To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Her Majesty's Armed Forces in Afghanistan can operate with allies that impose restrictions on the use of their forces there; whether they have made representations to the NATO Secretary-General to have such restrictions lifted or amended; which countries have such restrictions; and what they are. [HL560]

The UK works very effectively with International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) partners in southern Afghanistan. While some nations impose caveats based on their national politics, domestic laws and risk tolerance, these caveats are a decision for individual nations.

Caveats are agreed between contributing nations and the Supreme Allied Commander Europe as conditions for their deployment. Their public disclosure could have an impact on force protection measures or a nation's ability to carry out its mission effectively. As such, they remain classified NATO information.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what grant was given to art galleries in Merseyside in 2007 and 2008; and how it was divided. [HL658]

Art galleries in Merseyside that have received departmental funding in 2007 and 2008 are:

* part of the grant-in-aid allocation to National Museums Liverpool

** part of the grant-in-aid allocation to the Tate Museum

*** this includes the Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund grant of £50,000 to Lady Lever Art Gallery.

Arts galleries in Merseyside are also funded by the Arts Council. They inform us that they spent £1,578,600 on visual arts in Merseyside in financial year 2007-08 and £1,710,421 in 2008-09.¹

Finally, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport invested heavily in making a success of the Liverpool 08 Capital of Culture events, which further enhanced Merseyside's cultural profile providing short and long term benefits to local galleries.

Footnote

¹ It is not possible to divide this figure between individual galleries.

To ask Her Majesty's Government when they expect the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission to publish its client fund accounts showing the most recent levels of outstanding debt owed to parents with care. [HL632]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission about the proportion of outstanding debt owed to parents with care that is likely to be recoverable. [HL635]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission about its debt reduction strategy. [HL636]

It was the intention of the commission to publish its client fund accounts as soon as the House returned from the Summer Recess. It has not been possible to adhere to that timetable.

The commission is now working towards laying the 2008-09 client funds account by 31 March 2010. To this end, the commission has developed a joint work plan with the National Audit Office.

Upon transfer of responsibility for the Child Support Agency functions to the commission, a review was undertaken to assess the level to which outstanding maintenance arrears were collectable. The conclusion reached was that the assumptions used previously had been over-optimistic and should be revised downwards to more realistic levels. The commission currently estimates that £1,065 million is potentially collectable.

The work plan with the National Audit Office includes a further review of the arrears classification to identify the proportion of the £1.065 million that is likely to be collected.

The commission currently prioritises collection of ongoing regular maintenance above collection of arrears. However, the full balance of arrears remains due and the commission is committed to maximising the value of the arrears it collects, within available funding.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the law on succession to the Crown or proposals for changing that law have been discussed with other Commonwealth countries; and, if so, what was the outcome of such discussions. [HL645]

I refer the noble Baroness to the reply given by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Justice to Lynne Featherstone, the honourable Member for Hornsey and Wood Green on 4 June 2009 (Official Report, col. 617W).

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are subject to control orders; and, of those, how many are in receipt of each type of benefit. [HL821]

In relation to the total number of individuals currently subject to control orders, I would refer the noble Baroness to the latest Written Ministerial Statement in relation to control orders which was published on 15 December 2009. This Statement explains that, as of 10 December 2009, there were 12 control orders in force.

The latest information that the Home Office holds shows that as of 10 December 2009, 10 of the individuals subject to control orders were in receipt of benefits that are administered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Some individuals are in receipt of more than one form of DWP administered benefit. Of these individuals: two receive incapacity benefit, five receive jobseeker's allowance, three receive employment and support allowance, and one receives income support.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been spent by the Home Office since the commencement of the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005 on providing individuals subject to control orders with telephone line rental and phone-cards, including VAT thereon. [HL823]

The Home Office spent £7,856.44 including VAT on telephone line rental for individuals subject to control orders between April 2006 and October 2009. It is not possible to provide the amount spent on telephone line rental prior to April 2006 due to the way the costs have been accounted for. The information requested can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

It is not possible to provide the total amount spent on phone cards for this period as this information forms part of the total amount spent on the provision of accommodation for individuals subject to control orders and cannot be extracted from this figure. However, as phone cards have been issued only infrequently, and not at all since 2007, this figure is assessed to be small.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many civil servants are employed to administer the control orders programme. [HL824]

Within the Home Office, 10 full-time equivalent staff are currently employed to work on control orders.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what grants were given to organisations in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in 2007 and 2008 for cultural development. [HL659]

Cultural development can be funded by central government, their agencies and local government. No record of local government investment is held centrally. No specific grant for cultural development was awarded to Sefton Metropolitan Council by the Arts Council in 2007-08 or 2008-09.

The National Lottery has, however, supported hundreds of projects in the area providing community benefits in the heritage, sport, arts and culture sectors. Residents of the borough have also benefited from government support for Liverpool '08 Capital of Culture events, which were widely praised for being one of the most inclusive of such events held in the culture sector.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many unauthorised incursions onto the premises of the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom there have been in each year since 2001. [HL486]

The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.

There have been two unauthorised incursions onto civil nuclear licensed sites since 2001. These were carried out by Greenpeace protesters at Sizewell B power station on 14 Oct 2002 (103 protesters gained access to the site) and 13 Jan 2003 (34 protesters gained access to the site). Immediate action was taken to assess the threat posed by the intrusions and the appropriate contingency arrangements were activated.

Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of damage to a building or equipment on the premises of the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom which were assessed to affect the security of those premises there have been in each year since 2001. [HL488]

The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.

With the exception of criminal damage caused by protesters during the two Sizewell B incidents (as reported in the Answer to HL486), which were appropriately monitored and dealt with at the time, there have been no cases of damage to buildings or equipment as a result of malicious activity.

Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of theft or attempted theft of any nuclear material there have been at the 31 licensed civil nuclear sites in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001. [HL489]

None reported.

The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.

Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many instances of theft or attempted theft or loss or unauthorised disclosure of sensitive nuclear information there have been at or from the 31 civil licensed nuclear sites in the United Kingdom in each year since 2001. [HL490]

The Office for Civil Nuclear Security (OCNS) is the security regulator for the UK's civil nuclear industry. In April 2005, OCNS introduced a reporting database to record information on security-related events. This reporting database has been used since April 2005.

Since then, there has been one occasion, in 2006, when protectively marked information was disclosed inadvertently by a civil licensed nuclear site. Action was taken to ensure that the information was withdrawn and an enquiry held into the disclosure.

Records before April 2005 are paper-based and would require the recall of OCNS Approvals and Compliance Unit Nuclear Security Inspectors from front-line inspection duties to conduct a manual trawl with each inspector going through the files relating to the civil nuclear sites he is responsible for. This constitutes a disproportionate amount of effort and would be at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether (a) Ministers, or (b) officials, have had contact with (1) Islam 4UK, (2) Al-Ghurabaa, (3) Al-Muhajiroun, (4) the Saved Sect, and (5) Sunnah wal Jamaah; and, if so, (i) when, and (ii) in what form. [HL584]

To the best of my knowledge no Minister or official has had any contact with any of the groups mentioned.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is working; and whether they are considering amending it. [HL901]

Since 1 January 2005 the Freedom of Information Act has enabled the public greater access to official information held by over 100,000 public authorities. The Ministry of Justice publishes annual reports on the operation of the Act in central government and quarterly statistical reports on the performance of central government monitored bodies and their handling of FOI requests since the Act came in to force.

A total of 171,000 requests have been dealt with under the Act by central government monitored bodies during the period January 2005 to September 2009. Eighty-nine per cent of these requests were answered within time, that is, a response was provided within the standard deadline or a permitted deadline extension was applied. Of those requests where it was possible to give a substantive decision on whether to release the information being sought, 62 per cent were granted in full.

In January 2009 the Dacre review of the 30-year rule recommended that the Government should consider a reduction to the 30-year rule—the point at which government information is usually opened to the public at an archive or other place of the deposit. The Government have accepted that there should be a reduction to the rule. Any such change would require amendments to the Freedom of Information Act. We are currently considering our response to the review and will publish it in due course.

To ask the Chairman of Committees further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Barbara Follett, on 9 December 2009 (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 390W), what was the average purchase price, excluding value added tax, of a 500 sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper paid by the House of Lords in the latest period for which figures are available. [HL1116]

The House of Lords currently pays £1.65 plus VAT per 500 sheet ream of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper.

To ask the Chairman of Committees how many parking places are available for members and staff of the House of Lords for (a) cars, and (b) bicycles. [HL934]

There are 216 car parking spaces available for Members and staff of the House of Lords, of which 100 are located in the Abingdon Street car park. There are 77 spaces for bicycles and 43 for motorcycles.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they favour community rights over individual rights in considering human rights issues in other countries. [HL947]

With the exception of the right of self determination, the UK considers that human rights belong to individuals and not to communities or groups. When we lobby other countries on human rights issues, we lobby for changes to laws and practices so that all individuals can enjoy their human rights, without discrimination.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Kyrgyzstan will be the only central Asian country not invited to the international conference on Afghanistan to be held in London on 28 January 2010; if so, why it will not be invited; and whether the transit centre supporting military operations in Afghanistan is based in Manas International Airport. [HL925]

I can confirm that Kyrgyzstan has been invited to the London conference along with Foreign Ministers from International Security Assistance Force partners, Afghanistan's immediate neighbours and key regional players, together with representatives from North Atlantic Treaty Organisation, the UN, the EU and other international organisations such as the World Bank. On 22 June 2009, the Governments of the United States and Kyrgyz Republic signed an agreement providing for a transit centre at Manas International Airport, operated by the United States, to provide logistical support to coalition forces in Afghanistan.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 1 December (WA 28) concerning the national DNA database, what guidance they provide to assist the chief officers of police in determining whether to retain DNA and fingerprints taken from persons detained under the Terrorism Act 2000; and whether they will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library of the House. [HL790]

There is currently no such guidance to assist chief constables in determining whether to retain DNA and fingerprints taken from persons detained under the Terrorism Act 2000. This is not a role they currently undertake. Currently, where DNA and fingerprints are taken from a person detained under the Terrorism Act, that material may be retained indefinitely.

As the noble Baroness will be aware from the Government's announcement on 11 November, we are proposing a new retention scheme for DNA and fingerprints via the new Crime and Security Bill. When the proposed retention scheme in the Bill becomes law, we will look to place any new guidance in the House Library.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many officials in the Northern Ireland Office earn over £100,000 a year including bonuses; what grades they are; and how much each earned in each of the past five years. [HL808]

All staff in the Northern Ireland Office (NIO) are paid in accordance with guidance issued by Cabinet Office/HM Treasury.

The details of those officials who have earned over £100,000 in the past five years are contained in the following table:

* Please note that the former Permanent Secretary retired and a new Permanent Secretary was appointed during December 2005.

This information is available in the NIO resource accounts which are published each year in accordance with government guidelines. These accounts are available to view on the NIO website www.nio.gov.uk.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what consultants the Northern Ireland Office has employed since 1 January 2008; for what tasks; and at what costs. [HL900]

The information is not available in the format requested. However, the following tables provide a breakdown of the type of consultancy provided and the costs in each of the past two financial years.

Expenditure on consultancy in the Northern Ireland Office has reduced year on year for the past four financial years, and in 2008-09 was 45 per cent less than in 2005-06.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have been involved in the telephone tapping of any member of the House of Lords since 1997. [HL839]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given by the Prime Minister on 21 July 2009 (Official Report, House of Commons, col. 1166W).

To ask the Leader of the House what changes have taken place in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to enable it to answer Questions for Written Answer within 14 days, in view of the department's performance in the 2008–09 Session to 30 April, when it was the second worst department with 32 per cent of questions answered within 14 days. [HL767]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has introduced a range of new management and procedures to ensure it answers questions on time. For example, procedures now ensure that Questions, once ready for reply, are sent to Hansard immediately.

From Questions due for reply in June 2009 to December 2009, the proportion of Questions, cleared for response within 14 days, has been consecutively 83 per cent, 94 per cent, 58 per cent, 75 per cent, 88 per cent, 98 per cent, and 87 per cent.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office Ministers and officials take very seriously their responsibility to reply to Parliamentary Questions on time.

To ask the Leader of the House whether she will publish the analysis of the number of Questions for Written Answer directed to each department between 30 April and the end of the Session, together with the number and percentage of those Questions which were not answered within 14 days. [HL898]

The table below sets out information on the number of Questions for Written Answer tabled and answered within 14 days by department.

To ask the Leader of the House further to her Written Answer on 3 December (WA 77), in respect of how many of the Questions that were not answered before the end of the 2008–09 Session was an apology sent to the Member concerned for not having been answered within 14 days. [HL899]

I remain determined that departments take seriously their responsibilities to answer Questions on time and continue to reinforce that message with them. My office urged all those departments concerned to provide substantive Answers to the six Questions for Written Answer referred to in my Written Answer of 3 December. The precise terms in which they did so are, of course, a matter for the departments themselves.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their stance on the resolution promoted by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference before the United Nations General Assembly on the defamation of religion. [HL1038]

The Government share the concern of the Organisation of Islamic Conference that individuals around the world are victimised because of their religion or belief. We all need to do more to eliminate religious intolerance and to ensure that those who incite hatred or violence against individuals because of their religious beliefs are dealt with by the law.

But the Government cannot agree with an approach that promotes the concept of “defamation of religions” as a response. This approach severely risks diminishing the right to freedom of expression. We believe that international human rights law already strikes the right balance between the individual's right to express themselves freely and the need for the state to limit this right in certain circumstances. International human rights law provides that only where advocacy of religious hatred constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence should it be prohibited by law.

We believe that the concept of “defamation of religions” puts in danger the very openness and tolerance that allows people of different faiths to co-exist and to practise their faith without fear. It risks changing the focus of international human rights law from examining how countries promote and protect the right to freedom of expression to censoring what individuals say. If this happened, people might feel unable to speak out against human rights abuses or hold their government to account. It is also inconsistent with the international human rights legal framework which exists to protect individuals and not concepts or specific belief systems.

For this reason the UK, along with our EU Partners and other like-minded countries, voted against the resolution put forward by the Organisation of Islamic Conference at the 64th session of the UN General Assembly on Combating Defamation of Religions.

To ask Her Majesty's Government on how many occasions Royal Navy units have made contact with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia; and, for each incident, how many suspects were involved, and whether they were armed. [HL524]

Since October 2008 the Royal Navy has carried out compliant boardings on seven suspected pirate vessels. Figures shown below detail the number of suspected pirates involved for each boarding and whether they were armed.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria regarding public access and benefit have been included in the terms of reference for Sir Muir Russell's review of funding for university museums and galleries. [HL1088]

Institutions in receipt of this funding have been asked to submit evidence to the review against three criteria. One of these asks for “the extent to which the activities of the museums and galleries address the Higher Education Funding Council for England's widening participation objective to promote and provide the opportunity of successful participation in higher education to everyone who can benefit from it, and the broader government objective of increasing public access to such institutions for the wider community to promote lifelong learning and social cohesion. Submissions may also include evidence of public engagement activities directly beneficial to higher education undertaken by the museum/gallery (for example, work contributing to public understanding of the research process and its outcomes)”.