Written Answers
Monday 22 February 2010
Afghanistan
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to review the quota system for gallantry medals in light of the intensity of fighting in Afghanistan. [HL1790]
The integrity of the operational honours system is paramount and British gallantry medals are highly respected. While honours are considered on a case-by-case basis and awarded according to individual merit, commanders are guided by a flexible quota system based on the number of people deployed on each mission and the intensity of combat. Gallantry awards recognise the bravest of the brave and are only given in extraordinary circumstances, therefore, their numbers will be limited. These decisions are outside of ministerial remit, but I understand there are no plans to change the current system.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will issue appropriate units of the United Kingdom forces in Afghanistan with tactical beacons (TACBEs) in order to improve their ability to communicate. [HL1958]
Tactical beacons (TACBEs) are no longer in service for use by UK Armed Forces. However, deployed personnel in Afghanistan whose duties put them at risk of isolation are equipped with effective means of communication.
Afghanistan: Mining
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that United Kingdom companies know of opportunities for Afghan mining contracts. [HL2000]
On 27 January UKTI organised a trade and investment event in the margins of the London Conference on Afghanistan to raise awareness of commercial opportunities in a range of sectors in Afghanistan, including mining.
Africa: Armed Conflict
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the estimate in the report by the International Action Network on Small Arms, Oxfam and Saferworld, Africa's Missing Billions, that the cost of armed conflict in Africa since 1990 was equivalent to the money given in aid during the same time. [HL1944]
I agree that the extraordinary cost of armed conflict in Africa severely hampers development. This is why HMG have steadily increased, over the past decade, the amount of their budget allocated to resolving and preventing conflict in Africa. The Department for International Development's (DfID’s) 2009 White Paper, Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future, set building peaceful states and societies as one of its key objectives. The White Paper pledges to allocate at least 50 per cent of its new bilateral funding to fragile countries and those affected by conflict and triple its direct project funding for security and justice.
Conflicts in Africa can only be managed and resolved in a sustainable manner by people and institutions on the continent, so HMG continue their support for African conflict prevention and resolution capability. HMG also seek an international treaty to regulate the arms trade, one of the key elements in reducing the flow of small arms in Africa. The UK has played a lead role internationally in arguing for an arms trade treaty (ATT). We are committed to working for a strong and transparent ATT over the next two years. We very much welcome the UN’s approval of the ATT resolution which, for the first time, sets a clear timetable for negotiation of a treaty.
Alcohol
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the cost to HM Treasury of freezing beer duty in the forthcoming Budget. [HL1980]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their forecast of the cost to HM Treasury of discontinuing the beer duty escalator. [HL1981]
Table 6 of the tax ready reckoner gives the impact upon Exchequer revenues of a 1 per cent increase in beer and cider duties in 2010-11 as £30 million. This figure can be adapted to give an approximate indication of the cost of different duty policy options.
Armed Forces: Homecoming
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how the police are protecting armed forces homecoming parades from unlawful protesters. [HL1789]
The role of the police is to facilitate peaceful protest, to keep the peace, to uphold the law and to prevent the commission of offences. Police tactics and decisions on how to achieve this difficult balance are a matter for the independent judgement of chief officers of police.
While the Government and police are committed to facilitating peaceful protest, we are clear that people have the right to go about their lawful business without fear of harm or intimidation. It is unacceptable for protest to cross over into violence or intimidation and the police will use the range of powers they have to deal with any activity that crosses this line.
Armed Forces: Suppliers
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Quentin Davies, on 3 November 2009 (HC Deb, col. 832W), on what basis decisions to source meat supplies from countries other than the United Kingdom are taken where United Kingdom personnel are not resident in the countries concerned. [HL1918]
As a public procurement organisation, the department is bound by the EC Public Procurement Regulations which are implemented in UK law by means of the Public Contract Regulations 2006. Under the regulations it is unlawful to act in an anti-competitive manner by specifying in which country goods should be sourced. All procurement subject to the exception provided for in Article 346 of the treaty, must be undertaken in accordance with the treaty principles of non-discrimination; equal treatment; transparency; mutual recognition and proportionality and contract award decisions are based on obtaining best value for money for the taxpayer through open and fair competition in line with MoD acquisition policy.
Asylum Seekers
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many asylum cases they are dealing with; and how many of them are legacy cases. [HL1857]
In 2008 asylum intake was 25,935.
Published figures show that at the end of September 2009 there were 9,300 asylum applications (excluding dependants) awaiting an initial decision.
Information on asylum applications is published annually in the Control of Immigration: Statistics United Kingdom bulletin and on a quarterly basis in the Control of Immigration Quarterly Statistical Summary.
These publications are available from the Library of the House and from the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics Directorate web site at:
http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration-asylum -stats. html.
There were approximately 215,000 cases remaining in the legacy backlog, as of December 2009.
Asylum Seekers: Deportation
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 15 December 2009 (WA 192), how many of the 9,275 failed asylum seekers have now been removed. [HL1723]
Of the 9,275 unsuccessful removals of failed asylum seekers for the period 1 April 2008 to 30 November 2009, 4,303 have since been successfully removed from the UK (2,754 in financial year 2008-09, and 1,549 in financial year 2009-10 to 5 February).
These figures do not constitute part of National Statistics as they are based on internal management information. The information has not been quality assured under National Statistics protocols and should be treated as provisional and subject to change.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 3 December 2009 (WA 63), how much money was spent on removing failed asylum seekers in each of the last three years. [HL1728]
It is not possible to provide a definitive figure on how much money is spent on removing failed asylum seekers. As I previously explained in my answer of 3 December 2009 (WA 63), due to the many different factors which may or may not be involved in the cost of a removal, we are unable to disaggregate the specific costs and any attempt to do so would incur disproportionate cost.
Banking Act 2009
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much has been paid out of the Consolidated Fund under section 228 of the Banking Act 2009; to what bodies payments were made; and how much of that money was paid retrospectively. [HL1973]
A report under Section 231 of the Banking Act 2009 for the period ending 30 September 2009 will be laid before Parliament by the end of February. This will disclose how much has been paid out of the Consolidated Fund under Section 228, but, in accordance with Section 231, will not specify individual arrangements, or identify, or enable the identification of, individual beneficiaries.
Banking: Iceland
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 27 January (WA 329–30), how much Landsbanki paid to the Financial Services Authority to exercise the top-up offered by the United Kingdom Financial Services Compensation Scheme to protect depositors' investments between the €20,887 guaranteed by Iceland's Depositors' and Investors' Guarantee Fund and £50,000; and what proportion of the £1.8 billion repaid to depositors within those limits is expected to be recovered from the bank's assets. [HL1900]
This is a matter for the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS). We understand the amount cannot be disclosed as this is confidential information.
Firms in each class or sub-class contribute to the related compensation costs, in line with their FSA tariff data as was the case for Landsbanki. The FSCS is a creditor in the administration of Landsbanki Islands HF in Iceland. The position on possible recoveries in relation to the firm is not clear. We cannot provide a figure for the likely recoveries as a result.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 27 January (WA 329–30), whether their objective of minimising costs to the taxpayer in relation to the United Kingdom branch of Landsbanki was met by HM Treasury's repayment to depositors of £4.5 billion. [HL1901]
On 8 October 2008 the FSA announced that the UK branch of Landsbanki was in default for the purposes of the FSCS. The Chancellor announced that all retail depositors with the UK branch of Landsbanki would receive their money in full. In taking this action the Government had several objectives including maintaining financial stability and the interests of taxpayer protection.
In November 2008 the FSCS began the payout of compensation to UK depositors, which consisted of three elements:
(i) under the EC Deposit Guarantee Scheme Directive, deposits up to £16,872, which should be paid by the Icelandic Dpeositors and Investors Guarantee Fund (DIGF);
(ii) FSCS eligible deposits above £16,872 and below £50,000 paid by the FSCS; and
(iii) balances above £50,000 paid by HMT.
In total, around £4.5 billion has been paid. It is estimated that this includes £2.35 billion that the UK Government paid out to depositors on behalf of the DIGF, £1.4 billion paid out by the FSCS for deposits above €20,887 and below £50,000, and £800 million paid out by the UK Government in respect of deposits above £50,000.
On payout to a depositor, the claim of that depositor against Landsbanki is transferred to the FSCS. However, HMT has a contractual right to recover from the FSCS recoveries referable to the HMT portion (that is, payments to deposits above £50,000). The rights that relate to the depositors' claims of no more than £16,872 will be transferred to the DIGF. However, any such transfer will only take effect upon the coming into force of the “Icesave Refinancing Loan Agreement”,
Information provided by the Resolution Committee for Landsbanki indicates that the FSCS and HM Treasury will make significant recoveries of the compensation paid to depositors through the winding up of Landsbanki.
In relation to the compensation paid out on behalf of the DIGF, on 5 June 2009, the UK Government reached agreement with the Icelandic authorities on a process to ensure the UK is refunded. The terms of the loan arrangements are set out in my letter to the House of 13 January (WA154). They include a state guarantee which, under Icelandic law, must be authorised by the Icelandic Parliament in order to take effect.
A Bill was passed in August to this effect but with a number of conditions introduced by the Icelandic Parliament. Following further negotiations, the loan agreement was amended to take account of these conditions. On 30 December, the Parliament in Iceland endorsed the loan arrangement and agreed a state guarantee. However, on 5 January 2010 the Icelandic President announced that he would not sign the Bill that the Parliament had approved, and instead proposed a referendum. A referendum has been scheduled for 6 March 2010.
The UK Government have received assurances from the Icelandic Government that they remain committed to meeting their obligations and intend to repay the loan in full.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Myners on 27 January (WA 329–30), what were the common law powers used to guarantee and repay all the deposits by United Kingdom retail investors in the Icelandic banks. [HL2055]
The common law powers used by Treasury Ministers to make payments in connection with the retail deposit books of Heritable Bank, Kaupthing Singer & Friedlander and the UK branch of Landsbanki are referred to as the “Ram doctrine”.
These payments comprised loans to the Financial Services Compensation Scheme to cover that proportion of the retail deposits protected by the scheme and cash payments to cover the proportion of the retail deposits which were not protected by the scheme.
This doctrine was set out in a memorandum by the then First Parliamentary Counsel, Sir Glanville Ram in 1945. This explains that as a matter of law a Minister of the Crown may exercise any powers that the Crown has power to exercise, except to the extent to which the Minister is precluded by statute either expressly or by necessary implication.
These powers include the power to enter into contracts or to make payments to others.
The statutory authority for the Treasury to incur expenditure in the course of exercising these powers was provided by section 228 of the Banking Act 2009.
Benefits: Non-British Citizens
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether European Union nationals are eligible to claim child-related benefits when their children are not resident in the United Kingdom; and, if so, how much was paid out in each of the last five years. [HL1780]
Child benefit and child tax credit is intended to help families in the UK. Generally, therefore, it is not payable in respect of children resident outside the UK. However, under EC co-ordinating regulations on social security for migrant workers and their families, which the UK has administered since it joined the European Economic Community in 1973, a European economic area (EEA) national working in one member state can claim family benefits (child tax credit together with child benefit) in that member state in respect of members of their family resident in other member states.
All claims for family benefits are subject to a wide range of checks throughout the life of each claim. Where claims for family benefits are made under the EC regulations on behalf of children living in another member state, HM Revenue and Customs carries out further checks to verify the information provided by the customer to prevent erroneous or fraudulent claims.
The value of the benefit paid is only available at disproportionate costs because under the EC social security co-ordinating regulations (EC Regulations 1408/71 and 574/72) not all awards of child benefit in respect of children living in other member states are made at the full UK rate.
Biometric Data
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many persons have had their biometric data taken by Counter Terrorism Command under Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000; how many of those have applied to the chief police officer of the force which took the data under the exceptional case procedure for their samples to be destroyed; how many of those applications have been successful; and what was the average length of time between the first request to have the data destroyed and notification to the applicant or his representative that the data have been destroyed. [HL1914]
The powers of examination contained in Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 are an important tool in countering terrorism. Terrorists often need to travel across borders to plan, prepare and initiate their acts and these powers are essential in helping to identify those individuals. The powers within Schedule 7 allow officers to take biometric material in order to determine if someone is, or has been, involved in the commission, preparation or instigation of an act of terrorism.
Nationally, from the introduction of the Terrorism Act up to 31 December 2009, fingerprints and DNA samples have been taken under Schedule 7 on approximately 1,200 occasions. I am advised that there have been three individuals who are known to have applied for the samples to be destroyed under the exceptional case procedure. However, as applications are made to individual forces, it is possible that some cases have not been reported centrally. Of these three individuals, two sets of samples have been destroyed and the third case is still under consideration. These cases have taken between six and 12 months to complete.
In response to the European Court of Human Rights judgment in the case of S and Marper v United Kingdom [2008] ECHR 1581, and following pubic consultation in May 2009, the Government laid the Crime and Security Bill before Parliament. It contains provisions that would establish a clear statutory framework for the retention, destruction and use of biometric material, including DNA samples, DNA profiles and fingerprints. They strike a proper balance between protecting the pubic from the threat posed by terrorism and other threats to national security and upholding individuals’ rights and liberties.
Furthermore, the powers contained in Schedule 7 are kept under scrutiny by the noble Lord Carlile of Berriew, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation. He has regularly reviewed and made recommendations as to the use of these powers but has consistently found the powers to be necessary and proportionate.
British Citizenship
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether it is possible to be a British National (Overseas) and British Overseas citizen concurrently; and whether an otherwise stateless person holding both statuses can be registered as a British citizen under section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981 or the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997. [HL1640]
There is no legislative bar on a person holding the statuses of British Overseas citizen and British National (Overseas) concurrently, but the circumstances in which this situation might arise in practice are very limited. A person holding either, or both, of these statuses can be registered as a British citizen under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981 or under the British Nationality (Hong Kong) Act 1997, provided the statutory requirements are met.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how an applicant should fill out sections 1.17 to 1.40 of Home Office form B(OS) if the anglicised spelling, place of birth, date of birth or nationality of the deceased parent or grandparent in question is not known to the applicant. [HL1641]
A person wanting to apply for British citizenship under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981 should complete the form B(OS) to the best of his or her knowledge. If anglicised spellings of names are not known, the applicant should enter the details as known, and UKBA will look into this.
However, if he or she is not able to provide sufficient information about his or her parents or grandparents, this may prevent him or her from demonstrating that the requirement to have no other citizenship or nationality is met. If a person has any concerns in this respect they may wish to contact the UK Border Agency for advice on their particular situation.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what nationality an applicant should state on Home Office form B(OS) for their parent or grandparent who was born in undivided India but did not acquire Indian citizenship because they died before the citizenship provisions of the constitution of India came into force; whether they will update the form and guidance notes to reflect how in that circumstance deceased parents should be treated; whether such an applicant would be expected to obtain a letter from Indian authorities confirming non-acquisition of Indian citizenship; and, if so, for what purpose. [HL1642]
If the person concerned was born before the Indian constitution took effect on 26 January 1950, their eligibility for Indian citizenship would be determined in accordance with Section 5 of the constitution. This specifies that a person who was domiciled in India on 26 January and had a parent born in the territory of India would be an Indian citizen.
If the person was born after the Indian constitution took effect on 26 January 1950 his status would be considered in accordance with the Indian Citizenship Act 1955. Section 1(3) of that Act specifies that where a person's father died before commencement, the status that the father would have acquired but for his death will apply. As such, a person born outside India after 26 January 1950 will be a British citizen if his father would have been a citizen of India at the time of the birth, but for his death.
As such it would be appropriate, where a person's father was born in India, for UKBA to request confirmation that the person concerned has not acquired citizenship of India, either automatically or by registration, at any time. When completing an application form in relation to a parent or grandparent who was born in India but died before 26 January 1950, that person's nationality status could be entered as “British subject”. UKBA will then assess that person's status in relation to their date and place of birth. UKBA will consider whether any amendment is required to form and guide B(OS) in this respect.
Buying Solutions
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria firms must meet to be listed in a Buying Solutions Management Consultancy and Accounting Services framework agreement; how many firms are part of such framework agreements; for how long each firm part of such a framework agreement has been listed; how Buying Solutions inform them of the performance of such framework agreements; and what responsibility Buying Solutions has to ensure such framework agreements provide value for money. [HL2078]
Suppliers on the Management Consultancy & Accounting Services (MCAS) framework agreement have to meet the criteria detailed in the table below:
General Requirements Selection and Management of Sub Contractors Updating and Vetting of Consultants Customer Requirements Assignment Selection Process Individual Assignment Management Complaint Policies and Procedures Performance Management - Key Performance Indicators Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Lot Specific Requirements Continuous Improvement Added Value Alternative Options Current thinking Buying Solutions Requirements Website Templates (not evaluated) Marketing and Promotion Management Information Savings and Value for Money Savings and Efficiency Targets Value for Money Cost Models and Incentivisation Pricing Information Catalogue rates by consultant grade and percentage discounts—Maximum Rate.
There are 38 suppliers on the MCAS framework agreement.
The MCAS framework agreement is for three years with an option to extend for a year. Framework agreements are not generally for more than four years in total.
Supplier performance on the MCAS framework agreement is managed and monitored through structured key performance indicators (KPIs) and management information (MI) that form part of the terms and conditions of the agreement. Suppliers provide input and get feedback on performance, via six-monthly reviews and supplier meetings.
Buying solutions provides a framework to enable value for money via the monitoring of maximum rates, encouraging further competition, guidance on use of the framework and the MCAS terms and conditions. Customers decide their own pricing mechanisms and general use of the framework agreement. Suppliers provide input and get feedback on performance, via six-monthly reviews and supplier meetings.
CCTV
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many closed-circuit television cameras there are in London. [HL1810]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what has been the effect of the installation of closed-circuit television cameras on the level of recorded crime in major cities in the United Kingdom. [HL1811]
There are no figures held centrally on the number of CCTV cameras in London.
CCTV is most effective when used alongside other measures. CCTV can assist in the detection of crime in public places, provide evidential material in identifying offenders and help in bringing them to justice. A recent report by the Campbell Crime and Justice Group: (http://db.c2admin.org/doc-pdf/Welsh_CCTV_review.pdf), which includes UK membership and whose review was part-funded by the Home Office, included the observation that CCTV is more effective in reducing crime in the UK than in other countries.
The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) and Cheshire Constabulary are conducting a qualitative analysis of recorded crime data and case files in Cheshire to determine the value of CCTV to investigations carried out in that police force area. This work will be used to assist in further consideration of the criteria that should be applied in other areas of England and Wales by police, local authorities and others in assessing the contribution of CCTV to crime detection, crime reduction and public confidence.
China
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have raised with the Government of China the case of Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer who was imprisoned on 4 February 2009; and whether they will request the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances to ask China to reveal his location and any charges lodged against him. [HL1876]
We are concerned about the case of Gao Zhisheng and the continuing uncertainty over his whereabouts. Ivan Lewis released a statement on 3 February urging the Chinese Government to provide accurate information on Gao’s situation to ease the concerns of his family and friends and to provide reassurance about his condition. The EU also issued a statement, expressing its concerns over Gao’s disappearance, on 9 February.
We have consistently raised the case of Gao Zhisheng with the Chinese Government, most recently when Ivan Lewis raised the matter with a senior Chinese delegation on 6 December 2009. We also worked with our EU partners to ensure that his case was raised as part of a case list at the EU-China Human Rights Dialogue on 20 November 2009. The Chinese responded with details of Gao’s arrest and imprisonment. They stated that Gao himself had accepted the judgment and was on probation and that he returned to his home town in Shaanxi Province for the tomb-sweeping festival in June 2009. Gao Zhisheng’s case was also raised at the EU-China Strategic Dialogue in December 2009. We will continue to raise his case at every opportunity. If Gao’s family, friends or representatives want the working group to investigate, they are able to approach it directly.
Climate Change
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their negotiators at climate change conferences utilise the work of the Optimum Population Trust, particularly its statement, Population and Climate Change, of August 2009. [HL1881]
Under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), UK negotiators form part of the wider EU negotiation team which uses EU Council conclusions as the basis for negotiation positions. Population issues have not so far formed part of the UNFCCC negotiations.
Communities: Faith Forums
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government which groups, causes or organisations were funded in each round of the Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund programme; how much was given to each; and how much funding is to be allocated. [HL1910]
The information requested is in the tables below. The Faith Communities Capacity Building Fund ran from 2004-05 to 2007-08 and my department has no plans to initiate a further application round.
Projects funded in Round 1 Organisation Amount awarded ACETS Afro-Caribbean Education and Training Services £16,667.00 Act4 £1,680.00 Active Faith Communities Programme (AFCP) £34,165.00 Al Ghazali Multicultural Centre £2,500.00 Alevi Cultural Centre £49,300.00 Al-Khoei Foundation £35,000.00 Al-Mahdi Institute £2,950.00 Al-Noor Primary School £35,198.00 Al-Noor Youth Association £4,900.00 An-Nisa Society £35,000.00 An-Noor Arabic School Association £4,110.00 Ansley PCC £5,000.00 Art and Christianity Enquiry Trust (ACE) £5,000.00 Art Beyond Belief £22,368.00 Asian Women's Advisory Service (AWAS) £36,200.00 Association of Tamil Parishioners UK £20,428.00 Aston Christian Centre £47,000.00 Atisha Buddhist Centre £4,991.00 Avalunch Community Café £3,900.00 Awaz Utaoh Ltd £27,200.00 B&H Islamic Centre London £4,850.00 Baitul Aman Jam-E Masjid and Madrasha £5,000.00 Banbury Area Religious Education Centre £1,056.15 Bangladeshi Association/Central Jamme Mosque Reading £5,000.00 Bangladeshi Community Association £3,000.00 Basildon Islamic Centre £1,500.00 Bath Inter Faith Group £2,187.00 Bath Islamic Society Limited £2,500.00 Bedford Council of Faiths (BCoF) £3,000.00 Beit Klal Yisrael £4,200.00 Believers Tabernacle £5,000.00 Benchmark (Marlpool-Langley Youth Project) £2,500.00 Bethany Christian Centre £27,370.00 Bethel Network £5,000.00 Bexley Multi Faith Forum £5,000.00 Bilston Church of God of Prophecy 'Bridge Youth Group' £3,500.00 Birmingham Citizens £32,480.00 Birmingham Council of Faiths £5,000.00 Birmingham Faith Leaders Group £5,000.00 Birmingham Pragati Mandal £4,990.00 Birmingham Street Pastors Initiative (part of ascension trust) £4,048.00 Blackburn Cathedral £28,600.00 Blackburn with Darwen Youth for Christ £2,599.18 Blackpool Faith Forum £4,900.00 Blessed Sacrament Church £23,797.00 Blythswood Care (Medway) £4,000.00 Board of Deputies of British Jews £8,450.00 Body of Christ Church Hackney £5,000.00 Bolton Hindu Forum £33,880.00 Bolton Interfaith Council £45,414.00 Bournemouth Islamic Centre (Islam Awareness Project) £4,500.00 Bournemouth Reform Synagogue £4,280.00 Bradford and District Women's Forum £4,350.00 Bradford Diocesan Board of Finance £29,100.00 Bradford District Faiths Forum £33,770.00 Bradford Trident £32,400.00 Braunstone Faiths Forum - (Community Encounters Project) £2,830.51 Breath of Life Community Services £5,000.00 Brent Multi-Faith Forum £5,000.00 Brighton & Hove Muslim Forum £4,620.00 Brighton Buddhist Centre (FWBO Brighton) £2,336.25 Brighton Festival of World Sacred Music Ltd £5,000.00 Bristol Inter Faith Group £24,550.00 Bristol Muslim Cultural Society Limited (BMCS) £50,000.00 British Organisation of Sikh Students (BOSS) £4,000.00 Building Bridges £32,000.00 Building Bridges in Burnley £45,000.00 Burgh-le-marsh Methodist Church Youth Drop-in and Leisure Group £2,739.00 Burton upon Trent Inter Faith Network (BIFN) £5,000.00 Burton Youth for Christ £5,000.00 Camden Faith Communities Partnership - Regent Square URC £47,275.00 Care Management Group - Newbold Baptist Church £5,000.00 Carlisle City Church Rainbow Soft Play £4,732.00 CCI (Christian Camping International) £3,310.00 Cedar House Counselling Centre £2,200.00 Central London Youth Development Trust £31,000.00 Centre for Community Development Initiatives (CCDI) £30,000.00 Centre for the Study of Jewish-Christian Relations (CJCR) £35,000.00 Centre International Des Compassions 'Les Bontes de l'Eternel' £2,000.00 Centrepoint Christian Church £15,000.00 Chaplaincy of the University of Glamorgan £17,000.00 Chatsworth Road Methodist Luncheon Club £4,200.00 Chepstow Baptist Church £20,000.00 Christ Ambassadors International Ministries £5,000.00 Christ Apostolic Church (Mt Bethel) UK £5,000.00 Christ Church East Dulwich and Herne Hill United Church £3,800.00 Christ Church North Brixton £4,426.00 Christian Church of Birmingham £2,500.00 Christian Community Action £800.00 Christian Muslim Forum Ltd £50,000.00 Church Council for Industry and Social Responsibility (ISR) £5,000.00 Church of Christ the King, Beaumont Leys £4,352.00 Church of England Education Division £25,000.00 Church of God of Prophecy £13,705.00 Church of Grace Ministries (White City) £4,615.00 Church of Prophecy (The Oasis Project) £4,500.00 Churches Acting Together in Arthur's Hill £4,860.00 Churches Regional Commission for Yorkshire and the Humber £5,000.00 Churches Together in Bedlingtonshire £2,940.00 Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (CTBI) £48,800.00 Churches Together in Dorset £4,200.00 Churches Together in Itchen £5,000.00 Churches Together in North East Lincolnshire £5,000.00 Churches Together in Wirral £5,000.00 City Gateway £30,000.00 Clapham & Stockwell Faith Forum £5,000.00 Commission for Inter-Religious Relations £5,000.00 Commitment in Communities (CiC) £47,158.00 Communities in Action £5,000.00 Community Action in Rossendale £5,000.00 Community First £3,180.00 Community Health Action Trust - Brent and Harrow £31,514.00 Community House Presbyterian Church £49,726.00 Community Organisations Forum - Tower Hamlets £42,500.00 Conflict and Change £5,000.00 Congolese Voluntary Organisation £3,000.00 Connections Pregnancy Crisis Centre and GirlAbout Drop-In Centre £4,956.00 Consett Churches and Neighbourhood Action (CCANA) £900.00 Council for Church and Society, Diocese of Exeter £5,000.00 Council of Sikh Gurdwaras Birmingham (CSGB) £49,510.00 Coventry Multi-Faith Forum £5,000.00 Coventry Muslim Community Association ltd £48,861.00 Crawley Interfaith Network £3,800.00 Crescent Youth Club £5,000.00 Custom House Baptist Church £3,000.00 CYTUN (Churches Together in Wales) Social Justice Network £50,000.00 Daru-Al-Moameneen £3,435.00 Darul Uloom Leicester £2,500.00 Dash Arts (‘The festival of Jewish arts and culture') £49,150.00 Da'watul Islam UK & Eire for Darul Ummah - 'House of Community' £33,500.00 Deen/Faith For All £5,000.00 Dharmavajra Buddhist Centre - International Kadampa Buddhist £3,000.00 Dimension Ecumenical Youth Church £1,100.00 Diocese of Chichester £4,000.00 Diocese of Leeds (Commission for Inter-religious Dialogue) £4,320.00 Diocese of Ripon and Leeds £4,750.00 Diocese of Wakefield / Kirklees Faiths Forum £45,000.00 Downs Baptist Church £750.00 Dudley Borough Interfaith Network £28,400.00 Dudley Muslim Association £47,000.00 East + West Trust £5,000.00 East London Buddhist Cultural Centre £3,500.00 East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre £47,000.00 East of England Faiths Council £39,200.00 Ebrahim Community College £2,500.00 Elmbridge Multifaith Forum £5,000.00 Ephrata Church Community £4,992.00 Essex Islamic Trust £3,750.00 Faith Based Regeneration Network UK (FbRN); CCWA; CDX; ARU £50,000.00 Faith In Their Voices £4,983.00 Faiths Together £17,005.00 ‘Faiths Together in Croydon' (Anglican Diocese of Southwark) £24,732.00 Family Space £4,980.00 Fathers Direct £5,000.00 FATIMA Women's Network £40,000.00 Federation of Muslim Organizations (FMO) Leicestershire £9,700.00 Folkestone Migrant Support Group (FMSG) £3,700.00 Fountain of Light Women's Group £3,739.00 Frampton Park Baptist Church £3,310.00 Friends of the Western Buddhist Order - London Buddhist Centre £1,000.00 Fulham Seventh-day Adventist Church Youth Department £4,637.00 Fusion Youth Project £25,000.00 FWBO (Friends of the Western Buddhist Order) Leeds £4,299.00 Gargaar Somali Welfare Association (GSWA) £5,000.00 Gateway Christian Fellowship £4,845.00 Gateway Community Church £4,849.00 Gaudiya Mission UK £5,000.00 Gillingham Youth For Christ £5,000.00 Grace Incorporation Faith Trust (GIFT) £3,712.00 Gravesend & Dartford Muslim Association £3,600.00 Great Yarmouth Borough Wide Churches Forum (BWCF) £3,500.00 Green Light - Muslim Youth Forum (Dudley) £17,000.00 Greenwich African/African Caribbean Women's Organisation £5,000.00 Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy Steering Group £3,353.00 Guildford Interfaith Forum £4,540.00 Gujarat Hindu Society £28,800.00 Gurdwara Amrit Parchar Dharmik Diwan (UK) Bradford £4,814.00 Guru Nanak Community Centre £36,700.00 Guru Nanak Satsang Sabha (Sikh Temple), Maidenhead £4,000.00 Gurudwara Shri Guru Dashmesh Sahib £3,500.00 Harlow Muslim Women's Support Group £4,800.00 Harrow Inter Faith Council £4,500.00 Heartland Youth for Christ £4,060.00 Heeley Parish Church Way Forward Group £4,000.00 Hindu Council UK £50,000.00 Hindu Samaj £2,750.00 Hindu Tamil Cultural Association (Enfield) £5,000.00 Hindu Youth UK £4,975.00 Hindu-Christian Forum of the UK £4,500.00 Holy City International Ministries £4,995.00 Holy Spirit Church Denton £810.00 Hoole Baptist Church £5,000.00 Hope Baptist Church £4,900.00 Hope City Enterprise £19,000.00 Horn of Africa Improvement Link (HAIL) £4,998.00 Hounslow Friends of Faith £5,000.00 Hounslow Muslim Women's Association £4,995.00 Houses Into Homes (working name: Well Women Workshops) £4,830.00 Hucknall Engage Ltd £4,900.00 Hull and East Riding Interfaith (HERI) £5,000.00 Hull Youth For Christ £4,127.00 Hyderi Islamic Centre £4,600.00 Imam Al-Hassan Association £4,950.00 Impact: Preston £5,000.00 Indian Union, Oxford £2,000.00 Initiative Interfaith Trust £28,800.00 Inspired Sisters £5,000.00 Interfaith MK £2,600.00 Interfusion: Portsmouth Youth Diversity Forum £27,650.00 International First Born Church of the Living God £4,998.00 International Swahili Pentecostal Church Community Project £5,000.00 ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) £5,000.00 Islamic Awareness and Education Project (IAEP) £46,200.00 Islamic Centre £2,250.00 Islamic Community Centre £47,000.00 Islamic Cultural Centre (Wembley ICC) £4,994.00 Islamic Institute of Development and Research (IIDR) £5,000.00 Islamic Society of Britain (Bradford) £5,000.00 Islamic Society of Britain (Luton) £2,909.00 Islamic Society of Britain, Manchester Regional Branch £3,500.00 Island House Community Centre £19,977.00 Islington Faiths Forum - Wesley's Chapel and Leysian Mission £11,250.00 ISR - in partnership with faithnetsouthwest £20,000.00 Jain Samaj Europe (Leicester) £3,000.00 Jain Samaj Europe (London Branch) £49,377.00 Jain Sangha of Europe £5,000.00 Jamiat Ahl-E-Hadith Nelson £2,495.00 Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester and Region £5,000.00 Joppa Baptist Interfaith Network £4,000.00 Kala Chethena Kathakali Theatre Company £4,950.00 Karimia Institute £11,500.00 KCC Youth £4,966.00 KEY Churches Together (Kingston upon Hull and East Yorkshire) £2,500.00 Khaas £4,333.00 Khayaal Theatre Company £17,000.00 Kids Out £36,833.00 Kidz Klub Bradford £5,000.00 King's Church (Newport) £31,922.00 Kingston Inter Faith Forum/Standing Advisory Council for RE £2,495.00 Label of Love Ltd £1,557.00 Lancaster Diocesan Faith and Justice Commission £4,750.00 Lea Road United Reformed Church £4,931.00 Leagrave Youth Work Action Group £4,804.00 Leeds Chinese Christian Church £3,519.00 Leeds Christian Community Trust £5,000.00 Leeds Faiths Forum - LFF £49,543.00 Leicester Council of Faiths £30,690.00 Leicester Muslim-Christian Dialogue Groups £4,750.00 Lessons from the Past (LftP) £48,800.00 Lincoln Inter Faith Forum £2,350.00 Lincoln Unitarian Chapel £900.00 Lisvane Youth club £3,423.58 Liverpool Community Spirit (LCS) £24,986.00 Liverpool Reform Synagogue £49,650.00 Living Waters Church £4,500.00 Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Barnet / The Baha'i Faith £2,250.00 London Churches Group for Social Action (LCGSA) £21,000.00 Loughborough Council of Faiths £4,600.00 LRK Cultural Centre £4,700.00 Lumbini Nepalese Buddha Dharma Society £2,022.06 Luton Council of Faiths £18,500.00 Luton Gospel Community Choir (LGCC) £4,900.00 Mahanaim Evangelical Mission £4,755.00 Mahila Mandal (Women's Group) £4,900.00 Manchester Interfaith Forum (MIF) £1,200.00 Manchester Jewish Community Centre £3,100.00 Manchester Selassie Orthodox Church £5,000.00 MANNA £4,910.00 Manna House £4,850.00 Manna House Counselling Service £4,652.00 Masjid-E-Saliheen £3,750.00 Medina Islamic Education Centre £4,850.00 Medway Inter Faith Action (MIFA) £5,000.00 MIDAS £5,000.00 Middlesbrough Council of Faiths £50,000.00 Midlands International Buddhist Association £2,500.00 Milton Keynes Hindu Association £3,250.00 Ministry of Restoration Nottingham £5,000.00 Minorities of Europe (MoE) £39,217.00 MKSIA Community - Leicester £5,000.00 Mlody Las Polish Folklore Youth Group £3,000.00 Monmouth Diocesan Youth Committee £1,975.00 Moseley Inter Faith Group £4,277.00 MSI Jamaat of Essex £4,350.00 Muslim Action Forum £2,000.00 Muslim Community Centre £1,500.00 Muslim Council of Wales £45,000.00 Muslim Enterprise Development Service (MEDS) £47,000.00 Muslim Women Society for the Future £5,000.00 Muslim Womens Helpline £4,950.00 Muslim Women's Network (MWN) £48,933.00 Muslim Youth Helpline £50,000.00 Mustard Tree £4,898.74 Myland Parochial Church Council £2,729.14 National Board of Catholic Women £25,000.00 National Ecumenical Agency in FE: Faiths in Further Education £29,750.00 Neighbours in Poplar £5,000.00 Network of Buddhist Organisations UK (NBO) £25,240.00 Network of Sikh Organisations UK (NSO) £37,000.00 New Life Evangelical Community £5,000.00 New Springs Church £5,000.00 Newham Methodist Church Circuit £37,864.00 Nipponzan Myonoji - The London Peace Pagoda £5,000.00 Nisaa Society (The Women Society) £41,993.00 Nishkam Civic Association £25,000.00 North London Interfaith (Formely Hampstead Interfaith Group) £2,500.00 Northampton Youth Ministry Office, RC Diocese of Northampton £3,200.00 Northwood Holocaust Memorial Day Event £5,000.00 Nottingham Inter Faith Council £3,000.00 Oakham Evangelical Church £3,697.97 Oldham Inter Faith Forum £32,000.00 Open Forum for Economic Regeneration (OFFER) £43,956.00 Orthodox Jewish Forum of Salford £3,550.00 Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies £11,000.00 Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies £4,625.00 Oxford iMap - Oxford Islam and Muslims Awareness Project £5,000.00 Oxford Muslim Community Association £3,000.00 Paddock Community Forum £43,030.00 Pakistan Centre £43,787.00 Parish of Swaythling £5,000.00 Partnership and Participation Project (Gloucester Voluntary service) £5,000.00 Patel Samaj of Northampton £5,000.00 Patiko Bakers Fort Project £18,700.00 Peckham DT Football Club £5,000.00 Pentecostal City Mission (Brixton) £5,000.00 Phase Trust £3,850.00 Portobello Methodist Church £5,000.00 Portrack Baptist Church Youth £1,972.00 Portsmouth Diocesan Council for Social Responsibility £38,276.00 Preston Faith Forum £39,540.00 Preston Pakistan Cultural Society (PPCS) £1,000.00 Punjab Buddhist Society UK £4,135.00 Radicle £4,500.00 Rapha's Hand £4,980.00 Redbridge Faith Forum (Ilford Methodist Church) £47,300.00 Redeemed Christian Church of God - Fountain of Grace £4,756.98 Redeemed Christian Church of God, Light House Fellowship £35,500.00 Religions for Peace (UK) £32,340.00 Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Peterborough £5,000.00 Restoration Ministries £4,998.00 Restoration Outreach £2,396.00 Rhydwilym Baptist Chapel £4,617.50 Ribbleton Avenue Methodist Church £5,000.00 Ripon Cathedral Chapter £39,200.00 River Cultures Festival Ltd. £14,450.00 Riverside Christian Fellowship £3,526.00 Rivertown United Reformed Church (Shotton) £3,500.00 Rochdale Centre of Diversity (RCD) £23,176.00 Roman Catholic Parish of Mother of God, Leicester £3,000.00 Roman Catholic Parish of St Thomas More, Sheffield £3,500.00 Rotherham Churches Tourism Initiative (RCTI) £4,550.00 Rumi Foundation £3,500.00 Sacred Space £5,000.00 Salem Academy of Music £2,500.00 Salisbury Cathedral Education Centre £3,965.00 SALT Community Project £5,000.00 Sandwell Confederation of Indians £1,830.00 SEARCH (Social & Economic Action Resource of Churches in Hull) £27,992.00 Seven Kings United Free Church £4,939.00 Shared Voices £28,200.00 Shir Hayim - Hampstead Reform Jewish Community £2,500.00 Shree Sanatan Mandir and Community Centre £2,500.00 Shri Guru Ravidass Temple and Community Centre £4,000.00 Sikh Community and Youth Service £41,993.00 Sikh Community Forum £50,000.00 Sikh Nari Manch UK £35,000.00 Skelmersdale Methodist Circuit (West Lancs Inter-Faith Network) £4,570.00 Slough & District Religious Studies Resource Centre £5,000.00 Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) £45,410.00 Social Unity Foundation of Innovation (SUFI) Trust Ltd £10,000.00 Society for Dialogue and Action £17,830.00 Solihull Hebrew Congregation £4,844.00 Somali Education Development Centre (SEDEC) £2,500.00 Somewhere Else - Liverpool Methodist City Centre Community £36,939.00 South Asian Concern £4,450.00 South London Inter Faith Group (SLIFG) £18,100.00 Southampton Muslim Woman's Group (SMWG) £5,000.00 Southend and District Reform Synagogue £24,110.00 Southend Community in Harmony Partnership (SCHP) £5,000.00 Southgate & District Reform Synagogue (SDRS) £44,188.00 Southwark Diocesian Welcare Faith in Regeneration Project £16,733.00 Southwark Women Support Organisation (SWAWSO) £48,852.00 Spiritual Assembly of the Bahai's of Birmingham £1,656.00 Sri Lanka Social and Cultural Organisation - (SLSCO Flame) £5,000.00 St Albans City and District Bereavement Network £3,450.00 St Albans Masorti Synagogue £4,975.00 St Andrew's Church, Roman Hill, Lowestoft £1,120.00 St Anne's Roman Catholic Church £3,500.00 St Christopher's Church Outreach Project £5,000.00 St Chrysostom's Church £3,525.00 St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace £29,175.00 St George Abbey Hey £4,720.00 St James the Apostle, Selby (The Edge Project) £5,000.00 St John the Baptist Parish Church £5,000.00 St Margaret's Youth Project £5,000.00 St Mark's Church Haydock £22,095.00 St Mary's Church £5,000.00 St Mary's Church and Community Centre £23,800.00 St Mary's Church Walsgrave Coventry £5,000.00 St Matthews Church, Wolverhampton £33,920.00 St Michael's Community Renewal Project £18,579.00 St Osmund's Church £1,500.00 St Paul and St Silas Church - Zap Club £4,500.00 St Paul's Community Development Trust £12,000.00 St Peter and St Paul Church (Aston Parish Church) £3,000.00 St Peters Youth Alliance £4,975.00 St Philip's Centre for Study and Engagement in a Multi Faith Society £33,200.00 St Philip's Church £3,000.00 St Stephen's Church £2,648.00 St Stephen's Church and St Stephen's Neighbourhood Centre £2,850.00 St. Augustine's Community Support Centre £4,950.00 St. Mark's Church Dalston £3,500.00 Stoke on Trent and North Staffordshire YMCA Foyer £5,000.00 Stranton Church, Hartlepool (Church of England) £5,000.00 Student Represent £5,000.00 Sunderland Samba FC £4,920.00 Sunderland South Circuit Youth Worker Project (Methodist Church) £3,250.00 Sundon Park Baptist Church £4,538.11 Sutton Asian Women's Forum £4,705.38 T.E.A.M.S. Global £5,000.00 Taleem Youth Forum £4,050.00 Talking Matters Association Ltd (TMA) £5,000.00 Tamanna £5,000.00 Tameside 3rd Sector Coalition (Tameside InterFaith Network) £32,191.00 Taraloka Buddhist Retreat Centre for Women £4,530.00 Teenbridge Project £2,492.95 Telford and Wrekin Interfaith Group £5,000.00 Thames Gateway Women's Multifaith Forum £2,720.00 The Ammerdown Centre £4,830.00 The Barking Programme £4,400.00 The Bradford Sunni Muslim Khalifa Society £3,750.00 Centre for Specialist Educational Assistance (Binoh of Manchester) £39,800.00 The Children's Society £48,000.00 The Church of the Holy Family - a local ecumenical partnership £5,000.00 Churches' Regional Commission in the North East (FiNER Project) £50,000.00 The Dorothy Parkes Centre Ltd. £4,950.00 The Everlasting Hope Church (L'Eglise de l'Esperance Eternelle) £4,990.00 The French Christian Community Bethel £21,300.00 The Good Neighbour Centre / New Hope Mentoring Programme £22,500.00 The Good Shepherd Mission £4,500.00 The Good Shepherd/Le Berger £5,000.00 The Good Shepherd/St Barnabas Eastlands £8,100.00 The Grapevine Centre of the Heeley Church of the Nazarene £3,035.00 The Gujarati Association £35,000.00 The Hindu Cultural Association - Gloucester £5,000.00 The Holy Family Catholic School £500.00 The House on the Corner Community Project £4,800.00 The Indian Association Cheltenham. (Glos) £3,750.00 The Interfaith Marriage Project £4,250.00 The Interlink Foundation - NW England Branch £25,000.00 The Islamic Foundation £44,600.00 The Jewish Youth Project £4,000.00 The Khoja Shia Ithna-asheri Muslim Community of Milton Keynes £4,590.00 The King's Arms (The Courtyard Petersfield ) £4,901.00 The King's House Trust £30,000.00 The Lancashire Forum of Faiths £9,785.00 The Latymer Christian Fellowship Trust £5,000.00 The Lighthouse Cradle (TLC) £5,000.00 The Merseyside Council of Faiths £49,500.00 The Message Trust £20,000.00 Methodist Church, Bristol North Circuit (Parkway Methodist Church) £3,500.00 Midlands International Buddhist Association in the UK Derby Branch £2,400.00 The Mosaic Community Trust £36,500.00 The Multi-Faith Group for Healthcare Chaplaincy £5,000.00 The Muslim Council of Britain £50,000.00 The Muslim Cultural Heritage Centre (MCHC) Trust £24,884.00 The Muslim Welfare Association £22,147.00 The Net £32,300.00 The OAK Project on behalf of UK Islamic Mission £50,000.00 The Open Centre £28,420.00 The Restore Hope Mission £3,600.00 The Salvation Army, Leeds £5,000.00 The Springfield Project £3,563.00 The Three Faiths Forum £50,000.00 Vietnamese Development Centre / Midlands Buddhist Association £47,520.00 The West Wiltshire Interfaith Group £4,542.00 World Federation of Khoja Shia Ithnaasheri Muslim Communities £4,850.00 thefaithworks (Connect - our community department) £33,939.00 Totley Rise Methodist Church £4,950.00 Tower Christian Youth Group/Tower Christian Centre £4,990.00 Tower Hamlets Deanery Synod £27,500.00 Trinity at Bowes Methodist Church £48,870.00 Ubran Churches Together (formerly Baptist Church, Handsworth) £4,400.00 UHCOG (United Holy Church Of God) Trust (AKA Parkhill) £50,000.00 UK Islamic Mission (Blackheath Branch) £5,000.00 UKIM Youth Active £5,000.00 United Kingdom Punjab Heritage Association (UKPHA) £47,000.00 United Religions Initiative UK £50,000.00 Uniting Britain Trust (UBT) £49,775.00 University of Surrey £17,000.00 Vedagama Sabha £3,000.00 Victoria (Westminster) Muslim Welfare Trust £4,265.00 Voices £3,500.00 Wandsworth Local Strategic Partnership Multi-Faith Subgroup £5,000.00 Waterfront Community Church, Swansea £31,464.00 Welwyn Hatfield Inter Faith Group £5,000.00 Wesley Hall Methodist Church £4,062.00 West Bridgford Pentecostal Church (Xtreme Youth Ministries) £4,200.00 West Bromwich & Tipton Community Project £5,000.00 West Midlands Faiths Forum (The Birmingham Foundation) £50,000.00 West Yorkshire Community Chaplaincy Project (WYCCP) £4,330.00 Westminster Roman Catholic Diocese Trustee £29,800.00 Wheatley Park Baptist Church £11,860.00 Williamstown Salvation Army £775.00 Wings of Hope Community Association £4,960.00 Winner's Group £4,990.00 Wolverhampton Inter Faith Group £5,000.00 Wolverhampton Interfaith Council with CoWFN, WIFG and FRU £39,834.00 Women's Anand Society £1,000.00 Women's Empowerment Network £25,000.00 Woodlands Christian Revival Centre £38,000.00 Worcester Cathedral Development and Restoration Trust £4,500.00 Woughton Ecumenical Parish Council £5,000.00 Yahweh Christian Fellowship £4,900.00 York Interfaith £500.00 Yorkshire and Humber Faiths Forum £25,000.00 Young Jains UK £4,915.00 Youth Empowerment Scheme £5,000.00 Total: £7,042,953.50
Projects Funded in Round 2 Organisation Amount awarded African Community Refugee Christian Empowerment Network £4,000.00 (Merseyside) Hindu Cultural Organisation £15,000.00 5K Foundation Limited £5,000.00 Aayatiin Foundation for Relief and development (AFFORD) £3,000.00 Across Communities: The Young Peoples' Project £4,995.00 Act for Change (Formerly Lessons From The Past Ltd (LftP)) £15,000.00 Active Faith Communities Programme £18,568.00 African Community Development Association (ACDA) £5,000.00 Ahimsa for Quality of Life £5,000.00 Al-Khoei foundation £30,000.00 All Nations Ministries £8,500.00 All Saints Parish Church £5,000.00 An-Nisa Society £30,000.00 Anointed Services Ltd £2,600.00 Aspirations and Achievements Group £5,000.00 Assembly of Masorti Synagogues £4,985.00 Banbury Area Religious Education Centre £3,052.00 Bankfoot Partnership £5,000.00 Barnardo's (Neville Street Service) £28,277.00 Barnet Multifaith Forum £5,000.00 Bath Interfaith Group £2,390.00 Beckton Islamic Association £4,700.00 Bhagwan Valmiki Trust £2,810.00 Birmingham Faith Leaders' Group £15,000.00 Birmingham Foundation (West Midlands Faiths Forum) £29,980.00 Birmingham Progressive Synagogue £5,000.00 Bishop of Guildford's Foundation £30,000.00 Bishop Street Methodist Church £4,500.00 Blackburn with Darwen Interfaith Council £18,900.00 Board of Deputies of British Jews £30,000.00 Brighton Buddhist Centre (On Sun as FWBO Brighton) £5,000.00 Bristol Buddhist Centre £4,400.00 Bristol Muslim Cultural Society (BMCS) £29,800.00 British Humanist Association £25,000.00 British Sikh Consultative Forum £29,860.00 British Sikh Women Organisation £5,000.00 Building Bridges in Burnley £29,625.00 Building Bridges Pendle £16,000.00 Burton Youth for Christ £5,000.00 Cambridge University Faiths Forum £2,500.00 Canning Town Outlook £17,045.00 Cardiff Buddhist Centre (FWBO South Wales) £2,300.00 Caribbean Islamic Cultural Society £3,100.00 Central Peterborough Ecumenical Partnership (CPEP) £9,000.00 Chaplaincy to the University of Glamorgan £15,000.00 Christian Muslim Forum £6,933.00 Church Army £29,787.00 Church of God of Prophecy, Southall £20,000.00 Churches Together in Oxfordshire £4,800.00 City of Bradford YMCA £10,300.00 Clapham and Stockwell Faith Forum £29,545.00 Committee for Minority Ethnic Anglican Concerns £4,700.00 Congolese Community Welfare Association £4,800.00 Connections Pregnancy Crisis Centre £4,880.00 Coventry Multi-Faith Forum £3,550.00 Coventry Sikh Federation £4,000.00 Crawley Interfaith Network £19,692.00 Crayford Christian Fellowship £4,416.00 Cross Cultural Ministry in Woking (working title, Across) £4,925.00 Cross-Links (Christians Working Together on Buckland Estate) £3,805.00 Culloden Bangladeshi Parents Association (CBPA) £5,000.00 Cytun (Churches Together in Wales) £30,000.00 Destination Destiny Ltd £4,997.00 Diocese of Guildford Department for Social Responsibility £16,000.00 Divine Communications Trust £20,000.00 Dudley Muslim Association (DMA) £29,500.00 Duke Street Chapel £5,000.00 East African Community Support £2,000.00 East London Sikh Youth £5,000.00 East Midlands Churches Forum £5,000.00 East of England Faiths Council £12,000.00 Education for Sustainability Network £2,500.00 Emmanuel Church, Youth and Community Centre (EYCC) £15,000.00 Ethnic Minorities Widows and Widowers Organisation UK £4,460.00 Evangelical Alliance (Gweini Division) £11,700.00 Faith Based Regeneration Network UK £30,000.00 Faith in the Future £14,800.00 Faith Regen Foundation £20,000.00 Faithworks Poole £22,000.00 Fishergate Baptist Church £5,000.00 Friends of the Western Buddhist Order, Midlands £5,000.00 Frontier Youth Trust £4,410.00 Futures Unlocked £9,100.00 FWBO (Surrey) £4,956.00 FWBO Dharmachakra £5,000.00 Gateshead Interfaith Forum £15,000.00 Gillingham YFC £5,000.00 Gitanjali Multilingual Literaty Circle (GMLC) £3,000.00 Globe Community Project £24,497.00 Grassroots £9,000.00 Grazrootz £18,200.00 Great Yarmouth Borough Wide Churches Forum £3,000.00 Green Light Muslim Youth Forum - Sandwell £11,568.00 Green Light Muslim Youth Forum (Dudley) £15,000.00 Greenwich Peninsula Chaplaincy Steering Group £29,595.00 Greenwich Youth for Christ (GYFC) £14,762.00 Guru Nanak Gurdwara (Bedford Trust) £29,500.00 Gurudwara Shri Guru Dashmesh Sahib (“The Gurudwara”) £5,000.00 Hamara HLC £5,000.00 Heythrop Institute for Religion, Ethics & Public Life £4,525.00 High Street & Derby Youth Group (HSDYG) £3,000.00 Hindu Council of Birmingham £19,600.00 Hindu Cultural Resource Centre £2,455.00 Hindu Temple Cultural & Community Centre £3,000.00 Hope City Church £3,000.00 Hope UK £15,000.00 Horeb Winning Souls Centre £5,000.00 Horsham Interfaith Forum (formely Horsham Interfaith Network) £3,413.00 Hounslow African Welfare Association £4,993.00 Hounslow Asian and African Youth Association (HAAYA) £29,500.00 Hull Al Noor Community Project £10,000.00 HURT Ltd £20,027.00 I Serve Ltd £2,300.00 Interfaith MK £4,500.00 Interfusion - Portsmouth Youth Diversity Forum £17,930.00 Islamic Awareness and Education Project £20,000.00 Islington Faiths Forum (IFF) (Wesley Chapel/ Leysian Mission) £13,780.00 Jain Sangha of Europe £14,000.00 Jamyang Buddhist Centre Leeds £2,500.00 Jesus House for all the Nations £20,000.00 Jesus Ministries International Northwest £3,500.00 Jewish Care £22,000.00 Jewish Representative Council of Greater Manchester & Region £20,000.00 Kalapremi (UK) £15,000.00 Karimia Institute £18,750.00 Kent Muslim Welfare Association £15,000.00 Kidz Klub Leeds £5,000.00 King's Church Trust £7,637.65 Kirklees Racial Equality Council £25,000.00 Knights Youth Centre £25,580.00 KSIMC of London Hujjat Islamic Centre £29,775.00 Label of Love Limited £3,102.00 Lancashire Council of Mosques £30,000.00 Lancashire Forum of Faiths £27,775.00 Lancaster University Chaplaincy Centre £15,000.00 Leeds Faiths Forum £15,000.00 Leeds Muslim Consortium, Leeds Education Achievement Project £25,000.00 Leeds Youth Cell Network (LYCN) £4,700.00 Leicester Council of Faiths £29,200.00 Leicester Sikh Centre £4,750.00 Leo Baeck College £24,700.00 LifeLine £25,000.00 Lighthouse Education Service £4,825.00 Lion de Juda Church (Formely Mustard Seed Evangelical Church) £13,790.00 Living Water Satisfies £4,800.00 Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod £15,850.00 Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Barnet £4,240.00 London Jewish Cultural Centre £20,300.00 Losang Dragpa Buddhist Centre £4,860.00 Lozells Project £10,000.00 Luton Council of Faiths £29,970.00 Manchester Cathedral £1,980.00 Manchester Jewish Museum £14,642.00 Martha's Oasis £5,000.00 Medway Inter Faith Action (MIFA) £5,000.00 Middlesbrough Council of Faiths £19,000.00 Middlesex New Synagogue £5,000.00 Milun Women's Centre £5,000.00 Monmouth Diocesan Youth Committee £2,260.00 Moseley Inter Faith Group £2,275.00 MTO College £5,000.00 Musica Sacra £3,000.00 Muslim Enterprise Development Service (MEDS) £10,000.00 Muslim Sisters £5,000.00 Muslim Women's Welfare Association £8,280.00 Muslim Youth Helpline (MYH) £30,000.00 Nagarjuna Buddhist Centre £4,000.00 Narthex Sparkhill £26,830.00 National Board of Catholic Women £15,000.00 National Christian Alliance on Prostitution (NCAP) £12,000.00 National Hindu Student Forum (UK) £4,950.00 Nav-Jeevan Asian Society £5,000.00 New Testament Church of God £5,510.00 New Testament Church of God Education Department £20,000.00 Newcastle Diocesan Education Board £11,880.00 Newham Refugee Community Project £5,000.00 Newlyn Trinity Methodist Church £4,854.00 Nexgen Initiatives Limited £16,500.00 NIFCON (Network for Inter Faith Concerns of Anglican Communion) £5,000.00 Noor Youth Library and Reading Club £14,125.00 North Kirklees Interfaith Council £17,100.00 North London Central Mosque Trust £29,850.00 North London Muslim Community Centre £25,520.00 One World Week Alsager £2,625.00 Open Hands Trust £4,778.00 Patiko Bakers Fort Project £15,000.00 Paul & Barny's Place £3,230.00 Peace Mala £25,000.00 Pecan Ltd £14,980.00 Plymouth Centre for Faiths & Cultural Diversity £18,700.00 Poplar Methodist Church £4,999.00 Portobello Methodist Church £2,500.00 Preston Faith Forum (PFF) £20,000.00 Preston Muslim Forum £3,000.00 Preston Muslim Society, Quwwatul Islam Masjid £5,000.00 Psychosemitic £10,500.00 Quaker Social Action £22,773.00 Raghuvanshi Mahajan London 'Rama' £5,000.00 Reading Faith Forum £19,540.00 Redbridge Faith Forum (Ilford Methodist Church) £22,700.00 Redbridge Forum Against Extremism and Islamophobia £20,000.00 Refugee Information Centre £4,974.00 Regenerate.com £20,000.00 Salford University Anglican Chaplaincy £3,915.00 Salisbury Cathedral Education Centre £2,500.00 Sanaton Association £5,000.00 School Link Project - 'Food 4 Thought' (F4T) Study Support Project £15,000.00 SEE (South East Essex) Interfaith in Action £15,000.00 SGI-UK (Soka Gakkai International - Buddhist Organisation) £27,143.00 Shree Lohana Mahajan of Leicester £2,500.00 Sikh Community Care Project £14,768.00 Sikh Nari Manch UK £6,470.00 Siri Guru Singh Sabha £5,000.00 Skipton Islamic Society £9,750.00 Smethwick Islamic Academy £5,000.00 Solidarity for Community Action (SOCOA) £16,000.00 Somali Family Support Group £25,639.00 Somerset Churches Together £4,000.00 South Asian Development Partnership £17,600.00 South Poplar & Limehouse Action for Secure Housing Environment £30,000.00 Southampton YMCA £2,500.00 Southwark Churches Care £17,831.00 Southwark Diocesan Welcare: Faith in Regeneration Project £28,933.00 Southwark Muslim Women's Association £21,245.00 Sri Guru Nanak Sikh Temple - Huddersfield £15,000.00 St Chad's College £20,000.00 St Ethelburga's Centre for Reconciliation and Peace £29,500.00 St Hilda's East Community Centre £29,950.00 St James' PCC (Dudley) £4,050.00 St James the Less Church (Pimlico) £4,950.00 St John's Church, Waterloo £4,500.00 St Mary's Church Village Youth Project (Wirral) £5,000.00 St Thomas Church, Blackpool £4,392.00 St Thomas' Church, Kendal £4,970.00 St. Mary Church, Leamington Spa £27,075.00 St. Philip's Centre for Study & Engagement in a Multi Faith Society £7,500.00 Suffolk Inter-Faith Resource £3,500.00 Sutton Ramp Events Ltd £20,000.00 Swansea Faiths Forum £23,145.00 Swansea Minority Faiths Alliance £4,890.00 Tassibee £20,000.00 The Baptist Church, St Peter's £5,000.00 The Boys' Brigade London District £3,675.00 The Businessmen Network (BNt TRUST) £4,920.00 The Children's Society £13,711.00 The Church Lads' and Church Girls' Brigade £6,000.00 The Churches' Regional Commission in the North East £29,975.00 The City Parish of St John the Baptist £30,000.00 The Clear Vision Trust £23,567.00 The Council of Christian and Jews £22,700.00 The Council of European Jamaats £4,800.00 The Faith Group of East Northamptonshire £28,390.00 The Faithworks £16,000.00 The Good Shepherd Misson £4,000.00 The Guisborough Bridge Association £4,904.00 The Interlink Foundation £22,081.00 The Islamic Centre of England £12,300.00 The Jewish Lads' & Girls' Brigade (JLGB) £15,000.00 The Jewish Youth Project £25,250.00 The Kings Arms (The Courtyard, Petersfield) £4,595.00 The King's House Trust £15,000.00 The Lighthouse Cradle (TLC) £15,300.00 The Linx Project £5,000.00 The Local Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of Brighton £6,080.00 The Maximum Life Youth Project £4,750.00 The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby £9,240.00 The United Reformed Church £14,250.00 The Vine Project, Surrey £18,075.00 The Woolf Institute (Formerly Centre for the study of Jewish-Christian Relations) £28,000.00 The Yorkshire and Humber Faiths Forum £5,000.00 The Zoroastrian Trust Funds of Europe (Incorporated) £19,500.00 Tipton Young Asian Women's Forum £4,000.00 Touchstone £2,700.00 Uganda Muslim Community in UK £3,600.00 Uppingham Road Baptist Church £2,500.00 Victoria (Westminster) Muslim Welfare Trust £4,985.00 Walsall Bangladeshi progressive society £3,200.00 Waltham Forest Faith Communities Consultative Group £30,000.00 Wayside Community Centre £29,700.00 Welwyn Hatfield Inter Faith Group £4,500.00 Wembley International Christian Centre £20,000.00 Wessex Jamaat £4,920.00 West Yorkshire African Caribbean Council of Churches £4,500.00 Westbourne Park Family Centre (WPFC) £30,000.00 Westminster Muslim Welfare Trust (WMWT) £4,965.00 Wirral Youth for Christ (affiliated to British Youth for Christ) £5,000.00 Wolverhampton Interfaith Group £28,660.00 Women Together - Harehills Women's Interfaith Group £4,776.00 Women's Interfaith Network £30,000.00 Wood Green Salvation Army £30,000.00 Woodside Church £2,400.00 YMCA Cornwall £4,350.00 YMCA George Williams College £29,960.00 Young Academicals Tutors (YAT) £3,900.00 Young Christian Workers (YCW) £24,850.00 Youth Action Ltd £11,865.00 Youth Forward Ltd £5,000.00 Youth Voice £29,750.00 Total: £3,767,407.65
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government which groups, causes or organisations were funded in each round of the Faiths in Action Fund; how much was given to each; and how much funding is to be allocated. [HL1911]
The information requested is in the table below. The second round of Faiths in Action is still open to applications for grants up to £6,000, and £2 million is available.
Organisation Name Grant Red Rose Sports Club £12,000.00 The Midlands International Buddhist Association UK £11,961.00 Southwark Cathedral Education Centre £12,000.00 The Faith Group of East Northamptonshire (ENFG) £12,000.00 Neighbours in Poplar £12,000.00 Rais Academy £11,150.00 Fishwick Rangers Youth Development Scheme £10,999.99 Seed of Hope Family Organisation £12,000.00 Parkway Methodist Church £11,496.00 Hibbert Community Regeneration Centre £12,000.00 The Leeds Jewish Representative Council £11,750.00 Coolshade Community Musical Workshop £10,870.00 Rossendale Faith Partnership £12,000.00 St Mary's Community Centre £12,000.00 South Shropshire Interfaith Forum £12,000.00 Guisborough Bridge Association £11,050.00 The Harmony Project at Saint James Church, Accrington £12,000.00 Bradford Cathedral £12,000.00 The Feast £6,000.00 Preston Muslim Forum £10,000.00 The Parochial Church Council (PCC) of the Parish of Christ and St John, with St Luke, Isle of Dogs £12,000.00 Alternatives Trust East London £9,230.00 Lancashire Forum of Faiths £12,000.00 Bolton Interfaith Council £12,000.00 Vinefruits Community Interest Company (CIC) £11,546.00 Sudanese Children in Need £11,300.00 Horn Africa Limited £12,000.00 The Radiomarathon Centre £11,830.00 Harehills Youth In Partnership £12,000.00 Churches Industrial Group Birmingham £12,000.00 Cambridge Carbon Footprint Ltd £10,269.00 Muslim Women's Welfare Association £11,343.00 Plymouth Centre for Faiths and Cultural Diversity £11,750.00 Sikh Nari Manch UK £11,804.00 Keighley Asian Women's and Children's Centre £12,000.00 Sikh Community Centre & Youth Club (SCCYC) £11,750.00 St John's Wood Adventure Playground £11,892.00 Positive Start £11,980.00 Chiltern Racial Equality Council £11,980.00 Access for Support and Development Centre £12,000.00 Vision Associates Resource Ltd (VARL) £12,000.00 Narthex Sparkhill £11,700.00 Restore - Birmingham Churches Supporting Refugees and Asylum Seekers £12,000.00 Sikh Union £11,995.00 Ward End Asian Elders Welfare Association £4,850.00 Central London Youth Development Trust £11,200.00 Across Communities: The Young People’s Project £12,000.00 Tameside Third Sector Coalition £12,000.00 Sikh Community and Youth Service £12,000.00 Sandwell Multi-Faith Network £11,518.00 Middlesbrough Council of Faiths £11,720.00 Heeley Development Trust £11,883.00 Birmingham Churches Together Training £12,000.00 Churches in Reading Women's Centre £12,000.00 National Board of Catholic Women £12,000.00 The Anchor Project, St Clement's Church £12,000.00 The Peacemakers £11,960.00 Awaz Utaoh Ltd £11,934.00 Preston United Youth Development Programme £11,962.00 Connect FE £12,000.00 Deen-Faith For All £11,935.00 Christians Aware - Faith Awareness Leicester £12,000.00 Soft Touch Arts Ltd £11,982.00 Birmingham Faith Leaders Group £12,000.00 Fluid Space Arts £9,260.00 Centre For Multi-Cultural Development and Integration (CENMUD) £11,800.84 Loughborough Council of Faiths £12,000.00 Burton upon Trent and District YMCA £12,000.00 Acton Community Forum £12,000.00 Welwyn Hatfield Inter Faith Group £12,000.00 Hillingdon Inter Faith Network £10,850.00 The Portsmouth Friendship Centre £11,718.00 Derby Open Centre £12,000.00 Restoration Ministries UK £10,884.00 Hackney Association Youth Club £11,500.00 Al Ghazali Multicultural Centre £11,972.00 Ark T Centre £11,024.00 The Lesbian and Gay Foundation (The LGF) £11,698.00 Anand Mangal Drop-in Luncheon Club £10,900.00 Darnall Forum £11,945.00 Community Voice FM Ltd £6,560.00 Cambridge Council for Voluntary Service £11,911.00 Deptford Churches Centre £12,000.00 Southall Community Alliance £10,275.00 St. Philip's Centre £12,000.00 Wakefield Cathedral £12,000.00 Conflict and Change £12,000.00 Islington Faiths Forum £10,608.00 Brighton Festival of World Sacred Music Ltd £11,973.00 Longbridge Childcare Strategy Group £11,000.00 Community Development Institute £11,585.00 Bexley Multifaith Forum £12,000.00 Kent Muslim Welfare Association Limited £12,000.00 J-go Training Limited £11,745.00 Luton Council Of Faiths £12,000.00 Grassroots Programme £12,000.00 Getaway Girls £11,991.00 Building Bridges Pendle £12,000.00 Network of Engaged Buddhists £12,000.00 FolesHillfields Vision Ltd £12,000.00 Toynbee Hall £12,000.00 Makor Charitable Trust £12,000.00 Smethwick Youth and Community Centre £12,000.00 Pathways For People £11,600.00 Leeds Muslim Youth Forum £11,501.00 Active Faith Communities Programme. Please note that this group has withdrawn. £11,934.00 Karimia Institute £11,500.00 Lozells Project £9,200.00 Woking People of Faith £11,500.00 Preston and South Ribble Street Pastors £12,000.00 Dagenham Bangladeshi Women & Children’s Association £12,000.00 St Michael’s Parochial Church Council £12,000.00 Waltham Forest Faith Communities Forum £12,000.00 Pulling Together Asian Women's Group £11,592.88 Cornwall Faith Forum £12,000.00 Horsham Interfaith Forum £9,150.00 Salisbury Cathedral Education Centre £4,443.17 InterFaith MK £12,000.00 Sound It Out Community Music £12,000.00 Lewisham Muslim Women's Group £6,180.00 St Luke’s CARES (Community and Regeneration Enterprises) £11,896.00 Redbridge Faith Forum (RFF) £11,968.40 Essex Mind & Spirit £11,788.00 Warrington Council of Faiths £12,000.00 Bristol Multi Faith Forum £12,000.00 Southampton Council of Faiths £12,000.00 Initiative Interfaith Trust £6,007.00 Voluntary Action Wokingham Borough £11,903.00 Wellingborough Inter Faith Group £12,000.00 Minorities of Europe £12,000.00 Sacred Space (Oxygen) £11,880.00 Barking Muslims Association Trust (BMA) £9,425.00 Dudley Borough Interfaith Network £11,987.00 Northampton Inter Faith Forum £12,000.00 Leyton Visitation Action Group (LEYVA) £11,616.00 Blackburn with Darwen Interfaith Forum £10,927.00 Edgware and District Reform Synagogue £11,850.00 Wisbech Interfaith Forum £5,790.60 Radio Ikhlas £11,989.60 Wirral Youth for Christ £12,000.00 Building Bridges In Burnley £12,000.00 Quaker Social Action £11,974.00 Communities Together £12,000.00 Central Herts YMCA £12,000.00 Bath Interfaith Group £12,000.00 UK Lesbian and Gay Immigration Group £12,000.00 West Berkshire Minority Ethnic Forum £10,730.00 Birmingham Council of Faiths £11,300.00 Herefordshire Multi-Faith Development Group £11,989.80 Council of Ethnic Minority Voluntary Sector Organisations £11,999.96 Elmbridge Multifaith Forum £11,826.00 Southend Community-in-Harmony Partnership £12,000.00 Milton Keynes Council of Faiths £12,000.00 Surrey Youth Focus £12,000.00 Society of Friends (Quakers) – Dorchester and Weymouth Preparative Meeting £10,900.00 Hideaway Youth Project £12,000.00 St. Barnabas Church, Manor Park £12,000.00 St Mary’s Parish Church, Luton £11,900.00 Faiths Together in Lambeth (FTiL) £12,000.00 Swindon Mela £12,000.00 The Energesis Trust £11,900.00 Bracknell Forest Voluntary Action £10,855.00 All Saints Community Project £12,000.00 Documentary Filmmakers Group £11,966.00 Gateshead Borough Youth Organisations Council (GYC) £12,000.00 Calderdale Interfaith Council (C.I.C.) £12,000.00 The Maitri Project £12,000.00 Kingston Inter Faith Forum £1,560.00 Bristol Diocesan Board of Education £12,000.00 Nottingham Inter Faith Council £10,000.00 Brent Ladies Football Club £11,488.00 F.A.C.E (Faith, Arts, Culture and Environment) £2,500.00 Aston Vision Association £12,000.00 Free Form Arts Trust £11,900.00 Clapham and Stockwell Faith Forum £12,000.00 BTCV London £12,000.00 Art Beyond Belief £11,960.00 Hastings & District Interfaith Forum £12,000.00 People's Voice Media £11,500.00 Bolton Lads and Girls Club £12,000.00 Manchester Cathedral £11,479.00 The Multi-Faith Centre at the University of Derby £11,872.00 Religious Studies Resource Centre £11,125.00 Prescap (Preston Community Arts Project) £11,512.00 Muslim Mediation Service £11,921.00 The Lighthouse Group (TLG) £11,480.00 Faith Encounter Programme £11,980.00 Project 29 £11,854.34 Faiths in Action £11,178.45 Sunderland Samba FC £11,450.00 Bristol Interfaith Group £12,000.00 The Muslim Jewish Forum of Greater Manchester £12,000.00 Bucks Forum of Faiths £12,000.00 Great Lever User Group £5,660.00 Women's Design Service £11,980.00 Preston Faith Forum £12,000.00 ISR - The Churches Council for Industry & Social Responsibility (Bristol) £5,550.00 Leeds Faiths Forum £12,000.00 Milton Keynes Values Influences & Peers (MK-VIP) £6,112.50 Longton Community Church - Stoke on Trent £11,970.00 Art and Sacred Places £12,000.00 Ravensthorpe Community Centre Ltd £11,949.00 Faiths Together in Croydon (FTiC) through Croydon Voluntary Action (CVA) £11,992.00 Muslim Youth Foundation £12,000.00 Nishkam Civic Association £11,955.00 Amber Initiatives £11,800.00 Islamic Cultural and Educational Association £12,000.00 Young Christian Workers (YCW) £11,554.00 Wandsworth Community Empowerment Network £12,000.00 Parish Church Council - Parish of Saint Peter, Bury, Lancashire £2,500.00 Broxtowe Community Celebration Group £11,105.00 The Girls Project £9,528.00 Ascendance Rep £11,800.00 Hertsmere Forum of Faiths £5,600.00 Burnley Youth Theatre £9,865.00 City of Bradford YMCA £11,809.00
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government which Regional Faith Forums were funded in each of the past three years; by how much; and how much funding is to be allocated. [HL1912]
The Inter Faith Framework, Face-to-Face & Side-by-Side, published in July 2008, made provision for funding all nine regional faith forums over the three-year Comprehensive Spending Review period. The total three-year allocation is £1.89 million, representing £70,000 per annum to each forum. Eight of the nine forums have so far drawn down their full allocation. In the financial year 2008-09, eight of the nine forums received additional financial support for specific items amounting to a total of almost £200,000. During the current financial year all nine forums were allocated a further £5,000 each to enable them to support last November's Inter Faith Week across their region.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the development of regional Faith Links; what funding has already been allocated; and what funding has yet to be allocated. [HL1913]
The Inter Faith Framework, Face-to-Face & Side-by-Side, published in July 2008, set out the four key building blocks for supporting inter-faith activity. We are continuing to explore the role that structures such as Faith Links can play in the building block which focuses on “structures and processes which promote dialogue and social action”. There is no funding allocated to Faith Links.
Community Cohesion
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding has been allocated to each regional development agency to promote community cohesion in 2010–11; and what portion of that funding has been already allocated. [HL1969]
Since April 2002, regional development agencies (RDA) have been financed through a single programme budget (the “single pot”). Money from the six contributing departments (BIS, CLG, Defra, DCMS and UKTI) is pooled into one single budget and allocated to the RDAs. While RDAs take account of community cohesion issues, RDAs do not record expenditure according to community cohesion as a category of corporate spending. Furthermore, to separate out this data would incur disproportionate cost.
Crime: Universal Jurisdiction
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received a request from the United Nations Secretary-General under paragraph 1 of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 64/117 for information and observations on the scope and application of the principle of universal jurisdiction, including information on judicial practice; and if so, whether they have submitted or intend to submit such a document to the Secretary-General before 30 April; whether that document includes or will include details of the arrest warrant procedure in the United Kingdom; and whether they will publish that document. [HL1988]
Under UN General Assembly Resolution 64/117, the UK has received a request from the UN Secretary-General to provide information on the scope and application of the principles of universal jurisdiction, including information on judicial practice. The UK does intend to submit a response to this request, and the Government are aware of the deadline for response. All responses will be published in a report by the UN Secretary-General.
Crime: Violence
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of violence against the person offences including physical harm they estimate would not have been recorded prior to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard. [HL1856]
An online report entitled National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS), an analysis of the impact on recorded crime, published in July 2003, evaluated the impact of NCRS on recorded crime figures. The full report can be found here:
http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr3103.pdf
The report estimates that the introduction of NCRS led to a 23 per cent increase in recording of overall violence against the person offences in 2002-03. The analysis carried out for the report did not split violence against the person offences into those with or without injury.
The estimate of 23 per cent relates to an estimated effect in the first year of operation of the NCRS. No similar estimate was made for subsequent years as changes continued to be bedded in. However, the Audit Commission undertook substantial audit work on crime recording in the years following NCRS introduction up until 2006-07, this indicating a generally increasing level of NCRS compliance across forces. Furthermore, it is known that some forces had taken steps to make their recording of crime more victim-oriented prior to the formal introduction of NCRS.
Cycling
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 2 February (WA 16–17), whether the Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group collects data on the percentage of penalty notices issued for cycling offences which are paid. [HL1869]
The Fixed Penalty Procedures Working Group does not collect the data in that form. Its role is to provide advice.
Cyprus: Property
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2 February (WA 17), what steps they have taken, as a guarantor power, to reconcile differences between the Turkish Cypriot Properties Management and Other Measures (Temporary Provisions) Law and the Immovable Property Commission established by the government of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. [HL1879]
The Government have not taken steps in relation to the Properties Management and Other Measures (Temporary Provisions) Law in the Republic of Cyprus and the Immovable Property Commission in northern Cyprus. This is an internal issue to be addressed on the island and not by the guarantor powers.
Deforestation: Compensation
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will hold discussions with the main countries affected by deforestation on financial compensation for protecting forests against deforestation. [HL1894]
The Government are participating in discussions with countries affected by deforestation via the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility demonstration initiative, which is establishing a carbon fund for payments to reduce emissions from deforestation and a readiness fund to support capacity building to facilitate participation by forest countries in schemes to deliver such payments. The Government are also working bilaterally and multilaterally with forest and developed countries to meet the commitment in the Copenhagen accord for the immediate establishment of a mechanism to mobilise financial resources from developed countries to provide positive incentives to reduce emissions from deforestation.
Department for International Development: Overseas Projects
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what effect the fall in the value of sterling has had on overseas projects carried out by the Department for International Development. [HL1741]
This information cannot be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.
Development Aid
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how they ensure that development programmes take account of conflicts; how they assess whether development assistance in conflict-affected and fragile countries addresses the causes of conflict and fragility; and what plans they have to make conflict resolution and security central to their development policies. [HL1945]
The Department for International Development (DfID) is taking a number of measures to ensure that development programmes take account of conflicts and address the causes of conflict and fragility. DfID has developed a number of analytical tools to help factor conflict into decisions about development, including Country Governance Assessment and Strategic Conflict Assessment. These help DfID officials to examine the causes of conflict, in particular the relationship between poverty, development and conflict, and to consider the implications for programming. DfID is also updating its country planning processes and guidance to ensure all of its development assistance in conflict-affected and fragile states is guided by the OECD-DAC principles for good international engagement in fragile states and situations, which stress the importance of addressing the causes of conflict and fragility.
The 2009 White Paper Eliminating World Poverty: Building our Common Future set out the Government's commitment to treating security and access to justice as a basic service. The White Paper pledges to allocate at least 50 per cent of its new bilateral funding to fragile countries and those affected by conflict, and triple its direct project funding for security and justice.
Education: Overseas Students
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government why they are ceasing to use visa letters for foreign students applying to come to the United Kingdom; what is the difference between such a letter and a confirmation of acceptance for studies (CAS) form; and why the provision of passport numbers on CAS forms is compulsory rather than optional. [HL1762]
The visa letter is a paper document given by the Tier 4 sponsor to the student. A Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) is a virtual document, similar to a database record. Sponsors complete an IT-based process that results in the assignment of a unique reference number. A CAS, which replaces the visa letter, cannot be forged and cannot be tampered with. This is a security feature to further reduce the potential for abuse of Tier 4. As all students require a passport to apply for leave under Tier 4, either overseas or in the UK, it is not unreasonable for this information to be entered on the CAS. It is also an added security feature to combat possible fraud.
The implementation plan for Tier 4 made clear that an IT-based system would be introduced in autumn 2009.
Elections: Burundi and Rwanda
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what support they are providing to long-term observation missions to monitor elections in (a) Burundi, and (b) Rwanda, in 2010. [HL2050]
The elections this year in both Burundi and Rwanda remain a top priority for the UK. In both countries, peaceful elections will mark an important step in institutionalising the democratic process. The presence of international observer missions, both from the region and further afield (such as the EU and Commonwealth) constitute an important part of this process.
As a member state, the UK discusses the issue regularly with the European Commission. While the European Commission seeks the views of member states on a proposed priority list of countries for EU Election Observer Missions (EOM), it ultimately falls to the European Commission themselves to decide where these will be deployed. Similarly, the terms and resourcing for any EU EOM are also ultimately a decision for the European Commission.
The UK welcomes the declaration by Commonwealth Secretary-General Sharma that a Commonwealth Election Observer Mission will go to Rwanda for the elections, due to be held in August.
Elections: Rwanda
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of recent reports by Human Rights Watch and other human rights organisations of incidents of intimidation against members of Rwandan opposition parties in the run-up to the forthcoming presidential election. [HL2051]
We are aware of reports made by various human rights organisations, including Human Rights Watch, about incidents of intimidation against members of Rwandan opposition parties. We are monitoring the situation in Rwanda, particularly in relation to the elections this year. We meet regularly with political parties, including both government and opposition parties. We continue to engage with the Government of Rwanda on the issues of registration and functioning of political parties, as well as on the wider matter of extending political space in Rwanda.
Embryology
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Truscott on 25 June 2007 (WA 96–8) and by Lord Drayson on 15 January 2010 (WA 197), how the research councils have engaged with concerns raised by Professor Robin Lovell-Badge and Professor Austin Smith about the use of public money for certain types of stem cell work, reported on 2 February 2010; and to what extent they have evaluated the impact of any such publication bias on the peer review system. [HL1804]
The Medical Research Council (MRC) considers excellence as the primary consideration in taking decisions on which proposals to fund and all research proposals submitted to the MRC are subject to stringent scientific peer review. Considerable emphasis is placed on the written proposal submitted. The MRC does not rely solely on the record of published papers; this is just one aspect of an application that is taken into account. The MRC has not been made aware of any evidence that would support the suggestion of any publication bias in the peer review system.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 28 January (WA 365), what are the (a) prefix, and (b) title, of each file held by the Better Regulation Executive on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL1805]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 28 January (WA 365), what recent representations the Better Regulation Executive has received regarding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL1806]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 28 January (WA 365), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of each piece of written evidence presented to the Better Regulation Executive on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority. [HL1807]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 28 January (WA 365), whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of each piece of research commissioned by the Better Regulation Executive on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority; and what the cost was of each. [HL1808]
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority is one of 36 national regulators who have been subject to a Hampton Implementation Review. The review was conducted last year. The review team consulted a range of the authority's stakeholders as part of the review process. Guidance on the process is available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file48275.pdf.
Formal written evidence was submitted to the review both by the authority and by external stakeholders. Copies of the relevant documents will be placed in the Library of the House, with two exceptions. These exceptions are where the relevant external stakeholders of the authority have asked for their submissions not to be published and where documents contain potentially sensitive information about individuals and their permission to publish has not been obtained. As with all Hampton reviews, before the report is published there is dialogue between the body being reviewed and the review team to ensure that the evidence is correct and the findings of the review are balanced and based on correct evidence. This dialogue is not appropriate for publication. The findings and evidence to support those findings is found in the published report on the authority available at: http://www.berr.gov.uk/files/file53852.pdf
The Better Regulation Executive has not commissioned any research on the authority, and there are consequently no related costs.
There are two relevant electronic files held by the Better Regulation Executive on the authority, with the short titles Policy Development: Public Health: Tissues and Embryos, and Hampton Implementation Reviews: HFEA.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make funding to the International Planned Parenthood Federation and the United Nations Population Fund dependent on those bodies not supporting or participating in the management of a programme of coercive abortion or involuntary sterilisation. [HL1809]
The United Kingdom is fully committed to the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), which agreed that human rights and gender equality should guide population and development policy. This includes the respect for reproductive rights and provision of universal access to sexual and reproductive health services, including family planning.
The UK only supports organisations that comply with the human rights principles endorsed by the international community at the 1994 ICPD. Coercive abortion and involuntary sterilisation violate the human and reproductive rights of individuals. The Department for International Development (DfID) does not support any organisations that engage in such practice.
The UK has committed £100 million to the United Nations Population Fund's Global Programme for Reproductive Health Commodity Security over the period 2007 to 2012. DfID has committed £42.5 million to the International Planned Parenthood Federation over the period 2008 to 2015.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 14 January (WA 170–1), whether the mistake concerning research licence numbers has occurred with respect to other research licences; and whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority's Head of Information checked the information provided and cited reference numbers used by the authority to track applications for licences and renewals of licences. [HL1948]
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it is not aware that the human error the noble Lord refers to has occurred elsewhere relating to its records about research licences. The reference numbers to which the noble Lord refers are suffixes to licence numbers. These suffixes have no relevance to the accuracy of data but refer instead to the sequencing of licences for individual research projects.
The HFEA has also advised that it has nothing further to add to the information already provided on the circumstances in which the data error occurred.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81), whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority has lost any records following a request from researchers. [HL2007]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, in considering applications for animal-human hybrid embryos, takes into account practice in other countries which allow such embryos. [HL2008]
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it considers applications for the creation of human admixed embryos in line with the requirements of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990 (as amended). As outlined in my Written Answer of 9 November 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 110-11), the process used to determine whether to grant a research licence is set out in a decision tree used by the HFEA's research licence committee. This can be found on the HFEA's website at www.hfea.gov.uk/1128.html.
The HFEA has received numerous requests from researchers since its establishment in 1991, including 703 requests under the Freedom of Information Act since 2005 alone. The authority has advised that the information sought by the noble Lord on records lost following requests by researchers could only be supplied at disproportionate cost.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81–2), what are the costs of providing information about the number and nature of Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority licence conditions or other sanctions. [HL2058]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81–2), whether any previous chief executive of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority was approached by anyone wishing to make a disclosure, as described in the Authority's document on Public Interest Disclosure; and what was the outcome of any such disclosures. [HL2059]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 8 February (WA 81–2), what was the misconduct in the five cases referred to; how many individuals were charged with misconduct in each of those cases; what were the consequences in each case; how long those charged with misconduct had been employed by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA); and in what capacity any employees guilty of misconduct were subsequently employed by the HFEA or the Department of Health. [HL2060]
The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised that it has a record of two individuals approaching the previous chief executive with a public interest disclosure. These individuals were not members of HFEA staff and, therefore, were not covered by the document referred to in my Written Answer of 8 February (Official Report, col. WA 81-2). One approach followed an HFEA inspection and resulted in the individual meeting with members of the HFEA Executive. The outcome was an unannounced inspection and subsequent consideration by a HFEA licence committee. The other disclosure was anonymous, so it was not possible to pursue in the same way. The HFEA has also advised that it is unable to provide any information regarding disclosures which may have been made to all other chief executives since 1991.
The HFEA has advised that of the five cases of misconduct mentioned in my Written Answer, four were unauthorised absence and one was misuse of email. One person was charged with misconduct in each of these cases. One case resulted in an oral warning, two cases resulted in the individual leaving the employment of the HFEA and in the two remaining cases, where the individuals involved appealed the findings of the misconduct inquiries, their appeal was upheld. Those concerned were employed for periods ranging from five months to three years and six months. The HFEA is of the view that it is not appropriate to provide further detail on these cases, due to the risk of identification of those involved.
The HFEA has advised that providing information on the number and nature of licence conditions or other sanctions, requested by the noble Lord, would involve scrutinising every licence issued since 1991 and cross-referring to licence committee minutes, inspection reports, incident reports and press cuttings.
Energy: Generation Projects
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 3 February (HL Deb, col 198), what are the energy generation projects for which (a) consent has been given, and (b) construction is taking place. [HL1887]
The table below shows consents granted by the Department of Energy and Climate Change (and previously the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform) for electricity generating stations in England and Wales since 1 January 2007.
Applications for consent for onshore electricity generating stations of up to and including 50 MW are made to local planning authorities under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (TCPA). A spreadsheet showing the data for renewables projects a) consented and b) under construction under the TCPA regime in England and Wales in the last 3 years has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
According to the latest Energy Markets Outlook Report (December 2009), 9GW of new electricity generating plant is currently under construction (paragraphs 2.4.4 & 4.3.11). This can be viewed at:
http://www.decc.gov.uk/Media/viewfile.ashx?FilePath= What_we_do\UKenergysupply\Energymarkets\outlook\1_ 20091216110910_e_@@_energyMarketsOutlook2009.pdf &filetype=4
Date of decision Company / location Type of project Maximum output 04.11.2009 Renewable Energy Ltd, Peterborough, Fengate Biomass + EfW 79 MW 27.08.2009 Tilbury Green Power Ltd, Tilbury Docks, Essex Biomass & EfW 60 MW 11.08.2009 Peel Environmental Ince Ltd, Ince, Cheshire Refuse Derived Fuel 95 MW 15.07.2009 MGT Teesside Limited, Teesside Renewable Energy Plant, Teesport Biomass 295 MW 22.04.2009 Norsea Pipelines Ltd, Seal Sands, Teesside CHP CCGT 800 MW 05.02.2009 RWE Npower Pembroke CCGT 2000 MW 05.02.2009 Centrica Leasing (KL), Kings Lynn B, Norfolk CCGT 1020 MW 05.02.2009 Powerfuel Power, Hatfield Park, Doncaster CCGT & IGCC 900 MW 08.01.2009 CRE Energy, Land adjacent to Alcan Smelter, Lynemouth, Northumberland Onshore Wind Farm 16.1 MW 03.12.2008 Gwynt y Mor Offshore Wind Farm, Ltd, Gwynt y Mor - off North Wales Offshore Wind Farm 750 MW 21.10.2008 Centrica (Lincs), Off Lincolnshire Offshore Wind Farm 250 MW 16.09.2008 Ineos Chlor, West Point, Runcorn CUP - EFW 100 MW 04.09. 2008 Ormonde Energy, Ormonde - East Irish Sea, *replaces previous Wind Farm, consent issued on 09.02.2007 Offshore Wind Farm 150 MW 04.09.2008 Morecambe Wind Farm Ltd, West of Duddon Sands - East Irish, Sea Offshore Wind Farm 500 MW 28.08.2008 Thor Cogeneration, Seal Sands,Teesside CHP CCGT 1020 MW 07.08.2008 Scira Offshore Energy, Greater Wash Offshore Wind Farm 315 MW 07.08.2008 Npower Renewables, Middlemoor, Northumberland Onshore Wind Farm 75 MW 30.07.2008 Bridestones Developments Ltd, Carrington CCGT (ext from previous 380MW) 860 MW 16.06.2008 Helius Energy, Hobson Way, Stallingborough, Lincs Bio-mass 65 MW 07.04.2008 Pulse Tidal, Upper Burcom, River Humber Tidal power 0.15 MW 28.02.2008 E.ON UK Renewables Ltd, Tween Bridge, Doncaster Onshore Wind Farm 66 MW 28.02.2008 Dong Energy, Gunfleet Sands II - Outer Thames, Estuary Offshore Wind Farm 64 MW 28.02.2008 Renewable Energy Systems, Keadby, Nth Lincs Onshore Wind Farm 85 MW 19.12.2007 Barking Power Ltd, Barking Power Station, Dagenham,Essex CCGT(ext from previous 470MW) 1000 MW 20.11.2007 PrenergyPower Ltd, Puckey House, Port Talbot Docks Biomass 350 MW 07.11.2007 Walney Dong Ltd, Walney - East Irish Sea Offshore Wind Farm 600 MW 30.10.2007 EDF Energy, West Burton Power Station, Nottinghamshire CCGT 1270 MW 16.10.2007 E.ON UK, Drakelow, South Derbyshire CCGT 1220 MW 09.10.2007 Devon Wind Farm Power, Fullabrook Down, North Devon Onshore Wind Farm 66 MW 17.09.2007 SWRDA Wave Hub, Off North Cornwall Wave energy 20 MW 17.09.2007 EDF (Northern Offshore Wind, Farm), Teesside Offshore Wind Farm 100 MW 21.08.2007 London Array Ltd, Land to the north of Cleve Hill, Farm, near Graveney in Kent On-shore sub- station to offshore Wind Farm 1000 MW 17.08.2007 Severn Power Ltd, Uskmouth, Newport CCGT 800 MW 13.07.2007 Bridestones Power Ltd, Carrington, Manchester CCGT 380 MW 19.02.2007 Greater Gabbard Offshore Wind Farms Ltd, Outer Thames Estuary Offshore Wind Farm 500 MW 09.02.2007 Ormonde Energy Limited, Ormonde - East Irish Sea Offshore Wind Farm 108 MW 09.02.2007 Eclipse Energy Limited, Ormonde - East Irish Sea Offshore gas station 93 MW
Glossary:
EFW - Energy from waste
CCGT - Combined cycle gas turbine
IGCC - Integrated gasification combined cycle
CHP - Combined heat & power
EU: Non-compliance
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 1 February (WA 6), what is the severest sanction that the European Union can impose on member states which refuse to pay fines after further infraction proceedings under articles 258 and 260 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union have been unsuccessful. [HL1867]
For serious and persistent breaches the European Union “may decide to suspend certain of the rights deriving from the application of the Treaties to the Member State in question, including the voting rights of the representative of the government of that Member State in the Council” (Article 7 of the Treaty on European Union).
Export Credits Guarantee Department
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many projects involving credit terms of less than two years have been supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the past five years; and what is their total value. [HL1882]
In respect of contracts with less than two years’ credit terms, the number of insurance policies/guarantees issued by ECGD in each of the past five years, including aggregate contract values, was:
Year Number Value 2005 8 £50.45 million 2006 13 £100.54 million 2007 5 £6.17 million 2008 1 £0.42 million 2009 7 £19.69 million
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many projects of less than £10 million in value have been supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the past five years; and what was the total value of such projects in each year. [HL1883]
In respect of contracts under £10 million, the number of insurance policies/guarantees issued by ECGD in each of the past five years, including the aggregate contract values, was:
Year Number Value 2005 11 £45.70 million 2006 15 £33.41 million 2007 7 £7.39 million 2008 4 £15.50 million
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many projects were screened for the use of child labour by the Export Credits Guarantee Department in each of the past five years. [HL1884]
The total number of insurance policies/guarantees issued by ECGD where the contracts were screened for the use of child labour in each of the past five years was:
Year Number 2005 29 2006 22 2007 12 2008 7 2009 9
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Export Credits Guarantee Department will continue to screen all projects for the use of child labour. [HL1885]
The Government are currently carrying out a public consultation on proposed revisions to the Export Credits Guarantee Department's (ECGD) business principles and ancillary policies, including on whether ECGD will continue to screen all projects for the use of child labour, on which the Government will respond in due course.
Finance: Alternative Investment Market
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Lord Myners on 27 January, what are the definitions in the European directive on prospectuses which prevent Alternative Investment Market-listed shares being eligible for inclusion in an ISA. [HL1670]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the estimated cost of allowing Alternative Investment Market shares to be eligible for inclusion in an ISA. [HL1671]
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps would need to be taken to allow Alternative Investment Market-listed shares to be included in an ISA. [HL1672]
The UK tax system differentiates between listed and unlisted shares for tax purposes. One of the qualifying conditions for the eligibility of shares for ISA tax relief is that they must be listed on a recognised stock exchange.
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) now generally uses the term “admitted to trading on an EU Regulated Market under Title III of the Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID)”, to determine which securities would meet the HMRC definition of “listed”. AIM is not an EU-regulated market under Title III of MiFID, and so shares traded on it do not meet that definition.
No estimate is currently available for the cost to the Exchequer of permitting AIM shares to be eligible for ISA tax relief, given the wider considerations noted below.
To enable AIM-listed shares to be included within an ISA, the Government have to amend the ISA regulations. In doing so, the Government would have to consider the risk to ISA investors of allowing not only shares held on AIM, but potentially all other secondary markets worldwide, to be eligible for ISA tax relief. The Government would also have to review the wider tax reliefs currently available to AIM-listed shares, which would mean reconsidering advantageous treatment for AIM shares around inheritance tax, and access to the enterprise investment scheme (EIS) and venture capital trusts (VCT).
Financial Institutions: Auditors
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent by central government departments and their agencies on audit services in each of the last five years for which information is available. [HL1729]
Central government has spent the following on audit services for each of the last five years:
Figures in £ millions 2008-09 2007-08 2006-07 2005-06 2004-05 19.9 18.0 17.0 15.9 12.8
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure they are getting value for money from audit firms; and what steps they are taking to ensure that medium-sized firms have access to tender processes. [HL1730]
Individual government departments are responsible for ensuring they obtain value for money from the contracts they enter into with audit firms. Contracts will be subject to the procurement rules and practices of each government department, but will be based on the policy and standards framework maintained by the Office of Government Commerce, and should comply with the principles of fair and open competition.
It is the Government's policy to encourage and support all small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to compete for public sector contracts where this is consistent with value for money policy and UK regulations, EU treaty principles and EU procurement directives. The Office of Government Commerce provides government departments with guidance on opening supply opportunities to SMEs, building effective relationships with them, and removing some of the barriers they can face in the delivery of government contracts. The Government-supported web-portal www.supply2gov.gov.uk also offers consolidated access to lower-value opportunities from across the UK public sector, improving the visibility of public procurement opportunities.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations they have undertaken into the possible savings that might be achieved from using audit services of smaller firms not currently on approved lists. [HL1731]
The procurement of such services is the responsibility of individual government departments who are encouraged to use the services of small and medium-sized firms wherever this is consistent with good value for money.
The Treasury is, however, currently consulting departments on proposals that aim to deliver internal audit work across government in a more efficient and effective manner whether internally or externally sourced.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria are used to determine whether a firm can be put on the approved list for audit services. [HL1732]
Individual central departments are responsible for determining the criteria to be used for including firms on their approved lists for audit services. The Treasury does not maintain a central record of the criteria used.
Financial Institutions: Environmentally Friendly
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures are in place to ensure that where financial institutions offer products claiming to be driven by environmental considerations their claims are easily verifiable by consumers. [HL1820]
This is a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). I have asked the FSA to write to the noble Baroness on the issue that she raises.
Gaza
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the European Union about supplies of diesel fuel to the central power station in Gaza. [HL1673]
Officials of the Department for International Development (DfID) are in regular contact with the European Union regarding supplies of diesel fuel to the central power station in Gaza.
Until November 2009, the European Union (EU) provided €9 million per month for the supply of 8.8 million litres of industrial diesel for the power station in Gaza. The EU has clarified that the ending of this support was the subject of a comprehensive discussion with the Palestinian Authority (PA), in which it was agreed that EU funds should be focused on other priorities. The PA has since undertaken to bear the cost of fuel from its own budget.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had in the European Union and with non-governmental organisations concerning power supplies in Gaza. [HL1674]
Officials of the Department for International Development (DfID) are in regular contact with the European Union, United Nation (UN) agencies, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) regarding power supplies in Gaza.
Around one-third of Gaza's power needs are provided by Gaza's electricity plant. The restrictions on fuel supply means that the plant does not run at full capacity, leading to power cuts of four to five hours a day for several days each week. NGO and UN partners have noted the impact of power shortages on the fragile public health situation in Gaza. In health facilities, increased disruptions to the power supply mean that important medical procedures need to be put on hold; they also result in greater wear and tear on hard-pressed back-up generators. Water supplies are irregular as pumps do not work during power outages, and the capacity of the waste water system to deal with sewage is affected leading to overflows and discharge of raw and partially treated sewage into the sea.
Cooking gas is used for both the preparation of food and heating. In the last two months the amount of cooking gas imported into Gaza has varied between 24 per cent and 42 per cent of the pre-blockade levels. NGOs have highlighted this shortfall as a significant humanitarian concern, particularly during winter. Periodic consignments of petrol and non-industrial diesel are allowed into Gaza for UN Relief and Works Agency use, but supplies for the open market through the crossings have been sporadic. The bulk of Gaza's diesel and petrol needs are met by supplies brought through tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Government Departments: Bonuses
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government for each of the last three years for which figures are available, how many people were eligible for performance bonuses and special bonuses in the Ministry of Defence and its agencies, by civil service band; how many people received each type of bonus, by civil service band; what the average payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band; and what the maximum payment was for each type of bonus, by civil service band. [HL4]
An element of the MoD overall pay award is allocated to non-consolidated variable pay related to performance. Non-consolidated variable pay awards are funded from within existing pay bill controls, and have to be re-earned each year against pre-determined targets and, as such, do not add to future pay bill costs.
For details on the maximum and average payments for staff in the Senior Civil Service I refer the noble Lord to the Answer given in the other place on 26 January 2010, (Official Report, col. 796W) to the honourable Member for Manchester, Withington (Mr Leech). In 2006-07, 271 SCS staff were eligible for a non-consolidated performance payment; 181 received one. In 2007-08, 266 were eligible and 186 received an award. In 2008-09, 268 were eligible and 187 received an award.
For staff below the SCS, performance awards are paid to staff who meet the eligibility criteria. Higher levels of award are available for those who have contributed most to the business. These awards are distributed on the basis of relative assessment among peers and are designed to encourage continuous high attainment against stretching objectives. All MoD broader banded and Skill Zone staff below the SCS are eligible for a non-consolidated performance payment. MoD civilian numbers are available in the DASA Defence Statistics publication. The majority of MoD civilian staff earn less than £20,000 per year.
Details of the number of staff below the SCS who received a non-consolidated performance payment, and the average and maximum values are set out in the table below.
Financial Year 2006-07 Financial Year 2007-08 Financial Year 2008-09 Number of staff who received a non-consolidated performance payment 46,200 52,170 60,700 Average value of non-consolidated performance payment £518 £590 £677 The value of maximum non-consolidated Payment £3,750 £4,695 £5,500
The MoD also operates an in-year non-consolidated payment scheme, the Special Bonus Scheme (SBS) which rewards eligible MoD civilians for exceptional performance in a specific task or for the achievement of a professional qualification the use of which benefits MoD and the individual. Additionally Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) officers may be awarded a payment for exceptional performance when dealing with a particularly demanding one-off task or situation; unpleasant one-off tasks or situations; or important one-off tasks or situations.
The table below details how many people received a non-consolidated in-year variable pay award, the average and maximum payment for the non-consolidated variable pay award.
Financial Year 2006-07 Financial Year 2007-08 Financial Year 2008-09 Number of staff who received a nonconsolidated performance payment 8747 7028 9688 Average value of non-consolidated performance payment £378 £408 £409 The value of maximum non-consolidated payment £2,000 £2,000 £2,000
Government Departments: Cars
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the cost of providing official cars for (a) ministers, and (b) officials, in the financial years 2003–04, 2004–05, 2005–06, 2006–07 and 2007–08. [HL1927]
The Government Car and Despatch Agency is responsible for providing ministerial transport in line with the Ministerial Code.
I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statements of 26 July 2007 [Official Report, cols. WS 100-101] and 22 July 2008 [Official Report, col WS142] in relation to information on numbers and costs for Ministers for 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08.
I would also refer the noble Lord to a Written Answer of 30 June 2008 given by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport, the honourable Member for Poplar and Canning Town [Official Report, Commons, cols 578-80W] with regard to information on numbers and costs for Ministers 2003-04 and 2004-05.
The cost of providing official cars for ‘officials' for the years 2007-08 and 2006-07 is as follows:
Department 2007-08 Charge (£) DTI/BERR 69,316.01 CABINET OFFICE 266,208.47 DCMS 14,663.00 DCSF 49,780.14 DfES 16,593.38 DfID 19,765.00 DFT 68,375.62 DWP 60,207.44 HEALTH 70,782.07 HMT 63,571.82 NIO 67,081.62 Total 766,344.58
Department 2006-07 Charge (£) CABINET OFFICE 78,176.80 DCMS 66,971.99 DfES 63,515.22 DFT 64,698.31 DTI 66,971.99 DWP 61,321.00 HEALTH 68,388.48 HMT 67,880.80 NIO 64,116.66 Total 602,041.24
Information on the cost of providing official cars for “officials” for the years 2003-04, 2004-05, 2005-06 could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.
Since 1 April 2009, departments publish on a quarterly basis the business costs for Director Generals and above. This will include the cost of the provision of an official car.
Government Departments: Consultancy Services
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much was spent by departments and their agencies on consultancy and advisory work in each of the last five years for which information is available. [HL1708]
Central government departments' spending on consultancy and advisory work in the 16 largest-spending departments decreased from £1,276 million to £884 million (31 per cent) over the three years from 2005-06 to 2007-08, the latest year for which figures are available.
The latest year for which figures are available is 2007-8. A breakdown of spend on consultancy and advisory work by department is available at:
www.ogc.gov.uk/professional_services_ consultancy_value_programme. asp.
The Pre-Budget Report announced that consultancy spend across government would be further reduced by 50 per cent by 2011-12.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to ensure they are getting value for money from consultancy and advisory firms; and what steps they are taking to ensure that medium- sized firms have access to tender processes. [HL1709]
The Office of Government Commerce is leading a consultancy value programme (CVP) across government to ensure that better value for money is achieved from public sector spend on consultancy. The CVP helped reduce central government spend on consultancy and advisory work in the 16 largest-spending departments from £1,276 million in 2005-06 to £884 million (31 per cent) in 2007-08 by providing a range of initiatives and tools to help procurers and end-users of consultancy to identify when consultancy is the best solution; to ensure the procurement business case is robust; and to feel confident they are extracting best value out of the relationship with the consultancy supplier.
The Pre-Budget Report announced that consultancy spend across Government would be further reduced by 50 per cent by 2012.
To ensure that SMEs have equal opportunities to bid for government business, an OGC / BIS programme, Access for All, is currently implementing the recommendations made in the Glover committee report Accelerating the SME Economic Engine.
More detail about the recommendations and continuing progress on their implementation can be found via the following weblink: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/key_policy_principles_creating_opportunities_for_smes_ and_third_sector_organisations.asp
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what investigations they have undertaken into possible savings from using consultancy and advisory services of smaller firms not on approved lists. [HL1710]
The Government do not maintain lists of approved suppliers. However, Buying Solutions operates a management consultancy and accounting services framework agreement. Suppliers can bid to be on framework agreements when such contracts are let by Buying Solutions or individual departments. In these cases, as with all public sector contracts, it is for individual departments and agencies to determine what constitutes best value for money in resourcing their requirements for consultancy and advisory services.
In 2006, NAO investigated central government's use of consultants and made specific recommendations to improve the way it assesses the need for, procures, and uses them. In response, OGC launched the consultancy value programme (CVP) in collaboration with government departments, to ensure that better value for money is achieved from consultancy within government. Consequently, central government spend on consultancy has decreased by 31 per cent over three years, from £1,276 million in 2005-06 to £884 million in 2007-08. The Pre-Budget Report announced that consultancy spend across government would be further reduced by 50 per cent by 2012.
The Government recognise the benefits that smaller consultancy firms can offer, and are taking steps to facilitate their participation in public procurement. To ensure that SMEs have equal opportunities to bid for government business, an OGC / BIS programme, Access for All, is currently implementing the recommendations made in the Glover committee report, Accelerating the SME Economic Engine.
More detail about the recommendations and continuing progress on their implementation can be found via the following weblink: http://www.ogc.gov.uk/key_policy_principles_creating_opportunities_for_smes_ and_third_sector_organisations.asp
Government Departments: Muslim Organisations
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many meetings the Home Secretary and ministers in his department have had with Muslim organisations in each of the past three years; and what were the purposes of the meetings. [HL1576]
Ministers in the Home Office routinely meet with a wide range of organisations to discuss and communicate the business of the department.
Government: Law Officers
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the constitutional conventions and principles governing the circumstances in which Ministers of the Crown may seek to influence the advice given by Law Officers of the Crown to the Executive on matters of law or the public interest. [HL1736]
To ask Her Majesty's Government who has the constitutional responsibility to ensure that the Cabinet and Cabinet committees receive relevant advice from Law Officers of the Crown on matters of law or the public interest. [HL1737]
To ask Her Majesty's Government who has the constitutional responsibility to ensure that advice from Law Officers of the Crown to the Cabinet or Cabinet committees is in a form which enables Ministers to reach informed decisions having regard to such advice. [HL1738]
The form and content of the Law Officers' advice is a matter for the Law Officers. The Ministerial Code sets out the procedures for providing such advice to Cabinet or Cabinet committees.
Hillsborough Castle Agreement
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in relation to Section 3.3 of the agreement at Hillsborough Castle of 5 February, there was any or full consultation with and consent by Sir Reg Empey and Margaret Ritchie that they would co-chair a Working Group. [HL1951]
The agreement at Hillsborough Castle presumes no such consent. Section 3 sets out the intention of the First and Deputy First Ministers to invite Sir Reg Empey and Margaret Ritchie to co-chair the Working Group that will consider how the Executive might function better and how delivery might be improved.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in relation to sections 1.2 and 1.3 of the Agreement at Hillsborough Castle of 5 February, the appointment of the Justice Minister is intended to set a precedent for the appointment of other Northern Ireland Executive Ministers, rather than by the d'Hondt system; and whether that is in line with the Belfast agreement or the St Andrews agreement. [HL1953]
The arrangements to appoint the Justice Minister by a cross-community vote in the Northern Ireland Assembly reflect the particular circumstances of the new Department of Justice. No precedent as regards other Ministers is intended to be set by the Justice Minister being appointed in this manner and other ministerial portfolios will continue to be filled by the d'Hondt method. Neither the Good Friday agreement nor the St Andrews agreement made specific provision for the appointment of the Justice Minister.
Housing Benefit
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Helen Goodman, on 30 November 2009 (HC Deb, col. 391W), whether they will collate the information necessary to establish how many people in receipt of a local housing allowance do not have a bank account; and what payment arrangements are made for such people. [HL1920]
The department is not able to collect information on the number of people in receipt of housing benefit under the Local Housing Allowance scheme who have a bank account. Housing benefit data is collected from local authorities’ administrative systems, and this information is not collected as part of this process.
If a housing benefit customer does not have a bank account, local authorities decide what payment arrangements to put in place.
Human Rights
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have submitted any observations in response to the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Taxquet v Belgium (application 926/05); and, if so, what view they have taken on future jury trial arrangements. [HL1974]
The Government were given permission to intervene in the case of Taxquet on 27 July 2009 and made written submissions to the Grand Chamber on 15 September. The Government submitted that the fundamental principle of United Kingdom law that jury deliberations are absolutely privileged and juries are not required to give reasons for their verdicts is in accordance with the requirements of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
When the Grand Chamber gives its judgment on the application we will consider any implications for jury trial arrangements.
Immigration
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 7 December 2009 (WA 88), whether the 3,659 foreign nationals who received a custodial sentence of 12 months in 2008 have now been removed from the United Kingdom. [HL1726]
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 7 December 2009 (WA 88), whether the 3,203 foreign nationals who received a custodial sentence of 12 months in 2007 have now been removed from the United Kingdom. [HL1727]
Of those people identified by the National Offender Management Service as foreign nationals who received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more in 2007-08, approximately 40 per cent have already been removed, while those remaining continue either to serve their sentence, are held in UKBA detention pending removal, are monitored under UKBA contact management controls pending removal or have been established as British citizens or similar and thus not appropriate for deportation.
The figures are based on internal management information cross-referenced with management information provided by the National Offender Manager Service. As such, it should be considered provisional analysis and will exclude those cases where minor data variations do not allow a matching of records without referral to individual case files.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people (a) took, and (b) passed, the Life in the UK Test in each month of 2009. [HL1855]
The attached table shows the number of people who took the Life in the UK Test and how many passed throughout 2009.
2009 No. of tests delivered Passes Jan 17,187 13,038 Feb 18,332 13,542 Mar 22,236 16,248 Apr 18,229 13,384 May 16,341 12,267 Jun 15,167 11,370 Jul 15,821 11,970 Aug 15,539 11,786 Sep 16,305 12,202 Oct 15,975 11,877 Nov 14,995 10,956 Dec 12,529 9,195 Total 198,656 147,835
Immigration: Deportation
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many foreign national prisoners were deported in each of the last three years. [HL1871]
Published figures for the UK Border Agency show that in 2007 over 4,200 foreign national prisoners were removed or deported, in 2008 almost 5,400 were removed or deported and in quarters 1-3 of 2009 3,890 were removed or deported. Figures for those removed or deported in the period from October to December 2009 will be published on 25 February 2010.
Immigration: Yarl's Wood
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cause of the recent hunger strike at Yarl's Wood Detention Centre; how many people were arrested; how many suffered injuries; and how many were locked down within the Centre. [HL2010]
A passive protest was undertaken by some of the residents of Yarl's Wood Immigration Removal Centre over the weekend of 6 to 7 February which was resolved on Monday 8 February.
No arrests were made although four women were detained by Bedford Police under immigration administrative powers. The incident was resolved without any use of force.
One woman sustained a minor cut to her finger for which medical treatment was given.
In total, 47 women were involved in the disturbance, in three different parts of the centre.
The incident is subject to a management review.
Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many installations exist of the type covered in description 5 in Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2263). [HL1848]
The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 apply to applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects as defined in the Planning Act 2008. No installations of the type covered in description 5 in Schedule 1 to the regulations fall within the definition of nationally significant infrastructure set out in the Planning Act.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what will be the minimum size of a chemical installation under description 6 in Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2263); and how many exist that would be covered by that description. [HL1849]
The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 apply to applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects as defined in the Planning Act 2008. No installations of the type covered in description 6 in Schedule 1 to the regulations fall within the definition of nationally significant infrastructure set out in the Planning Act.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many pipelines exist of the type covered in description 16 in Schedule 1 to the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2263) for the transport of (a) gas, (b) oil, and (c) chemicals. [HL1850]
The Health and Safety Executive has confirmed that there are currently in existence 65 gas pipelines and less than 10 pipelines carrying other substances such as oil and chemicals which meet the specification listed in description 16.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether application W/09/1258 to Warwick District Council for a new marina qualifies under description 12 of the Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 (SI 2009/2263). [HL2075]
The Infrastructure Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2009 apply to applications for development consent for nationally significant infrastructure projects as defined in the Planning Act 2008. The regulations do not apply to applications made to local planning authorities for projects below the thresholds defined in the Planning Act.
International Planned Parenthood Federation
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of the annual reports of the International Planned Parenthood Federation for each of the last two years, together with any other publications showing its budget, activities and lobbying. [HL1843]
I will arrange for copies of the annual report of the International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) for each of the last two years to be placed in the Library of the House. We will also place copies of the Partnership Programme Arrangement that the Department for International Development (DFID) currently has with IPPF in the Library.
Israel and Palestine
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations from the public they have received in the last 12 months about a one-state solution to the Palestine–Israel situation. [HL1816]
We have received several letters, in the last 12 months, from the public suggesting a one-state solution. However, we will continue to focus our efforts on a two-state solution, which we, along with the United States and the international community, believe is in the interest of both the Palestinians and the Israelis.
Israel: Imports and Exports
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the total value of European Union exports to Israel in each of the last three years; and what was the total value of imports from Israel to the European Union in each of the last three years. [HL1940]
The responsibility for information about European Union exports to and imports from Israel lies with Eurostat (the Statistical Office of the European Communities). Such data can be accessed via the following website: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/newxtweb/.
For your information, the above website provides the following data:
EUR Billions PERIOD IMPORT EXPORT Jan-Dec 2006 10.0 14.0 Jan-Dec 2007 11.4 14.3 Jan-Dec 2008 11.2 14.0 Jan-Oct 2009 7.3 9.2
Source: COMEXT database, Eurostat
Note: For 2009, data is only available for January to October
Justice: Arrest Warrants
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received representations from other states since 13 December 2009 in relation to the United Kingdom's arrest warrant procedure in cases where there is universal jurisdiction for United Kingdom courts; and, if so, which states have made such representations. [HL1878]
Since 13 December 2009, my ministerial colleagues have discussed the issues arising from the UK’s arrest warrant procedure in cases where there is universal jurisdiction with Israeli Ministers. Since this issue has been in the media, Government officials have also been asked by US and EU counterparts for updates about the issue, which we have provided.
Korea
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose co-hosting with the government of South Korea an international summit on human rights on the Korean peninsula. [HL1947]
We have no plans to co-host with the Government of South Korea a summit on human rights in the Korean peninsula. We regularly participate in international meetings on human rights. Last week, our embassy in Seoul participated at the International Donor Conference on North Korea at which human rights were discussed. Chatham House is proposing to hold a human security conference in North Korea later this year which we will attend and support.
Marine Environment: British Indian Ocean Territory
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the declaration of a Marine Protected Area in the British Indian Ocean Territory would impose limits on the operation of the United States/United Kingdom base on Diego Garcia. [HL1954]
A decision on whether to establish a Marine Protected Area the British Indian Ocean Territory has not yet been taken.
The use of the facility on Diego Garcia is governed by a series of Exchange of Notes between the UK and US and imposes treaty obligations on both parties. Because of these treaty obligations, we have been discussing the possible creation of a marine protected area with the US. Neither we nor the US would want the creation of a marine protected area to have any impact on the operational capability of the base on Diego Garcia. For this reason, and as has been set out in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office public consultation document, it may be necessary to consider the exclusion of Diego Garcia and its three-mile territorial waters from any marine protected area.
National Identity Register
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Attorney General has a National Identity Card; and, if so, on what date she was enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1496]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Home Secretary and ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1497]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1498]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Justice and ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1499]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Prime Minister has a National Identity Card; and, if so, on what date he was enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1500]
The Identity & Passport Service holds in confidence on the National Identity Register personal information about who has been issued with an identity card. Under Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act, it is not permissible for the Home Office to disclose or verify information from any individual's record on the National Identity Register in this manner.
Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act only permits disclosure or verification of such information in certain circumstances, for example to an organisation that is prescribed under Sections 17-20 of the Act, or one that is approved under Section 12 of the Act and has obtained the individual's consent to obtain that information.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Chancellor of the Exchequer and other ministers in HM Treasury have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1698]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1699]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Transport and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1700]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for International Development and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1701]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Defence and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1702]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions and other ministers in her department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1703]
The Identity & Passport Service holds in confidence on the National Identity Register personal information about who has been issued with an identity card. Under Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act, it is not permissible for the Home Office to disclose or verify information from any individual's record on the National Identity Register in this manner.
Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act only permits disclosure or verification of such information in certain circumstances, for example to an organisation that is prescribed under Sections 17 to 20 of the Act or one that is approved under Section 12 of the Act and has obtained the individual's consent to obtain that information.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1713]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Health and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1714]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1715]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1716]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport and other ministers in his department have National Identity Cards; and, if so, on what dates they were enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1717]
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Leader of the House of Commons has a National Identity Card; and, if so, on what date she was enrolled on the National Identity Register. [HL1718]
The Identity & Passport Service holds in confidence on the National Identity Register personal information about who has been issued with an identity card. Under Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act, it is not permissible for the Home Office to disclose or verify information from any individual's record on the National Identity Register in this manner.
Section 27 of the Identity Cards Act only permits disclosure or verification of such information in certain circumstances, for example to an organisation that is prescribed under Sections 17 to 20 of the Act or one that is approved under Section 12 of the Act and has obtained the individual's consent to obtain that information.
NHS: Primary Care Trusts
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government what deadline they have set for primary care trusts in England to complete their Commissioners' Investment and Asset Management Strategies; what assessment they have made of whether trusts will submit their strategies on time; and whether they will penalise any trusts that do not have a complete strategy in place by the deadline. [HL1971]
Enabling New patterns of Provision (DH, January 2009) requires primary care trusts (PCTs) to agree with their strategic health authority (SHA) a clear and realistic strategy for the future of the community estate by 31 March 2010. The performance of PCTs in meeting requirements set by national guidance in this way is managed by SHAs.
Enabling New Patterns of Provision has already been placed in the Library and is also available on the department’s website at www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/index.htm.
North Korea: Human Rights
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answer by Baroness Kinnock of Holyhead on 2 February (HL Deb, col 114), what assessment they have made of claims that significant amounts of dollars have been laundered through banks in Switzerland and Luxembourg by leaders of the North Korean regime. [HL1877]
The Government are not able to comment on matters of intelligence. However the Government play a leading role in international efforts against money laundering, including the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the EU Committee for the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Finance.
It should also be noted that in 2009 the UK signed up to further sanctions against North Korea under UN Resolution 1874, placing restrictions on financial institutions providing services to North Korea and requiring enhanced vigilance by member states. While aimed at reducing the threat from the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, such measures also serve to strengthen international anti-money laundering controls.
Northern Ireland Office: Freedom of Information Act 2000
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many requests for information the Northern Ireland Office has received under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in each year since 2005; and how many they have accepted. [HL1932]
The Freedom of Information Act 2000 came into operation on 1 January 2005. The following table provides details of the number of requests received by the Northern Ireland Office (NIO), how many were withheld in full, partially withheld and the number that were not met as the department did not hold the information requested.
2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 (Q1-3) Number of requests received 187 215 166 183 196 Information withheld in full 24 29 30 23 21 Information partially withheld 42 31 17 36 18 Information not held 40 39 65 49 63
The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) has committed to publishing quarterly updates in relation to departmental performance under FoI, including information on both the volume and outcome of requests. The bulletins up to the 2009 third quarter can be found on the MOJ website at http://www.justice.gov.uk/publications/freedomofinformationquarterly.htm and in the Libraries of both Houses. The MoJ will be publishing information from the 2009 fourth quarter in spring 2010.
Northern Ireland: Human Rights Commission
Questions
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government why the Northern Ireland Office was asked to sanction the visit to Uganda in September and October 2009 by the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission; and whether the cost of the visit was met by the Commission. [HL1329]
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) was not asked to sanction the visit and there was no requirement for the NIO's approval to be sought. The NIO was informed that an invitation had been received and accepted. The chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission visited Uganda from 27 September to 4 October 2009 at the invitation of the Irish ambassador to Uganda. The purpose of the visit was to share lessons from working in societies coming out of conflict, and it included meetings with the Ugandan Human Rights Commission and the British ambassador to Uganda. Costs were covered by the Irish Government.
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Northern Ireland Office was asked to sanction the visit to East Timor by the Chief Commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission in November and December 2009; and whether the cost of the visit was met by the Commission. [HL1330]
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) was not asked to sanction the visit and there was no requirement for the NIO's approval to be sought. The NIO was informed that an invitation had been received and accepted. The chief commissioner of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission visited East Timor from 26 November to 6 December 2009, at the invitation of Nuala O'Loan, the Irish Government's Special Envoy to East Timor. The focus of the visit was on gender-based violence in conflict situations, using UN Security Council Resolutions (1325 and 1820) to take forward this work. Costs were covered by the Irish Government.
Northern Ireland: Peter Robinson
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the statement on the BBC “Today” programme by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Shaun Woodward, saying Peter Robinson has “cleared his name” from allegations made in a BBC programme, took account of the investigations by the Northern Ireland Assembly's Committee on Standards and Privileges and the House of Commons Standards and Privileges Committee; and whether it took account of the First Minister being party to the Agreement at Hillsborough Castle. [HL1949]
The Secretary of State was referring specifically to the findings from Paul Maguire QC that “on the material provided his considered view was that there were no breaches whatsoever by me of the Ministerial Code, the Ministerial Code of Conduct, the pledge of office and the seven principles of public life”.
Official Secrets Act
Question
Asked by
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether all Ministers are subject to the Official Secrets Acts. [HL1928]