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24 May 2011 : Column WA397

Written Answers

Tuesday 24 May 2011

Agriculture: Pigs

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licences are currently valid for the movement of pigs in the United Kingdom.[HL9215]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Henley): Most pig movements in GB take place under the authority of a general licence. Keepers do not need to apply in advance of the movement for an individual copy of the licence which can be found on the Defra website at: http://archive.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/movements/pigs/documents/generallicence090713.pdf.

The licence sets out the conditions which the keeper must comply with to move pigs in compliance with current disease control measures. One of the requirements of the licence is that keepers must report the movement of batches of pigs to the central database within three days of the movement taking place.

The relatively small number of pigs moved through markets are subject to pre-movement licensing and these licences are issued by the relevant local authority.

Animal Welfare: Seal Hunting

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Government of Canada regarding the seal hunt.[HL9255]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The current Government have made no specific representations to the Government of Canada regarding the seal hunt. However, the Government do support the measures introduced by Regulation EC No 1007/2009, which prohibits placing seal products on the market unless they result from traditional Inuit hunts or they are a by-product of hunting for the purpose of the sustainable management of marine resources.

Asylum Seekers

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 May (WA 198-200), how many of the 11,400 Indians and 4,690 Jamaicans who have applied for political asylum in the past 10 years have had their applications turned down; and what are the most frequent reasons given for their asylum application. [HL9316]

24 May 2011 : Column WA398

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The information is not available as cohort information on asylum covering the time period of 2001 to 2010 is not available. However, the total number of initial decisions which were refusals of asylum, humanitarian protection, discretionary leave or exceptional leave to remain between 2001 and 2010 were 11,365 for nationals of India and 4,175 for nationals of Jamaicans. These initial decisions do not reflect applications made in the same period.

Information relating to asylum cases is recorded on the UK Border Agency (UKBA) case information database (CID). Information concerning the grounds for asylum claims is not routinely captured on CID. It is therefore not possible to identify the basis for asylum claims without undertaking a manual case by case search of individual case files.

Further information on asylum is available from the Control of Immigration publications available in the Library of the House and the Home Office Science website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/science- research/research-statistics.

Atos Healthcare

Question

Asked by Lord German

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 16 May (WA 274), whether "improvements by Atos Healthcare to its soft skills training" refers to the soft skills training of clients or of the Atos Healthcare assessors. [HL9370]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): Improvements to soft skills training refers to the training of Atos healthcare professionals (HCP). Soft skills training is recognised by Atos Healthcare as an important part of the HCP skill set. They form part of the selection criteria during recruitment and are reinforced and assessed during the new entrant training where they use role players and video in scenarios that reflect the assessment environment. Subsequent performance management then reinforces any areas of personal development.

In addition, Atos Healthcare has also refreshed the customer skills training for all of its customer-facing staff in the contact centres, the customer relations team and the assessment centres. Training has been delivered to all of these groups and has comprised customer service skills tailored to the specific physical, mental and emotional conditions associated with the ESA and IB reassessment customer group.

Aviation: Passenger Duty

Question

Asked by Lord Pendry

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have assessed the impact of air passenger duty on long haul flights from domestic airports.[HL9100]

24 May 2011 : Column WA399

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The existing rates of air passenger duty (APD) were set and legislated for by the previous Government. An impact assessment was published at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/apd-reform-ia.pdf.

At Budget, the Government launched a consultation on reform of APD which runs until Friday 17 June. The consultation document (available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk) includes impact assessments on the Government’s proposals for simplifying the current banding system and extending APD to passengers aboard business jets.

Bahrain

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have obtained information about the doctors and nurses arrested in Bahrain and held incommunicado. [HL9024]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The British Government have received information on the arrest of 24 doctors and 23 nurses and paramedics in Bahrain, and have serious concerns on reports of their maltreatment. We note the Chief Military Prosecutor’s recent announcement that 24 of those accused of a range of medical malpractice and political offences have since been released from detention pending their trials.

We are concerned that current emergency laws allow civilians to be tried before tribunals and are monitoring the situation closely. Our embassy in Bahrain has submitted a formal request to the Bahraini authorities seeking access to the tribunals.

We have asked the Bahraini authorities to ensure that due process is carefully and transparently followed in all cases and that civil liberties are protected, particularly where severe penalties are proposed. It is essential that anyone accused has adequate time to prepare a defence, access to legal counsel and is tried before independent, impartial tribunals.

Benefits

Question

Asked by Baroness Lister of Burtersett

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 9 May (WA 173), whether the average weekly wage earned by working families, upon which the benefit cap will be based, will include child benefit and child tax credit in the case of families with children. [HL9308]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): From 2013 benefit payments will be capped at around the median earned income, after tax and national insurance, for working families. On its introduction, we estimate that the cap will be set at £500 per week for couple and single parent households and at £350 per week for single adult households without children.

24 May 2011 : Column WA400

We are introducing the benefit cap to increase incentives for those out of work to move into employment and ensure that the welfare system provides the correct balance between supporting people not in work and being fair to taxpayers in employment.

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Freud on 12 May (WA 229-31), what percentage of drug addicts and alcoholics they estimate will be reformed and what percentage will never be employable; what assessment they have made of the effect of paying drug addicts and alcoholics higher rates of benefits because of associated illnesses on the continuation of their addictions; and whether they will consider limiting the levels of benefits paid to such addicts regardless of any associated illnesses.[HL9318]

Lord Freud: The Government’s Drug Strategy1 makes clear that recovery is not just about tackling dependency but about enabling people successfully to enter into sustainable employment and reintegrate into their communities. Therefore, the Government will offer benefit claimants with a drug or alcohol dependency a choice between support to overcome their addiction and rigorous enforcement of the conditions for benefit receipt, including sanctions for non-compliance.

The Government are increasingly moving away from a model of payment for process to payment by results-this includes treatment and employment outcomes.

While a person’s addiction may have led to unemployment or may have caused or exacerbated a medical condition, benefit payments are never made, or paid at an increased rate, solely because a person is dependent on drugs or alcohol.

British Hujj Delegation

Question

Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of British Hujjaj delegations on the health and safety of British pilgrims to Saudi Arabia.[HL9075]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The British Hajj Delegation is not responsible for the health and safety of British Pilgrims who attend the Hajj. We offer a dedicated consular service to any British nationals who are attending the Hajj and find themselves in distress.

Burma

Question

Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they are providing to civilians in Shan State, Burma, who have been displaced by the Government of Burma allegedly breaking a ceasefire and attacking civilians.[HL9219]

24 May 2011 : Column WA401

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are concerned by reports that 3,000 people may have been internally displaced due to renewed conflict in Shan State. We understand that the fighting is taking place in the north-central area of Shan State. The area is remote and the Burmese Government control access tightly. It is therefore difficult to verify the situation and at present no non-governmental organisations are able to access the area. The Department for International Development is already providing valued support to victims of conflict in Shan State and will consider providing further assistance to recent cases of internally displaced people if they judge that they can effectively meet the humanitarian needs.

Asked by Lord Steel of Aikwood

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for neighbouring countries of increased conflict in Shan State, Burma. [HL9221]

Lord Howell of Guildford: The Government are deeply concerned by the reported breakdown of a ceasefire agreement between the Burmese army and the Shan State Army North which has led to renewed conflict in Shan State. Reports indicate that the fighting is taking place in the north-central area of Shan State, about 110 miles from the nearest Chinese border town and around 200 miles from the border with Thailand. Access to this area is tightly controlled by the Burmese Government and an assessment of the situation is therefore difficult. At this time, we have received no reports of associated refugee flows in border areas. However, reports suggest that fighting has resulted in around 3,000 people being internally displaced. Renewed conflict with ethnic groups again demonstrates that only a genuine process of national reconciliation leading to a just political settlement can bring peace and stability to the country and its neighbours.

Civil Partnerships

Question

Asked by Lord Tebbit

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 26 April (WA 23), whether they will refrain from using in answers to parliamentary questions expressions such as "equal civil marriage and partnerships" for which they have no definition.[HL8949]

Baroness Verma: Having listened to stakeholders it is clear from many that there is a desire to move towards equal civil marriage and partnerships. We have committed to explore what this could mean in practice during discussions with all those who have an interest in this area in due course.

It would be pre-emptive of those discussions to outline a single definition at this point.

24 May 2011 : Column WA402

Conservative Party: Spring Forum

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 22 March (WA 155), whether any application has been received or is expected to be received from South Wales Police for the Government to contribute towards the policing costs of the Conservative Party spring conference in Cardiff.[HL8619]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): No such request has been received from South Wales Police Authority.

Crime: Motoring Convictions

Question

Asked by Lord Bradshaw

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated number and percentage of uninsured drivers; how many successful prosecutions of uninsured drivers there were by region in 2008, 2009 and 2010; what assessment they have made of the impact of the number of uninsured drivers on the cost of insurance premiums for motorists; and what steps they are taking to reduce the number of uninsured motorists.[HL9324]

Earl Attlee: The estimated number of uninsured drivers in 2010 is 1.4 million (4 per cent).

In 2008 the number of drivers found guilty of uninsured driving in England and Wales was 145,631; in 2009 there were 131,309. The number for 2010 is not available. We do not have a breakdown by region.

The insurance industry estimates that uninsured and untraced drivers add an average of £30 to every motor insurance policy.

The Government have introduced an offence of keeping a vehicle without insurance. The continuous insurance enforcement scheme comes into force on 20 June 2011 and means that all vehicles must be covered by insurance unless they are declared off the road by a valid statutory off-road notification (SORN).

Cyclists: Accidents

Question

Asked by Baroness Smith of Basildon

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many road traffic accidents involving cyclists have been recorded in (a) London, and (b) the United Kingdom, in each of the past five years.[HL9379]

Earl Attlee: Information on damage only road traffic accidents and road accidents in Northern Ireland is not held by the Department for Transport.

24 May 2011 : Column WA403

The number of reported personal injury road accidents involving pedal cyclists in (a) London and (b) Great Britain in each of past five years for which data are available is given in the following table.

Number of reported personal injury accidents involving pedal cyclists in London, Great Britain: 2005-09

Number of reported road accidents

Year
London
Great Britain

2005

2,979

16,856

2006

3,036

16,440

2007

3,057

16,460

2008

3,299

16,585

2009

3,786

17,369

Education: Classics

Question

Asked by Lord Patten

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many classics teachers there were in English state comprehensives in each year since 1990.[HL9274]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): Information on the qualifications and deployment of teachers in the secondary sector was collected in the annual School Workforce Census, which took place in November 2010 for the first time. Table 1 below provides the number of teachers reported to be teaching classics, classical Greek, classical Hebrew and Latin in November 2010.

Table 1: Number (full-time and part-time headcount) of Classics1 Teachers to Years 7-13 in all Publicly Funded Secondary Schools in England 2010

Maintained sector

550

Academies and CTCs2

40

All Publicly Funded Schools

590

    Source: School Workforce Census, November 2010
    Base: 239,800 teachers to years 7-13 (weighted)
    1. Classics includes classics, classical Greek, classical Hebrew and Latin
    2. Community Technology College has been abbreviated as CTC
    Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10

In previous years information on the deployment of teachers was collected via the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS), an occasional survey most recently run in 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2007. However, due to low sample sizes and variations in the methodology used to collect information in each of the SSCSS surveys, the numbers of teachers between years are not directly comparable. Also, as the numbers of classics teachers and schools offering classics are relatively small, the likelihood of the drawn samples accurately estimating the national number of classics teachers is relatively low. This accounts for the volatility between SSCSS estimates. The number of full-time teachers reported to be teaching classics in the SSCSS reports are displayed in Table 2 below.

24 May 2011 : Column WA404

Table 2: Number (full-time headcount) of Classics Teachers in Maintained Secondary Schools in England between 1992 and 2007

19921
19962
20023
20074

Classics

1,300

500

1,000

200

    1. Teachers Qualifications and Deployment in Maintained Secondary Schools in England, January 1992
    The survey was based on a representative 10 per cent sample of maintained secondary schools in England. The achieved sample contained returns from 489 schools and 21,000 teachers, data from the sampled schools have been grossed up to give a picture for England as a whole.
    2. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey November 1996.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. A final sample size of 330 schools was achieved, data from the sampled schools have been grossed up to give a picture for England as a whole.
    3. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey, November 2002.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. A final sample size of 209 schools was achieved, data from the sampled schools have been grossed up to give a picture for England as a whole.
    4. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey, February 2007.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. The survey was based on a 14,137 teachers in 327 schools in England. Data in the report was grossed to create a national picture.
    Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Asked by Lord Patten

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many classics teachers who do not hold a postgraduate certificate of education have taken posts teaching classics in comprehensive schools in each year since 1990.[HL9277]

Lord Hill of Oareford: Information on the qualifications and deployment of teachers in the secondary sector was collected in the annual School Workforce Census, which took place in November 2010 for the first time. Analysis of the data reveals that in November 2010, 52 per cent of the 590 teachers teaching classics to year groups 7-13 did not hold either a PGCE, BEd or degree or higher in a relevant subject.

In previous years, information on the deployment of teachers was collected via the Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey (SSCSS), an occasional survey most recently run in 1992, 1996, 2002 and 2007. However, due to very low sample sizes and variations in the methodology used to collect information in each of the SSCSS surveys, the numbers of teachers between years are not directly comparable. Also, as the numbers of classics teachers and schools offering classics are relatively small, the likelihood of the drawn samples accurately estimating the national number of classics teachers is relatively low. This accounts for the volatility between SSCSS estimates. The proportion of full-time classics teachers reported as not holding a relevant qualification at PGCE, BEd, degree level or higher in the SSCSS are displayed in Table 1 below.

24 May 2011 : Column WA405

Table 1: Proportion of Classics Teachers (full-time teachers) who did not hold a relevant qualification at PGCE, BEd or "degree or higher" level

19921
19962
20023
20074

Total number of classic teachers

1,300

500

1,000

200

Proportion who do not hold PGCE or higher qualification

58%

72%

65%

40%

    1. Teachers Qualifications and Deployment in Maintained Secondary Schools in England, January 1992
    The survey was based on a representative 10 per cent sample of maintained secondary schools in England. The achieved sample contained returns from 489 schools and 21,000 teachers. Data in the report was grossed to give a national picture.
    2. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey November 1996.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. A final sample size of 330 schools was achieved, data from the sampled schools have been grossed up to give a picture for England as a whole.
    3. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey, November 2002.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. A final sample size of 209 schools was achieved, data from the sampled schools have been grossed up to give a picture for England as a whole.
    4. Secondary Schools Curriculum and Staffing Survey, February 2007.
    The survey was based on a representative stratified random sample of maintained secondary schools. The survey was based on a 14,137 teachers in 327 schools in England. Data in the report was grossed to create a national picture.
    Figures have been rounded to the nearest 100.

Elections: Non-British Citizens

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 17 May (WA 320) on the voting rights of citizens of the Republic of Ireland, whether the citizens of any other non-Commonwealth country are treated in this way.[HL9391]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): No. The entitlement to vote in parliamentary elections for non-British citizens is restricted to qualifying Commonwealth and Irish citizens who meet the residence and other eligibility requirements. This position reflects the historical ties between the UK and Commonwealth countries, and the historical ties and reciprocal arrangements between the UK and the Republic of Ireland.

Embryology

Question

Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the Court of Justice of the European Union regarding the Brüstle case on the patentability of inventions relating to human embryonic stem cells.[HL9323]

24 May 2011 : Column WA406

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Government submitted written observations on 12 May 2010 to assist the Court. The submission presents arguments that are consistent with current published practice by the UK Intellectual Property Office on the patentability of inventions involving stem cells. This can be found at the Intellectual Property Office website http://www.ipo.gov.uk/pro-types/pro-patent/p-law/p-pn/p-pn-stemcells-20090203.htm.

Employment: Medical Conditions

Question

Asked by The Countess of Mar

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider logging details of the nature of medical conditions of people who attend Department for Work and Pensions work capability assessment medical appeals.[HL9260]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord Freud): The department currently records the primary medical condition given at the start of all claims to employment and support allowance (ESA). Therefore, this information is already logged for people that go on to appeal. However, entitlement to ESA is based on functional capabilities, not on medical condition per se so the medical condition recorded on a claim form does not in itself confer entitlement to ESA.

Energy: Nuclear Reactors

Questions

Asked by The Lord Bishop of Hereford

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Marland on 4 May (WA 157) on liquid fluoride thorium reactors, what assessment they have made of the independence of the assessment undertaken by the National Nuclear Laboratory, given the involvement of Nexia Solutions, a wholly owned subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels.[HL9194]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the independent assessment undertaken by the National Nuclear Laboratory, what plans they have to undertake further independent work to address issues associated with liquid fluoride thorium reactors.[HL9195]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will commission independent work specifically on the safety, cleanliness, scale and economics of liquid fluoride thorium reactors and any particular advantages they may offer in the United Kingdom context. [HL9196]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the readiness of the Government of China to undertake research and development work on liquid fluoride thorium reactors, whether they will commit to more work, either nationally or with international partners, on this source of energy.[HL9197]

24 May 2011 : Column WA407

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): Nexia Solutions was a subsidiary of British Nuclear Fuels Limited (BNFL), which focused on research and development. In 2008, it was transferred out of BNFL under the Energy Act Transfer Scheme to form the National Nuclear Laboratory, which is an independent company, owned wholly by Her Majesty’s Government and is operated as a commercial entity under the management of a consortium led by Serco. The assessment referred to in (WA 157) was a position paper produced entirely by the NNL at its own initiative. While it is assumed that the technical expertise retained by the NNL from Nexia has underpinned the opinions in the paper, no assessment of the paper has been undertaken by my department.

As noted in the Answer to your Question of 26 April 2011, my right honourable friend the Secretary of State has asked the NNL to conduct further analysis of the wider benefits of next generation reactor designs and to compare the use of thorium and uranium fuels in them. This study includes assessments of safety, radio-toxicological hazard, scale, economics, and outstanding technical barriers. Molten salt reactors, within which category liquid thorium fluoride reactors fall, are one of the reactor designs being considered. We are expecting the findings of this study to be available by the end of the summer.

The Government support relevant R&D into nuclear technologies through a range of mechanisms and organisations, including universities and research councils, the National Nuclear Laboratory, the Nuclear Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre and others. Any future R&D on liquid thorium fluoride reactors would be done through these organisations. Findings of the NNL’s forthcoming study and the position of potential international partners on this technology would be expected to inform any decision to support any new R&D.

Energy: Oil

Question

Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make the United Kingdom less dependent on oil following the International Energy Agency’s advice that "peak oil" has been reached.[HL9300]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): The IEA analysis suggests that conventional crude oil production peaked in 2006. This does not include other sources such as natural gas liquids and unconventional oil. When these sources are taken into account, their analysis for the new policies scenario suggests that global oil production will increase by 15 mb/d between 2009 and 2035.

The Government have a wide range of measures to make the UK less dependent on oil. Our climate change and energy efficiency policies, such as the Renewable Energy Strategy and Low Carbon Transport Strategy are in place not only to reduce the UK’s carbon emissions, but also to help ease our demand for oil.

24 May 2011 : Column WA408

Equalities Act 2010

Question

Asked by Lord Empey

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Section 199 of the Equalities Act 2010 has not yet been commenced; and whether they intend to commence the provision at a future date.[HL9298]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): The Government are currently considering the implementation of Section 199 and the other family property provisions of Part 15 of the Equality Act 2010.

Extradition: Gary McKinnon

Question

Asked by Lord Maginnis of Drumglass

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Answer by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 23 March (Official Report, cols. 729-731), whether under the terms of the Equality Act 2010 (disability section) the Home Secretary has a statutory "duty to make adjustments" in the case of Gary McKinnon. [HL8940]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): Following the conclusion of Mr McKinnon’s statutory extradition appeal, the sole remaining issue for the Home Secretary to consider is whether, in light of the latest medical evidence which Mr McKinnon has provided, extradition would at this stage breach his human rights.

In light of the terms of the Equality Act 2010 and in view of Mr McKinnon’s medical condition the duty to make reasonable adjustments may well arise; however, it has not been necessary to make any such adjustment in this case because Mr McKinnon is legally represented and his disability has not prevented him from making full representations in relation to his extradition.

Female Genital Mutilation

Question

Asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many countries permit female genital mutilation; and what initiatives are planned by (a) the United Kingdom, (b) the European Union, and (c) the United Nations to encourage those countries to outlaw the practice. [HL8978]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The Home Office does not hold this information centrally and cannot comment on behalf of the EU or UN.

The Government regard female genital mutilation (FGM) as an unacceptable form of child abuse and violence against girls and women that the Government are committed to eradicating.

24 May 2011 : Column WA409

FGM has been a criminal offence in this country since 1985. The FGM Act 2003 replaced the 1985 Act in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and made it an offence for the first time for UK nationals or permanent UK residents to carry out FGM abroad, or to aid, abet, counsel or procure the carrying out of FGM abroad.

Legislation alone cannot eliminate the practice so our resources will be aimed at raising awareness of the law on FGM and the health implications with communities and front-line practitioners.

Prevention is at the heart of the Government’s approach. In February 2011 we launched multi-agency practice guidelines for front-line professionals such as teachers, GPs and nurses. The guidelines aim to raise awareness of FGM, highlight the risks that people should be aware of and set out clearly the steps that should be taken to safeguard children and women from this abuse.

Communications about FGM are key to bringing the issue to more people’s attention. More than 40,000 leaflets and 40,000 posters have been circulated to schools, health services, charities and community groups around the United Kingdom.

Fluoridation

Questions

Asked by Earl Baldwin of Bewdley

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 1 October 2007 (WA 132), what progress has been made towards the wider programme of research on the impact of fluoridation on children to which he referred; and whether this will take account of the findings of the 2006 report by the Board on Environmental Studies and Toxicology of the United States National Research Council.[HL9240]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 30 January 2008 (WA 124), what progress has been made towards the comprehensive examination of the risks, benefits and costs of existing water fluoridation programmes that was being considered; and whether the protocol for any such study or studies is freely available.[HL9241]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We share Lord Darzi’s view that future research on the overall effects of fluoridation should be carried out in accordance with relevant recommendations in the report of A Systematic Review of Water Fluoridation published by the University of York in 2000. Central to the report’s recommendation is that future research should compare the effects of fluoridation in an intervention area with a control area. This can best be achieved where a new area is to be fluoridated. South Central Strategic Health Authority has decided to fluoridate Southampton and part of south west Hampshire and we will consider, if the scheme goes ahead, whether it would be a suitable model for this research. We would need to ensure that the setting of the research criteria took account of
24 May 2011 : Column WA410
research studies published since the York report, including the United States National Research Council report.

Government: Red Tape Challenge

Question

Asked by Baroness Gould of Potternewton

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Equality Act 2010 was the first item highlighted under the Red Tape Challenge; whether any changes are to be made to equality regulations; and whether they will be subject to a review process that complies fully with the requirements of the public sector equality duty.[HL9085]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (Baroness Wilcox): The Red Tape Challenge was launched on 7 April 2010. The first theme focused on regulations affecting the retail sector. Alongside these sector-specific regulations, six categories of general regulations are also available for comment on the website throughout the duration of the project. These are health and safety, employment, environment, pensions, company and commercial law, as well as equalities. Decisions about what regulations will be kept, simplified or removed will be made by the normal ministerial agreement process which will, of course, fully comply with the requirements of the public sector equality duty.

Health: HIV

Question

Asked by Lord Colwyn

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have received the report of the Tripartite Working Group established to review the current guidance on HIV-infected healthcare workers; whether they propose to publish it; and what steps they propose to take in relation to the guidance.[HL9369]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): Professor Dame Sally Davies, the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, received the Tripartite Working Group’s report on the management of HIV-infected healthcare workers on 20 April 2011. Officials are currently considering the report and will be providing advice to Ministers in due course.

Health: Hydrotherapy

Question

Asked by Baroness Thomas of Winchester

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether hydrotherapy can be financed under the primary care trust pilot schemes of direct payments for personal health budgets.[HL9330]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): A direct payment, or other form of personal health budget, may be spent
24 May 2011 : Column WA411
on anything which has been agreed in a care plan as meeting an individual’s health needs. This could include hydrotherapy. The only exclusions are that a budget may not be spent on alcohol, tobacco, gambling or debt repayment. The care plan must be agreed between the individual and the primary care trust.

Health: Musculoskeletal Disorders

Question

Asked by Baroness Cumberlege

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are planning to publish a national outcomes strategy for musculoskeletal disorders.[HL9302]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Earl Howe): We are committed to improving outcomes for people with musculoskeletal disorders, as for all other longer term conditions. We will consider proposals for outcome strategies where there is evidence that national co-ordination of effort is needed to effect significant improvement in a particular area of practice or for a particular population. The Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Alliance has made a case for developing such a strategy for musculoskeletal disease and the National Quality Board will be considering this proposal later this year.

House of Lords: Allowances

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask the Chairman of Committees what consideration the House Committee has given to the reinstatement of a secretarial allowance during the Summer Recess to allow Members of the House of Lords to pay their full- or part-time staff. [HL9388]

The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): The House Committee has not considered such an allowance. The new system of financial support for Members came into effect only on 1 October 2010 and the intention is for the current system to remain in place at least for the remainder of the Parliament.

Housing

Questions

Asked by Baroness King of Bow

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much (a) supported capital expenditure, and (b) major repairs allowance, funding will be allocated for council housing in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets in 2011-12, 2012-13 and 2013-14.[HL9373]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Details of supported capital expenditure and for the major repairs allowance are given in the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2011-12, which is available
24 May 2011 : Column WA412
from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1813588.xls.

No details are available for 2012-13 and beyond; subject to the Localism Bill receiving Royal Assent in due course, the housing revenue account subsidy system is scheduled to be replaced with a system of self-financing for council housing. We plan to publish further information on this during the summer.

Asked by Baroness King of Bow

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what subsidy support for assumed housing debt has been made available to the London Borough of Tower Hamlets for 2011-12.[HL9374]

Baroness Hanham: Details for supported capital expenditure, which is the assumed debt level that qualifies for subsidy, are given in the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy Determination 2011-12, which is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government’s website: http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/housing/xls/1813588.xls.

Asked by Baroness King of Bow

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what level of historic debt will the London Borough of Tower Hamlets be required to inherit under their proposals to reform the housing revenue account subsidy system.[HL9375]

Baroness Hanham: On 1 February the Department for Communities and Local Government published the policy document Implementing Self-Financing for Council Housing: http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/ housing/implementingselffinancing.

For the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, this indicates a self-financing value of the housing stock at £157 million. This would be the level of debt the authority would start with under self-financing and would require Government to pay off £254 million of the borough’s existing housing debt. These figures may change when the data used in the valuation are updated later this year.

Asked by Baroness King of Bow

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the timetable for implementing reforms of the housing revenue account subsidy system.[HL9376]

Baroness Hanham: Subject to the provisions in the Localism Bill first receiving Royal Assent, the Government propose to implement self-financing from April 2012.

Asked by Baroness King of Bow

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cash incentive scheme grants were made available under Section 129 of the Housing Act 1988 in each local authority in London in 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11; and what was the total value of those grants in each authority in each year.[HL9378]

24 May 2011 : Column WA413

Baroness Hanham: Local authorities are asked to report the number of cash incentive grants made each year in their Housing Strategy Statistical Appendix returns. These data returns are available at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/housing/housingresearch/housingstatistics/housingstatisticsby/localauthorityhousing/dataforms/.

The table below shows the number of cash incentive scheme grants made and their total value for each London authority in 2008-9 and 2009-10. Data for 2010-11 are currently being collected and will be published this autumn. Note that data on the value of these grants were not collected in 2008-9 and therefore are not available centrally.

Table: Number and value of cash incentive scheme grants for local authorities in London

2009-10
2008-09

Number of grants
Total value (£’000)
Number of grants

Barking and Dagenham

0

0

0

Barnet

14

373

12

Bexley

0

0

0

Brent

1

20

0

Bromley

0

0

0

Camden

0

0

0

City of London

10

28

0

Croydon

19

595

29

Ealing

7

21

71

Enfield

20

638

16

Greenwich

0

0

0

Hackney

175

650

168

Hammersmith and Fulham

23

217

3

Haringey

0

0

0

Harrow

17

60

23

Havering

0

0

0

Hillingdon

4

100

5

Hounslow

1

30

296

Islington

0

0

0

Kensington and Chelsea

0

0

0

Kingston upon Thames

9

275

5

Lambeth

14

326

13

Lewisham

..

..

8

Merton

0

0

0

Newham

0

0

0

Redbridge

0

0

2

Richmond upon Thames

0

0

0

Southwark

8

156

4

Sutton

0

0

0

Tower Hamlets

21

473

14

Waltham Forest

0

0

0

Wandsworth

25

640

38

Westminster

106

643

10

    Source: HSSA
    .. = not reported

Identity Cards

Question

Asked by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government which countries accept British ID cards as valid.[HL9356]

24 May 2011 : Column WA414

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The Identity Documents Act 2010 ended the validity of identity cards issued under the Identity Documents Act 2006.

Immigration

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the differences between England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in immigration and visa issue policies; and on what powers they are based. [HL9313]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): There is a minor difference in immigration and visa issues policies between England and Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in the shortage occupations list for applicants to the tier 2 points-based system. Apart from this there is no difference as immigration is a reserved matter for Westminster through the settlement that created the devolved Administrations.

Immigration: Security Services

Question

Asked by Lord Ouseley

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they contract with G4S in respect of the removal process for deportations, having regard to the death of Jimmy Mubenga in October 2010, which occurred while he was being restrained by three G4S security guards; and, if so why.[HL9410]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The UK Border Agency’s contract with G4S for the provision of escorting services expired on the 30 April 2011.

The new escorting contract was re-tendered in 2010 and awarded to Reliance Secure Task Management Services Limited from the 1 May 2011. The decision to award to Reliance was taken in August 2010 and was based purely on an evaluation of the bids submitted by those companies wanting to provide the service.

India

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the announcement that India has ratified the United Nations protocol on human trafficking. [HL9242]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We warmly welcome the recent announcement that the Government of India have ratified the UN Convention against Transnational Organised Crime and its three protocols,
24 May 2011 : Column WA415
including the protocol on human trafficking. We hope that this will provide additional momentum to the Government of India’s efforts to fight human trafficking and to ensure that the provisions of the protocol are enforced effectively.

We support co-operation between UK and Indian enforcement agencies in a range of areas and will continue to engage the Indian authorities on measures to combat human trafficking and illegal immigration, including offering UK experience and expertise where appropriate.

The UK Government are committed to working with international partners to address the problem of human trafficking. The issue was raised with the Government of India at the last EU-India Human Rights dialogue, held on 22 March 2011. The EU is currently funding three major anti-trafficking projects in India (and neighbouring countries) with local partners through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). Our high commission in New Delhi is involved in a pilot project to improve the exchange of information between agencies dealing with the prevention of trafficking and the rehabilitation of victims of commercial sexual exploitation in India. The Department for International Development is currently developing a new regional programme aiming to reduce human trafficking across the south Asia region, including in India.

Isles of Scilly

Question

Asked by Lord Berkeley

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the monthly passenger numbers between the Isles of Scilly and the mainland in the past five years by (a) ferry, (b) fixed-wing flights, and (c) helicopter. [HL9007]

Earl Attlee: The Department for Transport holds the following annual figures for total one-way passenger journeys between the Isles of Scilly and the mainland in each of the past five years.

8

The department does not hold a monthly breakdown of the above figures.

Israel and Palestine

Question

Asked by Lord Hylton

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making to the Government of Israel about the arrests, reported on 5 May, of two members of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Mr Khairy Aj-Jabari and Mr Ali Romanin.[HL9095]

24 May 2011 : Column WA416

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): We are aware that Mr Khairy Aj-Jab’ari and Mr Ali Romanin were arrested on 5 May by the Israeli Defence Force. We have not made any representations to the Government of Israel about these particular cases.

The UK remains concerned, however, about the detention of Palestinians. The UK along with EU partners continues to monitor the situation with regard to Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and to raise our concerns with the Israeli Government. We continue to call on the Government of Israel to uphold the application of due process and treatment of Palestinian detainees.

Asked by Baroness Tonge

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the decision of the Government of Israel to suspend the construction of the West Bank barrier in Al-Walajeh; and what representations they have made about the suggested re-routing of the barrier away from the village.[HL9111]

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware that in March 2011 the Israeli district court agreed that work on the western part of the wall surrounding Al-Walaja should stop until June 2011 while archaeological work was completed. Since then, the lawyer representing the village council has submitted a petition to the administrative committee responsible asking for objections to be heard about the expropriation order confiscating land in Al Walaja. This is still pending.

We recognise Israel’s right to defend itself but the Israeli separation barrier, where it is constructed on the Palestinian side of the Green Line, is illegal under international law. This remains an issue of concern and we will continue to watch developments closely. The situation in Al Walaja has led to several other West Bank towns along the route of the barrier fearing the same fate.

We were also concerned about the recent demolition orders issued on 11 May for seven houses in the village of Al Walaja. The villagers’ lawyer succeeded in securing a court decision to prevent the demolitions being carried out within 72 hours against all seven houses. The court deferred the orders for seven days pending a response from the Ministry of Interior to the points raised by the lawyer.

The court will decide either to uphold or overturn the appeal on 19 May. This remains an issue of concern and we will continue to watch developments closely. The situation in Al Walaja is similar to several other West Bank towns along the route of the barrier that believe they will face the same fate.

Liberia

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their most recent assessment of the situation in Liberia. [HL9258]

24 May 2011 : Column WA417

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Liberia has made important progress in recent years as it strives to recover from the effects of the civil war. Investment is increasing and the Government have expressed their commitment to continued reform to encourage private sector-led economic revitalisation. In 2009 Liberia improved 10 places (149 out of 183) in the International Finance Corporation’s "Doing Business" survey. As a sign of this improvement a UK-Liberia investment forum will be taking place in London in June. Elections later this year will be a critical milestone for Liberia on its path to stability. A key recent challenge for Liberia has been dealing with the influx of over 180,000 refugees from the Cote d’Ivoire. The British Government have given £9 million to humanitarian agencies in Liberia to provide refugees with food, shelter and basic services.

Libya

Question

Asked by Lord Empey

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Government of Libya is currently allowed to import, export or otherwise trade in petroleum products. [HL9113]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The Libyan National Oil Corporation (NOC) is listed in Annex II of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1973 (2011). Operative paragraph 22 of UNSCR 1973 provides that such entities shall be subject to the asset freeze measures imposed in paragraphs 17, 19, 20 and 21 of UNSCR 1970 (2011), which provides that member states shall freeze all funds, financial assets and economic resources "owned or controlled, directly or indirectly" by such entities. This means that subsidiaries "owned or controlled" by the NOC are also caught by the asset freeze measures.

The NOC is further listed under EU sanctions, as are a number of subsidiaries. No crude oil or petroleum products are allowed to be imported or exported by the NOC due to the asset freeze measures.

Oil is an economic resource irrespective of whether it is crude/refined and irrespective of whether it is gifted to or by an independent third party. Virtually all crude oil and petroleum products exported and imported from Libya are owned or controlled by the NOC, and therefore such imports and exports are caught by these sanction measures. Furthermore, payments for such shipments are also prohibited by the asset freeze measures.

Asked by Baroness Tonge

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether NATO troops failed to assist refugees fleeing Libya by boat; and, if so, how this complies with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1973 and the protection of civilians.[HL9163]

Lord Howell of Guildford: We are aware of reports of an incident on 8 May 2011 involving a large number of fatalities. At the time, the nearest NATO vessels
24 May 2011 : Column WA418
were over 100 nautical miles away. NATO vessels are fully aware of their responsibilities with regard to the International Maritime Law regarding Safety Of Life At Sea. Indeed, in two incidents in late March 2011, NATO vessels successfully rescued over 500 refugees and handed them over to the Italian authorities. NATO is working with the commercial shipping industry and with regional authorities to ensure that these do their part in rendering assistance to refugees at sea. In addition to monitoring maritime radio distress frequencies, ships maintain a constant lookout for vessels and if they see a vessel in trouble will do what they can to render assistance. NATO ships have procedures for these types of incidents, ranging from a co-ordinating rescue function to emergency medical treatment and provision of food and water.

Asked by Lord Hylton

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the letter sent to the Prime Minister by 20 British organizations concerning the plight of Somali, Ethiopian and Eritrean people displaced from Libya and not able to return home.[HL9235]

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde): I understand that the Prime Minister’s Office has not received the letter. If the noble Lord provides my office with a copy of the letter it will arrange for a response to be sent from the relevant government department.

Local Government: Finance

Questions

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Hanham on 7 February (WA 28), whether they will place in the Library of the House the 300 representations received on the proposals for the 2011-12 local government finance settlement.[HL8348]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will answer Question for Written Answer HL8348, tabled on 31 March, asking for copies of the representations received on the proposals for the 2011-12 local government finance settlement to be placed in the Library of the House.[HL9183]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): In previous years under past Administrations, written representations on the local government finance settlement have not usually been made public. In the spirit of transparency, Ministers have resolved that these should be published for the 2011-12 settlement, with the exception of any representations where the sender has explicitly requested their submission be treated as confidential.

In due course, my department will publish these documents online, with an accompanying background note to explain what steps were taken to respond to consultation responses. I will inform the House when this is completed.

24 May 2011 : Column WA419

Localism Bill [HL]

Question

Asked by Lord Beecham

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the potential liability of the United Kingdom to pay fines to the European Union; and what proportion they anticipate would fall to be paid by local authorities under the provisions of the Localism Bill.[HL9247]

The Commercial Secretary to the Treasury (Lord Sassoon): The United Kingdom has never incurred a financial penalty under Article 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (or under the former Article 228 (ex Article 171) of the Treaty Establishing the European Community) and no such fines are anticipated.

In the event of such a financial penalty, it is not possible to anticipate what proportion would fall to local authorities under powers proposed in the Localism Bill.

Meteorology and Hydrology

Question

Asked by Lord Hunt of Chesterton

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve in collaboration with the United Nations agencies the collection and exchange between countries of meteorological and hydrological data, including from government sources and voluntary contributions from the private sector and unofficial bodies, to improve preventative measures against natural disasters and climate change.[HL9333]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Energy and Climate Change (Lord Marland): The real-time exchange of meteorological and hydrological data between countries is governed by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). The UK, through the Met Office, actively supports the sharing of data on a voluntary basis worldwide.

As part of the UN Global Framework for Climate Services, the UK Met Office is developing operational climate services to quantify the risk of extreme events now, and in the future, to improve resilience planning to natural disasters worldwide.

Ministry of Justice: Data

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord McNally on 17 May (WA 295), what plans they have to improve the collection of data held centrally by the Ministry of Justice.[HL9336]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): Information collected centrally by the Ministry of Justice only contains details under the statute which an individual is prosecuted or convicted. Due to the
24 May 2011 : Column WA420
size and complexity of court records it is not practicable to collect all of the information they hold. In cases of perverting the course of justice, details of individuals’ actions will be held on the court record but not reported centrally.

At this stage there are no plans to add more information to the current data collection. Decision-making on what is collected centrally balances the need for information against the burdens on front-line staff and costs of collection. If in the future there is an opportunity to refresh the collection we will consider this request.

National DNA Database

Question

Asked by Lord Birt

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the remarks by the Home Secretary on 1 March 2011 (Official Report, Commons, col. 205) that "more than one million innocent people" currently have their DNA and fingerprints stored by the police, what is their estimate of how many of those individuals are offenders for whom there is insufficient evidence to convict.[HL8637]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): This information is not available.

Northern Ireland Office: Staff Sickness

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of days have been lost in the Northern Ireland Office through sickness in the first four months of 2011; and how that figure compares with the same period in 2010 in (a) the Northern Ireland Office, and (b) the civil service as a whole.[HL9050]

Lord Shutt of Greetland: Comparable figures for the Northern Ireland Office as it is now configured are not available following the completion of devolution of policing and justice functions on 12 April 2010.

During the period January to April 2011, 238 staff days were lost through sickness by Home Civil Servants in the Northern Ireland Office, of which 194 days were due to long term sick absence of two individual members of staff.

Information on the percentage of days lost to sickness absence in the Civil Service for the period January to April 2011 is not available.

People Trafficking

Questions

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 5 May (WA 170-1), when they intend to publish their strategy on human trafficking.[HL9284]

24 May 2011 : Column WA421

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The Government are committed to publishing a strategy that sets a strong direction for the future of our anti-trafficking work.

We intend to publish the strategy before the Summer Recess.

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to appoint a national rapporteur, or equivalent mechanism, to report on the fulfilment of the United Kingdom’s obligations under EU Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.[HL9285]

Baroness Browning: The UK is already compliant with this measure through equivalent mechanisms in the form of the UK Human Trafficking Centre as the central repository for data and the Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group for oversight.

As my honourable friend the Minister of State for Immigration made clear in the House of Commons debate on the directive (Official Report, 9 May, co1.978), the Government recognise that there are concerns that the function should be carried out by an independent body, and will keep these arguments under consideration.

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will ensure that their strategy on human trafficking is compatible with EU Directive 2011/36/EU on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.[HL9286]

Baroness Browning: The strategy on human trafficking will take full account of the contents of the EU directive.

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Neville-Jones on 5 May (WA 170) and by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 May (WA 183), how much weight is given to an individual having been a victim or potential victim of human trafficking in the assessment of that individual’s asylum application.[HL9340]

Baroness Browning: The decision on whether to recognise an individual as a refugee is separate from that on whether the individual is either a victim or a potential victim of human trafficking. Being a victim or potential victim of trafficking does not automatically mean that someone will be recognised as a refugee.

The Government are committed to fulfilling their obligations to all refugees under the 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees, and under EU law. Each case is considered on its own merits and the weight given to the element of trafficking will depend on the individual circumstances of the claim.

Asked by Lord Lester of Herne Hill

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Neville-Jones on 5 May (WA 170) and by Lord Wallace of Saltaire on 10 May (WA 183), why since 31 March 2011
    24 May 2011 : Column WA422
    there have been three attempted forced deportations of victims or potential victims of human trafficking who had not exhausted all their remedies in the United Kingdom; and what steps, if any, they are taking to prevent future such incidents.[HL9341]

Baroness Browning: The Government are aware of three recent cases where removal directions were set involving cases of alleged human trafficking. In one case the pre-existing removal directions were cancelled when a trafficking claim was consequently made to allow consideration of the grounds raised. In the other two cases the trafficking claims were fully considered by trained competent authorities and the individuals were not found to be victims of trafficking according to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings.

These removal directions were suspended after further legal proceedings were brought. As considerations and legal proceedings are ongoing it would be inappropriate to comment in detail on the individual cases, but the Government believe that in all three cases they have acted properly and in line with their trafficking policy.

Places of Religious Worship

Question

Asked by Lord Pearson of Rannoch

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many mosques have been registered under the Marriage Act 1949.[HL9279]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): There are currently 208 places of meeting for religious worship in England and Wales which have been registered by the Registrar General for the solemnisation of marriages under Section 41 of the Marriage Act 1949 where the denomination is recorded as Muslim.

Police: Databases

Questions

Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 7 February (WA 31-2) stating that an individual can apply for an extract of records held on them, whether a person classed as a domestic extremist would be covered by the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 even if they have no criminal record.[HL9305]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government with which other government agencies the police may share information on individuals held on the database of domestic extremists.[HL9306]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): Any individual is covered by the subject access provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998.

24 May 2011 : Column WA423

In sharing information with other agencies the police must comply with the legal framework governing the management of police information.

Prisons: Morton Hall

Questions

Asked by Baroness Stern

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government when Morton Hall prison was closed as a women’s prison. [HL9268]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many women prisoners were in residence at Morton Hall prison when it closed.[HL9269]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the women prisoners in residence at Morton Hall prison when it closed were moved to (a) open, (b) semi-open, and (c) closed conditions.[HL9270]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the women prisoners in residence at Morton Hall prison when it closed were moved to conditions where they were housed in single cells.[HL9271]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many of the women prisoners in residence at Morton Hall prison when it closed were moved to prisons where all prisoners had work.[HL9272]

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, following the closure of Morton Hall prison and the prisoners’ move to other prisons, how many of the Morton Hall prisoners were (a) nearer home than before, or (b) further from home than before.[HL9273]

The Minister of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord McNally): Morton Hall was decommissioned as a women’s prison on 31 March 2011. There were no prisoners in Morton Hall at the time. The last prisoner had been transferred out on 4 March.

All women were invited to give a first and second preference of where they would like to be transferred to. Of the 212 who had preferences, 180 women were transferred to their first preference and 24 their second. Eight women were not transferred to either, for issues such as security reasons. Twenty-seven women were moved to open conditions.

Of the 56 women who gave a home area, 48 were moved closer to, or approximately the same distance from home.

To provide information about accommodation, work and education arrangements each individual prisoner would receive at her new prison could be done only at disproportionate cost.

Private Members’ Bills

Question

Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they hold on Private Members’ Bills for which referral motions to a Second Reading Committee
    24 May 2011 : Column WA424
    in the House of Commons were (a) agreed, and (b) disagreed, since the Standing Orders were changed to allow this.[HL9433]

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Lord Strathclyde): No consolidated record is kept of Motions to refer Private Members’ Bills to Second Reading Committees in the House of Commons.

Railways: Middlesbrough and Whitby

Question

Asked by Lord Bradshaw

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans, as part of the Big Society initiative, to transfer the operation of part or all of the train services between Middlesbrough and Whitby to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway with the aim of providing a more comprehensive train service at lower cost than is the case at present.[HL8937]

Earl Attlee: The Government do not currently have any plans to transfer the operation of part or all of the train services between Middlesbrough and Whitby to the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. However, we are happy to work with local authorities on proposed changes to local rail services.

Roads: Brown Signs

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 17 May (WA 321), who is represented on the cross-departmental working group that will consider the approach to brown signing.[HL9335]

Earl Attlee: The working group consists of officials from the Department for Transport, the Highways Agency, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Visit England.

Saville Inquiry

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what has been the cost of the Saville inquiry and each of the inquiries subsequent to the inquiry by Judge Cory to date; what is the estimated future costs of those inquiries; and how many more inquiries are planned and at what cost.[HL9250]

Lord Shutt of Greetland: The Bloody Sunday inquiry closed in June 2010 and cost a total of £191.5 million. The Billy Wright inquiry closed in September 2010 and cost £30.6 million. The Robert Hamill inquiry closed in February 2011, although its report has not yet been published due to ongoing legal proceedings,
24 May 2011 : Column WA425
and cost £33 million. The Rosemary Nelson inquiry, which published its report on 23 May, cost £46.5 million.

The Government have said that there will be no more costly and open-ended public inquiries.

Schools: Pupil Premium

Question

Asked by Lord Willis of Knaresborough

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps are being taken to analyse the Institute for Fiscal Studies report Drivers and Barriers to Educational Success and to draw its conclusions to the attention of schools where significant numbers of children attract the pupil premium.[HL9234]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Schools (Lord Hill of Oareford): The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) report Drivers and Barriers to Educational Success: Evidence from the Longitudinal Study of Young People in England was commissioned by the then Department for Children, Schools and Families. It shows that a young person’s own attitudes (and to a lesser extent the expectations of their parents) play an important role in explaining the differences in educational outcomes between young people from different socio-economic backgrounds. The report has been available to schools since its publication on the department’s website in 2009.

In April 2011 the Department for Education introduced a pupil premium. The premium will target extra funding specifically at the most deprived pupils to enable them to receive the support they need to reach their potential and to help schools reduce educational inequalities.

The Government believe that as schools are best placed to decide how to support their most deprived pupils the pupil premium should be spent by them in ways that they judge will be most effective

As outlined in the Importance of Teaching: the Schools White Paper 2010, to help inform schools’ decisions, the Department for Education will make available the evidence we have about interventions which are effective in supporting the achievement of pupils from deprived backgrounds.

Shipping

Question

Asked by Lord Bradshaw

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in 2010, (a) how many ships travelled through British waters, (b) how many ships docked at British ports, and (c) how many ships were subject to a port inspection; how many of those port inspections looked at insurance certificates; how many inspected ships were found not to have proper insurance cover; how many had proceedings taken against them for inadequate insurance cover; what was the number and scale of the penalties imposed; and what proportion paid their penalties.[HL9327]

24 May 2011 : Column WA426

Earl Attlee: (a) This information about the number of ships that travelled through British waters is not collated. (b) Statistics for 2010 are not yet available. However in 2009, a total of 8,045 different ships of over 100 gross tonnes called at UK ports. These accounted for a total of 139,365 individual port calls. (c) In 2010 there were 1699 port state control (PSC) inspections of foreign flagged-ships calling at UK ports.

As part of the PSC inspection, state issued certificates attesting that adequate compulsory insurance is in force for civil liability for oil pollution damage and civil liability for bunker oil pollution damage are checked for validity. In 2010 there were 12 instances where a deficiency was recorded against these certificates. However, no enforcement action was taken as these deficiencies were subsequently rectified to the satisfaction of the inspectors.

Sri Lanka: Elections

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the recent local elections held in Sri Lanka.[HL9185]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): Local elections were held in Sri Lanka on 17 March 2011 resulting in a win for the ruling United People’s Freedom Alliance. The run-up to the polls had been marked by reports of violence and violations of elections law. The media reported that at least two people were killed and a number of persons were injured in disputes between political factions. The UK supported a public statement by EU Heads of Mission in Colombo, which called on all political parties to support a peaceful environment to allow people to choose their political leadership in a free, fair and unbiased manner.

Not all areas held local elections, with 67 authorities postponed due to legal action and other issues.

Transport: Safety

Question

Asked by Lord Kennedy of Southwark

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Earl Attlee on 17 May (WA 321), whether the report on potential sources of risk to strategic transport networks from activities below roads and railways, or on adjacent sites, will be published and a copy placed in the Library of the House of Lords.[HL9334]

Earl Attlee: The report will be published and arrangements will be made to place a copy in the Library of the House of Lords.

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Vehicles: Tax and Insurance

Question

Asked by Lord Whitty

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest estimate of the number of vehicles on roads in the United Kingdom which are (a) untaxed, or (b) uninsured, or both.[HL9354]

Earl Attlee: In 2010, in Great Britain an estimated 307.000 vehicles (0.9 per cent) were unlicensed (latest figures available)

In 2010, in Great Britain, an estimated 1.4 million vehicles (4 per cent) were uninsured based on a comparison between the motor insurance database operated by the Motor Insurers’ Bureau and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency’s vehicles’ database (latest figures available).

Visas

Question

Asked by Lord Laird

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Jones on 16 February (WA 201), what are the relevant statutory guidelines that enable time spent in the United Kingdom on a student visa to count towards the residence requirements for naturalisation as a British citizen.[HL9210]

The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Browning): The residence requirements for naturalisation as a British citizen are in Schedule 1 to the British
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Nationality Act 1981. These provide that a person should have been in the United Kingdom for a qualifying period of three or five years, with a limit on the number of days that should have been spent outside the UK. That schedule provides that presence in the United Kingdom should have been legal, but does not specify that a person should have been here in a particular capacity.

Yemen

Question

Asked by Baroness Tonge

    To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the failure of the Government of Yemen to implement the Gulf Co-operation Council’s proposals on the departure of President Saleh. [HL9164]

The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Howell of Guildford): The UK Government assess that the initiative brokered by the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) remains the only viable transition plan. Alongside key international partners, we are focused on encouraging all parties in Yemen quickly to resolve their opposition to specific details in the proposal and formally to sign the agreement. We recognise the urgency with which a settlement in Yemen must be reached to avoid further violence and a deepening economic and humanitarian crisis. To this end we have actively engaged our international partners, including the EU and the United States of America, to encourage unified and strong messaging to the Government of Yemen and the parliamentary opposition.