To ask Her Majesty's Government what lessons have been learnt from casualties caused by “friendly fire” in (a) Afghanistan, and (b) Iraq, in order to reduce such instances in the future. [HL1063]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what common causes have been identified in “friendly fire” incidents in Afghanistan and Iraq. [HL1064]

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) deeply regrets each death or injury caused by “friendly fire” or fratricide. After every such incident we carry out a thorough investigation as we would for any other death in service, initially led by the local commander and subsequently by the military chain of command. We also take careful note of the recommendations of service inquiries and coroner's inquests, and track their implementation through a single service or joint lessons register.

Additionally, the MoD maintains a Combat Identification Steering Group which meets every six months to ensure that all three services have coherent procedures and equipment to reduce fratricide.

The common causes identified in friendly fire incidents are:

Mistakenly identifying friendly forces for enemy—in the confusion of battle, the ground commander can sometimes mistake friendly forces for enemy forces and call for fire support (fast jets, helicopters, heavy weapons and artillery) against them.

Procedures not followed correctly—our Armed Forces have very effective procedures for minimising fratricide when calling for fire support. When these are not followed fully then errors can be made e.g. when the map reference of the location to be fired on is not confirmed with the ground forces before firing. Research is currently under way into the human factors which cause such errors.

Loss of situational awareness—in the confusion of a battle, fire support elements can lose track of where enemy and friendly forces are positioned (in military parlance, their situational awareness). To counteract this, fire support will be “talked on” to their target by friendly forces involved in the battle with a verbal description of the target. Some incidents of fratricide result from a misunderstanding of the verbal description provided.

The key lessons learnt are in three major categories:

Collective training and multinational interoperability —many fratricides occur when unfamiliar units are suddenly forced to work together. This usually arises from necessity, as when troops come under fire and call for close air support. In this situation the nearest available air asset will be directed to assist and thus the pilot may not immediately recognise the friendly force.

To minimise the risk of fratricide from such incidents our Armed Forces place considerable emphasis on joint training at every level before deployment, and on familiarisation with the equipment and procedures of coalition allies both prior to deployment and in theatre.

For the occasions when unfamiliar forces must work together, the UK is actively engaged with our NATO partners on developing equipment and procedures for combat identification. To test candidate technical solutions, the UK participated in a multinational combat identification exercise in October and November last year involving ground troops and fast air support from 12 nations.

Time lag of data in tactical communications and information systems—due to technological limitations, real time flow of information can never be achieved: there is always some delay (known as latency) in the transmission or refreshing of the information available to our forces, which could contribute to “friendly fire” incidents.

Shared situational awareness—the three services (and our coalition partners) have different requirements for information about the tactical situation which lead to different amounts of delay between an entity being reported at a particular location and the report of that position being received. UK ground and air forces therefore use different systems to display information about the current tactical situation. Some fratricide incidents have occurred which may have been caused by differences in the information available to the various parties. The MoD is putting significant effort into supplying near-real time force tracking information to tactical operations rooms and has made considerable progress in the past three months. The upgrade of Bowman in Afghanistan next year will also help to ensure that ground forces have a common and up-to-date understanding of the tactical situation.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what impact the introduction of a policy of minimum pricing for alcoholic drinks would have on revenues to HM Treasury. [HL1227]

To ask Her Majesty's Government what amount is collected by HM Treasury from each penny of duty on a pint of beer; and what assessment they have made of the level of duty beyond which HM Treasury would begin to lose revenue. [HL1230]

A minimum pricing policy for alcoholic drinks would not be achieved through increased duties; therefore no explicit assessment has been made of the effect on revenues.

The indicative level of duty on a pint of beer is given in table 6 of the tax ready reckoner available at www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/d/pbr09_taxreadyreckoner.pdf, as 39 pence.

No assessment has been made of the level of duty beyond which HM Treasury would begin to lose revenue.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much would be due from Airbus to the Government or vice versa, under the contractual conditions applying on 31 December 2009, should they cancel their order for the A400M. [HL1096]

The arrangements for contract cancellation on the A400M programme are complex and are determined by the contract agreed between partner nations and the prime contractor.

The precise contractual arrangements and costs that would apply should a decision be made by one or more partner nations to withdraw from the A400M programme would be determined by the particular circumstances surrounding that decision, and are commercially sensitive.

The contract does not permit Airbus Military to cancel for convenience; if it elected to terminate, it would be breach of contract. In such a case, the amount for which it could be liable would depend on the particular circumstances surrounding that decision, and is commercially sensitive.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of how many skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers would find further employment within three months if their order for the A400M was cancelled. [HL1097]

The Government have made no such assessment.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with Boeing or Lockheed the availability of C17s or C130s should they decide to cancel their order for the A400M aircraft. [HL1107]

My department has been in contact with Boeing and Lockheed Martin Aeronautical Systems throughout 2009 on the potential availability of additional C-17 and C-130J aircraft respectively. An additional (7th) C-17 is now on contract and we would expect to continue this dialogue while we consider the way forward for the A400M programme with our international partners.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with the Government of the United States how Her Majesty's Government could satisfy their airlift requirements, should they cancel orders for the A400M aircraft. [HL1180]

The department keeps its current and future airlift requirements under constant review, and is undertaking work to study the fallback options for alternative air transport capability solutions.

While discussion takes place with the US at working level on a range of airlift issues, no formal discussions have taken place with the US on the purchase of alternative airlift solutions in the event that the UK orders for A400M aircraft do not proceed.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what type of mission or capability the A400M aircraft will be used for that cannot be satisfied by a combination of C130s and C17s. [HL1181]

C-130Js and C-17s are both able to perform in-theatre tactical airlift and strategic deployment into theatre, although for UK purposes C-130J is more ideally suited to tactical tasking and C-17 for strategic deployment. Nevertheless, the load capacity of C-130J significantly limits its ability to carry a wide range of vehicles. While C-17 could be used to carry these loads tactically, we assess that this would lead to significant growth in support costs. A400M is ideally suited for such tactical taskings and would also contribute significant strategic airlift capability, effectively providing a swing-role capability.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have asked the United States Air Force how it performs the roles that Her Majesty's Government envisages being performed by the A400M aircraft. [HL1182]

The US air transport requirement is satisfied by various marks of C-130, C-17, C5 and the recently introduced C27J aircraft. While the MoD has not undertaken detailed analysis of the US fleet mix, our understanding is that the capabilities we envisage A400M will provide are largely met through use of C-130s and C-17s, albeit using C-17.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their defence procurement policy takes account of the production lines of both the C130 and the C17 still being open. [HL1183]

The department considers a number of factors when deciding policy, including supplier production capabilities.

To ask Her Majesty's Government when is the next occasion for a decision by the consortium of participating countries to cancel the A400M aircraft. [HL1184]

The next occasion that such a decision could be taken is 31 January 2010, when the current “standstill” period agreed between A400M partner nations and Airbus Military comes to an end, although consensus amongst the nations would be required to exercise this option.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will publish any representations they have received from other members of the consortium on the possible cancellation of the A400M aircraft. [HL1185]

There have been continuing discussions with partner nations on this topic, but it would not be appropriate to disclose any details of them.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any enquiries from any other members of NATO as to the possibility of buying the A400M aircraft. [HL1244]

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any enquiries from any other members of the Commonwealth as to the possibility of buying the A400M aircraft. [HL1245]

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any enquiries from any other members of the European Union as to the possibility of buying the A400M aircraft. [HL1246]

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have had any enquiries from any countries who are not members of NATO, the Commonwealth or the European Union as to the possibility of buying the A400M aircraft. [HL1247]

The A400M programme is managed by Airbus Military which also takes the lead for any potential sales beyond existing members of the programme, however, the UK, alongside the other partner nations, would support potential sales. The UK Government have received no approaches concerning the sale of A400M.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of the order for the A400M aircraft had been cancelled as of 31 December 2009. [HL1248]

None of the aircraft ordered as part of the A400M launch contract has been cancelled to date.

As you may be aware, South Africa recently cancelled its order for eight A400M, however, these were additional aircraft and not part of the development of the core A400M programme, which is unaffected by this decision.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many orders they expect to be placed for the A400M aircraft in 2010 from countries who are not part of the manufacturing consortium. [HL1249]

We cannot provide a forecast of orders, this is the business of Airbus Military, but nations have agreed to support Airbus in its export drive.

To ask Her Majesty's Government for how many months they forecast the Royal Air Force will run a three aircraft fixed-wing transport fleet, should the order for the A400M aircraft continue. [HL1300]

After the C-130K goes out of service in 2012, the RAF's air transport requirements will be primarily met by the C-130J and the C-17, which have forecast out-of-service dates of 2030 and 2031 respectively, until A400M comes into service. FSTA, TriStar, VC10, BAe 146 and BAe 125 can also be used in a transport role. With a working assumption that A400M will be in service until 2045, under current planning assumptions the RAF would operate a three aircraft fixed-wing fleet dedicated to the transport role from around 2014 to 2030.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much degradation to the original specifications of the A400M aircraft would cause them to reduce their financial contribution to the programme. [HL1303]

There is no contractual mechanism for varying payments should the specification fall short, but nations would be able to reject aircraft failing to meet specified performance guarantees. All performance guarantees are expected to be met.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the gross cost to the United Kingdom taxpayer of the British military presence in (a) Afghanistan, (b) Iraq, (c) Falkland Islands, (d) Northern Ireland and (e) Cyprus in each of the most recent three financial years; and what is the budgeted expenditure for the current year. [HL1444]

I refer the noble Lord to the Answers given to the noble Lord Marlesford on 5 January 2010 (Official Report, col. 4W) and 18 January 2010 (Official Report, col. 201W).

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan for new Chinook helicopters to be given clearances with limited evidence, allowing them to be in service quickly. [HL1221]

The Chinook Mk3R helicopters are just being brought into service and are at present operating with 12 clearances with limited evidence (CLE) for a number of subsystems. It is anticipated that four of these CLE will be uplifted to full clearances within two months, and the others will be uplifted as soon as possible.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of lending by the United Kingdom retail banking sector to small and medium-sized enterprises; and what steps they will take if they conclude it is not lending enough. [HL1255]

SME lending data collected by BIS show that while it is true to say that demand for finance remains subdued and new lending is down comparatively with 2007, the large majority of SME applications for finance are successful.

The Government continue to monitor the situation closely, for example the experiences of both lenders and borrowers are discussed regularly at the Small Business Finance Forum.

While continuing to encourage lending to viable SMEs, the Government have agreed lending commitments with RBS and Lloyds. Lending commitments will also be in place for next year up to March 2011.

In addition, over £750 million of loans have been offered to SMEs through the enterprise finance guarantee, which has been extended to 31 March 2011, and the Government are working to establish a growth capital fund which will supply risk capital to established SMEs of between £2 and £10 million.

To ask Her Majesty's Government when the practice of paying bonuses to civil servants began; and what was the total paid in each year since 1997. [HL1282]

Civil Service reward systems have evolved over time and have featured performance-related payments for at least the past 20 years.

Non-consolidated performance payments (e.g. payments for outstanding delivery on particularly stretching objectives) became a common feature of Civil Service pay in 1996.

Information on the level of non-consolidated performance payments across the Civil Service is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

To ask Her Majesty's Government to what public posts Sir Richard Dannatt has been appointed since his retirement as Chief of the General Staff. [HL955]

Sir Richard Dannatt has not been appointed to any public body since his retirement.

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the take-up of child tax credits for nursery provision is at its current level. [HL1241]

There is no child tax credit specifically for nursery provision.

Help with the costs of registered or approved childcare for working families (including but not limited to childcare provided by nurseries) is provided through the childcare element of the working tax credit.

The number of families benefiting from the childcare element has increased by over 80 per cent since new tax credits were introduced in 2003, and was 478,000 as of December 2009. There are now twice as many families benefiting from it as from the childcare tax credit in the working families tax credit, the predecessor system, and over 15 times as many families as were benefiting from the childcare disregard in family credit in 1997.

The latest figure for the number of families benefiting from the childcare element is regularly published in table 4.4 of the HM Revenue and Customs publication Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics, available at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/cwtc-dec09.pdf.

Estimates for the take-up rate of the childcare element are not available, due to the absence of an estimate of the number of families eligible for the childcare element.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how 600,000 childcare places for two year-olds will be funded. [HL1240]

We are committed to rolling out a free entitlement to two year-olds, stage by stage. By the end of March 2010 it is expected some 20,000 two year-olds from the most disadvantaged backgrounds will have access to a free early learning and childcare place each year.

Funding allocated to support the free early learning and childcare offer to two year-olds over 2009-2011 is £137 million, delivered through the Early Years, Extended Schools and Childcare Grant (EYESCG).

Decisions regarding the pace of future rollout will need to be taken in light of wider fiscal considerations as part of the next spending review.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to ensure that when a customer makes a payment against their credit card debt it is allocated to the debt attracting the highest rate of interest first. [HL1279]

The Government are concerned about the practice of allocating payments to the cheapest debt first and the extent to which consumers understand this, and its implications for their personal finances. We are therefore considering what action may be required as part of the current review of the regulation of credit and store cards which is being undertaken by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills. Among other things, our consultation examines whether we should reverse the allocation of payments to ensure that expensive debts are paid off more quickly, as a very small number of lenders already do. We published a consultation document seeking views on potential reforms in October 2009. The consultation closes on 19 January 2010. The Government will issue final recommendations in the spring.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what Bills were introduced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessors in each session since 2005. [HL1425]

The following Bills were introduced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessors:

2004-05 Session

Consumer Credit Bill Equality Bill.

2005-06 Session

Companies Bill [HL];

Consumer Credit Bill;

Equality Bill [HL];

Wireless Telegraphy [HL] (Consolidation Bill); and

Work and Families Bill.

2006-07 Session

Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Bill [HL].

2007-08 Session

Employment Bill;

Energy Bill;

Regulatory Enforcement and Sanctions Bill [HL]; and

Sale of Student Loans Bill.

2008-09 Session

Industry and Exports (Financial Support) Bill; and

Postal Services Bill [HL].

2009-10 Session

Digital Economy Bill [HL].

To ask Her Majesty's Government what criminal offences have been created by Acts of Parliament promoted by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and its predecessors since 2005. [HL1426]

The information requested has been placed in the Library of the House.

To ask the Chairman of Committees further to his Written Answer on 23 October 2009 (WA 100) on carbon emissions, whether he will write the letter referred to in the Answer. [HL1455]

The November meeting of the Administration and Works Committee to which I referred in my Answer was postponed to 19 January 2010. I shall write to the noble Lord shortly.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to promote competitiveness and economic growth in the European Union over the next 10 years. [HL1073]

Building on the Prime Minister’s letter to the Swedish Prime Minister ahead of the October 2009 European Council, the Government on 19 January launched their plan for a new EU compact for jobs and growth. The paper sets out the need for strong, sustainable, and balanced growth to continue to raise the prosperity and improve the standard of living of Europe's citizens, and is available at: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/329788/compact-jobs-growth.pdf.

It outlines six areas where action is needed, with policy proposals in each area:

fiscal policy that protects the recovery and supports sustainable growth;

creating new jobs and equipping our workforce with skills for the new economy;

growing the innovative industries of the future;

supporting business to take advantage of the single market;

opening up global markets to trade and investment; and

a robust and competitive financial services sector.

It also proposes a compact between the President of the Commission and the President of the European Council that would serve as a framework for harnessing Europe’s policies, such as those set out in the UK Government’s paper and the European Commission's EU 2020 proposals, to deliver jobs and growth.

The UK Government have also outlined their priorities for EU economic reform in a paper The Future of EU Competitiveness: From Economic Recovery to Sustainable Growth, published in June 2009 and available at www.berr.gov.uk/files/files51732.pdf. This sets out key areas where EU action can have the greatest impact to ensure EU businesses can compete in a global marketplace, and highlights the importance of an integrated approach to EU industrial policy and the future of the single market.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what conclusions they have drawn from the European Union Lisbon Strategy for economic growth regarding better economic co-operation in future European Union growth programmes. [HL1074]

The Lisbon strategy for growth and jobs has played an important part in promoting economic reform across Europe by providing: political impetus for EU and national policies; a toolkit for reform based on learning from the best performers in Europe; and co-ordination in areas where action or inaction in one member state would impact on citizens in another. As such, it was a factor in rising employment rates and productivity across Europe.

But the EU and its member states did not make enough progress quickly enough, and the progress that they did make has been set back by the economic crisis. The EU needs a new strategy that provides a coherent, high-profile framework for the steps needed at international, EU, national and regional levels to ensure that Europe plays its part in generating strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

The EU 2020 initiative provides an opportunity to develop such a strategy. Building on the Prime Minister’s letter to the Swedish Prime Minister ahead of the October 2009 European Council, the Government on 19 January launched their plans for a new EU compact for jobs and growth.

The paper sets out the need for strong, sustainable, and balanced growth to continue to raise the prosperity and improve the standard of living of Europe’s citizens, and is available at http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/329788/compact-jobs-growth.pdf.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what targets they have proposed to European Union states for economic growth in the European Union in the next ten years. [HL1075]

Building on the Prime Minister’s letter to the Swedish Prime Minister ahead of the October 2009 European Council, the Government on 19 January published their plans for a new European compact for jobs and growth, available at: www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/329788/compact-jobs-growth.pdf.

The paper argues that Europe should agree a compact that brings together EU institutions and member states in a common cause of generating strong, sustainable and balanced growth. The starting point for delivering this ambitious agenda should be a set of clear and measurable objectives around:

strengthening Europe’s long-run growth potential;

ensuring growth within Europe and its Member States is balanced;

increasing employment and labour market participation;

raising labour and capital productivity; and

facilitating investment.

Member states should define and establish measurable national targets that contribute to meeting these EU objectives, and be held publicly accountable for progress towards these targets through intergovernmental peer review.

Within this framework the paper proposes specific targets for action at the member state and EU-level:

national targets to reduce child poverty supported by greater cohesion between employment policy and social protection;

promoting greater participation and equality of women in the workplace by ensuring a new EU gender road map which includes agreement of targets to close the gender pay gap and increase the participation of women in public and private sectors; and

a target for all homes and businesses to have access to broadband at 2 Mb per second by the end of 2013.

The paper also suggests that an annual economic summit of EU leaders should be established to review progress against the objectives on the basis of reports from the Economic and Financial Affairs Council (ECOFIN) and the European Systemic Risk Board (ESRB).

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are proposals by the European Commission to introduce a common tax base for business; and, if so, whether they support such a measure. [HL1076]

To date, the European Commission has not brought forward a legislative proposal to establish a EU Common consolidated corporate tax base.

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether proposals to introduce a common tax base for business would require a unanimous vote of the Council of the European Union.[HL1077]

An EU legislative proposal to establish a common consolidated corporate tax base among the 27 EU member states would require a unanimous vote in the Council of the European Union.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the level of participation in the latest auction for long-term Government bond purchases. [HL1254]

The auction of £2,250 million (nominal) of 4¼ per cent Treasury Gilt 2049 on 13 January 2010 was covered 1.81 times, which is slightly higher than the cover ratios at the previous two auctions of long-dated conventional gilts (the £2,000 million (nominal) auction of 4½ per cent Treasury Gilt 2034 on 4 November 2009 was 1.53 times covered and the £2,250 million (nominal) auction of 4¼ per cent Treasury Gilt 2039 on 2 December 2009 was 1.74 times covered).

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 2 April 2009 (Official Report, House of Lords, col. 1173) on equity release, what steps they have taken since then to promote the measures set out in the question; and whether they issue guidance that such schemes should be underpinned by independent legal advice and that accurate and adequate advice must be conveyed before any legal agreements are entered into. [HL1278]

The Government have made it clear in previous statements to Parliament that equity release products are complex financial products, and consumers considering equity release should consider seeking independent financial advice. However, the decision on whether to seek independent financial advice remains a decision for consumers, and some consumers may decide that they do not require such advice.

The Government have put in place Financial Services Authority (FSA) regulation of equity release products. The FSA's regime provides important protections for consumers, including requirements that information provided by regulated equity release providers must be clear, fair and not misleading. The FSA publishes a consumer guide to equity release products, which states that consumers uncertain about equity release should seek independent financial advice. This is available in hard copy from the FSA, or on the FSA's website at http://www.moneymadeclear.fsa.gov.uk/tools/publications/publications.html.

To ask Her Majesty's Government which departments hold personal information in electronic form on archive; and what rules govern extracting such information from an archive or moving it between archives. [HL1436]

Information on which departments hold personal information in electronic form within archives is not held centrally by the Cabinet Office. The nature of the personal information held by each department would only be known by each department and be recorded on individual departmental information asset registers.

In June 2008, the Cabinet Secretary published the data handling report (DHR) on the security of cross-government data handling procedures. The DHR deals with specific measures that departments must take in order to improve the security of personal data including its storage and transit. A full copy of the report is available at www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/reports/data_handling.aspx.

In addition, personal information held by government departments is governed by the Data Protection Act 1998 and each government department is responsible for ensuring that it complies with the Act when carrying out any processing including extracting and transferring personal information.

To ask Her Majesty's Government 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, 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 (a) Buying Solutions, (b) Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs, (c) the Valuation Office Agency, (d) the Government Actuary's Department, (e) the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt, (f) the National Audit Office, and (g) HM Treasury, in the latest period for which figures are available. [HL1029]

The National Audit Office is accountable directly to Parliament and is not the responsibility of HM Government.

The UK Debt Management Office (which carries out the functions of the Commissioners for the Reduction of the National Debt) does not purchase white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper.

The table below summarises the information requested for the remaining organisations for an estimated average price paid in the latest complete year for which figures are available for a 500 sheet ream of this specification of paper.

The cost of white A4 80 gsm photocopier paper will vary according to the finished quality. Each organisation may select different volumes and qualities of paper even where they are using the same Buying Solutions framework. The average price per organisation reflects these selections.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Crawley on 19 January (WA 236–7), what proportion of United Kingdom gross domestic product was represented by manufacturing in 1997. [HL1439]

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.

Letter from Dennis Roberts, Director, Survey and Administrative Sources, Office for National Statistics, to Lord Stoddard, dated January 2010.

The Director General of the Office for National Statistics has been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking what proportion of United Kingdom Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was represented by Manufacturing in 1997. 1 am replying in his absence. (HL 1439)

When assessing industry percentages to total production it is more appropriate to assess against Total Gross Value Added (GVA) as opposed to GDP. This is because GDP equals GVA plus unallocated taxes and subsidies such as VAT which are not able to be allocated to industry production and thus the percentages calculated would not add to 100 per cent.

In current (nominal) price terms for the calendar year 1997 Total Manufacturing is estimated to have made up 20.3 per cent of Total GVA.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment has been made of the impact of the proposed revisions to the Export Credits Guarantee Department's business principles and ancillary policies on the protection of social and human rights, including protection against the use of child workers and forced labour abroad. [HL1363]

To ask Her Majesty's Government why the current public consultation on proposed revisions to the Export Credits Guarantee Department's business principles and ancillary policies does not contain information about the estimated impact of such revisions upon the protection of social and human rights, including protection against the use of child workers and forced labour abroad. [HL1364]

The Government have included in their public consultation on ECGD's business principles a proposal that ECGD should adopt a policy of following OECD agreements related to the environment, sustainable lending and bribery, and not, in future, separately operate and additionally create policies which go beyond those agreements. The consultation document stated that the effect of this proposal would be that certain exports, being those involving credit terms of less than two years or an UK export value of less than SDR 10 million (circa £10 million) would no longer be subject to environmental and social impact due diligence, including human rights impacts. This would be consistent with the system of protection on such matters that members of the OECD consider appropriate as set out in the relevant international agreement (the OECD recommendation on common approaches on the environment and officially supported export credits).

No assessment has been made of the potential impact of such a proposal on the protection of social and human rights, including protection against the exploitative use of child workers and the use of forced labour overseas, because ECGD does not know, and cannot estimate, the level of future demand for support for exports falling into the above category. Without such prior knowledge, ECGD cannot estimate the proportion of those within that category that might have possible environmental and social impacts, including on human rights, or determine the classification between A, B or C impacts and whether such impacts would satisfy international standards as specified in the OECD recommendation on common approaches and, therefore, be eligible in principle for ECGD support.

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 8 December 2009 (WA 112), whether they will publish for consultation a draft protocol on when to hold an inquiry instead of an inquest. [HL1055]

To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 8 December 2009 (WA 112), what is their proposed timetable for the publication of the protocol setting out when an inquiry will be established instead of an inquest.[HL1056]

The Government are consulting the senior judiciary to settle the terms of the protocol, which we aim to finalise as soon as possible. It is not intended that the Government will consult formally on the protocol before it is published and brought into effect.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications there have been for live music under the Legislative Reform (Minor Variations to Premises Licences and Club Premises Certificates) Order 2009; and how many of these applications have been granted. [HL1360]

The minor variations process came into force on 29 July 2009. Official statistics on its use are not yet available. We hope to be able to include data about minor variations in the next Statistical Bulletin on Alcohol, Entertainment and Late Night Refreshment Licensing, which we expect to be published in autumn 2010.

The Government have asked the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services (LACORS) to request information from licensing authorities about minor variations applications that relate to live music.

LACORS has informed the department that, although it has not conducted an exhaustive survey, it is aware of six examples of applications being made that include requests to add or extend authorisation for live music. There were three requests for the easing of conditions relating to an existing authorisation for live music, and three for new authorisations for live music. All these applications were granted. LACORS is not aware of any minor variation application relating to live music that has been refused.

To ask Her Majesty's Government when Ofqual will be established; and what was the legal authority for making the Chief Regulator of Qualifications and Examinations Order 2009 (SI 2009/3208). [HL1289]

Our intention is to commence the provisions in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009 which establishes Ofqual on 1 April 2010.

Her Majesty the Queen, on the advice of the Privy Council, has by order appointed Kathleen Tattersall OBE as the first Chief Regulator of Qualifications and Examinations from that date. The order, dated 9 December 2009, was made under paragraph 2(1) of Schedule 9 to the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act 2009. Section 13 of the Interpretation Act 1978 allows statutory powers of appointment to be exercised before the commencement of the provision under which the appointment is made.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what guidance they have issued to officials at the Traffic Enforcement Centre at Northampton County Court who make court orders accepting or rejecting out-of-time statements of truth and statutory declarations; and whether they will place a copy of any such guidance in the Library of the House. [HL1293]

No guidance has been provided to officials on this matter.

Paragraph 5 of the practice direction supporting Part 75 of the Civil Procedure Rules 1998 sets out the procedure for dealing with applications to file statutory declarations and witness statements out of time.

The practice direction makes it clear that a copy of an application must be sent to the relevant local authority seeking representations in the first instance. It also provides that where the local authority accepts the application, it is treated as an in-time statutory declaration and the court registration is cancelled.

Where the local authority rejects the application, the practice direction provides that a court officer must make a decision on the evidence presented about whether the application should be granted or refused. The evidence might be for example, if a respondent was unable to comply with timescales because he or she had been out of the country at the relevant time. Both parties are then informed of the decision.

Rule 75.5A of the Civil Procedure Rules provides that any party may subsequently apply for a decision of a court officer to be reviewed by a district judge. This review is limited to the decision to refuse the application for further time and cannot consider the validity of the notice of the amount due or any order.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they are taking to prevent the outbreak of Q-Fever amongst goats in the Netherlands from reaching the United Kingdom. [HL1262]

There is currently no definite evidence to suggest the Dutch Q-fever outbreak has been caused by a different strain of the organism that causes Q-fever to that already found endemically in the UK.

Defra requested that the Dutch Q-fever outbreak be considered by the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) group at its meeting on 6 January 2010. The HAIRS group is a multi-disciplinary group chaired by the Health Protection Agency (HPA) with members from the HPA, Department of Health, the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Defra (including representatives of the key Defra agencies: the Veterinary Laboratories Agency and Animal Health) and participants from each devolved Administration. The meeting considered the one published paper suggesting the possibility that the organism responsible for the Dutch Q-fever outbreak may be of a different strain, but considered this to be speculative not conclusive.

Therefore Defra continues to follow the guidance of the Veterinary Laboratory Agency’s (VLA) small ruminants (sheep and goats) expert group, part of Defra’s scanning surveillance network within the VLA. This group has concluded there are currently no reasons for the UK to stop the importation of goats or sheep from the Netherlands. In fact there are very few consignments of sheep and goats imported from the Netherlands annually (14 in 2008). Furthermore the heightened Dutch controls restricting movements of animals from farms found to be infected with Q-fever will also serve to restrict imports from the Netherlands.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what response they will send to organisations advocating an end to compulsory retirement ages. [HL1316]

The UK does not have a national compulsory retirement age. The Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006 introduced a default retirement age of 65 which allows employers to use retirement at 65 as a tool for workforce planning. Employers do not have to retire employees once they reach 65. They are free to continue to employ them as long as they like, and employees are entitled to request to continue working beyond 65.

We are bringing forward the review of the default retirement age from 2011 to 2010 and have asked stakeholders to submit evidence to inform the review by 1 February. The review will consider whether the default retirement age is still appropriate and necessary and will be based on evidence that is as robust, wide-ranging and detailed as possible. As set out in Building a Society for All Ages, any changes resulting from the review would be implemented in 2011, giving businesses enough time to prepare.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how they respond to the comments made by the Communications Champion Jean Gross that many children lack the vocabulary skills to ensure future employment. [HL1238]

The Government have published an action plan Better Communication, backed by £12 million investment, which included appointing a communications champion. Jean Gross has been appointed as the communications champion and is playing a key role in promoting the importance of communication skills to children and in helping us to make a success of the commitments set out in the action plan.

The pupil guarantee, on which we are consulting, includes a commitment that all learners should get the chance to develop functional skills, including English. Functional English specifically covers oral communication and its applicability in the world of work. The changes to the secondary English curriculum which are already under way will secure this. Functional Skills is a key component of foundation learning, being developed as part of the 14-19 reforms to focus on the needs of learners at entry level and level 1.

To ask Her Majesty's Government why they have yet to respond to the recommendation of the Independent Review of the Primary Curriculum by Sir John Rose about introducing synthetic phonics in schools. [HL1239]

The Government accepted all of the recommendations made by Sir Jim Rose in the final report of the independent review of the primary curriculum, published on 30 April 2009. The report did not recommend introducing synthetic phonics in schools.

Sir Jim Rose’s Independent Review of the Teaching of Early Reading, 2006, recommended systematic phonic work as the prime approach for teaching beginner readers. This recommendation was implemented in schools in 2007-08.

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much income tax was paid by writers on the sale of their archives in (a) 2006–07, (b) 2007–08, and (c) 2008–09. [HL1114]

The information requested is not available, as there is no requirement for individuals to identify specific sources of income when making a tax return.

To ask Her Majesty's Government what parliamentary committees and authorities were consulted over the 2008 extensions to the Westminster World Heritage Site. [HL1281]

The 2008 extension to the Westminster World Heritage Site was a commitment in the management plan published in 2007. This plan was agreed by the Westminster World Heritage Site Liaison Steering Group, of which the Parliamentary Estates Directorate is a member.