Written Answers to Questions
Monday 9 October 2006
Northern Ireland
Agency Staff
We cannot provide the information requested by the hon. Member. To identify the average hourly rate paid to employment agencies for staff for the Northern Ireland Office, excluding its agencies and NDPBS, would be at disproportionate cost.
Areas of Special Scientific Interest
The sites declared in each of the last five financial years were as follows:
2001-02
Castletown
Ballynanaghten
Tullyard
Carrickastickan
Tullybrick Lough
Fymore Lough
Cullentra Lough
Killough Bay and Strand Lough
Outer Ards
Derryvore
Lough Doo
Tully Hill
Levallymore
Selshion
2002-03
River Foyle and Tributaries
2003-04
Lurgan Lough
Torr Head
Portrush West Strand
Castlewellan Lake
Black Lough
Derrycloony Lough
Conagher
Drumcrow
Newlands
Aghnadarragh
Fathom Upper
Aghanloo Wood
Copeland Islands
Cam Lough
Bonds Glen
2004-05
Mullynaskeagh
Feystown
Ballymacombs More
Lenaghan Wood
Edenaclogh Wood
Rehaghy Wood
Banagher
Lough Corry
Lough Aleater
Lough Scolban
Lurgan River Wood
Ballypalady
Murrins
2005-06
Lemnalary
River Roe and Tributaries
Antisocial Behaviour Orders
The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 13 antisocial behaviour orders being granted in Northern Ireland.
Area Number of orders Ballymena Borough Council 2 Dungannon District Council 1 Larne District Council 3 Magherafelt District Council 1 Newry and Mourne City Council 1 Belfast City Council 11 Coleraine Borough Council 12 Derry City Council 12 1 Interim.
(2) what plans he has to carry out an assessment of the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland;
(3) how many antisocial behaviour orders have been made in Northern Ireland in each parliamentary constituency since their introduction;
(4) what plans he has to introduce (a) parenting orders and (b) individual support orders alongside antisocial behaviour orders in Northern Ireland;
(5) whether he plans to increase the powers of county courts to make an antisocial behaviour order where there are other related proceedings.
The Government have not received any recent representations on the effectiveness of antisocial behaviour orders. As the Secretary of State announced in March, the Northern Ireland Office is planning to evaluate the implementation of antisocial behaviour orders during 2006-07.
The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 13 antisocial behaviour orders being granted in Northern Ireland.
Area Number of orders Ballymena Borough Council 2 Dungannon District Council 1 Larne District Council 3 Magherafelt District Council 1 Newry and Mourne City Council 1 Belfast City Council 11 Coleraine Borough Council 12 Derry City Council 12 1 Interim.
We do not collect data by parliamentary constituency.
There are currently no plans to empower county courts to be able to make antisocial behaviour orders where there are related proceedings. We continue to monitor the use of parenting orders and individual support orders in Great Britain in order to inform any consideration of these measures for Northern Ireland.
Assaults
The PSNI does not record information by local government authority. Details of assaults by district command unit are shown in the following table.
DCU 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Antrim 707 506 611 649 554 Ards 739 762 849 755 798 East Belfast 826 1,010 1,058 923 918 North Belfast 1,814 1,651 1,694 1,596 1,721 South Belfast 2,379 2,280 2,291 2,119 2,356 West Belfast 1,068 1,080 1,098 1,165 1,198 Carrickfergus 384 358 393 371 403 Castlereagh 468 447 462 433 414 Larne 352 351 344 319 347 Lisburn 1,195 1,256 1,494 1,527 1,488 Newtownabbey 805 778 905 838 934 North Down 667 803 850 863 907 Armagh 486 525 493 484 489 Banbridge 533 571 556 555 578 Ballymena 634 736 837 936 849 Ballymoney 151 224 187 252 240 Coleraine 696 872 975 1,016 1,038 Cookstown 438 409 466 499 444 Craigavon 880 1,034 1,257 1,308 1,243 Dungannon and South Tyrone 455 453 507 495 547 Down 659 802 759 724 882 Fermanagh 382 447 425 443 567 Foyle 1,813 1,725 1,733 1,796 1,944 Limavady 414 479 486 570 601 Magherafelt 303 355 432 374 444 Moyle 170 212 192 203 189 Newry and Mourne 720 910 911 945 1,011 Omagh 606 664 733 664 650 Strabane 673 622 670 632 517 Northern Ireland 21,419 22,322 23,668 23,454 24,271 Source:Central Statistics Unit, PSNI.
Belfast-Dublin Railway Line
Translink has provided the following details of investment in track and rolling stock on the Belfast-Dublin railway line from 1993. Unfortunately figures for 1991 and 1992 are not available.
Track Relay New Rolling Stock 1993 1,383 — 1994 2,300 3,400 1995 1,268 5,800 1996 5,661 3,100 1997 5,106 1,500 1998 1,440 1,500 1999 9,258 — 2000 4,738 — 2001 102 — 2002 37 — 2003 156 — 2004 250 — 2005 250 —
Translink has advised that the cost of closures on the Belfast-Dublin railway line caused by security alerts in August 2006 is estimated to be approximately £100,000.
Breast Cancer
The following table details the age standardised incidence rate of breast cancer (ICD-10 C50) in females aged 50 and over in Northern Ireland by district council area between 1999 and 2003.
Number of new cases Crude incidence rate (per 1,000 females) Age standardised incidence rate (per 1,000 females) Antrim 90 2.6 2.6 (2.1, 3.2) Ards 177 2.8 2.8 (2.4, 3.2) Armagh 112 2.8 2.8 (2.3, 3.3) Ballymena 130 2.6 2.6 (2.1, 3.0) Ballymoney 65 3.1 3.1 (2.3, 3.8) Banbridge 88 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.4) Belfast 665 2.8 2.8 (2.6, 3.0) Carrickfergus 92 3.1 3.1 (2.5, 3.7) Castlereagh 156 2.6 2.6 (2.2, 3.0) Coleraine 127 2.7 2.7 (2.2, 3.1) Cookstown 59 2.6 2.6 (1.9, 3.3) Craigavon 179 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) Derry 161 2.4 2.5 (2.1, 2.9) Down 158 3.2 3.3 (2.7, 3.8) Dungannon 97 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.4) Fermanagh 121 2.7 2.7 (2.2, 3.2) Larne 77 2.9 2.9 (2.2, 3.5) Limavady 62 3.0 2.9 (2.2, 3.7) Lisburn 234 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) Magherafelt 72 2.7 2.7 (2.1, 3.3) Moyle 38 2.8 2.8 (1.9, 3.7) Newry and Mourne 195 3.2 3.2 (2.8, 3.7) Newtownabbey 178 2.7 2.7 (2.3, 3.1) North Down 213 2.9 2.9 (2.5, 3.3) Omagh 83 2.5 2.5 (2.0, 3.1) Strabane 74 2.8 2.8 (2.2, 3.5) Northern Ireland 3,729 2.8 2.7 (2.6, 2.8) Notes: 1. The Northern Ireland total includes 29 cases with missing or incomplete postcodes that are not assigned to a district council. 2. The age standardised rate is a rate used to permit comparisons between regions and over time. The rate adjusts for differences in regional and temporal population age structures by adopting the 2003 Northern Ireland population. It is reported as a rate per 1,000 persons. 3. Figures in brackets represent the 95 per cent. confidence interval which is the range of values within which there is a 95 per cent. probability of finding the true value for the incidence rate.
This information has been provided by the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry and is the most up to date currently available.
Child Support Agency
The total amount of debt facing the Northern Ireland Child Support Agency is £58.6 million of which £26.3 million is collectable debt and £32.3 million is probably uncollectable for a variety of reasons namely, a lack of contact with, or the personal circumstances of, the Non-Resident Parent.
As part of the Northern Ireland Improvement Plan we are considering and pursuing several options for the recovery of debt, this includes improved use of enforcement powers and the outsourcing of debt collection via the Department to debt collection experts. In addition, a dedicated team has been set up to deal with non-compliance and the early results of this work indicate an increase in the number of agreements to pay.
Children and Young People's Advisory Forum
The Government remain committed to ensuring that children and young people are involved in decisions that affect their lives. Our aim is to embed a culture of engaging with children and young people. Since the announcement by Lord Rooker we have been consulting with a range of organisations with expertise in children’s participation on how best to deliver on that aim. We have had a series of meetings with children and young people, including those who traditionally have been harder-to-reach. I hope to be able to make a fuller statement on these matters in the next few weeks.
Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act
Draft legislation, namely the draft Waste (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006, is currently the subject of a full consultation exercise by the Department of the Environment. The provisions in the draft Order deal with illegal waste disposal and are based on provisions in Part 5 of the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005. The Department is currently working to produce draft legislation for Northern Ireland corresponding to the remaining provisions in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 which deal with a wide range of local environmental quality issues.
Community Festival Fund
Amounts awarded to each festival in 2006-07 out of the Community Festival Fund are shown in the following tables:
Festival Awarded (£) Armagh Festival of Traditional and Folk Song 2006 12,000.00 Fiddlers Green 2006 9,000.00 Lady of the Lake Festival 8,000.00 Greater Shankill Community Festival 7,000.00 Glasgowbury Music Festival 2006 6,000.00 Centennial Celebrations of Bangor District LOL No. 18 5,000.00 Cairncastle 4 Day Ulster Scots Festival 5,000.00 Coleraine Festival 5,000.00 Moira Village Festival 2006 5,000.00 Seeconnell Festival 2006 5,000.00 Summer Madness 2006 (Street Reach) 5,000.00 Tyrone Orangefest 2006 5,000.00 Randalstown Arches Festival 4,290.00 Sandy Row Community and Culture Festival 2006 4,000.00 Big Lough Sunday 4,000.00 Crumlin Summer Fest 2006 3,000.00 Fern Festival 2006 3,000.00 Boyne and Beyond 3,000.00 Lurgan District Community Festival 2006 3,000.00 Richill, Hamiltonsbawn and District July Festival 2006 3,000.00 Carrickgergus Pageant 2006 2,460.00 Carlingford Lough International Currach Championships 2,000.00 Orangefest 2006 2,000.00 O’Neill Summer School 2006 2,000.00 Connections Community Festival 2,000.00 Ballymacarrett Somme Festival 1,000.00 Sub total 115,750.00
Festival Awarded (£) Feile an Phobail 2006 45,000.00 Ardoyne Fleadh Cheoil 2006 17,000.00 Greater New Lodge Community Festival 13,000.00 Country Comes to Town 10,000.00 Golden Link Festival 2006 10,000.00 13th William Kennedy Piping Festival 9,000.00 Gasyard Wall Feile 2006 8,000.00 Broadisland Gathering 2006 5,000.00 Belfast Pride Festival 2006 3,000.00 Hillsborough Oyster Festival 2006 3,000.00 Rock the Valley 2006 3,000.00 Kesh Festival 2006 2,200.00 Rathlin Airs Annual Traditional Music Festival 2006 2,000.00 Third Annual Halloween Puppet Festival 2006 2,000.00 Motte Fest 2006 1,615.00 Sub total 133,815.00
A third tranche, for festivals between 1 December 2006 to 31 March 2007, has still to be awarded. The closing date for receipt of applications is 18 August 2006.
Correspondence
There is no record of this letter having been received by the Secretary of State or by the Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety. I would advise the hon. Lady to write to me directly on this matter.
A reply to the letter of 30 May was issued to the hon. Lady on 5 July 2006 and a copy has been forwarded to her office.
Crime Reporting/Statistics
Recorded crime statistics are produced by the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) in line with Home Office Counting rules and are broadly comparable with those supplied by police forces in England and Wales.
Information on crime levels and public attitudes to crime is gathered through the Northern Ireland Crime Survey (NICS), run by NISRA central survey unit on behalf of the Northern Ireland Office. The survey is also the main vehicle by which the Department is able to (1) identify those most at risk from different types of crime, (2) examine people’s attitudes to crime and (3) measure confidence in the police and the wider criminal justice system. By examining crime reporting levels in Northern Ireland the survey also offers comparisons to reporting levels in England and Wales.
Results from the Northern Ireland Crime Survey (2003-04—the last full year for which results are available) showed that 45 per cent. of comparable crimes were reported to the police. This is broadly similar to England and Wales where the British Crime Survey (2003-04) stated that 42 per cent. of such crimes were reported to the police for the same period. Due to its sample size, the NICS cannot be used to produce sufficiently robust crime reporting data to facilitate analysis at district command unit level.
The Northern Ireland Crime Survey also examines reasons for not reporting crime in Northern Ireland. In the most recent survey, only 1 per cent. of respondents who did not report crime gave the reason ‘dislike/fear the police’, while the most common reasons were ‘too trivial/no loss’ (33 per cent.), ‘police could not have done anything’ (32 per cent.) and ‘police would not have been bothered/been interested’ (24 per cent.).
The number of reported crimes for the last four financial years and areas in question is shown in Table 1. Table 2 contains the number of convictions for the last four calendar years for which figures are available. The conviction data are collated on the principal offence rule thus only the most serious offence with which an offender is charged is included. In addition, conviction data is offender-based and does not offer a direct comparison to the number of crimes recorded.
Ards DCU Castlereagh DCU Down DCU 2002-03 4,969 4,221 5,245 2003-04 4,310 3,561 4,568 2004-05 3,718 2,917 3,758 2005-06 3,577 3,227 4,280 Source: Central Statistics Unit, PSNI.
Ards DCU Castlereagh DCU Down DCU 2001 761 583 723 2002 791 582 739 2003 806 678 879 2004 917 793 988 1 Figures are based on the DCU in which the offender’s address falls rather than the DCU in which the offence was reported. Source:NIO Statistics and Research Branch.
Crown Court (Northern Ireland)
I have been asked to reply.
The number and percentage of Crown court sentences successfully appealed in Northern Ireland, based on the year the appeal was lodged, is as follows:
Number of appeals lodged Number of successful appeals Percentage of successful appeals Number outstanding 2001 3 3 100 0 2002 5 1 20 0 2003 17 12 71 0 2004 18 6 33 0 2005 13 6 46 0
Number of appeals lodged Number of successful appeals Percentage of successful appeals Number outstanding Percentage outstanding 2001 53 17 32 0 0 2002 47 13 28 2 4 2003 49 17 35 1 2 2004 64 8 13 5 8 2005 34 5 15 9 26
Departmental Carbon Emissions
The Northern Ireland Office has not made any recent estimate of its carbon emissions. However, the NIO is committed to promoting sustainable development and is working with the Northern Ireland Departments to make the Government estate carbon neutral by 2015. In addition the NIO is a participant in the Government Carbon Offsetting Fund, which aims to offset all carbon emissions from ministerial and official air travel.
Departmental Publications
Details of the publications issued by the Northern Ireland Office since 1 July 2005, including circulation, cost and title are given as follows:
Title Circulation Cost1 (£) NIO Resource Accounts 2004-05 30 3,000 NIO Resource Accounts 2005-06 30 2— Exploring Criminal Justice Publication 720 14,246 CJSNI Report 2005-06 846 11,105 Consultation Paper: The Powers of the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission 150 669.21 Policy for Prosecuting Cases of Domestic Violence 1,300 3,590.00 Implementation Update Spring 2006 1,500 2,010.00 Community Outreach Strategy 2006-09 3,000 1,975.00 Belfast Pilot Project Evaluation Report—Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations 250 1,995.00 Fermanagh and Tyrone Pilot Project Evaluation Report—Summary of Key Findings and Recommendations 250 1,950.00 Evaluation of the Pilot Projects in Belfast and Fermanagh and Tyrone—Action Plan 250 1,340.00 PPS Annual Business Plan 2006-07 750 2,060.00 PPS Annual Report 2005-06 500 4,530.00 Organised Crime Task Force Annual Report and Threat Assessment 2006 1,500 5965.00 Organised Crime Task Force newspaper supplement 276,000 21,992.16 1 Figure includes design and layout in addition to printing costs. 2 Exact costs not yet known—final invoice not yet received.
Departmental Vehicles
The details of the cars owned and leased by the Northern Ireland Office in each of the last five years are contained in the following table.
Owned Leased 2001-02 1 18 2002-03 1 18 2003-04 1 18 2004-05 3 14 2005-06 3 14
Direct Action Against Drugs
The PSNI inform me that an incident occurred on the 14 July 2006 in Lurgan. The injured party did not link the assault to Direct Action Against Drugs (DAAD) and claimed he had no idea why he was attacked or who was responsible.
Driver Vehicle Testing Agency
Figures for waiting times for a practical driving test are shown in the following table for each centre for the week ending 22 July 2006.
Test Centre Average waiting times (weeks) Armagh 7 Ballymena 4 Belfast 6 Coleraine 6 Cookstown 5 Graigavon 5 Downpatrick 5 Enniskillen 6 Larne 7 Lisburn 4 Londonderry 5 Mallusk n/a Newry 7 Newtownards 8 Omagh 8 Overall 6
Employment Statistics
The working age economic activity rate at April-June 2006 and claimant count unemployment rate at August 2006 for each i) district council and ii) parliamentary constituency are shown in the following tables:
i) District councils Economic activity rate1 Claimant count unemployment rate Antrim 85.3 1.8 Ards 74.7 2.3 Armagh 78.1 1.9 Ballymena 78.0 2.2 Ballymoney 75.2 2.3 Banbridge 75.6 1.4 Belfast 71.1 4.3 Carrickfergus 77.6 2.2 Castlereagh 85.5 1.4 Coleraine 79.0 2.6 Cookstown 63.4 2.0 Craigavon 70.8 2.3 Derry 62.0 5.3 Down 70.2 2.4 Dungannon 69.9 1.8 Fermanagh 60.1 2.7 Larne 78.8 2.3 Limavady 59.3 2.9 Lisburn 77.1 2.3 Magherafelt 71.6 1.6 Moyle 67.7 3.3 Newry and Mourne 74.3 2.5 Newtownabbey 78.0 2.3 North Down 72.7 1.9 Omagh 72.1 2.4 Strabane 66.6 5.3 Northern Ireland 72.9 2.8
ii) Parliamentary constituencies Economic activity rate1 Claimant count unemployment rate Belfast East 84.6 2.2 Belfast North 69.9 4.9 Belfast South 76.6 2.5 Belfast West 51.6 6.3 East Antrim 79.7 2.8 East Londonderry 71.9 2.7 Fermanagh and South Tyrone 64.5 2.4 Foyle 62.0 5.3 Lagan Valley 81.1 1.6 Mid Ulster 67.6 1.8 Newry and Armagh 74.6 2.4 North Antrim 75.6 2.4 North Down 71.0 2.0 South Antrim 80.9 1.8 South Down 73.1 2.1 Strangford 79.4 1.9 Upper Bann 69.5 2.1 West Tyrone 69.7 3.7 Northern Ireland 72.9 2.8 1Source: Labour Force Survey, April - June 2006.
Energy Performance Certificates
Energy performance certificates for domestic properties when sold will be introduced in 2008 on a phased basis following a consultation on the implementation of energy performance certificates for all existing buildings in late 2006.
Energy performance certificates will be extremely useful in informing potential house purchasers of the energy efficiency of the property and therefore raising the profile of energy efficiency.
EU Fisheries Council
Subject to the possible return of devolved Government in November I will attend the 2006 December Fishery Council.
Field Studies
It is the role of the awarding bodies to set the requirements for AS and A Level courses, including whether there should be a compulsory field-work element.
The specification of the Northern Ireland awarding body, The Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA), for GCE Geography requires fieldwork to be undertaken.
The Department has not commissioned any recent research on the contribution of out-of-classroom learning to increasing physical activity and inclusiveness among post-primary school children. However, the Education and Training Inspectorate reports that out-of-classroom learning experiences make a valuable contribution to the physical, academic and personal and social development of post-primary pupils; these experiences help to promote inclusion by strengthening pupils' self-esteem and motivation, by providing structured opportunities to engage in team work and thereby helping young people to overcome social, cultural and other differences.
Secondary schools, and indeed most grammar schools, are not allowed to charge parents for education provided wholly or mainly outside school hours that is provided in order to meet the requirements of the school curriculum or to deliver the syllabus for an approved public examination. The only exception to this rule relates to pupils not resident in Northern Ireland or whose parents are not EU nationals and pupils enrolled in Group B voluntary grammar schools (of which there are two in Northern Ireland) which would have no public representative on their Board of Governors.
For all other out-of-school activities, it is a matter for individual schools to decide on the level of contribution from parents but I do expect them to set charges in a way that reflects the costs of delivering the activity and that does not disadvantage lower earning families.
Field-work can add value to post-primary school pupils' practical experience and schools have the autonomy to offer additional field work at their discretion. The Department has not commissioned any recent research on the benefits of field courses, nor has the Education and Training Inspectorate specifically surveyed the quality of field-work in recent years.
Freedom of Information
The Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister publishes statistics on the performance of the 11 Northern Ireland Departments on a quarterly basis. Similarly, figures for the Northern Ireland Office are included in the Department for Constitutional Affairs quarterly update for Whitehall Departments. The total number of requests received by each Department in 2005 and between 1 January 2006 and 31 March 2006 are set out in the following table. Figures for the second quarter of 2006, 1 April 2006 to 30 June 2006, should be available towards the end of August.
There are no statistics held regarding the number of requests made by members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service.
Department 2005 1 January to 31 March, 2006 Agriculture and Rural Development 234 64 Culture, Arts and Leisure2 705 115 Education 136 52 Employment and Learning 93 29 Enterprise, Trade and Investment 75 33 Finance and Personnel 416 93 Health, Social Services and Public Safety 144 34 Environment 794 270 Regional Development 343 114 Social Development 150 41 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister 89 26 Northern Ireland Office 187 55 1 Figures include requests made under the Environmental Information Regulations 2004. 2 DCAL figures includes requests made to the Public Record Office of Northern Ireland.
Fuel Laundering
The Environment and Heritage Service of the Department of the Environment has been advised by district councils that they had incurred approximately £115,000 in cleaning up toxic waste between 2003 and early 2006, a significant proportion of which arose from illegal fuel washing.
This clean-up work, and its associated cost, was largely confined to councils bordering the Republic of Ireland.
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Sports Council for Northern Ireland (SCNI) is responsible for the development of Sport in Northern Ireland including the distribution of exchequer funding to individual sports. The SCNI has awarded exchequer funding to the GAA as follows:
GAA 2001-02 46,978 2002-03 557,042 2003-04 207,596 2004-05 208,211 2005-06 136,807 Total 1,156,634
In addition the Department of Finance and personnel (DFP), Department of Education (DE), Department of Enterprise Trade and Investment (DETI), Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister (OFMDFM), Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety (DHSSPS), Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) and Department of Social Development (DSD) have provided funding to the Gaelic Athletic Association in each of the last five years. The following tables outline the funding that has been provided by each of these Departments:
GAA Sports including GAA activities 2001-02 0 0 2002-03 0 0 2003-04 55,000 48,434 2004-05 27,173 0 2005-06 11,250 0 Total 93,423 48,434
GAA 2001-02 1,500 2002-03 1,500 2003-04 330,089 2004-05 20,165 2005-06 5,998 Total 359,252
GAA 2001-02 500 2002-03 0 2003-04 0 2004-05 0 2005-06 0 Total 500
GAA 2001-02 2,370 2002-03 0 2003-04 0 2004-05 0 2005-06 0 Total 2,370
GAA 2001-02 0 2002-03 0 2003-04 0 2004-05 7,650 2005-06 4,565 Total 12,215
Good Friday Agreement
The Northern Ireland Office (NIO) is unable to provide a breakdown of the various costs relating to the Good Friday Agreement Referendum in 1998, as requested by the hon. Member, because they were not recorded in this way. However, from our records the total cost of holding the Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement Referendum was £1,450,000.
Home Improvement Grants
The information cannot be given in the format requested as private sector grants statistics are mostly recorded by local council area. The following table sets out the information in that form for the financial year 2005-06.
The approval figures provided represent the successful conclusion to the application process in the 2005-06 financial year. Some applications such as those for home repairs assistance grants will have commenced in that year while others will have started in previous years. Approvals for repairs grants and grants for houses in multiple occupation which are for landlords are not included.
Some of the preliminary enquiries received last year will be unsuccessful because initial inspection will deem the property to be fit for human habitation while in other instances the applicant will decide not to proceed.
District Council Area Preliminary Enquiry Forms Received Grant Applications Approved Antrim 147 50 Ards 331 114 Armagh 423 222 Banbridge 195 117 Belfast 2,144 1,089 Ballymena 165 67 Ballymoney 88 45 Craigavon 581 312 Carrickfergus 171 81 Coleraine 191 93 Castlereagh 278 133 Cookstown 323 207 Derry 761 458 Dungannon 506 311 Down 380 230 Fermanagh 684 537 Larne 233 88 Lisburn 475 203 Limavady 199 121 Magherafelt 260 175 Moyle 46 47 Newry and Mourne 1,123 531 Newtownabbey 400 194 North Down 269 120 Omagh 397 261 Strabane 416 325 Totals 11,186 6,131
Hospital Waiting Lists
This information is not available.
Official waiting list statistics derived from aggregate data returns are collected at health board and HSS trust level. Information relating to individual patients post code of residence is not identifiable within these data. It is therefore not possible to identify how many patients within each health board and HSS trust return reside within the North Down parliamentary constituency.
Additionally, official waiting list data are collected at specialty level only. The specialty recorded relates to the specialty of the consultant that is treating the patient. Fox example, a patient waiting for a lung operation could be recorded under either the thoracic medicine or general medicine specialties depending on the consultant who is treating them. This situation is equally applicable to the other types of operations listed in the question. Therefore, it is not possible to provide information for particular types of operation from official waiting list returns.
Housing
The Housing Affordability Review, which is headed by Sir John Semple, will look at barriers affecting those seeking affordable housing in both owner occupied, social and private rented sectors. It will examine existing policies and engage with all the relevant players, including Government Departments, property developers, the financial services sector, housing experts, the voluntary and community sector and elected representatives. A progress report will be completed in December and the final recommendations will be presented to Government next spring.
The information is not available in the form requested. The Northern Ireland Housing Executive allocates funding on a district council area basis rather than by constituency. Estimates for future expenditure are available for one year only. The following table details expenditure from 2001-02 to 2005-06 and projected expenditure for 2006-07.
£ million Actual spend Projected spend 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 Antrim 3.90 4.39 3.97 3.51 4.32 4.55 Ards 6.81 6.92 10.10 7.49 8.94 9.33 Armagh 5.03 4.53 3.95 4.50 4.82 4.11 Ballymena 5.40 5.97 7.07 5.83 7.30 8.11 Ballymoney 3.90 3.72 4.16 2.90 1.89 2.09 Banbridge 2.14 2.68 3.03 3.77 3.14 3.03 Belfast 40.34 45.51 44.12 41.29 46.62 49.77 Carrickfergus 4.80 4.15 5.64 6.78 6.40 6.12 Castlereagh 6.30 6.56 5.46 6.56 6.11 8.31 Coleraine 7.20 6.73 9.18 6.45 6.93 6.87 Cookstown 2.94 3.62 3.06 2.95 3.41 2.60 Craigavon 7.56 6.61 7.38 7.33 8.33 9.50 Derry 11.86 14.87 14.27 14.58 13.96 13.29 Down 5.28 6.54 6.02 6.65 5.41 4.41 Dungannon 5.15 6.14 6.41 4.43 4.67 4.73 Fermanagh 7.18 7.83 7.75 6.55 6.45 6.87 Larne 3.45 2.57 3.37 3.46 2.27 2.35 Limavady 2.98 3.47 4.03 4.06 3.54 2.75 Lisburn 9.87 10.55 11.50 15.13 15.65 9.90 Magherafelt 3.55 3.55 2.84 3.49 4.18 3.70 Moyle 2.10 2.25 1.89 3.56 2.57 2.62 Newry 7.27 8.98 8.18 7.70 8.60 7.50 Newtownabbey 6.80 11.29 10.14 9.43 10.93 10.63 North Down 4.10 5.94 5.55 7.03 7.59 7.05 Omagh 3.36 5.07 4.80 5.45 6.11 6.24 Strabane 4.06 5.23 7.16 6.05 5.91 5.65 Total 173.33 195.67 201.03 196.93 206.05 202.08
Indeterminate Sentences
Last year the Northern Ireland Office undertook a public consultation on the Review of the Sentencing Framework in Northern Ireland. Consultees were asked to consider a range of sentencing disposals, including indeterminate and extended public protection sentences. I will shortly be examining policy options considered in the review and the responses to the consultation. Protection of the public will be a central consideration.
Laura Cordner
The Department cannot comment on when the case brought before the Industrial Tribunal by Laura Cordner will be resolved. This is a matter for the tribunal.
Liquor Licence Applications
I have been asked to reply.
Court data in respect of liquor licences in Northern Ireland is recorded by county court division. The following table shows the number of liquor licences refused in the years 2001 to 2005 for each of the county court divisions:
County court division 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 Belfast 2 — 5 — — Craigavon — — — — — Armagh and South Down — — — — — Londonderry — — — — — Fermanagh and Tyrone — 1 — — — Ards — — — — — Antrim — — — 1 —
Medical Schools
While neither Ministers nor the Department of Education have had any direct discussions regarding the proposed closure of Lindsay School, the South Eastern Education and Library Board (SEELB) has made the following comment:
"Discussions have been on-going for several months between the SEELB and South & East Belfast Trust regarding appropriate educational provision for children receiving treatment at The Child and Family Centre based at Forster Green. These discussions have also included consideration of proposals from the Trust for a new facility on the site which would make provision for children and young people up to the age of 18 years. The meetings have included representation from the Trust, the Education & Training Inspectorate and the school. The most recent meeting took place on 29 June 2006. Further meetings are planned for August and September.
Discussions are focused on:
interim arrangements for the re-siting of The Lindsay School while building work is underway to create the new facility for child and adolescent mental health services,
possible models for future educational provision to meet the needs of the children and young people who will be treated at the facility.”
As I have indicated previously, any proposal to close the school will require the SEELB to publish a Development Proposal, which initiates a 2-month public consultation period during which comments, including objections, may be submitted to the Department of Education. The Department will give full consideration to all representations made during this 2-month period, before making a decision on any such proposal.
Migrant Workers
The Department is working in partnership with a number of agencies to improve hate incident reporting and provide practical support to victims. A new pilot project in South Belfast will record all forms of hate incidents with the aim of collecting information on the nature and extent of hate incidents including attacks on migrant workers. The information collected through this pilot will help inform actions to reduce the incidence of violent attacks. A number of Community Safety Partnerships have also developed welcome packs for migrant workers in a range of languages which provide information on community safety issues and assist their integration into the community.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has the lead role in protecting minority or vulnerable groups, including migrant workers. The PSNI recently issued a new Hate Incident policy aimed at ensuring an effective, consistent and proactive response to all hate incidents. Important new initiatives in respect of cautioning, supervision, investigation reviews and restorative cautioning have been introduced to further compliment those measures already in place.
In a number of areas where attacks have taken place, the PSNI continue to work with local communities, statutory and voluntary agencies to address the causes of hate incidents. This has included dialogue with local communities to break down barriers and address specific perceptions.
The PSNI Hate Incident and Minority Liaison Officers not only continue to support victims of hate incidents but proactively work with employers to raise important issues such as personal safety and hate incidents. Interpreters (telephone and face-to-face) are available 24/7 to ensure that non-English speakers have immediate access to the police.
Hate crime legislation that became law in September 2004 also includes a statutory requirement for judges to treat racial aggravation as an aggravating factor when sentencing. This gives judges greater powers in sentencing where aggravation is proven.
Ministerial Visits
The information is as follows.
Official UK representative 2004 11 February Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 27 April Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, The right hon. The Lord O'Neill TD 18 June Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Commander Keith Cochrane RD DL RNR 15 September Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Down, Mr Patrick Forde JP DL 26 October Vice Lord-Lieutenant of County Fermanagh, Lord Anthony Hamilton DL 26 November A Deputy Lieutenant of County Armagh 10 December Vice Lord-Lieutenant of the County Borough of Belfast, Commander Cochrane RD DL RNL. 2005 24 February Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 12 April Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh, The right hon. The Earl of Caledon 29 April Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 7 June Vice Lord-Lieutenant of Londonderry, Mr. John Baxter. 8 September Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Commander Keith Cochrane RD DL RNR 25 October Lord-Lieutenant of County Armagh, The right hon. The Earl of Caledon 17 November Lord Lieutenant of Tyrone, The Duke of Abercorn KG 8 December Deputy Lord-Lieutenant for the County Box of Belfast, Lady McCollum 2006 18 January Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 31 January Vice Lord-Lieutenant for County Armagh, Captain Robert Lowry DL 20 February Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 28 March Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell 29 June Vice Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Commander Keith Cochrane RD DL RNR 28 August Lord-Lieutenant for the County Borough of Belfast, Lady Carswell
Mrs. Attracta Harron
The murder of Attracta Harron was a horrific act done by Trevor Hamilton, who is now in prison for the rest of his life. None of the agency reports, or the independent case review, suggest that the actions of Hamilton could have been prevented by the agencies. Nonetheless, the arrangements for risk assessment and management of sex offenders have developed considerably since 2003 and further action has already been taken to implement all the recommendations in the agency and independent reports. I have also asked Kit Chivers, Chief Inspector of Criminal Justice in Northern Ireland to review the implementation of the recommendations and report to me by the end of the year.
I also intend to legislate in the near future to place these important multi agency public protection arrangements on a statutory footing and extend their remit to include certain serious violent offenders in addition to all sexual offenders. Both types of offenders will always be present in our communities and those who are assessed as continuing to pose a high level of risk will be targeted by the various criminal justice agencies, with the assistance of social services and others, with the aim of reducing the likelihood of harm to the public when an offender finishes his prison sentence and returns to the community.
I am also considering the entire sentencing framework in Northern Ireland and will be making a further statement on this later in the year.
NI Directive 2002/91/EC
A regulatory impact assessment in support of articles 7 to 10 of EU Directive 2002/91/EC has not yet been published. It is planned to launch a consultation in October 2006 on proposals to implement the provisions of these articles in Northern Ireland. An initial regulatory impact assessment will form part of the consultation documentation.
It is anticipated that regulations pertaining to these articles will be made in September 2007, coming into operation by way of a phased approach between January 2008 and January 2009.
North West Gateway Initiative
Northern Ireland departmental expenditure on projects within the North West Gateway Initiative will not normally be additional to the Northern Ireland block grant.
The two Governments have however also indicated that, as part of the Initiative, in drawing up programmes under the new round of EU structural funds, due consideration will be given to the needs of the North West. Northern Ireland's income from the new EU structural funds will be additional to the block grant and any EU income for projects within the North West Initiative will therefore be additional to the block.
Orange Halls
Please note that these attacks are those which are deemed to be security related. PSNI has given figures for malicious fires and other types of attacks.
Malicious fires Other attacks1 2001 7 7 2002 1 3 2003 3 16 2004 3 3 2005 8 22 2006 (to 12 June) — 6 1 Type of attacks include: petrol/paint bombs thrown, stones/missiles thrown, sectarian graffiti, etc. Notes: 1. 2006 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment. 2. PSNI cannot comment on the number of convictions.
Organic Farming Scheme
The Organic Action Plan Group Northern Ireland (OAPGNI), a cross sectoral forum independent of the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD), has recommended to DARD that post-conversion reward payments should be introduced for organic farmers in Northern Ireland. Discussions with officials are ongoing and I shall meet with an OAPGNI delegation later this month to discuss how best we can support the organic sector in the context of the Northern Ireland Rural Development Programme 2007-2013.
Paediatric Gastroenterology
Commissioners have assessed the demand for and provision of paediatric gastroenterology for children in Northern Ireland and have determined that the service should be further developed. Consequently, funding has been allocated for a consultant paediatric gastroenterologist and appropriate support staff. The consultant post has been advertised and the recruitment process is progressing. The appointment of a dedicated paediatric gastroenterologist will be a significant step forward in improving the quality of paediatric gastroenterology care provided locally.
The Department has recently issued "The Quality Standards for Health and Social Care" which provide a framework against which HPSS organisations will be able to assess the quality of care they provide.
Parliamentary Questions
Northern Ireland Civil Service officials in the North/South Ministerial Council Joint Secretariat receive a daily list of all parliamentary questions tabled to Northern Ireland Departments. They have drafted nine answers to parliamentary questions in the 12 months up to 30 September 2006 from members of the House of Commons. In addition they provided inputs to seven further questions.
The breakdown for the questions answered is as follows.
Number The hon. Member for North Belfast 4 The hon. Member for South Antrim 3 The hon. Member for Foyle 1 The hon. Member for East Londonderry 1
The breakdown for the part inputs is as follows
Number The hon. Member for Upper Bann 3 The hon. Member for East Belfast 2 The hon. Member for East Antrim 1 The hon. Member for Aylesbury 1
Information is not collated on the number of draft answers which are referred to the NSMC Joint Secretariat.
Some parliamentary questions relate to the North South Ministerial Council or to its Secretariat, and it obviously falls to the Northern side of the Secretariat to produce answers to such questions. Other parliamentary questions concern the six North South Implementation Bodies and Tourism Ireland Ltd. or the six agreed Areas of North South co-operation and, in those cases, the sponsoring Departments may refer their draft answers to the Northern Side of the Secretariat to verify the accuracy of the proposed response before issue.
Planning Applications
Over the last three to four years the Planning Service has been facing unprecedented work load pressures, particularly on the development control side, with the number of planning applications received in 2005-06 showing an increase of almost 30 per cent. in the number received three years ago.
The following table shows the average time taken to process a planning application from the date of validation to the date of decision in each of the last three years at (a) Ballymena, (b) Belfast, (c) Coleraine, (d) Craigavon, (e) Downpatrick, (f) Enniskillen, (g) Derry and (h) Omagh Divisional Planning Offices.
Number of weeks Divisional Planning Office 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Ballymena 22.1 29.6 34.5 Belfast 18.4 20.2 21.3 Coleraine 16.8 29.3 32.6 Craigavon 21.8 32.5 39.6 Downpatrick 22.9 25.2 33.3 Enniskillen 16.1 20.5 28.4 Londonderry 22.1 30.2 28.1 Omagh 16.8 17.8 22.1 Note: Calculations are based on a measurement from data valid to date notified and exclude holidays and weekends.
From 1 April to 31 August 2006, the average time taken between the last Council consultation and the issuing of a decision was 5.1 weeks.
In the majority of cases, there is no further determination stage after the last Council consultation.
Plantation of Ulster 400th Anniversary
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure jointly funds the Ulster-Scots Agency which has a statutory remit to promote Ulster-Scots language and culture. The agency has indicated that it will spend in the region of £150,000 of its budget in 2006 through a variety of events on the celebration of the 400th Anniversary of the Plantation of Ulster.
Tourism Ireland Ltd. (TIL) is currently represented on the working group which is examining the commemoration of the Flight of the Earls and its synergies with the Plantation of Ulster 400th Centenaries.
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board (NITB) has engaged with the Ulster Scots Agency on a project by project basis in the past and will continue to do so but to date has not been approached by the Ulster Scots Agency on the issue of the 400th Anniversary of the Plantation of Ulster.
The Department of the Environment through the Environment and Heritage Service (EHS) is liaising with the Ulster Scots Agency and Ards borough council over plans to commemorate the association of the Montgomery and Hamilton families with the East Down area over the last 400 years.
The Ulster Scots Agency has put forward proposals to develop a Heritage Trail which includes a number of EHS properties. This has led to an agreement that temporary promotional banners for events may be attached to the Old Priory at Newtownards, the Old Cross at Newtownards and at Greyabbey.
Police Dogs
Police handlers and their dogs are not based in districts, rather they are attached to tactical support groups through both regional operational command units (urban and rural). The compliment is as follows:
Number Urban General Purpose dogs 14 Explosive dogs 2 Total 16 Rural General Purpose dogs 10 Explosive dogs 4 Total 14
It is not possible to break down the exact deployment of this resource as dogs are used on routine mobile patrols responding to pre-planned events or DCU calls for assistance. Dogs are normally deployed on public order, tracking and search duties.
Police Service of Northern Ireland
As the Northern Ireland Police Fund's status is a company limited by guarantee, severance payments are a matter for the fund.
In line with standard corporate governance arrangements the Department discusses a range of issues in relation to fund business on a regular basis.
The Secretary of State has not been informed of any relationship between these two individuals.
As the Northern Ireland Police Fund's status is a company limited by guarantee, severance payments are a matter for the Fund.
In line with standard Corporate Governance arrangements the Department discusses a range of issues in relation to Fund business on a regular basis.
Given that the Northern Ireland Police Fund is a company limited by guarantee, there is no requirement for decisions made by the directors of the Fund to be ratified by the Department.
The resignation of directors of the Northern Ireland Police Fund is a matter for the Fund. However I am given to understand that none of the former directors listed have cited issues related to the events in the Fund as their reason for resigning.
No advice was requested.
A full police investigation has been carried out in relation to alleged breaches of security. This investigation has now been completed and involved a comprehensive programme of interviews. No persons have been prosecuted as a result of this investigation. It would not be appropriate to comment on the operational detail of the investigation as such issues are a matter for the Chief Constable.
The Department did not interview any of the directors. The investigation was a matter for the Chief Constable.
It is not the policy of PSNI to discuss matters in relation to the surveillance of subjects during the course of investigations.
As part of the standard Corporate Governance arrangements regular meetings are held and correspondence exchanged on a range of issues relating to the business of the Northern Ireland Police Fund.
Payments made by the Northern Ireland Police Fund are a matter for the Fund.
Given that the Northern Ireland Police Fund is a company limited by guarantee, payments are a matter for the fund.
The Northern Ireland Police Fund seeks advice and reports to the Department in line with standard corporate governance arrangements and practices.
The requested figures for July each year are as follows:
Rank 2004 2005 2006 Chief Constable 1 1 1 Deputy Chief Constable 1 1 1 Assistant Chief Constable 6 6 5 Chief Superintendent 24 25 22 Superintendent 80 75 87 Chief Inspector 117 96 65 Inspector 408 390 439 Sergeant 1,128 1,100 1,133 Constable 5,645 5,781 5,744 Total 7,410 7,475 7,497 R/Constable Full-Time 1,517 1,208 924 R/Constables Part-Time 923 913 784
The PSNI average work days lost over the last three years for police officers and police staff in Ards, Castlereagh and Down District Command Units are as follows:
Financial year Ards DCU Down DCU Castlereagh DCU 2003-04 17.77 20.12 19.70 2004-05 17.56 14.33 21.30 2005-06 12.11 6.46 14.18
Financial year Ards DCU Down DCU Castlereagh DCU 2003-04 12.13 17.06 23.07 2004-05 16.60 14.33 17.77 2005-06 19.69 15.13 21.85
The number of ‘assault on police’ offences recorded is as follows:
District Command Unit 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 Ards 52 72 50 Castlereagh 24 25 26 Down 72 101 108
These figures do not include all instances in which a police office was assaulted. Assaults resulting in serious injury eg wounding or GBH, are not included as they are counted in the specific wounding or GBH categories and these figures are not broken down by the occupation of the victim.
(2) what the (a) religion and (b) sex was of applicants appointed as constables to the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a result of each competition that has been completed since the creation of the Service; and if he will make a statement.
I am advised by the PSNI that the number of applicants who progressed to the merit pool of suitably qualified candidates in each of the recruitment campaigns completed since the creation of the service, broken down by (a) religion and (b) sex; and the (a) religion and (b) sex of applicants appointed as constables to the Police Service of Northern Ireland as a result of each respective competition is set out in the following tables:
Competition No. Male Female Protestant Catholic Not determined Total 1 393 199 406 172 14 592 2 322 122 334 108 2 444 3 301 94 301 94 0 395 4 514 308 599 214 9 822 5 617 424 749 281 11 1,041 6 555 312 649 211 7 867 7 494 264 571 180 7 758 8 679 436 798 306 11 1,115 9 520 304 600 215 9 824
Competition No. Male Female Protestant Catholic Not determined Total 1 199 106 149 153 3 305 2 134 62 97 98 1 196 3 129 37 83 83 0 166 4 242 160 197 201 4 402 5 182 117 148 149 2 299 6 185 115 146 150 4 300 7 168 102 134 134 2 270 8 114 100 107 106 1 214 9 122 45 81 75 1 157
The PSNI continues to attract large numbers of high calibre applicants from throughout the community. With the large number of applications to join the Police Service, the number of suitable candidates is far in excess of the finite number of trainee posts available. This means that candidates of both religious traditions and genders will sadly experience the disappointment of an unsuccessful application.
The latest campaign saw the highest number of applications yet, with 7,691 applicants competing for 220 places. 37 per cent. of these applications were from the Catholic community, which is the highest rate to date, and the number of female and ethnic minority applications has increased.
In terms of religion, the Government believe that the temporary recruitment provisions are necessary and reasonable to correct an historic imbalance in the composition of the PSNI. These exceptional measures are reviewed every three years, with the next, and hopefully final, such review due later this year. This will be subject to detailed review of the policy, extensive consultation, and debate in both Houses.
Catholic composition in the PSNI regulars has increased from 8.3 per cent. to 20.05 per cent. Our goal is to increase Catholic representation to 30 per cent. by 2010-11, the date envisaged by Patten. I am pleased to say that we are on track to meet this, which would not be possible if the 50:50 provisions were not in place.
Although our efforts have focused on the imbalance between the number of Catholics and Protestants in the composition of the Police Service, we also recognise the importance of gender and ethnic minority representation. It is notable that female composition has risen from 13 per cent. to 20.54 per cent. and the ethnic minority background composition compares favourably with the overall level of the working age ethnic minority population in Northern Ireland.
The number of PSNI officers attached to Ards DCU in July of each year is as follows:
Regular Full-time reserve Part-time reserve 2001 135 54 91 2002 121 49 86 2003 137 53 78 2004 144 37 74 2005 152 28 69 2006 144 20 56
Extra resources are deployed at week-ends in Ards District Command Unit and this will continue. The response crews parading for duty at Newtownards and Portaferry will continue to patrol the whole of the District Command Unit. There will be no change to the level of cover at weekends.
Ards DCU has a total established policing contingent of 220 officers.
The nature and volume of reported crime in Ards District Command Unit is kept under constant examination through the National Intelligence Model. When specific hotspots or trends arise they are addressed primarily by proactive units (including Community Policing Teams). The increase in Community Policing Teams will provide a greater capacity to address many of these areas, specifically relating to antisocial behaviour.
It is intended that response crews will be based in Portaferry and Ards Town. They will parade for duty at these locations, be briefed and thereafter provide an emergency response and patrol capability across the whole District Command Unit area.
Community Policing Teams in Comber and Donaghadee will be increased in number while those in Newtownards and Portaferry will remain at their current strengths.
The number of officers attached to Ards District Command Unit is dictated centrally and reflects the overall numbers of Regular and Reserve Officers within PSNI.
The deployment of police officers in individual District Command Units is a matter for the Commander in charge of that area.
The proposed structural changes within Ards will ensure that the District continues to provide immediate response to emergencies whilst directing extra officers towards problem solving and proactive activities which address those areas of concern specifically highlighted by the public.
The number of police officers and their area of work as of July 06 is as follows:
Function Supt. Chief Insp. Insp. Sgt. Con. R/Con FT R/Con PT Total Beat/Patrol 5 63 6 56 130 Community Involvement 1 1 2 Courts Officer 1 1 Crime Intelligence Officer 2 2 Crime Prevention 1 1 Crime Team 1 4 5 Crime Controller 1 1 Criminal Justice 1 1 Crime Manager 1 1 Custody Officer 4 4 DCU Commander 1 1 DCU Training 1 1 Detective 1 10 11 Domestic Violence 1 1 FTR Retraining 10 10 Intelligence 1 1 Criminal Justice 1 7 8 Motorcyclist 2 2 Neighbourhood Police 4 10 1 15 Operations 2 2 Ops Manager 1 1 Ops Planning Officer 1 3 4 Prisoner Security 1 1 Quality Service 1 1 SDO 1 1 Sector Commander 3 3 Administration 1 1 Station Sergeant 1 1 Trainee Constable 4 4 VIP Escort 1 1 Youth Diversion 2 2 Total 1 1 7 21 114 20 56 220
It is expected that that these numbers will remain relatively constant until the end of 2006.
It is intended to increase the number of officers attached to Community Policing Teams in Comber and Donaghadee thus providing a better service to the public in those areas. The service to the remainder of the Command Unit will remain unaffected.
The only statistics readily available are for incidents dealt with in each station area. These are as follows:
2002 2003 2004 2005 Comber 2,820 2,472 2,240 1,771 Donaghadee 2,546 2,159 1,689 1,354 Greyabbey 1,234 1,432 1,458 1,178 Newtownards 9,380 8,947 8,082 5,985 Portaferry 952 756 741 766 Total 16,932 15,766 14,210 11,054
The operational status and the opening times for police stations in Ards DCU are as follows:
Station Status Opening Times Newtownards Fully operational 24 hour opening Comber Limited opening Monday-Saturday 6pm-7pm Donaghadee Limited opening Monday/Wednesday/Friday 6pm-7pm Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday 12noon-lpm Portaferry Limited opening Monday/Wednesday/Friday 7pm-8pm Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday lpm-2pm Greyabbey Not operational Community Policing Team Surgery Wednesday 6pm-8pm Friday 2pm-4pm
Port of Belfast
The Government recognises that a successful ports industry is crucial to the success and well being of Northern Ireland.
A consultation paper seeking views on the powers, status and governance of all public trust ports in Northern Ireland was published on 21 June 2006 and forms part of a wider United Kingdom consultation on ports policy issues.
I expect officials, political advisers and the Strategic Investment Board to provide advice as necessary on the issues raised in the consultation.
Preserved Buildings and Architecture
The list of buildings of special architectural or historic interest is available to view in the headquarters of the Built Heritage Directorate of Environment and Heritage Service—an agency within the Department of the Environment, in Waterman House, 5-33 Hill Street, Belfast. It is also available on the internet at www.ehsni.gov.uk.
The EHS website is updated every Thursday, and the list was last updated on 5 October 2006. The list is not published per se but is made available to any interested party through the internet.
The existing local councils in Northern Ireland have responsibility to inspect buildings through their Building Control and Health and Safety functions. They do not have specific responsibility in regard to historic buildings. They have no responsibility to suggest properties for preservation but (through the Department of the Environment’s Environment and Heritage Service) they are at liberty to do so. The Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland has responsibility for drawing up the list of buildings of ‘special architectural or historic interest’ and considering changes to these buildings through the process of Listed Building Consent. Council properties are equally subject to these controls.
The Department of the Environment will continue to be resourced to identify buildings of interest including Regency and Georgian architecture and to record them. Those considered to have special architectural or historic interest will be added to the list. There is currently a grant-aid budget of £2.4 million for the repair and maintenance of the historic fabric of listed buildings. This funding is set to increase with effect from 1 April 2007. Extra staff resources have been deployed to deal with significant increases in planning applications for listed buildings. The Buildings at Risk project has been expanded this year in a partnership agreement with the Ulster Architectural Heritage Society. Planning Service has received and devoted increased resources in recent years to enforcement and prosecutions.
Also, as part of the review of public administration, it is proposed that the new local councils will have the power to draw up lists of locally important buildings that will extend protection to this category. This may include some previously unprotected buildings of the period.
The Planning Service has no record of any enforcement action specifically requiring the restoration of Regency and Georgian architecture.
In Northern Ireland the Historic Buildings Record is the principal register of historic buildings including Regency and Georgian Architecture in the region. This is published on line at www.ehsni.gov.uk. The record is supplemented in some cases by more detailed information contained in the Monuments and Buildings Record at the offices of the Environment and Heritage Service in Hill Street in Belfast.
The Department has five senior conservation architects each of whom is responsible for an area within Northern Ireland. Their work in assessing planning applications, grant applications and reviewing listings involves an awareness of the condition of the wider stock of listed buildings within their area. Through there are currently no resources devoted specifically to the systematic monitoring of listed buildings, including listed Regency and Georgian architecture, the Department is making inspections of the listed building stock and is aware of many of the issues facing these buildings.
Not all Regency and Georgian buildings are protected by listing. Unless the buildings are protected as part of an area based designation there is no inspection apart from the listing survey. In order to protect buildings considered to be “at risk” the Department may
1. serve a Building Preservation Notice
2. issue an Urgent Works Notice
3. serve a Repairs Notice, or ultimately acquire the building
The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only atdisproportionate cost.
Prisons
During 2005-06 the Northern Ireland Prison Service held a total of eight thousand seven hundred and eighty educational sessions across its three establishments. These included both sentenced and remand prisoners wishing to engage in education. The recent uptake of educational opportunities in each establishment is as follows:
Hydebank Wood Young Offenders Centre and Prison
On average there are approximately 140 sessions for males and 60 for females per month. All classes are mixed remand and sentenced prisoners with attendance levels for those signed up to education at around 60 per cent.
Maghaberry Prison
On average there are approximately 440 sessions per month (sentenced 296; remand 144). Attendance figures for those signed up to education are approximately 70 per cent. for sentenced; 40 per cent. for remand. Average 60 per cent.
Magilligan Prison
On average there are approximately 440 sessions per month.. Attendance levels for those signed up to education are approximately 70 per cent.
While uptake for sessions is close to 100 per cent., actual attendance levels are reduced for a variety of reasons including family visits, court appearances and legal or medical consultations.
A wide range of educational subjects are taught and are listed below:
A Level English
Aromatherapy
Art
Art (Circus)
Bible Study
B-Tec Diploma
CAD
CLAIT
Community Dialogue
Cookery
Craft
Creative Writing
Dancing
Drama Group
Essential Skills–English
Essential Skills–Maths
Fly-tying
GCSE English
GCSE History
GCSE Law
GCSE Maths
Hairdressing
Hairdressing
ICT
Irish
Leather craft
Music
One to One Tutorials
Open Learning Support
Open University Support
Rural Issues
Yoga
The Northern Ireland Prison Service has developed a comprehensive estate strategy. As a first step in implementation, the service is currently conducting a tender exercise for the provision of two 60 cell ready to use units, one each at Maghaberry and Magilligan for operational use by late 2007. A decision will shortly be taken on whether to extend the Maghaberry unit to 120 cells, in the light of continuing increases in the prison population. The service can also bring additional accommodation into use in the period before then, if required.
The service has already accepted that Ash House at Hydebank Wood is not an appropriate long term facility for female prisoners. Consideration is being given to the development of alternative options on the site, as it would not be cost effective to provide a separate establishment.
Questionnaires
The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Race Hate Crime
The Northern Ireland Departments, Northern Ireland Office and the Police Service for Northern Ireland have funded a number of projects to tackle racism and race hate crime. However, it is not possible to identify what resources have been allocated to community education and awareness activities as this forms part of a number of projects and information is not held in an appropriate format. Examples of activities that have been supported by the above agencies include campaigns, ethnic awareness events, soccer tournaments, migrant worker handbooks and DVD, information leaflets and distribution of ‘Respect Difference’ wrist bands.
Rates
The number of domestic properties in Northern Ireland having each of the 12 different site positive codes is as follows:
Site positive feature Frequency Percentage Sea Frontage 635 4.1 Sea View 4,098 26.5 Sea View Limited 2,415 15.6 Water Frontage 220 1.4 Water View 1,114 7.2 Water View Limited 1,108 7.2 Other Premium View Full 620 4.0 Other Premium View Limited 317 2.0 Adjoining Parkland 511 3.3 Adjoining Golf Course 605 3.9 Conservation Area 3,147 20.3 Other positive 684 4.4 Total 15,474 100.0 Note: Analysis only includes properties valued by CAMA
A copy of the paper has been placed in the Library.
The multiplicative regression formulae used are an established technique in automated valuation modelling that capture non-linear and interactive relationships present in real estate markets.
25 separate regional models were constructed encompassing all of Northern Ireland and are of the example form:
where,
CV is estimated capital value
Area is habitable space
Class_121 is public sector built housing
DET is detached properties
Etc.
Variables included:
Habitable Space (m2)
Ancillary area (m2)
Outbuilding Size (m2)
Classification (i.e. public-built or private built)
Sub-classification (i.e. detached, semi-detached, terrace)
Neighbourhood
Grade of construction
Number of Storeys
Heating type
Type of water service
Type of sewerage service
Type of power service
Difficulty/ease of access to property
Garage type
Site positive features
Site negative features
Level of External Repair
Location (i.e. urban, suburban, rural village, rural remote)
Construction Era (i.e. pre-1919, 1920-1939, etc)
Sale type (i.e. New-build/2nd-hand sale).
It should be noted that only variables that significantly contributed to value in each region were included in the respective models.
District councils are required by statute to fix their rates no later than 15 February each year. The actual domestic and non-domestic rates for each of the 26 councils are then published by the Department of the Environment. Domestic rates struck in February 2007 will be based on the capital value of properties and will be published locally in the normal way.
The average domestic rate for Northern Ireland is determined by using the same formula applied by councils for fixing their individual rate but is calculated on the basis of their accumulative figures. This will be circulated to councils and other interested bodies and will be contained in the District Councils (Northern Ireland) Rate Statistics booklet, which will be published later in the year.
For those households facing either no change or a decrease in their share of the rates burden, the proportion which will experience no change is estimated at 3 per cent. (where ‘no change’ is defined as a decrease of less than 1 per cent.). Thus, approximately 97 per cent. of these households will see a decrease in their share of the rates burden (i.e. of greater than 1 per cent.).
These figures have been arrived at through comparing actual rate bills under the current NAV system in 2006-07 with estimates of what rate bills would have been in 2006-07, had the new capital value based system been in place this year.
Renewable Energy Household Programme
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland launched the Household programme on Monday 24 July as the first initiative to provide funding for homes under the £59 million Environment and Renewable Energy Fund (EREF). Householders are eligible to apply for assistance under this programme, which will provide up to 50 per cent. of the cost of installation of renewable energy systems, including solar hot water systems provided they own the property and it is used primarily for domestic purposes. The grant will be offered on the applicant's choice of technology on a first-come first-served basis. Applicants will need to satisfy themselves in advance that their property is suitable for their chosen technology and obtain two quotations from an approved installer. Advice is available for the schemes managing agent on both these aspects.
Some funding from the Household programme has been set aside to install 500 solar hot water systems in private households that are deemed to be in fuel poverty. Assistance at 100 per cent. of the cost of installation is available for these cases through the Department for Social Development. The criteria used to select homes for this assistance will be based on the eligibility criteria for the existing warm homes scheme as well as conditions relating to the suitability of the property including suitable orientation needed to benefit from the solar energy. Selection will initially be carried out by the warm homes managing agent from the database of homes that have previously received other energy-related assistance under the Warm Homes programme.
In addition to the Household programme, the Northern Ireland Housing Executive will receive funding of £1.8 million over two years under the EREF to install 600 solar hot water panels in their stock. Installation will be applied to dwellings that are in heating conversion schemes and, again, suitability of the property, including suitable orientation, will be the key selection criteria.
Royal Victoria Hospital
The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety is working with the Health and Personal Social Services to develop a framework for the future provision of the plastics service in Northern Ireland. This is expected to include a managed clinical network for plastics and burns services.
In this context, the need for additional consultants has been identified, including a burns specialist based at the Royal Group of Hospitals. Service improvements have been agreed, and include a commitment to increase the number of plastic surgeons from seven to 10. This additional investment will permit the burns service to appoint additional staff to enhance services.
Northern Ireland currently contributes to the National Burns Bed Bureau. The Bed Bureau was established two years ago and is hosted by West Midlands Ambulance Service. It contacts all of the burns services in England, Wales and Northern Ireland twice daily to obtain accurate information about bed availability so that if contacted by either an Accident and Emergency Department or a burns service needing extra beds it can respond immediately.
In addition, in the event of a major incident, the Trust's Major Incident plan would be activated. This would be supported by the National Burns Care Major Incident plan, which would make beds available in other units as required.
Rural Tourism
The Northern Ireland Tourist Board's (NITB) role is to promote and develop tourism in Northern Ireland and it is committed to working with strategic partners and providers to promote rural tourism. The development and promotion of the tourism potential of East Londonderry will take place in the context of the Tourism Strategic Framework for Action (SFA) and the Causeway Masterplan. Current activities include the signposting of the Causeway Coastal Route and funding support for a tourism development strategy for the Limavady Council area.
Two major programmes in the SFA are Signature Projects and Winning Themes. As well as potential spin-off benefits from its location between the Signature Projects of Giants Causeway and the Walled City of Derry the area can benefit from the planned promotion and marketing of the Short Break, Activity Tourism and Culture and Heritage Winning Themes in particular during 2006.
NITB is also actively encouraging the creation of a Regional Tourism Partnership to include East Londonderry which will address, amongst other things, destination management including product development, visitor servicing, marketing, training and local stakeholder buy-in.
Schooner Result
A programme of conservation works has been carried out on the Result since her acquisition by the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum in 1970. Much of this work has been directed towards the protection of the hull of the vessel which, according to a recent report by a leading maritime conservator, is in good condition. Other steps taken to preserve the vessel have included the fitting of an awning to protect it from the elements and the provision of a hatch to facilitate access and on-going maintenance work, both measures having been recommended by the specialist maritime conservator.
The museum has undertaken to explore options for the restoration and long-term exhibition of the vessel.
Security Force Informants
The hon. Gentleman will be aware that it is Government policy never to comment on specific national security and intelligence matters.
Sentencing System
Last year the Northern Ireland Office undertook a public consultation on the Review of the Sentencing Framework in Northern Ireland which covered many of the sentencing issues which will be the subject of further consultation in England and Wales. I will shortly be examining policy options considered in the review and the responses to the consultation. Protection of the public will be a central consideration.
Social Security Agency
From its inception in 1999, the Active Case Management Unit has examined 13,440 benefits awards.
Of these 2,889 awards have been increased and 2,852 awards have been decreased.
Special Needs Education
The following table shows how much funding has been reported by the Education and Library Boards (ELBs) in their accrued expenditure reports to the Department of Education as having been allocated to special needs education in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years. The information requested is not available by constituency in Northern Ireland. The response provided is therefore by Education and Library Board area and is rounded to the nearest million.
BELB NEELB SEELB SELB WELB Total 2000-01 17 14 21 15 13 80 2001-02 19 16 23 17 16 91 2002-03 21 18 27 19 18 103 2003-04 26 21 32 22 23 124 2004-05 28 22 31 25 27 133
Over the same five year period additional funding of approximately 14m has been allocated by the Department of Education to support statemented pupils in the voluntary grammar and grant-maintained integrated sectors.
Tourism
While Government have not commissioned any research into the tourism or economic value of genealogy, the culture, arts and leisure sector make a contribution to genealogy tourism as follows:
The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) is a unique resource for those interested in genealogy. It holds 54 kilometres of archives, both public records and those deposited by private individuals and bodies. Some 40 per cent. of PRONI on-site users are from outside the UK and most are researching their families. The PRONI website has searchable databases that link catalogue descriptions and images of documents of genealogical value, and more such databases will be made available. PRONI is presently developing an on-line searchable catalogue—the Electronic Catalogue for Northern Ireland (eCATNI)—that will provide access to the vast quantity of catalogue descriptions, in many cases down to individual document level. In all, some £1.29 million has been invested in this range of developments. Furthermore, PRONI has been in discussions with a range of genealogical interests within the broader context of the Archives Policy for Northern Ireland, an initiative intended to position archives in Northern Ireland for the 21st century.
Tourist Information Points are a feature within most branch libraries. Most Education and Library Boards hold local history collections and these routinely deal with enquiries on personal family history from visitors from both home and overseas. Boards maintain links with PRONI, regional and local museum services, and a wide range of local and family history groups.
Within the Western Education Board's library service, support is provided for the Centre for Migration Studies which deals with personal family history enquiries from 5,000 annual visitors. The centre maintains links with overseas museums, Irish and family history agencies, tour companies, public library network, and US college network. It is an active member of the Association of European Migration Institutions (AEMI) and hosts the Ulster American Heritage Symposium which is held alternately in the US and Northern Ireland. The only identifiable cost is for the Centre for Migration Studies for which the Western Board receives approximately £100,000 per annum. All other costs are subsumed in the overall running costs of the library service.
The NITB's Northern Ireland Passenger Survey identified that in 2005 11,600 visitors participated in genealogical activity during their visit and for a further 4,000 it was the actual reason for the visit (excludes visitors from/via Republic of Ireland). Numbers have grown by 71 per cent. from 2000-05 with growth mainly concentrated in the “participated” category. No estimate of the value of the sector to the economy is available.
NITB has not allocated identifiable funds to any genealogy specific projects in the past 10 years. However, a range of websites promotes access to genealogy. The NITB consumer website, www. discovernorthernireland.com, provides background information for potential visitors and links to 10 search organisations in Northern Ireland. Costs are subsumed in the running costs of the website. The Tourism Ireland website also carries genealogy for the island as a whole and references the Irish Genealogical Project as a link which connects to a range of suppliers both north and south.
NITB worked with the Ulster Scots Agency this year in producing the new NITB "American Connection" publication which has genealogy as one of four key themes.
The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure jointly funds the Ulster-Scots Agency which has indicated that it will spend in the region of £150,000 of its budget in 2006 on the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the Scots settlers.
I will make representations to my counterpart in the Irish Government to consider the preservation of the home of Lord Edward Carson at 4 Harcourt Square, Dublin.
Tribunals (Irish Language)
As the Appeals Service (NI) was only established in April 2000 it is not possible to provide the requested information for years prior to 2000-01. The information has therefore been provided for each full year from April 2000 to March 2006.
Disability appeals Incapacity benefit Appeals received Requests to be heard in Irish language Appeals received Requests to be heard in Irish language 2001 10,517 0 6,808 0 2002 11,760 0 4,879 0 2003 8,823 0 4,614 0 2004 9,120 0 3,905 0 2005 6,584 0 4,164 0 2006 5,553 0 4,678 0 Total 52,357 0 29,048 0 Note: Prior to April 2004 each component (care and mobility) of disability living allowance was counted as a separate appeal. This practice changed from 1 April 2004, when a disability living allowance appeal was counted as one appeal regardless of the number of components involved. The decrease in disability appeals received from April 2004 reflects this change.
Trust Ports
The review of Northern Ireland trust ports completed in 1998 identified a need to improve the public accountability of the trust ports; to extend their commercial powers; and to ease existing financial controls. The Northern Ireland Assembly decided that improvements in public accountability should be put in place before commercial powers were enhanced. Legislation has now been introduced which gives the trust ports enhanced borrowing powers and which improves accountability.
Proposals to legislate to provide extended commercial powers had not been completed when, following a ruling by the Office of National Statistics that certain trust ports within the United Kingdom should be classified as public corporations, it became a requirement from April 2005 that trust ports in Northern Ireland should operate within the public expenditure system. Taking trust ports out of the public expenditure system would require removing the controls relating to public accountability that the Assembly had considered should be in place before extended commercial powers were granted.
These issues of powers, status and governance of public trust ports in Northern Ireland are currently being consulted upon by the Department for Regional Development.
UK-US Extradition Arrangements
I have made no representations to the Foreign Secretary.
However, on 4 September this year I wrote to the US Attorney General, Alberto Gonzales, to set out the Government’s position in relation to the extradition of individuals for terrorist offences committed before the Good Friday Agreement in connection with Northern Ireland. This letter was shared with Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee, and is referred to in the Senate Resolution on the Treaty. I have placed a copy in the Library and sent it to the hon. Lady.
Moreover, the Home Secretary and his officials have been in regular contact with the US Administration about the treaty for some time now.
Following the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee decision to pass a resolution of advice and consent to ratify the treaty on 7 September 2006, I am pleased that the US Senate has now approved the resolution which we now hope will pave the way for the treaty to be ratified later this year by both the US and the UK.
Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust
The Department of Health Social Services and Public Safety has not received a business case for the appointment of an additional consultant cardiologist in the Ulster Community and Hospitals Trust, as it does not normally involve itself in the processing of specific posts.
I am advised by the Eastern Health and Social Services Board that the Trust's medical workforce plan referred to two consultant cardiologists in post and consequently a third appointment was made. The Board is not aware of any proposals to further increase the number.
Valuation and Lands Agency (Data Protection)
A copy of the notification for the Department of Finance and Personnel (No. Z6543576), which expires on 6 May 2007, has been placed in the Library. The notification can also be examined online by entering the identification number Z6543576 at:
http://www.esd.informationcommissioner.gov.uk/esd/DoSearch.asp
The Valuation and Lands Agency’s automated valuation model comprises a CAMA (computer assisted mass appraisal) software tool and valuation models developed for Northern Ireland localities.
This system does not contain any sensitive personal data.
Vehicle Tests
Despite an increase in demand of 22 per cent. since 1 April 2006, there has been a significant improvement in recent months. The average waiting time is currently 25 days against a target of 21 days. In order to maintain progress, a further recruitment exercise is currently under way.
Victims March (Dublin)
As I stated in my previous response of 17 July 2006, the safety of Northern Ireland citizens whether in Dublin or Belfast or anywhere else remains paramount for me.
Water Service
The Chief Executive of Water Service (Mrs. Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the hon. Member in response to this question.
Letter from Mrs. Katharine Bryan, dated 11 September 2006:
You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question about what the budget allocations to the Water Service were in each of the last five years (90710). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Water Service.
Over the last five years, Water Service has received a total budget allocation of £3.12 billion. The annual allocations making up this amount are tabled below. The figures represent the recorded full year budget allocation and include all amounts such as AME (cost of capital and depreciation) and capital allocations. The figure for 2006/07 reflects the allocation position at June.
Budget year Amount 2002-03 616 2003-04 509 2004-05 631 2005-06 703 2006-07 662
Work Place 2010
It is inherently difficult to establish a direct correlation between open plan working and productivity due to the range of contributory factors that can affect staff performance. There is, however, an overwhelming body of qualitative evidence about the positive impact of open plan working in both public and private sector organisations which has helped inform the decision to introduce it into the Northern Ireland Civil Service. The evidence includes findings from a number of major government departments such as Her Majesty's Treasury, the Ministry of Defence and the Home Office. For example, in the Treasury following a move to an open plan environment absenteeism reduced by more than 40 per cent.; staff turnover reduced substantially; over 75 per cent. of staff claimed they were much more productive; and levels of stress were perceived to be significantly lower.
Communities and Local Government
Additional Learning Needs
Planning Policy Guidance 17: Planning for Open Space, Sport and Recreation provides the framework within which local authorities meet the differing and distinctive needs of local communities for recreational facilities and open spaces. This includes the provision of play areas for all children.
The cross-Government Cleaner Safer Greener Communities programme supports the provision of quality public spaces that can be used by all members of the community. In 2003 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (now the Department for Communities and Local Government) published Developing accessible play space: a good practice guide.
Within schools the provision of specialised play equipment for pupils with additional learning needs is a matter for the Department for Education and Skills. Kidsactive receives grant funding from the DfES to deliver its Playwork Inclusion Project (PIP) to increase the numbers of disabled children being included in play out of school settings.
These policies apply to England only.
Anglian Water
The meeting was arranged by Anglian Water, at which the company gave officials a detailed briefing of its plans for meeting increased demand from housing growth in its area of operation over the next 30 years. No minutes of the meeting were taken. However, Anglian Water has given evidence to the Examination in Public for the East of England Regional Spatial Strategy.
Better Regulation for Civil Society
I have been asked to reply.
Several recommendations of the Better Regulation Task Force’s report have already been implemented, and work is under way on implementing some of the report’s other recommendations and taking forward areas for further work. We expect to publish the Government’s response to the report later this month.
Brownfield Sites
For Barnsley, the current regional target for homes to be built on previously developed land is 49 per cent. of the annual average (810) set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy. The figures for the number of homes built on brownfield sites are not readily available for the whole of the period 1997 to 2000. The following figures are taken from Barnsley's 2005 Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report. Percentages are rounded up where appropriate:
Number Percentage of the annual average 2000-01 356 44 2001-02 324 40 2002-03 437 54 2003-04 446 55 2004-05 563 70
For Doncaster, the current regional target for homes to be built on previously developed land is 70 per cent. of the annual average (735) set out in the Regional Spatial Strategy. The following figures are taken from Doncaster's 2005 Local Development Framework Annual Monitoring Report. Percentages are rounded up where appropriate.
Number Percentage of the annual average 1997-98 365 50 1998-99 607 83 1999-2000 604 82 2000-01 316 43 2001-02 97 13 2002-03 297 40 2003-04 578 79 2004-05 592 81
Building Regulations
[holding answer 13 September 2006]: The introduction of the amended regulations on Part L (conservation of fuel and power) on 6 April 2006 had no effect on the various rights of appeal available to developers under the Building Act 1984.
When there is a dispute between a local authority and a developer over whether plans comply with building regulations, the developer may apply to the Secretary of State under section 16(10) of the Act for a determination. Alternatively, in certain circumstances a developer can apply to the local authority to dispense with or relax a requirement of the building regulations on the grounds that its operation would be unreasonable in the particular case. If the local authority refuses such an application the developer may appeal to the Secretary of State under section 39 of the Act.
However, a local authority cannot relax or dispense with the requirements of Part L in relation to renovations of existing buildings over 1,000m2, or in any case the requirements of regulation 17C (target CO2 emission rates for new buildings).
The Building Act was amended to allow building regulations to be made for “furthering the prevention or detection of crime” in 2004. Since then we have considered the most appropriate way of improving the security of buildings. We are proposing to include security in the Code for Sustainable Homes, which will be launched later this year. This has the advantage of not taking as long to develop as a regulation, but will not be mandatory. We will monitor the take-up of the security section of the Code, and review the need for a building regulation in due course.
Business Rates
Sir Michael Lyons is due to submit the report of his independent inquiry into local government funding, form and functions to my right hon. Friends the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government and the Chancellor of the Exchequer in December 2006. We will consider his recommendations carefully once we have received his report.
The City of Westminster’s contribution to the national non-domestic rate pool between 2001-02 and 2005-06 is shown in the following table. Also shown is the level of Formula Grant given to the City of Westminster in the same period.
Contribution to national non-domestic rate pool Formula Grant 2001-02 795 199 2002-03 838 205 2003-04 860 216 2004-05 885 224 2005-06 936 238
The contribution to national non-domestic rate pool data are taken from returns made by local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government on NNDR3 returns.
Formula Grant comprises Revenue Support Grant, National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR) and principal Police Grant (not applicable here). The Formula Grant data for 2003-04, 2004-05 and 2005-06 are after the amending report.
Compulsory Purchase
The changes to compulsory purchase powers are set out in the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 included a number of provisions to assist in the more rapid processing of compulsory purchase orders, including the power for acquiring authorities to be allowed to confirm their own orders if they are unopposed and certain other criteria are fulfilled, and a power for all types of compulsory purchase orders to be confirmed in stages where appropriate so that progress can be made on one part of a scheme despite there being reasons why the order cannot yet be confirmed in respect of another part of the order land. The Act also enabled the introduction of written representations procedure for dealing with objections to compulsory purchase orders as a quicker alternative to holding a public inquiry.
Correspondence
A reply was sent to my hon. Friend on 5 October.
Council Tax
Since 1 January 2004, units of self-contained living accommodation within care homes (within the meaning of the Care Standards Act 2000, in respect of which a person is registered in accordance with Part 2 of that Act) in England have been treated as comprising a single dwelling for council tax purposes, except that any accommodation provided for the registered person is banded separately.
A very large majority of respondents to the Government’s 2003 consultation on making this change in the council tax treatment of care homes supported the proposals. No respondents suggested that similar rules should also be applied to other residential homes not falling within the definition above, and we have no plans to change the current rules.
The Government welcome local authority initiatives to encourage householders to reduce energy consumption. We said in the Energy Review, published in July 2006, that we would set out proposals that provide a framework to encourage all local authorities to take action on climate change, in the Local Government White Paper later this year.
Most local authority council tax discount schemes are at any early stage, and my Department has made no assessment of their effectiveness in encouraging householders to make their homes more energy- efficient.
The capped authorities provided estimated rebilling costs as part of the documentation accompanying their challenge to the maximum budget requirement proposed by the Secretary of State. These totalled:
2004-05: £1,296,372
2005-06: £661,147 - £781,147
Capped authorities were required to make £2,944,626 of reductions to their budgets in 2004-05 and £4,489,846 of reductions in 2005-06.
Dwellings occupied only by school leavers, students, or students and their partners or dependants, not being British citizens and being prevented by the terms of their leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom from taking paid employment or from claiming benefits, are exempt from council tax under Class N of the Council Tax (Exempt Dwellings) Order 1992. The Department does not hold figures for the number of dwellings that fall to be exempt under Class N because they are occupied solely by non-British spouses and their student partners, independently of data on the number of dwellings falling to be exempt under Class N as a whole.
Where a non-British partner of a student meeting the criteria above lives in a household with non-students or any other non-disregarded person they are disregarded for the purposes of calculating the household’s bill. The number of non-British partners counted as being disregarded, and reported by local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government on the CTB1(S) forms, in (a) each local authority in Shropshire and (b) England as at (i) 1 November 2004 and (ii) 10 October 2005 are shown in the following table. The data for 2006 are not yet available.
1 November 2004 10 October 2005 Bridgnorth 0 0 North Shropshire 0 0 Oswestry 0 0 Shrewsbury and Atcham 0 27 South Shropshire 0 0 Total England 376 131
Those writing to my Department with suggestions for the reform of council tax have been advised to put their ideas to the Lyons Inquiry into local government funding. Sir Michael Lyons set a deadline of 14 September for receiving submissions for consideration by his Inquiry. Since that date my Department has received no representations on the number of council tax bands.
Those writing to my Department with suggestions for the reform of council tax have been advised to put their ideas to the Lyons Inquiry into local government funding.
Sir Michael Lyons set a deadline of 14 September for receiving submissions for consideration by his Inquiry. Since that date we have received no representations on the separate banding of flats within sheltered housing schemes.
Decent Homes Standard
We have no plans to include the provision of digital services in the Decent Homes Standard. The standard is well established, and is one that we are not proposing to change.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
The Department for Communities and Local Government was created on 5 May 2006 and no assessment of its carbon emissions has yet been undertaken.
Data on carbon emissions are published in the annual Sustainable Development in Government reports. The last report was published by the Sustainable Development Commission in December 2005. It covered the reporting period April 2004 to March 2005. The published figures for DCLG’s predecessor departments are as follows.
Carbon dioxide (tonnes)1 2004-05 ODPM 11,658 2003-04 ODPM 13,023 2002-03 ODPM 13,071 2001-02 DTLR 33,635 2000-01 DTLR 36,763 1999-2000 DETR 38,684 1998-99 DETR 39,016 1997-98 DETR 39,371 1 No notional carbon figures have been included for energy generated from renewable sources
These emissions were calculated from the energy consumed across the estate; this included ODPM, DTLR and ODPM properties, Executive Agencies and the Government Office network.
The Department for Communities and Local Government has commenced a carbon management programme with the Carbon Trust. The aim of the programme is to mobilise the Department and its Agencies in working towards reducing carbon emissions across the estate.
Departmental Meetings (Muslim Groups)
Since its creation in May 2006 the Department for Communities and Local Government has engaged with a wide cross-section of community leaders from all faiths. No single organisation claims to represent all Muslims in Britain. The Government recognise the diversity that exists in British Muslim communities, and will engage with a wide range of organisations. Meetings have been held with the three organisations listed as follows:
Ongoing Officials from the DCLG are currently engaged in ongoing discussions with representatives from the BMP, SMC and MCB to implement various recommendations from the work on Preventing Extremism Together 14 August 2006 A series of meetings were held with Ministers from the Department for Communities and Local Government as well as DCLG officials. The meetings brought together a wide range of Muslims, including representatives of the MCB, the SMC and the BMP 3 August 2006 DCLG senior officials met representatives from the MCB 19 July 2006 The Secretary of State and I attended and spoke at the launch of the Sufi Muslim Council 17 July 2006 The Minister for Local Government and Community Cohesion (Phil Woolas) and I hosted a faith leaders’ breakfast and a Muslim stakeholder event. Many organisations were represented including the MCB, SMC and BMP. 12 May 2006 DCLG senior officials met representatives from the Muslim Council of Britain and the British Muslim Forum
Departmental Publications
The Department, both as DCLG and ODPM, was responsible for some 700 publications during the period from 1 July 2005 to 28 August 2006. The further information requested would be available only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Staff (Bicycles)
The Department supports staff cycling to work by providing tax-free salary advances towards the purchase of a bicycle for travel between home and office. In 2005-06 the Department made six advances, which equates to 0.3 per cent. of staff. It is open to the member of staff to purchase the bicycle, plus accessories, from a supplier of their choice. The Department also provides cycle storage space at its offices.
The Department does not operate the Cycle to Work Tax Incentive Scheme and has no plans to do so.
Digital National Framework
The Digital National Framework (DNF) is
“an industry standard for integrating and sharing business and geographic information from multiple sources”.
DNF is directed and overseen by an expert group which has over 40 members from public and private sectors and academia.
The group has produced a “road map” to achieve its aims and is actively working on most elements of this. All progress is reported on the DNF website at www.dnf.org. Recently most effort has been directed at promoting best practice to underpin the sharing of business information combined with location and to promote this across all communities (local/central Government, utilities and the private sector). This is being achieved in two ways:
(1) The publication of case studies showing the benefits of joined up information (examples from Oxford county council, Dudley metropolitan borough council and the Isle of Wight council are now available on the DNF website).
(2) Development and publication of “Technical Guides” that supplement national and international standards. The Technical Guides reflect best practice adopted in the case studies and elsewhere, and are intended for reuse by others so that they too can benefit from sound information management, data integrity and are more readily able to share information with other organisations.
The expert group is also working with the e-Government Unit in the Cabinet Office to ensure that DNF also aligns with the wider information plans and strategies of government.
Empty Dwellings
Ownership does not transfer when a property is subject to an Empty Dwelling Management Order and the owner maintains the right to sell the dwelling at any time. Therefore there is no obligation on the local authority to compensate the owner for the full value of the dwelling s/he continues to own. A local authority must, however, pay any balance of income received from rent, after deduction of its relevant expenditure, to the owner.
When repairs or improvements are proposed under the terms of a management scheme the owner will benefit from any resulting increase in the value of the property on expiry of the order. A third party with an interest in a dwelling may be entitled to compensation resulting from any loss they suffer as a result of the making of an Empty Dwelling Management Order.
The level of compensation in cases in which domestic property is acquired compulsorily is a matter of negotiation between the acquiring local authority and the claimant. Where a local authority acquires land compulsorily, it will have an obligation to pay compensation to those legally entitled to claim it. The level of compensation will be in accordance with a number of principles established under statute, case law and guidance, often described as the "Compensation Code." The open market value of the property acquired, disregarding the impact of the scheme, will form the basis of any award. The claimant may also be entitled to compensation for disturbance costs (removal expenses, fees etc.) and a Home Loss payment. The Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 introduced new provisions about valuation principles, introduced other kinds of loss payments and allowed an advance payment of mortgage in appropriate circumstances.
When a final Empty Dwelling Management Order is made the local housing authority that made the order is responsible for any furniture, fittings and other articles belonging to the owner that were left in the dwelling. The owner may make a request to the local authority to collect and remove any such items. If the dwelling is unoccupied at the time when the request is made, the local authority must comply with it. If the local authority wishes to remove any items of furniture not collected by the owners, it must arrange and pay for their safe storage off the premises. If the local authority wishes to replace any permanent fittings such as those in kitchens and bathrooms, it must consult the owner under the terms of the management scheme that it is required to draw up under a final Empty Dwelling Management Order.
Energy Performance Certificates
The technical provisions of EU Directive 2002/91/EC, the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, have been implemented through an amendment of the Building Regulations. The Regulatory Impact Assessment that estimates the costs and benefits associated with this amendment can be seen on my Department’s website.
There is a three-year derogation period within the directive to apply fully the procedural provisions for energy certificates and inspection of boiler and air-conditioning systems. We plan to lay a Statutory Instrument in early 2007 to transpose these remaining parts of the directive into law. The Regulatory Impact Assessment to support this Statutory Instrument which will contain estimates of the yearly costs to the social and private rental sectors is still being prepared.
Enfield Council
There has been much positive work conducted between the Department for Communities and Local Government and the London borough of Enfield in recent years. This has evidenced itself in an improved rating for the local authority in its most recent performance assessments by both the Audit Commission (comprehensive performance assessment) in terms of corporate assessment and the Government Office for London in terms of its achievements through its Local Strategic Partnership. DCLG and its partners remain committed to working closely with the London borough of Enfield to help drive improvement forward.
English Partnerships
(2) what percentage of English Partnerships' annual programme expenditure was spent in (a) the North East, (b) the North West, (c) Yorkshire and Humberside, (d) the East Midlands, (e) the West Midlands, (f) the East of England, (g) London, (h) the South East and (i) the South West in each year since 2001-02.
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: No representations have been received by the Secretary of State for the Department for Communities and Local Government concerning the balance of English Partnerships' (EP) expenditure since 2001-02 between the north and the south of England.
EP's gross programme expenditure since 2001-02 by Government Office region is set out in the following table.
Years ended 31 March 2001-2 Percentage 2002-3 Percentage 2003-4 Percentage Total East Midlands 11 7 31 13 31 8 East Of England 3 2 4 2 11 3 London 18 11 25 11 95 23 North East 19 11 21 9 29 7 North West 38 23 56 24 79 19 South East 17 10 36 16 74 18 South West 9 5 14 6 38 9 West Midlands 12 7 10 4 16 4 Yorkshire and The Humber 25 15 21 9 23 6 Other National 15 9 13 6 13 3 EP Total 167 100 231 100 409 100 North includes Midlands 105 63 139 60 178 44 South 47 28 79 34 218 53 Other National 15 9 13 6 13 3
Years ended 31 March 2004-5 Percentage 2005-6 Percentage Total East Midlands 41 8 49 6 East Of England 15 3 137 16 London 146 30 22 3 North East 27 6 26 3 North West 67 14 98 12 South East 85 17 121 14 South West 24 5 38 5 West Midlands 22 5 27 3 Yorkshire and The Humber 34 7 16 2 Other National 26 5 302 36 EP Total 487 100 836 100 North includes Midlands 191 39 216 26 South 270 55 318 38 Other National 26 5 302 36 Note:1. For the purposes of this answer the south of England includes South East, South West, East of England and London, with other regions taken to mean the north of England. 2. The "national" includes EP's purchase of a national portfolio of NHS sites in early 2006 which amounted to 302m and other expenditure that EP accounts for on a national basis.
The figures demonstrate increased Government investment through EP's programme across England in urban regeneration and the communities plan including the supply of high-quality affordable housing in areas experiencing housing pressure. EP investment has grown significantly nationwide over the period quoted. (More information can be found about EP's programmes in its annual reports over recent years, copies of which are held in the Libraries of both Houses or can be found on its website at http://www.englishpartnerships.co.uk/home.htm).
It is worth noting that the impact of a single transaction can be seen from the spend figure of £137 million for 2005-06 in the East of England. This included the single, extraordinary acquisition of a Ministry of Defence site at Oakington near Cambridge for the development of a new community at Northstowe for over £100 million. Excluding that one transaction from the table would have changed EP's 2005-06 investment figures to £218 million for the south and £216 million for the north.
The London-Wide Initiative is a scheme developed by English Partnerships to provide additional affordable homes in Greater London. The homes will be developed on 16 publicly owned brownfield sites including one provided by the London Development Agency, and the initiative is expected to deliver more than 4,500 homes over the next five years.
It is too early to provide precise figures across the portfolio of sites because in the majority of cases planning consents, planning agreements and community consultations have yet to be concluded. Estimates show that overall the scheme has the potential to deliver about 1,600 market homes, over 2,000 low-cost home ownership homes and up to 1,000 social rented homes. At this stage there are no plans to include sub-market rented homes in the programme. The first of the 16 sites, Adelaide Wharf in Hackney, is now under construction. Planning consent for schemes in Wandsworth and Croydon has now been granted, with work having started or due to start shortly. A rolling programme of planning consents and starts on sites is planned for 2007 and 2008 for the remaining sites.
EU Interreg III
Interreg III is an EU community initiative, funded from the European regional development fund (ERDF) for the period 2000 to 2006, which has three programmes designed to promote territorial and social cohesion across the European Union. The three programmes are:
Interreg IIIA, a programme to promote joint projects involving regions in neighbouring member states to promote regional economic development and regeneration.
Interreg IIIB, a transnational programme which aims to strengthen economic and social cohesion across large groupings of European regions through transnational co-operation.
Interreg IIIC an inter-regional programme intended to improve the effectiveness of policies and instruments for regional development co-operation across the whole of the European Union and neighbouring countries.
Fire Service
Fire and rescue authorities in England are required by the Fire and Rescue Service National Framework to have in place and maintain an Integrated Risk Management Plan (IRMP) which reflects local need and sets out plans to tackle effectively both existing and potential risks to communities. It is, therefore, for each fire and rescue authority to determine appropriate fire cover in its area, including the number of fire appliances sent to an educational establishment in response to an automatic fire alarm alone or a 999 call.
Decisions on operational proposals are made by the elected members of the authority concerned. They are best placed to act on the professional advice of principal officers and to balance the competing local demands on available resources for the benefits of the communities they serve.
The available information covering part (a) of the question is set out below. Information on parts (b) and (c) is not held centrally.
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 England 1,401 1,532 1,314 1,158 1,331 1,194 1,453 1,248 1,231 1,228 Non Metropolitan Areas Avon 28 28 24 37 24 23 18 28 37 19 Bedfordshire 12 4 9 16 18 20 14 33 14 11 Berkshire 15 25 31 18 20 10 46 29 14 14 Buckinghamshire 8 31 16 13 17 17 10 10 5 19 Cambridgeshire 5 12 17 7 24 4 6 12 24 17 Cheshire 45 18 25 21 18 29 20 33 25 16 Cleveland 24 28 55 25 17 37 28 45 15 6 Cornwall 3 10 1 1 5 0 5 5 6 14 Cumbria 14 17 10 2 18 6 13 13 14 14 Derbyshire 24 37 23 30 20 11 23 17 22 16 Devon 22 11 33 10 33 22 31 19 21 7 Dorset 8 9 15 2 17 22 17 2 4 7 Durham 27 8 25 32 19 20 14 18 12 12 East Sussex 15 6 8 8 22 24 20 11 20 36 Essex 18 26 12 21 15 21 25 19 27 17 Gloucestershire 5 20 22 0 5 12 5 15 9 1 Hampshire 40 28 6 19 33 35 55 19 47 40 Hereford and Worcester 14 15 9 12 5 27 14 13 5 9 Hertfordshire 33 40 8 32 34 28 13 22 17 24 Humberside 52 45 16 37 36 9 36 40 43 40 Isles of Scilly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Isle of Wight 1 4 4 4 4 0 0 5 0 4 Kent 32 62 49 22 28 15 27 34 23 34 Lancashire 55 56 60 53 29 59 63 42 45 59 Leicestershire 43 30 19 18 17 17 25 20 19 16 Lincolnshire 2 9 13 0 10 11 12 6 8 13 Norfolk 9 10 4 6 7 16 14 9 10 6 North Yorkshire 11 15 13 5 9 39 5 20 16 23 Northamptonshire 9 24 13 16 22 6 17 5 11 22 Northumberland 9 7 5 4 4 4 5 0 13 4 Nottinghamshire 28 36 31 57 15 34 15 33 24 35 Oxfordshire 9 5 11 6 20 6 17 29 27 17 Shropshire 10 6 19 10 5 11 13 0 17 30 Somerset 13 6 6 11 9 4 21 17 11 25 Staffordshire 26 25 9 33 42 20 40 30 26 14 Suffolk 8 5 6 4 1 5 23 5 0 14 Surrey 10 20 17 9 17 14 24 11 29 7 Warwickshire 14 4 10 6 6 12 16 14 31 20 West Sussex 10 28 2 18 39 20 20 27 10 32 Wiltshire 11 0 6 6 14 7 10 1 6 0 Metropolitan areas Greater Manchester 158 184 178 124 156 98 160 134 132 128 London 134 202 102 117 189 133 152 73 115 129 Merseyside 73 78 148 68 73 71 55 57 54 63 South Yorkshire 55 21 37 40 26 25 64 48 35 32 Tyne and Wear 74 70 43 40 37 46 58 48 37 42 West Midlands 106 141 81 78 96 94 86 79 74 53 West Yorkshire 78 64 62 57 59 47 100 95 80 67 Notes: 1.Figures are based on sampled data grossed to fire and rescue sendee totals. 2. Figures exclude any fires in November 2002 and January-February 2003 strike periods. Source: Fire and Rescue Service returns to DCLG
Former Council Properties
There are no plans to collect information centrally about the numbers of properties that were once owned by local authorities and are now privately let. Individual local authorities may keep details of the addresses of properties they once owned, but they will not know which of these properties are now privately rented.
Freedom of Information
[holding answer 27 February 2006]: I have been asked to reply.
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department for Communities and Local Government (including the Government offices for the regions) have received the following requests for information from local authorities in 2006. All requests, including those by organisations, are made by named individuals. We are unable to determine whether the request has been made by an individual or on behalf of the local authority as a whole.
Date Authority Information requested 3 January 2006 Greater London Authority Advice given to the First Secretary of State by the Government Office for London in connection with a planning appeal for a statue of Nelson Mandela in Trafalgar Square 13 January Hampshire County Council Information about Local Transport Plans assessment framework 30 January Cornwall County Council Audit information on Objective 1 funding spent on Trevoan Farm, St. Mawes 1 February Oxfordshire County Council Copy of all objections received that have not already been seen by Oxfordshire County Council for a proposed stopping up order at Manor Farm House, Little Rollright, Oxon, 0X7 5QA 6 February Winchester City Council Tax paid on the Deputy Prime Minister’s Admiralty Arch flat 22 February Rotherham Borough Council Policy on temporary speed limits on motorways 8 March Dover District Council Amount provided as part of rate support grant to Dover DC for: (a) setting up systems and training 2003-04 and 2004-05 in both monetary terms and as percentage of annual rate support grant; and (b) in 2004-05 as set up in fees in respect of the Gambling Act 2005 4 April City of York Council Arrangements to reimburse LAs for the costs of FOI inquiries 6 April Lancashire County Council Breakdown of the regional prioritisation scores for Ormskirk Bypass and Thornton to Swith Island Link, also wants to know how scores determined, and the consultation process 11 April Seaford Town Council Advice given to Minister with regard to the East Sussex and Brighton and Hove Waste Local Plan 28 April Bath and North East Somerset Council Report of an independent structural engineer on A6 Bypass SEMMMs road 31 May Tonbridge and Mailing Borough Council When letters dated 27 April 2006 and 22 May 2006 were received regarding Article 4 Directions on land at the rear of Mackenders Lane, Eccles 2 June North Dorset District Council All decisions issued in respect of Article 5 Appeals (Tree Preservation) issued from January 2005 to the present 20 June South Hams District Council (1) Confirmation that decision is based on combined impact of all planning applications referred to in letter (2) What extent of info GOSW have been given by South Hams and objectors (3) Copies of all reps GOSW received from objectors and their solicitors 12 July Corby Borough Council Information on Councils who have appealed against their 2005-06 LABGI grants
Geographic Information Panel
The Geographic Information Panel was established in April 2005. Its role is to focus on medium to long-term issues, encourage more effective, extensive and systematic use of geographic information and submit regular short reports to Ministers.
Full details about the terms of reference and membership of the panel, together with information about the current activities of the panel, can be found on the website at http://www.gipanel.org.uk
The main focus of the panel at present is to develop a geographic information strategy for the United Kingdom.
Hampton Review
I refer to the answer that the Chief Secretary to the Treasury gave on 9 October.
Home Condition Reports
The only people who will have access to any registers of home condition reports will be buyers and sellers, their advisers and mortgage lenders and those monitoring the performance and quality of the reports. Any secondary legislation will be framed accordingly. There will be no access for other Government Departments, although it is intended that the Department for Communities and Local Government will have access solely for the purpose of monitoring and auditing the work of certification schemes, and that of the register operator.
Information held on a register will be exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act on the basis that the Housing Act 2004 prohibits disclosure from the register except in accordance with the regulations. A home condition report properly compiled will not contain personal data within the meaning of the Data Protection Act. There are no proposals to make the register available for inspection under either the Freedom of Information Act or the Data Protection Act.
The Home Condition Report Register procurement is being carried out as a negotiated procedure under the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, and it is expected that the contents of the documentation will change through the period of negotiation. Once negotiations and procurement have been completed I will arrange to place the final versions of the documentation in the Library.
Access to the Register of Home Condition Reports will be confined to buyers and sellers, their advisers and mortgage lenders and those monitoring the performance and quality of the reports. The secondary legislation will be framed accordingly.
There are no plans to allow access to other Government Departments or the Office for National Statistics. We expect the Department to have access for the purposes of monitoring and auditing the work of certification schemes, and that of the register operator.
The cost of lodgement charged to certification schemes is part of ongoing discussions with Landmark Solutions (the preferred Home Condition Report Register operator). Additional charges by the certification schemes to cover administrative quality assurance costs are also under discussion.
Exact costs per lodgement with the Home Condition Report Register operator will be set out in a statutory instrument in February 2007.
This is not in the current specification for the HCR Register, but the hardware infrastructure can be upgraded to accommodate increased capacity to store images if required.
There will be no maximum period for which an HCR is considered valid. Home condition reports will be stored in the Home Condition Report Register for 15 years from the date of lodgement.
The Department for Communities and Local Government will be responsible for the auditing arrangements for the Register of Home Condition Reports.
Home Energy Efficiency
My Department does not collect information for each local authority on these details. The 2004 English House Condition Survey provides the following figures for England: there were 15,042 dwellings (70 per cent. of all dwellings) of cavity wall construction, of which 5,835 (39 per cent. of all dwellings with cavity walls) were insulated.
Home Information Packs
I have been asked to reply.
These trials will be independently verified. A further announcement will be made shortly once the research contractor has been selected.
I have been asked to reply.
Participation in the area trials is voluntary. The Department is in discussion with industry regarding the appropriate support for the trials, although we intend this support to be focused on encouraging consumers to take-up home information packs (HIPs) and to be designed to help us see the effects of HIPs on chains of transactions. These trials will be independently verified. A further announcement will be made shortly on the selected contractor who will conduct the independent research.
I have been asked to reply.
Trials will take place in Bath, Cambridge, Southampton, Northampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield. The results in these areas will be compared with those in the baseline research conducted during the summer.
I have been asked to reply.
In most cases the seller will own title to the home information pack once it has been undertaken, although this will depend on the terms of the contract under which the pack has been prepared.
I have been asked to reply.
These trials will be independently verified. A further announcement will be made shortly on the research contractor selected to monitor the trials.
A person selling a shared equity or shared ownership property on the open market will need to provide a home information pack, including an energy performance certificate. In most shared equity schemes the purchaser owns 100 per cent. of the property. The equity loan is covered by a charge on the property which is repaid to the registered social landlord when the property is sold. Sellers of such properties are usually responsible for the legal fees and other associated selling costs now and that will continue to be the case when home information packs are introduced on 1 June 2007.
There are no plans to exempt key worker housing, shared equity housing or other low cost housing schemes from the requirement to obtain a home information pack when a property is sold. An exception is where the terms of the scheme entitle the RSL to nominate a subsequent purchaser from their waiting list. As there would be no marketing in such cases, a pack would not be required.
Where a new home is subsequently resold within the validity period of a National House-Building Council guarantee a full home information pack, comprising an Energy Performance Certificate, searches and other legal information, will be required. The seller will be authorised to include a home condition report if he or she wishes.
The response to the Department’s consultation on the Home Information Pack Regulations from the Ordnance Survey dated 21 December 2005 has been deposited in the House of Commons Library.
Where a Home Condition Report (HCR) is provided, the Home Inspector will carry out a visual inspection of the domestic wiring and electrical installation, and will report on any faulty wiring that is evident from the inspection. A condition rating will be given in the HCR, based on this inspection. The HCR will also contain a safety warning about the need for periodic inspection and testing, and advise that any electrical installation carried out after 1 January 2005 should be identified by an electrical installation certificate.
Information about standards of safety to which a property ought to/does comply is authorised for inclusion in the pack, so, for example, electrical safety certificates could be included as authorised documents.
We are also considering how such information can be included within the standard search process before the introduction of HIPs.
An assessment of the impact of home information packs has been published in a regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations made under part 5 of the Housing Act 2004. This assessment will be updated in the light of the findings of a baseline study of the home buying process reporting later this year, and of information obtained during the dry run of home information packs.
The Bristol pilot study was designed to test the practical operation of home information packs and ran between December 1999 and July 2000. The study cost £315,000.
We are proposing to offer a range of incentives to encourage take-up and ensure that we learn as much as possible from the trials. This will include offering a limited number of free packs; packs in which the mandatory elements will be provided free to the seller if they pay for a home condition report; and packs provided on a “no sale, no fee” basis. The different offers will enable us to learn about different aspects of the reaction of both buyers and sellers to the packs as well as testing a series of practical issues.
The regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations laid in June 2006 set out assessments of different costs. Revised estimates will be included in the updated regulatory impact assessment to be published alongside new regulations in early 2007.
This is not a devolved matter, but the Secretary of State has a duty to consult the National Assembly for Wales before making any regulations which relate to residential properties in Wales, and we did so. We formally consulted the Assembly on the proposed secondary legislation and regulatory impact assessment, and the Social Justice and Regeneration Committee discussed Home Information Packs at its meeting on 3 May 2006. We also conducted various informal consultations with the Welsh Assembly Government and the Welsh Language Board on the content of the secondary legislation.
We are working in partnership with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers. Key roles that it will perform will include ensuring that providers are in place to prepare packs and estate agents are recruited to offer them to home sellers.
The Department commissioned the COI Strategic Consultancy to investigate the impact of home information packs on ethnic and other minor groups, and the results were reflected in the regulatory impact assessment that was published in June 2006.
Independent research was commissioned in 2003 into the potential impact of the introduction of home information packs in areas affected by low demand and low value. This research was used to inform the regulatory impact assessment published in June 2006. Further baseline research has been commissioned, and there will be a report in October.
The Government’s policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take-up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed, and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for the private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
The Government’s policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for the private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
I refer the hon. Gentleman to my answer of 9 October 2006.
Trials will take place in Bath, Cambridge, Southampton, Northampton, Newcastle and Huddersfield. We are working with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers to organise the trials.
These trials will be independently verified. A further announcement will be made shortly on the selected contractor who will conduct the independent research.
Estimates of the number of Home Information Packs required by sellers are based on industry estimates of future home buying and selling. These are given in the following table:
Number Between June 2007 and August 2007 366,100 Between June 2007 and November 2007 779,100 Between June 2007 and May 2008 1,627,100
The number of trained home inspectors across England and Wales who will be required to produce energy performance certificates and the optional home condition reports for sellers will vary with seasonal demand and the local housing market. It is estimated that between 2,500 and 4,500 individuals working full or part-time would be required to satisfy demand for these.
More detailed estimates will become available as the percentage take-up of home condition reports is determined during the progress of the area-based trials.
The regulatory impact assessment which accompanied the regulations laid in June 2006 includes assumptions on costs. A regulatory impact assessment will be published alongside new regulations early in 2007. All these figures will be revised where necessary in the light of the dry run and other trials.
We have made clear that it is for industry in the first instance to take the lead in encouraging the take-up of home condition reports, and we will want to discuss its views on the way forward in the light of the dry run, area trials and experience of home information packs.
Further regulations and guidance will be published early in 2007 in order to implement the changes announced in July ahead of the planned introduction of home information packs from 1 June 2007.
(2) if the Government will produce a revised regulatory impact assessment on home information packs.
A revised regulatory impact assessment on home information packs will be published alongside new regulations early in 2007.
The proposed timing will allow the revised regulations to reflect initial findings from the practical experience of assembling and using HIPs in the area trials.
Further consultations will take place on any new regulations laid before 1 June 2007. Departmental officials continue to be in regular discussions with stakeholders about the implementation of the programme.
Home Condition Reports and Energy Performance Certificates will be lodged on an electronic register. Landmark Solutions has been chosen as the preferred bidder to set up the electronic register, which is expected be operational by November 2006.
The Regulatory Impact Assessment published in June 2006 assumed that AVMs or other methods other than physical surveys would be used in 38 per cent. of transactions.
We are undertaking a series of area trials from November, in partnership with the Association of Home Information Pack Providers, to help test both the packs and full Home Condition Reports. Regional campaigns will run simultaneously to support the trials, raise awareness and encourage voluntary take up. There will be independent monitoring of these trials, which will look at the level of take-up of voluntary HCRs. The results of these trials will be used to look further at the likely take-up of voluntary HCRs after 1 June 2007.
Additional resources of £2.43 million have been made available to local authorities in 2005-06, 2006-07 and 2007-08 for the purposes of HIP enforcement. Discussions with the LGA and the Local Authorities Co-ordinators of Regulatory Services are ongoing and the DCLG has committed to funding the one-off costs of training and development of staff, estimated at £50,000 by LACORS.
LACORS submitted responses to the public consultations on the draft Housing Bill on 9 June 2003 and to the draft Home Information Pack Regulations on 29 December 2005. In addition, DCLG officials have had regular meetings with LACORS on the enforcement provisions for Home Information Packs.
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: The Government's policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take-up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
[holding answer 13 September 2006]: Information which has been made available to Home Inspectors since 18 July includes the following: (i) the statement to the House on 18 July; (ii) a press notice of 21 September (which can be viewed on the DCLG website); (iii) a statement released on 30 July (which can be viewed on the DCLG website); and (iv) a letter from the Home Information Pack Programme Director to Home Inspectors of 21 September.
Home Inspectors
The home condition report (HCR) will be based on a mid-range inspection, similar to the homebuyers survey currently available on the market. home inspectors will be required to complete the HCR in accordance with the inspection and reporting requirements published by the Department of Communities and Local Government on 14 June 2006. Home inspectors will decide condition ratings by applying their knowledge of building construction and should only recommend further investigation where they suspect the existence of defects that are concealed or cannot be identified within the scope of a visual inspection. Home inspectors will therefore be expected to reach a conclusion about defects in most cases, but when this is not possible, for example when the defect needs specialist advice, the inspector may recommend a further investigation.
The home inspectors will report on the following:
whether the property is located in an area where naturally occurring radon gas is emitted from the ground;
whether it is located in a mining area;
whether they have seen asbestos-containing materials, or suspect such materials are present, which may be a risk (this is not a specialist asbestos inspection, however);
whether there are any party wall matters brought to the Inspector's attention by the seller.
For flats, the HCR will cover in detail the main walls, windows and the roof of the flat itself along with the shared access to the flat. General information will be provided about the remainder of the outside and shared parts.
The work that home inspectors undertake, and the location, will be a matter for them or for the companies that employ them.
The Government’s policy is that mandatory Home Condition Reports (HCRs) remain on the table if the industry fails to make a success of the roll-out of HCRs. We will promote the voluntary take-up of HCRs, and have allocated £4 million to support their take-up and testing of Home Information Packs. Therefore Home Inspectors will still be needed and job opportunities for Home Inspectors remain for those who have undertaken training. Moreover, the introduction of Energy Performance Certificates for private rented properties will further enhance these opportunities.
Homelessness
(2) what guidance her Department has issued to (a) local authorities and (b) housing associations regarding the provision of deposit loan, guarantee and bond schemes for people to rent in the private rented sector.
In June the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) published the results of an independent evaluation of homelessness prevention schemes. This showed that rent deposit and similar schemes are widely operated by local authorities and are playing a growing role in rehousing potentially homeless households. It is also clear that these schemes can be highly cost-effective. A summary of this research is available on the DCLG website at www.communities.gov.uk.
Chapter 4 of "Homelessness Prevention : A Guide to Good Practice" is about the use of rent deposit and similar schemes which offer people in the private sector a solution to their homelessness. The guidance is available on the Department's website at www.communities.gov.uk
The responsibility for monitoring such schemes operated by registered social landlords lies with the Housing Corporation. To date the corporation has not collected data or issued guidance about the use of rent deposit loan schemes, and does not hold records of which RSLs provide these schemes.
Housing
The following table provides information on the number of demolitions, refurbishments and new builds funded in full or in part by housing market renewal funding (HMRF) as part of the local programmes led by councils and partners to address housing problems in their areas. The figures for 2004-05 and 2005-06 are actual. Estimated figures for 2006-07 are included for those pathfinders whose forward funding agreements have been, or are shortly about to be, signed. Plans for 2007-08 have not yet been agreed.
2004-05 2005-06 12006-07 2004-05 2005-06 12006-07 2004-05 2005-06 12006-07 Birmingham Sandwell 47 62 tbc 10 6115 tbc 71 306 tbc East Lancashire 0 0 0 674 830 346 311 331 362 Hull and East Riding 0 0 tbc 0 0 tbc 0 147 tbc Manchester Salford 0 0 tbc 4,304 2,418 tbc 571 454 tbc Merseyside 6 11 566 2,628 5,383 1,420 118 185 263 Newcastle Gateshead 2 0 28 232 433 704 409 506 72 North Staffordshire 0 0 0 139 1,408 450 234 62 200 Oldham Rochdale 0 0 106 832 1,059 190 78 164 182 South Yorkshire 0 0 167 760 1,140 1,724 1,097 635 500 1 Estimate Notes: 1. Discussions have not yet concluded with Birmingham Sandwell, Manchester Salford and Hull and East Riding on their programmes for 2006-07. 2. The outputs in the table are only those that are funded directly by HMRP. The pathfinders have played a part in generating significant additional outputs through the contributions of partners, principally local authorities, RSLs and the private sector, in related and complementary interventions in housing market renewal areas. 3. The variation in outputs between pathfinders is partly explained by the different sizes of the programmes and how long they have been running. There is also a wide variety in approaches taken depending on the particular problems face in each area.
In September 2005 there were 294 local authorities in England which operated rent deposit or similar schemes. A list of the schemes has been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
The Housing Corporation does not collect this information from housing associations.
Each of the 10 sites that English Partnerships has put forward for the competition is at a slightly different point in the process. They have different estimated start and completion dates and there will, therefore, be different dates when the homes on each site will be placed on sale.
The start of work on each site will vary according to when issues such as detailed planning consent and contractual arrangements have been completed. The length of time it will take to complete each site also varies as they are of different scales.
However, it is anticipated that the first homes built through the competition will be put on sale in autumn 2006.
Regional Housing Boards advise Government on how resources for housing capital investment should be targeted. These resources totalled £5 billion over 2004-06. Regional Housing Boards do not have separate administrative budgets; they are funded from existing Government Regional Office budgets and contributions from other Board members. Given this, the following table sets out estimates of the total expenditure of each Regional Housing Board on carrying out its responsibilities to develop and publish a Regional Housing Strategy for its area and provide advice to Ministers on spending priorities. These estimates do not include staff costs, but they do include contributions from Board members other than the Government Offices.
Expenditure in 2004-05 (£) Expenditure in 2005-06 (£) Housing Capital Investment Resources allocated on the Boards' advice (£ million) 2005-06 London 31,250 23,070 2,110 East of England 235,000 0 330 South East 132,847 85,045 720 South West 94,868 92,233 270 East Midlands 48,950 0 230 West Midlands 177,400 181,800 360 North East 67,000 20,000 170 Yorkshire and Humber 125,000 10,000 290 North West 40,000 7,000 500
The table gives the information requested. The number of properties is not available for parliamentary constituencies: Figures for South Lakeland constituency are presented as this is the local authority which is the closest to the Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency. Second homes data are not available prior to 2002 on a robust consistent basis.
England and Wales Cumbria South Lakeland Urban England Rural England percentage 2002 0.8 2.7 7.0 0.5 1.3 2003 1.0 3.4 77 0.7 1.4 2004 1.1 3.4 7.4 0.8 1.5 2005 1.1 3.4 7.4 0.8 1.5 Source: CTB1 returns to DCLG.
Local authorities in England have been classified as rural or urban according to definitions given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For further information on the DEFRA classification please see: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp
The following table shows the proportion of newly built homes defined as affordable. The Department does not collect information on affordable housing in Wales; therefore the table refers to England only. New build completions data are only available at local authority level; therefore specific information relating to Westmoreland and Lonsdale constituency is not available. As South Lakeland LA is the local authority that comprises the majority of Westmoreland and Lonsdale, it has been included in the table.
For parts (d) and (e) local authority information has been aggregated by the DEFRA Rural Definition and Local Authority Classification, details of which can be found on the DEFRA website: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp
Percentage 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-061 England 19 19 16 17 17 16 17 17 18 Cumbria 11 17 16 16 11 8 5 10 2— South Lakeland 5 8 12 20 16 5 21 18 2— Urban local authorities 22 23 19 20 21 16 19 18 2— Rural local authorities 15 14 12 13 13 15 14 15 2— 1 Provisional. 2 Not available. Note. Information on new build affordable dwellings is provided by the Housing Corporation; a small proportion of these will be hostel bed spaces. Source: Returns from local authorities to the Department for Communities and Local Government (P2, HSSA), Housing Corporation, National Housebuilding Council (NHBC).
Section 106 data have only been collected from 2000-01.
This information does not include new affordable homes provided through acquisition and refurbishment for both social rent and low-cost home ownership.
The following table gives the information requested. Estimates of average house prices at local authority level, for regions and counties and for England and Wales as a whole are based on Land Registry data. Estimates of average house prices are not available for parliamentary constituencies: South Lakeland is the local authority which is the closest to Westmorland and Lonsdale.
£ England and Wales Cumbria South Lakeland Urban England Rural England 1997 79,482 60,103 78,936 80,474 80,809 1998 86,500 63,653 83,156 87,637 87,964 1999 96,902 66,388 88,425 99,092 97,287 2000 108,527 71,891 99,239 111,255 109,539 2001 119,436 78,158 116,273 121,697 121,891 2002 138,370 88,275 130,005 139,588 143,562 2003 156,505 107,312 161,697 155,114 166,389 2004 178,899 130,897 195,701 176,423 189,559 2005 189,983 146,327 211,834 187,999 199,389 Source: Land Registry
Local authorities in England have been classified as rural or urban according to definitions given by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. For further information on the DEFRA classification please see: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/rural_resd/rural_definition.asp
Further information on house prices in local authority areas for the period 1996 to 2005 is available in Table 585 on the DCLG website. The web link for Table 585 is: http://www.communities.gov.uk/pub/159/Tab1e585_id1156159.xls
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not make estimates of the number of new affordable houses required in Coventry. Coventry city council is required to assess the need for affordable housing as part of the housing needs assessment and the local and regional planning process.
Allocations to provide new affordable housing are made from the national Affordable Housing Programme, on the recommendation of the regional housing board, and through a local bidding process to the Housing Corporation.
During 2006-08 the city council expects there to be 320 new affordable homes in the city, at this stage there are no estimates of provision beyond this date.
Information on new build dwellings is collected by local authority, not constituency. A table showing the number of new build dwelling completions in each local authority in England, in each year from 1999 to 2005, has been placed in the Library of the House.
Source:
P2 house building return from local authorities and National House Building Council
The Department for Communities and Local Government does not collect information for each local authority on these details. The 2004 English House Condition Survey provides the following figures for England:
Wall construction of dwelling. Number of dwellings (Thousand) Cavity 15,042 Solid 6,211 Timber frame 360 All dwellings 21,613
My Department has not made such estimates and does not collect the information it would require in order to do so. The Housing Health and Safety Rating System replaced the housing fitness standard in England in April 2006 and in Wales in June 2006. The English House Condition Survey will provide annual national estimates for England with publication of its results for 2006 (expected early in 2008) and subsequent years.
(2) which local authorities have not produced a strategy for achieving the private sector decent homes standard.
The information requested is not held centrally. Estimates from the English House Condition Survey in 2003 and 2004 indicate that nationally we are ahead of trajectory towards meeting the private sector decent homes target that 70 per cent. of vulnerable households in that sector are living in decent homes. Between 1996 and 2004 this targeted percentage has increased from 47 per cent. to 66 per cent. The survey also shows that no regions are significantly behind the overall national position.
It is the responsibility of Government Offices to monitor progress in their own regions and satisfy themselves that local authorities have robust policies in place. It is a requirement for local authorities to produce housing strategies that review a wide range of housing-related issues in their areas and to establish their priorities for action, including the need to meet this target.
Estimates of overcrowding based on the statutory standard are not available because the underlying data is not collected systematically. A one-off estimate was made in 2004 that there were approximately 20,000 households across the whole of England that were in conditions of overcrowding that breached the statutory standard. This estimate was based on data from the Survey of English Housing for the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 and from the 2001 English House Condition Survey. Equivalent estimates for Luton, Bedfordshire and the whole of the United Kingdom are not available.
Information on estimated completions for social rent and low-cost home ownership by Registered Social Landlords and other developers funded through the Housing Corporation’s National Affordable Housing Programme is provided on the Corporation’s website at:
www.housingcorp.gov.uk.
The London Allocation Statement provides details of schemes including estimated completions in each London borough for 2006-08, and are at the webpage:
www.housingcorp.gov.uk/server/show/ConWebDoc.7753 .
Information for 2008-09 is not available, and both investment levels and estimated completions will be subject to the outcome of the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007.
Information on estimated completions of new rented homes to be provided by local authorities is not held centrally.
[holding answer13 September 2006]: Information on properties owned by registered social landlords that have been sold to their tenants is collected on the Regulatory Statistical Return of the Housing Corporation. In 1996-97 RSLs were not asked to break down this information by local authority area. Sales to tenants include Right to Acquire and Preserved Right to Buy, the latter being the preserved right of a local authority tenant to purchase their dwelling even after a stock transfer from the local authority to an RESL.
Summary information for London as a whole and England is given in the following table. The figures broken down by local authority area have been deposited in the Libraries of the House.
Greater London England 1996-97 — 4,821 1997-98 294 4,976 1998-99 429 4,779 1999-2000 680 7,585 2000-01 1,078 7,336 2001-02 788 8,536 2002-03 976 10,869 2003-04 1,246 15,095 2004-05 858 9,365 2005-06 361 6,987 Notes: 1. From 2001-02 onwards, data for Greater London and individual local authority areas exclude outright sales. 2. From 2004-05 onwards, data for Greater London and individual local authority areas exclude outright sales and voluntary purchase grant. 3. In 1998-99 and 2001-02 a small number of RSLs made errors in filling in the form and the data for some individual local authority areas may be slightly incorrect. 4. Data excludes Abbeyfields and Almshouses. 5. Only RSLs who completed a Long Return were required to provide this data in 2005-06. Source: Regulatory Statistical Return, Housing Corporation.
I have been asked to reply.
Estimates of overcrowding based on the statutory standard are not available because the underlying data are not collected systematically. A one-off estimate was made in 2004 that there were approximately 20,000 households across the whole of England that were in conditions of overcrowding that breached the statutory standard. This estimate was based on data from the Survey of English Housing for the period 2000-01 to 2002-03 and from the 2001 English House Condition Survey. However, no estimate was made of the number of children living in these 20,000 households.
The Affordable Rural Housing Commission was set up by my Department and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to inquire into the scale, nature and implications of the shortage of affordable housing for rural communities in England and to make recommendations to address unmet need. The Government have set up a website to report on progress on rural housing, and Ministers have met members of the commission to discuss taking forward the report's recommendations.
[holding answer 13 September 2006]: Housing associations providing shared ownership schemes with Housing Corporation funding on rural exception sites may continue to restrict staircasing to 80 per cent., where possible and appropriate under leasehold legislation.
This is one of a number of safeguards within our new HomeBuy scheme to enable affordable housing to be retained in rural areas. Others include allowing providers to nominate purchasers and buy back properties when a purchaser who has staircased up to full ownership wishes to sell. The Housing Corporation will prioritise funding for the repurchase of properties on rural exception sites where a housing association is unable to do so.
In England housing authorities are required to treat all applicants as eligible for an allocation of social housing unless they are certain persons from abroad (excluded by regulations made under s. 160 A(3) and (5) of the Housing Act 1996) or persons whom an authority decides to treat as ineligible as a result of serious unacceptable behaviour (s.160A (7) of the 1996 Act).
Housing authorities are responsible for setting their own allocation policies and procedures. However, they must ensure that their allocation scheme is framed so as to give reasonable preference to certain categories of persons, including people who need to move on medical and welfare grounds. We have recently amended the legislation to make clear that "medical and welfare" includes grounds relating to a disability. Annex 3 to the statutory code of guidance on the allocation of accommodation (issued in November 2002) provides a list of indicators for the "medical and welfare" reasonable preference category, including, for example, a mental illness or disorder, a physical or learning disability, and chronic or progressive medical conditions. However, the guidance makes clear that this is an illustrative rather than an exhaustive list.
We do not differentiate between modernisation and upgrading of internal and external features of social housing. For the year 2006-07 over £3.42 billion has been allocated for major repairs and maintenance of local authority housing. This is paid through the Housing Revenue Account Subsidy System, and is a combination of local authorities’ own resources and government subsidy. This figure does not include the additional resources made available through Arms Length Management Orders and gap funding for stock transfers to meet the decent homes target. Registered social landlords are responsible for financing their modernisation and improvements themselves.
Leasehold Valuation Tribunals
There are five Rent Assessment Panels (RAPs) that cover England to which the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government appoints the senior officers, known as presidents and vice-presidents. These appointees are judicial office holders and not members of the civil service.
The RAPs have pools of chairpersons, appointed by the Lord Chancellor, and members appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government. The president of the RAP will convene a leasehold valuation tribunal where leasehold cases require a hearing and will appoint a chairperson and two members to the tribunal.
RAPs are part of the Residential Property Tribunal Service (RPTS). The RPTS is headed by a senior president, appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, who is responsible for the quality and consistency of the panels' work across the country.
Libraries
I have been asked to reply.
Judgments about the need for refurbishments require a qualitative approach and are best carried out at local level. However, as part of the DCMS-funded Framework for the Future Programme, the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council commissioned a Library Buildings Survey. Responses were received from 136 of the 149 library authorities in England, representing a 91 per cent. response rate. These results, including projections for the whole sector, were published on 18 September.
The survey found that an estimated £760 million is required to make all public libraries in England fit for purpose. Of this sum, £130.8 million is required to address a routine maintenance backlog and £73 million would be necessary to satisfy health and safety, Disability Discrimination Act (excluding reasonable alternative provisions that may be currently in place) and other building regulation requirements.
Light Pollution
The Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Act 2005 amended section 79 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to include artificial light emitted from premises which is prejudicial to health or a nuisance capable of constituting a statutory nuisance.
The Government is developing an annexe on light pollution to go with planning policy statement 23.
Liverpool (Article 14 Direction)
An Article 14 direction was issued on 17 July 2006 to provide the Secretary of State with more time to consider representations and the issues raised. The direction was removed on 28 July 2006 and Liverpool city council has subsequently granted permission for the developments.
Local Authority Finance
A table has been placed in the Library of the House showing the 2005-06 formula spending share, the 2005-06 budget requirement, the difference between these and the percentage difference between these, together with the rank in descending order of the difference and percentage difference.
Please note that standard spending assessments were replaced with formula spending shares in 2003-04. Formula spending shares have never been the Government’s assessment of how much an authority should spend. They were formulae used in the calculation of revenue support grant. Authorities are free to set their own budgets taking into account local priorities.
The 30 English local authorities with the (a) highest and (b) lowest council tax collection rates as a percentage of council tax due in 2005-06 are shown in the following table. A statistical release providing further details about council tax collection rates for 2005-06 was issued on 21 June and is available from the Department for Communities and Local Government website at
http://www.local.communities.gov.uk/finance/ctax/cp056.htm.
Collection of council taxes continues once the financial year to which they relate has ended. This means that the final collection rate achieved is somewhere between the figures shown here and 100 per cent.
The figures shown in the table are the amount received in respect of the 2005-06 financial year’s council taxes collected in that year as a percentage of the net collectable debit in respect of that year’s council taxes—that is, the income that authorities would collect if everyone liable paid, net of estimated receipts of council tax benefit.
Percentage North Hertfordshire 99.5 North Kesteven 99.4 Surrey Heath 99.3 East Dorset 99.3 Tewkesbury 99.3 Amber Valley 99.2 Mole Valley 99.2 Eden 99.2 Broadland 99.2 Elmbridge 99.1 Wokingham 99.1 Chiltern 99.1 Wear Valley 99.1 Vale of White Horse 99.1 South Shropshire 99.1 Rother 99.0 South Hams 99.0 Canterbury 99.0 Lichfield 99.0 Melton 99.0 Epsom and Ewell 99.0 Purbeck 98.9 Guildford 98.9 Fareham 98.9 Ashford 98.9 Isles of Scilly 98.9 North Shropshire 98.9 Kennet 98.9 Craven 98.9 South Derbyshire 98.8 Redbridge 94.6 Harlow 94.5 Tower Hamlets 94.5 Blyth Valley 94.4 Slough 94.3 Newcastle upon Tyne 94.3 Medway Towns 94.3 Liverpool 94.3 Birmingham 94.0 Lewisham 94.0 Croydon 93.9 Leicester 93.8 Wakefield 93.8 Haringey 93.4 Luton 93.2 Islington 93.2 Greenwich 93.2 Nottingham City 93.2 Lambeth 93.1 Waltham Forest 93.0 Barking and Dagenham 93.0 Southwark 93.0 Middlesbrough 92.8 Brent 92.7 Portsmouth 92.6 Southampton 92.6 Newham 90.5 Manchester 89.1 Hackney 87.5 Salford 87.1
Local Authority Searches
More than 98 per cent. of the local authorities in England and Wales that deal with search inquiries are able to receive and return them electronically via the National Land Information Service (NLIS).
Local Authority Staff
The information requested is not held centrally, and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Local Government Pension Scheme
Information on actual employer contributions is not available. The most recent year for which data is available is 2004-05. From this it has been possible to estimate a pensionable payroll figure of £24.6 billion for all Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) employers. Some 80 per cent. of this figure relates to local authorities only, and on this basis a further estimate of employers' contributions would, in 2004-05 terms, be in the range of £2.4-£2.6 billion in 2005-06, £2.7-£2.9 billion in 2006-07 and £3.1-£3.3 billion in 2007-08. These estimates are derived from annual returns submitted to the Department by LGPS administering authorities in England and Wales.
The most recent information available shows that in 2004-05, expenditure on benefits paid from the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) totalled £4 billion, representing 4.5 per cent. of the £89 billion expenditure on general services by English local authorities. In the same period, total pension fund income totalled £7.7 billion, comprising employer contributions of £4 billion, employee contributions of £1.4 billion and income from investments of £2.3 billion.
Information about the extent to which council tax revenue may have been used to support the payment of contributions into LGPS pension funds by individual local authorities is not held centrally.
Local Government Strikes
This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
London Governance
Since announcing the package of additional powers for the Greater London Authority on 13 July, the Secretary of State has received representations in writing from David Evennett MP; Simon Hughes MP; Councillor Brian Coleman, Chair of the London Assembly; Councillor Merrick Cockell, Chair of the Association of London Government; and Gareth Daniel, Chief Executive of the London Borough of Brent. The Government also received 337 responses to consultation on its proposals for additional powers for the Mayor and Assembly. The consultation exercise took place from 30 November 2005 to 22 February 2006. Copies of the responses were placed in the Libraries of the House on 13 July.
Maladministration
I have asked the chair of the Commission for Local Administration (the Local Government Ombudsman) to write to my hon. Friend on this matter. I shall arrange for a copy of his reply to be placed in the Library of the House.
Millennium Dome
(2) what payments the Exchequer will receive from (a) turnover and (b) operating profit made by (i) Meridian Delta and (ii) Anschutz Entertainment Group once the millennium/O2 dome is open to the public as an entertainment venue; in what form; and for how long.
I refer the hon. Member to the statement made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Keith Hill) on 18 June 2004, Official Report, column 62WS.
The life span of the clay capping layer is designed to be permanent, if not disturbed.
MoveUK
(2) how much public money has been allocated to the MoveUK website project;
(3) when the MoveUK website project was initiated; and when it will go live;
(4) which company has been awarded the MoveUK website project contract; and at what cost over the lifetime of the contract.
I refer the hon. Member to the written ministerial written statement to Parliament: “Housing Employment Mobility Services (moveUK)” on 18 September 2006, Official Report, column 133WS, which announced the termination of the HEMS Agreement (moveUK) in the interests of the public and the taxpayer.
Out-of-town Developments
There are currently no plans to review Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres.
Planning
The process for carrying out examinations is set out in the Planning Inspectorate booklet—Development Plans Examination—A Guide to the Process of Assessing the Soundness of Development Plan Documents. This says that one of the nine tests is conformity—that a plan should be consistent with national planning policy and in general conformity with the Regional Spatial Strategy.
PPG 3 sets out current national planning policy for housing, including the sequential test for identifying housing sites. This is due to be replaced later in the year with PPS 3. Inspectors should take account of both these and of the Regional Spatial Strategy when carrying out LDF examinations.
The Department does not collect this level of detail on local development frameworks.
The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987, as amended, (the UCO), sets out classes of uses, changes within which do not require planning permission owing to the similarity in their impact on local amenity—for example,traffic generation, noise, and visual appearance.
The UCO classifies residential care homes under the C2 use class. Apart from educational establishments, the characteristic of the uses contained in this class is the provision of personal care and treatment. This class excludes premises where security is a principal element. Any change of use to or from this use would normally require planning permission.
The UCO classifies dwelling houses under the C3 use class. This includes dwelling houses used by a single person, by any number of persons living as a family, or by no more than six people living together as a single household (including a household where care is provided for the residents). The key element in the use of a dwelling house for non-family purposes is the concept of a single household. Any change of use to or from this use would normally require planning permission.
Planning Guidance on residential development in general can be found in Planning Policy Guidance Note 3: Housing.
Reflecting the programme of action set out in ‘The Energy Challenge’ published by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (Cmd 6887), we will consult later this year on the draft of a new Planning Policy Statement on climate change. This will set out how the Government expect participants in the planning process to work towards the reduction of carbon emissions in the location, siting and design of new development. We are also working on proposals with the aim of promoting further the take-up of microgeneration technology by removing the need to apply for planning permission for certain types of installation. Major energy infrastructure is covered by other consent regimes reporting to the DTI rather than town and country planning. We will consult on any proposed changes in this area once the findings of the Eddington study and the Barker review are clear.
The Government have no proposals to amend planning legislation in the way suggested.
As part of the implementation of the new planning system, the Department set up a three year research project–Spatial Plans in Practice–in April 2005. This is looking at how the new plan preparation process is being implemented by local planning authorities including how authorities have undertaken and used the Statement of Community Involvement. The publication of the study on community involvement is due for publication early in 2007.
[holding answer 11 September 2006]: The Government have said that community engagement is essential to the delivery of sustainable development and creating sustainable and safe communities. In developing the vision for their area, local planning authorities are required to ensure that their communities are able to contribute to how that vision can be achieved through participation in drawing up the vision, policies and proposals. We have set out minimum standards of engagement in regulations, and in addition all local planning authorities are required to prepare a Statement of Community Involvement (SCI) under section 18(1) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
The Barker Review of Land Use Planning was jointly commissioned by the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister. It is an independent review being undertaken by Kate Barker. Between January and March 2006, the independent review team undertook a formal consultation process calling for evidence. A comprehensive list of stakeholders was contacted and the document made available on the web. Over 200 responses were received and these have been taken into account in drafting of the Interim Report which was published on 4 July.
[holding answer: 11 September 2006]: Neither the Deputy Prime Minister nor his officials played any role in the process of determining the original application by Cenargo Property Ltd for planning permission to erect warehousing and offices at the Eaglescliffe Logistics Centre. Planning permission was granted with conditions by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council in November 2001.
We understand that Stockton-on-Tees borough council is currently considering an application by Sanderson Weatherall, chartered surveyors on behalf of J G Eaglescliffe (Holdings) Ltd, to renew the original planning permission granted in 2001. There has been no ministerial or official involvement in this application for renewal.
The borough council has also given Sanderson Weatherall a screening opinion on a proposal for mixed development on the site, comprising housing, a care home, an hotel, and Class Bl, B2 and B8 (office, retail and storage) uses. The borough council has advised that an environmental impact assessment (EIA) would be required with any planning application for this proposal. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State would need to consider any request for a screening direction that an EIA is not required. We have received no such request so far.
Regeneration Schemes
The Government work closely with local authorities on the regeneration of their areas. A normal condition of Government funding for regeneration projects is that an evaluation is carried out to assess whether the project's objectives have been achieved. Another is that a forward strategy is prepared to show how the project will be sustained once public sector funding has ceased. It would be for the local authority to decide whether additional money should be provided from the funding that it has available for any further work it considers necessary, taking into account other regeneration priorities in the area.
The Government have introduced local area agreements (LAAs) to enable local authorities and their partners to use pooled funding to take a more flexible approach to delivering priorities. During the early negotiations of local area agreements, many local areas advocated the need for an extra LAA block to cover economic and regeneration issues more explicitly. This was also the view of government and the introduction of a new economic development block was announced in the 2005 budget and came into effect from April this year.
Register of Home Condition Reports
I have been asked to reply.
The cost of a full Home Condition Report (HCR) will be set by the market. The Homebuyers Survey and Valuation, which is similar in content, currently costs £400 on average (or £484.85 including VAT). We expect competition in the market to ensure that costs are held down.
Repossessions
I have been asked to reply.
The information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House.
The civil procedure rules state that all claims for the repossession of land must be commenced in the district in which the land is situated. However, county courts’ jurisdictions are not coterminous with borough boundaries, and therefore any single court’s repossession actions are likely to relate to homes in a number of different boroughs.
These figures do not indicate how many houses have been repossessed through the courts, since not all the orders will have resulted in the issue and execution of warrants of possession.
Spatial Addressing Infrastructure Project
The proposed agreement involves a financial transfer between the partners and discussions are ongoing.
Special Protection Areas
Development which has an adverse effect on the integrity of an SPA, and which is not directly connected with or necessary to the management of the site, needs to be in accordance with Regulations 48 and 49 of the Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c.) Regulations 1994. The regulations transpose the provision of the EC Habitats Directive into UK law.
Where development is permitted the Secretary of State must secure that any necessary compensatory measures are taken to ensure that the overall coherence of Natura 2000 is protected. One way of doing this could be through the provision of land in mitigation. Further guidance is provided in “Government Circular: Biodiversity and Geological Conservation—Statutory Obligations and Their Impact Within The Planning System Office of the Deputy Prime Minister Circular 06/2005, Department for Food and Rural Affairs Circular 01/2005”.
Special Protection Areas (SPAs) are classified under the EU Birds Directive and receive statutory protection under The Conservation (Natural Habitats, &c) Regulations 1994. ECJ case law confirms that member states are not permitted to take economic factors into account when classifying SPAs or defining their boundaries. The regulations set out the way in which SPAs should be protected, including how the implications of new developments should be considered.
The Government are working with stakeholders—including the construction industry—to consider and address the effects of Special Protection Areas for the continuing delivery of housing.
For example, in the south-east a range of activities are in hand to facilitate development around the Thames Basin Heaths SPA. English Nature has published a draft Thames Basin Heaths Delivery Plan, designed to provide a means of mitigating the potential adverse effects of increased housing, and the Government Office for the South East (GOSE) is working with them, local authorities, developers and others to explore the practicalities and flexibilities in the delivery plan approach. The delivery plan, along with other evidence, will be considered at the Examination in Public of the South East Plan in November. The plan is due to be adopted in 2008 and will set a regional spatial strategy for the south east region with strategic policies on the SPA which will inform local councils’ local development frameworks.
GOSE, English Nature and others are also working with a number of local planning authorities to develop ‘mini-plans’—area-specific packages of measures to allow development in accordance with the Birds and Habitats Directives in the short to medium term.
Supporting People Programme
I would be pleased to meet with a delegation from Stoke-on-Trent Council to discuss this issue.
The consultation on the development of a strategy for the Supporting People programme, which concluded on 28 February 2006, asked for views on how Government should approach the calculation of grant allocations for individual Supporting People authorities. We received 1,130 responses, including 166 from local councils, as well as responses from consultation events and representations made outside this process. A summary of those responses was published on 11 July 2006 and is available on our Supporting People website—www.spkweb.org.uk.
As I announced on 19 July 2006, Official Report, columns 22-23WS, those responses were taken into account in determining our approach to Supporting People allocations for 2007-08, and further analysis of those responses will be carried out with a view to taking forward work on how we can distribute future funding based on need.
Sustainable Communities Conference
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister did not organise a 2006 Sustainable Communities Conference. The Local Government Association organised a Sustainable Communities Conference in Birmingham, 13-15 February 2006 and officials from the Department for Communities and Local Government did attend.
Telecommunications Masts
Mobile phone mast development in residential areas is subject to the normal telecommunications planning arrangements in place throughout England, set out in Part 24 of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (GPDO). These arrangements were significantly strengthened in 2001 and include improved requirements for consulting local people about mast proposals. The changes to the GPDO were underpinned by revised guidance, set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8, Telecommunications.
The Stewart Report on Mobile Phones and Health, published in May 2000, did not recommend that the erection of mobile phone masts should be restricted in residential areas and we have no plans to introduce any such restrictions.
It did not recommend that the erection of masts on or near schools should be prohibited.
Thames Gateway
The Department is developing, in consultation with local delivery partners, a database of the social, environmental and economic characteristics of the Gateway and of different local areas within the Gateway.
We have also funded the development of the Thames Gateway Knowledge Platform. A database that complements our own proposals allows users to obtain various datasets and statistics for the areas that they are interested in within the Gateway. This database can be used to monitor various social, environmental and economic trends at a local level and can be found at http://tblp.localknowledge.co.uk.
It is the role of regional and local planning authorities, in preparing and reviewing their development plans, to make a realistic assessment of the overall quantity of employment land that is likely to be needed in their area, in the context of national planning policy.
Planning Policy Guidance 4: Industrial, commercial development and small firms, requires planning authorities to ensure that there is a sufficient quantity and variety of land available for industry and commerce, which is readily capable of development and well-served by infrastructure.
Planning Policy Guidance note 3: Housing (PPG3), published in March 2000, asks local planning authorities to review their non-housing allocations of land (including employment land), when reviewing their development plan and consider whether some of this land might better be used for housing or mixed use developments. The PPG3 update “Supporting the Delivery of New Housing”, published in January 2005, added a new paragraph to PPG3. This advocates the re-use of land allocated for industrial and commercial use, where it would be better used for housing and mixed use development unless there is a realistic prospect of the allocation being taken up for its stated use in the plan period, or that its development for housing would undermine regional and local strategies for housing, economic development and regeneration.
To assist planning authorities in assessing the overall demand and supply of employment land, the Government published ‘Employment Land Reviews: Guidance Note’ (December 2004). This guidance seeks to help planning authorities assess the suitability of sites to accommodate employment development, to help them protect the best sites in the face of competition from higher value uses and to help them identify those sites which are no longer needed for employment development and which can be made available for other uses.
The Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) is the Government's statutory adviser on architecture, urban design and public space. CABE is a non-statutory consultee in the planning process.
The Department funds CABE to provide a free Design Review service to disseminate best practice to developers, design teams and planning authorities in England. This service offers expert independent assessment of proposed schemes at an early stage of the planning process. Local planning authorities are encouraged to submit schemes to be reviewed if they are strategic because of their scale or location, or if they set standards for future development.
Since January 2004, CABE's Design Review programme has handled over 100 cases from the Thames Gateway local authorities, including several schemes of strategic importance such as Barking Riverside and The Warren at Woolwich Arsenal.
The Thames Gateway Forum is looking at other ways to strengthen design in the gateway.
The Department engages with a number of organisations in the Thames Gateway on design issues, including Regional Centres of Excellence, Essex Design Initiative, Kent Architecture, Urban Design London and the Greater London Authorities Architecture and Urbanism Unit. Together, these bodies have considered the existing design skills of local authorities and have in place a range of activities, including guidance and training, to address gaps.
DCLG is also funding specific initiatives through the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment (CABE) and the Academy for Sustainable Communities (ASC). CABE has established a Design Task Group for the Growth Areas, which is a learning network open to individuals in local authorities and local delivery vehicles across the four growth areas. The ASC is establishing a number of “Learning Laboratories” with Regional Centres of Excellence, including one with Inspire East to focus on the Thames Gateway South Essex sub region around Basildon. This will focus on auditing existing skills and identifying and addressing gaps to improve design quality in the area.
As in the rest of England, the majority of local authorities in the Thames Gateway now have a dedicated design champion to promote better quality design in the built environment.
The 2005 Density Direction provides that development on sites of one hectare or more, or where residential density is either not provided in the application or 30 dwellings per hectare or less, must be notified to the Secretary of State and may be called in. The Department will keep the thresholds under review in the context of finalising planning guidance statement PPS3 (Housing).
There have been no specific representations received on population densities in the Thames Gateway area.
A total of 120,000 new homes and 180,000 new jobs are proposed for the Thames Gateway, predominantly on brownfield land. Current guidance for new housing developments states that local planning authorities are to avoid inefficient development of less than 30 dwellings per hectare (dph), encourage developments of between 30 and 50 dph, and seek greater intensity of development at places with good public transport accessibility.
We will be publishing an interim Strategic Framework document later this year which will set out the current position of the Gateway programme and state the next steps.
Before 2001-02 information on new build dwellings was available by local authority only. Figures more specific to the Gateway boundary are available for the years 2001-02 to 2004-05. Figures for the period 2005-06 will be available shortly. The Thames Gateway boundary differs from local authority boundaries as it was established to specifically include those areas that contain a high proportion of brownfield land rather than follow the administrative boundary line of the local authorities concerned. The local authority boundaries include for example house building in the rest of Kent and the rest of Essex even where those areas are not part of the Thames Gateway.
Number 1996-97 16,665 1997-98 17,019 1998-99 17,071 1999-2000 17,893 2000-01 17,440 2001-02 23,570 2002-03 26,382 2003-04 26,999 2004-05 27,012 1 Local authority only 2 More specific to the Gateway boundary Source for the local authority only figures: P2 house building return from local authorities and National House Building Council
Training Courses
From April 2002 to July 2006, expenditure on AKT Productions has been £39,728.
Unitary Authorities
We will set out the approach to restructuring in the forthcoming Local Government White Paper which will be published shortly.
Valuation Office Agency
Data on the location of subsidised housing were obtained to support work that was being undertaken by the Valuation Office Agency to digitise its database of property attribute codes. The data have helped to confirm which properties were built as subsidised housing with a view to ensuring consistency in analysis of open market sales and valuations.
The Valuation Office Agency has no internal guides or manuals setting out what constitutes a locality or how a locality boundary should be determined or refined.
Deputy Prime Minister's Office
I have been asked to reply.
I have been given a role by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister overseeing and co-ordinating Government policy across the full range of domestic policy areas through the Cabinet Committee system, and deputising for him at home and abroad, particularly in relation to China. To support me I have an office which will be called the Deputy Prime Minister's Office. It will be established as a separate Government Department and funded by a Parliamentary Vote for which my Office will apply shortly. My Principal Private Secretary will be the Accounting Officer for the vote. At present, my Office employs 18 staff, including two special advisers. I also receive support and briefing from other Government Departments as necessary according to the issue I am dealing with at the time. Most of the staff employed by my Office are seconded from the Department for Communities and Local Government and their salary costs are met by my Office. My office continues to be based in 26 Whitehall.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
The Afghan parliament has not yet debated the proposal to establish a Department for the Promulgation of Virtue and Prohibition of Vice nor have Terms of Reference been agreed.
We and our international partners are following developments closely and continue to encourage the Afghan government to observe its international human rights obligations.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed this particular matter with President Karzai. The Foreign Secretary and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister do however have regular conversations with President Karzai on a range of issues.
The only female governor is Habiba Sarabi of Bamiyan Province. In total there are 34 provinces.
The UK works very closely with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) on counter narcotics in Afghanistan. We are the biggest single donor to UNODC projects in Afghanistan, contributing £2.2 million in Financial Year 2005-06 to UNODC projects in support of the Afghan government's National Drug Control Strategy. Our contribution this year will be on a similar scale. Afghan-related UNODC projects which the UK supports include: the annual Afghan Opium Survey; the development of a counter narcotics Criminal Justice Task Force of judges, prosecutors and investigators; capacity building for the Counter Narcotics Police of Afghanistan; the establishment of a high-security prison wing in Kabul; Afghan/Iranian border control; precursor chemical control; opium demand reduction; and the establishment of the Central Asian Regional Information and Co-ordination Centre. We work closely with the UNODC to ensure that these projects are managed appropriately and deliver against their objectives.
The Taliban derives economic benefits from the drugs trade at the local level. There are longstanding links between the Taliban and traffickers based on personal relationships, tribal loyalties and business interests. They share a common interest in resisting the Afghan government and coalition forces. The Taliban is also attempting to exploit the continued existence of the drugs trade to undermine the central government's authority. In the south, there was evidence earlier this year that the Taliban was encouraging farmers to grow opium poppy and resist Afghan government eradication efforts. The Taliban also received payments from traffickers. However in the north, regional warlords and drug traffickers are more likely to resist the Taliban when this would be in their interests. We continue to assess all links closely and to support Afghan efforts to disrupt these.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the Department for International Development (DFID) are working in close co-operation to ensure the Government provide coherent support to the Afghan government as it works with international partners to implement the Afghanistan Compact.
There are regular meetings at ministerial and official level between the three Departments, while FCO, MOD and DFID representatives in Afghanistan co-ordinate efforts to ensure a complementary approach. The deployment of a fully-integrated multi-disciplinary military/civilian mission to Helmand Province demonstrates the importance of a continued cross-government strategy.
The UN-led Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board (JCMB) was set up under the Compact to deliver improved co-ordination of the international community's engagement. The JCMB is leading work to strengthen the capacity of Afghan ministries, including the Ministry of Counter-Narcotics and the Ministry of Finance. Critically to this process, the National Assembly has now approved the 25 cabinet ministers put forward by President Karzai and the national budget for 2006-07.
At the London Conference, the Afghan government presented the Interim National Development Strategy: a credible plan for the Afghan government to achieve its commitments under the Compact and to meet its Millennium Development Goals. The UK is the largest bilateral donor to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF). Since the ARTF was set up by the Afghan government in 2002, it has funded the construction or repair of rural roads, schools, health clinics and irrigation schemes.
Domestic revenues have grown impressively in Afghanistan in recent years, albeit from a low base. In 2002-03 domestic revenues were only US $121 million (3.2 per cent. of GDP) but had risen to US $400 million (5.5 per cent. of GDP) by 2005-06.
The UK has actively supported the Afghan Government’s effort to raise revenues, specifically through projects in the Customs and Revenue Departments of the Ministry of Finance. The projects have been successful—validated by recent external reviews—in building the capacity of officials in the Ministry of Finance to implement tax policy and administration. This has also been recognised by the Government of Afghanistan, which has asked the UK to act as lead donor in supporting tax reform. The reforms are an Afghan government-led process implemented by Finance Ministry officials.
Poverty-related spending has also increased substantially over recent years. Health spending increased rapidly from US $16 million in 2002-03 to US $45 million in 2005-06. Education spending has increased from US $48 million to US $142 million over the same period. The UK is further assisting the Afghan Government in its prioritising of poverty and growth-related spending through technical assistance to the Budget Department of the Ministry of Finance and through our contribution to the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund.
Algeria
Although Algiers and other major cities have been free of terrorist activity since mid- 2004. small-scale attacks continue elsewhere, especially in rural areas of northern Algeria. Algeria's most active terrorist group is the Groupe Salafiste pour la Predication et le Combat whose stated aim is to target so-called infidel foreign interests in Algeria. The UK condemns attempts by armed groups to undermine stability and democracy in Algeria.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has paid tribute to President Bouteflika for the changes he has brought about in Algeria since he was elected. The National Charter for Peace and Reconciliation, which was approved in a referendum in September 2005, offers an opportunity to draw a line under the violence of the 1990s.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice for Algeria is available at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket%2FXcelerate%2FShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountrvAdvice&aid=1013618385585.
Ascension Island
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no discussions on the future of Ascension Island since 20 April 2006. Officials in London have met specifically to discuss Ascension Island on the following occasions:
Date Occasion 25 May Richard James International. 20 June Cable and Wireless. 17 July Quarterly round table meeting with the Permanent Joint Headquarters (Ministry of Defence), BBC, VT Merlin, Government Communications Headquarters, Cable and Wireless, Administrator Ascension, UK Base Commander. 19 and 20 July An Overseas Territories Department adviser visited Ascension Island to meet with Councillors. 27 July Governor of St. Helena in London for discussions with the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and other Government Departments. 29 August Richard James International. 11 September Attorney General, St. Helena.
The Administrator and UK Base Commander were present at the round table meeting in July, and the Governor visited the Department in July as this coincided with their leave periods in the UK. The Attorney General visited the Department while in the UK on leave. In addition to these meetings in London, the Governor and Administrator hold regular meetings with the Island Council on Ascension Island.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has no meetings scheduled to take place regarding Ascension Island. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, is scheduled to meet with a Councillor from Ascension Island in the margins of the Overseas Territories Consultative Council (OTCC) in November. Officials in London have the following meetings either scheduled or proposed at which Ascension Island may be discussed:
Date Scheduled/proposed meeting 2—6 October Head of Overseas Territories Department (OTD) will make a familiarisation visit to Ascension Island. October/November Quarterly meeting with the Permanent Joint Headquarters (Ministry of Defence), BBC, VT Merlin, Government Communications Headquarters, Cable and Wireless. 20—23 November Ascension Island Councillor will be in the UK to participate in the OTCC and will also have meetings with the Head of OTD and other officials.
In addition to these meetings, the Governor and Administrator will continue to hold regular meetings with the Ascension Island Council on island.
Bangladesh
We have concerns about human rights in Bangladesh. In particular on the actions of the police in public order situations, the accountability of the Rapid Action Battalion relating to "cross-fire" incidents and growing levels of intolerance towards religious minorities and indigenous groups.
The Government of Bangladesh has assured us of its commitment to safeguard the rights and freedoms of all its citizens. We welcome this and together with EU and international partners, continue to monitor human rights issues closely and to encourage the Government of Bangladesh to meet its constitutional and international obligations in this area. As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, Bangladesh should uphold high standards in the promotion and protection of human rights.
Our current focus is on EU election monitoring. Our high commission in Dhaka was in close contact with an EU election observation team that visited Bangladesh recently. Should the EU proceed with an election observation mission for the elections due to take place in January 2007, the UK will look to nominate observers.
Belarus
The UK, in co-operation with our partners in the EU and US, is committed to supporting efforts to develop democracy in Belarus. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has funded projects over the past year in a number of key human rights areas, principally via the Global Opportunities Fund Reuniting Europe programme and the Devolved Programme Budget. Projects have focused on local grassroots democracy building and youth participation in democracy activities. Funding has also been provided to expand the knowledge and understanding of human rights law, provide assistance to local non-governmental organisations and independent media. Since 1 November, the UK, as part of the EU, has funded independent radio broadcasts into Belarus. This recently launched £2 million project by the EU will last two years.
The UK and EU have stated that they are willing to deepen the relationship with Belarus, but the Belarusian authorities must clearly demonstrate their respect for democratic values, fundamental rights and the rule of law. The UK and EU are committed to supporting democratisation and to demonstrating to the people of Belarus the benefits of closer co-operation. The UK supports current EU policy restricting ministerial level contact. However, the UK and EU will not abandon the people of Belarus. We will continue to help develop civil society and will look for every opportunity to improve contacts at official levels.
The regulations on the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) clearly state the conditions on which the Preferences are granted. EU member states and Belarus both agreed to abide by those conditions. However, in 2004 the International Labour Organisation (ILO) concluded that the Belarusian authorities had seriously violated the basic civil liberties of trade union members and leaders. The European Commission subsequently launched its own investigation in 2005 which agreed with the ILO. It is clear Belarus has not met the standards necessary and is facing withdrawal of preferences, after a long and considered process. The Belarusians have had over two years to answer ILO and EU concerns. The decision is based on the clear criteria for GSP and does not form part of the EU sanctions introduced following the fraudulent elections earlier this year. The political implications were not therefore part of the decision making process. Nevertheless, it should send a signal that the EU is serious about the need for Belarus to honour its international obligations.
The centralisation of power in the hands of Alexander Lukashenko continues in Belarus to the detriment of fundamental freedoms and the development of an independent civil society. Lukashenko has cracked down on civil society organisations, the independent media and the opposition, imprisoning a number of people.
In the build-up to the presidential election on 19 March 2006, the authorities put opposition figures and elements of civil society under intense pressure and closed or suspended independent media outlets (which also faced problems with printing, distribution, and arbitrarily applied fines and costs). The election itself was characterised by fraud and intimidation and the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe’s election observation mission called it “severely flawed due to the arbitrary use of state power and restrictions on basic rights”. Subsequent attempts by the opposition to demonstrate against the result were broken up. Alexander Kozulin, a presidential candidate, was arrested on 25 March 2006 and sentenced to five and a half years in prison on 14 July 2006 for hooliganism and disturbing the peace. Opposition leader Alexander Milinkevich was arrested in April and sentenced to 15 days in prison for taking part in a demonstration on 26 April 2006 to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster.
The only independent university in Minsk (European Humanities University) has been closed. Trade Unions also face major difficulties—an International Labour Organisation Commission of Inquiry has concluded that many of the basic civil liberties of trade union members and leaders in Belarus have been seriously infringed. The European Commission, fully supported by member states, has conducted its own investigation confirming these findings.
On 10 April 2006, the EU General Affairs and External Relations Council Conclusions announced the imposition of a travel ban on 31 individuals, including Lukashenko, responsible for electoral fraud and the subsequent crackdown on civil society. On 18 May 2006 the EU implemented asset freezes against the same 31 individuals and five of the six people previously subject to travel bans.
Burma
I met Juan Mendez, UN Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, on 27 June to discuss the human rights situation in Burma. I also invited him to come to Parliament to meet Members of both Houses. He is scheduled to visit on 14 November and I hope that my hon. Friend will attend the meeting. In addition, we have offered to help Mr Mendez with his work.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials in London and New York are in regular contact with Mr Mendez's office.
Chad
There is no resident UK mission in N’Djamena. We are aware of armed clashes between the Tamas and the Gorans in the Guereda area in Chad in July and are concerned that conflict among these groups may threaten to destabilise ethnically diverse State institutions, such as the police. We understand these clashes were local to Chad. We will continue to monitor the situation in Chad and any impact it may have on the situation in Darfur.
China
All applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application. This process includes specific criteria whereby we will not issue a licence where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression, might aggravate existing tensions or conflict in the country of final destination, or that the export may be used aggressively against another country. Criteria 1 covers our international commitments, including sanctions agreed by the EU. Since 1989, China has been subject to an arms embargo agreed by the European Community. Details of all export licences approved to China are available in the Quarterly and Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls and are subject to detailed retrospective scrutiny by the Quadripartite Committee. The quarterly and annual reports are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front? pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1119522594750.
Colombia
During President Alvaro Uribe’s first four years in office, 2002-2006, his government has been actively involved in talks with the National Liberation Army, a left-wing guerrilla group. The latest round of talks took place in Cuba in April. The government's efforts to begin preliminary talks with the revolutionary armed forces of Colombia, the country's biggest illegal guerrilla group, have so far been consistently rejected.
The EU General Affairs and External Relations Council Conclusions of October 2005 made clear that we and other EU member states consider that the effective implementation of the Law on Justice and Peace, the legal framework covering disarmament, demobilisation and reinsertion of ex-combatants approved by the Colombian Congress in July 2005, will have a positive impact on peace-building in Colombia. On 18 April 2006, the government announced the completion under this law of the formal process of paramilitary demobilisation, which saw over 30,000 paramilitaries demobilise. We urge other illegal armed groups also to engage in peace talks with the government.
We will continue to monitor the situation and work with our partners to help the Government of Colombia address the challenges it faces as a result of the inter- connected problems of internal armed conflict, illegal drugs trade and human rights abuses.
Last year, the Colombian Government eradicated approximately 170,000 hectares of coca plants. We believe that eradication plays an important part alongside other measures in efforts to combat the production of cocaine in Colombia, but are not currently providing any funding for eradication there.
President Karzai has reiterated his opposition to aerial eradication in Afghanistan on a number of occasions. We agree that aerial eradication would be inappropriate in the Afghan context and support the Afghan Government’s approach which is based on ground-based eradication targeted where there is access to legal rural livelihoods.
Correspondence
This information is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Darfur/Sudan
We remain in close touch with the Government of Sudan, Minni Minawi, leader of one faction of the Sudan Liberation Movement, and the African Union (AU) and are urging them to move ahead rapidly with the implementation of the agreement.
We are looking at what assistance we can offer to the key commissions which will be set up under the agreement. A key part of the implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) is securing broader support for it. In August, the UK’s Special Representative for Darfur and our Embassy staff in Khartoum began a programme of meetings with non-signatories to the DPA in Darfur to secure their support for the DPA. Our ambassador in Asmara has met non-signatories based in Eritrea. We will go on engaging with these groups. We will also continue to call on all parties to the conflict in Darfur to abide by the DPA and to cease hostilities. We are pressing the AU to investigate all acts of violence and ensure that it publicises and takes action on its findings.
The UK has played a leading role in the planning process for an international recovery programme for Darfur, including providing funding and technical expertise for it. And we are helping the AU to publicise the DPA and its benefits in Darfur and across Sudan.
The implementation of the security aspects of the DPA will be helped by the deployment of a UN force in Darfur. The UK piloted the negotiations on Resolution 1706, which mandated such a force, through the Security Council, and has been at the forefront of efforts to persuade President Bashir to accept such a force.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister has also launched an initiative with international partners to encourage the Government of Sudan, inter alia, to accept a UN force and to engage properly with the non-signatories. Ministers attended a series of meetings with members of the UN at the UN General Assembly in New York from 18 to 22 September to discuss Sudan. We are working to bring together a broad coalition of countries to deliver a co-ordinated message to President Bashir.
The AU force in Darfur has the task of implementing the security aspects of the DPA until a UN force can take over. We welcome the AU’s decision at its 20 September Peace and Security Council meeting to extend its mandate to the end of the year and to increase the number of troops in Darfur. It is vital that the AU has enough resources to carry out its task. It is important for the UN to provide material and logistical support, as mandated by UN Security Council Resolution 1706, as soon as possible, and for the Arab League to make good its pledge of financial assistance.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The security situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains fragile, especially in the east, northeast and Kinshasa. Congolese militia and foreign armed groups continue to operate throughout the east, abusing local populations. Progress in reforming the security sector has been minimal and the army continue to pose a threat to peace and stability.
The security situation in Kinshasa remains fragile following the violence which took place from 20-22 August. The UN peacekeeping force (MONUC) and EUFOR (EU force deployed to assist MONUC with security over the election period) are deployed in Kinshasa to help quell this violence. The international community continues to press Congolese political and military actors to respect the democratic process and to ensure troops under their command do not restart violence or abuse civilians.
Pockets of instability persist in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly in Ituri and the Kivus. Over 4,500 Ituri militiamen have been disarmed and demobilised since June following political pressure and military operations by the UN peacekeeping mission (MONUC), but some militia groups continue to persecute civilians where they are active.
The United Kingdom joined Security Council (SC) partners in condemning the activities of these groups in UNSC Resolution 1653 in January 2006. We continue to urge regional governments to work together to disarm the groups, push for perpetrators of abuses to be brought to justice and maintain our support for the robust measures taken by MONUC in tackling these militia.
The completion of the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) election process through a free and fair second round of presidential elections, scheduled for 29 October, is vital for that nation’s political and developmental future. We fully support the efforts of the DRC’s Independent Electoral Commission. The UK has contributed over £30 million in bilateral support to the electoral process. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development visited Kinshasa on 11 September to encourage both presidential candidates to follow the electoral code of conduct and to ensure free and fair elections. We have repeated this message both bilaterally and through a UN Presidential Statement on 22 September. The full text of the statement is available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2006/sc8839.doc.htm.
International observers, including UK observers, will be deployed on election day.
Departmental Carbon Emissions
The total amount of carbon emissions from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s buildings in the UK for the financial years 1999-2000-2004-05 are listed in the following table. Data for 2005-06 is yet to be finalised.
The information for the UK for the period 1997-99, and that for our properties overseas, is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
Financial year Tonnes of carbon emissions 1999-2000 3,200 2000-01 3,300 2001-02 3,000 2002-03 3,200 2003-04 3,300 2004-05 3,400
Departmental Equipment
The only major items of equipment that have been reported as either misplaced or lost in Iraq in the last three years are:
three satellite phones. Their combined value was £2,097.36. As a result of the loss the Foreign and Commonwealth Office incurred telephone charges of £594,370.99;
and one mobile telephone, value £100.
There have been no reported losses or thefts of equipment in Afghanistan.
Departmental Publications
A list of publications produced by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is included in the departmental report each year. This is available on the FCO website at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1007029395438.
Circulation figures and the individual production cost of each of the publications could only be collated at a disproportionate cost.
East Timor
Major Alfredo Reinado and 56 prisoners escaped from Becora prison in Dili during the afternoon of 30 August. As yet the prisoners remain fugitives and international police, together with the military joint taskforce, have mounted a large-scale search operation to find them. While the jailbreak is a matter of serious concern, the general security situation in East Timor has stabilised significantly.
We fully support the Australian taskforce and welcome UN Security Council resolution 1704 on the mandate for the new UN Mission to East Timor (UNMIT) which was agreed on 25 August. The UK played a key role in ensuring that the UNMIT mandate provides for robust support for East Timor at this crucial time, following the recent unrest. The Mission will focus on areas with the potential to lead to instability, including reconciliation, policing and capacity-building in governance, as well as crucial support to the elections scheduled for 2007. It also provides for an international police component within the Mission and an international military security force operating separately to the UN Mission. We hope that these measures will help East Timor move towards stability and reconciliation.
EU Commissioner for Migration
[holding answer 18 September 2006]: Franco Frattini, Vice-President of the Commission, is Commissioner for Justice, Freedom and Security, and has responsibility for EU immigration and asylum policy. The UK is not aware of any proposals to create an EU Commissioner for Migration.
The President of the Commission, President Barroso, recently wrote to European Heads of state and government announcing that he had set up a special group in the Commission, chaired by Vice-President Frattini, that would bring together Commissioners from a variety of relevant policy areas to discuss EU migration policy. Better co-ordination across the Commission on existing work in this area could be helpful, and we welcome President Barroso’s proposal. We hope that it will indeed lead to a more coherent and effective approach to managing migration into the EU.
European Constitution
There is no current consensus on the way forward for the European Constitutional Treaty. Since the French and Dutch “No” votes last year, the Government have made it consistently clear that this is not a decision for one member state alone. It is for the 25 member states together to make decisions about the future of the Treaty.
The June European Council agreed that the forthcoming German Presidency will present a report to the European Council in June 2007 based on extensive consultations with member states, with decisions on how to continue the reform process to be taken by the end of 2008. There is no presumption as to the outcome or end-date of this process.
Extradition
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any recent representations to the United States Administration about the ratification of the UK/US Extradition Treaty. However, staff from our Embassy in Washington have raised the matter with members of the Senate and Administration on numerous occasions in the last few months. The US Senate has now given its advice and consent to ratification of the Treaty.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the Government of the Republic of Ireland in relation to the ratification of the UK/US Extradition Treaty. The US Senate has now given its advice and consent to ratification of the Treaty.
Forced Marriages
The Government acknowledge that domestic violence includes culturally specific forms of harm, which include forced marriage and ‘honour’ based or related violence, including murder in the name of honour.
The Home Office Police Standards Unit (PSU) have been working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the National Centre for Policing Excellence to raise the awareness of police officers and staff in relation to the identification and investigation of ‘honour’ related violence.
The PSU has been promoting the use of a Risk Assessment toolkit for domestic violence incidents which includes the presence of factors in relation to so-called ‘honour’ crimes such as separation/ child contact, pregnancy, escalation, community awareness/isolation, stalking, and sexual offences. The PSU and the Metropolitan Police Service held an International Conference on Honour Related Violence on 21-22 March in London to examine the extent of ‘honour’ based violence and encourage the development of partnerships between agencies. It also looked at how to intervene to prevent harm to those at risk, consider education, and raise awareness of national guidance.
The Metropolitan Police Homicide Prevention Unit has produced a report on the strategic scope of forced marriage, which examined reported incidents of forced marriage and related crimes, and aimed to support the work and analysis of the ‘Murder in the Name of So-called Honour’ Strategic Homicide Prevention Working Group. All police forces in England and Wales are developing honour-based violence action plans. The police services in England and Wales continue to conduct intelligence and analysis work on honour based violence (of which forced marriage is an aspect).
The Government have made clear that forced marriage is an abuse of human rights and can, in certain circumstances, be a form of domestic violence or child abuse. Those forcing their children into marriage can be prosecuted for a range of criminal offences under the criminal law.
The voluntary consent of both parties is necessary for a valid marriage. If someone is forced into marriage, the marriage is voidable under s.12 Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 on the grounds of lack of valid consent. Victims of forced marriage can submit a nullity petition to the court and obtain a decree of nullity.
The Government take forced marriage very seriously and carry out a range of activities to combat this abuse of human rights. Our dedicated Forced Marriage Unit (FMU) has a team of caseworkers who help around 300 people a year, both male and female, who are facing forced marriage in the United Kingdom and abroad. If a British national is forced into a marriage abroad, we offer them consular assistance, including help to return to the UK.
The FMU also develops policy to combat forced marriage. It has produced guidance on dealing with forced marriage for police, education professionals and social services. In September 2005, the unit held a consultation on whether to make forced marriage a specific criminal offence. In response to the consultation, we are taking forward further activities, such as increasing training to professionals who work in this field, increasing the work we do with statutory agencies, making better use of civil remedies and the family courts and ensuring that existing legislation is fully implemented and contains no gaps.
We also work hard to raise awareness of the problem of forced marriage. Staff from the FMU regularly attend events to train professionals around the country. The FMU ran a national publicity campaign from March to July 2006 to raise awareness of the problem of forced marriage and the help available. Further information is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website: www.fco.gov.uk/forcedmarriage.
Hungary
It is not the policy of the Government to comment on the domestic political affairs of another EU member state. Hungary is an important partner for the UK and we look forward to continuing to work together through the EU and NATO, as well as bilaterally.
International Arms Treaty
In October 2005 the EU Foreign Ministers underlined their support for an international treaty to establish common standards for the global trade in conventional arms, and called for the start of a formal process at the United Nations at the earliest opportunity. This message was reiterated in a statement made on 2 October by the EU Presidency at the UN First Committee. The statement committed the EU to supporting the draft resolution currently at the First Committee as a good way of starting this process. The UK will continue to work with the EU and other international partners to secure the necessary support for the draft resolution, to start the formal process towards a treaty at the UN General Assembly.
International Criminal Court
Charles Taylor is currently awaiting trial before a specially convened trial chamber of the Special Court for Sierra Leone, which will sit in The Hague because of the unacceptably high security risks of holding and trying Taylor in Freetown. The Special Court has set a likely start date for the trial of 2 April 2007.
Iran
Iran is defying calls by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Board of Governors and the UN Security Council to suspend all uranium enrichment related and reprocessing activities. These activities would enable Iran to develop the capability to produce fissile material that could be used in nuclear weapons. Iran has produced very small quantities of enriched uranium at its pilot fuel enrichment plant at Natanz, and is continuing enrichment related work including the installation of additional centrifuges.
We remain committed to a negotiated solution. We continue to urge Iran to take the steps required by the Security Council and IAEA Board, including a full suspension, and to return to talks on the basis of the proposals presented to Iran on 6 June by EU High Representative Javier Solana on behalf of the ‘E3+3’. In Resolution 1696, adopted on 31 July, the Security Council expressed its intention to adopt appropriate measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter if Iran does not comply.
Iraq/Afghanistan
The UK plays a leading role in helping Iraqis to develop the media and telecommunications sector. Iraq's media are flourishing and are supported by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for International Development (DFID) and the international community. We have helped to establish institutions such as the independent Iraqi National Communications and Media Commission—the first independent converged communications regulator in the Arab world—and al-iraqiya, the Iraqi Public Broadcasting service. There are over 80 radio stations and 21 television stations broadcasting in Iraq. About 250 newspapers and periodicals are published. These outlets represent all shades of Iraqi opinion.
DFID has supported training for Iraqi journalists, delivered by the Institute of War and Peace Reporting, and helped to develop independent media in the south of Iraq, through a £7.5 million programme run by the BBC World Service Trust. This programme funded the establishment of community-based radio and television in southern Iraq, which has established a strong reputation for fair, accurate reporting.
The Government continue to offer advice and assistance for the development of national media and telecommunications policy.
The UK is committed to the inclusion of women in all phases and at all levels in the reconstruction of Iraq and to ensure that they can participate in the political, civic and economic process of reconstruction. The following table shows the funding the Government have allocated to the development of women’s role in Iraqi society in each financial year since 2003-04.
In addition, Iraqi women have taken part in projects to develop specific professions, including training for lawyers, judges, government officials and forensic scientists. We aim to ensure that women are represented in all projects even if developing their role is not the principal objective. For example, the prison mentors employed to work with the Iraqi Correctional Service in south Iraq promote increases in the number of female Iraqi staff.
Financial year/Government Department Projects Cost (£) 2003-04 Department for International Department (DfID) Contribution to UNIFEM’s work to mainstream gender equality policies in Iraq 500,000 DfID Provision of two gender expert secondees to the Coalition Provisional Authority 80,000 2004-05 DfID Funding two women’s organisations projects under CSF 712,000 DfID Funding eight women’s political participation projects under PPF 251,000 2005-06 DfID Funding six Constitutional advocacy projects under PPF 107,000 DfID Funding five October 2005 referendum projects under PPF 175,000 DfID Funding seven December 2006 election projects under PPF 212,000 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Provision of training curricula on women’s rights to the Ministry of Human Rights 1— FCO Seed-funding nine women’s non-governmental organisations (NGOs) under HRSGF 21,305 FCO Visit to UK by seven prominent Iraqi women to examine the role of women in forming government policy 10,625 Total 2,068,930 1 Unable to provide exact cost because the women’s curriculum was one of three provided to the Ministry of Human Rights. This was part of a £609,000 human rights training assistance package that also included a training needs assessment of the Ministry of Human Rights and other government departments and provision of equipment to establish the framework of the Human Rights Training Institute within the Ministry of Human Rights. Notes: 1. CSF—DFID’s £5 million Civil Society Fund. This has been supporting the development of Iraqi civil society organisations eg women's organisations, trade unions, human rights groups, so that they are able to better represent ordinary Iraqis and hold the Government and local authorities to account. 2. PPF—DFID’s £7.5 million Political Participation Fund. This provides grants for grass-roots initiatives to encourage poor and marginalized people to make their voices heard. The PPF has funded projects to encourage wide engagement in the elections, constitution-drafting, and referendum, including projects targeting women, students, Marsh Arabs, and prisoners. 3. HRSGF-FCO’s Human Rights Small Grants Fund. This provided seed-funding to 28 small Iraqi NGOs in order to build local civil society capacity.
We are raising awareness about the role of women in Iraqi society in a number of areas. These include influencing Iraqi parliamentarians and government officials in relation to passing legislation and forming government policies, developing public awareness and legal expertise in women’s rights and supporting women’s civil society organisations.
There are seven military officers working in the office of the UN Assistance Mission to Iraq. This is an assistance mission and not a peacekeeping mission. One of the officers is British. Their role is to advise the UN on military affairs, to enable the UN to operate more effectively in a hostile environment and to travel to areas that UN security rules prevent civilian staff from visiting. In particular, they advise the UN on how it should work with the Multi-National Force—Iraq and which geographical areas and areas of work it should consider for future projects. They explain and advise on the military situation within Iraq and how this might effect the UN’s mission. They are able to carry out scoping missions and report on the feasibility of potential tasks.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions recently with UN counterparts about the appointment of an individual to co-ordinate aid, relief and security efforts in Iraq or Afghanistan. But the UK works closely with the UN Assistance Missions and the UN Special Representatives to both countries. In Iraq the UN, with the Iraqi government, is co-chairing preparations for an International Compact that will provide further co-ordination of international assistance to that country. In Afghanistan, the UN Special Representative of the Secretary General co-chairs the Joint Co-ordination and Monitoring Board that helps improve the delivery of international assistance there in line with the Afghanistan Compact and the Afghan National Development Strategy.
Israel
US arms sales are a matter for the US government.
Regarding the UK’s policy on arms sales to Israel, as with all countries, all export licence applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application.
With regard to Israel, as to all others countries, we will continue to assess rigorously all relevant export licence applications on a case by case basis against our EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and other announced Government policies. A licence will not be issued where to do so would be inconsistent with the criteria. The Government are proud of the UK’s robust and transparent export licensing regime, which is among the best in the world.
All violence in Israel and the Occupied Territories acts as an obstacle to peace. We condemn the launching of Qassam rockets by Palestinian militant groups into Israel. Between 30 September and 2 October we have reports that five rockets were fired into Israel. We have called on the Palestinian Authority to prevent all terrorist attacks, including these rocket attacks, and to work towards the release of captured Israeli soldier Corporal Shalit. We welcome the work Palestinian President Abbas is doing to achieve this. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the issue of Qassam rockets with President Abbas on 10 September.
We have no plans to impose an arms embargo on Israel. We continue to assess all export licence applications rigorously, on a case by case basis, against our consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application and other Government policies. The UK's robust and transparent licensing regime for its strategic exports will continue to work effectively for Israel as it does for all countries.
Throughout the last nine years, the Government have been committed to finding a just, lasting and peaceful resolution of the Middle East conflict. The period has been one of flux alternating between violence and negotiations. Throughout the period, the Government have consistently applied our policy on granting export licences to Israel. Since 1997, we have taken a range of measures designed to ensure the highest standards of responsibility in our export control policies, which includes exports of equipment to Israel. These include the adoption of the EU code of conduct on Arms Exports in 1998. Since 2000, all applications from the UK have been rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application. This includes specific criteria whereby we will not issue a licence where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression, might aggravate existing tensions or conflict in the country of final destination or that the export may be used aggressively against another country. Our Embassies monitor the situation in this region, including how this might affect export licence applications. Details of all export licences approved to Israel are available in the Quarterly and Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls submitted to Parliament and are subject to detailed retrospective scrutiny by the Quadripartite Committee on Strategic Export Controls. The quarterly and annual reports are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=l119522594750.
The UK had no foreknowledge of any specific military actions by Israel in response to the kidnappings.
We have made no representations to the Israeli Government about the effect of the barrier on the community of the Jayyous in the last three months. We continue to have serious concerns about Israel’s appropriation of Palestinian land to build a barrier in the Occupied Territories. Israel has legitimate security concerns and we understand the need to protect Israeli citizens from terrorist attacks. We have no objection to the construction of a barrier, provided it is built on Israeli territory. But constructing the barrier on occupied territory contravenes international law. Sections of the current route, where it strays from the Green Line into the West Bank, are therefore illegal. We regularly raise our concerns about the barrier with the Government of Israel.
Ivory Coast
Progress on voter registration and identification, as well as the disarmament of militias, has been slow, with periods of complete deadlock. Consequently, it has been necessary to postpone presidential elections for the second time. The UN, the Economic Community of West African States and the African Union are currently considering how the peace process should proceed, since the UN Security Council Resolution mandating the peace plan expires at the end of October. The Government are in discussion with all these bodies and with the Government of France. The Government continues to urge all the Ivorian parties to deliver on their commitments. We will continue to support targeted sanctions against those who frustrate the process.
The Young Patriots have been central in the orchestration of often violent protests in Ivory Coast. They have played a largely destructive role in the ongoing peace process and continue to threaten the long-term peace and stability of Ivory Coast. For these reasons, their leader, Charles Ble Goude, is subject to targeted UN sanctions, travel ban and asset freeze, as provided for under UN Security Council Resolution 1572.
Due to a lack of progress in the voter registration and disarmament programmes, it has regrettably become necessary to postpone presidential elections for the second time. The Government continue to support the peace process and urges all the Ivorian parties to it, including the Young Patriots, to deliver on their commitment. We will continue to support targeted sanctions against those who frustrate the process.
Japan
Tackling human rights abuses is one of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's most important areas of work, and one on which I personally place a lot of emphasis. Japan is an important partner on human rights. Like the UK, Japan is a member of the UN Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and we co-operate with them on a range of human rights issues. I discussed international human rights issues, including Burma, at the UNHRC in June 2006 with former Japanese Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs, Akiko Yamanaka.
The UK continues strongly to support Japanese concerns on the human rights situation in North Korea, including working closely with Japan to try to achieve a satisfactory solution to the abductee issue. During my recent visit to Japan in July this year I met representatives of families whose relatives had been abducted by North Korea.
Officials in our Embassy in Tokyo also regularly discuss human rights with their Japanese counterparts.
Jordan
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, officials at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and from our Embassy in Amman have had no such discussions.
Korea
Estimates vary between as few as 151 dead and as many as 54,700, but the very nature of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) makes it very difficult to make reliable assessments. It is believed that around 100,000 tonnes of food were destroyed by the floods. The Government of the Republic of Korea has agreed to supply this amount in aid.
The food problems of the DPRK arise not only from the decision by the Government of the Republic of Korea to suspend non-emergency food aid, but from lower domestic food production and from lower grain shipments from China. The World Food Programme has estimated that these factors together may cause a food deficit in the DPRK in 2006 of around 800,000 tonnes.
Whilst my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any representations to the UN, she discussed the matter with Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki Moon when they met in June this year. On that occasion, she urged the Republic of Korea not to withdraw humanitarian assistance to the DPRK should they carry out their threat to test missiles, stressing her preference for a co-ordinated international response.
Lebanon
There is regular and close contact between the UK and the Government of Lebanon, including discussions about the disarmament of Hezbollah and other militias in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559. The subject was discussed when my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met the Prime Minister of Lebanon, Fuad Siniora, on 9 May this year. The UK supports full implementation of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1559 and UNSCR 1701, including the disarmament of Hezbollah and other militias, and the efforts of the Lebanese Government to assert its sovereignty and authority throughout its territories.
The Government worked hard to secure UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701, adopted unanimously by the Security Council on 11 August 2006, which was aimed at securing the conditions for a sustainable, durable ceasefire that would prevent a return to the status quo ante. As a result of UNSCR 1701, that ceasefire has largely held and we are now focused on humanitarian and reconstruction efforts, and enhancing the Government of Lebanon's ability to take full control of its territory, a requirement of both UNSCRs 1559 and 1701.
Urgent work has been undertaken to strengthen the UN Force in Lebanon, in order to carry out the range of important new tasks set out in UNSCR 1701. We have also been working hard with key partners to re-energise the Middle East Peace Process, an issue of vital importance to the region and wider world. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister visited Lebanon, the first ever visit by a British Prime Minister, Israel and the Occupied Territories from 9-11 September and my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Egypt from 7-9 September.
The following table gives an indication of our contribution to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) in each year since 1978. Details of the provenance of these figures can be found as follows.
Approximate UK contribution (£) 1978 4,540,000 1979 2,910,000 1980 2,960,000 1981 4,600,000 1982 6,060,000 1983 6,200,000 1984 6,360,000 1985 6,390,000 1986 6,230,000 1987 5,060,000 1988 5,130,000 1989 5,380,000 1990 5,210,000 1991 5,500,000 1992 6,630,000 1993 6,320,000 1994 5,660,000 1995 5,430,000 1996 4,340,000 1997 4,670,000 1998 6,730,000 1999 5,150,000 2000 5,510,000 2001 2,640,000 2002 2,640,000 2003 3,670,000 2004 890,000 2005 3,460,000
Figures are based on the UK financial year beginning in the year listed, except for the years 1992-95 (inclusive) which are based on the calendar year.
The figures for 1978-81 are taken from the Foreign and Commonwealth Offices (FCO) Supply Estimates documents from 1979-84. These documents give estimates for expenditure in the coming financial year and give the outturn for the previous financial year.
For the period 1982-91 the FCO did not break down its contributions to the UN system in its Supply Estimates/Departmental reports as it did in other years. These figures were therefore calculated from the UN agreed budget for UNIFIL for that UK financial year using the contemporary rate of assessment. The dollar figures were converted to sterling using the average exchange rate for the financial year in question.
For the period 1992-2002 the figures are taken from the FCO Departmental Report. For 1992-95 the FCO listed its contributions to the UN system in its Departmental Reports in calendar years but thereafter they are listed in UK financial years.
The figures for 2003-05 are the expenditure figures taken from the internal end of year reports for the appropriate period, which contain the final spend for those years.
Between 1978 and 2004 an excess of funds accumulated in the UN’s UNIFIL bank account. The UN decided to off-set this surplus against member states contributions in financial year 2004-05, which explains the substantial difference between our contribution in 2004 and other years.
The United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) was established in 1978 under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 426, with the aim of confirming the withdrawal of Israeli forces, restoring international peace and security and assisting the Government of Lebanon in ensuring the return of its effective authority in the area. From 1978 to 2000 UNIFIL helped reduce confrontation between armed groups in south Lebanon and helped to protect the civilian population. It was not until 2000, when Israel withdrew its forces behind a UN demarcated “Blue Line”, that UNIFIL had the opportunity to implement its mandate of confirming Israeli withdrawal.
After 2000 UNIFIL continued to play a valuable role in limiting confrontation between Israel and Hizbollah by monitoring violations of the Blue Line and reporting them to the Security Council. Since 2000 there have been occasional exchanges of fire over the border.
However, under its previous mandate and with a limited troop deployment, UNIFIL was unable to assist the Government of Lebanon in taking full control of its territory. For this reason, UNSCR 1701 provided for an enhanced UNIFIL mission under strengthened Rules of Engagement aimed at extending the Government of Lebanon's control over the whole of the country. The UK continues to believe that UNIFIL plays an integral role in Lebanon and that there is a strong case for funding its operation.
The UK is committed to paying its obligatory assessed costs to all UN peacekeeping operations, including UNIFIL, and regularly argues within the context of the Security Council and the General Assembly for effective and efficient peacekeeping missions.
As well as paying our share of the costs of the UN operation, the UK has sent HMS York to participate in the Interim Maritime Force until the German-led United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) Maritime Force can assume these duties. We are also considering providing two E3 AWACS and six Jaguar aircraft if needed. And we are willing to respond positively to requests to use our Sovereign Base Areas on Cyprus. Due to our current operational commitments elsewhere, the UK will not be able to provide ground troops to UNIFIL.
The Rules of Engagement of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) are drawn up by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations and are a UN classified document. They were revised following the adoption on 11 August of UN Security Council Resolution 1701 to reflect the altered mandate given by the Security Council to UNIFIL.
The role played by UNIFIL is set out in resolution 1701, which provides for the force to:
monitor the cessation of hostilities;
accompany and support the Lebanese armed forces as they deploy throughout the South, including along the Blue Line, as Israel withdraws its armed forces from Lebanon, and to co-ordinate these activities with the Governments of Lebanon and Israel;
extend its assistance to help ensure humanitarian access to civilian populations and the voluntary and safe return of displaced persons;
assist the Lebanese armed forces in taking steps towards the establishment of an area between the Blue Line and the Litani river free of any armed personnel, assets—and weapons other than those of the Government of Lebanon and of UNIFIL;
assist the Government of Lebanon, at its request, to secure its borders and other entry points to prevent the entry in to Lebanon without its consent of arms or related material.
The activities of UNIFIL in the current situation include tasks across the range of mandated activities and are described in detail in the reports of the UN Secretary-General on the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. These are available on the UN website at: http://www.un.org/Docs/sc/sgrep06.htm.
The UK played a leading role in the passage of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1559, which called for the disarmament of all armed groups in Lebanon. This call was further reinforced in UNSCR 1680 and again by Resolution 1701. The UK is now working with our international partners to implement these resolutions, in particular by strengthening the ability of the democratically elected Lebanese government to exercise control throughout Lebanon and ensuring that militias, supported and supplied from outside Lebanon, can never again plunge the region into crisis.
The UK played a leading role in passing UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1559 in September 2004. This called for withdrawal of all foreign forces from Lebanon, and supported the extension of the control of the Government of Lebanon over all Lebanese territory. Since Syrian troops withdrew in April 2005, we have been giving practical assistance to the Lebanese Government to help it assert its authority over its territory. This has included sending UK experts to advise on security sector reform, training courses for the Lebanese security forces and a visit by a UK military team to review equipment requirements for the Lebanese armed forces in its role following Syrian withdrawal.
We continue to support the Government of Lebanon in implementing all UN Resolutions, including UNSCR 1701, which is aimed at creating a Lebanon which is genuinely sovereign and democratic and in which the Government controls the whole of its territory. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s recent visit to Lebanon underlined the UK’s continuing commitment.
Middle East
Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah have been the subject of intense diplomatic activity in which my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and I were all heavily engaged. On 10 August my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary flew to New York to work with international partners towards resolution of the outstanding difficulties. On 11 August the UN Security Council was able unanimously to adopt its Resolution 1701, which aims to secure the conditions for sustainable, durable ceasefire that would prevent a return to the conflict and the status quo that preceded it.
The UK worked hard to secure UN Security Council Resolution 1701. The cessation of hostilities thereby established has largely held. UK effort has since been focused on ensuring the ceasefire holds and a long term solution is developed. This includes assistance with the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the Lebanese people, as well as enhancing the ability of the Government of Lebanon to take and maintain full control of its territory.
Ministers and senior officials have had regular dialogue with Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia on the situation in the Middle East. During my visit to Jordan in July, I discussed the situation with the Regent His Royal Highness Prince Feisal, and Prime Minister Bakhit. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed the issues with Egyptian President Mubarak and Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit during her visit to Egypt in September, and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister spoke with King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia in September. We also took advantage of ministerial week at the UN General Assembly in September to discuss the issues with regional and other partners.
While Hezbollah is a Shia movement with a separate political and national agenda from Hamas and Al Aqsa Martyrs brigade, all these groups share a common hostility towards Israel and we believe there may be links between them. There have been reports that Hezbollah has provided individuals from militant groups in the West Bank with finance.
We are very concerned about the role of Syria and Iran. Through their support for Hezbollah, Iran and Syria encourage extremism, threaten the stability of the region and put peace in the Middle East further out of reach. We have called on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs, in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions 1559 and 1680.
As we said in the UN Security Council on 21 July,
"Hezbollah does not act alone. As other speakers have said, behind it, lending support and giving direction, are Syria and Iran. Syria provides material support to Hezbollah and facilitates the transfer of weapons, including thousands of missiles, which appear to be supplied by Iran to Hezbollah. Ultimately, long-term stability will be possible only if Syria and Iran end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs, in accordance with resolutions 1559 (2004) and 1680 (2006)".
Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah were the subject of intense diplomatic activity in which my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and I were all heavily engaged. On 10 August, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary flew to New York to work with international partners towards resolution of the outstanding difficulties. On 11 August the UN Security Council was able unanimously to adopt its resolution 1701, which aims to secure the conditions for sustainable, durable ceasefire that would prevent a return to the conflict and the status quo that preceded it.
The UK worked hard to secure UN Security Council resolution 1701. The cessation of hostilities thereby established has largely held. UK effort has since been focused on ensuring the ceasefire holds and a long-term solution is developed. This includes assistance with the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the Lebanese people, as well as enhancing the ability of the Government of Lebanon to take and maintain full control of its territory.
I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr Dismore) today (UIN 89956).
Hezbollah and its backers, Syria and Iran, pose a very significant threat to the stability of the Middle East. Syria's and Iran's support for Hezbollah and its attacks on Israel encourage extremism and put peace in the Middle East further out of reach.
We urge the international community to continue to support the Government of Lebanon in implementing all UN Security Council Resolutions (UNSCRs), including 1559, 1680 and 1701, which are aimed at disarming Hezbollah, creating a Lebanon which is genuinely sovereign and democratic and in which the government controls the whole of its territory. The international community should continue to call on Syria and Iran to stop their support for Hezbollah and end their interference in Lebanese internal affairs in accordance with UNSCRs 1559, 1680 and 1701.
Hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah were the subject of intense diplomatic activity in which my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and the Foreign Secretary and I were all heavily engaged. On 10 August my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary flew to New York to work with international partners towards resolution of the outstanding difficulties. On 11 August the UN Security Council was able unanimously to adopt its Resolution 1701, which aims to secure the conditions for sustainable, durable ceasefire that would prevent a return to the conflict and the status quo that preceded it.
The UK worked hard to secure UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1701. The cessation of hostilities thereby established has largely held. UK effort has since been focused on ensuring the ceasefire holds and a long term solution is developed. This includes assistance with the humanitarian and reconstruction needs of the Lebanese people, as well as enhancing the ability of the Government of Lebanon to take and maintain full control of its territory.
Urgent work has been undertaken to strengthen the UN Force in Lebanon in order to carry out the range of important new tasks set out in UNSCR 1701. Due to our current operational commitments elsewhere, we will not be able to provide ground troops. But the UK has sent HMS York to participate in the Interim Maritime Force and we would consider providing, in addition, two E3 AWACS and six Jaguar aircraft if needed. We are willing to respond positively to requests to use our Sovereign Base areas on Cyprus. We are also paying our share of the costs of the UN operation, on which we pay a premium as a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
Ministerial Duties (Background Reading)
On taking up my current Ministerial post I received a pack with background material on the policy areas of the Department. I continue to receive reading material on all policy areas as appropriate.
Ministerial Visits (Accommodation)
For official travel overseas the local British diplomatic mission usually books and pays for hotel rooms. The mission’s accounts are subject to scrutiny by the independent audit staff of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). Where individual travellers book their own hotel rooms and then submit claims with receipts for reimbursement, they sign to acknowledge that, if they submit an account with intent to mislead or defraud, they are liable to disciplinary action and/or prosecution. In addition, we check each claim totalling £100 or more against the FCO’s guidelines to ensure compliance.
NATO
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister will represent the UK at the 2006 NATO Summit in Riga, Latvia. Other Ministers and Government officials will support him, but the exact make up of the Delegation is yet to be confirmed. The composition will depend on the agenda for the summit, which is still being negotiated.
Nepal
Some progress has been made towards peace since the formation of the seven party government, and the reinstatement of Parliament, in April 2006. But the peace process remains fragile.
In August 2006 the Government of Nepal and the Maoists each requested UN assistance in support of the peace process, including management of arms. In response, the UN Secretary-General appointed Ian Martin as his personal representative for Nepal in August 2006. The UK supports a role for the UN, and has allocated approximately £3.4 Million from the Global Conflict Prevention Pool to assist the peace process through projects supporting ceasefire monitoring, the UN, and preparing for a Constituent Assembly.
Peace negotiations have made some progress. But the issue of arms management has yet to be resolved. The Maoists have yet to show they are serious about making the transition to a democratic party and have called for protests against the government.
During my visit to Nepal from 26-28 September 2006, I expressed my support to the Government of Nepal and urged the Prime Minister to make good use of the UN’s expertise. I made clear to the Government of Nepal that we cannot support a Maoist party in government unless they make a concrete demonstration of their democratic credentials and commit to laying down their weapons. I urged both sides to work to build mutual confidence in advance of the next round of summit talks scheduled for 8 October 2006.
Niger
We are aware of the imprisonment of Mr. Abou and Mr. Lalo following their conviction for defamation of the Nigerien Prime Minister. EU Heads of Mission have raised their concerns over this action with the Nigerien government and have urged the repeal of the ‘Offence by the Press’ Law under which Mr. Abou and Mr. Lalo were convicted, and which is disproportionate in its response to defamation. The UK will continue to monitor the case with our EU colleagues, and make further representations as necessary.
Freedom of expression is fundamental to a functioning democracy. The UK urges appropriate, and proportionate, alterations to criminal defamation laws in Niger.
Nigeria
Conflict and tension between religious communities in Nigeria is a serious issue. However, we have not received any evidence of religious cleansing. Nigeria is a diverse, federal state and conflicts continue to occur over many issues. The root causes of conflict in northern and central Nigeria include socio-economic and political factors, as well as religious issues. We continue to engage on the importance of religious tolerance with the Nigeria Government and take up specific allegations of religious conflict where they are credible and verified.
We have not held recent discussions with the Government of Nigeria on attacks on churches. However, we take every opportunity to raise concerns about religious conflict and human rights generally in Nigeria with the federal and state authorities and senior leaders from all faiths in that country. Nigeria is a diverse, federal state and conflicts can occur over many issues. The root causes include socio-economic and political as well as religious factors. We continue to engage the Nigerian Government on the importance of religious tolerance and take up specific allegations of religious conflict where they are credible and verified. We also support initiatives to build trust between Nigeria’s religious communities.
Officials from the our high commission in Abuja regularly meet with Nasir El Rufai, Minister for the Federal Capital Territory, who oversees the Federal Capital Development Authority. My noble Friend the Leader of the House of Lords, Baroness Amos, also met the Minister during an official visit to Abuja on 1 August.
Palestine
We remain concerned about the continuing Qassam rocket fire from Gaza on Israeli civilian targets. We have called on the Palestinian Authority to prevent all terrorist attacks, including these rocket attacks, and to work towards the release of captured Israeli soldier Corporal Shalit. We welcome the work Palestinian President Abbas is doing to achieve this. My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister discussed the issue of Qassam rockets with President Abbas on 10 September.
We are extremely concerned by violent clashes in Gaza, and the high number of casualties. All violence is an obstacle to peace in the region. We support President Abbas' call for an end to the violence, withdrawal of militias from the streets and the restoration of order by legally constituted security forces using appropriate force.
We remain deeply concerned that neither the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, nor Hamas as a movement, have committed to the Quartet’s (EU, US, UN and Russia) three principles: to renounce violence, recognise Israel and accept all previous agreements and obligations.
As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear during his visit to the region on 9-11 September, we would be ready to re-engage with a Palestinian Government, if it is based on the Quartet principles.
I refer my right hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the member for West Lancashire (Rosie Cooper) today (UIN 90006).
Passports
I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sheffield, Hallam (Mr. Clegg) on 15 June 2006, Official Report, columns 1373-75W of British passport holders living overseas, broken down by country. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Kettering (Mr. Hollobone) on 22 March 2006, Official Report, columns 419-20W.
Romania
The number of visit visas issued to Romanian Nationals in each month since 2001 are in the following tables.
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 April 1,572 1,593 1,440 1,424 1,982 1,992 May 1,937 1,517 1,944 1,724 2,097 2,799 June 2,444 2,110 2,403 2,595 3,653 3,964 July 3,077 2,457 3,064 2,661 2,142 3,114 August 1,783 1,237 1,729 2,077 1,700 2,302 September 1,256 1,229 1,908 1,689 2,056 1,907 October 1,564 1,708 1,915 1,755 1,989 — November 1,522 1,542 2,072 2,051 2,294 — December 937 1,187 1,178 1,279 1,381 — January 1,034 1,190 1,193 1,355 1,574 — February 1,265 1,172 1,320 1,522 1,671 — March 1,202 1,554 1,804 1,845 2,393 — Total 19,593 18,496 21,970 21,977 24,932 16,078
2001-02 2002-03 2003-04 2004-05 2005-06 2006-07 April 0 3 19 15 96 197 May 0 50 31 16 95 274 June 0 132 28 17 247 323 July 0 125 58 18 300 376 August 0 77 44 9 247 288 September 0 24 27 11 179 183 October 0 41 18 50 220 — November 0 101 28 108 414 — December 0 45 25 77 342 — January 1 27 19 49 143 — February 1 36 36 49 205 — March 4 30 64 123 283 — Total 6 691 397 542 2,771 1,641 Source: Central Referencing System UKvisas makes every effort to ensure that statistics produced from Central Referencing System are accurate. However, the complexity of our global business, including technical failures or occasional inconsistencies in data entry across over 150 offices means that we cannot 100% guarantee accuracy.
Russia
We regularly monitor the situation in Chechnya and the wider North Caucasus. Recent years have seen a gradual improvement in the security situation in Chechnya, resulting in the UN downgrading its security classification for Chechnya from Phase 5 to Phase 4 in August. Russian and local security forces have had some success in improving security recently. The death of Shamil Basayev has been followed by an amnesty under which over 200 fighters are reported to have turned themselves in, creating the opportunity for a process of reconciliation that could underpin long-term security.
Following the elections to the Chechen parliament in November 2005, the Chechen Republic now has fully constituted structures of government. We believe that the best guarantee for political stability in Chechnya is for the Russian and local Chechen authorities to work together to strengthen these new institutions, improving their democratic accountability.
The human rights situation in the republic is still deeply troubling and we regularly raise these issues with the Russian government. There are ongoing reports of torture, extrajudicial killing and abductions in Chechnya, which Chechen President Alu Alkhanov has acknowledged are a terrible crime. We believe that security measures which do not respect international human rights law are counter-productive, and that a long-term solution to the region’s problems is only possible once an end has been put to human rights abuses.
Saudi Arabia
All export licence applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application. This is carried out by dedicated export licensing teams in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Department for Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development.
In common with all of our diplomatic posts, our Embassy in Riyadh monitors local developments closely and notes any information which comes to light that military equipment supplied by the UK has been used in a manner inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria. The Government will take this into consideration when assessing any future export licence applications. The Government may also revoke relevant licence(s) and ask the authorities in the country concerned to investigate.
Secondments
There are no formal departmental procedures for Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff to apply for secondments to the UN. Individuals are encouraged to identify opportunities for secondments outside the FCO. We also actively look for opportunities across the UN system, working with our UN posts, and advertise any secondment opportunities to staff in line with normal internal FCO recruitment procedures. We do not maintain statistics on applicants but adhering to the FCO's equal opportunities policy, secondment opportunities are open to all staff.
We are not aware of any FCO staff currently on secondment to the World Bank. The Department for International Development are the lead Whitehall Department on the World Bank and have seconded a number of officials to the organisation.
Shanghai Expo (British Pavilion)
In August my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister accepted the Chinese invitation for the UK to participate in Shanghai Expo 2010. This is a fantastic opportunity to broaden and deepen the United Kingdom’s relations with China. The theme of Expo 2010—‘Better City Better Life’—is one where the UK has much expertise and experience. Expo 2010 will provide the perfect opportunity to highlight British creativity, diversity and innovation and our contribution to dealing with global challenges such as sustainable development, including climate change. These are challenges that the UK and China have already agreed we need to tackle together.
It is intended that the UK facilities at Shanghai will be jointly funded by the public and private sectors; a model successfully used for the Aichi World Expo in 2005. Once stakeholders have committed funding, a steering committee will be formed to agree the detailed design and content of the UK pavilion. An open competition for the design, build and operation of the pavilion, will be decided by public tender in the course of 2007.
Singapore
Singapore is a republic with a parliamentary system of government. The Head of State is the President, currently Mr S R Nathan. General elections are held every five years and presidential elections every six years. The People's Action Party have won every general election since 1959 and currently hold 82 of the 84 elected seats in Parliament. The Workers' Party and the Singapore Democratic Alliance hold the other two elected seats. There is a further opposition MP in Parliament from the Workers' Party who was selected as a non-constituency MP (NCMP), as provided for by Singapore law. The Prime Minister of Singapore, currently Mr Lee Hsien Loong, is appointed by the President as the leader of the majority party in Parliament. All other Ministers are also MPs.
The Singapore legal system is similar to the English common law system. A written constitution provides for the separation of the three organs of state (executive, legislative and judiciary) and is the supreme law of Singapore. It also provides for the independence of the Supreme Court judges and enshrines the fundamental rights of the individual. The constitution provides for freedom of speech and freedom of the press but it also permits restrictions on these rights.
Somalia
My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, discussed a possible peace-support mission in Somalia with a number of international interlocutors during the UN General Assembly in New York in September. The UN Security Council is considering the Intergovernmental Authority on Development’s request for an exemption to the UN arms embargo to permit a regional deployment to support the Transitional Federal Institutions in Somalia, including whether/how a peace-support mission would contribute to peace and stability there. The UK is also a member of the International Contact Group on Somalia (comprising the EU, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Tanzania and the US, together with the UN, African Union and League of Arab States) which meets periodically, most recently in August 2006.
Special Envoys
My noble Friend right hon. Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean was not remunerated in her role in the Two Kingdoms Dialogue. She was paid £6,000 for the work she undertook as my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister’s Special Representative for Memoranda of Understanding for deportation of terrorist suspects.
Sri Lanka
We fully support the efforts of the Norwegian government in their role as facilitators of the peace process in Sri Lanka. We met the Norwegian Special Envoy, Jon Hanssen-Bauer, in August at senior official level, and have spoken a number of times since. We remain in close contact with the Norwegian government on the peace process.
The UK, EU and international partners have strongly pressed the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to guarantee free access for relief agencies and humanitarian aid to those people and areas affected. Most recently on 12 September, my right hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Stephen Timms, during a visit to Sri Lanka, raised UK concerns on human rights and humanitarian issues with President Rajapake. The Department for International Development last month made a contribution of over half a million pounds (one million US Dollars) in additional funds to the UN and Red Cross to help Sri Lankans displaced by recent violence; this would include those who have fled from the Trincomalee area.
Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met President Rajapakse, and Foreign Minister Samaraweera, at Chequers on 31 August. The talks focused on the internal security situation in Sri Lanka and the state of the peace process.
All applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application. This process includes specific criteria whereby we will not issue a licence where there is a clear risk that the proposed export might be used for internal repression, might aggravate existing tensions or conflict in the country of final destination or that the export may be used aggressively against another country. Details of all export licences approved to Sri Lanka are available in the Quarterly and Annual Reports on Strategic Export Controls and are subject to detailed retrospective scrutiny by the Quadripartite Committee. The quarterly and annual reports are available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website at:
http://wwwfco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=1119522594750.
We have been seriously concerned at the escalation of violence and the consequent serious deterioration of the situation in the north and east of Sri Lanka over the recent months which has resulted in many hundreds of deaths, including of civilians, and the displacement of over 200,000 people. Throughout this period, we have made this clear in meetings at the highest levels with the Government of Sri Lanka, and also to political representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. We have urged all parties to show restraint. We participated in an EU demarche in August on the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister about the deteriorating security and humanitarian situation. We also met the leader of the Sri Lankan opposition (United National Party), and stressed the importance of political consensus in working towards a solution that satisfies the concerns and legitimate aspirations of all Sri Lankans. We are in close contact with the Government of Norway and underline to both sides our full support for their efforts as peace process facilitators.
We are deeply concerned at the recent escalation in violence in Sri Lanka which has caused a serious deterioration of the situation in the north and east of Sri Lanka over recent months which has resulted in many hundreds of deaths, including of civilians and the displacement of over 200,000 people. Throughout this period we have made this clear in meetings at the highest levels with the Government of Sri Lanka, and also to political representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. We have urged all parties to show restraint.
We welcome recent initiatives for talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. We support the efforts of the Government of Norway to bring the parties together for talks, in its role as facilitator of the Sri Lanka peace process and we are in close contact with them. The UK continues to support the view expressed recently by the Co-Chairs (EU, US, Norway, Japan) that negotiation and political commitment is the only viable route to a cessation of the current hostilities. And, a longer-term resolution of the conflict that takes full account of the legitimate demands of all communities within a democratic and stable Sri Lanka that fully observes human rights norms.
The loss of life in recent incidents including, but not limited to, the killing of the 17 Action Contre la Faim workers in Muttur is tragic. The full facts and circumstances of these killings remain unclear. Until they are established, it would not be appropriate to speculate on the status of this case. It is vital that a thorough and credible investigation be completed. The Sri Lankan authorities are currently carrying out an investigation. They have requested foreign experts to provide technical assistance; this is to be provided by the Australian Government.
UN Security Council resolution 1612 deals with the recruitment of child soldiers, and calls for the monitoring of this practice in a number of countries including, Sri Lanka. Officials regularly make clear that the use of child soldiers in Sri Lanka cannot be tolerated and will continue to make such representations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has identified the rights of the child as one of its top three human rights priorities. The UK has supported the establishment of a UN monitoring and reporting mechanism on children affected by armed conflict and is actively involved in the UN Security Council working group on children and armed conflict. We welcome the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s special representative on children and armed conflict, and promote the ratification of the UN convention on the rights of the child and its optional protocol on the involvement of children in armed conflict.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials maintain a regular dialogue on various issues including the situation in Sri Lanka with their counterparts in the region. We welcome the position of the Indian Government following the recent escalation of violence in Sri Lanka in calling on President Rajapakse to bring an end to the killing of Tamil civilians and make clear his vision of devolution. Like the UK, India is a strong supporter of Norway’s role as facilitator of the peace process.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has made no specific representations to the Commonwealth as a whole on this subject, but officials are in regular contact with the Commonwealth Secretariat on a range of issues including the Sri Lankan conflict.
We are deeply concerned at the recent escalation in violence in Sri Lanka that has caused a serious deterioration of the situation in the north and east of Sri Lanka over recent months, which has resulted in many hundreds of deaths, including of civilians and the displacement of over 200,000. Throughout this period we have made and continue to make this clear in meetings at the highest levels with the Government of Sri Lanka and also to political representatives of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka. Most recently, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister met President Rajapakse, Foreign Minister Samaraweera and senior Sri Lankan officials at Chequers on 31 August for talks on the security situation in Sri Lanka and the state of the peace process.
The recent violence will not solve internal differences nor bring sustainable peace. All sides need to exercise restraint and act in a constructive and patient way. We believe it is essential that the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE live up to the commitments they made as part of the Ceasefire Agreement, and restated at talks in Geneva in February to stop the violence, human rights abuses and bloodshed.
We welcome recent initiatives for talks between the Government of Sri Lanka and the LTTE. We support the efforts of the Government of Norway to bring the parties together for talks, in its role as the facilitator of the Sri Lanka peace process and we are in close contact with them. Negotiation is the only viable route to a cessation of the current hostilities and a longer-term resolution of the conflict that takes full account of the legitimate demands of all communities within a democratic and stable Sri Lanka that fully observes human rights norms.
The Government are not aware of any request by the Government of Sri Lanka for the UN or its agencies to leave the country or of any plan by the UN to do so. We understand that UN agencies are present throughout the country. We fully support the valuable work they are undertaking and together with EU and international partners have strongly pressed the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam to guarantee free access for the relief agencies and for humanitarian aid to people and areas in need.
The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) and its Scandinavian personnel remain a vital element of the Cease-Fire Agreement. We fully support their work and the strong efforts made over recent months to ensure the SLMMs continued operation.
Sudan
The Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA) and various UN Security Council Resolutions require the Government of Sudan to disarm the Janjaweed. The DPA also gives the African Union Mission in Sudan a supervisory role in this. On Friday 23 June, the Government of Sudan publicly began disarming a small group of Janjaweed in South Darfur but no further disarmament has taken place so far as we can ascertain. We welcomed this step and call on the Sudanese Government to intensify this work. We also call on them urgently to present a comprehensive plan for neutralising and disarming the Janjaweed, as the DPA requires them to do. We discuss this and other issues on implementing the DPA regularly with both the African Union and the United Nations.
The original allegations of sexual abuse by African Union (AU) personnel were made by Channel 4. The AU established a committee to investigate the allegations which is currently finalising its report. The UK is urging the AU to take a transparent approach and last raised the issue directly with the AU on 21 July.
We are deeply concerned by these allegations. Abuse of vulnerable civilians by the very people who have been sent to protect them is something that we cannot tolerate. Responsibility lies with AU member states as well as the African Mission in Sudan itself. The AU must send a strong signal that abuse will not be tolerated.
Charles Locker, a Sudanese citizen, and executive director of the non-governmental organisation Manna Sudan, was arrested in Torit, Eastern Equatoria State, on 5 July. He was detained for allegedly writing and publishing an article critical of the local government.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not had any discussions with the Government of Sudan on this issue. However, the UK, together with our partners in the international community, monitored the case closely and were concerned that Mr. Locker was detained without charge and had no access to legal counsel. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, Jan Pronk, visited him in jail during a visit to Torit in August and raised his case with the Governor of Eastern Equatoria. Mr. Locker was released on 4 September after spending 59 days in detention.
The EU has made it clear that there must be no impunity for those accused of human rights abuses in Darfur. In its Council Conclusions, it has regularly supported UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1593, which refers human rights abuses to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The EU calls on all parties in Sudan to co-operate fully with the ICC.
In its latest Council Conclusions of 12 September, the EU condemns the continuing violations of the cease-fire by all parties, the violence directed at the civilian population and the targeting of humanitarian assistance. The Council calls on the Government of Sudan to protect its citizens from all violence and to guarantee respect for human rights. The Council endorses the statement by the UN Secretary-General to the UN Security Council on 11 September. In his statement he urges the Government of Sudan to embrace the spirit of UNSCR 1706 and warns that those who decide and carry out policies leading to death and suffering in Darfur will be held accountable.
Syria
Ministers have had no recent contact with their Syrian counterparts. However, we do have contact with the Syrians through our respective Embassies, and Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have discussed the situation in the Middle East with Syrian officials throughout the crisis in Lebanon.
Thailand
The information requested is provided in the table as follows:
British nationals murdered in Thailand 1997 1 1998 2 1999 1 2000 3 2001 1 2002 3 2003 4 2004 3 2005 5 2006 13 1 as of 3 October 2006.
These figures are inclusive of British nationals both resident and on holiday in Thailand. It is not possible to distinguish between tourists and residents as many British nationals, who consider themselves residents in Thailand, remain in the country on tourist visas.
We remain concerned by the continuing violence in the southern provinces of Thailand. We continually monitor the security situation there and in Thailand generally. This is reflected in our travel advice, which is reviewed regularly.
The full travel advice for Thailand is available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's website at:
http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c-Page&cid=1007029390590&a=KCountryAdvice&aid=1013618386505
Travel Advice is also available by calling 0845 850 2829.
The Thai armed forces took power in Thailand through a coup during the evening of 19 September. The Council for Democratic Reform (CDR) announced the suspension of the constitution and the imposition of martial law. On 2 October the CDR appointed former Privy Counsellor, General Surayud Chulanond, as interim Prime Minister and promulgated an interim constitution. The CDR has set out a timetable for the drafting of a substantive, new constitution and the holding of elections within 12 months. General Surayud announced his new cabinet on 8 October.
We regret the coup, which marks a setback for the evolution of Thailand’s democracy. Along with our EU and other international partners, we urge the Thai authorities to comply with their human rights obligations, hold elections and restore accountable democracy to allow the people of Thailand as a whole to choose their government, as soon as possible.
Turkmenistan
Our Ambassador in Ashgabat has been following the cases of Annakurban Amanklychev, Ogulsapar Muradova and Sapardurdy Khadjiev extremely closely. He has been in regular touch with the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Centre in Ashgabat and worked alongside the local EU presidency, who have taken the lead in contacting the Turkmen authorities. The fact that no international observers were allowed into the trial of the three co-accused raises serious questions about whether due process of law was observed.
We are deeply perturbed by the circumstances of the tragic death of Mrs Muradova and we have expressed our profound sympathy to Mrs Muradova’s family. Our ambassador has invited her family to meet him and other EU Heads of Mission. The EU presidency issued a statement on 15 September expressing strong concern about her death, and about the trial, and calling on the Government of Turkmenistan to respect its international obligations and to guarantee the safety of Mrs Muradova’s family members, and of Khadjiev and Amanklychev. The text of the presidency statement is available on the following website:
http://www.eu2006.fi/news_and_documents/cfsp_statements/vko37/en_GB/1158330328874/.
We note the willingness expressed by the Turkmen Government to pass the post-mortem report to the family and hope that this will clarify the cause of death. Through the OSCE, we have called on the Turkmen Government to safeguard the rights of the family under Turkmen law and made clear that we expect Amanklychev and Khadjiev to be treated humanely in accordance with Turkmenistan’s international obligations.
We and our EU and OSCE partners will continue to follow this case closely.
Uganda
The security situation in northern Uganda has improved considerably through 2006, but remains fragile. The major threats to safety are from the activities of the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), Karamojong warriors, criminals and road accidents. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office continues to advise against travel to the region.
Since April, the numbers of civilians abducted and killed by the LRA has declined significantly. This has been attributed to the initiation of peace talks between the LRA and the Government of Uganda. On 26 August 2006 a cessation of hostilities agreement was signed between the two sides, which offers hope for a longer term peace deal and improvement in the security situation.
The Ugandan Government has announced a plan, which we support, to replace the army with a civilian police force in northern Uganda—but this has yet to be implemented.
The prospects for a peaceful settlement to the long-running conflict in northern Uganda improved when the Government of southern Sudan offered to mediate between the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Ugandan Government earlier this year.
The Juba based talks process remains fragile, but the signing of a cessation of hostilities agreement on 26 August was an encouraging development. This gave some grounds for hope that permanent peace is possible. But it is too early to say that the conflict is over and there may well be some setbacks as the process develops.
Appointments to the cessation of hostilities monitoring team now need to be finalised, so that it can start its work, and concerted face to face talks on the substance of a comprehensive settlement are crucial.
UN Democracy Fund
As set out in its terms of reference, the primary purpose of the UN Democracy Fund (UNDEF) is to promote democratisation throughout the world. The UNDEF will provide assistance for projects that build and strengthen democratic institutions, promote human rights, and initiatives that are intended to ensure the full participation of all groups in the democratic process.
The fund is still developing and consulting on options for its long-term strategy but has begun to operate. In August 2006 the UN announced the first grants for 125 projects, selected from 1,300 proposals, to a value of US$ 36 million (out of US$ 49 million pledged to UNDEF). The UK contributed £350,000 (US$ 609,000) to the fund. The responsibilities of the Office of the UNDEF include arranging monitoring and evaluation of the programme. More details of the terms of reference and work of the fund can be found at: www.un.org/democracyfund.
We expect the fund to contribute to ensuring:
that the UN continues to give a high priority to the promotion of democratic values and principles;
the enhanced role and participation of disadvantaged members of the community, especially women, in the democratic process, including through strengthened civil society and civic education;
improvements in the electoral process itself; and
better informed electorates, through better access to information and more effective and pluralistic media.
We will measure its success against these indicators.
UN Peacekeepers
The UK condemns, in the strongest terms, all acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by whomever they are committed and strongly supports the actions of the UN Secretary-General to implement a ‘zero-tolerance’ approach in all United Nation Missions.
Most UN activity in this area is funded through the UN’s Regular and Peacekeeping budgets, to which the UK is the fourth largest contributor. The UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations has introduced a training module covering prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse, for mandatory use in pre-deployment training of peacekeepers. It has developed other training tools, including an online e-learning module on standards of conduct, pocket cards and booklets distributed to staff prior to deployment, posters and brochures on sexual exploitation and abuse and human trafficking. The UK has supported this work by providing funding of US $49,125 for the production of a training film on the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse by UN personnel.
The Ministry of Defence is currently undertaking an audit of the gender content of its pre-deployment training for UN Missions, to ensure that it adequately covers gender awareness training, and raise awareness of the UN Code of Conduct on personal behaviour.
United States
The Government have not made any representations to the United States Administration about such websites.
The Government have not made and has no plans to assess the feasibility of implementing a system for end-use monitoring comparable to the Blue Lantern system in the United States. Nor have I had any discussions with officials in the US on this matter.
All export licence applications from the UK are rigorously assessed on a case-by-case basis against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria, taking full account of the prevailing circumstances at the time of application. Our diplomatic posts monitor local developments closely and note any information which comes to light that military equipment supplied by the UK has been used in a manner inconsistent with the Consolidated Criteria. The Government will take this into consideration when assessing any future export licence applications. The Government may also revoke relevant licences and ask the authorities in the country concerned to investigate.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office maintains a web-site and telephone call centre, which offer regularly-reviewed and updated information including specific country and destination advice and general safety travel tips.
No specific travel advice has been issued about the recent heat-wave which affected many parts of the United States.
Activity on climate change is a priority for our US network. Each consulate-general in the United States is active in promoting the Government’s climate change policies, including on carbon emissions trading. This includes engagement with the state and city governments and state legislatures, climate change specialists and scientists, the private sector, and the general public by way of speeches, conferences, exhibitions, and exchange visits to and from the UK.
A specific example is the work of our San Francisco and Los Angeles Consulate-Generals on the UK-California collaboration on climate change and clean energy, launched by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister in July. This collaboration will explore the potential for linkage of emissions trading schemes in California and the UK/EU. In addition, the Boston Consulate-General has maintained close relations with officials in the seven northeastern US States developing a regional greenhouse gas initiative, which aims to create a mandatory cap and trade scheme for carbon dioxide emissions from power plants.
On 26 July, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary commented briefly on the Prestwick flights issue during a Channel 4 News interview. Her comments were reported in the UK and international media promptly afterwards. However, the major part of that particular interview focused on the situation in Lebanon, which was the top foreign policy news story that week. As such Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) officials put an edited version of the interview on the FCO website in order to highlight those comments. The FCO reserves the right to edit the content of the FCO website.
Uzbekistan
Most recently, we raised issues of concern with the UN special rapporteur on extrajudicial killings and torture when he reported on Uzbekistan to the Human Rights Council at the second session in September 2006. Separately, on 2 October, the Human Rights Council examined the human rights situation in Uzbekistan in closed session under the 1503 procedure. In November, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) will consider how the situation in Uzbekistan has developed since last year’s resolution.
Internationally we have supported the efforts of UN special rapporteurs to work with Uzbekistan e.g. on torture, and on the independence of the judiciary. In December 2005, 74 countries supported an EU-sponsored resolution on the human rights situation in Uzbekistan at the UNGA.
Bilaterally and with our EU colleagues we monitor closely the human rights situation in Uzbekistan. We seek clarification on new developments both from reputable human rights organisations in Uzbekistan and from the Uzbek authorities. We draw human rights cases to the attention of the Uzbek authorities both informally and formally, in meetings, through demarches and through declarations.
The EU provides for human rights discussions with Uzbekistan through its Partnership and Co-operation Agreement with Uzbekistan, which covers a range of issues including economic and trade relations. In October 2005, the EU adopted an arms embargo and a visa ban against the Uzbek officials directly responsible for the events in Andizhan in May 2005.
Visas
Many of our visa sections in diplomatic missions overseas work with commercial partners, who deliver the customer facing part of the visa process in convenient locations, often with extended opening hours. Commercial partners' services can include couriering documents, giving general information, accepting visa applications, collecting fees, organising interviews, and returning passports to customers.
Commercial partners are not involved in, and cannot influence, any part of the process to decide who is eligible for a visa. This remains solely with our staff in visa sections.
A list of missions and their commercial partners is in the following table.
Country Commercial Partner Algeria World Trading Group Australia CCS Bangladesh VFS Canada Abtran China VF Worldwide Holdings Cyprus Evresis Egypt TNT Germany Abtran Ghana VFS India VFS Indonesia VFS Ireland Abtran Italy Abtran Jamaica DHL Jordan DHL Kenya Visaco Malawi DHL Malaysia VFS Mozambique DHL Nigeria VFS Pakistan Gerry's/FedEx Philippines TT Services Qatar VFS Russia VFS Rwanda Viasco Singapore VFS South Africa DHL Spain Abtran Sri Lanka VFS Syria DHL Thailand VFS Turkey Setur Uganda VHS USA Abtran Uzbekistan TNT(Bekk Courier) Zimbabwe Viasco
Zimbabwe
Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development officials discuss Zimbabwe policy frequently. On 13 September, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development held a meeting with officials from both Departments to consider UK humanitarian assistance to Zimbabwe. The UK remains one of the largest donors of humanitarian aid to Zimbabwe, amounting to over £120 million since 2001. Our assistance does not go through the Zimbabwean government; instead we channel it through UN agencies and civil society organisations, who ensure that it reaches those that need it most.
Officials in London and our Embassy in Harare are in constant contact with Zimbabwean civil society. Zimbabwe's ruinous economic policies have led to an official rate of inflation above 1200 per cent. and rising, unemployment at over 80 per cent., and forced evictions continuing. Peaceful demonstrations are increasing, but Mugabe remains indifferent to his people's suffering, choosing instead to: stifle opposition; silence independent media; ignore international calls for reform; and deny any responsibility for the grave situation the country faces. On 19 September, I summoned the Zimbabwean Ambassador to express strong concern on behalf of the Government at the violent suppression of peaceful demonstrations on 13 September by the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions.
We will continue to pressure the Government of Zimbabwe to restore respect for democratic values, human rights and the rule of law.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) on 28 February, Official Report, column 636W.
While it is impossible to estimate with accuracy the numbers who continue to flee from Zimbabwe, it is clear the numbers are significant. We are concerned about the damaging effects this has on the region. We continue to raise this with Zimbabwe's neighbours, encouraging them to assess the impact of the Zimbabwean exodus, and urge them to look at solutions to end the crisis.