asked Her Majesty's Government:

What arrangements they will put in place to take forward the World Health Organisation age-friendly cities guide. [HL251]

The Government have taken steps to promote the World Health Organisation age-friendly cities guide. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Communities and Local Government will continue to promote the guide through their communications on ageing. The Department for Communities and Local Government will ensure that the analysis in this important report is built into the development of the forthcoming national strategy for housing in an ageing society.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will respond to the recent recommendations of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK on increasing alcohol taxation, the regulation of the drinks industry and the funding of alcohol treatment and prevention programme. [HL270]

The Government have signalled their intention to give greater priority to alcohol prevention and treatment. From April 2008, the National Health Service will have a new indicator, for the rate of alcohol-related hospital admissions, linked to the new Home Office Alcohol and Drugs Public Service Agreement. We believe that this new priority, coupled with work during 2008 to identify the cost of alcohol-related ill health to the NHS, with the opportunities to reduce this, will give a strong incentive for primary care trusts to invest in alcohol prevention as well as treatment.

Controls on alcohol advertising are a mix of the statutory and voluntary. The Licensing Act 2003 has given additional powers to licensing authorities to set conditions which ensure that licensees exercise responsibility.

The renewed national alcohol strategy, Safe, Sensible, Social, has committed the Home Office to commission a full scrutiny of how far the industry's own social responsibility standards are effective in preventing harm. The department will shortly commission an independent review of alcohol pricing, promotion and harm. This will begin in December 2007 and report in July 2008, covering the full range of issues around advertising, price discounting and its promotion, and links between these and harm to young drinkers and other groups. The voluntary agreement we have made with the alcohol industry for inclusion of alcohol unit content and health information on labels will be subject to independent monitoring.

We have made clear that, in each of these areas, if the evidence justifies it, we will be ready to consult next year on the need for regulatory change, including possible legislation.

Decisions on taxation are a matter for the Chancellor of the Exchequer, taking account of health, economic and other issues.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 21 March 2007 (WA 199), what progress has been made towards improving the building regulations energy performance standards. [HL332]

On 23 July 2007, the Government confirmed, through the housing Green Paper, their timetable for moving to zero-carbon new dwellings and the role that the building regulations will play in this.

To deliver this timetable, Part L of the building regulations which sets energy performance standards will be amended in 2010, 2013 and 2016.

The standards that will be set for new dwellings at each of these milestones has already been announced (25 per cent improvement in 2010; 44 per cent in 2013; and zero-carbon in 2016). The performance standards for existing dwellings and for other types of buildings will be considered in the run-up to the 2010 amendment of Part L and will be consulted on in the normal way.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many school buses failed their MoT or safety test in the last year for which figures are available. [HL562]

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) does not record this specific information. VOSA publishes figures of how many PSV annual safety tests were conducted in each financial year in its effectiveness report. This is available online at www.vosa.gov.uk or in the House of Commons Library, business and transport section.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Darzi of Denham on 23 October (WA 100), why they will not protect women's health and welfare by similarly restricting the types of human eggs that may be used in embryo research in either any future human fertilisation and embryology Bill or the Government’s response to the report from the Joint Committee on the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill. [HL72]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) undertook a consultation in 2006 on the donation of eggs for HFEA licensed research projects. The HFEA concluded that the donation of eggs for research where the donor is not undergoing treatment herself, or where she is a patient who agrees to share some eggs for research, is acceptable provided that donation is with fully informed consent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 29 October (WA 144-5), whether use of tissue other than umbilical cord blood following tissue typing of embryos will be restricted to just bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells of the resulting children, or whether this might include other organs; whether this distinction will be reflected in any future human tissue and embryos Bill; and how the extraction of bone marrow to treat conditions that are not life-threatening might be permitted if this is likely to require intrusive or repeated surgery. [HL187]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill contains provision (Schedule 2 paragraph 3) that will allow the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) to license embryo testing where the sick sibling could be treated with umbilical cord blood stem cells, bone marrow or other tissue of any resulting child.

The Bill introduces a new paragraph 1ZA(1)(d) into Schedule 2 to the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, which refers specifically to the tissue types:

“In a case where a person (‘the sibling’) who is the child of the persons whose gametes are used to bring about the creation of the embryo (or of either of those persons) suffers from a serious medical condition which could be treated by umbilical cord blood stem cells, bone marrow or other tissue of any resulting child, establishing whether the tissue of any resulting child would be compatible with that of the sibling”.

The HEFA issues guidance in its code of practice on tissue typing. Following licensing of the creation and transfer of a saviour sibling embryo, this issue falls outside the remit of the HFEA. However, the Human Tissue Act 2004 requires that the Human Tissue Authority must approve any transplants involving organs from living donors. In the case of adults who lack the capacity to consent and children who are not competent to consent, this extends to bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 28 June (WA 157–8), Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 12 July (WA 240–1) and Lord Darzi of Denham on 23 October (WA 101), whether the reference under the proposed Section 4A(5)(e) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as proposed to be inserted under Clause 4(2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill) to “such other thing as may be specified in regulations” will cover any predominantly or substantially human organism that conceivably may be created by injecting human embryonic stem cells into an embryo of another species in which the animal cells primarily produce extra-embryonic tissues. [HL243]

The reference to “such other thing as may be specified in regulations” as proposed to be inserted under Clause 4(2) of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, has the scope to cover any predominantly or substantially human organism that conceivably may be created by injecting human embryonic stem cells into an embryo of another species in which the animal cells primarily produce extra-embryonic tissues. Such delegated legislation would be subject to affirmative resolution, requiring approval by resolution of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answers by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 8 May (WA 248), how much government funding has been allocated towards research into direct reprogramming of differentiated cells to a pluripotent state without the creation of embryos, in the light of findings reported in the journal Cell on 25 August 2006 (126:663-676), in the journal Nature on 19 July (448:313-324) and in the journal Cell Stem Cell on 7 June (1:55-70). [HL285]

The Government support research into all approaches to harness the potential of stem cells to treat human disease. While the Medical Research Council has not yet received any applications to pursue the induced pluripotent stem cell approach, it has supported three projects over the past three years directly related to efforts to reprogramme differentiated adult stem cells. The total value of these awards is £4.2 million.

In 2005, the Department for Trade and Industry, as was, funded two projects involved in methods for the differentiation of stem cells. The funding for the projects was a total value of £1.58 million and was part of an open competition for the award of £10 million in research funding. No projects from this competition looked at the direct reprogramming process.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When the European Commission anticipates bringing forward figures for the permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements; and [HL405]

Who is representing the United Kingdom in the European working group discussions on the process of setting the permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements; and [HL406]

What discussions they are holding with other European Union member state Governments on the issue of permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements other than as part of the working group meetings; and [HL407]

When Ministers last met the European Commissioner to discuss the permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements; and [HL408]

What were the conclusions of the Food Standards Agency and Better Regulation Executive assessment of the regulatory impact on (a) specialist manufacturers of food supplements, (b) specialist retailers and (c) other businesses of the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the provisions of Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive; and what plans they have to compensate small and medium-sized enterprises that suffer adversely as a result of the directive; and [HL409]

What further actions they anticipate being taken by the Food Standards Agency and the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in relation to the trade in food supplements and herbal medicines from the Channel Islands. [HL410]

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is responsible for food supplements issues and is representing the United Kingdom in working group discussions relating to the EC food supplements directive.

The European Commission has indicated its intention to produce proposals for setting maximum levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements in the form of draft amending legislation to go forward to the Standing Committee on the Food Chain and Animal Health for consideration in early 2009.

I am advised by the FSA that there have been no meetings between its officials and their counterparts of other member states aside from those during, and in the margins of, the first working group meeting held on 24 September, and that no such meetings have been arranged. No recent meetings have been held between health Ministers and the European Commissioner concerning setting maximum permitted levels of vitamins and minerals in food supplements under the directive.

The FSA is continuing its work on determining the potential economic impact of setting maximum levels to support future negotiations. In the absence of proposals from the Commission, a range of possible options is being considered. Until proposals are received and this work completed, the impact on small and medium-sized enterprises of setting levels is unknown. I cannot, therefore, comment on the matter of compensation.

The FSA has written to the Governments of Jersey and Guernsey suggesting a collective meeting where the application of the EC Food Supplements Directive and the associated implications for trade will be discussed, and it is awaiting replies to this correspondence.

The Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency has begun discussions about the implementation of the traditional herbal medicinal products directive, as part of discussions on the implementation of the Pharmaceutical Directive, with the Government of Guernsey and wrote on 28 June 2007 to the Government of Jersey to open similar discussions. The discussions with Guernsey are ongoing.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In each Session since 1997-98, how many Bills were published in draft; how many Bills were partially published in draft; how many other sets of draft clauses were published; and how many government Bills, not including draft Bills, were published.[HL300]

The numbers of government Bills and government draft Bills published is given in the table below. Full information is not available on the few cases where the draft Bill was substantially but not completely the proposed Bill. A Bill as introduced may anyway differ in a number of respects from a draft Bill, including in respect of the addition of new material, so there is no firm distinction between a draft Bill and a partial draft Bill. There will be other cases where clauses have been published in draft (including for example most Finance Bills), but no systematic records are available of such cases.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many examples have been found in humans in England and Wales of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus which is non-typeable by pulsed field gel electrophoresis; and how this figure compares with the situation in Scotland and in Northern Ireland. [HL208]

The Health Protection Agency's staphylococcus reference laboratory has not, so far, identified any methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) which have been non-typeable by pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE).

The Scottish reference laboratory has done PFGE typing on all patient isolates of MRSA referred in the past three years—about 7,000 isolates a year. Two patient isolates, both referred in 2007, have been non-typeable by standard PFGE methods.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Approximately how many community-acquired strains of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus have been analysed by the national staphylococcus reference laboratories in the United Kingdom during the past year. [HL209]

Community-associated methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are more likely to produce panton-valentine leukocidin (PVL) than hospital-associated MRSA, and this is used as a proxy for community infections. The Health Protection Agency's staphylococcus reference laboratory (SRL) has been actively screening isolates for PVL in England and Wale s since 2005.

In 2005, 1,281 were tested and 117 were identified as PVL-MRSA. In 2006, 1,755 were tested and 159 were identified as PVL-MRSA.

The Scottish reference laboratory looks for the PVL gene in all MRSA isolates which have antibiotic susceptibility patterns suggesting that they might be of community-type (and in a few others).

In 2005, 300 were tested and 71 were positive.

In 2006, 481 were tested and 93 were positive.

So far in 2007, 483 have been tested and 116 have been positive. Duplicates have not been excluded from these figures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people were estimated to be living with HIV in the United Kingdom in 1998; and how many in the latest available year; and [HL229]

How many new diagnoses of HIV there were in the United Kingdom in 1998; and how many in the latest available year; and [HL230]

How many new cases of chlamydia were reported in the United Kingdom in 1998; and how many in the latest available year; and [HL231]

How many new cases of syphilis were reported in the United Kingdom in 1998; and how many in the latest available year; and [HL232]

How many patients were treated in genito-urinary medicine clinics in the United Kingdom; and how many in the latest available year. [HL233]

The information on the number of people living with HIV and new diagnoses of HIV in the United Kingdom is shown in the following table.

The increase in the number of people living with HIV and in the number of new HIV diagnoses has occurred for several reasons including:

increased testing for HIV of groups at risk of infection;

the introduction of HIV antenatal screening;

diagnosis of infections in the United Kingdom that were acquired abroad in countries of HIV prevalence;

continuing transmission of HIV in the United Kingdom, sexually transmitted between men; and

the introduction of effective antiretroviral drug therapies in the mid-1990s, which has resulted in a marked reduction in the number of AIDS diagnoses and deaths and may have led to an increase in HIV testing.

Information on the number of diagnoses of chlamydia, syphilis and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in genito-urinary clinics (GUM) in the United Kingdom in 1998 and 2006, the latest date for which figures are available, are shown in the following table:

In addition to diagnoses made in GUM clinics, the national chlamydia screening programme has been running since 2003 in England. The number of people diagnosed with chlamydia under the age of 25, in 2003-04 and 2006-07, are shown in the following table.

In England, the rate of increase in STIs has slowed and we consider this reflects the impact of the work that has been undertaken to date to implement the sexual health and HIV strategy.

For example, our target is to offer everyone who needs it an appointment at a GUM clinic within 48 hours by March 2008. In September 2007, 88 per cent of patients were offered an appointment to be seen and 78 per cent were seen within 48 hours. In May 2005, only 45 per cent were offered an appointment to be seen within 48 hours. This is helping to speed up detection and reducing onward transmission.

We are keen to improve access to a wide range of sexual-health services—offering people more convenient options for getting screening and testing, including further education colleges and private pharmacies. That is why we are rolling out the national chlamydia screening programme and working with Boots the Chemist to pilot a two-year chlamydia testing service in high street pharmacies across the capital for 16 to 24 year-olds.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When and how they will respond to the report of the National Audit Office on housing market renewal published on 9 November. [HL307]

The National Audit Office report has now been considered by the Public Accounts Committee, which will report in due course. The Government will then respond to its recommendations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the initial and refresher training provided to staff engaged by private contractors to deliver in-country and out-of-country escorting and holding-room facilities for those individuals being removed from the United Kingdom by the Borders and Immigration Agency. [HL276]

The training provided to all immigration escorting and holding-room staff is approved by the relevant contract monitor, a Crown servant who closely reviews and audits the contractors’ performance.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 1 October (WA 186), whether it remains their intention to publish the result of the British Market Research Bureau's live music survey in November 2007. [HL345]

The Government intend to publish the survey's results in December. The earlier publication date was changed in order to ensure that the methodology was as consistent as possible with that for the 2004 survey.

The revised date was announced on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport's website on 5 November.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether passports issued through Dublin are stamped as issued through the London office. [HL448]

British passports are not stamped to show the office of issue. However, the personal details page includes an entry to show the issuing authority. In the case of passports issued at the British embassy in Dublin, and at all other Foreign and Commonwealth Office posts outside the UK, this is shown as FCO.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Under what conditions residents of the Irish Republic can receive British passports. [HL449]

British passports are issued only to those who hold British nationality, as defined principally in the British Nationality Act 1981, and residence in the Irish Republic does not of itself qualify a person to hold a British passport. The British embassy in Dublin issues passports to British nationals who reside in the Irish Republic.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, as a result of the granting of equality under the Belfast agreement 1998, anyone in the Irish Republic can consider themselves to be British and receive a British passport. [HL450]

No. British nationality depends on specified connections with either the United Kingdom or with a British Overseas Territory. The necessary connections are defined principally in the British Nationality Act 1981. Nationality law was not affected by the Belfast agreement.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On how many occasions the Secretary of State has called in a planning application where the local planning authority has ignored Environment Agency advice as a statutory consultee in opposing approval of such application. [HL439]

Since the flooding direction, which covers major developments in flood-risk areas, came into force on 1 January 2007, 12 planning applications have been referred to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government under it. Three have been called in and two are under consideration. The remaining seven have not been called in, as objections from the Environment Agency have been resolved because of the pressure imposed by the direction.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many building applications have been (a) received, and (b) approved for building on flood plains despite opposition from the Environment Agency in each of the past five years. [HL436]

The Environment Agency is best placed to collect statistics on planning applications made and approved against its advice in flood plain areas. Its HLT5^* report to the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Department for Food and Rural Affairs, from which the table below is drawn, shows a year-on-year decline in the number of planning applications that are approved against Environment Agency advice.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the effect of housing targets on the number of planning applications that have been (a) received, and (b) approved for building on flood plains despite opposition from the Environment Agency in each of the past five years. [HL437]

No such assessment has been made. The Environment Agency has been given a greater role in spatial planning, including commenting on planning applications in flood-risk areas. This has been reinforced by the planning direction issued in January 2007 with respect to major developments, as part of the wider delivery of Planning Policy Statement 25 Development and Flood Risk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many prisoners in Northern Ireland have been granted Christmas leave each year since 2000; and, of those, how many have failed to return. [HL390]

The following table provides the information 2000 for which details are not readily available.

The only prisoner granted home leave at Christmas in the past six years who remains unlawfully at large, is Paul Andrew Kervein, a Magilligan prisoner who was granted leave at Christmas 2006 and was due to be discharged eight weeks later.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In what circumstances they would favourably consider removing the Kurdish Workers Party from their list of proscribed organisations. [HL386]

Each case is considered on its merits.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether it is in the interest of those within the jurisdiction of the United Kingdom to have recourse to the international complaints mechanisms under the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination; and, if not, what is the reason. [HL303]

The Government remain to be convinced of the practical value to people in the United Kingdom of rights of individual petition to the United Nations. The United Nations committees that consider petitions are not courts, and they cannot award damages or produce a legal ruling on the meaning of the law, whereas the United Kingdom has strong and effective laws against discrimination under which individuals may seek remedies in the courts or employment tribunals.