To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have information about the ethnicity of those whose data are included in the national DNA database; and, if so, whether they will publish the information. [HL278]

The National DNA Database (NDNAD) does not hold self-reported ethnicity data, but data on the “ethnic appearance” of persons who have a DNA profile on the database. The ethnic appearance data have six broad ethnic categories plus “unknown”. They are based on the judgment of the police officer taking the sample and are recorded for police intelligence purposes to assist in subsequent identification. The ethnic appearance data have only been recorded for volunteer samples since 2005.

The table below shows the number of DNA profiles on the NDNAD broken down by ethnic appearance, as at 16 October 2009. “Unknown” means that no ethnic appearance was recorded by the officer taking the sample. The number of profiles held is not the same as the number of individuals. This is because some profiles are replicates—ie, more than one profile is held for one individual. This may occur if, for example, an individual gives different names, or different versions of their name, on separate arrests. It is estimated that 13.8 per cent of the subject profiles held on the entire NDNAD are replicates.

Data on the number of subject profiles retained on the NDNAD broken down by ethnic appearance are published in the NDNAD annual reports. The latest annual report for 2007-09 is published on the NPIA website at http://www.npia.police.uk/en/14399.htm.

(1) The table shows data on profiles loaded by all forces (England and Wales, Scotland, PSNI, plus other forces such as Joint Armed Services, Isle of Man, Jersey, et cetera).

(2) The ethnic appearance categories were renamed during 2008-09. The new category names are shown in the table.

(3) The number of “unknowns” is partly accounted for by Scotland, which does not record ethnic appearance data.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prevent Al-Muhajiroun from re-launching in the United Kingdom. [HL305]

Al-Muhajiroun publicly disbanded in 2004. In 2006, two successor groups to Al-Muhajiroun—Al-Ghurabaa and the Saved Sect—were proscribed by the then Home Secretary. We are aware of media reports that Al-Muhajiroun has been relaunched. Organisations which cause us concern are constantly reviewed and should fresh information come to light which would bring them within the definition of being “concerned with terrorism” as defined in the Terrorism Act 2000 it opens up the possibility of proscription, which we believe is a tough but necessary power to tackle terrorism. Any decision on proscription must be proportionate and based on evidence that a group is concerned in terrorism.

Where individuals incite violence or commit other crimes, this is a matter for the police. We have strengthened our powers to catch those who cross the line from legitimate debate into inciting violence or who commit offences motivated by racial or religious hatred. Where there is any evidence of criminal activity, the police take the appropriate and necessary action. However, the challenge to extremists who skirt the bounds of legality cannot just be one of law enforcement. We also have to provide a robust legal challenge to groups that espouse intolerant and divisive ideologies. Where individuals or groups continue to articulate views which fall short of supporting violence and are within the law, but which reject and undermine community cohesion, the Government will challenge these views. Alongside this challenge, we also work with community organisations and individuals to give them the skills they need to be able to counter the messages of violent extremists themselves.

To ask Her Majesty's Government in each year since the detained fast track was introduced, how many fast tracked asylum applicants subsequently achieved refugee status or humanitarian protection. [HL118]

The attached table shows information on the number of principal asylum applicants accepted at Oakington, Harmondsworth and Yarl's Wood detained fast-track centres, of which asylum applicants subsequently achieved refugee status or humanitarian protection in each of the years 2000 to 2008.

Information on immigration and asylum is published annually and quarterly. Annual statistics for 2008 and the latest statistics for Q3 2009 are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum- stats.html.

(1) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 ( - = 0, * = 1 or 2).

(2) Information is of initial determination decisions, excluding the outcome of appeals or other subsequent decisions.

(3) The detained non-suspensive appeal process for males at Oakington has been moved to Harmondsworth alongside the male detained fast-track process already there, which followed an earlier move of the process for females to Yarl's Wood.

(4) May include a small number of cases dealt with at other scheduled sides under the Harmondsworth fast- track procedure.

(5) Humanitarian protection (HP) and discretionary leave replaced exceptional leave to remain (ELR) from 1 April 2003.

(6) Part year March to December 2000 for Oakington as the Oakington fast track started in March 2000.

(7) Part year April to December 2003 for Harmondsworth as the Harmondsworth fast track started in April 2003.

(P) Provisional figures.

: Not applicable / not available.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they propose following the judgment of the Supreme Court about banks charging for overdraft facilities. [HL508]

The Government recognise that consumers, who have been waiting a number of years, will be disappointed with the outcome of the test case about bank charges. The Government will set out the action they propose to take in the Pre-Budget Report on 9 December 2009.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether a regional approach by central Asian states would resolve current difficulties and promote economic development in the region. [HL344]

We support a regional approach where it offers the best path to a solution acceptable to the parties concerned. The current priorities of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy are entirely consistent with its mandate. In taking forward its work on these issues, the centre is taking care not to cut across or duplicate the role of other international players.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications under Regulation 3(2) of the Common Agricultural Policy Single Payment and Support Schemes (Horticulture) Regulations (2009/1771) were received by 13 August; how many applications were received after 13 August; and why applications had to be received by 13 August when the regulations came into force on 31 July. [HL330]

867 applications were received by 13 August and 73 were received after this date. Applications had to be received by 13 August 2009 in order not to attract late application penalties. Applications could be received up until 7 September with penalty. The 13 August date was set to allow time for the applications to be checked and processed and farmers notified of their entitlements allocation ahead of the 2010 SPS scheme year.

From summer 2008 Defra and the Rural Payments Agency worked with stakeholders to help identify farmers who were potentially eligible to apply for new entitlements for permanent fruit and vegetables, nursery crops and vines. A series of information notes to explain the application process and deadlines was sent from August 2008 to all those farmers who had expressed an interest in the new entitlements. In addition, the application deadline was included in brochures sent to all farmers and was also advertised in the specialist trade press.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure there is no unnecessary delay in the holding of a coroner's inquest after a death in Northern Ireland. [HL266]

Rule 3 of the Coroners (Practice and Procedure) Rules (Northern Ireland) 1963 requires that where an inquest is necessary it shall be held as soon as is practicable after the coroner has been notified of the death. In order to meet this requirement, the following improvements have been introduced in the Coroners Service for Northern Ireland:

four full-time coroners have been appointed replacing the previous structure which largely depended on part-time coroners;

a High Court judge has been assigned to be the presiding judge for the Coroners Service;

additional support staff have been appointed to the Coroners Service, including a medical officer, a solicitor, and three family liaison officers;

protocols have been agreed with partner agencies, including the State Pathology Department, setting targets for the production of reports prepared for the Coroners Service; and

an improved IT system allows cases to be tracked effectively.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people have been (a) arrested, and (b) convicted, for membership of proscribed organisations in each year since 2001. [HL427]

Details of those charged and convicted under Sections 11 to 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000 are contained in a Home Office Statistical Bulletin: (Operation of Police Powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 and Subsequent Legislation: Arrests, Outcomes and Stops and Searches), which was published on 26 November 2009.

Details of terrorist arrests under Section 41 of the Terrorism Act 2000 or under other legislation are also contained in the bulletin. However, the arrest figures do not include details of the specific offences of which an individual is suspected.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Chevening Scholarships have been awarded in each country in central Asia; and what plans there are to increase the number [HL529]

The number of Chevening scholarships awarded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to countries in central Asia in 2008-09 and 2009-10 is as follows (the figures for 2009-10 are provisional as the British Council does not yet have nationality details for all partnership scheme scholars):

There are no present plans to increase the number of awards offered to central Asian countries in 2010-11.

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the scrutiny reserve resolution was overridden on the proposed Council Decision concerning the conclusion of the agreement between the Government of Russia and the European Union on the protection of classified information (15227/09); and what steps they are taking to avoid a repeat of those circumstances. [HL376]

The override resulted from an unacceptable administrative error.

My honourable friend the Minister for Europe has asked officials to look again at our internal procedures and will write to the committees responsible for scrutiny updating them on the measures taken to address this problem.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 2 November (WA 10), how much horse meat is used in the United Kingdom as pet food; and how much of that comes from horses slaughtered in the United Kingdom. [HL385]

Figures are not available on the quantity of horse-meat used in pet food in the United Kingdom. However, the Pet Food Manufacturers Association, whose member companies account for over 90 per cent of the UK market, state that they do not use horse-meat in their products. Under the EU Animal By-products Regulation, to be eligible for pet food, meat from horses must have come from horses slaughtered in a slaughterhouse and originate from animals passed as fit for human consumption.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many organisations the UK Border Agency has approved to sponsor migrant students. [HL367]

As at 2 December 2009, the UK Border Agency had approved 1,925 organisations to sponsor migrant students under tier 4 of the points-based immigration system.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 6 July (WA 107–8), what is the current immigration status of the individual concerned. [HL372]

It would be inappropriate to give details of individual cases.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 6 July (WA 110), how many absconders from immigration detention centres have not been captured in each of the last five years. [HL373]

Information on the number of detainees who have escaped from each immigration removal centre and have been recaptured is taken from local management information. These data are normally used for management information only and are not subject to the detailed checks that apply for National Statistics publications. Data on the number of individuals recaptured are available from 2006. The information is provisional and subject to change.

Of the 19 detainees who escaped from immigration removal centres in 2006, 16 have not been recaptured.

Of the 90 detainees who escaped from immigration removal centres in 2007, 71 have not been recaptured.

Of the 35 detainees who escaped from immigration removal centres in 2008, 19 have not been recaptured.

In 2009, there have been four escapes from immigration removal centres. Two individuals have not been recaptured.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use in deciding whether to establish an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005 instead of a coroner's inquest in circumstances where an inquest would normally be held; and whether they will publish a protocol on the matter. [HL257]

The criteria for considering the establishment of an inquiry under the Inquiries Act 2005, when a coroner's inquest cannot be held, will be the existence of highly sensitive matters—including, for example, intercept material—which are directly relevant to the purpose of the inquest, and which may not be disclosed either to a coroner or a coroner's jury, and where there is no alternative way of ensuring the matters are protected from public disclosure. A protocol is being developed and will set out the procedures to be followed in these circumstances. It is intended that the protocol will be published.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many deaths awaiting a coroner's inquest or in respect of which an inquest has been suspended will be referred to an inquiry established under the Inquiries Act 2005. [HL258]

There is currently one death where an inquiry may be established under the Inquiries Act 2005.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom-based websites have been closed down by the police under the provisions of Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006. [HL131]

I understand that the preferred route for removing potentially unlawful terrorist content is through informal contact between the police and the internet service provider. To date this approach has proved effective. As a result, it has not been necessary to use the formal powers given under the Terrorism Act 2006 to close any websites.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many United Kingdom-based extremist or terrorism-related websites have been closed down by informal contact between the police and internet service providers. [HL132]

Action in this area could range from taking down individual videos to the closure of complete websites. It is not possible to provide information on the range of actions taken.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to remove content from United Kingdom-based websites which feature lectures from individuals banned from the United Kingdom. [HL306]

The police have powers under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to seek the removal or modification of unlawfully terrorism-related material from the internet. These powers apply whether or not the author is excluded from the UK. I understand that the police have so far found informal approaches to internet service providers have met their needs.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any (a) foreign intelligence agencies and (b) foreign law enforcement agencies have authorised access to the United Kingdom's DNA and fingerprint databases; and whether they are considering granting any such agencies access in future. [HL135]

I refer the noble Baroness to my letter to Lord Ahmed dated 23 November, entitled: “Parliamentary Question Nos HL6309 and HL6310 on DNA and fingerprint retention under terrorism powers”. A copy has been placed in the House Library.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Royall of Blaisdon on 5 October (WA 47), how the community background of members of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission is monitored; by whom; and how the person who does the monitoring deals with a member who declines to state their community or political background. [HL217]

On application to become a commissioner and prior to reappointment, all commissioners are required to complete an equality monitoring questionnaire and return it to the sponsoring unit within the Northern Ireland Office. It is for individual applicants and commissioners to decide what they consider to be their own community background in completing this questionnaire. A copy of this form has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the margin for error in their estimate in the impact assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill of about 110,000 younger adults being eligible for free personal home care. [HL412]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the margin for error in their estimate in the impact assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill of the cost of re-ablement services being £130 million a year. [HL413]

The estimate of 110,000 younger adults eligible for free personal care at home is based principally on the referrals, assessments and packages of care (RAP) data from councils for 2007-08¹.

Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility for local authorities, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, establishes four levels of eligibility for services. These are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.

The RAP data shows 82,000 younger users of local authority home care and 35,000 younger users of direct payments on 31 March 2008—out of 395,000 younger recipients of community-based services. It is not known what proportion of the 117,000 who receive personal care are in the critical need group, but it is expected that they would be the majority.

Therefore, for the purposes of the impact assessment, it is assumed that there could be some 100,000 younger adult local authority-funded users receiving personal care in the critical category. It is likely that most of them receive their care free, as their incomes are generally low. It has therefore been assumed that 90 per cent already receive free personal care at home and that 10 per cent make a means-tested contribution towards the cost.

Little is known about the number of younger adults who currently fund their own care at home. It has been assumed that approximately a further 10,000 younger adults may be brought under state funding following the introduction of the Personal Care at Home Bill.

No specific estimate of a margin of error has been made. However, the figures have been rounded to the nearest 10,000 to reflect the uncertainty. The figure of 110,000 should therefore be treated as an estimate.

The estimated cost of extending reablement services is based on an assumed cost per person of £1,000. This is an average cost and acknowledges that the actual cost of individually tailored packages will lie within a range depending on the length of time and specialist services required.

The anticipated benefits of reablement—ie, helping individuals to live independently at home for longer, thus delaying the need for formal care and/or admission to residential care—have not been specifically included in the impact assessment, so if benefits do arise this will free up resources which can be spent on offering more people reablement services. Neither the number of individuals who already benefit from reablement, nor the precise scale of the benefits, is known for certain. For this reason, no attempt has been made to quantify the net cost/benefit of reablement services.

Note:

1 The RAP data for 2007-08 can be found at: www.ic.nhs.uk/statistics-and-data-collections/social-care/adult-social-care-information/community-care-statistics-2007-2008:-referrals-assessments-and-packages-of-care-for-adults-england-provisional-council-data.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their basis for the forecast in paragraph 5.10 of their assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill that volumes of service demands would increase by 1.5 per cent per annum and prices by 2 per cent per annum; and whether they had regard in making those forecasts to the increase in the demand for and cost of free personal home care in Scotland between 2003-04 and 2007-08. [HL414]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the 933,000 elderly people in 2010 estimated by the Personal Social Sciences Research Unit to be in the highest critical needs category will receive free personal home care under the Personal Care at Home Bill who (a) receive no such free care now, and (b) pay for a proportion of such care now. [HL415]

The assumptions about the annual growth in volumes and unit costs are taken directly from Personal Social Services Research Unit (PSSRU)'s micro-simulation model for older people. The figure of 1.5 per cent per year increase relates to the estimated impact of demographic pressure. It is separate from the estimated impact on demand of the introduction of free personal care. The figure of 2 per cent increase in real terms per year is a PSSRU assumption reflecting expected real rises in average earnings.

In Scotland, the experience of extending free personal care differs in respect of coverage, in that it is provided not just to those in highest need and includes those in residential care. For this reason, it was not considered appropriate or relevant to extrapolate changes in demand for personal care to the English context.

Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility for local authorities, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library, establishes four levels of eligibility for services. These are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.

Table 10 of the PSSRU's technical report of its micro-simulation model for older people¹ estimates the number of people aged 65 and over whose needs are assessed as critical according to FACS before informal care considerations. Since the receipt—or not—of informal care forms part of the FACS assessment, it is important to take this into account when estimating the volume of individuals whose needs are likely to be assessed as critical according to FACS criteria, which the PSSRU does in table 12 of its report.

In addition, when estimating the volume of individuals likely to benefit from the proposals in the Personal Care at Home Bill, it is important to exclude those living at home who are not considered to be in highest need—that is, those requiring help with fewer than four activities of daily living—and those in residential care.

As a result—and including estimates of two specific demand effects—the estimated number of older people who will receive free personal care at home under the Personal Care at Home Bill is approximately 55,000 and the number estimated to be making a means-tested contribution towards the cost is 35,000 in 2011-12. These figures, which are shown in greater detail in table 2 of the impact assessment on the Personal Care at Home Bill, should be treated as estimates.

Note:

1 Analysing the Costs and Benefits of Social Care Funding Arrangements in England: Technical Report; Forder and Fernandez; PSSRU discussion paper 2644; July 2009.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, under the Personal Care at Home Bill, local authorities will continue to have discretion over (a) setting local service eligibility criteria, and (b) charging for adult social care, so that they can recover costs or reduce services to other users. [HL416]

The Personal Care At Home Bill itself will not directly impact on the Fair Access to Care Services (FACS) guidance on eligibility, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library. FACS guidance to local authorities establishes four levels of eligibility for services; these are critical, substantial, moderate and low, with critical representing the highest level of social care need.

A separate consultation on the revision of the existing FACS guidance ended on 6 October. The intention is to bring forward revised guidance in the new year.

The department is consulting separately on the detailed regulations and guidance under the Bill and the proposal that the offer of free personal care should be restricted to people in the FACS critical category who also need significant help with four or more activities of daily living.

Any alteration to councils' ability to charge for aspects of care would need to be reflected in the department's Fairer Charging guidance, a copy of which has already been placed in the Library.

To ask Her Majesty's Government which items costing more than £10 million a year they plan to cut from the Department of Health budget to pay for their share of the costs of the Personal Care at Home Bill; and in which areas, and what amounts of, departmental research and development will be reduced. [HL417]

Changes to planned expenditure in 2010-11 include nearly £50 million from indicative advertising and communications spending, over £60 million from management consultancy spending and over £20 million in reduced administration costs.

In addition, a saving of £62 million will be achieved by transferring responsibility for research activity from other departmental budgets to the department's ring-fenced research and development budget. That budget will rise to over £1 billion in 2010-11. The research it currently funds will continue as planned.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Bach on 12 November (WA 209) and by Lord West of Spithead on 12 November (WA 229-30), how they define “extremism”. [HL78]

Extremism in this specific context refers to violent extremism which describes the attitudes, beliefs and actions that condone violence (and in particular) terrorist violence as a means to a political end. It includes views which:

foment, justify or glorify terrorist violence;

seek to provoke others to terrorist acts; and

foster hatred intended to cause violence between communities in the UK.

This definition can be found on page 33 of the document, Delivering the Prevent Strategy: An Updated Guide for Local Partners, published in August 2009. The document can be found at http://security.homeoffice. gov.uk/news-publications/publication-search/general/updated-guide-for-local-partners.

To ask Her Majesty's Government under what conditions train companies can refuse to run trains for a day or weekend without breaching their contracts. [HL518]

The franchise agreement requires that operators provide services on those days specified in the agreement. Train operators may request that the Secretary of State allow them to operate a revised timetable if they are subject to the impact of external factors which are outside the operators' control. In these circumstances, operators are still under an obligation to demonstrate that they have used reasonable endeavours to operate the advertised timetable.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the government of the Republic of Ireland concerning the creation of a motorway from the border in Tyrone to Londonderry; and whether any arrangements have been put in place to fund such a project. [HL213]

There have been no recent discussions. The funding arrangements in respect of this project are matters for the Northern Ireland Executive and the Irish Government to take forward.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Russia about the speed and simplicity of issuing visas to British nationals. [HL286]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the UK Border Agency held discussions with the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in January and October of this year on operational visa issues relating to visas for both British and Russian nationals.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations have been received by the head of the Civil Service about the Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Executive; what is the nature of those representations; and what action has been taken as a result. [HL219]

The head of the Home Civil Service has an extensive outreach programme of engagement relating to the Civil Service where he meets stakeholders and others to hear first hand about the work being done by civil servants. This includes civil servants working in the Scottish Executive, including the Permanent Secretary. The noble Lord has also made representations.

To ask Her Majesty's Government when suppliers of the swine flu vaccine will be made available to all children under five years of age in the British overseas territories. [HL442]

Officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Department of Health are in contact with the chief medical officers in all the Overseas Territories to help them in their response to the pandemic flu. We are ensuring that they have access to supplies of the vaccines if they want it. Territories are responsible for the healthcare of their citizens and it is for them to decide how much vaccine to purchase and how to distribute it among their population.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801) indicating that when the Terrorism Act 2006 was passed they laid down a requirement for police to make records of when they shut down a website but such records they have not fully been kept, why the records have not been kept; and when they will be kept. [HL276]

Records of the removal of potentially unlawful terrorist content by informal contact between the police and internet service providers have not been kept until now due to low awareness of this aspect of the administrative guidance concerning Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006. I understand the police have not yet found it necessary to use the formal powers given under Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006 to close any websites. That decision is, of course, an operational decision for the police to take.

The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters) to update the guidance on the use of Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006. The guidance will be made more accessible with clearly explained procedures and be drawn to the attention of senior officers in all forces. This guidance will be available in January 2010.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801) indicating that they are in negotiations about police forces not keeping full records about websites they have closed under the Terrorism Act 2006, what are the negotiations to which he referred; to what those negotiations are likely to lead; and when they plan to have a reliable form of (a) reporting, and (b) collating data relating to the number of websites closed under the Terrorism Act 2006. [HL277]

The Home Office is working with the Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters) to update the guidance on the use of Section 3 of the Terrorism Act 2006, which sets out advice on keeping records when websites are closed using this legislation. The guidance will be made more accessible with clearly explained procedures and be drawn to the attention of senior officers in all forces. This guidance will be available in January 2010.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord West of Spithead on 11 November (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 801), what assessment they have made of the effect of the absence of full records of websites closed under the Terrorism Act 2006 on the United Kingdom's counter-terrorism effort, in particular on efforts to tackle the use of the internet as a tool for radicalisation and other forms of terrorist activity such as attack planning. [HL299]

We do not consider that the absence of full records concerning closure of terrorist sites reflects any lack of activity in this area.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the short and medium term priorities of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventative Diplomacy in central Asia; what resources it needs to meet those priorities; and whether it has the ability to meet its priorities. [HL343]

The Head of the UN Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for central Asia, Ambassador Jenca, outlined the centre's priorities in a meeting with my honourable friend the Minister for Europe on 26 November 2009. These are water and energy management; drug trafficking, terrorism and organised crime; and Afghanistan. We believe that the centre is equipped to take forward work on these issues. The resources allocated to the centre are a matter for the UN 5th Committee.

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the fees under the Zoonoses and Animal By-Products (Fees) (England) Regulations (SI 2009/2043) are increased by 20 per cent; and why the fees under the Local Land Charges (Amendment) Rules (SI 2009/2494) are increased by 100 per cent. [HL333]

Details of the increased fees, including comparison with last year's costs, are set out in the table below.

When the fees regulations were drafted it was agreed that the cost of the shared service component of the administration charge should be phased in over a two-year period: 50 per cent of the increase of this component in 2007-08; 75 per cent in 2008-09; and 100 per cent in 2009-10. Please see the previous PQ1007 130209 for details of these costs.

Due to a reassessment of the cost of shared services by Animal Health this plan has been modified slightly. The cost was phased in with 75 per cent of the increase from 1 January 2009 and then 100 per cent in the current fees regulations amendment as detailed above.

This proposal to phase in a proportion of the increased administration costs was a one-off proposal to improve affordability for farmers and maintain good will between industry representatives and Defra at a time when the industry was under great pressure to ensure regulatory compliance with the National Control Programmes for Salmonella control. It did not establish a precedent for temporary subsidies on charges and this was clearly communicated to industry representatives in 2008.

The response to a joint consultation, Local Authority Property Search Services, carried out by the Department of Communities and Local Government and the Ministry of Justice last year indicated that the majority of local authorities are losing money in providing the personal search service of the local land charges register at the current fee of £11. The fee will increase with effect from 1 January 2010 to £22. This increase balances the interests of local authorities and those undertaking personal searches.