asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans are being made to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Her Majesty the Queen's Accession to the Throne; and if they will make a statement. [HL4798]

I believe that not only this House, but also the people of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, will join me in looking forward to Her Majesty's Golden Jubilee as a joyous occasion and a very special milestone. It will be a time both for looking back at the central part which the Queen has played in the affairs of this country and the Commonwealth over the preceding 50 years; and for looking forward to the continuation of Her Majesty's unique contribution for many years to come.Her Majesty the Queen has approved my recommendation that the fiftieth anniversary of Her Accession to the Throne should be celebrated during the summer of 2002.A Ministerial Committee, under the chairmanship of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary, was set up last year to help to co-ordinate arrangements with Buckingham Palace. I have made the following recommendations which Her Majesty has approved and which have the support of the Leaders of the Devolved Administrations and of Opposition Parties.The Queen will attend a National Service of Thanksgiving in St Paul's Cathedral on Tuesday 4 June 2002. That day will be a Bank Holiday in place of the Spring Bank Holiday, which would otherwise fall on 27 May in 2002. The day before, Monday 3 June, will be an additional Bank Holiday for the Golden Jubilee.The Queen hopes to travel within the United Kingdom as widely as possible during the summer months of May to July, and especially the weeks running up to and following the Bank Holiday weekend. She has agreed to visit the Armed Forces on 27 June and to open the Commonwealth Games in Manchester on 25 July and close them on 4 August. She will undertake a Commonwealth visit in the autumn. The Queen has also agreed to a grant of certain civic honours—city status and Lord Mayoralty—to mark Her Jubilee. Other elements of the programme will be announced in due course. It is Her Majesty's express wish that there should be no undue expenditure from public funds on the programme of celebrations.The Queen has said that She sees Her Golden Jubilee as an opportunity to express Her thanks for the support and loyalty She has enjoyed during Her reign. She hopes that events surrounding the Jubilee will create numerous opportunities for voluntary and community service and that as many people as possible will have the opportunity to enjoy the celebrations to mark this happy occasion.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will publish the findings of their research into women's social attitudes between 1983 to 1998. [HL4777]

I have published today the Women's Unit document Women's Social Attitudes 1983–1998. Copies have been placed in the Library and the report is also available on the Women's Unit web-site.The Women's Unit is publishing the above report on secondary data analysis of the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey series (1983–1998) and the Young People's Attitudes survey (1994 and 1998).The report provides valuable, comprehensive information about women's attitudes, tracking continuity and change over time wherever the data allow this. It shows the impact of age, occupation, education and income level, and motherhood on women's attitudes across a range of issues.The topics reported upon in the publication are women's attitudes to: Government and Politics; Welfare and Social Security; Money; Paid Work; The Family; Health and Genetics; Education and Science; Environment and Transport. The final chapter explores young women's attitudes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have to change the law to permit the parents of conjoined twins to challenge before the House of Lords judicial decisions of a life-threatening nature affecting their children with which they disagree; and why, in the case of baby Mary, the Official Solicitor did not refer the case to the House of Lords. [HL4759]

No change in the law is required. In the case of the conjoined twins known as "Jodie" and "Mary", decided on appeal in the Court of Appeal, the parents were given permission for a further appeal to the House of Lords but chose not to exercise it. The Official Solicitor representing Mary was also given permission to appeal. All the arguments on behalf of Mary were advanced in the Court of Appeal, including the moral, ethical and legal arguments submitted by the Archbishop of Westminster and the Pro-Life Group. In deciding not to appeal to the House of Lords, the Official Solicitor took into account the prospects of success, the uniqueness of the case, and the parents' decision.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make the cost of employing carers an allowable business expenses for those having care of a disabled family member and who would not be able to go to work without providing adequate care for that person. [HL4740]

The Government have no plans to introduce a special tax relief for people who employ carers. However, we recently announced a package of measures worth more than £500 million over three years, which will improve financial support for carers. The package includes a proposal to increase the earnings limit for Invalid Care Allowance from its present level of £50 per week, after allowable expenses, to a figure equal to the Lower Earnings Limit, which is currently £67. This will allow carers who are able to combine work with their caring responsibilities to keep more of their earnings.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether all public service pensions and any others restricted by Treasury edict may be increased in line with percentage increases in the state retirement pension operative from 1 April 2001. [HL4656]

Legislation governing public service pensions requires public service pensions to be increased annually by the same percentage as state earnings related pensions (additional pensions). My noble friend Lady Hollis announced in a Statement on benefits uprating on 9 November 2000 (Official Report, col. 1689), that benefits such as additional pensions will be increased by 3.3 per cent, in line with the annual increase in the Retail Prices Index up to September 2000. Public service pensions will therefore be increased by 3.3 per cent from 9 April 2001, except those which have been in payment for less than a year, which will receive a pro-rata increase.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the existing method of increasing the money supply provides the commercial banks with a hidden subsidy of over £20 billion a year, as calculated in the report,

Contrary to the report of the New Economics Foundation, banks are not provided with a hidden subsidy. Funds loaned out to customers must either be obtained from depositors or the sterling money market, both of which usually require the payment of interest.The Financial Services and Markets Act has put in place a framework for the regulation of financial services, with the Financial Services Authority assuming the responsibility of ensuring that banking regulation is clear, serves customers' needs and promotes competition. In addition, following the publication of the Cruickshank Report in March, the Government have recently announced a package of measures to promote competition in the banking sector.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they expect to reply to the recommendations made by the Maclean report concerning the costs of inspection and regulation of slaughterhouses. [HL4731]

Her Majesty's Government have given careful consideration to the recommendations of the Maclean Report and have noted the widespread support given to them by industry interests. The Government's intentions in respect of the recommendations will be announced shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What was the outcome of the Development Council held in Brussels on 10 November. [HL4717]

The main achievement was the adoption by the Council and the Commission of a Declaration on the European Community's Development Policy. This was a milestone for the EC. The Declaration provides the EC, for the first time, with a clear operational framework for all EC development assistance, with poverty reduction as the principal objective. This was an important UK objective in our published strategy for working with the EC. The Development Commissioner, Poul Nielson, also presented a comprehensive Action Programme for implementing the Declaration. He emphasised the multi-dimensional nature of poverty, the need to work within countries' own poverty reduction strategies, the importance of focusing EC development assistance on fewer areas and the need for further progress in ensuring that other EC policies such as fisheries, trade and agriculture, do not undermine our development efforts.We strongly welcomed the Declaration and the Commission's plans for implementing the new policy. It remains essential to turn the operational framework into reality on the ground. We will be reviewing how we can help to ensure that this is achieved.The Council also adopted an important new framework for preparation of EC Country Strategy Papers. This clarifies the need to collaborate closely with other donors and to focus on poverty reduction strategies developed by the partner country.The Council briefly reviewed the actions that have been taken to follow up the overall evaluation of EC programmes which had been discussed in May 1999. These included the adoption of an overall statement of EC development policy.The Council adopted a Resolution on Communicable Diseases which welcomed a recent Commission Communication and called for an Action Programme to implement it. The Council agreed on the need for a coherent approach to tackling these diseases which threaten poor people and hinder efforts to reduce poverty. Conclusions on the 6th Conference of the Parties on Climate Change were also adopted.During the pre-Council dinner there was an informal exchange of views on Liberia, Ethiopia/Eritrea, Somalia, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What assistance they have given to non-governmental organisations supporting demining teams in the latest financial year in (a) Sudan (b) Cambodia and (c) Afghanistan. [HL4516]

We have not made any funding available for demining projects in Sudan. We consider it inappropriate to provide funds for demining in situations where conflict continues and when new mines continue to be laid. In 1999–00, we provided some £2 million through non-governmental organisations for humanitarian mine clearance and mine awareness in Cambodia. Over the same period, we channelled approximately £1.7 million for humanitarian mine action in Afghanistan through the United Nations Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Some of these funds were used to support programmes through non-governmental organisations. A copy of the Second Progress Report on the Department for International Development's mine action strategy will be placed in the Library of the House.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What has been their response to the recent scandal affecting CMAC, the Cambodian government's demining organisation; and what is the present alternative channel of United Kingdom funding for such work. [HL4518]

We are concerned at the recent decision by the Cambodian Prime Minister to suspend a major part of the CMAC's operations from 13 November. We are monitoring the situation carefully through our Embassy in Phnom Penh along with other donors locally, including the United Nations Development Programme (through which we have previously provided funding for the CMAC). A Government-donor symposium on mines action in Cambodia will be held on 16 November, at which we will be represented. Any further funding we may provide through CMAC will depend on the outcome of that symposium, including future commitment by the Government of Cambodia and an effective dialogue with donors. In the meantime, we continue to provide funding for humanitarian mine action in Cambodia (approximately £2 million in 1999–2000) through non-governmental organisations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What progress has been made in implementing the recommendations of the Policy Action Team 9 report on community self-help. [HL4797]

The Policy Action Team 9 (PAT9) report on community self-help was one of 18 reports commissioned by the Social Exclusion Unit to come up with recommendations to tackle the unacceptable problems in England's poorest neighbourhoods. Since the publication of the PAT9 Report in September 1999, we have made good progress in implementing many of the recommendations, some of which have been included as key ideas of the National Strategy for Neighbourhood Renewal. We have set out the key achievements in an annual report which also includes a look forward to the main action points for future work. A copy of the annual report will be placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether Home Office files on immigration and nationality are routinely destroyed; and, if so, on what authority. [HL4636]

The files are subject to the provisions of the Public Records Act 1958. The department accordingly works with the Public Record Office to identify and preserve material of historical importance; the remainder is disposed of when it ceases to have any operational relevance. Of the 4 million files currently held by the department, approximately 97 per cent have been created in the last 20 years.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they support fully the current draft of the treaty on Internet crime prepared by the Council of Europe. [HL4667]

The Government are committed to action against hi-tech crime in line with our twin objectives of making the United Kingdom the best and safest place in the world to conduct and engage in e-commerce.We fully support the aims of the Cybercrime Convention that is currently being drafted in the Council of Europe and consider this to be an important international instrument. The convention is intended to provide States with a common criminal policy aimed at the protection of society against cybercrime. It requires Contracting Parties to adopt appropriate legislation and to provide arrangements for fast and reliable international co-operation. It will also ensure that a proper balance is maintained between the interests of law enforcement and respect for fundamental human rights.While the Government are generally content with the current draft of the convention, a final decision will not be made until it is completed at the end of this year.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they publicise the fact that asylum seekers are often forbidden to work during their first six months in the United Kingdom. [HL4706]

On making an asylum claim, port and in-country asylum applicants are issued with a standard acknowledgement letter. This letter clearly states that the asylum applicant and his dependants may not take employment paid or unpaid but that the asylum seeker may seek permission to work if no decision has been made on his application after six months. The instructions to Immigration and Nationality Directorate staff, which are published on the Internet, also make this clear.

asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 and in the light of the statement in the Official Report (H.L. Deb., 4 February 1997, col. 1593) that, "The Government will also pay compensation to owners for ammunition and for other accessories and other ancillary equipment which they own and which have no use other than in connection with prohibited higher calibre handguns", why it is that some manufacturers have been denied compensation for specialist tooling equipment, including dies for prohibited handguns, which cannot be used for other purposes; and [HL4674]Why the Home Office have altered their interpretation of ancillary equipment from that contained in Section 17(2)(a) of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997 from the wording of that section "designed or adapted for use in connection with firearms prohibited by virtue of section 1(2)" to "equipment which is ancillary to the use or possession of prohibited handguns"; and [HL4675]Whether the Home Office intend to instruct Chief Officers of Police throughout the country to return equipment and component parts which can only be used for the manufacture of, and in connection with, prohibited handguns; and [HL4676]Why prototypes and their component parts of prohibited firearms which had, by law, to be handed in for destruction, were not included in the compensation scheme under the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997. [HL4677]

The Government have consistently taken the view that equipment used in the manufacture of prohibited handguns does not fall within the scope of the compensation scheme made under Sections 16 and 17 of the Firearms (Amendment) Act 1997; nor could it do so, given the terms of Section 17 of the Act, which relates to ancillary equipment. Indeed, the noble Baroness explicitly referred to this exclusion in a later part of the speech she has quoted (Official Report, 4 February 1997, cols. 1593–94). There she said, "In the case of a manufacturer of handguns … the terms of the compensation scheme will not cover equipment in the area of the manufacturing of firearms".In administering the Firearms Compensation Scheme, the Home Office has conformed with the terms of the Firearms (Amendment) Act and any relevant case law. The words quoted by the noble Baroness at the end of her Question are taken from a letter from one of my officials to a claimant which sought to paraphrase the relevant legislation in the interests of brevity: as has been explained to the claimant in question, they were not and could not have been intended to alter the effect of the legislation itself.It is open to firearms compensation claimants to request the return from the police of those items which have been rejected from their claim as being ineligible to receive payment. (The police will comply with such requests unless they consider they are legally disbarred from doing so: the decision is for Chief Officers to make in the light of each individual case).Controlled component parts of prohibited handguns are covered by the compensation scheme and, provided the general requirements of the scheme are met, payment may be made for such items. The same position applies to functioning prototypes of prohibited handguns, since such items would, in effect, be prohibited handguns themselves.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will extend the remit of the Immigration Service Complaints Unit to cover detention decisions themselves; and whether they will appoint an independent authority to consider those complaints. [HL4612]

The Immigration Service Complaints Unit deals with all complaints relating to the conduct and efficiency of Immigration Service staff. Its remit specifically excludes operational decisions such as decisions to detain. The performance of the Immigration Service Complaints Unit is scrutinised by the independent Immigration and Nationality Directorate Complaints Audit Committee (CAC).Those wishing to challenge the legality of a detention decision can apply for habeas corpus (judicial review in Scotland). Most detainees can also apply for bail to an independent adjudicator or a chief immigration officer. There are other avenues of redress, for example a detainee or his representative can write to the officer dealing with the case or to a senior manager, or he can raise his complaint with a Member of Parliament.The appointment of an independent complaints authority would cut across and duplicate existing avenues of redress.

asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will ensure that bail summaries are disclosed at least 48 hours before a bail hearing in an immigration case so that lawyers can represent their clients effectively at bail hearings. [HL4623]

I am unfortunately unable to give the guarantee sought by the noble Lord. The Immigration Service port or office dealing with the detainee often receives very little notice of a bail hearing, and summaries are frequently written a very short period of time before the hearing. It is therefore common practice for the Home Office presenting officer to give the detainee's representative copies of the summary at or shortly before the hearing.However bail summaries do not normally contain information which is new to the detainee or his representative. Every detainee is informed in writing of the reasons for his detention.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What measures they will take to ensure that the condition of Immigration Act detainees who may be suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder is properly diagnosed and, if appropriate, they may be immediately released. [HL4613]

The level of health care at detention centres is comparable to that in a local general practice and the management of detainees with mental health problems mirrors the approach adopted in the general community.Usually within 24 hours of arrival in the centre or prison, detainees are offered a full medical screening. Where issues relating to mental health are explored as part of that initial assessment, any concerns about the mental well-being of a detainee are dealt with by the doctor, who will, if necessary, arrange a full psychiatric examination by a qualified psychiatrist. Detainees can also be referred for specialist treatment, including psychological counselling, in the same way as any other National Health Service patient. Where evidence of post-traumatic stress disorder is diagnosed, the Immigration Service is alerted and detention is reviewed in the light of this evidence.

asked Her Majesty's Government:How many organisations and individuals had by 31 October expressed support for the proposal to merge the Prison and Probation Inspectorates. [HL4483]

We received 36 responses commenting on the options identified by the consultation document, as laid out in the Answer I gave on 12 October (Official Report, col WA48). Of these:

• three supported the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector for Prisons and Probation;
• 28 supported our other options for change; and four supported the status quo

A small number were not definite in their responses or covered only the appointment of a joint Chief Inspector.Copies of the responses have been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When they are expecting to decide on the regulations for vapour recovery at petrol stations; and whether they are aware of any danger that delay might impose on meeting deadlines for compliance with treaty or protocol obligations. [HL4724]

As a party to the 1991 VOC Protocol to the UN/ECE Convention on Long-Range Transboundary Air Pollution, the UK is committed to applying techniques to reduce VOC emissions from motor vehicle refuelling emissions by October 2002. The Government are considering how best to meet this commitment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:When the draft statutory guidance to the Environment Agency on the regulation of radioactive discharges into the environment from nuclear licensed sites, referred to in the UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges consultation document, will be issued for public consultation; and what its contents are. [HL4796]

The Government have today published a consultation paper setting out our proposals for statutory guidance to the Environment Agency. It brings together and publicises, for the first time, the factors that we require the Environment Agency to consider when setting discharge levels.The draft guidance reinforces the Government's commitment progressively to cut discharges and discharge limits. It will help to deliver the commitment the UK has given to its OSPAR partners to ensure that by 2020, discharges are reduced to levels where the additional concentrations in the marine environment above historic levels resulting from such discharges are close to zero.The guidance will help to ensure that discharge authorisations are consistent with the UK Strategy for Radioactive Discharges 2001–2020, which is now being finalised following public consultation earlier this year.Central to the guidance is the need to ensure the protection of the public, not only within the UK but beyond our borders. For example, the guidance proposes that, in general, discharge levels are set so that Community Food Intervention Levels are not exceeded, even though there is no requirement to do so under law.Equally, none of the measures taken to protect the environment should compromise the safety of workers and this is also covered in the guidance, in terms both of routine exposures and risks of accidents.Keeping radioactive waste to a minimum must be the key to reducing discharges. While the industry works to achieve this, we are asking the agency to evaluate alternative ways of making allowable discharges so that the Best Practicable Environmental Option can be chosen.Each case will be considered on its merits but the presumption now will be that discharges should be minimised by requiring radioactivity to be trapped and immobilised for subsequent storage or treatment, rather than discharged into the environment.The guidance will encourage operators to keep their discharges to a minimum by setting strict limits on how much they can discharge. These limits will be subject to regular review. We also propose that there should be a "cap" on discharges from new plant.The guidance recognises that it is not necessary to apply a specific limit to every radionuclide which is discharged, but effective control over all discharges is essential. The agency is therefore given guidance on which radionuclides, as a minimum, they should control.New technology will play a vital role in reducing discharges. With this in mind, the draft guidance requires the agency to set timescales for research and development to be carried out into new technological developments.Copies of the consultation document have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking beyond the Montreal Protocol to combat the development of an ozone hole over the North Pole comparable in size with that over Antarctica. [HL4647]

Under the Montreal Protocol, developed countries are required to phase out the production of CFCs by the end of 1995. The UK, in line with other European countries, phased out production by the end of 1994, one year ahead of the Protocol. We have recently agreed EC Regulation 2037/2000, which came into force on 1 October 2000, under which it is prohibited to supply CFCs. From 1 January 2001 there will also be a ban on the use of CFCs in the maintenance of existing equipment. Other measures in the regulation to phase out ozone depleting substances such as HCFCs by 2010 go beyond the Montreal Protocol.

asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to stimulate public awareness of the relationship between carbon dioxide emissions and climate change and of the dangers inherent in such a change. [HL4646]

The Government fully recognise the importance of informing people about climate change, what its causes and its effects could be, and the action they could take to help reduce emissions. We are working in partnership with a wide range of organisations on a number of different initiatives that are targeted at householders, the travelling public, businesses, local government and children.We believe that action by individuals is particularly important. We are therefore funding a major publicity campaign called "Are you doing your bit?" which informs people about the impact of their individual and collective actions. This £25 million, multi-media campaign focuses on how small changes in people's everyday actions can have financial and environmental benefits, and can make a difference. Public reaction to the campaign has been very positive.The Energy Saving Trust's "energy efficiency" campaign, funded by the Government, aims to increase the take-up of energy efficient products and services by raising awareness of the financial benefits of being energy efficient, and by ensuring that products and services are of a high quality and are easily identifiable as being energy efficient. EU Energy Labels on a growing number of everyday appliances and lightbulbs, and shortly on cars, provide a constant reminder to consumers of the importance of the issue.