asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the improvement of performance against the Department for International Development's targets to reduce maternal mortality in Africa will depend more on the training of traditional birth attendants in situ than on increasing staff and skilled attendants within the government health services. [HL1492]

DfID's performance on reducing maternal mortality in Africa will not depend on training traditional birth attendants (TBAs) at the expense of increasing skilled birth attendants (SBAs). Evidence has shown that TBA training has little demonstrable impact on reducing maternal deaths. However, TBAs can have an important socio-cultural role. There is evidence (eg in Egypt) that where they are linked to the formal health system, more women benefit from skilled birth attendance.

DfID helps strengthen country health systems as a whole, including training health workers, improving the supply of drugs and commodities, infrastructure, planning and financing to ensure effective delivery of reproductive health services.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 21 January (WA 2), what was the total of the 50,764 underpayments made in 2007 to Armed Forces personnel; and [HL1560]

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 21 January (WA 2), what was the greatest single underpayment to any one service man or woman in 2007; and what was the greatest single overpayment in the same year; and [HL1561]

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Taylor of Bolton on 21 January (WA 2), whether all pay errors made in 2007 in relation to Armed Forces personnel have been rectified; and whether comparable errors in 2008 will be avoided.[HL1562]

The total sum underpaid, the greatest single underpayment made in 2007, and the greatest single overpayment made in the same year are not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

I can confirm that all identified under and overpayments of salary that occurred during 2007 have been rectified. Any underpayments are rectified at the earliest opportunity, usually the following month. Overpayments are recovered in accordance with service regulations. Where underpayments would result in hardship, units are able to provide interim payments to individuals.

The majority of the pay errors are due to late or incorrect human input. Error rates will reduce as familiarity with the new system grows. There is no complacency and the MoD acknowledges that all such errors should be eliminated if at all possible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What evaluations they have made or have ordered to be made into the possibility of equipping the two new aircraft carriers with a variation of either the Typhoon or Rafale jets; whether any such evaluations are ongoing; and what the preliminary conclusions are as compared with the joint strike fighter.[HL1947]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given in another place by my right honourable friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces on 30 October 2007 (Official Report, col. 1356W).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assistance they are providing to officials in Chad in response to United Nations reports that half of the nearly 180,000 displaced people in that country will not be able to return to their villages by the July deadline if promises on security are not met. [HL1707]

The humanitarian situation in Chad and in western Darfur remains fluid. The rapidly changing humanitarian situation means that the Department for International Development (DfID) is urgently reviewing its funding commitments.

In the financial year 2007-08, the UK Government have committed £6.5 million to Chad through humanitarian agencies. Within these DfID contributions it is difficult to isolate specific support to the internally displaced person population (IDP), as agencies tend to target their interventions to support IDPs, the hosting community and the neighbouring refugee population collectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations and supportive evidence the Ministry of Justice has received from the United Kingdom Disabled People's Council about making the incitement of hatred on grounds of disability a criminal offence and what action they are considering on this matter.[HL1952]

My honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Maria Eagle, met with representatives from the United Kingdom Disabled People's Council on 4 February. It was a useful meeting where members of the council expressed their views and provided a paper. The Government are concerned to tackle crimes against disabled people. We have not yet seen compelling evidence that there is a gap in the law. But we will continue to consider this carefully.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many people were successfully prosecuted in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years for alcohol-related offences.[HL1979]

The information is not available in the format requested. Court prosecution and conviction datasets do not contain any background information in relation to an offence; therefore it is not possible to separately identify offences such as assault in which alcohol has been a contributory factor. It is only possible to provide information for those offences which, by their definition, refer to alcohol.

The following table gives the number prosecuted and number subsequently convicted for drink-driving, simple drunk, licensing offences and other alcohol-related offences.

Data cover the calendar years 2002 to 2006 (the latest available years) and are collated on the principal offence rule; so only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included.

Number prosecuted and convicted for alcohol-related offences 2002-06^1:

1. Data for 2006 are provisional.

2. Includes the offences of “being drunk when in aircraft”, “drunk in charge of loaded firearm” and “possession of loaded firearm whilst drunk or under the influence of”.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the sections of the Great Western Main Line to be electrified as part of the Crossrail project will be cleared for trains of W10 gauge. [HL2085]

All new infrastructure on the Great Western Main Line in connection with the Crossrail project will be W12 gauge which encompasses W10 gauge. Electrification under existing flat bridges will also provide W12 gauge, but not under all arched bridges. For a small number of arched bridges clearance to W12 gauge would require additional work to that for Crossrail purposes, which would be a matter for Network Rail to consider.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether any other member state of the European Union has given effect to Directive 2000/43/EC by confining the reverse burden of proof to claims of discrimination on ethnic or racial grounds, excluding discrimination on the ground of colour. [HL1997]

Council directive 2000/43/EC—the race directive—laid down a framework for combating discrimination on grounds of “racial or ethnic origin” in the member states of the European Union. It did not cover discrimination on grounds of colour.

In the UK, the directive was implemented by secondary legislation under Section 2(2) of the European Communities Act 1972. The amending regulations, which included the change to the burden of proof, could not therefore apply to grounds, such as colour, omitted from or excluded by the race directive itself.

Legislative arrangements vary from member state to member state, and each will have implemented the directive in the way it sees as most appropriate. We do not have up-to-date information on precisely how each of the other 26 member states of the European Union has implemented the race directive.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

On which areas of United Kingdom national life the European Union is not able to legislate. [HL1987]

For the first time the Lisbon treaty defines the Union’s competences, setting out where the EU can and cannot act. These competences are set out in Article 2(12) of the treaty of Lisbon—Cm 7294, pages 52-55—presented to Parliament in December 2007. The treaty explicitly states that competences not conferred on the EU remain with member states.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

On which new areas of United Kingdom national life the European Union will be able to legislate if the Lisbon treaty is ratified. [HL1988]

For the first time the Lisbon treaty defines the Union's competences, setting out where the EU can and cannot act. These competences are set out in Article 2(12) of the treaty of Lisbon—Cm 7294, pages 52-55—presented to Parliament in December 2007. The treaty explicitly states that competences not conferred on the EU remain with member states.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they propose to support the draft regulations published by the European Commission on 30 January, which propose mandatory front-of-pack labelling for food products based on guideline daily amounts—GDA labelling—instead of the traffic light schemes introduced by the Food Standards Agency. [HL1998]

The proposal would allow continued use of traffic light labelling. We are formally consulting stakeholders on the contents of the proposal, which will help inform the United Kingdom position, as will the results of the independent evaluation of signpost labelling schemes in the UK marketplace, due to report by the end of the year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 8 January—WA 196—whether they will assess the impact upon the United Kingdom market of the import from the Crown Dependencies of food supplements and herbal remedies which, if placed directly on the United Kingdom market, would be illegal by virtue either of their composition or of the claims made about them. [HL1688]

The private nature of transactions involved in the personal import of food supplements and herbal remedies from the Crown Dependencies by mail order means that it is not currently possible to collate the information necessary to assess the impact on the United Kingdom market of such imports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland plans to pay an official visit to the United States in the near future. [HL2062]

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 29 January (Official Report, col. WA 106).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What evaluation has been made of the relationship between funding for assisted reproduction treatments and the prevalence of multiple births; what is the agreed timeframe for full implementation of the February 2004 National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines by all centres licensed to provide assisted reproduction treatments; and what is the percentage of centres licensed to provide assisted reproduction treatments which already offer National Health Service provision of three in vitro fertilisation cycles to all infertile couples. [HL2003]

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Expert Group on Multiple Births after IVF—in vitro fertilisation—which reported in October 2006, expressed the view that “the lack of publicly funded fertility treatments is the most significant obstacle to an acceptance of changing embryo transfer practices towards a reduction in the twin rate in the United Kingdom”.

Clinical guidelines produced by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence—NICE—have no formal timescale for implementation, but we have made it clear that the department is looking to primary care trusts—PCTs—to move towards the provision of three full cycles of IVF, for those who need it, as recommended in the NICE guideline.

We are working with the patient support organisation, Infertility Network UK, to help PCTs share best practice in the provision of fertility services and move to the implementation of the NICE recommendations. To build on the progress being made we are establishing an expert group on commissioning NHS fertility provision to identify the barriers to the implementation of the NICE guideline and provide guidance for PCT commissioners. Approximately 5 per cent of PCTs report that they currently provide three cycles of IVF.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether (a) practising Muslims, and (b) practising Roman Catholics can be appointed to membership of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and [HL1980]

Whether someone who has declared that they are in favour of human reproductive cloning may be a member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL2028]

Applications for membership of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority—HFEA— are welcomed from candidates of all faiths and cultures. However, all potential members must be prepared to accept the fundamental principles behind the authority's existence.

Members need to recognise the principles contained in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 and associated regulations.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

How many requests made for warrants authorising interception of communications were refused by the Home Secretary or the Lord Chancellor during the period 1 April to 31 December 2006. [HL1929]

This information is not centrally recorded. However, the Interception of Communications Commissioner states in his most recent annual report that he is satisfied that the intelligence and law enforcement agencies that apply for interception warrants carry out this task diligently and in accordance with the law. As an example, the commissioner said in his report that the Scottish Justice Minister has confirmed that outright refusal of an application in Scotland is comparatively rare, because the requesting police forces and the senior officials in her department scrutinise the applications with care before they are submitted for her approval. All applications made to the Secretary of State are scrutinised by officials in the warrants unit within their respective departments to ensure that the statutory requirements have been met. Nevertheless, the Secretary of State personally weighs the issues and may refuse to grant a warrant if in her view the strict requirements of, for example, necessity or proportionality are not met.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In January (a) how many Iraqi refugees they estimate each day returned from Syria to Iraq; and (b) how many Iraqi refugees they estimate each day left Iraq for Syria.[HL1950]

According to the immigration officials at the Syrian border the average daily number of those entering Syria from Iraq in the month of January was estimated to be 1,200. It was also estimated that an average of 700 persons in January returned to Iraq from Syria.

UNHCR has confirmed that the trends outlined above are correct, though it is difficult to verify whether all persons crossing the borders are in fact refugees and numbers crossing borders changes on a daily basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What measures are in place to ensure that the £2.2 million they provided for humanitarian relief in Kenya is reaching the people who need assistance and is not being misappropriated at any level.[HL1931]

The UK's assistance to the humanitarian relief effort in Kenya is being provided through the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Kenya Red Cross Society and Medecins Sans Frontieres. These are strong independent organisations that organise and deliver humanitarian services directly to targeted beneficiaries.

DfID has a long-standing partnership with these agencies and has found them to be well-managed and effective organisations. The work is regularly reviewed and assessed on the ground by our team based in Kenya.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of the money spent under the Youth at Risk programme in the London Borough of Waltham Forest under the Government's Neighbourhood Renewal Fund was spent outside the five targeted wards; and whether this expenditure was appropriate given the purposes of the programme.[HL1963]

Information on the use of Neighbourhood Renewal Fund to finance the London Borough of Waltham Forest's Youth at Risk programme is not held by central government. Nor has any assessment been made on whether this was appropriate use of NRF. Prior to the introduction of local area agreements, local strategic partnerships were expected to use NRF to support the Neighbourhood Renewal Strategy and it was for the partnerships to decide which local interventions should be funded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much the Northern Ireland Equality Commission has cost since creation; and what measurable changes have occurred to society in Northern Ireland as a result of its existence. [HL2012]

The sponsorship of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many holiday passenger liners were built in British ports during the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.[HL1959]

No passenger cruise liners were built in the UK in the years 2004, 2005 and 2006.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many, and what type, of rail passenger coaches are currently being stored which are not currently leased by train operators.[HL1939]

The number of rail vehicles which are currently off lease but could be used on the passenger rail network without very significant investment is extremely low. For exact details of the numbers involved the rolling stock leasing companies should be contacted directly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many orders have been issued under Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and [HL1926]

How many convictions have arisen from a defendant’s non-compliance with an order made under Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000; and [HL1927]

How many convictions have arisen from evidence obtained from encrypted sources by way of an order issued under Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000. [HL1928]

Four notices under Section 49 of the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000—RIPA—have been issued since the provisions came into force on 1 October 2007.

No cases involving the issuing of Section 49 notices under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 have yet come before the courts.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assistance they plan to give to higher and further education in southern Sudan in the light of the latest recommendations by the Associate Parliamentary Group on Sudan; and what success they have had in persuading skilled Sudanese refugees in the United Kingdom to return to southern Sudan to take up posts as civil servants, teachers and lecturers. [HL1874]

The UK Government agree with the conclusions of the Associate Parliamentary Group (APG) report on the importance of investment in education in southern Sudan, including higher and further education. DfID has made a substantial contribution to the education sector as a whole. We are a major donor to the Multi Donor Trust Fund (MDTF) which has a £23.3 million programme in the education sector. Under this programme 1,200 teachers have been trained and 10 new schools will be built this year. Under the DfID-supported Basic Services Fund 2,000 children have returned to school and 570 additional teachers will be trained in 2008. We share the APG's conclusion on the positive impact of the UNICEF “Go to School” programme and will provide £2 million in support of this in 2008. DfID's £1.5 million British Council programme delivers a variety of vocational education and teacher training schemes.

In support of encouraging skilled Sudanese to return and take up posts in the public sector, we are providing £2 million for training in leadership and management for highly qualified Diaspora returning to take up senior civil service posts. A pre-requisite for encouraging Diaspora to return is a functioning public sector. In recognition of this we also have a £2 million training programme for civil servants in central and local government. DfID also has a strong training component in its justice and police programme, which has delivered management and administrative training to around 600 civil servants.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of Chinese involvement in the exploitation of timber resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cameroon. [HL1679]

The UK Government have supported work to understand China's importance as a major consumer, importer and exporter of forest products. This has focused on global trends with an emphasis on the Asia-Pacific region, historically the main source of China's imports. There have not been any studies that focus specifically on the Democratic Republic of Congo or Cameroon.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, none of the 156 registered logging concessions is owned by Chinese companies.

One of the largest forest holdings in Cameroon, controlling 12 per cent of the total forest area allocated to concessions, is held by Chinese companies. We are working with the Government of Cameroon to ensure transparent and sustainable management of its forest, including in its interactions with foreign forest management companies.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in the light of the recent recommendations of the Joint Committee on Human Rights, they will consult the medical advisers to the Medical Foundation for the Victims of Torture about (a) current uncertainties among patients and practitioners about eligibility; (b) unsuccessful asylum applicants who cannot return home; (c) the risks of spreading HIV and tropical diseases; and (d) late diagnoses and avoidable hospital costs. [HL1907]

In conjunction with the Home Department, the department is currently reviewing access to National Health Service healthcare by foreign nationals. The review will include access to both primary and secondary care and will look at a range of issues relating to immigration and asylum arrangements, as well as public health issues and humanitarian concerns. A full public consultation on any proposals will then take place and the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture will be welcome to comment.