asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have received from the president of the British Veterinary Association on the association's concerns about the implementation and enforcement by local authorities of legislation on animal licensing and animal welfare issues; and what response they are making.[HL7846]

Representations have been received from the British Veterinary Association and other welfare organisations about the enforcement of the Animal Welfare Bill. The representations concern who has lead responsibility for the enforcement of the Bill, possible differences in secondary legislation passed in England and the devolved Administrations, and the training that will be given to inspectors and the police. The Minister with responsibility for animal health and welfare will shortly send a detailed reply to these organisations.

The Bill will not result in changes to current enforcement responsibilities. Defra officials are working with those directly responsible for enforcement to produce a protocol explaining where lead responsibilities rest.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What consideration they have given to appointing a dedicated family liaison officer for members of the Armed Forces deployed to Basra.[HL7832]

Support for families of those deployed on operations is co-ordinated by the units from which those personnel have deployed, especially the unit welfare and community support staff who, in turn, can call on significant single service welfare resources including liaising with families. A particular operational location will have personnel from many different units, formations and (often) services, deployed from home locations across the UK and overseas. It would not be practical for an additional “family liaison officer” to intervene in the many different locations, with the many support staff already working to support the families.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many Sea King helicopters are held in long-term storage at HMS “Sultan”; and what steps are being taken to make them deployable.[HL7796]

There are 36 Sea King helicopters at HMS “Sultan”. None of them are in an airworthy state. Of these, 20 are currently being used for ground instructional training purposes and a further 14 are pending possible sale or regeneration. The long-term future of these 34 aircraft is dependent upon the lift advanced concept phase (LACP) study that is reviewing the future medium lift capability required by the Armed Forces. There is one Sea King aircraft at “Sultan” that is held as a potential attrition reserve and one that is not repairable.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many members of the Armed Forces were in-patients in National Health Service hospitals on 10 October.[HL7567]

The major proportion of Armed Forces in-patients in NHS hospitals are admitted to one of the five NHS hospital trusts where we have Ministry of Defence hospital units (MDHUs) or to the Royal Centre for Defence Medicine hosted by University Hospital Birmingham Foundation Trust, which is the primary reception point for casualties from operations overseas.

On 10 October 2006, there were 33 service in-patients in the MDHU hospitals, and 16 in-patients in the RCDM. In addition, individual service men and women will have been referred by their unit's primary care provider to other NHS hospitals, or an individual might have been admitted as a result of accident or illness without reference to their parent unit. The numbers of individuals falling into these categories is not recorded centrally and could be established only at wholly disproportionate cost by examining the personal medical file of every service man and woman, which would additionally require the permission of all individuals. From previous work, it is estimated that there might be around a further 15 to 25 service personnel as in-patients in NHS hospitals on a typical day, in addition to those in the MDHU and RCDM hospitals.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many military personnel were treated for post-traumatic stress disorder resulting from participation in engagements in (a) Bosnia; (b) the first Gulf War; and (c) the Falklands conflict, expressed as a proportion of the total number of military personnel taking part in each engagement.[HL7577]

Information on mental health conditions suffered by personnelwho served in Bosnia, the 1990-91 Gulf conflictand the Falklands conflict is not held centrally. Comprehensive figures on the number of personnel who served in the conflicts in question and who have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) could be compiled only by examining their individual medical records. For those who have left the Armed Forces, this would also need to include their NHS records because upon leaving the Armed Forces, or on demobilisation for reservists, it is the long-established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS. This has been the case since 1948 under successive Governments. A patient's medical records can only be viewed for non-clinical reasons with the express consent of the individual concerned, to protect patient confidentiality. Therefore, the information exists but is not held centrally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What further consideration they have given to the possibility of recognising the conscripted Bevin Boy coal miners for their contribution to the war effort between 1939 and 1945.[HL7736]

As indicated by the then Minister for Veterans, during the adjournment debate on 25 July 2006 in another place, the Ministry of Defence, in consultation with other interested government departments, is considering the case for the creation of a badge to recognise the particular contribution during the Second World War of conscripted Bevin Boys. A Statement will be made in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are planning any meetings with the campaign group Stop Climate Change Coalition or its affiliated groups.[HL7872]

Ministers have regularly met the group Stop Climate Chaos since its formation in September 2005. Relating to the latest Stop Climate Chaos initiative, the “I Count” campaign, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs intends to write an open letter to the group expressing support for the event being held in London on 4 November.

The Secretary of State and his ministerial colleagues in the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regularly meet with a number of bodies affiliated with the group and there are several such meetings scheduled in the coming weeks.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to the call by Judge Andrew Gilbart QC on 19 October at Preston Crown Court for inquiries into how the system of proxy voting could be improved.[HL7854]

We will wish to study the judge's remarks carefully. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 includes a number of provisions to strengthen the security of proxy voting which we intend will all be in force at the May 2007 elections:

The new personal identifiers provisions will apply to proxy votes. The elector who appoints the proxy will have to supply their date of birth and signature when applying for a proxy vote, and they can be checked by the electoral registration officer (ERO) against any previously provided by the elector to the ERO or local authority.

A person appointed as proxy who wishes to vote by post will—like other postal voters—be required to provide their date of birth and signature when they apply for a postal vote and, at elections, they will have to provide them on the postal voting statement, and if the personal identifiers do not match this may lead to the vote being invalid.

Persons appointed as a proxy who vote in person at a polling station will have to sign for their ballot paper, like all other polling station voters. These signatures will be kept after the election and may be scrutinized if there is a police investigation into alleged fraud or an election petition.

There is a new offence of falsely applying for a postal or proxy vote. This new offence was brought into force on 11 September 2006.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the application forms for proxy votes will be redesigned to make them clearer to electors completing them; and whether they will make it mandatory to provide more information on the reasons why electors are unable to attend their usual polling station.[HL7855]

We consider that the current statutory provisions that set out the requirements for applying for a proxy vote are sufficiently clear. We understand that the independent Electoral Commission will be issuing guidance to electoral officers to ensure all election forms, including proxy application forms, are clear, accessible and easy to understand, and we will support the commission in the production of such guidance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will restrict the availability of proxy votes to those people who would be unable either to visit their usual polling station or to receive and fill in a postal vote.[HL7856]

There are already clear rules on who may apply for a proxy vote and in what circumstances. Proxy voting gives greater choice to electors who may not be able to get to a polling station to vote; for example voters with a disability, service voters, or people who unexpectedly fall ill at the time of an election. We therefore do not plan to restrict the availability of proxy votes as suggested by the noble Lord.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, if separate elections are held for more than one vacancy on the same day in the same ward or division of the same local authority or parish council, it is possible for a person to stand in each separate election; and what are the consequences if such a candidate tops the poll in more than one of the elections.[HL7818]

There are no specific rules preventing a person nominating (or being nominated for) each of two or more casual vacancies within the same ward or division at a local government election. However, a successful candidate must make a declaration of which office he is accepting, and the returning officer should be able to declare, applying criteria set out under Section 89 of the Local Government Act 1972, which of the other candidates should fill the remaining vacant offices.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect the accounts of the European Union to be signed off as a true statement by the European Court of Auditors.[HL7956]

Her Majesty's Government support the European Commission's stated objective to strive for a positive statement of assurance by 2009.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many primary food producers are members of the board of the Food Standards Agency; how many vacancies there are on the board; and whether it is intended that any of these vacancies should be filled by primary food producers.[HL7811]

The Food Standards Agency is currently seeking a new deputy chair and two new board members, one of whom will be appointed by the National Assembly for Wales. There is a statutory requirement that the appointing authorities should have regard to the desirability of securing a variety of skills and experience among members of the board, including experience in matters related to food safety or other interests of consumers in relation to food. Board members are appointed to act collectively in the public interest, not to represent a particular industry or sector. Neither the current chair nor deputy chair, and none of the current board members, are primary food producers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How the medical advice about the health implications of trans fats has been updated since the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy published its research in 1994.[HL7761]

The Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition (SACN, which replaced the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy—COMA—in 2001) concluded in 2003 that COMA’s advice on trans-fatty acids (TFAs) was still current and that a further risk assessment of TFAs in its 2004-05 work programme was not warranted. TFAs were not therefore singled out for specific action.

The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) carried out a risk assessment on TFAs in 2004 and concluded that they raise blood cholesterol levels, thereby increasing the risk of coronary heart disease. These findings were in keeping with COMA’s 1994 conclusions. EFSA further noted that evidence from human intervention trials, strengthened by findings from epidemiological studies, supports the idea that the effect of TFAs on heart health may be greater than that of saturated fats. However, in line with SACN opinion, EFSA states that given current intake levels of TFAs, their potential to significantly increase cardiovascular risk is much lower than saturated fatty acids which are currently consumed in excess of dietary recommendations in many European countries.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of the Government of Denmark's executive order no. 160 of 11 March 2003 on the content of trans-fatty acids in oils and fats.[HL7762]

No assessment has been made of the Danish executive order on the content of trans-fatty acids in oils and fats, and there are currently no plans to make such an assessment.

We welcome the voluntary steps some manufacturers and retailers have taken to eliminate or reduce the use of hydrogenated vegetable oils (which contain trans-fatty acids) in their products on sale in the United Kingdom, provided that such reformulation should not result in increased saturated fat levels.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What would be the economic cost of a national ban on the use of trans-fatty acids in foods.[HL7763]

No assessment of the economic cost of a national ban on the use of trans-fatty acids in foods has been undertaken or is currently planned. Information on the costs involved in reformulatory procedures to remove trans-fatty acids would only be available from retailers and manufacturers of foods sold in the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many British citizens consume more that the maximum intake of trans-fatty acids recommended by the Committee on Medical Aspects of Food Policy in 1994; and what proportion of this number is made up of children.[HL7764]

The National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) of adults aged 19 to 64, carried out in 2000-01, showed that about 96 per cent of adults consumed less than the recommended population average intake of trans-fatty acids. The NDNS of young people aged 4 to 18, carried out in 1997, showed that 96 per cent of young people consumed less than the recommended population average intake of trans-fatty acids.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will commission further research into the relative consumption of trans-fatty acids by (a) different age groups; and (b) different socio-economic groups.[HL7765]

Trans-fatty acid intakes are monitored through the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) programme. A rolling programme is being set up for future NDNS in order to strengthen the ability to track changes over time. This programme will continue to provide data on trans-fatty acid intakes by different age groups and socio-economic groups. First results from the rolling programme are expected to become available in 2009.

Trans-fatty acid intakes are also being assessed as part of a survey of diet and nutrition of low-income/materially deprived consumers in the United Kingdom. The report of this survey is expected in 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the new accounts procedures of HM Treasury were established; whether this new system applies to all departments; and to what extent the new procedures have affected individual departmental budgets.[HL7969]

The new accounts procedures—resource accounting—were introduced in 1996-97 and applied to all departments. HM Treasury, in common with other departments, presented its first set of audited resource accounts to Parliament in respect of the financial year 1999-2000; HM Treasury's accounts were laid in March 2001.

Resource budgets for all departments replaced cash budgets from 2001-02, which means that they began to reflect non-cash costs (such as cost of capital, depreciation and other non-cash items such as provisions for liabilities) in addition to cash costs. A back series of resource and near-cash budgets since 2000-01 for departmental groupings is published at Tables 1.5 and 1.7 of the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2006 (CM6811) a copy of which has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by the Lord Drayson on 9 October (HL7284) and 22 June(WA 99), what information the Ministry of Defence has received from its liaison officer in Washington DC on the findings to date of the research at Wright State University in Ohio into autonomic dysfunction following low-level sarin exposure; and what assessment the department has made of their relevance to illnesses among British veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.[HL7501]

We have not had an opportunity to study the final research paper entitled “Sarin produces delayed cardiac and central autonomic changes” which we understand is currently “in press” and is about to be published following research by the Wright State University. We will review the findings in the final paper when it is published.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will now publish the outcome of the research for the Ministry of Defence by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down, carried out five years ago into the possible vaccine interaction with and without pyridostigmine bromide relating to illnesses among veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf War.[HL7733]

I refer my noble Friend to the Statement made on 19 October 2006 (Official Report, col. WS 87).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they plan to hold discussions with President Massoud Barzani of the Kurdistan region of Iraq and other Ministers to ascertain their futurepolicy towards nationwide Iraqi control of new oil contracts and business arrangements; and, if so, when.[HL7869]

We have a regular dialogue with Ministers and officials from the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG). On a trip to the north of Iraq between 10 and 12 October, our ambassador in Baghdad met KRG President Barzani and other senior figures in the KRG to discuss a range of issues, including the future of the Iraqi oil industry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many individuals in each of the past10 years have absconded from a secure unit while detained or sectioned under the Mental HealthAct 1983.[HL7789]

The Department of Health does not routinely collect information about individuals who abscond from secure psychiatric units while detained/sectioned under the Mental Health Act 1983.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are planning to offer the Government of the Republic of Moldova additional support to develop new industries and commercial sectors during the next five years; and, if so, what support they are considering.[HL7576]

We continue to encourage Moldova to implement the reforms set out in the jointly agreed European Neighbourhood Policy Action Plan, which was launched in February 2005. In this context, the Government strongly support efforts to promote economic and political reforms aimed at bringing Moldova closer to EU standards.

The Government have contributed £5.5 million, as part of a multi-donor fund, towards the early transition countries initiative managed by the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, in support of the bank's investment and business advisory operations in the seven low-income countries of central Asia, south Caucasus and Moldova.

The Department for International Development's overall aid framework for Moldova is £2.7 million for 2006-07. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office funds small grassroots-level projects under the Global Opportunities Fund (£85,000 for 2006-07). The EU has also provided assistance to Moldova, totalling over €253 million since 1991, including technical assistance under the technical aid to the Commonwealth of Independent States programme.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, as part of the Managed Military Health System for Force Generation project, they will reaffirm the entitlement of all veterans to continue to receive, on discharge or retirement, care and rehabilitation at military units and Ministry of Defence hospital units, for injuries or illnesses incurred in the course of service.[HL7542]

The aims of the Managed Military Health System for Force Generation project (MMHS) are to:

maximise the number of Armed Forces personnel fit-for-task;

contribute to deployed medical operational capability; and

improve morale in the Defence Medical Services (DMS).

With regard to veterans, on leaving the Armed Forces, or on demobilisation for reservists, it is the long-established practice that responsibility for medical care passes to the NHS. This has been the case since 1948 under successive Governments. The MMHS project will not change this.

War pensioners are, however, entitled to priority NHS treatment for their accepted disablements. This arrangement has been in place since 1953 when Ministry of Pensions’ hospitals were transferred to the NHS. Priority is decided by the clinician in charge and is based on clinical need. Regular reminders of the provision are sent out by the NHS Executive to trusts and clinicians.

Under the war pensions scheme the department has a discretionary power to meet the cost of any necessary expenses in respect of the medical, surgical or rehabilitative treatment of ex-members of the Armed Forces that arise wholly or mainly as a result of the disablement due to service before 6 April 2005, where it is not provided for under other legislation of the United Kingdom.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Statement by the Lord Davies of Oldham on 19 October (WS 91-2), what is the forecast (a) total toll revenue, and (b) surplus for the Dartford Crossing in the first year of operation of the proposed new charging structure.[HL7875]

Total annual revenue under the proposed new charging regime is estimated to be £78 million. For 2008-09 the Highways Agency currently forecasts expenditure of £25.3 million for the crossing. On this basis the forecast net revenue will amount to £52.7 million. As with the current arrangements, this will be spent on transport projects.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made any assessment of the compatibility of the Government of Germany's new Ostpolitik towards Russia with United Kingdom national interests in Europe and the Russian Federation.[HL7873]

We work closely with our German counterparts on policy towards Russia. It is clear to us that we share a broad and substantial range of interests, values and analyses that underpin both our respective bilateral policies towards Russia, and our contribution to the EU/Russia relationship.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have made to the Government of Russia concerning the cuttingoff of transport links between Russia and Georgia.[HL7904]

I refer the noble Lord to the reply I gave him on30 October (Official Report, col. WA 10) regarding Russian trade sanctions against Georgia and Moldova and the reinstatement of normal facilities for remittances by Georgians working in Russia. In so far as my Answer referred to Russian measures against Georgia, it included the recent cut in transport links.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Ministry of Defence will put in place structured support services, and in particular an independent and confidential self-referral counselling service, for Special Investigation Branch staff in high-risk operational areas.[HL7834]

Elements of the Defence Mental Health Services are already deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a range of personnel support services are also available. Individual service personnel have access to a confidential counselling service, available on referral through multiple sources, and manned 24 hours a day.

Awareness of the principles of confidentiality is stressed in training and in policy, and stress management is an integral part of training and of preparation for operations. In addition, specialist mental health staff are currently engaging with Provost Marshal’s Department (Army) to develop an enhanced education programme for Special Investigation Branch personnel.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What information they have received about attacks on members of the Ahmadiyya Muslim community in Sri Lanka during the month of Ramadan.[HL7881]

The death of Abdullah Niaz, a member of an Ahmadiyya community in Negombo, a primarily Catholic area 30 kilometres north of Colombo, has been reported in the Ahmadiyya community media recently. We have not so far been able to confirm the circumstances or accuracy of these reports. Prior to this report we had not been aware of any harassment of the Ahmadiyya community in Sri Lanka. We understand that of Sri Lanka's minority Muslim population, 98 per cent follow the Sunni branch of Islam. The Ahmadiyya community would form a minority of the remaining 2 per cent of Sri Lankan Muslims who follow other branches of Islam.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by the Lord McKenzie of Luton on 11 October (WA 156), what is the relevant position of the headline corporation tax level of the United Kingdom compared to the 10 largest economies outside the G7 group of countries.[HL7919]

The headline corporation tax rate in the UK compared to headline rates in the 10 largest economies outside the G7 group of countries is given in the table below. GDP rankings relate to 2005 and are calculated using market or official government exchange rates. Of the 10 economies, only South Korea, Brazil and Russia have a lower headline rate of corporation tax than the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they accept the findings of the Institute for Fiscal Studies in its report on poverty published in October that 160,000 people in work face an effective marginal tax rate of at least90 pence in the pound through loss of benefits and higher tax payments; and, if they do not accept the findings of this report, what is their estimate of the number of people so affected.[HL7930]

Budget 2006 Table 4.2 provides estimates of the numbers of workers, who work more that 16 hours and therefore may qualify for the working tax credits, facing high marginal deduction rates (MDRs, or effective marginal tax rates). It shows that the numbers facing MDRs above 90 per cent have fallen from 130,000 in 1996-97 to 35,000 in 2006-07.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies report provides similar estimates although, as set out in the respective publications, there are some specific differences; for example they include individuals working a very few hours, and therefore are still eligible for out-of-work benefits such as income support. Previous analysis by the IFS suggests that the 1997 tax and benefit system had over 300,000 working parents with an MDR over 90 per cent. Their more recent analysis suggeststhat the number of working adults with MDRs over 90 per cent is now 160,000.

Both publications provide reasonable analyses of the distribution of effective marginal tax rates for working adults under stated assumptions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether civil servants of the Republic of Ireland living and working in Northern Ireland pay United Kingdom income tax.[HL8005]

The double taxation convention signed between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland provides that in most circumstances, remuneration paid by either state to an individual for services rendered to that state shall be taxable only in that state. In general, civil servants of the Republic of Ireland living and working in Northern Ireland will not pay United Kingdom income tax on their earnings as a civil servant of the Republic of Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Department for Work and Pensions has not yet published the 2006 Tax Benefit Model Tables, which were published in April in each of the past three years; and when they expect to do so.[HL7600]

The Tax Benefit Model Tables (April 2006 edition) will be published on31 October 2006.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the national lorry road user charging scheme was abandoned.[HL7923]

The Government remain convinced that a distance-based charge is the right way ahead and are working on the potential shape and form of a national road pricing system. It was in the light of the progression toward national road pricing that the Government decided it would have made no sense to develop a system only for lorries, and that it was therefore right for the Government to take forward plans to develop a single comprehensive and cost-effective system that would include lorries alongside other road vehicles. The 5 July 2005 announcement by the then Secretary of State for Transport, Alistair Darling, reflected this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to paragraph 8.3 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191–I), with whom they will consult on the future of the Drinking Water Inspectorate; how long the consultation will last; and when the results of the consultation will be published.[HL7756]

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is currently holding discussions with the proposed receiving bodies, prior to consultation, with a view to determining what the advantages and disadvantages of a transfer would be in each case. A full public consultation will be held early next year. Allowing for the statutory 12-week consultation period, decisions will be taken by the middle of 2007, when a summary of consultation responses will be published on the Defra website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to paragraph 8.12 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191–I), whether they have powers that would enable them to declare payment for water bills to be more important than those for television, mobile phones, cars and credit cards to ensure that water companies are given a higher priority by the courts and advisers such as the citizens advice bureaux.[HL7758]

The Government do not have any powers to direct the courts or citizens advice bureaux to prioritise different kinds of bills. For people on benefit who have run up arrears, the Department of Work and Pensions’ third party deduction scheme makes statutory provision for an amount to be diverted from benefit direct to creditors for specified items of household expenses, including water costs. However, bills for other items mentioned by the noble Baroness are not included in the scheme and advisory bodies such as the citizens advice bureaux are aware of this.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why they decided to reduce the funding available for the canal system.[HL7835]

Defra is having to operate within a tight financial regime. In recent months, it has had to face a number of new pressures, among them the need to develop its emergency preparedness in response to avian influenza and the introduction of a new payment scheme for farmers.

Defra has therefore asked its delivery bodies, including British Waterways, to accept reductions in grant in aid during 2006-07 to help it manage these pressures. Funding for 2007-08 is currently under review.