asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will take measures to reduce the burden of United Kingdom consumer debt, currently measured at 17.4 per cent of gross domestic product, in comparison with 3.4 per cent in Italy, 7.5 per cent in Germany and 8.5 per cent in France. [HL45]

What is important is not the percentage as such but the ability of consumers to manage their individual debt levels. The great majority of consumers are able to manage their borrowing without getting into difficulty. However, the DTI is very concerned with the burden that those suffering over-indebtedness can suffer. We are therefore investing £45 million in face-to-face debt advice that will result in around 450 new advisers providing help to tens of thousands of the over-indebted. We are also providing National Debtline with Elm to help it expand its freephone capacity so that by the end of 2006 it will have a client capacity of 120,000 annually.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In view of their recognition that nuclear power has a role to play in the future United Kingdom generating mix alongside low carbon-generating options, whether they will instruct the Carbon Trust actively to promote nuclear energy. [HL29]

The Carbon Trust is a private company and its remit is a matter for the Carbon Trust board.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What safeguards are in place to ensure the confidentiality of personal medical records on the National Health Service spine database; and [HL61]

What is the justification for including personal medical records on the National Health Service spine database without patients' consent; and [HL62]

What information is being provided to patients about how their personal medical records are retained and used by the National Health Service. [HL63]

We believe that the summary care record will deliver very significant benefits for safety and the efficient management of National Health Service services. Information for safe and efficient care is not always available under current systems. Medication errors, poor record documentation and communication failures are among the top five causes of injury to patients. The best research-based estimates suggest that in National Health Service hospitals alone, adverse events in which harm is caused to patients occur in 10 per cent of admissions. Electronic records and clinical communications provide hugely powerful tools significantly to reduce the causes, and the human and financial cost, of medical errors. Electronic prescribing, with the NHS care records service at its core, linked to appropriate decision support, can massively reduce the percentage of drug prescriptions in which misreading or mistranscription leads to the wrong drug being prescribed or the recommended safe maximum dose being exceeded.

Following extensive consultation with the public about these benefits and the practical difficulties of populating 50 million summary care records, we have decided that a small amount of key information relating to prescribed medicines and known adverse reactions to drugs should initially be placed on the NHS database by automated means from general practitioners' records. The benefits, both in terms of improved patient care and safety and cost efficiencies, justify this action.

We recognise, however, that some may have concerns and so we are giving people the choice of asking for their record to be “flagged” so that no one can see it without their consent and this choice can be registered in advance of a record being created for them. This means that the information will be there for the great majority who want safer more joined-up care, while giving those who remain unsure a choice.

When the new NHS care records service systems are fully deployed, there will be a range of new controls in place. The staff of NHS organisations will be able to access systems and records only if they have a current secure smartcard and valid pass code. No one will be able to access clinical data unless they are working in a team that is providing care to the patient concerned or checking the quality of care provided. Additional controls will give patients control over whether specific entries in their records should be seen without their express consent. There will be exceptional arrangements for overriding restrictions in the event that a patient is unconscious or if a court requires disclosure of the records, but in these exceptional circumstances the system will generate an alert to ensure that an appropriately senior member of staff is informed and can properly investigate the occurrence.

The introduction of the summary care record will be preceded by an extensive communication campaign within each community prior to its being introduced locally. This will cover what information the NHS keeps about them, how it is used, the safeguards in place and people's options for putting restrictions on who can access information about them, so that everyone has the opportunity to make this choice. This builds on local efforts to inform the public about how information is used that have been a local responsibility since the introduction of the Data Protection Act 1998. The department has also produced what we believe is the most comprehensive privacy statement of any public service in the form of the NHS care record guarantee for England, setting out 12 commitments the NHS makes to patients in order to protect their confidentiality. A copy of the guarantee is available in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When their commitment for every school to have a sports day to celebrate sporting achievement will be in place; and in which sports competitive events on such sports days will be compulsory; and [HL48]

When their policy that all schools in the United Kingdom should have sports teams playing in local leagues will be in place; and which sports these teams will play; and [HL49]

Why independent schools were not invited to send teams to the United Kingdom school games in Glasgow in 2006; and [HL50]

How many children in the state sector receive at least two hours of competitive school sport per week; and [HL51]

How many state schools held a sports day, including competitive sports and a celebration of sporting achievement in 2006; and [HL52]

How many local educational authorities (LEAs) have competitive school teams playing in local leagues; and what would be the cost of ensuring that all LEAs have competitive school teams playing in local leagues; and [HL86]

When they will publish the curriculum which includes at least four hours sport for each child per week within the school curriculum; and whether this will include classes on lifestyle management. [HL89]

The Government are investing £1.5 billion over the five years to 2008 to deliver the first ever comprehensive strategy for physical education and school sport. The main aim—a public service agreement target shared by the Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport—is to increase the percentage of five to 16 year-olds who take part in at least two hours of high-quality PE and sport each week, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent by 2006 and on to 85 per cent by 2008. With 80 per cent of pupils in partnership schools spending at least two hours in a typical week on high-quality PE and school sport the 2006 target has been exceeded.

The long-term ambition is that, by 2010, all children will be offered at least four hours of sport a week. This will comprise two hours of high-quality PE, and in addition the opportunity to do at least two to three hours beyond the school day, delivered by a range of school, community and club providers.

The primary tool for measuring progress towards the target is the annual school sport survey. Copies of the results of the survey in 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

We are fully committed to competitive sport in schools. Information on how many local authorities have competitive teams and leagues and the cost of ensuring all do is not held centrally. However, the annual school sport survey shows a year-on-year increase in the percentage of pupils taking part in intra and inter school sport to 71 and 37 per cent respectively. Competitive sports days also remain very popular, with the 2005-06 survey showing that 97 per cent of schools taking part had held a sports day. It is for schools to decide which sports and activities they offer at these events.

The Departments for Education and Skills and for Culture, Media and Sport are working with the national governing bodies of sport to develop a new framework for competitive school sport. This includes the appointment of teams of competition managers who will increase opportunities for competitive sport through the establishment of new leagues, cups and other competitions.

The UK school games is a competition for school-aged children, rather than being an inter-school competition. In 2006, competitors were selected on the basis of their sporting ability by the national governing bodies of the five sports represented at the games, in partnership with their school associations. Children from both maintained and independent schools took part in the games.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they intend to take to implement the Chancellor of the Exchequer's pledge on 25 October that every child will have at least four hours of sport within the school curriculum by 2010; and [HL88]

What is meant by the term “sport” in the context of the Chancellor of the Exchequer's commitment on 25 October to ensure that every child will have at least four hours of sport within the school curriculum by 2012. [HL91]

The Government are committed to increasing both the quality and quantity of PE and school sport for all pupils. Our main aim—a public service agreement target shared by DfES and DCMS—is to increase the percentage of five to 16 year-olds who take part in at least two hours of high-quality PE and sport each week, within and beyond the curriculum, to 75 per cent by 2006 and on to 85 per cent by 2008. With 80 per cent of pupils in partnership schools spending at least two hours in a typical week on high-quality PE and school sport, the 2006 target has been exceeded.

The Government are delivering on this commitment through the national school sport strategy. The strategy—being implemented jointly by DfES and DCMS—went live on 1 April 2003 and is being delivered through 11 interlinked work programmes:

The first two have created a national PE and school sport infrastructure by establishing a network of sports colleges and school sport partnerships. There are now 402 designated sports colleges (including 14 academies with a sports focus) and 450 live school sport partnerships encompassing all maintained schools in England. The remaining work strands are the tools that the schools and partnerships use to deliver the PSA target:

Professional Development

Step Into Sport

Club Links

Gifted &Talented

Sporting Playgrounds

Swimming

Competition Managers

Coaching

QCA's PE and School Sport Investigation

Our long-term ambition is that, by 2010, all children will be offered at least four hours of sport a week. This will comprise two hours of high quality PE, and in addition the opportunity to do at least two to three hours beyond the school day, delivered by a range of school, community and club providers. Action within the national strategy beyond 2008 will be reviewed following the outcome of the next Comprehensive Spending Review.

For the purposes of the national strategy, the term “sport” means all forms of physical activity that, through casual or organised participation, aim at expressing or improving physical fitness and mental well-being, forming social relationships or obtaining results in competition at all levels (Council of Europe's European Sports Charter 1993).

“School sport” is sport which takes place in school or is organised by a school as part of its extra-curricular or out of hours learning.