Written Answers to Questions
Tuesday 17 October 2006
Leader of the House
Additional Costs Allowance
The information is not available in the form requested and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.
A sample check in 2006 by the Department of Finance and Administration suggested that 20 per cent. of Members use the ACA to rent a property and 75 per cent. to meet mortgage interest costs.
It has not been possible to claim the ACA and London supplement simultaneously since April 2005. Before April 2005, only Ministers and office holders could claim ACA and London supplement simultaneously.
The percentage of hon. Members who have claimed the maximum amount of additional costs allowance in each year since 2001 is shown in the following table. The figures for 2005-06 are currently being compiled and will be published later this month.
Percentage 2001-02 8.6 2002-03 35.5 2003-04 23.2 2004-05 28.5
The percentage of hon. Members who have claimed both the London supplement (LS) and the additional costs allowance (ACA) in each year since 2001, until the ability to claim both allowances was withdrawn in 2005-06, is as follows:
Percentage 2001-02 16.2 2002-03 13.8 2003-04 13.8 2004-05 12.3
Departmental Expenditure
The Leader of the House of Commons’ Office has spent £4,084.60 on taxis in the last 12 months.
Foreign Language Lessons
In 2005-06, 12 Members received foreign language lessons funded by the House. The number of Members who received lessons in each language is as follows:
Number Italian 4 Portuguese 1 French 4 Spanish 2 Polish 1
Party Political Spending
Sir Hayden Phillips is currently undertaking an independent review of the funding of political parties. He has been asked to aim to produce recommendations that are as much as possible agreed between the political parties with a view to legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Sir Hayden Phillips will be publishing an interim assessment later this week. He has been asked to report to the Prime Minister before the end of December 2006. The Government will carefully consider his final conclusions, including any proposals to limit party political spending in individual constituencies outside the 12-month period immediately prior to a general election.
Sir Hayden Phillips is currently undertaking an independent review of the funding of political parties. He has been asked to aim to produce recommendations that are as much as possible agreed between the political parties with a view to legislation as soon as parliamentary time allows.
Sir Hayden Phillips will be publishing an interim assessment later this week. He has been asked to report to the Prime Minister before the end of December 2006. The Government will carefully consider his final conclusions, including any proposals to limit the money that can be spent in election campaigns.
Communities and Local Government
Local Government Finance
Since the prudential borrowing system began on 1 April 2004, local authorities have been free to borrow for capital projects without Government consent, provided that they can afford the loan charges without extra Government grant. However, the Government have continued to support the major part of authorities’ capital programmes, by a mixture of revenue grants for loan charges plus capital grants. Future levels of capital support and the mechanisms for delivering it are being considered in the Government’s current spending review.
My right hon. Friends the Chancellor and the Deputy Prime Minister appointed Sir Michael Lyons to undertake an independent inquiry into local government finance, later extended to cover the future strategic role and function of local government. To date, Sir Michael has published two documents—a consultation paper and interim report in December 2005 and a discussion paper in May 2006, “National prosperity, local choice and civic engagement”. These are available on the Lyons Inquiry website (www.lyonsinquiry.org). Sir Michael is due to submit his final report to the Chancellor and my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government in December 2006.
The Government will not take any decisions on local government finance until it has had the chance to consider Sir Michael’s report and recommendations fully.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty
Most, but not all, areas of outstanding natural beauty (AONBs) are managed by their constituent local authorities. Local authorities have no powers specifically aimed at AONBs. However, they must follow their duty to have regard to the purpose of AONB designation in order to conserve and enhance the natural beauty.
Further information is available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/wildlife-countryside/issues/landscap/pdf/authorityduties-guidancenote.pdf.
Avian Influenza
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: In the event of an outbreak of avian influenza, our policy is to stamp out the disease as quickly as possible in accordance with the EU directive for the control of avian influenza (2005/94/EU). Culling of the affected flock and any dangerous contacts, together with stringent controls around the affected premises, is the best way of dealing rapidly with an outbreak.
However, for certain birds, subject to a veterinary risk assessment, the directive provides for a derogation from the requirement to cull.
This derogation extends to officially recognised rare breeds of poultry and other captive birds. Following discussions with the relevant societies for captive birds, the crested canary has been officially recognised for this purpose. It can also be applied to premises such as non-commercial premises, wildlife parks and zoos.
Conservation of endangered species is covered separately under the derogation. Species considered threatened under the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) Red List of threatened species could benefit.
Badgers
When the randomised badger culling trial (RBCT) was designed, statistical power calculations were performed which indicated that, to be sufficiently precise to detect a 20 per cent. reduction in tuberculosis (TB) incidence associated with either culling treatment, 50 “triplet years” worth of data would have to be collected.
In 2003, the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG) detected a statistically significant result for the reactive element of the RBCT that indicated an increase in confirmed TB incidence in cattle in reactive areas compared to survey-only areas. Under agreed operating procedures the ISG was obliged to bring this to the attention of Ministers, who concluded that the reactive culling operations should be discontinued. Reactive culling was suspended in November 2003.
By the end of the 2005 planned proactive culling operations, the target of 50 triplet year's of data collection had been achieved, and proactive culling therefore ceased. Surveying work continued into March 2006, by which time data for 51.6 triplet years had been collected.
Bovine Tuberculosis
The following table provides (i) the number of cattle slaughtered under bovine tuberculosis control measures in Great Britain and (ii) the amount received in salvage payments (after cost deductions for haulage, meat inspection etcetera) between 2000 and 2006. It is not possible to provide an average cost per carcase because not all cattle are slaughtered in licensed slaughterhouses for potential human consumption. Therefore, an average cannot be derived simply by dividing the total salvage payment by number of cattle slaughtered. It is not possible to extract the information required to calculate a meaningful average from the State Veterinary Service database.
(i) Total number of cattle slaughtered under TB control measures1 (ii) Total salvage payment from sale of carcases in £ million 20062 13,917 1.8 2005 30,063 4.4 2004 23,064 2.7 2003 23,821 3.6 2002 323,744 3.0 2001 36,549 0.7 2000 8,682 1.2 1 Reactors, inconclusive reactors and direct contacts. 2 2006 figures cover the period January to August only. Provisional data, subject to change as (i) further test data and (ii) further salvage receipts become available. 3 In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed in 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also, the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, the number of cattle slaughtered in 2001 and 2002 is not comparable with other years.
Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in cattle is confirmed by identification of visible lesions at post-mortem inspection and/or by laboratory testing of samples taken from carcases. The number of animals in which bTB was confirmed annually in Great Britain, between 2000 and 2006, is given in the following table.
Number of confirmed TB reactors in GB 20061 4,663 2005 8,657 2004 6,422 2003 6,308 20022 6,993 20012 2,342 2000 3,644 1 Provisional statistics for 1 January to 31 August 2006 only. 2 In 2001, the TB testing and control programme was largely suspended due to the foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreak. When testing resumed in 2002, resources were concentrated on herds with overdue TB tests which would have had a longer period in which to contract the disease. Also, the proportion of high risk herds tested immediately after the FMD outbreak was greater than that prior to the outbreak. As a result, data for 2001 and 2002 are not directly comparable with other years.
It is important to bear in mind that failure to confirm the disease at post-mortem examination or by laboratory culture does not mean that the disease was not present in the animal, or that the animal had not been in contact with bTB. In the early stages of the disease, it is not always possible to see lesions with the naked eye and, due to the fastidious nature of the organism, it is not possible to culture from samples in every case.
A pre-movement tuberculosis test is a private transaction between an individual farmer and his or her local veterinary inspector. However, the Government are continuing to fund the provision of tuberculin and all routine tuberculosis surveillance tests and this is estimated to cost about £40 million a year. Where animals are moved within 60 days of a routine test being conducted, there is no need for a further pre-movement test.
Departmental Expenditure
The Department does not maintain a separate record of expenditure on food and alcohol for its staff. This information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
All expenditure is made in accordance with published departmental guidance on financial procedures and propriety, based on principles set out in “Government Accounting”.
Departmental Staff
Information on the disability status of staff is available via the Cabinet Office website at
http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/management/statistics/publications/xls/report_2005/table_p.xls
Disability is self-declared and voluntary.
Since April 2005 approximately 4 per cent. of all new entrants to the Core Department and the Agencies covered by the Department’s personnel database have declared a disability. The proportions for the core Department and individual Agencies are shown in the following table:
Department/Agency New entrants with a declared a disability (percentage) Core Defra 4 State Veterinary Service 5 Pesticides Safety Directorate1 0 Government Decontamination Service1 6 Veterinary Medicines Directorate1 0 Marine Fisheries Agency1 6 Rural Development Service 5 1 These Agencies recruited fewer than 20 staff in this period.
Data for the remaining Agencies i.e. the Central Science Laboratory, the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, the Rural Payments Agency, and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Sciences is held by the Agencies. It has not been provided due to the disproportionate cost involved in collating the information.
Gangmasters
[holding answer 6 October 2006]: The gangmasters licensing scheme applies to labour providers who supply workers to work in agriculture, horticulture and the food processing and packaging sectors. It also applies to the supply and use of workers to gather shellfish. The scheme does not apply to the supply of labour to work in retail establishments, such as supermarkets.
It has been an offence to act as a gangmaster without a licence in agriculture, horticulture and the food processing and packaging sectors since 1 October 2006. From the same date the Gangmasters Licensing Authority started accepting licence applications from gangmasters operating in the shellfish gathering sector. The introduction of licensing has been phased in this way as more time was needed to finalise the detailed licensing arrangements to apply to shellfish gathering.
As at 11 October 2006, 37 licence holders or applicants were recorded by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority with headquarters located in Lancashire.
Heath Plants
(2) in what sites of special scientific interest in Shropshire the Heath Cudweed plant, Gnaphalium sylvaticum, grows.
In Shropshire, records show that Heath Cudweed, Gnaphalium sylvaticum, has been found in, or closely adjacent to, one site of special scientific interest (SSSI)—Wyre Forest.
In England as a whole, records suggest that it may be found within, or closely adjacent to, 49 SSSIs.
London (Waste)
(2) what progress has been made in London to meet its 2010 Landfill Allowances Trading Scheme targets; which elements of the package of measures for waste management set out in the Government’s proposals for additional powers and responsibilities for the Mayor and the Assembly address such progress to such targets; and if he will make a statement.
The package of measures set out by the Government provides the Mayor with increased powers and responsibility to deliver his municipal waste management strategy and spatial development strategy for London. The enhancement of his powers to require waste authorities to deliver services in general conformity with his strategy, along with his existing power of direction, will help ensure the strategic vision the Mayor sets out for London is delivered on the ground.
The Waste and Recycling Forum, announced as part of the package, will be led by the Mayor to co-ordinate activity across different sectors and address the key strategic issues facing London. The Waste and Recycling Fund is associated with this and will help the Mayor to address these key strategic issues.
In addition, there will be a dedicated London element to the Waste Infrastructure Development Programme (WIDP), which was announced in May 2006, providing a strong role for the Mayor in working with local authorities and the regions to accelerate the building of new waste diversion infrastructure, allowing London to manage more of its waste within London.
The Mayor already has a leading role in planning for London’s waste treatment needs through the London Plan, where he has set a target for London to be 85 per cent. self sufficient for waste management by 2020.
This will significantly reduce the pressure on surrounding regions. The Mayor will also have increased powers related to planning and will now have the power to take over and decide on planning applications that are strategically important to London.
London authorities are making good progress towards meeting their 2010 Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme (LATS) obligations. I announced on 12 October that—subject to final confirmation by the Environment Agency—all England’s waste authorities were within their allocation of landfill allowances for the first scheme year of LATS (2005-06).
Information about the performance of all waste disposal authorities in England with respect to allocated allowances is available on the LATS public register at: http://lats.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu =register&Module=publicRegister/registerMain
The Government believe that all sectors have an important role to play in achieving the significant challenge of meeting climate change objectives and landfill diversion targets. The London-wide Waste and Recycling Forum, announced in ‘The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly’, will bring together key interested parties, including London waste authorities, to improve waste minimisation and recycling, promote collaborative action and link waste with other London priorities around climate change, transport and employment.
In addition, the Greater London Authority will be subject to a specific duty to take action to mitigate the effects of climate change and adapt to its unavoidable impacts.
Further information is available on the Department for Communities and Local Government's website at: http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1500896.
Ragwort
The Weeds Act 1959 enables the Secretary of State to serve an enforcement notice on an occupier of land on which injurious weeds are growing, requiring them to take action to prevent the spread of weeds. It is an offence to fail unreasonably to comply with an enforcement notice served under the Act. The Act also enables the Secretary of State to take default action to clear weeds, where control action has not been taken following the issue of an enforcement notice.
Defra takes action under the Weeds Act where there is a risk to the welfare of horses and other livestock. Under revised procedures for investigating complaints about injurious weeds, introduced in 2003, Defra has made far greater use of the statutory powers available under the Weeds Act. To date we have issued 134 enforcement notices and taken clearance action in three cases. There have been no prosecutions under the Act.
The Ragwort Control Act 2003 amended the Weeds Act 1959 and provided for the preparation of a Code of Practice on how to prevent the spread of ragwort. The Code was published in July 2004 and provides comprehensive advice on the control of ragwort. It is available from Defra Publications (telephone: 08459 55 6000) and is on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/horses/topics/ragwort.htm.
The Code and revised enforcement procedures have increased public awareness of the dangers to horses and other livestock from ragwort, and are proving effective in preventing the spread of ragwort where there is a threat to animal welfare. This is illustrated by the fact that, in the vast majority of cases, where Defra has served an enforcement notice, land managers have acted promptly to take action to clear weeds.
The Code of Practice was published in July 2004. Defra worked with The British Horse Society, English Nature, Wildlife and Countryside Link, ADAS, the British Beekeepers Association, Network Rail and representatives of Local Government to draw up the Code. There was also a formal public consultation on the Code as required by the provisions of the Ragwort Control Act 2003. Further details are available on the Defra website at: http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/consult/ragwort/index.htm.
Rainforests (Soya Production)
We do not restrict meat imports based on the source of the soya fed to the animals. However, the UK, through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund, is supporting the Amazon Deforestation Soya Certification Project. This is aimed at helping to combat deforestation by developing an independent certification scheme for “forest-friendly” soya.
Sheep Dip
The research project into the neuropsychological sequelae of organophosphate poisoning allegedly caused by sheep dipping is part of the Government’s £1.5 million programme looking at the hypothesis that the use of organophosphate sheep dips is the cause of ill health reported by some farmers and others. The contractors from University College, London met with the Veterinary Products Committee’s Medical and Scientific Panel and Defra officials on 15 September to discuss concerns about the scientific viability of the project and, in particular, the difficulties experienced by the contractor in identifying individuals to act as a reference group with whom to compare the health of sheep dippers.
At the meeting the Medical and Scientific Panel agreed to provide a written appraisal of the approach proposed by the contractors. However, their written appraisal has not yet been received.
Single Farm Payments
As of the 11 October 2006 of the 116,474 English SPS 2005 claimants 113,461 have received either a partial or full payment which leaves approximately 3,013 that are still to receive a payment. This is 2.6 per cent. of the total number of 2005 Single Farm Payment Scheme claimants and equates to £11 million yet to be paid.
Analysis of the above by region is not available.
As of the 11 October 2006 of the 116,474 English SPS 2005 claimants 113,461 have received either a partial or full payment which leaves 3,013 that are still to receive a payment.
Analysis of the above by region is not available.
Veterinary Bill
While there are some strong arguments for modernising the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966, there is currently no set timetable to produce a draft Bill.
We are considering proposals submitted by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) to modernise the current arrangements for self regulation. These place greater emphasis on ensuring that veterinary surgeons maintain appropriate levels of competence. They also include improved arrangements for the management of complaints against vets.
We will work closely with the RCVS and other stakeholders to consider if their proposals provide an appropriate and proportionate framework for the future.
Waste Management/Recycling
Approximately 350,000 to 400,000 tonnes of waste oil are collected in the UK annually. This represents about 80 per cent. of collectable oil and is one of the highest collection rates in Europe. All collected oil is recovered as a replacement fuel or is used as a reducing agent in the manufacture of steel.
The reuse of waste oil requires it to be regenerated into base lube oil in a re-refinery. This remains a possibility in the UK while oil prices remain high and operators are looking to establish re-refining plants here.
Exact figures for the amount of packaging waste sent to landfill sites in the UK are not available. However, if one assumes that all packaging waste that is not recovered (either through recycling or Energy from Waste) goes to landfill, then the proportion of packaging waste that has been sent to landfill is provided in the table.
Packaging waste recovered (%) (%) Tonnage (mT) 1998 32.6 67.4 6.9 1999 38.2 61.8 5.7 2000 42.0 58.0 5.3 2001 47.9 52.1 4.9 2002 50.5 49.5 4.9 2003 52.7 47.3 4.8 2004 55.6 44.4 4.5 2005 59.9 40.1 4.1
Please note that although the percentage of packaging waste recovered has increased year on year, the amount of packaging waste entering the waste stream has also increased, which is why the estimated tonnage of packaging waste going to landfill has not decreased in line with increases in recovery.
Data on the amount of packaging waste recovered and recycled had to be collected only after the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations came into force in 1997. Therefore, figures for the years preceding 1998 are unavailable.
Results for all local authorities in South West England, for years for which data are available, are listed in the following table.
Percentage Local authority in South West England 2004-051 2003-04 2002-03 2001-02 2000-01 1999-2000 1998-99 Isles of Scilly n/a 19 20 21 17 8 10 Bath and North East Somerset 32 29 26 25 24 21 17 Bristol City 12 12 14 11 11 10 9 Restormel 20 13 11 11 9 8 8 Penwith 20 16 7 3 3 3 3 North Cornwall 27 21 9 2 1 2 7 Kerrier 23 20 16 13 7 7 6 Carrick 30 n/a 13 12 11 7 7 Caradon 23 21 15 11 4 2 2 Cornwall County 26 21 16 11 9 7 6 West Devon 29 22 21 20 15 16 15 Torridge 24 22 17 13 12 10 11 Torbay 22 21 20 18 17 17 10 Teignbridge 27 15 12 11 10 12 12 South Hams 26 17 22 16 18 17 14 Plymouth City 16 16 15 16 14 10 8 North Devon 22 18 15 12 9 10 10 Mid Devon 18 16 15 14 11 6 11 Exeter City 22 17 14 12 11 10 10 East Devon 16 15 15 13 14 11 9 Devon County 33 26 22 20 19 18 17 Poole 23 19 18 15 17 20 22 Bournemouth 22 25 23 24 20 19 24 Weymouth and Portland 20 15 12 12 12 12 15 West Dorset 21 14 13 12 10 9 9 Purbeck 16 13 13 10 12 13 16 North Dorset 20 18 16 16 16 15 18 East Dorset 26 19 17 16 16 16 19 Christchurch 21 19 13 12 12 11 11 Dorset County 34 29 27 27 27 27 31 Tewkesbury 15 14 8 8 7 7 7 Stroud 21 22 20 16 17 15 13 Gloucester City 11 12 12 7 7 6 6 Forest of Dean 33 27 12 9 9 11 11 Cotswold 19 18 16 17 17 19 19 Cheltenham 18 n/a 12 9 n/a 7 8 Gloucestershire County 24 21 17 14 13 11 12 North Somerset 20 15 13 13 11 10 7 West Somerset 16 15 12 10 10 9 8 Taunton Deane 21 18 13 10 12 10 12 South Somerset 17 15 11 10 10 10 11 Sedgemoor 15 11 9 6 7 6 6 Mendip 16 14 14 6 7 7 8 Somerset County 32 27 21 15 15 13 14 South Gloucestershire 32 16 13 9 8 7 7 Swindon 19 16 14 10 13 15 15 West Wiltshire 17 8 5 9 8 7 7 Salisbury 19 15 15 14 16 17 16 North Wiltshire 16 n/a 7 n/a n/a n/a 5 Kennet 16 9 9 12 12 10 13 Wiltshire County 27 19 17 18 10 11 10 1 Results for 2004-05 are the current best value performance indicator percentages, BV 82a+b recycling and composting rate. Notes: 1. Fully audited data on local authority household recycling and composting performance for 2005-6 should be available later this year. Data for 1996-97 and 1997-8 are unavailable. 2. Household waste currently constitutes approximately 86 per cent of waste collected by local authorities. There are no comparable results available for all waste recycled at local authority level. Source: Defra Municipal Waste Management Statistics.
The percentage of household waste that was recycled and composted by English local authorities for each year for which figures are available are listed as follows:
Percentage 1996-97 7.5 1997-98 8.2 1998-99 9.0 1999-90 10.0 2000-01 11.2 2001-02 12.5 2002-03 14.5 2003-04 17.8 2004-05 22.5 Source: DEFRA Municipal Waste Management Statistics
In addition, a provisional estimate has recently been made based on unaudited Best Value Performance Indicators, BV82a+b, that the recycling and composting rate for 2005-06 was around 27 per cent.
Woodland
The area of new woodland created comes principally from the area of Forestry Commission grant aided planting as well as planting by the Commission on the public forest estate. In addition a small area is planted each year without grant aid. The following table gives the total area created each year.
Thousand of hectares England Wales Scotland Great Britain 1985-86 1.4 0.8 21.6 23.7 1986-87 1.5 0.9 22.3 24.7 1987-88 1.9 1.1 25.8 28.9 1988-89 2.0 1.0 26.4 29.4 1989-90 3.7 0.7 15.3 19.7 1990-91 4.5 0.5 14.0 19.1 1991-92 4.2 0.4 12.7 17.3 1992-93 5.3 0.4 12.1 17.9 1993-94 6.4 0.6 10.5 17.5 1994-95 5.4 0.6 13.4 19.4 1995-96 4.7 0.4 10.6 15.7 1996-97 4.7 0.4 11.8 16.8 1997-98 4.4 0.5 11.4 16.3 1998-99 5.1 0.6 10.5 16.3 1999-2000 5.9 0.7 10.4 17.1 2000-01 5.9 0.4 11.7 18.1 2001-02 5.4 0.3 8.0 13.7 2002-03 5.9 0.3 6.7 13.0 2003-04 4.6 0.5 6.8 11.9 2004-05 5.3 0.5 5.7 11.5 2005-06 3.7 0.5 4.0 8.1
Trade and Industry
Banking (Penalty Charges)
I refer my hon. Friend to his question answered on 10 October 2006, Official Report, column 711W.
Bankruptcy Restrictions Orders
From 1 April 2004 to 30 September 2006, a total of 1,609 bankruptcy restrictions orders (or undertakings) have been made. This represents 1.3 per cent. of all bankruptcy orders made over the same period (the total number of bankruptcy orders made in this period is 121,648).
Data Standards
BS7666 is a set of standards on “Spatial datasets for geographical referencing”. It provides a method of identifying places. BS8766 “Names and identifiers of individuals and groups” provides a method of recording names and identifiers of individuals and groups. They provide for compatibility of information between different producers and users of information based on the standards.
Further information can be obtained from the British Standards Institute (David Cowers–020 8996 7419), and for BS7666, the Association for Geographic Information (AGI) at www.agi.org.uk.
European Landscape Convention
The Government do embrace the principles of the European Landscape Convention through the work of their advisors on landscape and seascape matters. Natural England and the Countryside Council for Wales are responsible for advising on both onshore and offshore wind farm consent applications.
Gas Supply
(2) what percentage of households in Wales is without mains gas;
(3) what percentage of households in England is without mains gas.
The English House Condition Survey 2004 indicates that 13 per cent. of English households are without mains gas. The Welsh House Condition Survey 2004 indicates that 19 per cent. of Welsh households are without mains gas. The Government do not hold information about access to the gas network on a constituency basis, but DTI’s regional consumption statistics include information about the number of gas meters relative to the number of households in areas within Wales. The statistics may be accessed at http://www.dti.gov.uk/files/file27542.xls.
National Institute for Medical Research
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: This is a matter for the Medical Research Council (MRC). I have asked Professor Blakemore to write to my hon. Friend.
(2) why correspondence from the Office of Science and Innovation in response to the draft business case drawn up by the Medical Research Council (MRC) on the future of the National Institute for Medical Research (NIMR) was not copied to members of the NIMR sitting on the MRC project board; and if he will make a statement.
These are matters for the Medical Research Council. I have asked Professor Blakemore to write to my hon. Friend.
Redundancies
I regret that I am unable to provide the figures by constituency. The number of notified collective redundancies of 20 or more per establishment since 1 July 2006 is 991 notifications showing a total of 92,189 redundancies.
TV Signal Reception Installers
Since the Registered Digital Installer (RDI) scheme was launched in March 2006, 42 installers have completed their training. These are located largely in the West Midlands and South Wales. The number of aerial installers currently attending training courses is set out in the following table.
ITV region Number of installers enrolled in training Border 15 West Country 10 Wales 32 Granada 45 West 2 Grampian 4 Scottish — Central 62 Yorkshire 59 Anglia — Meridian 6 London — Tyne Tees 36 Ulster — Total 271
At present, 13 further education colleges are providing the NVQ level training that forms a central element of the RDI scheme. We expect the number of RDIs to increase significantly over the coming months as more colleges begin to provide training.
World Trade
A successful Doha round could deliver real benefits to developed and developing nations through increasing trade, stimulating economic growth and helping to alleviate poverty. The exact gains that developed and developing nations could derive from the Doha round are difficult to calculate, because they depend on a large number of variables. Although the UK has not conducted an independent assessment of the impact of the Doha development agenda, the European Commission has undertaken a full Sustainability Impact Assessment (SIA) of the possible economic, development, environmental and social impacts of a DDA agreement. This assessment is available on the internet at http://www.sia-trade.org/FinalPhase FinalReports.shtml.
Treasury
Arms Export Controls
HM Revenue and Customs judgment that there is not widespread abuse of export controls is based on their assessment of the export control breaches either detected at the frontier or referred or disclosed to them and their evaluation of the intelligence and other information available to them. HMRC does not have a precisely defined numerical threshold for widespread abuse. They regard as abuse those cases where there is evidence of a deliberate breach involving destinations of concern or particularly sensitive goods.
HMRC’s centrally driven risk testing exercises involve HMRC staff as well as experts from other Departments and the intelligence agencies. There have been 11 such exercises since the first took place in July 2004 although customs managers in ports and airports also carry out their own local exercises that will include elements of risk testing.
A typical exercise will comprise between six and 10 HMRC staff, who are deployed on a multi-functional and flexible basis. Accurate estimates of staff and other costs are not available.
Burma
No loans to Burma by the European Investment Bank (EIB) have been made.
The ECOFIN Council is currently discussing the framework for lending by the EIB outside of the European Community (EC) guaranteed by the EC, covering the period 2007-13—the so-called “external lending mandate”. No decision has yet been taken on the mandate, including on the procedures for agreeing eligibility of loan recipients in specific countries.
Child Benefit
This information is not available. However, the number of families in each local authority in England and Wales receiving child benefit from August 2001 to August 2005 are available on the Neighbourhood Statistics section of the National Statistics website.
http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/datasetList.do?JSAllowed=true&Function=&%24ph=60&CurrentPageId=60&step=1&CurrentTreeIndex=-1&searchString=&datasetFamilyId=215&Next.x= 12&Next.y=l3
Childcare Vouchers
Employers and employees are not required to report the value of tax-free employer supported child care provided to employees since the tax and national insurance contributions exemptions were introduced in April 2005. HMRC has commissioned the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen), an independent social research organisation, to conduct a survey of employers with a view to providing estimates of take-up among employers and their employees.
Children's Tax Credit
The former Inland Revenue (IR) ran an extensive advertising campaign in the national press, on the radio and online, in addition to a television campaign that ran for three weeks in September 2002. The deadline for submitting a claim to ensure a claimant received a full year's award for 2003-04 was 7 July 2003. This too was publicised widely in advertisements appearing in national and regional newspapers, on television and radio and online throughout June 2003.
Self-assessment (SA) taxpayers who had the former children's tax credit included in their 2002-03 pay as you earn (PAYE) coding were automatically sent a tax credits claim pack to enable them to claim the new tax credits (NTC), in good time, prior to April 2003. All notices of coding, issued ahead of the new income tax year 2003-04, carried a message and enclosed a letter that explained how IR was changing the way they paid support for children.
The IR identified potential NIC claimants who did not have employed earnings or did not have children's tax credit in their PAYE coding in 2002-03, but claimed children's tax credit on their 2001-02 SA return by 31 January 2003, by comparing data held on their SA and NTC records. That exercise enabled IR to identify and send claim packs to around 675,000 SA customers, who had not already submitted a claim for NTC to enable them to claim tax credits.
Community Club Development Programme (VAT)
The information requested is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT relating to individual goods and services.
Correspondence
I have replied to my right hon. Friend.
Cultural Purposes Exemption (VAT)
This information is not available. HM Revenue and Customs does not collect data on VAT relating to individual goods and services.
Departmental Meetings
(2) what representations he has received from Sir Christopher Evans to increase public expenditure on stem cell research.
[holding answers 9 and 12 October 2006]: Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with and receive representations from a wide range of organisations and individuals in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. As was the case with previous Administrations, it is not the Government’s practice to provide details of all such meetings and representations.
European Investment Bank
The European Investment Bank (EIB) has been self-sufficient in the last five years. Therefore, the UK has not paid any contributions to the EIB’s capital base in this period.
In 2004, the UK agreed to make a voluntary contribution of €2 million to the Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment Partnership (FEMIP) Trust Fund. The first instalment of €1 million was paid in January 2005 and a second instalment of €1 million was made in March 2006.
Family Incomes
The table provides the information requested. Estimates of average earnings for each financial year are based on figures from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings and HMT assumptions about in-year earnings growth. Net income is defined as earnings, less income tax and national insurance contributions, plus child benefit, family credit or tax credits.
£ Half male mean earnings Half male median earnings 1997-98 261 248 1998-99 260 247 1999-20001 312 292 2000-01 323 302 2001-02 339 316 2002-03 342 319 2003-04 342 320 2004-05 345 324 2005-06 348 327 2006-07 350 328 1 assuming WFTC in place of family credit
Financial Inclusion Taskforce
Minutes of the Financial Inclusion Taskforce meeting on 11 July are now available on the Financial Inclusion Taskforce website. They can be accessed at www.financialinclusion-taskforce.org.uk.
Game Birds
Valuation officers (VOs) of the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) are responsible for the valuation of non-domestic property for rating purposes.
The VOA make assessments of game farms in all cases where it is appropriate to do so, in accordance with current rating legislation, responsibility for which rests with the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Inheritance Tax
The number of estates paying inheritance tax is published on the HMRC website at:
http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/stats/tax_receipts/1_4_apr06.xls
UK population estimates are published on the ONS website as follows:
Years 1976 to 2004: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=9468
Year 2005: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/STATBASE/Product.asp?vlnk=601
The number of taxpaying estates has been less than 0.1 per cent. of the population in each year over the past 30 years.
International Passenger Survey
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 October 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning how much the International Passenger Survey has cost in each of the years since 2001. (94109)
The figures shown in the table below are in millions and relate to the financial years across the period in question.
Financial year Cost (£ million) 2000-01 3.4 2001-02 3.6 2002-03 3.6 2003-04 3.7 2004-05 4.1 2005-06 4.4
Iraq
According to IMF estimates, the overall stock of external debt owed by Iraq at the time of the November 2004 Paris Club debt deal amounted to $119 billion. In November 2004, the Paris Club group of official creditors agreed with Iraq to cancel $31.1 billion (80 per cent.) of their total $38.9 billion claims on Iraq in three stages;
An immediate cancellation of 30 per cent. of the debt stock as at 1 January 2005;
A further 30 per cent. cancellation once a standard IMF programme for Iraq was approved; and
An additional 20 per cent. cancellation upon a successful IMF Board review of Iraq’s implementation of three-years of standard IMF programmes.
The 2004 Paris Club Agreement also included a clause, which required Iraq to seek comparable debt relief from all its other non-Paris Club sovereign and commercial creditors. All Paris Club and some non- Paris Club sovereign creditors have delivered the first two tranches of debt cancellation. Commercial creditors have also delivered comparable debt relief. We expect remaining non-Paris Club creditors to follow suit.
The total amount of Iraqi debt cancelled to date (including by Paris Club, non-Paris Club sovereign and commercial creditors) is $42.3 billion. The UK has cancelled £672 million of Iraq’s £1,122.8 million debt owed to the UK and will cancel a further £225 million (20 per cent. of UK’s original debt stock) in accordance with the terms of the Paris Club agreement.
IT Equipment
The Government's capital allowance regime allows all businesses to offset the cost of investment in plant and machinery, including expenditure on information technology equipment, against their business profits. In the 2005 pre-Budget report, the Chancellor announced that first year capital allowances for small businesses' investment expenditure in plant and machinery would be increased to 50 per cent. for the 2006-07 tax year. More details on the capital allowance system can be found at http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/manuals/camanual/CA20000.htm
Markets in Financial Instruments Directive
The Markets in Financial Instruments Directive (MiFID) was approved by member states, including the UK, through ECOFIN in April 2004 using a written procedure. The directive’s implementing measures were approved by member states, including the UK, at a meeting of the European Securities Committee in June of this year.
The European Commission produced an impact assessment for MiFID in November 2002 when it published its proposal for the directive. The Treasury published an initial impact assessment with its Explanatory Memorandum on the Commission’s proposal for a directive in December 2002. A partial impact assessment on the implementation of MiFID in the UK was published with the Treasury’s consultation document on MiFID implementation in December 2005.
Mortgages
Average building society mortgage rates for the last 30 years are provided in the following table, sourced from the Compendium of Housing Finance Statistics produced by the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
Average building society mortgage rate 1975 11.08 1976 11.06 1977 11.05 1978 9.55 1979 11.94 1980 14.92 1981 14.01 1982 13.30 1983 11.03 1984 12.19 1985 13.01 1986 12.32 1987 10.34 1988 12.75 1989 14.44 1990 14.34 1991 11.39 1992 8.98 1993 7.94 1994 7.84 1995 7.48 1996 6.51 1997 7.58 1998 7.29 1999 6.49 2000 6.65 2001 5.17 2002 4.96 2003 4.64 2004 5.21 2005 5.15
Necrotising Enterocolitis
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking how many babies and children died from necrotising enterocolitis in each year between 2000 and 2006. (94277)
The latest year for which figures are available is 2004. The number of neonatal deaths with any mention of necrotising enterocolitis on the death certificate and number of postneonatal deaths with necrotising enterocolitis as underlying cause of death, in England and Wales, from 2000 to 2004 are given in the table below. There were no deaths with necrotising enterocolitis as underlying cause of death in children aged 1 year and over, in this time period.
Neonatal death Postneonatal death 2000 92 8 2001 79 22 2002 83 41 2003 98 43 2004 82 55 1 Deaths under 28 days of life. 2 Deaths at ages 28 days and over but under one year. 3 Figures for 2000 were extracted using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 9th revision code 777.5 and from 2001 onwards, ICD 10th revision code P77 was used.
Objective 1 Status
The management of the objective 1 programme in Wales is a devolved matter for the Welsh Assembly Government.
The UK Government have provided sufficient funding through spending review settlements for the Welsh Assembly Government in the 2000, 2002 and 2004 spending reviews to enable the Welsh Assembly Government to implement the objective 1 programme in full.
Parliamentary Questions
I replied to the hon. Member on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 291W.
Population Statistics
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the national statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 October 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about which local authorities have been identified by the Office for National Statistics as being affected by flawed population statistics. (94071)
The local authority population estimates are calculated from a number of different components. The data sources upon which these components are based vary in terms of their reliability. The Office for National Statistics recognises this and acknowledges that the most difficult to measure component is migration. ONS therefore accepts that LAs with a rapidly changing population structure will be more difficult to measure. Nevertheless, the mid-year population estimates are the best available and are as accurate as possible given the limitations of current sources.
In September 2004 ONS revised the population estimates of 15 local authorities, which were identified as being the hardest to count areas in the 2001 Census. These were: Westminster, Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff, Newcastle, Derby, Hartlepool, Middlesborough, Stockton-on-Tees, Kingston upon Hull, Milton Keynes, Sunderland, Wandsworth, Wirral, and Southwark. Details of the LA Studies report can be found here:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_population/LAStudy_FullReport.pdf
There is no conclusive evidence available to suggest that any other LAs have been either under or overestimated. ONS is however continuing to invest resources into researching alternative sources and methodologies and has set up the Improving Migration and Population Statistics Project, details of which can be found here:
http://www.statistics.gov.uk/about/data/methodology/specific/population/future/imps/default.asp
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 17 October 2006:
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about what purposes mid-year population estimate statistics are used for in addition to local government finance. (94110)
Mid-year population estimates currently have a wide variety of uses within central government, as well as being used by local authorities and health bodies, other public bodies, commercial companies and individuals in the private and academic sector.
As the estimates are made freely available via a number of publication routes, including the internet, it is impossible to list all their uses. However, these uses can be categorised into two broad groups:
Uses where the absolute numbers are of key importance. This may be in terms of allocating financial resources from central government, planning services or grossing up survey results. Some of the main central government uses are concerned with resource allocation and are carried out by the Department for Communities and Local Government for England, and by the Welsh Assembly Government.
Uses where the population figures are compared with other figures such as the numbers of births or deaths in the calculation of rates and ratios.
Specific uses include:
Funding allocation between UK countries in the Barnett formula, by the EU to determine structural fund allocations, by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the Welsh Assembly Government for local authorities and Department of Health for Primary Care Organisations;
As a base for calculation of population estimates by marital status, population estimates by ethnic origin, population estimates for private household estimates, and quarterly population estimates;
As a base for population projections, marital status projections, and in household projections;
In the calculation of rates, including mortality rates, morbidity rates, fertility rates, divorce rates, marriage rates and unemployment rates;
To weight or ‘gross up’ household surveys like the Survey of English Housing and the Labour Force Survey;
By Government Departments and local authorities for planning and policy monitoring;
By commercial companies for combination with marketing information;
For comparison (on their own or with other data) with other countries by international organisations like the EU, UN, and OECD;
By the EU to determine allocation of votes under qualified majority voting;
And by academics in a wide range of research.
Premier League
HM Revenue and Customs has an on-going Employer Compliance and VAT Assurance programme whereby all businesses including football clubs are risked assessed annually. Regular visits are undertaken to businesses to examine their records. The Department is statutorily debarred from disclosing information relating to the tax affairs of those businesses.
Tax Credits
HMRC has regular meetings with the Public and Commercial Services Union to discuss a wide range of matters which affect their members, but are unaware of any specific queries relating to tax credit organised fraud raised by the PCS during April 2005.
(2) how many recorded instances the IT system that deals with working family tax credits has overloaded and failed in the last 12 months;
(3) what capacity there is to store information on the IT system that processes working family tax credits; and what capacity there is to protect this information in the event of system breakdown;
(4) what contractual obligations the supplier of the IT system for the working family tax credit is under for (a) remedial, (b) compensatory and (c) support services in circumstances where the system becomes inoperative.
The working families tax credit system was decommissioned in April 2005, following the introduction of the working tax credit (WTC) and child tax credit (CTC) in 2003. The following relates to WTC and CTC.
In the event of a system failure the system and its data can be recovered to the point of failure as back- up copies of data are kept as part of the design of the system. Data and information is fully backed up on a daily basis and securely stored off site.
The system supporting these credits has not overloaded and there have been no system failures caused by an overload in the period referred to.
The current tax credits system is designed to cater for all recipients of WTC and CTC and the system databases currently support up to six terabytes of data.
These tax credits are provided for contractually under the provisions of the Aspire contract dated 5 January 2004, as amended, and the specific IT Service Requirement (service level agreement) agreed for New Tax Credits (NTC).
Capgemini are responsible for the availability of the online service during the contracted hours, for key transactions, problem and incident investigation and remediation, batch processing, training and security. In the event of failure against the agreed performance measures for availability and completeness of batch processing, Capgemini will be liable for service credits which provide the Department with a rebate of service charges for the service not received.
For estimates of the numbers of in-work families with tax credit awards, including information on overpayments, by constituency I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to my right hon. Friend the Member for Birkenhead (Mr. Field), on 16 June 2006, Official Report, column 1421W. Information on recovery of overpayments is not available at constituency level.
Valuation Office Agency
A copy of the findings of the Valuation Office Agency’s latest staff attitude survey will be placed in the Library. The figures regarding staff satisfaction are published annually in the agency’s annual report and accounts.
VAT (Fruit Drinks)
Most foodstuffs are VAT zero-rated, saving consumers approximately £10.6 billion in the last financial year. This zero rate does not however extend to certain beverages, including fruit drinks. Under binding European VAT agreements, made at the time of the UK’s accession to the EC and subsequently, the UK can maintain its existing zero rates but successive Governments have agreed not to extend these, or to introduce new ones. It is therefore not possible under these agreements to remove VAT from fruit drinks and other beverages.
These same agreements do allow the UK to introduce a reduced rate of VAT of not less than 5 per cent. for foodstuffs which are not zero-rated. While all taxes are kept under review, the use of VAT reduced rates have been used where the tax system offers the most effective and best targeted support for our social objectives, when compared with other policy instruments.
The 2004 Wanless report on public health highlighted difficulties of principle and practice with dietary based tax changes to support public health. To date, the Government have therefore focused resources to encourage healthy eating choices outside the tax system.
Culture, Media and Sport
Gambling
My Department and the Gambling Commission have launched the following consultation on the Gambling Act 2005.
Completed consultation Length (weeks) Responses Cost (£) Categories of gaming machines 12 0 — Final date for applications for new casinos Under Gaming Act 1968 12 0 — Licensing authority policy statement 12 34 — Premises licence fees—costing exercise 6 42 — Premises permit fees—costing exercise 6 22 — Transitional arrangements 12 45 1,992 Open consultation Categories of casino regulations 212 6 — Personal licensing 38 0 — Premises licences (mandatory and default conditions) 412 111 — Premises licence regulations 512 111 — Premises licence hearings regulations 612 111 — Premises licence inspection regulations 78 110 — Premise licence responsible authority regulations 88 110 — Gambling Commission Completed consultation Guidance to licensing authorities Part 1: Main Guidance 12 72 15,430 Guidance to licensing authorities Part 2: Small Society Lotteries 12 13 2,115 Licence conditions and codes of practice (LCCP) 13 80 12,693 Licensing, compliance and enforcement 12 44 10,386 Statement of principles on licensing and regulation 13 80 6,625 Supplementary to LCCP: Machine technical standards: Part 1 7 28 — Part 2 7 Not yet known — Open consultation Supplementary to LCCP: Financial conditions on gambling operators and personal licence holders 96 0 — Supplementary to LLCP: Types of and rules for casino games 106 0 — Joint DCMS and Gambling Commission Open consultation Gambling Commission fees 12 170 1,815 1 Figures given relate to physical production costs of documents only (i.e. typesetting and printing) and do not include staff time costs. Where no figure is given costs are negligible because they have been disseminated through e-mail and the web. 2 Consultation period ends 27 October 2006 3 Consultation period ends 8 November 2006 4 Consultation period ends 17 November 2006 5 Consultation period ends 15 December 2006 6 Consultation period ends 15 December 2006. 7 Consultation period began on 13 October 2006. 8 Consultation period began on 13 October 2006. 9 Consultation period began on 29 September 2006 10 Consultation period began 22 September 2006. 11 To date.
Online Casinos
My Department has made no estimate.
For the purposes of calculating draft fees for operating licences, the Gambling Commission assumed that seven remote casino operators would be based onshore from September 2007.
My Department has made no representations on this specific issue.
My Department has submitted evidence to the Swiss Institute of Comparative Law, which undertook a study on gambling services in the EU’s internal market on behalf of the European Commission, and an official attended a briefing for member states hosted by the Swiss Institute.
We continue to monitor this closely, including any relevant cases before the European Court of Justice.
Thames Gateway
My Department is working closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government (DCLG) to ensure that our sectors are fully integrated into plans for the Thames Gateway, and that London’s successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games provides long-term regeneration benefits for the Lower Lea Valley and the wider Thames Gateway.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport will address a plenary session on the role of culture in the Gateway at the annual Thames Gateway Forum on 23 November, and the Department and its non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) will be hosting an exhibition stand. The Secretary of State and the Minister for Culture also addressed the Thames Gateway Forum in 2005.
There are also a number of specific initiatives under way including:
a Cultural Co-ordinator for the North Kent section of the Thames Gateway was appointed in 2004 with funding from a number of DCMS NDPBs, to assist delivery organisations in the Gateway to plan for culture. The Cultural Co-ordinator was responsible for the publication of a Cultural Framework and Toolkit on 20 July 2006 which provides a vision for culture within the North Kent section of the Thames Gateway, an assessment of current cultural provision in this area, and a directory of the advice and funding available.
a Cultural Co-ordinator for the London section of the Gateway has also been appointed, and there are plans for a similar post in South Essex.
English Heritage published a characterisation study—A Welcome Home: a sense of place in the Thames Gateway—in 2004, which gave a broad overview of the character of the area’s historic environment and to develop a model for assessing its sensitivity.
the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment has been commissioned by the Thames Gateway Strategic Partnership to do a study of the existing character and identity of the Gateway and the places that form it; the drivers for future change; and the role of design in creating a positive, new identity for the Gateway that enhances and improves the landscape and built form.
Education and Skills
Child Trust Funds
The estimated costs for the proposal to top up the Child Trust Fund for children in care in the UK are as follows:
£ 2008-09 740,000 2009-10 919,000 2010-11 1,121,000 2011-12 1,360,000 2012-13 1,622,000 2013-14 1,909,000 2014-15 2,243,000 2015-16 2,613,000 2016-17 3,018,000 2017-18 3,472,000 2018-19 3,985,000 2019-20 4,545,000 2020-21 5,106,000 2021-22 5,333,000
The estimated costs for the creation of a £2,000 bursary to help children in care in England go to university are as follows:
£ 2008-09 900,000 2009-10 990,000 2010-11 1,089,000
Curriculum Online
The Curriculum Online website site has attracted over 3 million visits since it was launched in 2003.
The Curriculum Online website has been designed and updated in consultation with teachers. It has a powerful and innovative search engine that allows teachers to search by subject, title, size of resource (e.g. from a single lesson to whole school) or supplier. Teachers can even search for Foundation resources only, SEN resources only, free/priced resources, or resources for use with an interactive whiteboard. Many products carry independent evaluations and/or teacher reviews to help teachers further in their decision making. The ability to view quotes from several suppliers for the same product can also help teachers to make purchases which offer better value for their money.
Director General for Higher Education
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: The Department will review the position later in the year and take a decision then. In the meantime, we have an interim in place.
Further Education Enrolment
Full-year figures showing the number of people enrolled on LSC-funded courses in Further Education (FE) for 2005-06 and 2006-07 will not be published until December 2006 and December 2007 respectively. However, early-year estimates for participation in 2005-06 were published in a Statistical First Release (SFR) in March 2006, and show the numbers of learners enrolled on FE courses on 1 October 2005. The following table is based on the data underpinning that SFR.
Age of learner Number of learners (000) 19 and under 736.7 20-25 259.2 26-60 1,042.2 61 and older 134.2 Total 2,172.2
Higher Education Maintenance Grant
It is assumed that the question refers to the higher education grant (HEG) introduced for new students in academic year 2004/05, rather than the new HE maintenance grant which will be introduced in 2006/07, and the question has been answered on this basis. The HEG did not exist before 2004/2005.
The number1 of English domiciled students in each Government Office region in receipt of a Higher Education Grant in 2004/05 and 2005/06 (provisional) is given in the table.
Government Office region 2004/05 2005/062 East Midlands 7,500 13,900 East of England 7,700 14,100 London 22,200 40,600 North East 4,800 8,600 North West 15,600 27,900 South East 11,800 21,700 South West 9,300 16,900 West Midlands 10,900 19,700 Yorkshire and The Humber 9,700 17,400 Total3 99,400 180,800 1 Numbers rounded to the nearest hundred. 2 Provisional as at 10 October 2006. 3 The total may not be equal to the sum of the constituent parts due to rounding. Source: Student Loans Company (SLC).
Information Index
The technical specification for the information sharing index does not include the capacity for it to store photographs.
The index will hold only basic identifying information, contact details for parents, carers and services accessed, and an indication that a practitioner has information to share, is taking action, or has undertaken an assessment.
This intention is clearly specified in section 12 of the Children Act 2004.
Student Loans
We will be evaluating the performance of the pilot in order to learn lessons for the development of the new service which will be rolled out nationally from September 2008 for students starting higher education in the 2009-10 academic year. The Student Loans Company has reported that the pilot unit is currently processing applications within the laid down national performance standards.
Teenage Pregnancy
(2) what representations (a) Ministers and (b) officials from his Department have received from (i) individuals and (ii) organisations about the recommendations made by the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy to require compulsory lessons in schools on abortion; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how much funding his Department has provided to the Independent Advisory Group on Teenage Pregnancy since July.
The Teenage Pregnancy Independent Advisory Group's (TPIAG) fourth annual report—published in September 2006—included six recommendations, none of which called on Government to introduce compulsory lessons in schools on abortion.
In her foreword, however, the TPIAG Chair—Gill Frances—did argue that pregnant young women and their partners should have access to impartial, evidence-based information on the options open to them, including abortion, to help inform the decision about whether or not to continue with the pregnancy. This is a view with which the Government concurs. TPIAG report that many myths prevail, including the fact that abortion may lead to infertility, which they are concerned may be a contributory factor to repeat abortions.
The TPIAG Chair also argues that school-based Sex and Relationship Education (SRE) programmes should provide opportunities to convey factual information about abortion. The Government expect all schools to offer comprehensive SRE programmes, in line with its SRE guidance to schools, issued in 2000. Schools are also encouraged to evaluate their SRE programmes against the QCA’s end of key stage statements, issued in November 2005.
Ministers in the Department for Education and Skills have received a small amount of correspondence from members of the public concerned about press reports, which wrongly said that TPIAG had called for schools to ‘promote the benefits’ of abortion. This was not the case.
The TPIAG monitors implementation and makes independent recommendations on the future development of the teenage pregnancy strategy. Government will publish its formal response to TPIAG’s report early next year.
Members of TPIAG are not paid a salary. All members receive a daily rate for attending meetings (110). The Chair receives an annuity of £15,000 a year, including expenses, reflecting the time and commitment put into tackling this important Government priority.
(2) if he will make a statement on the future of the Teenage Pregnancy Unit.
There has been steady progress on reducing under-18 conception rates since the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy was launched in 1999. Between 1998 (the baseline year for the strategy) and 2004 (the latest year for which data are available), the under-18 rate has fallen by 11.1 per cent. and the under-16 rate has fallen by 15.2 per cent. Both rates are now at their lowest levels for 20 years.
Delivery guidance issued to local authorities and primary care trusts in July 2006 set out what was working in areas with sharply declining rates and requires all areas to reflect these findings in their future plans. A broader strategy document published in September 2006 provided analysis on the underlying causes of teenage pregnancy, to help local areas to target their strategies on young people at greatest risk.
The strategy includes a challenging public service agreement target to halve the under-18 conception rate by 2010 (compared to the 1998 baseline rate). We envisage that we will continue to need a small team of policy officials within DfES (the Teenage Pregnancy Unit currently has seven members of staff) to drive forward the Strategy. Broad estimates calculate that every pound spent on the Strategy, results in savings of four pounds to the public purse, when assessed over a period of five years.
Third Sector Forum Children & Young People's Services
The DfES third sector forum met for the first time in July this year and agreed their terms of reference as “to increase opportunities for effective third sector engagement in children and young people's services, propose solutions and work together to promote agreed action”. The forum's 36 members, representing a wide range of organisations, do not look at specific issue-related needs of children and young people but at the generic ways to improve opportunities for third sector organisations. There are no representatives from organisations which work specifically with children with communication disabilities.
University Grants
The table shows the number of students in England and Wales receiving maintenance grants1, 2 from 1985-863 to 2005-06.
Academic year4 Students (000) 1985-86 306 1986-87 306 1987-88 304 1988-89 313 1989-90 329 1990-91 360 1991-92 420 1992-93 496 1993-94 561 1994-95 586 1995-96 583 1996-97 563 1997-98 555 1998-99 5359 1999-2000 209 2000-01 69 2001-02 16 2002-03 n/a 2003-04 n/a 2004-05 107 2005-06 6202 1 Data do not include numbers receiving supplementary grants and allowances e.g. students with disabilities, students with dependents, single parent students, those incurring certain travel costs and those who have recently left care. 2 Data do not include numbers receiving tuition fee remission grants. 3 The earliest year for which comparable data are available 4 Data prior to 2004-05 refer to Mandatory Award scheme students. These arrangements applied to students who entered HE up to 1997-98 who received support for maintenance through means-tested grants. Data were not collected for mandatory award students in 2002-03 and subsequent years because of the low numbers of students involved. In 2004-05 and 2005-06, data refer to Student Support Scheme Students (students entering from 1998-99 who received support for living costs mainly through loans which are partly income-assessed) in receipt of a full or part Higher Education Grant (HEG) which was introduced for new students entering from 2004-05. 5 The drop in the number of students receiving a grant from 1998-99 onwards reflects the fact that maintenance grants were replaced by loans for new students, therefore only existing students continued to receive a maintenance grant. 6 The large rise in the figures shown for 2005-06 reflects the fact that the HEG was introduced in 2004-05 for new students and is now in its second year. There are therefore two cohorts of students in receipt of the HEG, those commencing in 2004-05, and those commencing in 2005-06. Source: DfES F503G survey of Local Authorities, Student Loans Company (SLC)
Youth Centres
[holding answer 16 October]: I have been asked to reply on behalf of Secretary of State as this question falls within my ministerial responsibilities.
The Government do not collect specific information on the impact of youth centres or youth clubs.
We expect high quality youth work and the provision of positive activities to support young people to achieve their full potential and to help reduce young people's engagement in crime and antisocial behaviour. These activities will often be delivered through youth centres, but it is up to local authorities to decide how best to meet their duties and to respond to local needs in doing so.
Findings from the evaluation of the Positive Activities for Young People, a programme targeted at a hard-to-engage client group, show a range of positive outcomes for participating young people including contributing to reductions in criminal and antisocial behaviour and supporting young people back into education.
Wales
Engagements
As Secretary of State for Wales I have offices in Cardiff and London.
In my capacity as Secretary of State for Wales, I have carried out ministerial duties outside the office on 46 occasions in Wales, on two occasions in Northern Ireland and on two occasions in the West Midlands.
Ministerial Visits
Since taking up my post as Secretary of State for Wales and Northern Ireland in May 2005 I have spent 97 days in Wales on official business.
In addition to the time spent in Wales, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State and I undertake Wales business in Parliament in the Wales Office at Gwydyr House, London.
Tidal Power
In its submission to the Energy Review, the Welsh Assembly Government called for the Government to commission a new feasibility study on Severn tidal power and the contribution it could make towards reducing our carbon emissions. As Secretary of State, I supported this proposal.
In the Energy Review, the Government committed, together with the Welsh Assembly Government, to working with the Sustainable Development Commission, the South West of England Regional Development Agency and other key interested parties to explore the issues arising on the tidal resource in the UK. The study is expected to report in early 2007.
I and my Department will continue to maintain close discussions with the First Minister and his officials on this and other aspects of energy policy as this work is taken forward.
Work and Pensions
Child Support Agency
The administration of the Child Support Agency is the matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many telephone calls the Child Support Agency received in each of the last 12 months; and what proportion of these telephone calls were answered within (a) five minutes (b) 10 minutes and (c) 30 minutes.
Information on the Agency’s telephony performance is contained in table 16 of the Agency’s “Quarterly Summary of Statistics”, a copy of which is available in the House of Commons Library, or on the internet (http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/csa.asp).
As it is not currently possible to provide information on the proportion of calls answered within the different time bands specified, statistics on the percentage of calls answered, and the average time to do so, have been provided instead. A breakdown of this information for the twelve months to June 2006, the latest published information, is in the attached table.
The table shows that, for example, in the month of June 2006:
439,000 calls were received by the Child Support Agency.
437,000 of these calls had a recorded outcome, of which:
13% (57,000) of these calls never progressed to the point at which they were available for staff to answer (for example, because the call was abandoned by the caller during the automated touchtone part of the process).
87% (380,000) of these calls were available for staff to answer, of which:
98% (373,000) of these calls were actually answered.
2% of these calls were abandoned by the caller.
Calls were answered, on average, 21 seconds after becoming available to staff to answer, which is measured from the point at which the call leaves the automated touchtone part of the process.
It should be noted that the Agency’s telephony performance has greatly improved over the last year. The average time to answer calls decreased from 54 seconds in July 2005 to 21 seconds in June 2006 while the percentage of calls answered that were available for staff to answer increased from 92% to 98% over the same period.
I hope you find this helpful.
July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 Attempted customer calls 418,000 440,000 500,000 480,000 454,000 332,000 Calls for which outcome not recorded 5,000 4,000 4,000 4,000 2,000 2,000 Calls for which outcome recorded 413,000 436,000 496,000 476,000 452,000 331,000 of which: Percentage calls that received an engaged/busy tone 0 0 1 5 0 0 Percentage calls otherwise ineffective 2 2 3 3 2 1 Percentage calls abandoned/lost during the IVR process. 5 5 5 6 7 7 Percentage calls abandoned in the queue (post IVR) 8 9 11 8 6 4 Percentage calls answered 86 83 79 77 85 88 Total (percentage) 100 100 100 100 100 100 Percentage calls answered that were available to staff to answer (post IVR) 92 90 88 90 93 96 Average answer time from the queue (hh:mm:ss) 0:00:54 0:01:10 0:01:20 0:01:10 0:00:52 0:00:34
January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 Attempted customer calls 471,000 428,000 481,000 373,000 431,000 439,000 Calls for which outcome not recorded 3,000 1,000 3,000 0 0 2,000 Calls for which outcome recorded 468,000 427,000 478,000 373,000 431,000 437,000 of which: Percentage calls that received an engaged/busy tone 0 0 0 0 3 4 Percentage calls otherwise ineffective 3 2 2 2 2 2 Percentage calls abandoned/lost during the IVR process. 6 6 7 7 6 7 Percentage calls abandoned in the queue (post IVR) 6 7 5 3 3 2 Percentage calls answered 85 85 86 89 87 85 Total (percentage) 100 100 100 100 100 100 Percentage calls answered that were available to staff to answer (post IVR) 93 92 95 97 97 98 Average answer time from the queue (hh:mm:ss) 0:00:46 0:00:54 0:00:39 0:00:25 0:00:26 0:00:21 Notes: 1. Data is presented for calls made regarding cases on the new system (CS2) and the old system (CSCS) combined. 2. ‘Attempted customer calls’ exclude calls attempted outside working hours. 3. ‘Calls for which outcome not recorded’ are those which were received but for which, due to problems with the management information system, the eventual outcome was not recorded. Some of these calls would have been answered, and others would have been abandoned. The volume of such calls has decreased significantly in the last 3 years as management information systems have improved. 4. ‘Calls for which outcome recorded’ are those which were received and for which there is management information to track the eventual outcome. 5. Other ineffective calls are those that result in a ring tone but no reply, fail due to network technical problems, or are answered by a BT message but do not connect to the CSA system. 6. IVR denotes the automated touch tone part of the process where clients enter their details via the telephone key pad. Once callers have cleared this part of the process, they enter a queue to be answered by a CSA person. 7. The percentage of calls abandoned in the queue refers to the percentage of total calls received, for which the outcome is recorded, that were abandoned once in a queue to be answered by a CSA person. 8. The percentage of calls answered that were available to CSA people to answer refers to calls answered as a proportion of those that were connected to the queue for an agent (post IVR where appropriate). 9. Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand, and percentages to the nearest 1 per cent. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many working days were lost during the process of moving the Child Support Agency to new premises; and if he will make a statement.
The Agency has acquired three new sites over the last 12 months to support the requirements of the Operational Improvement Plan and as part of these acquisitions we have transferred a number of people into the Agency from The Pension Service, Jobcentre Plus and the Disability and Carers Service.
These acquisitions were carefully planned to ensure no working days were lost to the main business. Training was planned in stages and new people were integrated into the main business on completion of training.
(2) what system is in place to notify recipients of child support payments that their payment will not be made due to failure within the Child Support Agency;
(3) what compensation is offered to recipients of child support payments who do not receive payments made due to computer failures within the Child Support Agency (a) in general and (b) where bank charges are incurred as a result.
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:
What arrangements are made for recipients of child support payments when a payment is not made due to a failure at the Child Support Agency and considerable hardship is likely to be faced as a result;
What system is in place to notify recipients of child support payments that their payment will not be made due to failure within the Child Support Agency; and
What compensation is offered to recipients of child support payments who do not receive payments made due to computer failures within the Child Support Agency (a) in general and (b) where bank charges are incurred as a result.
The Agency has a number of processes in place to ensure that no clients will be disadvantaged by any failings of the CSA in respect of payments due to clients once the required maintenance has been received from the non-resident parent. These processes apply whether this failing is because of system problems or caseworker delay. If problems with the Agency's IT systems prevent case progression, then the case can be progressed clerically. If IT system problems simply prevent the payment from being made, the payment can be processed clerically to ensure that the payment is still issued.
If a case is progressed clerically both the parent with care and the non-resident parent will be informed that their case is being progressed by a specialist team. However, in cases where systems failures simply prevent the payments due, the issue is only identified at the point the payment fails to reach the parent with care, and the Agency is informed of that failed payment. Once the Agency has been made aware that the payment has not reached its destination, the payment will be made as quickly as possible.
In the event of such a failure the Agency has a tightly controlled process in place to consider compensation for financial loss as a result of Agency maladministration. This includes any bank charges that may have occurred due to the fault of the Agency. The Agency currently has a Special Payments Team in place to deal with financial redress due to maladministration.
I have received a letter from you about a particular case where a payment to one of our clients was delayed. We have replied to your letter separately.
I hope this is helpful.
(2) how many Child Support Agency cases have been referred to private debt collection agencies in each year since 1997;
(3) how many Child Support Agency cases are being handled by private debt collection agencies.
The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Stephen Geraghty. He will write to the right hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Stephen Geraghty:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency, the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:
When the decision was taken to use private debt collection agencies for the collection of Child Support Agency arrears;
How many Child Support Agency cases have been referred to private debt collection agencies in each year since 1997; and
How many Child Support Agency cases are being handled by private debt collection agencies
The decision to use debt collection agencies for the collection of Child Support Agency debt was announced in Parliament on the 9th February 2006 as part of the Operational Improvement Plan.
The Agency did not refer any cases to debt collection agencies before August 2005. Between August 2005 and March 2006 the Agency conducted a small scale pilot using two private debt collection agencies to assess the feasibility of involving the private sector to recover Agency debt. As part of this pilot the Agency referred 2000 cases to these agencies. All of these cases were returned to the Agency upon cessation of the pilot.
Following the pilot and procurement exercise the Agency signed contracts with two debt collection agencies on 7th July 2006. Since then the Agency has referred 4433 cases to these agencies. Of these, 1 case has been returned to the Agency as the arrears had been paid in full and approximately 150 cases have been returned at the request of the Agency because a payment arrangement was negotiated by the Agency shortly after the cases were referred.
I hope this information is helpful.
(2) what the length of the term is of the Child Support Agency contract awarded to Vertex; and if he will make a statement;
(3) how many cases Vertex has taken over from the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement;
(4) which Minister made the decision to award the Child Support Agency contract to Vertex; and if he will make a statement;
(5) what criteria were used for the tendering process for the contract for the management of the manual cases of the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement;
(6) how many companies participated in the tender process for the management of manual cases of the Child Support Agency; and if he will make a statement;
(7) on what basis the decision was made to award the contract for the management of the manual cases of the Child Support Agency to Vertex; and if he will make a statement;
(8) what the commercial value to Vertex is of the contract for the management of manual Child Support Agency cases; and if he will make a statement;
(9) what training the staff of Vertex have received in handling clerical Child Support Agency cases; and if he will make a statement;
(10) what mechanisms have been put in place to safeguard data protection by Vertex in their handling of Child Support Agency cases; and if he will make a statement.
[holding answers 16 October 2006]: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Hilary Reynolds:
In reply to your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. I am responding, with his authority, on his behalf.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions:
What systems his Department has in place to measure the performance of Vertex in dealing with manual cases at the Child Support Agency;
What the term is of the Child Support Agency contract awarded to Vertex;
How many cases Vertex has taken over from the Child Support Agency;
Which Minister made the decision to award the Child Support Agency contract to Vertex;
What criteria were used for the tendering process for the contract for the management of the manual cases of the Child Support Agency;
How many companies participated in the tender process for the management of manual cases of the Child Support Agency;
On what basis the decision was made to award the contract for the management of the manual cases of the Child Support Agency to Vertex;
What the commercial value to Vertex is of the contract for the management of manual cases of the Child Support Agency;
What training staff of Vertex have received in handling clerical Child Support Agency cases;
What mechanisms have been put in place to safeguard data protection by Vertex when handling Child Support Agency cases; and if he will make a statement.
The Agency has put in place a robust contract management process to measure the Vertex’s performance in managing its clerical cases. This will be achieved through monthly performance and quarterly meetings, where performance will be reviewed and discussed.
The term of the contract awarded to Vertex was 19 months; this ends in March 2008. Work to the computer system is continuing over 2006/2007 to rectify existing defects. The IT system will be working effectively before the end of the contract with Vertex to enable these cases to be put back onto the system.
It is planned that Vertex will initially manage 22,500 cases on behalf of the Child Support Agency increasing to 34,000 cases over the life of the contract. To date around 13,500 cases from four of the Agency’s six business areas have already transferred to Vertex. The remaining cases are due to transfer later this month.
The award of the contract for the management of the Child Support Agency’s clerical cases was not a Ministerial decision; it was a decision of the Agency. However, Ministers were made aware as soon as the decision had been made.
The Criteria used for the tendering process (which was conducted in line with European and Government Procurement Rules) for the contract for the management of clerical cases, and the basis for the decision to award the contract to Vertex was:
The ability to deliver the overall solution
Bulk case processing experience
Operational flexibility/contingencies
Supplier understanding of Clerical Cases Management Service
Management Controls
There were initially seven companies involved in the tender process for the management of clerical cases. By the final stage of the process the number of companies had been short-listed to three.
The decision to award the contract to Vertex was based on pre-determined and agreed criteria that reflected the quality of scheme required against best value for money.
It is not possible for me to quantify the commercial value of the contract to Vertex. The generic contract cost to the Department for Work and Pensions is in the region of £23 million for the life of the contract.
The Agency delivered comprehensive training to Vertex trainers over a 3-week period. The Vertex trainers then took this training to their own people who would be managing the clerical cases. Since then the Agency has provided approximately 100 people to Vertex to help consolidate this training and to assist in the early weeks of transition.
The Agency has rigorous procedures in place to prevent the mis-use of data in its possession, including the requirement for all employees to sign confidentiality agreements, and the random checking of system access by designated managers. The Department for Work and Pensions has over 20 detailed Information Technology (IT) Security and Data Protection policy documents which the Agency must comply with. These cover a diverse range of security matters, from Anti Virus Policy, Monitoring Official Systems Policy, the Social Security Administration Act 1992 and the Freedom of Information Act. Vertex staff are bound by the same rules and policies as the Agency’s employees.
I hope this is helpful.
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: In our response to Sir David Henshaw's report we set out the broad direction of reform of the child support system. This initiated an informal consultation period which ended on 18 September. We are currently undertaking an intensive programme of work to consider the way forward, including consideration of the responses to the consultation.
We will publish a White Paper later this autumn with our final, detailed proposals.
Housing Benefit
The information is not available.
Pension Funds
(2) what estimate he has made of the total cost to pension funds administration of upgrading IT equipment to accommodate (a) the post A-Day requirement for shares to be valued by the quarter up method and (b) the changes to the treatment of ex-dividend shares.
I have been asked to reply.
The post A-Day pension tax rules change neither the way shares are valued after a company has declared a dividend or the treatment of ex-dividend shares. They do require, under limited circumstances, for shares held by pension funds to be valued by the quarter up method.
A Regulatory Impact Assessment (“Regulatory Impact Assessment for Simplifying the Taxation of Pensions—Update”) was published on 22 March 2006. This sets out the Government’s assessment of the impact of pension simplification rules introduced from A-Day and the Government's plans for post-implementation evaluation. It is available at www.hmrc.gov.uk/ria/ria-pensions-simplification.pdf.
Pension Protection Fund
The Pension Protection Fund was established to protect members of defined benefit schemes and the defined benefit element of hybrid schemes by paying compensation if their employer becomes insolvent and the pension scheme is under funded to a certain level. In order to have sufficient funds to pay compensation, the PPF charge a compulsory annual levy on all eligible schemes and take in the remaining assets of schemes that enter the PPF. The PPF consulted on their proposals for levy calculation in 2005 and they were well received by industry.
The second annual report of the PPF will be laid in November outlining in detail the progress made towards the organisation’s goals. The PPF is currently issuing invoices for the first risk based levy of UK pension schemes. There are 150 schemes in the PPF Assessment period and in the region of 86,000 members.
Transport
Carbon Emissions (Air Travel)
Our priority is pressing for the inclusion of aviation in the EU Emission Trading Scheme from 2008 or as soon as possible. Good progress is being made, and the European Commission are committed to bring forward a legislative proposal by the end of this year.
Good progress has been made and, under our chairmanship last year, the European Union Environment Council agreed that emissions trading seems to be the best way forward, and called for a legislative proposal by the end of 2006 which was committed to by the European Commission.
Road Pricing
We are exploring the potential for road pricing to address the very serious congestion problems that we face. We are encouraging local authorities to develop road pricing schemes to help us understand better how pricing works in practice.
Work that has been done over the last three years confirms that we should take a measured approach in introducing road pricing, and these pilots will help inform decisions about how to move to a national system of road pricing.
As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State said earlier, the feasibility study of road pricing indicated that road pricing has the potential to cut congestion long term by nearly half with only 4 per cent. less traffic using the road.
We wish to explore this potential by encouraging road pricing pilots in local areas. These pilots will help inform our decisions about how to move to a national system of road pricing.
Nottingham Light Rail
Officials at the Department for Transport have been working closely with the promoters of the phase 2 extensions to the Nottingham Express Transit to ascertain the scheme's value for money aspects. We hope to announce a decision in the near future.
Congestion Charging
Any decisions to implement road pricing in a city will be taken locally. Authorities in Greater Manchester and the West Midlands are working hard to develop options to tackle the serious congestion problems they face. Both are looking at the role road pricing might play in a congestion reduction strategy, but more work is needed before any decisions can be taken. This work is being supported by funding from the Department.
Rail Freight
The amount of freight moved by rail increased from 13.3 to 22.11 billion net tonne kilometres between 1996-97 and 2005-06. This represents an increase of 46.4 per cent.
Air Travel (Access)
During its EU Presidency this Government gave priority to progressing a new European Council Regulation on the rights of disabled people travelling by air. This will apply with effect from July 2007. We are also considering research findings assessing the industry's compliance with our existing UK voluntary code of practice.
Road Network
Through the Traffic Management Act, the Highways Agency has new powers to keep traffic flowing and improve journey reliability and manage congestion. This allows the newly appointed HA Traffic Officers to stop and direct traffic in live carriageways and support the police.
A14
I have asked the Highways Agency to finalise the A14 Kettering Bypass Widening Options Study and submit recommendations on potential improvements early in 2007, so that I can make a decision on the way forward.
Buses
Local and central Government spending on bus support in England has increased from just over £1.64 billion in 2003-04 to £1.7 billion in 2004-05 and is estimated to have increased further to over £1.8 billion in 2005-06.
Local authority capital expenditure on bus infrastructure has increased from £131 million in 2003-04 to £153 million in 2004-05 and is estimated to have stayed at this level in 2005-06.
Channel Tunnel
Over the period between June 2005 and May 2006 an average of 130,800 tonnes of freight was transported by rail through the channel tunnel each month.
The Department has made no estimate on the levels of rail freight that will continue to use the channel tunnel after 1 December 2006 when existing contractual arrangements come to an end: these estimates are a commercial matter for the UK’s channel tunnel rail freight operator English Welsh and Scottish Railway (EWSI) and Eurotunnel.
There are a number of assumptions that have to be made on the mode and likely route used for freight if rail freight services through the Channel Tunnel cease. We estimate that if the current level of channel tunnel railfreight is transported by road, then the additional carbon emission in Great Britain will be in the region of 2,000 tonnes per annum.
This is a commercial matter for the private sector rail operators which employ these staff.
Correspondence
A response was sent to Sir Robert Atkins MEP on 17 October 2006.
Departmental Expenditure
The cost of organising and hosting conferences across the Department and its Executive Agencies is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Driving Licences
The figures required, which are correct as at January 2006, are:
Age 18 Age 19 Provisional Licence 312,394 273,615 Full Licence 213,194 276,501
Electronic Under-road Sensors
A range of electronic sensors may be installed in new road schemes. The most common sensors installed under the road surface are inductive loop detectors. These provide traffic data and operate traffic signals and other traffic management systems such as MIDAS (Motorway Incident Detection and Automatic Signalling), the queue protection system that operates on some motorways. The guidelines for the provision of loop detectors are contained in the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges, HD20/05 “Detector Loops for Motorways” and the standards for their installation are contained within MCH 1540 “Specification for the Installation of Detector Loops on Motorways and All-Purpose Trunk Roads”. Both documents are available from the Highways Agency.
Foreign Registered Vehicles
The following tables shows the number of foreign-registered vehicles inspected and prohibitions issued during the South East pilot in the current financial year:
Number Heavy Goods Vehicles Inspected 4,342 Prohibitions 2,073 Trailers Inspected 4,200 Prohibitions 2,040
Number Drivers’ hours Inspected 6,513 Prohibitions 1,418 Overloading Inspected 1,921 Prohibitions 424
It is possible for one vehicle to have been inspected for a combination of roadworthiness, drivers hours and/or weight checks.
Prosecutions have not resulted from these activities because Vehicle and Operator Services Agency are unable to secure attendance of non-UK resident offenders in court, nor can any penalty given in their absence be enforced.
Currently, action VOSA can take against foreign haulers includes direction out of the country, notification of the offence to the appropriate authority within their member state for local redress or, in certain circumstances, vehicle impounding.
The Road Safety Bill, which is currently before Parliament, includes proposals for the introduction of deposits against penalties in relation to offences detected at the roadside.
Fuel Efficiency
The Department for Transport published a “Good Practice Guide” on Fuel Saving Devices (Good Practice Guide 313) in February 2003. This guide, which is aimed primarily at fleet operators, gives general advice to potential purchasers on the testing of fuel saving devices and after-market fuel additives. The guide is available on the Freight Best Practice website (http://www.freightbestpractice.org.uk /pubsub.aspx?SectionID=1).
The Department encourages inventors and those marketing products claimed to deliver fuel or emissions savings to obtain test data from independent experts to support their claims. A fact sheet is available from the Department which advises inventors, or other interested parties, of reputable test laboratories that might be approached for assistance in verifying claims, of Trade Associations, and of possible sources of funding for innovative technologies.
Where false or unsustainable claims are made for a fuel treatment that is offered for sale, action against the advertiser would be a matter for the Advertising Standards Authority or Trading Standards.
Manchester Airport
(2) whether he plans to reform the compensation arrangements for homeowners affected by the construction and operation of new runways at UK airports;
(3) what compensation arrangements are made for homeowners affected by the operation of new runways at UK airports; and if he will make a statement;
(4) what procedures exist for compensating individuals for the impact of (a) new road schemes and (b) new airport runways.
Applications for compensation in relation to Manchester Airport’s second runway are being considered in conformity with Part 1 of the Land Compensation Act 1973. Manchester airport has been operating this scheme since 5 February 2002. The Government have no role in its implementation. Statutory blight and discretionary purchase powers also apply in the case of major road schemes.
“The Future of Air Transport” White Paper (2003) invited airport operators to bring forward their own non-statutory compensation schemes where new runways are supported in the White Paper or where land is safeguarded for new development. The scope and content of these schemes is a matter for the individual airports to determine.
The Government have no plans to change the current statutory compensation arrangements or bring generalised blight within the statutory framework.
Motorways
There are no speed restrictions in place purely to protect the work force. The following table gives the location of speed restrictions which are currently in force, on motorways, on a 24-hour basis where works are not being carried out on a 24 hour basis.
Motorway Junction(s) Location Reason M56 Weaver Viaduct 12 E and W/bound Nr Frodsham, Cheshire Speed restriction—40mph; all cameras ‘live’; operatives working dayshift only. The predominant reason for the speed limit at Weaver is that parapets are being removed/replaced in sections—there is Variogard (barriers) up resulting in narrow lanes, hence the speed limit restriction for safety. The workforce issue is therefore a secondary reason A1(M) 8-7 N and S/bound Stevenage Speed restriction due to an incomplete safety barrier and opened excavations behind the barrier M11 8 S/bound exit slip Stanstead Airport Speed restriction imposed due to the presence of narrow lanes through the works M40 4 E and W/bound Beaconsfield Speed restriction imposed due to the presence of Variogard/cones and narrow lanes M2 Junction 6-7 Salters Lane, Brockdale and Ashford Road, Faversham Work involves bridge column strengthening. Open excavations and unprotected columns in place-traffic management needed at all times to protect the motorist M4 18-19 E and W/bound Bath—Bristol Narrow lanes in place 24 hours. Open excavations with a temporary Varioguard barrier in place. Reduction of speed limit is needed where temporary barriers and narrow lanes are in place to protect the safety of the travelling public M4 16-17 E and W/bound Wootten Bassett—Chippenham Narrow lanes (24 hours) and temporary Variogard barrier in place M1 (Jct with M69) 21 (with M69 Junction) Leicester Work is taking place on the roundabout underneath the motorway junction-speed restriction of 50 mph is on M1 above to reduce speed of traffic entering slip road where speed is reduced to 30 mph for safety of travelling public and workforce M6 12-13 N and S/bound Staffordshire Safety through contraflow M1 widening junctions 6a to 10 8 to 10 northbound Hemel to Luton Narrow lanes, large number of HGVs, close proximity of junctions hence merge and diverge movements, exposed excavations, uneven surfaces, contraflow lane 10 to 8 southbound Luton to Hemel As above A1(M) A1M/A1/A614 East of J32 of the M1 Blyth, Notts Speed restriction due to build a new grade separated junction at Blyth. 50 mph restriction for safety of road user and workforce-who will often be working at night
The information requested is published in the annual publication “Road Casualties Great Britain”. Copies of this publication are available from the Libraries of the House.
The southbound carriageway of the M1 motorway was closed between Junctions 21 and 20 shortly after 07.35 hours on 11 September, as a result of a traffic accident between a heavy goods vehicle and a car. Both vehicles overturned, damaging the verge safety barriers and causing severe damage to the carriageway surface. In addition there was substantial oil spillage.
The southbound carriageway remained closed to allow for the removal of the vehicles and repair work to be carried out. The northbound carriageway was not closed at any stage.
The original estimated time for reopening was 18.00 hours but recovery and repair work progressed well and the closure was lifted at 16.43 hours.
The closure was instigated and subsequently lifted by the Highways Agency’s East Midlands Regional Control Centre following discussions with Highways Agency Traffic Officers on site.
Early indications from our monitoring are that hard shoulder running has increased capacity by 13 per cent. and significantly improved journey times without any adverse effect on safety. However, in order to obtain a statistically significant measure of the traffic impact of hard shoulder running, a period of at least 12 months of operation will be required. Due to the relatively low number of accidents that occur on motorways, at least three years of ‘after accident’ data will also be needed before an overall conclusion can be reached on the impact of hard shoulder running on safety.
Night Flights
Night movements between 2330 and 0600 at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted are controlled by a movements limit and a supplementary noise quota to encourage the use of quieter aircraft. The movements limits and noise quotas are set for a season, the seasons change with the clocks. There are also controls between 2300-2330 and 0600-0700 to prevent the noisiest aircraft from operating.
The number of movements against the limits at Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted airports from winter 2000-01 to winter 2005-06 are shown in the following table.
Gatwick Heathrow Stansted Winter 2000-01 3,431 (5,250) 2,615 (2,550) 2,190 (5,000) Summer 2001 10,890 (77,200) 2,939 (3,250) 5,035 (7,000) Winter 2001-02 2,864 (5,250) 2,684 (2,550) 2,445 (5,000) Summer 2002 9,358 (77,200) 2,937 (3,250) 5,297 (7,000) Winter 2002-03 2,976 (5,250) 2,620 (2,550) 2,862 (5,000) Summer 2003 8,978 (77,200) 2,899 (3,250) 4,832 (7,000) Winter 2003-04 2,604 (5,250) 2,683 (2,550) 2,436 (5,000) Summer 2004 7,370 (77,200) 2,993 (3,250) 5,390 (7,000) Winter 2004-05 3,000 (5,250) 2,591 (2,550) 3,112(5,000) Summer 2005 10,591 (77,200) 2,956 (3,250) 5,846 (7,000) Winter 2005-06 3,257 (5,250) 2,669 (2,550) — 1 The movements limit in some seasons has been enhanced under the end of season flexibility rules whereby 5 per cent. or 10 per cent. of the previous season's movements limit can be carried forward if it has not been used.
Similar information was not available from Nottingham East Midlands Airport. However, the number of movements between the hours of 2300 and 0700 for each calendar year from 2001 to 2005 are shown in the following table.
Gatwick Heathrow Stansted NEMA 2001 25,912 20,790 15,887 15,554 2002 24,506 26,465 17,253 17,165 2003 24,208 25,558 21,332 17,475 2004 25,950 26,516 21,489 17,082 2005 27,419 27,226 23,764 16,543
The Government's policy remains as set out in the White Paper, namely that control of nuisance due to operational noise from aircraft should, so far as practical, be determined locally. It is not guaranteed that s.78 regulation would lead to tougher controls or movements limits.
Railways
The forecast outturn cost of the West Coast Route Modernisation Project, which started in 1998 and to be completed by early 2009, is £8.125 billion.
Up to early 2003, when the SRA became actively involved with this project (and now the Department for Transport) a total of £3.186 billion had been committed to the Project. Since then, expenditure has been some £1.574 billion in 2003-04, £1.210 billion in 2004-05 and £850 million in 2005-06. The balance (£1.305 billion) is being spent up to completion of the Project.
The Department does not have figures of work carried out previously to modernise the line in the 1970s and earlier, under the aegis of the then British Railways Board.
Transport Infrastructure
Data on Government and private funding for transport infrastructure in Great Britain are shown in the following table; it is available from 1985-86 only. There are no data available for projected spending on transport infrastructure.
A split by public and private funding is not available for rail and ports infrastructure.
Further information on transport funding can be found in Tables 1.14 and 1.15 in “Transport Statistics Great Britain” on the DfT website at www.dft.gov.uk.
£ million 1985-86 1986-87 1987-88 1988-89 1989-90 1990-91 1991-92 1992-93 1993-94 Road Infrastructure Public 4,877 4,912 5,110 5,267 6,025 6,354 6,154 6,256 6,237 Private 0 0 16 108 89 74 40 175 107 Total 4,877 4,912 5,127 5,375 6,115 6,428 6,195 6,431 6,343 Rail infrastructure 1,240 1,225 1,628 1,873 2,367 2,778 3,085 3,167 2,412 Ports infrastructure 224 135 119 144 182 192 161 145 162 Airports and air traffic control Public1 126 128 137 195 227 286 323 338 297 Private1 306 296 321 303 379 570 321 246 368 Total 431 424 458 498 605 856 644 584 664
£ million 1994-95 1995-96 1996-97 1997-98 1998-99 1999-2000 2000-01 2001-02 2002-03 Road infrastructure Public 6,072 5,330 4,367 3,871 3,417 3,477 3,735 3,973 4,348 Private 112 129 457 297 321 72 52 49 41 Total 6,183 5,459 4,824 4,168 3,737 3,549 3,787 4,023 4,389 Rail infrastructure 2,595 2,523 2,712 2,759 3,055 3,595 3,116 3,983 4,489 Ports infrastructure 156 208 183 237 277 283 229 254 250 Airports and air traffic control Public1 266 177 208 256 162 183 182 63 75 Private1 564 559 564 669 626 579 632 687 829 Total 830 735 773 925 788 762 814 750 904 1 Investment in NATS switched from public to private funding between 2000-01 and 2001-02.
Trunk Roads (Northamptonshire)
As the hon. Gentleman is aware, the Regional Spatial Strategy for the East Midlands (RSS 8), published in 2005, provides a broad development strategy for the region up to 2021.
The Regional Transport Strategy included within RSS 8 does not contain any proposals for building new trunk roads in Northamptonshire in the next 10 years.
However, RSS 8 does include improvements to existing trunk roads scheduled for the next 10 years, namely the A14 Kettering Bypass and the A45 Stanwick to Thrapston Improvement.
Vehicle and Operator Services Agency
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency had four senior civil services posts on 1 January 2005 and four on 31 August 2006. It had four Level 10 posts on 1 January 2005 and six on 31 August 2006.
The pay bill, including bonuses, in 2005-06 was:
Senior civil service—£434,394
Level 10—£356,012
The terms of reference for the Deloitte study are commercial in confidence. It is too early to say what the initial conclusions of the study are.
The MOT Computerisation launch celebrations held on the SS Great Britain were hosted by Siemens Business Services. 42 VOSA staff were able to accept the invitation to attend. Three attendees were senior civil servants.
The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) publishes the number of roadside checks carried out annually in its Effectiveness Report. This is available on-line at www.vosa.gov.uk and in the House of Commons Library, Business and Transport Section. VOSA’s records do not separate which checks are conducted with or without police support.
Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board
The composition of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board is a matter for the regional assembly in the region.
The composition of the Yorkshire and Humber Regional Transport Board is a matter for the regional assembly in the region.
Constitutional Affairs
Electoral Arrangements
The Electoral Administration Act includes a new duty on electoral registration officers, that came into force on 11 September. The duty requires EROs to take all necessary steps to ensure a comprehensive register, including sending reminders of the canvass form, data-sharing, training their staff, a personal canvass and anything else they think appropriate to make contact.
The Government intend to introduce a marked register of returned postal votes in time for elections in May 2007.
In the Electoral Administration Act, the Government placed a duty on electoral registration officers to take necessary steps to have a comprehensive electoral register and also enabled them to promote electoral registration. This will be carried out during the annual canvass and throughout the year during “Rolling registration”.
These statistics are not collected by this Department. A comparison between those included in the current register for Ochil and South Perthshire and the census figures for the same area compiled in 2001 suggests a possible under-registration of about 1.1 per cent. In my hon. Friend’s constituency the number of people registered to vote in the past year has increased from 71,036 to 71,879.
The Electoral Administration Act includes a provision for the Electoral Commission to introduce new performance measures for electoral registration officers. The EC are currently developing those standards and these will be implemented in due course.
Coroners
We published a draft Bill on reform of the coroner system on 12 June. The Bill will introduce national leadership and national standards—in particular the services which bereaved people can expect to receive, including access to a new appeal system. It will also make transparent the system for appointing coroners and increase their powers when conducting their investigations.
Claims Handlers
The Compensation Act received Royal Assent on 25 July 2006 and the Department is now implementing the regulatory framework for claims management services. The main regulatory mechanisms will be in place by the end of November 2006 and companies and any other relevant organisations will be invited to apply for authorisation. The offences and all other key provisions, including those relating to the handling of complaints will be fully commenced by April 2007.
Magistrates
The proportion of minority ethnic magistrates stood at just over 7 per cent. at the start of 2006. Magistrates under 40 stood at just over 4 per cent. in 2006. There remains a roughly even split on gender. We will continue our efforts to ensure magistrates reflect the diverse communities they serve.
Airports
Any individual who qualifies for legal aid under the standard means and merits criteria can obtain legal advice and information on a variety of matters under the Legal Help scheme including for preparatory work for the Lands Tribunal.
In addition, although advocacy before the Lands Tribunal is outside the scope of civil legal aid, funding can be granted in exceptional circumstances, subject to strict criteria.
Arrest Warrants
Statistics on the number of arrest and bench warrants issued and executed were not centrally collated prior to the introduction of a new IT system in September 2006. Consequently it is not possible to provide the requested information without incurring disproportionate cost.
Information on the number of defendants who had an arrest or bench warrant issued against them at any stage of their court proceedings is collated at point of case disposal. The following table details the number of defendants dealt with in magistrates courts, youth courts and the Crown court in Northern Ireland from 2000 to 2005 who had a warrant of arrest or bench warrant issued at some stage in the proceedings.
Defendants with a warrant Defendants with no warrant Total defendants 2000 2,068 49,455 51,523 2001 2,007 45,616 47,623 2002 2,271 43,799 46,070 2003 2,465 51,745 54,210 2004 2,680 54,198 56,878 2005 2,460 51,459 53,919
Care Orders
This information requested is not collected centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
Departmental Agency Staff
Data on the disability status of (a) staff as at 30 September 2006 and (b) new entrants in the Department for Constitutional Affairs since 1 April 2005 is in the following table. Central data on disability statistics are collected via a voluntary confidential questionnaire, which is sent to all staff.
Department for Constitutional Affairs agencies Staff in post Proportion of staff in post recorded as disabled Percentage of employees declared as disabled Department for Constitutional Affairs 2,082 97 4.6 Her Majesty’s Court Service 22,748 632 2.7 Public Guardianship Office 342 13 3.8 Tribunals 3,094 93 3.0 Wales Office 56 1— 1.7 (Scotland Office only) and Office of Advocate General (22) 1— 0 National Archives 640 29 4.5 Land Registry 8,527 552 6.5 Grand total all DCA agencies 37,511 1,417 3.7 1 Number below 5
Department for Constitutional Affairs agencies Entrants Proportion of entrants recorded as disabled Percentage of entrants declared as disabled Department for Constitutional Affairs 672 12 1.7 Her Majesty’s Court Service 14,318 252 1.7 Public Guardianship Office 71 1— 1.4 Tribunals 2,308 49 2.1 Wales Office 11 1— 0 (Scotland Office only) and Office of Advocate General (10) 1— 0 National Archives 121 1— 3.3 Land Registry 131 10 6.1 Grand total all DCA agencies 17,639 324 1.8 1 Number below 5
Electoral Administration Act 2006
The Government intend all provisions introduced in the Electoral Administration Act 2006 will be implemented before May 2007, with the exception of section 10, concerning anonymous registration, which we intend to commence in June 2007.
Freedom of Information
As of the 9 October 2006, the Clearing House had under consideration 338 FOI requests referred to it by central Government departments. The breakdown by Government department is detailed as follows:
Cabinet Office—60
Department for Constitutional Affairs—21
Department for Culture, Media and Sport—20
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs—10
Department for Education and Skills—2
Department for International Development—1
Department for Transport—3
Department of Health—20
Department of Trade and Industry—15
Department for Work and Pensions—4
Foreign and Commonwealth Office—38
Her Majesty’s Treasury—33
Home Office—30
Ministry of Defence—29
Northern Ireland Office—6
Department for Communities and Local Government—19
Office of National Statistics—1
Charity Commission—1
Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs—5
Export Credits Guarantee Department—1
Crown Prosecution Service—1
The National Archives—11
Other—7
Total—338
On 22 May 2006, the DCA published the First Annual Report on the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The report includes detailed statistics on the number of freedom of information requests refused on the grounds that the request was vexatious by Departments of state and by other central Government bodies monitored by DCA.
The Freedom of Information Annual Report 2005 can be found online at:
http://www.dca.gov.uk/foi/imprep/annrep05.pdf
There were 4,293 requests made to Departments of State under the Freedom of Information Act during the second quarter of the 2006 calendar year. This represents a fall of 623 from the first quarter of the year, but an increase of 465 compared to same quarter of 2005.
There appears to be a slight increase in the underlying trend in Department of State request numbers. However, it is too early to be precise on this point, because year-on-year comparisons may be distorted by seasonal variations and atypical periods of activity.
Legal Aid
The following table shows expenditure on solicitors and barristers. Records are kept only on disbursements generally rather than experts' fees specifically.
Solicitors Barristers 2001-02 289.3 81.6 2002-03 306.6 110.9 2003-04 323.2 120.8 2004-05 314.8 110.2 2005-06 332.6 118.1
The Legal Services Commission holds data on the number of solicitors' offices with legal help contracts, as each office requires a separate contract. For example a single firm might have five offices and that would be recorded as five contracts.
The number of offices with active legal help contracts in family as at 31 March 2006 (which are the latest data available) was 2,881, with a further 227 classified as “Licence Only”. Some of this latter group will be paid for certificated family work. This gives a total of 3,108.
During the financial year 1997/98 there were a total of 10,601 active legal aid offices funded by the Legal Aid Board, with 86 per cent. doing “matrimonial work” giving a figure of 9,117 offices.
The figures show a drop in the number of such offices of some two-thirds since 1997-98. The majority of those that stopped undertaking family work were not full-time specialists. In particular, the introduction of civil contracting in 2000 was intended to ensure that only the best quality specialists did the work.
The continuing decline in numbers since then has been caused by the introduction of more rigorous quality assurance procedures, which have removed those service providers who are failing to deliver quality legal services.
Mental Capacity Act
A public consultation on the draft code of practice ran from 9 March 2006 to 2 June 2006 and the response to consultation was published on 29 September 2006. The draft code is currently being revised to take into account the comments received during the consultation process. The revised code is expected to be laid before Parliament by the end of the year.
Political Parties
The Government does not collate information on the number of candidates standing for particular political parties at national or local elections.
A full breakdown of the General Election 2005 results can be found in the publication “Election 2005—The Official Results”, compiled by Colin Railings and Michael Thrasher, on behalf of the Electoral Commission, which indicates that 119 BNP candidates stood at the 2005 General Election.
There is no Independent Party registered with the Electoral Commission.
Public Records
Between 1 April 2006 and 10 October 2006, 414 records have been released by The National Archives all of which were opened before their 100 year closure period expired.
The requested information has been placed in both libraries of the House.
Statute Law Repeal Bills
Statute Law (Repeals) Bills remove obsolete legislation from the statute book. The Law Commission uses several criteria to select subjects for these Bills. These include an evaluation of the benefit of the repeals proposed as against the resources available to research and finalise those repeals. Other criteria include the size and complexity of the subject, the relative importance of the proposals, the likelihood of support from interested parties and whether the subject is appropriate for inclusion in a Statute Law (Repeals) Bill.
The Law Commission consults on all its Statute Law Repeal proposals. The consultation is with any person, organisation or Department who appears to have an interest in the proposals. Only if there is general support for the proposals are they included in the next Statute Law (Repeals) Bill. All the proposals are available on the Law Commission's website.
Any person may suggest possible repeals by contacting the Law Commission on its website at www.lawcom.gov.uk or by writing to the chief executive at the Law Commission, Conquest House, 37-38 John Street, Theobalds Road, London WC1N 2BQ.
Defence
Afghanistan
There is no annual budget set for Urgent Operational Requirements (UORs). Expenditure is based on the urgent, operational need to address capability requirements that arise in Iraq and Afghanistan.
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: For operational security reasons, it is not policy to disclose detailed information on specific military equipment employed on particular operations. The particular information requested is not in any event held centrally and, in addition, no distinction is made between equipments used for defensive and offensive purposes.
Aircraft
As at 1 October 2006, 39 Apache Attack Helicopters were available for service and 13 airframes were undergoing maintenance. Figures are not held centrally for the number of aircraft cannibalised. The Apache Attack Helicopter Mark 1 fleet is still in the process of being brought into front-line service.
Clearly the loss of 14 military personnel on board the Nimrod MR2 aircraft was keenly felt—not only by RAF Kinloss, but across Defence.
With respect to the impact on capability, a replacement aircraft was sent out to theatre on 12 September 2006.
Deterrent Patrol
The 300th deterrent patrol is due to take place next year. No decisions have yet been taken on the way in which it might be marked.
Efficiency Savings
The Ministry of Defence has a target of £2.8 billion of annual efficiency gains by the end of the three-year Spending Review 2004 period. Details of progress towards this target are published in the MOD annual report and accounts 2005-06.
Falkland Islands
The return of the CH47 to the Falklands remains under review in the context of wider Defence commitments and the higher priority currently attached to its tasking elsewhere. In the meantime, the continuing heavy lift capability and transport needs in the Falklands will be delivered by other means.
First World War Pardons
The Ministry of Defence was aware of the views of a number of historians and other interested academics when undertaking its review of this issue. We have also taken account of the views of key interested parties both within Government and more widely, notably the Governments of those countries which are successor states to colonies and dominions from which individuals were executed.
Joint Personnel Administration System
The Joint Personnel Administration System was rolled out to the RAF on 20 March 2006. The planned dates for rollout to the Navy and Army are 23 October 2006 and March 2007 respectively.
Munitions
The L20A1 (Extended Range Bomblet Shell) of which M85 is a sub-munition, was tested in Norway in September 2005. Evaluation of the results of this trial led to the conclusion that the L20A1 munition system is safe and suitable for service.
Outstanding Pay/Benefits
The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
QinetiQ
MOD currently has no plans to dispose of its remaining shareholding in QinetiQ.
Both the MOD and the Carlyle Group have nominated non-executive directors on the QinetiQ Board, at which the company’s plans and prospects are discussed. There are no other specific mechanisms for liaising with other shareholders outside the Board on the company’s plans and prospects.
There are no outstanding Government loans to QinetiQ.
The Ministry of Defence has a nominated non-executive director on the QinetiQ Board. The Department has also retained a special share in QinetiQ to protect the UK's defence and security interests.
The Ministry of Defence has given no specific financial guarantees to QinetiQ. QinetiQ does, however, receive a declining percentage of the relevant portion of the MOD’s research budget as single tender work. With the progressive introduction of competition into the science and technology research programme, this percentage is expected to reduce to zero by April 2008. QinetiQ also has a 25-year Long Term Partnering Agreement with MOD valued in total at some £5.6 billion, with review points every five years.
MOD has no further liabilities beyond those agreed under the Liabilities Agreement at the initial stage of the PPP sale process in 2002. A summary of the Liabilities Agreement appear on pages 280-281 in the QinetiQ prospectus, a copy of which was placed in the Library of the House on 26 January 2006.
RAF Complaints Process
The Armed Forces Personnel Administration Agency Joint Personnel Administration Customer Care Charter is currently under review and it is anticipated that the new version will be delivered to both Navy and RAF personnel with their pay statements at the end of November. A copy will also be placed in the Library of the House.
Reservists
The numbers of Volunteer Reservists accepted into service to support operations in Afghanistan for 2001 to 2005, as published in the NAO Report on Reserve forces, are as follows:
Numbers 2001 6 2002 313 2003 252 2004 66 2005 47
Numbers for 2006 are not yet available.
Royal Irish Regiment
[holding answer 12 October 2006]: As at the 10 October, 27 officers and 44 soldiers from the Home Service Battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment have indicated a preference to transfer to General Service terms and conditions. We remain hopeful that more Home Service personnel will transfer.
International Development
Afghanistan
We are working with RALF to improve their dissemination strategy–in particular through their website. Work on this is under way. In the meantime we are able to share an internal mid-year review undertaken by DFID in August and RALF's most recent six monthly report. These have both been placed in the House of Commons Library, and we are following up with RALF to ensure that they are placed on their website.
DFID is contributing, with other donors, to the Government of Afghanistan National Solidarity Programme (NSP) and the National Rural Access Programme (NRAP) both of which are covering all provinces of Afghanistan. NSP has created 17,033 community development councils and financed 17,109 community led projects. NRAP is constructing 855km of rural roads. The multi-donor Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA), to which the UK contributes, is working in 20 provinces (Kabul, Baghlan, Kunduz, Samangan, Takhar, Bamayan, Parwan, Herat, Badakhshan, Balkh, Jozjan, Wardak, Nangahar, Laghman, Ghazni, Kapisa, Faryab, Sar-l-Pul, Logar, Kunar). It has disbursed US$81,264,560 in loans to 197,278 clients.
DFID's bilateral programmes, are active in Badakshan and Bamyan. In the former 26,500 farmers have received agricultural inputs, 155 villages have received veterinary services including the vaccination of 61,520 animals through a DFID funded programme. In Bamyan new and innovative ways for farmers to make a living including apricot drying, poultry, honey bee keeping, tailoring and weaving, silk and cashmere wool production and the introduction of fruit tree nurseries and greenhouses for vegetable production are proving successful.
DFID is currently working on a community and household assessment to determine the impact of the development effort (both policy influence and direct programmes) and its potential contribution to reductions in poppy cultivation. DFID has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Central Statistics Office (CSO) to carry out an annual household survey over the next three years.
We are working with RALF to improve their dissemination strategy–in particular through their website. Work on this is under way. In the meantime we are able to share an internal mid-year review undertaken by DFID in August and RALF's most recent six monthly report. These have both been placed in the House of Commons Library, and we are following up with RALF to ensure that they are placed on their website.
DFID's Livelihoods Programme, worth nearly £150 million from 2006-09, is designed to promote sustainable, rural economic development. The majority of this spending is channelled through the Afghan Government's National Programmes. This includes support to the National Solidarity Programme (NSP) and National Rural Access Programme (NRAP), both of which are now operating in all provinces in Afghanistan. NSP has created 17,033 community development councils and financed 17,109 community led projects. NRAP is constructing 855km of rural roads. The multi-donor Microfinance Investment Support Facility for Afghanistan (MISFA), which DFID also supports, is working in 20 provinces and has disbursed US$81 million in small loans to 197,278 clients.
Additionally, a proportion of DFID's funding for livelihoods is targeted on improving agricultural opportunities for Afghan farmers. This includes research to help identify, test and implement new crops and technologies. Examples include improvements in health and husbandry for livestock, apricot drying, honey bee keeping, tailoring, weaving and improving the production of alternative high value crops such as saffron and wheat.
DFID is also offering advice to ministries on how best to integrate the growth of legal livelihood opportunities.
DFID jointly funded, in 2005-06, with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), a $25million nationwide programme to increase access to seeds and fertilisers for over 500,000 farmers for alternative crops.
Hampton Review
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer on 9 October 2006, Official Report, column 280W.
House of Commons Commission
Post Deliveries
The House does not have access to records of when mail is received at Nine Elms. The House authorities do monitor the two contracts with regard to mail screening and internal mail delivery. Both of these contracts have key performance indicators. These show that all of the mail collected from Nine Elms on a given day is delivered within the Palace of Westminster by 2 pm that day, with over 60 per cent. of the day’s mail delivered within the Palace by the 8 am delivery and over 75 per cent. by the 10 am delivery. Regular checks are made of the processes involved. A monitoring group made up of Officers from both Houses meets monthly to consider the performance against the contracts and the indicators have been met consistently in recent months following changes made by both contractors during the first full year of the new contracts. These changes have been aimed at maximising the volume of mail in the parliamentary deliveries in the early part of the day.
Home Department
Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act
Information on the total amount of criminal assets recovered over the last three years is set out in table 1. Information on the value of cash forfeiture orders and confiscation orders obtained in each police authority area over the last three years under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 and earlier legislation is set out in table 2. Confiscation orders are not enforced by police forces but by HM Courts Service and other enforcement authorities. Orders made in one year may be enforced in future years. The amounts in the process of recovery depend on a number of factors including appeal rights and time to pay considerations.
Total recovered (£ million) 2003-04 54.5 2004-05 84.4 2005-06 96.5 Total 235.4
Force £ Metropolitan Police Service 5,950,410.55 Bedfordshire Police 3,392,094.53 West Yorkshire Police 2,874,164.65 Greater Manchester Police 2,798,966.37 Surrey Police 1,480,550.62 Merseyside Police 1,217,852.89 Kent Police 1,210,503.91 City of London Police 1,200,282.09 Thames Valley Police 1,182,132.20 West Mercia Constabulary 1,180,461.28 Leicestershire Constabulary 1,087,417.48 Gloucestershire Constabulary 930,442.19 Hertfordshire Constabulary 929,368.00 Nottinghamshire Police 875,434.60 Humberside Police 826,661.75 West Midlands Police 819,117.30 South Yorkshire Police 784,579.88 Northumbria Police 691,770.20 Sussex Police 652,221.26 Avon and Somerset Constabulary 594,347.00 Northamptonshire Police 556,066.08 Staffordshire Police 373,784.34 Hampshire Constabulary 298,447.77 Cambridgeshire Constabulary 278,679.84 Cheshire Constabulary 250,263.36 Durham Constabulary 235,600.50 Devon and Cornwall Constabulary 192,616.60 British Transport Police 156,471.60 Dorset Police 147,532.10 Lincolnshire Police 143,411.38 Suffolk Constabulary 137,649.75 Dyfed-Powys Police 121,750.34 Lancashire Constabulary 120,953.30 Cumbria Constabulary 120,917.41 North Wales Police 89,522.03 Norfolk Constabulary 89,325.89 Warwickshire Police 83,116.50 South Wales Police 75,637.44 Derbyshire Constabulary 71,140.10 Gwent Police 52,140.42 Wiltshire Constabulary 39,848.45 Cleveland Police 19,140.04 North Yorkshire Police 0.00 Essex Police 0.00 Total 34,332,793.99
Correspondence
[holding answer 12 October 2006]: I wrote to the hon. Member for Walsall, North on 9 October 2006.
Drugs (Testing)
There is a well evidenced link between some offences, particularly those connected with acquisitive crime, and Class A drug misuse. It is Government policy to break that link and to move offenders out of crime and into drug treatment.
Individuals arrested or charged with committing a range of offences (referred to as “trigger” offences) in areas with high levels of acquisitive crime are tested for Class A drugs as part of the Government's Drug Interventions Programme (DIP). Trigger offences include acquisitive crime offences.
Drug testing is one of a number of interventions aimed at identifying drug misusing offenders and persuading them to engage in drug treatment and support. Intensive elements of the programme, which include drug testing, are currently operational in 23 police force areas and 175 custody suites across England and Wales. Some 17,000 drug tests are conducted each month as part of the programme.
Immigration
[holding answer 25 July 2006]: There was no such estimate produced by either Ministers or officials from the Department prior to the enlargement of the European Union on 1 May 2004.
Christian Dustmann, et al from University College London produced a report entitled “The impact of EU enlargement on migrations flows” which was commissioned by the Home Office and published in June 2003. It contained estimates of the numbers of people expected to migrate to the UK from the new member states in the years following enlargement of the European Union on 1 May 2004. These are independent estimates and not Home Office figures.
The report itself is available from the Department’s Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/rdsolr 2503.pdf.
Income Support
I have been asked to reply.
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, dated 16 October 2006:
As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question to Her Majesty’s Government, what total financial support the Government has provided to families in the lowest income decile in each of the last 20 years. (93665)
Estimates of the financial support provided to households through cash benefits are based on the ONS analyses “The effects of taxes and benefits on household income” which is published annually. The latest analysis for 2004-05 was published on the National Statistics website on 12 May 2006 at http://www.statistics.gov.uk/taxesbenefits. The analysis is based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey, which is a sample survey covering approximately 7,000 households in the UK. The income decile groups used in this analysis are based on a ranking of households by equivalised disposable income—a widely used proxy for standard of living.
The table below shows the average receipts of cash benefits by households in the bottom income decile. Figures have been provided back to 1987, the earliest year for which comparable figures are available. They are based on the figures which have appeared annually in the taxes and benefits analysis, but have been adjusted to 2004-05 prices using the all items retail prices index. Receipts of cash benefits have also been shown as a percentage of average gross household income for households in the bottom income decile.
There has been some cyclical variation in receipts of cash benefits by this group of households, although there is no clear long term trend. However cash benefits constitute a declining proportion of gross income for these households. This is because of trend increases in real incomes from other sources such as wages and salaries and occupational pensions.
Cash benefits include contributory benefits such as the state retirement pension, and incapacity benefit, as well as non-contributory benefits such as income support, child benefit, housing benefit, and disability living allowance. Tax credits are only partially included since for households paying some income tax, the tax credits are initially treated as negative tax, rather than a benefit. Only after the tax credit has eliminated any income tax liability, is any further tax credit receipt treated as a benefit.
It should be remembered that these results are based on a sample survey and so there is some uncertainty surrounding the estimates for any one year. The bottom income decile is likely to contain some households who have low income but high wealth, and so can sustain a standard of living higher than that which would be suggested by their income alone.
United Kingdom Receipt of cash benefits (£ per year, 2004-05 prices2) Gross household income (£ per year, 2004-052) Cash benefits as a percentage of gross household income 1987 5,600 7,300 76 1988 5.300 6,900 77 1989 5,100 6,700 76 1990 5,000 6,800 74 1991 5,100 6,700 76 1992 5,200 7,300 72 1993 5,600 7,500 74 1994-95 5,500 7,500 74 1995-96 5,700 8,200 69 1996-97 5,100 7,400 69 1997-98 5,100 7,200 71 1998-99 4,900 7,300 67 1999-2000 4,800 7,100 68 2000-01 5,100 7,400 69 2001-02 4,900 7,600 64 2002-03 5,100 8,000 64 2003-04 5,200 7,900 66 2004-05 5,400 8,400 65 1 Households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. 2 Adjusted to 2004-05 prices using the all items Retail Prices Index. Note: Numbers in the first two columns are rounded to the nearest hundred and so percentages calculated from them may not equal those in column three. Source: Expenditure and Food Survey (the Family Expenditure Survey before 2001-02).
Prisons
[holding answer 16 October 2006]: No decision has been made to increase the security categorisation of HMP Standford Hill.
The National Offender Management Service has developed long-term strategic plans to manage prison population pressures. These include ensuring we can use the prison estate as flexibly as possible, and in support of this a planning application for additional security at HMP Standford Hill was submitted. This would provide the option of holding prisoners at this establishment in closed conditions.
Visas
The Worker Registration Scheme (WRS), is not a scheme for issuing work visas, but a method of monitoring the impact on the UK economy of workers from eight accession states which joined the European Union on 1 May 2004. Individuals must register within one month of starting work and both the worker and employer receive a Worker Registration Scheme Certificate.
The Accession Monitoring Report is the main source of statistical data on the Worker Registration Scheme (WRS). The latest report covers the period May 2004 to June 2006 and is available on the Home Office website at: www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk/aboutus/reports /accession_monitoring_report
Number of applicants Q3 2005 Q4 2005 Q1 2006 Q2 2006 Total Czech Rep 2,860 2,265 1,850 1,885 8,860 Estonia 600 530 390 305 1,825 Hungary 1,670 1,665 1,425 1,475 6,235 Latvia 3,290 2,470 2,535 2,575 10,870 Lithuania 5,720 4,485 4,210 4,075 18,490 Poland 38,310 32,935 31,720 34,525 137,490 Slovakia 6,375 5,045 4,275 4,970 20,665 Slovenia 35 55 55 35 180 Total 58,860 49,450 46,465 49,850 204,625 Note: This table shows applicants approved rather than the total number of applications made. The figures are for initial applications only (not multiple applications, where an individual is doing more than one job simultaneously, nor re-registrations, where an individual has changed employers). All figures are rounded to the nearest five. Because of rounding, totals may not sum.
Health
A and E
It is a matter for the local national health service to ensure that there is appropriate provision of urgent and emergency services that are responsive to people’s needs. The Department launched on 4 October a discussion on the “Direction of Travel for urgent care” and aims to produce an urgent and emergency care strategy in the first half of 2007.
Birmingham Women's Hospital
It is for Birmingham Women’s Health Care NHS Trust to make assessments on procedures for collecting revenue from coroners’ referrals to the pathology unit of Birmingham Women’s hospital.
Bowel Cancer Screening
Good progress has been made in rolling out the national bowel cancer screening programme.
The programme consists of five programme hubs across England which will invite men and women to participate in the screening programme, send out the faecal occult blood (FOB) testing kits, analyse the returned kits and send out results. Ninety to 100 local screening centres will provide endoscopy services for the 2 per cent. of men and women who have a positive FOB test result.
The five hubs have been confirmed as:
Rugby—West Midlands and the North West—began operations in July 2006;
Guildford—Southern—began operations in September 2006;
St. Mark’s—London—begins operations in October 2006;
Gateshead—North East; and
Nottingham—Eastern.
All five hubs will be operational by March 2007.
In addition to the hubs, the first six local screening centres have now been confirmed. Wolverhampton and Norwich began sending out invitations in July 2006, and South Devon and Liverpool began sending out invitations in September 2006. St. Mark’s London is due to begin sending out invitations in October 2006, with St. George’s London following in November 2006. The other eight sites due to become local screening centres in wave one of the programme, that is 2006-07, will be confirmed as soon as possible, when they have satisfied quality and capacity criteria.
We will be writing to the new strategic health authorities (SHAs) shortly for them to bid for their local endoscopy units to become local screening centres as part of Wave two of the programme in 2007-08. It is up to SHAs to decide where local screening centres should be located for the benefit of their own populations.
The bowel cancer screening programme is an ambitious project, and one of the first of its kind in Europe. When fully implemented, it will detect around 3,000 bowel cancers every year. We are committed to implementing this important programme.
Call Handlers
We are currently in the process of updating the “Operational Guidance on the Provision of Healthcare in a Community Setting in England”, including the proposals for telephone operators in light of comments received on the draft.
In view of this further work, we will not be in a position to estimate the number of operators needed until we have defined the model of service and the nature of the telephone system(s) required.
Cancer Referrals
Data are not collected centrally on routine referrals where the patient is subsequently diagnosed with cancer. Data are collected on urgent suspected cancer referrals to monitor performance of the two week out-patient waiting time standard. Data are published quarterly and the number of referrals is shown as follows.
Quarter Number of urgent referrals 2005 July to September 137,471 October to December 133,328 2006 January to March 134,828 April to June 145,460
Cannabis User Referrals
The percentage change in the number of people entering drug treatment between 2003-04, the first year for which data are available, and 2005-06, the latest data, where cannabis has been identified as the primary substance of misuse is an increase of 117 per cent.
As surveys on drug use amongst young people indicate that cannabis use among young people has remained stable over the past few years, the increased numbers in drug treatment as a result of cannabis use are almost certainly as a result of increased availability of treatment.
The numbers of under-16s who have entered drug treatment, where cannabis has been identified as the primary substance of misuse for years since 2003-04, the first year for which data are available are as follows:
Number 2003-04 2,963 2004-05 4,736 2005-06 7,559
Child Obesity
The Department will track progress against the public service agreement (PSA) target on childhood obesity by using the body mass index trend data from the Health Survey for England. The baseline figure is 14.9 per cent. which is the weighted average for the three year period 2002-04. Progress against the target will be formally assessed once data from 2005-07 are aggregated.
The Government have a range of ongoing initiatives to address the rising levels of childhood obesity. This includes raising awareness through the social marketing campaign aimed at families, targeting of existing universal programmes, such as the school sports strategy, healthy schools, and healthy start. In addition, we will shortly publish the national data from 2005-06 exercise to weigh and measure primary school children. These data will enable us to better performance manage and target local areas as part of our PSA delivery strategy.
Clostridium Difficile
We do not collect this information centrally but national guidance recommends the isolation of patients where feasible. In addition, “The Health Act 2006: Code of Practice for Prevention and Control of Healthcare Associated Infections” published in October 2006 requires national health service bodies to have a policy on Clostridium difficile infection that makes provision for isolation of infected patients and cohort nursing.
Dentists
The guidance given to the national health service on 12 July 2006 about the £100 million capital funding programme for primary care NHS dentistry did not propose a maximum NHS subsidy for capital investments made by dental practices. Rather, it gave illustrative examples of the contributions that primary care trusts (PCTs) might choose to make to capital investments made by dental practices, expressed as a percentage of the total cost of the investment.
The example given for practices wholly or mainly committed to the NHS was 66 per cent. of expenditure, but PCTs are free to decide for themselves locally what proportion is appropriate in each case. Most practices that provide primary dental services are independent contractors, and their NHS contract payments—which are based on the recommendations of the Doctors and Dentists Pay Review Body—already cover not only the dentists’ net income but also the expenses incurred in providing NHS dental services. Additional grants to practices to improve facilities, and which may enhance the practice assets, are often made on the basis of a shared investment between the PCT and the contractor.
Diagnostic Tests
The diagnostic schemes across all strategic health authority areas (SHA) will commence on or before 1 April 2007. Currently each SHA and local primary care trusts are confirming the sites at which they require the services to be delivered.
Commencement in April 2007 has allowed local heath communities to further refine their requirements for the new services and target the activity at local service priorities.
Foundation Hospitals
There are already 49 national health service foundation trusts, the intention is that all acute and mental health trusts will be able to apply for foundation trust status at the earliest opportunity. We are establishing a time frame for when remaining acute and mental health trusts can become foundation trusts and the actions needed to secure a successful application.
The Government expect to make regulations on an insolvency regime for national health service foundation trusts in 2007.
Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust
This is a local matter for the local national health service. The information requested is not held centrally.
Health Charges
The Department’s response to the Health Committee’s report on national health service charges has been laid before Parliament today.
Heroin Addicts
(2) how many heroin addicts entered the methadone programme in each year between 2002 and 2005.
There is no formal requirement for heroin users to register their addiction.
Data collected on substitute prescribing do not differentiate between methadone and buprenophine.
From 2003-04 onwards, the first year for which these data are available, the number of clients in England in receipt of substitute prescribing, where heroin has been identified as the primary drug of misuse is as follow:
Number 2003-04 44,159 2004-05 69,782 2005-06 84,583
HIV
The information requested is not available in the format required. The following table gives the figures for the East Riding of Yorkshire.
Number 1997 <10 1998 11 1999 <10 2000 <10 2001 12 2002 13 2003 27 2004 34 2005 31 Total 1997 to 2005 148 Notes: 1. Data includes individuals who have an existing infection as well as those who have a newly acquired infection. 2. Data may include duplicates for the same individual where records with different information could not be reconciled. 3. Data is based on reports received by the end of June 2006 and numbers may rise as further reports are received, particularly true for more recent years. Source: Health Protection Agency.
Hospitals (Helicopter Access)
The Department does not collect these data centrally. Decisions on whether to install or enhance landing facilities for helicopters are a matter for individual national health service trusts.
Lymphogranuloma Venereum
Incidence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) is rare but since 2003 a series of outbreaks across Europe have been reported. In response, in October 2004 the Health Protection Agency launched an initiative to improve LGV surveillance and awareness in the United Kingdom.
To date, there have been a total of 331 cases in England. These have been reported by genitourinary clinic of attendance and not primary care trust of residence, as this data is not collected centrally.
Incidence of lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV), by primary care trusts (PCT) in England, 2004-05Primary care trust2004 rates2005 ratesBrighton and Hove City1—14.69Camden11.9724.88City and Hackney1—2.78Kensington and Chelsea1—26.08Lambeth4.539.32Southwark1—5.11Tower Hamlets1—2.39Westminster1—5.65 1 Fewer than five cases of LGV seen annually.Note: 1. Incidence rate is per 100,000 population. 2. Rates are by PCT areas of the GUM clinic of attendance. Source: Enhanced surveillance of LGV, ONS mid-year population estimates.
Strategic health authority 2004 rates 2005 rates North West London 1— 3.49 North Central London 1.14 4.40 North East London 1— 0.78 South East London 0.33 2.58 South West London 1— 0.45 Greater Manchester 1— 0.35 Surrey and Sussex 1— 1.47 1 Fewer than five cases of LGV seen annually. Note: 1. Incidence rate is per 100,000 population. 2. Rates are by SHA areas of the GUM clinic of attendance. Source: Enhanced surveillance of LGV, ONS mid-year population estimates.
Myalgic Encephalopathy
The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
The MRC does not normally allocate funds to particular topics; research proposals in all areas compete for the funding available. When appropriate, high quality research in particular areas of strategic importance may be given priority in competition for funds, but research excellence and importance to health continues to be the primary considerations in funding decisions.
The MRC produced a research strategy on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in May 2003. The purpose of the strategy is to enable researchers to develop research proposals on all aspects of this illness. It was developed by an independent research advisory group in response to a request from the Chief Medical Officer, and was informed by contributions from patients, carers, charities, patient groups, researchers and clinicians via a consultation exercise.
NHS Staff Pay Rises
The amount of funding to be allocated to the national health service in 2006-07 and 2007-08 is shown in the table.
2006-07 2007-08 Total primary care trust allocations 64.3 70.4 Increase on previous year 5.4 6.0
In 2006-07 out of the additional £5.4 billion allocation to the NHS, it is estimated that approximately 31 per cent. will be spent on pay rises.
Nurses
Ministers and officials regularly receive correspondence about specialist nurses. There have also been two parliamentary questions.
It is for local managers to determine skill mix within the nursing work force including specialist nurses. The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing, and it is for local trusts to decide how to use those skills appropriately.
Patient Transport Services
This is a local matter which is being resolved by the University Hospital North Staffordshire Trust and other local national health service organisations.
The trust states that although it recognises there have been some difficulties in the initial stages of the new contract with Parkwood Healthcare, these are being resolved and there have been significant improvements over recent weeks. I am informed that the implementation of weekly monitoring of the new arrangements continues.
Patients Forums
The Department’s policy in responding to requests for information from patient forums is in accordance with the service and communication guidelines for dealing with all correspondence; that is, to respond to correspondence within 20 working days.
Private Finance Initiative
The principal reason for any change to the capital values of the schemes at the University Hospitals of North Staffordshire National Health Service Trust, the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust, Salford Royal Hospitals NHS Trust, Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust, Walsall Hospitals NHS Trust and the South Devon Healthcare NHS Trust was that the review of private finance initiative (PFI) schemes led the trusts concerned to reconsider how their schemes could best be structured in order to deliver services in the most cost-effective way and ensure their long-term viability. A key part of this work was an assessment of the capacity assumptions to ascertain if these were realistic and properly suited to the needs of the local health economy; and a review of the estate in terms of current and planned building stock to ensure optimal use.
In consequence all the schemes, with the exception of those at the Salford Royal NHS Trust and the Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust, underwent structural changes, details of which have been published and are available locally.
All the figures quoted are on a like-for-like basis except those given in relation to Salford Royal NHS Trust, Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust and University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust. The difference between the capital values given for the schemes at Salford Royal NHS Trust, and Tameside and Glossop Acute Services NHS Trust is because the capital values given in the August press release were at 2004-05 prices, and those given in the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool Wavertree (Jane Kennedy) on the 8 February, Official Report, columns 1325-27W, were at final construction outturn prices.
The February figure for the scheme at University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust was the public sector comparator cost at preferred bidder stage which equated to a PFI outturn cost of £761 million. In addition building cost inflation and retail price index increases for the two years slippage in forecast financial close date took the cost to £911 million prior to the review commencing.
The six schemes that were announced on 19 August had been subjected to an in-depth review to ensure that they were configured in the most financially cost effective way possible; and that they were financially sustainable over the long-term. The review assessed each scheme on an individual basis and considered their financial viability, from the perspective both of their size and the financial position of the trusts concerned. In addition the review also focused on the capacity assumptions made by each trust in order to ascertain if these were realistic and properly suited to the needs of the local health economy.
Where it was felt that a scheme was neither configured in the most cost effective way or financially sustainable in the long-term, changes to the scheme that would improve its affordability and cost-effectiveness were discussed and worked through with the trust. Information on these changes has been published and is available locally from the trusts concerned. Before decisions were approved by Ministers all the local health economies confirmed that the schemes remained value for money and affordable.
The compensation payable to the contractor on termination in a private finance initiative contract varies from scheme to scheme both before and after a refinancing depending on the amount and term of the senior debt and the reason for the termination. The amount payable per year under each termination scenario also differs. In the health sector there have been refinancings for the PFI schemes at:
Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Trust;
Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust;
Bromley Hospitals NHS Trust;
Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust; and
Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust.
Details on each refinancing are available locally.
All private finance initiative (PFI) contracts in England contain a clause which requires all ‘soft’ facilities management services, such as catering, cleaning, laundry services etc., to be market tested at regular intervals or explicitly identifies another means of ensuring that value for money is maintained throughout the life of the contract; this normally involves a benchmarking exercise. A joint Department of Health and private sector best practice guidance document was issued in July this year to assist trusts in conducting these value for money exercises.
No details are held centrally on the progress of these exercises at individual PFI schemes. To collect this information would incur disproportionate cost.
There are two private finance initiative schemes being taken forward at Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust.
The outline business case for a new surgical centre, capital cost approximately £80 million, is being developed and is expected to be submitted to the Department for approval later in the year. The scheme has not yet placed a tender notice in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). It is too early to estimate likely dates for financial close and start on site.
The full business case for the £18 million new cancer centre has received conditional approval from the local strategic health authority. The tender notice was placed in OJEU some time ago. Subject to resolving some final planning issues the scheme can proceed to financial close and start construction on site; this is expected in December.
Physiotherapists
The NHS Plan target was for an increase of 6,500 therapists to improve services to patients. This has been achieved.
Regulatory Bodies
The Appointments Commission, which appoints lay members to regulatory bodies, requires appraisal systems to be in place. Details of these systems are a matter for the regulatory bodies themselves.
Sight Loss
Low vision aids are available free on loan to any person requiring them. The hospital eye service assesses the needs of the individual and provides any necessary low vision aids. Social services departments also have responsibility for assessing the needs of individuals who request help due to problems with their vision.
The eye care services steering group, which the Department established in 2002, identified low vision as an area for further development. A care pathway for low vision services has been published and a number of pilots are currently testing the pathway. The model pathways are designed to improve integration of eye care services across primary and secondary care and social services. Learning from the pilots and their developing evidence-base will be shared with the national health service to support wider implementation.
The government-funded integrating community equipment services (ICES) project was designed to improve equipment services by integrating the previously separate NHS and social services equipment services. The ICES team completed their work on integration in March 2005 and it is now the responsibility of local social care and health service providers to determine how best to provide services to reflect local needs and priorities.
On 22 June 2006, at the Three Sector Summit, the Government announced that the Department will undertake a radical review of community equipment, ‘Transforming Community Equipment Services Project–helping to make independence a reality’, with the objective of developing a new model of service delivery. The review will investigate how the provision of community equipment across England could be opened to greater contestability.
Specialist Nurses
Specialist nurses provide an important contribution to the care of people with long-term conditions and are highly valued by patients for the expert support and care they give to them and their families. They also have a significant role in providing expert advice to their generalist colleagues who care for people with multiple complex long-term conditions.
It is for local trusts to determine skill mix within the nursing work force including specialist nurses. The Government have supported the development of a range of specialist roles within nursing, and it is for the local trusts to deploy specialist nurses in accordance with their local needs.
Trust Surpluses
The strategic health authority (SHA) incentive scheme was introduced in September 2005 in consultation with the 28 SHAs.
The aim of the scheme was to reward those organisations that have generated a surplus and encourage good financial management in 2005-06, by offering a variable reward on any surpluses offered up with the rate depending on the timing of surplus declarations.
Duchy of Lancaster
Databases (Security Breaches)
There have been no confirmed security breaches of databases controlled by the Cabinet Office in the last five years.
Voluntary/Community Sector
The Government are keen to minimise the burden of regulations on the voluntary and community sector. The Charities Bill, which is due for Report stage in this parliamentary session, will make a number of deregulatory changes to charity law and regulation. Furthermore, the Government will outline their approach to reducing regulatory burdens for the sector in their response to the Better Regulation Task Force Report ‘Better regulation for Civil Society’. This will be published shortly.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Afghanistan
Economic factors are the main incentive for farmers to grow poppy. Other factors such as insecurity and weak governance also play a role. This year in Helmand, the Taleban encouraged farmers to grow opium poppy. There are some reports of the Taleban intimidating farmers who do not grow poppy and offering protection from eradication to those who do. But there is no evidence to suggest that these actions had a significant impact on cultivation levels. A broader variety of factors play into farmers' decisions to grow poppy. This year, in areas of Afghanistan where access to governance, security and development has improved, reductions achieved in 2005 have been sustained and in some cases improved upon.
The increase this year in the opium crop from Helmand and other southern provinces is worrying. It reflects the very difficult security situation and limited law enforcement capability in Afghanistan. We are supporting the Afghan Government to implement their National Drug Control Strategy. Progress is being made but sustainable drug elimination strategies take time. In areas of Afghanistan where access to governance, security and development has improved, reductions in opium poppy cultivation achieved in 2005 have been sustained and in some cases improved upon.
The effect of this year's increase in supplies of heroin to the UK is uncertain. Previous large fluctuations in the size of the opium crop in Afghanistan have led to no appreciable change in supply as measured by the UK average street price.
Under Afghanistan's Counter Narcotics (CN) law of December 2005, prosecutions involving under 2kg of heroin or under 10kg of opium are heard by local municipal courts. The Afghans do not keep a central record of municipal prosecutions and as such records can be recovered only at disproportionate cost. The more serious cases, which involve amounts in excess of 2kg of heroin or 10kg of opium, are heard by the CN Tribunal in Kabul. By the end of September 2006, the CN Criminal Justice Task Force had arrested over 690 individuals and completed over 260 cases. This has so far resulted in over 280 convictions.
There are 87 women in the 351 member National Assembly, inaugurated in December 2005. 27 per cent. of the members of the Wolesi Jirga (Lower House) are women and 19 per cent. are in the Meshrano Jirga (Upper House).
British Citizenship
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office is unable to estimate the number of holders of British Subject passports who are eligible to register as British Citizens. We do not keep records of how many people hold British Subject passports or how many of those passport holders are eligible to register as British Citizens.
Burma
We do not have specific details of any agreements between the Government of Burma and Daewoo International and cannot, therefore, make an assessment of their impact. However, we hope that any foreign company operating in Burma would comply with international standards on the use of labour and on human rights.
Colombia
(2) what policy advice her Department has offered the Embassy of Colombia related to the concerns of British trade unions over human rights in that country; and if she will make a statement.
We have wide-ranging discussions with the Colombian government, including with the embassy in London, on human rights issues which take into account concerns raised by British trade unions and interlocutors from other non-governmental organisations, as well as their Colombian counterparts. Colombia is regularly raised at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)/Trades Union Congress Advisory Council which meets three times a year, and in other ad hoc exchanges between the FCO and British unions. We particularly welcome the joint agreement between the Colombian Government, International Labour Organisation (ILO) and Colombian trade unions in June 2006 to establish a permanent ILO presence in Colombia. We encourage the Colombian government to ensure that the ILO has an effective presence in Colombia.
We consistently urge the Colombian government to support and protect the role of trade unions in Colombia. My noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Lord Triesman of Tottenham, raised our concerns with the Colombian government when he visited Colombia last month, and also met with a group of Colombian trade unionists to hear at first hand the issues they face, having met them earlier this year in London. Both the FCO and the Department for International Development have funded projects in support of trade unions in Colombia.
Correspondence
I replied to my right hon. Friend on 18 July. I apologise for the delay in responding to this written question.
I replied to my right hon. Friend on 17 July. I apologise for the delay in responding to this written question.
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
In recent years South Korea has provided 500,000 tonnes of rice to North Korea, but suspended its regular humanitarian assistance in response to the July missile tests. As a further measure in response to the 9 October nuclear test, Seoul has also halted flood-related assistance, which so far has included a further 90,000 tons of rice. We have expressed our concern to the South Koreans about using humanitarian aid as political leverage, but do not know their future intentions for the supply of food aid to North Korea.
Democratic Republic of the Congo
The human rights situation across the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) remains poor. Civilians, particularly in eastern DRC, continue to suffer abuses committed by members of the Congolese armed forces and militia groups. Harassment of civilians for political reasons has recently increased. The security situation in the DRC remains fragile, especially in the east, north east and Kinshasa.
We expect the second round of elections to be tense and the probability of violence can not be excluded. This is why we have deployed an EU force to support the UN mission during the entire election period.
Departmental Expenditure
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has two contracts with taxi/minicab firms to provide a 24-hour taxi service for staff in London, and to provide a taxi service between Milton Keynes and Hanslope Park, and taxi services for Hanslope Park-based staff for home to office and airport journeys. The estimated annual value of these two contracts was £200,000 and £120,000 respectively.
Officers at home and overseas also make ad hoc taxi journeys in the course of their official duties. The FCO does not record expenditure on travel by taxi in the United Kingdom or overseas separately from travel on other forms of surface transport. Figures for the total expenditure on taxi fares could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
EU Member States (Entry Refusals)
We are unable to answer this question as our Embassies in Bucharest and Sofia do not keep records of the number of British subjects refused entry into their respective countries. For the final part of the hon. Member’s question, officials would also need to contact the 25 EU member states and this would incur disproportionate cost.
International Protection of Children
The Trilateral Agreement reached in Cordoba on 18 September announced a historic set of measures which will deliver real, practical benefits to the people of Gibraltar as well as those in the Campo de Gibraltar. The arrangements cover Gibraltar's airport, telecommunications, traffic flows as well as a settlement to the long running issue of pensions paid to Spanish workers affected by the 1969 border closure.
The ratification of the 1996 Hague Convention on the International Protection of Children is currently blocked because Spain has questioned the arrangements for communications under this convention with competent authorities in Gibraltar.
There have been a number of attempts to resolve this problem as well as the broader issue of postboxing (whereby formal communications between Gibraltar competent authorities and their EU/European Economic Association/European Free Trade Association counterparts under EU instruments, take place via the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London). It was discussed as part of the Trilateral process and while we were unable to reach agreement by 18 September all sides are committed to finding a solution. Negotiations are consequently at an advanced stage and we hope that a final agreement will be reached over the next month.
Iran
We remain deeply concerned about the situation of religious minorities in Iran and receive numerous reports of discrimination against those wishing to practise minority faiths. Reza Montazamic and his wife Fereshteh Dibaj were arrested in Iran on 26 September and subsequently released on bail on 5 October. We have not made direct representations to the Iranian Government, but continue to monitor the case closely.
We take all available opportunities to make clear to the Iranian authorities our concerns about religious freedom in Iran. We continue to press them, bilaterally and through the EU, to address the intimidation and discrimination of religious minorities, including Christian, Baha’i and Jewish communities. At our suggestion the EU presidency raised these issues with the Iranians on 31 January and 11 April.
We also take action at the UN and were pleased that all EU countries co-sponsored a UN General Assembly Resolution on Human Rights in Iran in December last year. This resolution expressed serious concern at
“The continuing discrimination, and other human rights violations against persons belonging to ethnic and religious minorities, recognized or otherwise, including Arabs, Kurds, Baluchis, Christians, Jews and Sunni Muslims, the escalation and increased frequency of discrimination and other human rights violations against the Baha’I”.
We expect Iran to uphold the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion in accordance with its obligations under Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Iraq
The Iraqi Ministry of Health has released figures on a monthly basis through 2006. The figures from January to August 2006 state that 10,034 Iraqis died violently, where the cause of death was recorded as ‘military’ or ‘terrorist’ action. The vast majority of these were recorded as being a result of ‘terrorist’ attacks. The Ministry of Health points out that this figure includes all Iraqis, including civilians, Iraqi security forces and insurgents, except those in the Kurdish provinces.
There continues to be no comprehensive or reliable assessment of violent deaths in Iraq.
Islands (Constitutional Status)
These territories are the responsibility of the Governments of Australia and New Zealand. It falls to those governments to explain the constitutional status of their territories under the Crown.
Israel
Details of all export licences 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. This includes a summary of goods by destination. All reports—from 1997—can be found on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at: http://www.fco.gov.uk/servlet/Front?pagename=OpenMarket/Xcelerate/ShowPage&c=Page&cid=l0070 29395474.
In the latest published annual report, covering 2005, no export licenses issued to Israel were revoked. Given the way data is recorded, if there were any revocations, it would not be possible to identify how many were due to information originating from overseas Posts, this usually being one aspect of several taken into account when a licence is assessed.
All export licence applications are judged rigorously against the Consolidated EU and National Export Licensing Criteria including risk assessment by all four Government Departments (the FCO, the Department for Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development) involved in the export licensing process. There are few revocations.
Malaysia
The current situation on the Pingat Jasa Malaysia (PJM) is set out in the written ministerial statement made by my hon. Friend the then Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs (Ian Pearson) on 31 January 2006, Official Report, columns 10-11WS.
Those seeking permission to wear the PJM, have made a number of points which will be considered by the Committee on the Grant of Honours, Decorations and Medals. I hope that the results will be known by the end of November.
Mexico (Visit)
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary visited Mexico from 2-4 October. She gave the opening address at the second ministerial meeting of the Gleneagles Dialogue on Climate Change, Sustainable Development and Clean Energy. This address is on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website at: www.fco.gov.uk, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House. The key message of the meeting was that dealing with climate change is an imperative for today, not an option for tomorrow. The meeting heard compelling new evidence in three areas—the economics of climate change, technology opportunities and the investment challenge. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary met separately with Paula Dobriansky, US Deputy Under-secretary of State, and discussed the US Administration’s position on climate change and with Claude Mandil, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency, to discuss what will be needed globally for a transition to a low carbon economy.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary also undertook a bilateral programme in Mexico City, meeting with President Fox and Foreign Minister Derbez. She had wide-ranging discussions covering bilateral, regional and global issues. With Foreign Minister Derbez, she signed and launched a bilateral Sustainable Development Dialogue (SDD) which will give us a framework for a cross-government programme of concrete bilateral action. A copy of the Memorandum of Understanding that launched the SDD will be made available on the Government’s sustainable development website at: www.sustainable-development.gov.uk, and a copy will be placed in the Library of the House.
Middle East
In June and July, our embassy in Tel Aviv made representations to the Israeli Ministry for Foreign Affairs regarding the administrative detention of a disabled Palestinian prisoner.
We constantly monitor the situation and are in contact with Human Rights and International organisations. An official from our embassy in Tel Aviv also attended the Israeli Supreme Court in July 2006 to observe an appeal against his detention by a Palestinian administrative detainee.
We will continue to raise this issue with the Israeli Government.
We have no estimate of the number of roadblocks.
According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), as of 20 September 2006, the west bank closure system comprises 528 checkpoints and physical obstacles placed by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) on roads to control and restrict Palestinian movement, representing an increase of almost 2 per cent. on the 518 obstacles in June 2006. In August 2005, OCHA reported that there were 376 physical obstacles. This represents an 11 per cent. increase in the number of physical obstacles erected by the IDF since the beginning of 2006 and almost 40 per cent. since August 2005.
According to the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, a combination of checkpoints, physical obstacles and a permit system has effectively cut the west bank into three distinct areas–north, central and southern west bank, in addition to east Jerusalem. Within these areas further enclaves have been created. These enclaves are bordered by checkpoints and roadblocks and this has led to Palestinian communities being separated.
Many routes within the west bank are regulated by a system of permits. However, requirements to get permits to move from one area to another are increasingly difficult to meet and fewer permits are issued. Without warning, additional restrictions or closures can make permits invalid. Additional restrictions can be by age (usually 15 to 32-year-old males), by gender or by geographical area. These restrictions can be imposed at any checkpoints at any time. According to the Palestinian Liberation Organisation Negotiation Affairs Department, the barrier, settlements and restrictions on Palestinian access to the Jordan valley together prevent regular Palestinian access to at least 46 per cent. of the west bank. Their estimates are that the percentages of west bank land involved are: barrier 9.5 per cent., settlements 8 per cent. and Jordan valley 28.5 per cent.. Further information can be found on the following website: http://www.nad-plo.org/inner.php?view=facts _wall_isf.
Nicaragua
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not discussed the forthcoming elections in Nicaragua with the United States Administration.
Foreign and Commonwealth Office officials have been involved in discussions about Nicaragua in the EU and the European Commission has sent a team of EU Election Observers to Nicaragua for the presidential and congressional elections in November. Our embassy in San Jose, which also represents the UK in Nicaragua, is monitoring the campaign closely, as is the Department for International Development office based in Managua, Nicaragua. They have regular discussions with partners, including the EU and US, on the forthcoming elections.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) is encouraging free and fair presidential and congressional elections in Nicaragua in November. Our embassy in San Jose, which also represents the UK in Nicaragua, is monitoring the campaign closely, as is the Department for International Development office based in Managua, Nicaragua. The FCO has been involved in discussions on Nicaragua with our EU partners, and the European Commission is sending a team of EU Election Observers to Nicaragua for the elections. One of the key functions of the EU Election Observation Mission will be to assess the Nicaraguan election process in relation to international standards for democratic elections.
Parliamentary Questions
I replied to my hon. Friend on 16 October 2006, Official Report, column 964W. I apologise for the lateness of my reply.
Sri Lanka
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) on 17 October 2006 (UIN 93648).
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (John Bercow) today (UIN 93648).
Sudan
Under the 5 May 2006 Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA), the parties agreed to establish a Darfur-Darfur Dialogue and Consultation (DDDC), led by the African Union (AU), in order to secure wide support for the DPA and to start the process of reconciliation.
Through the joint Department for International Development/Foreign and Commonwealth Office Sudan Unit and our embassy in Khartoum, we are working closely with the AU in taking this process forward, including by identifying candidates for the Chairperson of the DDDC. We continue to make clear our willingness to support the DDDC, including with technical expertise, to help accelerate the prospect of progress.
However, the DDDC has been hampered by the deteriorating security situation on the ground and an unwillingness by the parties to the DPA to adhere to their commitments. We are pressing all sides to stop the fighting and to implement the DPA rapidly. We are also funding a media campaign aimed at broadening support for the DPA, and engaging the non-signatory rebel leaders to persuade them to commit to the Agreement.
There have been credible reports of a number of attacks in South Darfur, carried out by the Janjaweed/armed militias, since 27 August. We have condemned this fighting. It must stop immediately. We have a team of international diplomats, including a British diplomat, engaging the rebel groups in Darfur to make clear they must honour existing ceasefires and abide by UN Security Council Resolutions and the Darfur Peace Agreement (DPA). We are working to bring such groups into the DPA.
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has had no recent discussions with the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights about the situation in Darfur. But, as a Permanent Member of the Security Council, the UK is briefed on a regular basis about the situation in Darfur, most recently by the Secretary General on 6 October. We have called on the Government of Sudan to address the human rights situation in Darfur and are making it clear that we will hold them accountable for abuses on the ground.
The National Redemption Front (NRF) is an umbrella organisation loosely made up of the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), Sharif Harir, Ahmed Diraige (the former governor of Darfur) and elements of the Sudan Liberation Movement (SLM). The dominant group in the NRF is the JEM. The NRF is thought to be gaining popularity among individual SLM factions including the predominantly Fur-based Abdel Wahid and its rival, Abdul Shaffi. The NRF is alleged to be responsible for the majority of recent rebel attacks. We are pressing the NRF to immediately cease fighting and to sign up to the Darfur Peace Agreement. We have made clear to the NRF that we are ready to support a process to help rebel groups to do so.
Western Sahara
My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has not made any recent representations to the UN on the need for a referendum on the future of Western Sahara.
The UK fully supports the efforts of the UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, and his Personal Envoy to Western Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, to assist the parties to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution, which will provide for the self-determination of the people of Western Sahara. The UK is in regular contact with representatives of the parties to the dispute and the UN. The UK will continue to encourage all parties to engage with the UN process. There are, however, no plans for a UN referendum to be held in the near future.
The Government are not aware of any plans on the part of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to publish a report on a visit by a delegation from her Office to Western Sahara in May.
The UN Secretary-General is due to publish a report on the situation in Western Sahara on 18 October. We expect this report to cover developments over the past six months. The Government look forward to this report.
The UN Secretary-General's Special Representative to Western Sahara is head of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara. The UK will take an active role in the Security Council's discussions, in line with the Government's continued support to efforts to resolve the issue of the status of Western Sahara within the UN framework.
Zimbabwe
Mugabe’s chaotic approach to land expropriation has severely damaged Zimbabwe’s agricultural base. Despite abundant rains, the World Food Programme estimates that 1.4 million Zimbabweans will again require food assistance. The Government of Zimbabwe has ignored international calls to embark on a transparent, democratic land reform process. Instead, Mugabe’s regime continues to seize land, recently issuing eviction notices to over 60 of the remaining commercial farmers in Zimbabwe.
Together with our EU, Commonwealth and other international partners, we urge the Government of Zimbabwe to return to policies based on sound economic practice, democracy, and respect for the rule of law and human rights.
Northern Ireland
Action Cancer
My Department has no direct involvement in the visits carried out by Action Cancer. I welcome the Big Bus initiative and the valuable contribution the charity makes in cancer prevention in Northern Ireland.
Cancer Services
There is no testicular or prostate cancer screening programme in place in Northern Ireland.
In relation to prostate cancer the National Screening Committee recommends that routine screening using prostate specific antigen testing should not be introduced. The Committee is keeping the issue under review and will revise their recommendation if new evidence becomes available.
The National Screening Committee does not recommend a screening programme for testicular cancer. However, men should be aware of the need for self-examination and the importance of referring to their GP with any concerns.
Nursing
There are currently 2,187 undergraduate nursing students in training in Northern Ireland. The equivalent figures for each of the last three academic years are presented in the following table.
Academic year Number 2005-06 2,337 2004-05 2,548 2003-04 2,235 Source: Queens University Belfast, University of Ulster and the Open University.
Student nurses drop out of their course for a variety of reasons. There are however, procedures in place to allow students to temporarily withdraw from their course and recommence at a future date. Drop-out rates or permanent withdrawals, refer to students who drop out of the course and do not intend to return. The number of student nurses who have permanently withdrawn from their course in each of the last three years and the corresponding percentage is presented in the following table.
Academic year Year 1 Year 2 Year 3 Total Percentage of total cohort 2003-04 60 40 15 115 5.1 2004-05 70 77 19 166 6.5 2005-06 62 49 49 160 7 Source: CSA bursary data information.
Prehen Woods
The adopted Derry Area Plan 2011 contains no explicit restriction on the distance between any new housing development and the existing Prehen Woods.
However, the supporting text to the zoning specifies that a strip of land no less than 15 metres and preferably up to 20 metres from the existing fence line along the southern and south western boundaries of the site should be protected as a buffer zone between Prehen Woods and any housing permitted on this land.
Approximately 50 per cent. of the proposed site to which planning application A/2005/1166/F relates, encroaches into Prehen Woods although this does not include the part of the application site on which houses are proposed.
Psychiatric Care
Vacancies for registered mental health nurses by Board area, as at 30 September 2006, are detailed in the following table.
Number Northern Board 19 Eastern Board 21 Southern Board 15 Western Board 3 Total 58
Information on the number of (a) children, (b) young adults aged 16-18 years and (c) adults aged 19-21 who travelled from Northern Ireland to St. George's Hospital in London for treatment for (i) eating disorders from 2001-02 to 2005-06 is outlined in the following table. There were no patients, under 22 years of age, from Northern Ireland that went to St. George's Hospital in London for (ii) other mental health related conditions between 2001-02 and 2005-06.
Financial year (a) Children (under 16s) (b) Young adults (16 to 18-year-olds) (c) Adults aged 19-21 2001-02 0 0 0 2002-03 0 0 0 2003-04 0 0 4 2004-05 1 3 6 2005-06 1 2 3 Total 2 5 13 Note: Children have been classified as persons aged 15 and under and young adults have been classified as persons aged 16-18. Figures for adults aged between 19 and 21 have also been included. Source: Health and Social Service Boards
The information requested is presented in the following table.
Psychiatrist vacancies Psychologist vacancies Board Headcount WTE1 Headcount WTE1 Northern 1 1.00 3 3.00 Eastern 3 2.36 14 13.20 Southern 3 3.00 3 3.00 Western 0 0.00 2 2.00 Total 7 6.36 22 21.20 1 Whole-time equivalent. Source: NI Health and Social Services Trusts.
Smoking
The draft regulations setting out a proposed exemption for research and testing facilities were issued for public consultation on 22 September. During a recent exchange of correspondence with my officials, Gallaher was invited to specify in its response to the consultation exercise, what, if any, functions currently performed in the research and development facility at Lisnafillan would be in breach of the Northern Ireland regulations as currently drafted.
My officials will give very careful consideration to Gallaher’s response.
No estimate has been made.
Teachers
I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer given on 7 March 2006, Official Report, column 1331W.