless fall foul of United States’ sanctions legislation applying extraterritorially. At present we are not aware of any specific circumstances where this is likely to occur, but any company with concerns about United States sanctions should in the first instance consult United States lawyers or regulatory authorities to ensure that they comply with applicable United States legislation.
Schools
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Nash on 30 June (WA 226) stating that they “do not hold a central record of all new schools built by local authorities to provide these places since 2010”, why they do not hold such a record; and, of the academy schools created and converted since 2010, (1) how many, and (2) what proportion, were identified for creation or conversion by local authorities.[HL1691]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Nash) (Con): Prior to 2010 the Department for Education’s central records of new establishments do not allow us to determine if schools are new provision or whether they replace existing schools (i.e. due to an amalgamation or move from three tier to two tier education).
Since then the number of schools that have applied to become academies is as follows:
| Academic Year | Number of Converter Academiesi |
Schools which have converted to academy status are not identified for conversion by the local authority. It is up to individual schools to apply to convert to become academies unless they are underperforming, in which case the department will look to match them with a sponsor.
Between 2010 and 2012, local authorities held 41 competitions under section 7 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006, as amended by the Education Act 2011, to create new schools. The numbers opening per academic year are:
| Academic Year | Number of Academies |
In addition, the department also records all new academies created under local authorities’ duties to secure sufficient schools (section 14 of the Education Act 1996) since the academy presumption was established in February 2012. Ninety-two new academies have been created, or are in the process of being created, through this route (75 in agreement, 17 in the pipeline).
These are broken down into academic years as follows:
| Academic Year | Number of Academies ii | Number in pipeline (of the total number) |
40 of these new academies were funded through the Government’s Targeted Basic Need Programme (8 due to open in September 2014, 32 due to open in September 2015).
Senior Civil Servants: Recruitment
Question
Asked by Lord Butler of Brockwell
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of the forthcoming General Election, they will consult the Opposition about the appointment of a Chief Executive of the Civil Service on a five year contract.[HL1507]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): As has been the case under successive administrations, external civil service appointments continue to be made in the usual way in accordance with the Civil Service Commission’s recruitment principles, through fair and open competition.
Serious Fraud Office
Question
Asked by Lord Morris of Aberavon
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how their supervision of the Serious Fraud Office is exercised; and what recent assessment they have made of the performance of the Office.[HL1677]
The Advocate-General for Scotland (Lord Wallace of Tankerness) (LD): The Government’s supervision of the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) is exercised principally through the Attorney-General’s superintendence of that department, and in accordance with the Protocol between the Attorney-General and the Prosecuting Departments of July 2009.
The Attorney-General meets regularly with the Director of the SFO and receives reports on the SFO’s work. In addition HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate
(HMCPSI) has power to inspect the SFO under section 149 of the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014, which came into force on 2 June 2014.
HMCPSI conducted an inspection of the SFO at the request of the Director SFO in 2012, and reported in November 2012. It has carried out a follow up inspection and is due to report on that later this year.
Students: Loans
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have plans to initiate a review of the sustainability of the student loans system.[HL1377]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): There are no current plans to initiate a formal review of the student loans system in England. The costs of the loan system are based on projections of graduate repayments over the next 35 years. These projections were revised in 2013-14 following changes to the student loan repayments model but will continue to fluctuate due to numerous macroeconomic variables, and present no immediate pressure on the system. Funding for new student loans is secure for the remainder of the Spending Review period.
Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to improve the student loan system, should it prove to be too inefficient in its current format.[HL1380]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire: There are no plans to initiate changes to the student loan system in England, but we continue to monitor the efficiency of the system in relation to government affordability.
Sugar
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Howe on 17 July (WA 144–5), whether the Minister will now provide a substantive answer to the question.[HL1282]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The Secretary of State met with Asda, Sainsbury’s and Tesco on 7 October 2013 to discuss voluntary arrangements to help their customers’ adopt a healthier diet, including action to reduce their sugar intake. Other major retailers were unable to attend.
In addition, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Public Health (Jane Ellison) visited a Tesco store on 13 March 2014, with regard in particular to diabetes.
Supermarkets: Conditions of Employment
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of employment practices in the United Kingdom supermarket sector.[HL1495]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Neville-Rolfe): We have not made any specific assessment of employment practices in this sector.
Tax Allowances
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Newby on 9 July (HL Deb, cols 209–11), whether they intend to continue to encourage investments in (1) the alternative investment market, (2) start-up businesses, and (3) forestry, in the light of the tax relief available for such investments. [HL1551]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The government currently offers a range of tax reliefs to encourage investment. These form an important part of the government’s growth strategy and its commitment to make the UK one of the best places to start, finance and grow a business in Europe.
To ensure the tax reliefs remain well-targeted, the reliefs are only available where certain conditions are met. The government keeps all these schemes under review to ensure that the reliefs continue to encourage investment in a well-targeted and effective manner.
Taxation: Immigrants
Question
Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the amount of income tax, value added tax and company taxation paid by migrants to the United Kingdom and by companies set up by migrants in each year since 2010 for which figures are available.[HL1672]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The information requested is not available.
Third Sector
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they have learnt from promoting the Big Society. [HL1563]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what impact the promotion of the Big Society has had on competition between the social enterprise sector and local authorities; and what is the value of contracts transferred from the public sector to the independent sector since May 2010.[HL1564]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the experience of promoting the Big Society will inform their future policy making.[HL1565]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the delivery of Big Society initiatives will inform future pilot schemes to promote innovation in local communities. [HL1566]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons for the localism agenda they have learnt from promoting the Big Society.[HL1567]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): Big Society hands people control in their local communities so that they can take action to shape where they live and help others. Volunteering is up 6% since 2010 and 80,000 young people have taken part in National Citizen Service since 2011, contributing over 2 million hours of social action to their local communities.
The Localism Act has resulted in over 1,200 assets of community value being listed and we have helped 150 organisations to acquire a community asset or obtain significant investment towards doing so. More than 900 neighbourhood planning areas have been designated, and all 28 plans which have reached referendum so far have passed with significant majorities in favour.
This Government is committed to opening up public services so that social enterprises and voluntary organisations can play an increased role in delivering local services. We are introducing legislation that will require the public sector to publish details on the value of new contracts awarded to VCSEs, as part of Lord Young’s reforms to make public procurement more accessible to smaller businesses.
Turkey
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the freedom to worship of British Christian and Jewish visitors to Turkey.[HL1600]
Lord Popat (Con): We regularly discuss issues concerning Freedom of Religion and Belief with the Turkish Government, religious leaders and non-governmental organisations in that country.
We are encouraged by positive steps taken by the Turkish Government to improve protections for all religious minorities in Turkey. However, we share the assessment of the EU that more needs to be done to safeguard freedom of religion in Turkey.
Freedom of religion is a fundamental freedom that all, including those visiting a country, are entitled to.
Turks and Caicos Islands
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Northover on 23 June (WA 136) and 8 July (WA 40), why the request to place a document in the Library of the House was refused yet it was released under a Freedom of Information request.[HL1558]
Baroness Northover (LD): The Offering Memorandum sent by the Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) Government for a bond issue guaranteed by DFID in 2011 is not a document owned by her Majesty’s Government. It would therefore not have been appropriate for DFID to place a copy of it in the Library of the House, although my previous answer did make clear that the Noble Lord could obtain a copy of the document by requesting it from the TCI Government.
Freedom of Information requests cover documents held by Her Majesty’s Government. DFID therefore sought the consent of the TCI Government before agreeing to release the TCI document.
UK Membership of EU
Question
Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 28 July (WA 273), what is their estimate of the impact of European Union membership on United Kingdom employment.[HL1658]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): The Government has made no assessment of the impact of European Union membership on United Kingdom employment.
As I noted in my response dated 28 July (WA 273) to Lord Grocott, the Treasury estimate that 3.3 million jobs in the UK may be related to exports to other European Union countries. This figure is based on the assumption that the share of UK employment associated with UK exports to the EU is equal to the share of output that is exported to the EU, making allowance for the composition of the UK economy.
Ukraine
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what medical assistance they are providing to military hospitals in Ukraine.[HL1400]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The UK Government is not providing direct medical assistance to military hospitals in Ukraine. Assistance to military hospitals cannot be recorded as Official Development Assistance (ODA), in line with Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development criteria.
UN Convention for Protection of Cultural Property in Event of Armed Conflict
Question
Asked by Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 12 May (HL Deb, col 1650), when they expect there to be parliamentary time to introduce legislation to ratify the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict; and what assessment they have made of the damage to cultural property in the recent and continuing armed conflict in Syria and northern Iraq.[HL1360]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The legislative priorities for this session were set out in the Queen’s speech in June. The Government remains committed to protecting cultural heritage and we will seek to legislate on the 1954 Hague Convention and the subsequent protocols when parliamentary time allows. The 1954 convention already informs the Armed Forces’ law of armed conflict doctrine and training policy, particularly with regard to respect for cultural property, precautions in attack and recognition of the protective emblem.
The Government is deeply concerned by reports of damage to cultural property in Syria and Northern Iraq, including recent attacks by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant against Mosques, Churches and other holy places. The reported destruction of the Tomb of Yonus (Jonah) in Mosul on 24 July by ISIL is further evidence of the groups barbarism and disregard for International Humanitarian Law. We are also concerned that Syria’s cultural heritage is being plundered for private profit. That is why in December 2013 the UK and other EU nations amended the EU’s sanctions regime to make clear that involvement in trade relating to artefacts illegally removed from Syria is prohibited. This will help safeguard Syria’s cultural heritage for the future and we will continue to do all we can to bring an end to the conflict and restore stability in the region.
UN High Commissioner for Refugees
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the budget of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is provided by the United Kingdom; and what percentage of the staff of the UNHCR are United Kingdom citizens.[HL1465]
Baroness Northover (LD): The UK provided 3% of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) budget in 2013. UNHCR records show that in April 2014 1.5% of UNHCR staff were UK citizens.
VAT
Question
Asked by The Earl of Clancarty
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the current regulations with regard to the levying of value added tax on repairs and maintenance of old and listed buildings; and whether there are any plans to review or change such regulations.[HL1664]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): Section 1 of the Value Added Tax Act 1994 determines that value added tax should be charged on a supply of goods or services. Section 2 of the same Act sets the standard rate at 20%. Repairs and maintenance of all buildings fall into this standard rate.
The Chancellor keeps all taxes under review.
War Graves
Question
Asked by Lord Palmer of Childs Hill
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions the Ministry of Defence has held with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission about erecting a named headstone to mark the grave of Private Walter George Buckley (PLY/18155) of the Royal Marines Light Infantry at Tournai Communal Cemetery Allied Extension.[HL1550]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Astor of Hever) (Con): Subject to a positive identification being made, it is anticipated that a named headstone marking the grave of Private Buckley could be erected by the summer of next year.
Youth Engagement Fund
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of young people from the gypsy and traveller communities not in education, training or employment, what steps they are taking to ensure that the Youth Engagement Fund will benefit people from those communities.[HL1625]
Lord Wallace of Saltaire (LD): The £16m cross-government Youth Engagement Fund aims to support up to 18,000 of the most disadvantaged young people in England to improve their educational achievement, increase their employability and reduce their risk of offending. This includes young people from the gypsy and traveller communities. The Fund does not prescribe which particular groups of young people bidders should work with.
Answers received between Tuesday 12 August and Monday 18 August 2014
Albania
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what agreements have been signed, to which the United Kingdom and Albania are both parties, for the period 1 March 2013 to the present; and whether they will place copies of any such agreements in the Library of the House and on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office database.[HL1690]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) treaty database records all bilateral and multilateral treaties involving the United Kingdom signed since 1834. The FCO does not maintain a comprehensive central record or hold copies of the texts of memoranda of understanding concluded between Government Departments and other states or organizations.
Legally-binding agreements to which both the UK and Albania have become parties since 1 March 2013 are as follows:
1. The Agreement between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Council of Ministers of the Republic of Albania for the Avoidance of Double Taxation and the Prevention of Fiscal Evasion with respect to Taxes on Income and on Capital was signed on 26 March 2014 and was published as UK Treaty Series No. 3, 2014.
2. The Arms Trade Treaty was signed by Albania on 3 June 2013 and by the United Kingdom on 3 June 2013. This was published as UK Miscellaneous Series No. 3, 2013.
3. Protocol No.15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms [CETS No.213] was signed by Albania on 11 February 2014 and by the United Kingdom on 24 June 2014. The text to this treaty is published on the Council of Europe website.
All treaties, including those amending previous treaties, that are subject to ratification, accession, approval or completion of procedures are laid before both Houses of Parliament as a Command Paper for twenty-one sitting days in accordance with Part 2 of the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. Those treaties which enter into force on signature do not have to be laid before Parliament for twenty-one sitting days but are laid before both Houses of Parliament as a Command Paper in the UK Treaty Series once they have entered into force.
Association of British Insurers
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish details of all meetings between ministers and the Association of British Insurers in the past 12 months.[HL1504]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings and discussions with a wide variety of organisations as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Lists of ministerial meetings with external organisations are published on gov.uk[1].
[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/hm-treasury/ series/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel
Autism
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many and what proportion of people in assessment and treatment units are known to have autism spectrum disorder; and of those, how many are children. [HL1575]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The Learning Disabilities Census conducted by the Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC) indicates that 3,250 learning disabilities services users were in hospital in England at midnight on 30 September 2013. This includes 1,087 (33.4%) with autistic spectrum disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome). Autistic spectrum disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome) was the main reason for the hospital admission of 321 (9.9%) learning disabilities service users.
The HSCIC has also reported that the Learning Disabilities Census 2013 indicated that 185 of those in hospital (representing 5.7% of all learning disabilities service users) were under 18 years of age. Of these, 88 have autistic spectrum disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome). Autistic spectrum disorder (including Asperger’s Syndrome) was the main reason for the hospital admission of 28 people under the age of 18 years.
Borders: Personal Records
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they expect to introduce universal exit checks at United Kingdom borders by the end of the current Parliament; and, if so, what the scheme will cost, how many additional members of staff will be required to perform the checks, and whether, operationally, United Kingdom infrastructure is suitably robust to meet the additional demand.[HL1240]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Taylor of Holbeach) (Con): The Home Office is on track to meet the Coalition Agreement commitment to introduce exit checks by April 2015 on those who leave the UK by scheduled commercial air, sea and rail services. We are working with service and port operators to minimise the impact of exit checks on port processes and infrastructure. The level of cost will be largely dependent on the technology and methodology adopted and the extent to which advanced passenger data is collected and used by individual carriers.
Bread: Pesticides
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to reduce the amount of pesticides in bread.[HL1571]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord De Mauley) (Con): The regulatory framework for pesticides is supported by a substantial programme of testing for residues in food and drink. This is administered by the Health and Safety Executive’s Chemicals Regulation Directorate and overseen by the independent expert scientific committee on Pesticide Residues in Food (PRiF). Bread is among the staple foods regularly checked.
Statutory Maximum Residue Levels (MRLs) for pesticides are set under European Union (EU) legislation. These MRLs reflect the highest amount of pesticide residue expected in food when pesticides are applied in accordance with authorised conditions of use. MRLs are always set below, usually far below, the safety limit.
Farmers, importers, distributors and retailers are responsible for ensuring marketed food complies with the statutory levels.
Although recent monitoring results indicate an increase in the incidence of pesticide residues being found in bread, this reflects that improvements in analytical methods mean that residues can be found at lower levels. The latest results obtained are all at levels below the statutory MRLs, and PriF have concluded that they do not raise any safety concerns.
The Food Standards Agency recognises that consumers want pesticide residues reduced further than the current safe levels. As part of the Agency's action plan to minimise pesticide residues in food, guides have been produced for five crops – including cereals - grown in the UK. The guides are intended for a broad audience within the food industry, from farmer to retailer. They aim to raise awareness of the issue of pesticide residues and to support the industry to deliver existing pesticide residue minimisation initiatives.
British Petroleum
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the judgments of courts in the United States which have recently awarded significant damages against BP; and what discussions they have had with the government of the United States about the issue.[HL1684]
Baroness Northover (LD): The British Government has taken a close interest in the regulatory and legal action in the US against BP following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 and has discussed this issue with the US authorities on several occasions. It remains concerned that BP, like all British companies, should receive fair and equitable treatment at the same time as dealing fairly with the consequences of the spill. The Government’s support for BP’s activities in the US has included submitting an amicus brief before the Southern Texas District Court on 2 December 2013 in support of BP in its case regarding its disbarment from US government contracts by the US Environmental Protection Agency – a bar which has since been lifted.
Burma
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the reply by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 24 July (HL Deb, cols 1324–8) to the debate on Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, what representations they have made to the Burmese authorities about proposed new legislation to restrict religious conversions and inter-religious marriages there; and whether they will call on the United Nations Secretary-General to visit Burma to address religious intolerance and to encourage the creation of an international and independent inquiry into violence in Rakhine State, Kachin State and other parts of the country.[HL1695]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Anelay of St Johns) (Con): We have voiced our strong concerns over proposed legislation on inter-faith marriage and religious conversion to members of the Burmese government and parliamentarians. If enacted, these laws would harm religious tolerance and respect for diversity in Burma, and contravene international standards and treaties to which Burma is a signatory. Most recently, our Ambassador raised our concerns with Minister of the President’s Office, U Soe Thein, in June.
The UN Secretary-General (UNSG) currently chairs the Partnership Group on Burma, which last met in April. The UNSG and his Special Representative to Burma, Vijay Nambiar, both play vital roles in raising the international community’s human rights concerns with the Burmese government whilst providing encouragement for the wider reform process. We welcome
the recent visit by the newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Burma, Ms Yanghee Lee, who rightly highlighted that the government needs to do more to stop the spread of hate speech and incitement to violence based on religious grounds and recommended the adoption of specific legislation to address this.
We remain deeply concerned by continued violence in Burma, particularly in Rakhine State and Kachin State. Our approach is to seek an end to all violations, and to prevent their further escalation, irrespective of whether these violations fit the definition of specific international crimes. Allegations of human rights abuses must be dealt with through a clear, independent and transparent investigative and prosecutorial process that meets international standards. We have made this clear to the Burmese government and will continue to do so. We continue to believe an independent investigation, supported by appropriate technical assistance, would make a significant contribution to accountability and reconciliation.
Cabinet
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the meeting of the Cabinet in Aberdeen on 24 February, whether they have any plans to hold Cabinet meetings in Wales and Northern Ireland.[HL1663]
Baroness Northover (LD): It has been a long-standing practice of successive governments not to disclose in advance the location of Cabinet meetings. However the Noble Peer will recall that Cabinet was last held in Cardiff in July 2011.
Cancer
Questions
Asked by Baroness Howe of Idlicote
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the results of the cancer patient experience survey will be used to hold Clinical Commissioning Groups to account for improvements in patient experience through the NHS Outcomes Framework.[HL1620]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): Holding clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to account for delivering improved outcomes for patients is a core part of the CCG assurance process. NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality to develop better ways of using the Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) data within the National Health Service in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example. Their intention is that the learning from this can then be transferred across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.
The CPES survey results are delivered to every organisation so each can see how they compare to other organisations. Currently, the action plans are taken into account as part of Peer Reviews. NHS England would expect that every trust board should know its own survey results and take account of them.
We have been working closely with NHS England on the review of the NHS Outcomes Framework, and will be engaging with stakeholders over the summer ahead of publication in the autumn.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of variations in cancer patient experiences.[HL1641]
Earl Howe: The latest Cancer Patient Experience Survey (CPES) results, from 2013, show that whilst variations between trusts still exist, the overall range of variation for many indicators has narrowed.
For example, in 2010 the proportion of patients saying that they had been given the name of a Clinical Nurse Specialist ranged from 92% in the highest performing trust to 59% in the poorest performing trust (33 points); by 2013 this had reduced to 97% to 76% (21 points).
NHS England is working with NHS Improving Quality to develop better ways of using CPES data within the National Health Service in order to maximise the impact of the survey, to be able to work with successful and struggling organisations to spread best practice for example. Their intention is that the learning from this can then be transferred across all surveys to understand what the barriers are to implementing change and to showcase best practice where real improvements can be demonstrated.
Chernobyl: Children
Question
Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assisted in any schemes offering holidays in the United Kingdom to children affected by the Chernobyl disaster; and if not, whether they have been asked to, or plan to.[HL1668]
Baroness Northover (LD): Up until 2013 children affected by the Chernobyl disaster travelling to the UK on recuperation visits under the auspices of a registered UK charity were granted gratis UK visas. The decision to discontinue the scheme was one of a number of difficult spending decisions across Government. The Visa Application Centre in Minsk will continue to offer a mobile service for some of the children travelling with Chernobyl charities spending a number of days accepting applications and collecting Biometric data in the regions at no additional cost.
Our Embassy in Minsk has funded other projects run by Chernobyl Children’s charities in 2013 and 2014. These include projects to avoid such children being placed in institutional care and creating a better child protection system in Belarus.
Children: Day Care
Questions
Asked by Lord Sutherland of Houndwood
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 28 July (WA 247), in addition to the “qualitative assessment of the economic impacts” of the Childcare Payments Bill provided in the impact assessment, what specific estimates they have made of the impact on the maternal labour supply and productivity.[HL1678]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Deighton on 28 July (WA 247), in addition to the “qualitative assessment of the economic impacts” of the Childcare Payments Bill provided in the impact assessment, what specific estimates they have made of the impact on tax receipts from mothers paying income tax and national insurance.[HL1679]
The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Deighton) (Con): Details of the estimated economic effects from the introduction of Tax-Free Childcare can be found in the Childcare Payments Bill Impact Assessment.[1]
[1]https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/ attachment_data/file/318698/document2014-06-10-104244-1.pdf
Clinical Commissioning Groups
Questions
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many contracts for the provision of services have been entered into by each of the Clinical Commissioning Groups in England since their formation; of those, how many have been contracted with (1) a National Health Service trust, (2) a commercial body, and (3) a charitable or other non-profit-making body; and what is the total commercial value for each of those categories.[HL1645]
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contracts have been entered into for the provision of services by the East Lancashire Clinical Commissioning Group, and in each case with which body; and what are the services to be provided and the value of each contract.[HL1646]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The Department does not collect information on which providers have been awarded contracts at local level.
It is for local commissioners to decide how best to secure local services and take a decision on which are the most capable providers to deliver those services in the best interests of their patients. There is no requirement for commissioners to put all services out to competitive tender.
Whether NHS services are provided by the public, voluntary or private sector, they remain publicly funded and free at the point of delivery with access based on clinical need.
Compulsorily Detained Mental Patients
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people were sectioned under the Mental Health Acts in each year of the last decade, disaggregated by racial profile; how many of those people had a co-occurring learning disability or autism spectrum disorder; and how many were children.[HL1676]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): We do not centrally hold the number of people with a learning disability or autism spectrum disorder who were formally detained under Mental Health Act 1983 in each year of the last decade, disaggregated by racial profile, including the numbers of which were children.
The information we do hold has been placed in the Library.
Dental Services: Children
Question
Asked by Baroness Gardner of Parkes
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the cost to the National Health Service in the last year of the number of children being hospitalised for the extensive extraction of deciduous teeth; and whether they will consider setting up day-care clinics that could carry out such work.[HL1713]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe) (Con): The following table shows the estimated cost of tooth extractions for children aged 18 years and under for 2012-13. The data covers all tooth extractions, and does not distinguish between deciduous or adult teeth.
| Healthcare Resource Group description | Estimated total cost £ million |
Source: Reference costs, Department of Health1
Tooth extractions in children often involve general anaesthesia. Extractions involving general anaesthesia were restricted to the hospital setting following the recommendations of the 2000 report ‘A conscious decision’ that patients should have access to high quality critical care facilities when general anaesthesia is given. There are currently no plans to change this. Many extractions are carried out on a day case basis; whether the extraction is carried out as a day case or requires an overnight admission is a matter for the clinicians involved.
70% of five year olds now have no dental decay but we recognise that significant inequalities remain. Wider work is under way through dental contract reform and other prevention focussed initiatives to improve oral health.
Note:
1www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-reference-costs-2012-to-2013
Derelict Land
Question
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure there is clear and transparent information about the availability of brownfield land for development.[HL1489]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon) (Con): The National Land Use Database is available online and provides statistical information for national and local authority trends in previously developed (brownfield) land.
The newly updated Local Government Transparency Code will require local authorities to publish details of all land and building assets annually, helping increase accountability over the use of council assets and the scope for disposing of surplus brownfield land for regeneration and new homes.
The Government is releasing for development its own surplus and redundant land and property. As part of this comprehensive programme, the Government Property Unit has recently launched a new application on Gov.uk, which can be accessed by the public and developers, which provides details of all government land and property assets.
To help meet the Government’s ambitions to have planning permission for housing in place on 90% of suitable brownfield sites by 2020, we are currently considering how we can further improve the published information that is available on brownfield land suitable for housing. We will report on this in due course.
The associated website links are as follows:
http://www.neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true& Function=&%24ph=60&CurrentPageId=60&step =1&CurrentTreeIndex=-2&searchString=land+use& datasetFamilyId=1235&Next.x=14&Next.y=2&nsjs= true&nsck=false&nssvg=false&nswid=1366
Local Government Transparency Code:
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/308185/Local_ Government_Transparency_Code_2014_Final.pdf