Written Answers
Tuesday, 4th December 2001.
Asylum Seekers: Fingerprints
asked Her Majesty's Government:When fingerprint records of asylum seekers are destroyed and removed from databases. [HL1630]
The current legislation provides that fingerprints taken from an asylum seeker should be destroyed as soon as reasonably practicable after they are granted indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom. Until the introduction of the computerised fingerprint system in December 2000, it was not practicable routinely to weed and destroy prints. We are now taking a power within the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Bill which will allow such prints to be retained for 10 years. New functionality in the computerised fingerprint system will make it possible to identify and destroy prints after 10 years.
Immigration And Asylum Act, Part Iii
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have finished considering Part III of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999; when they will give effect to Part III; and why this has been delayed. [HL1677]
No final decisions have been taken on the implementation of Part III of the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999 and the position remains under review. In particular, the implementation of the legislation will need to be considered in the light of the Home Secretary's recent statement on asylum and immigration and we would expect to address the issue in the forthcoming White Paper.
Police Grant
asked Her Majesty's Government:When they will announce the allocations of police grant for police authorities in England and Wales for 2002–03. [HL1834]
We have today placed in the Library a copy of the proposals of my right honourable friend the Home Secretary for allocation of police grant for 2002–03. We intend to implement the proposals subject to consideration of any representations we receive about them and to the approval of the House of Commons.We are taking the opportunity to outline the wider provision for support for the police service. This includes not only total standard spending (TSS), supported by police grant and revenue support grant, but also provision for capital, specific initiatives (Crime Fighting Fund, rural policing, Airwave) and operational and administrative support directly provided by the Home Office.The total provision made in Spending Review 2000 for policing in 2002–03 is £9,010 million. The overall increase on provision for 2001–02 is 6.1 per cent. It builds on an increase in 2001–02 of 10.1 per cent.The increase in provision directly available to police authorities for TSS, specific initiatives and capital grant and supplementary credit approvals is 5 per cent. In addition, there are increases in provision of services provided centrally for the police service—training, information technology, communications and scientific support.We propose to distribute the settlement as follows:
| Table 1 | ||||
| 2001–02 | 2002–03 | Change | ||
| £m | £m | £m | % | |
| Total SR2000 provision1 | 8,495 | 9,010 | 515 | 6.1 |
| This comprises: | ||||
| 1. Direct funding for police authorities: | ||||
| Total standard spending2 | 7,568 | 7,777 | 209 | 2.8 |
| Specific initiatives | 229 | 349 | 120 | 51.4 |
| Capital | 232 | 310 | 78 | 33.6 |
| 8,029 | 8,436 | 407 | 5.0 | |
| 2. Centrally provided services | 91 | 167 | 76 | 83.1 |
| 3. Central administration | 211 | 204 | -7 | -3.3 |
| 4. NCS/NCIS | 164 | 203 | 39 | 23.8 |
| Grand Total | 8,495 | 9,010 | 515 | 6.1 |
| 1 Rounded to £ million. | ||||
| The original 2001–02 provision has been adjusted for National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS). | ||||
Total standard spending (TSS)
Police funding proposals within the Local Government finance system are being announced today by my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions. An announcement has also been made in the National Assembly for Wales. These proposals together would provide total standard spending on the police in England and Wales of £7,777.199 million, an increase of £209 million or 2.8 per cent on the adjusted TSS for 2001–02.
The National Crime Squad (NCS) and the National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) perform a valuable role in the battle against serious crime as part of the overall policing service. The NCS brought together the previous regional crime squads into a single unit, providing direction and control and making it easier to deploy resources effectively to prevent and detect serious crime and tackle major criminals operating in one or more police force areas in England and Wales. The role of NCIS is to develop intelligence to combat serious and organised crime, providing both tactical and strategic intelligence and expertise for law enforcement, government and other relevant agencies at a national and international level. At present these services are financed mainly by a levy on police authorities set by my right honourable friend the Home Secretary. From 2002–03 the services will be funded centrally. The new approach achieves transparency in the funding arrangements for the service authorities. Provision for the services in 2002–03 has been made from TSS. TSS for 2001–02 has been adjusted in the previous table to ensure comparability.
The increase in TSS is 2.8 per cent, but increases for individual authorities vary. The formula used to determine the distribution of grant standard spending assessment (SSA) is again unchanged. The main reasons for differences between authorities result from changes in the data applied from one year to the next. These include changes in population, unemployment, projected pensions' commitments and the area cost adjustment.
We propose that the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) should continue to receive additional funding in recognition of its distinct national and capital city functions. It has proved very difficult for the principal formula to take account of these special circumstances. As in previous years, a special payment of grant will be made to the MPS above that given through the principal grant formula. The amount has been set at £197 million, which is included in the total provision.
It is proposed to make a final year's special payment of grant to the following authorities for additional costs incurred as a result of changes in Metropolitan Police district boundaries in April 2002, as follows:
| Hertfordshire | £300,000 |
| Surrey | £800,000. |
TSS allocations are a mechanism for distributing grant. Provisional grants for police authorities in 2002–03 compared with the adjusted figure for 2001–02 are given in Table 2. Protection has been given to authorities which would otherwise have received a low grant increase over 2001–02 by applying a "floor" or minimum increase of 2.3 per cent, in line with inflation. The associated TSS allocations are given in Table 3.
The following items are not part of the annual grant settlement but demonstrate the wider range of support provided to police authorities.
Special initiatives
The main items are:
Crime Fighting Fund (CFF): through the CFF resources are being provided for a programme of recruitment over and above forces previous plans. The programme has so far lived up to expectations: £221 million is included in 2002–03 to continue funding around 6,000 recruits from 2000–01 to 2001–02 and to support a further 3,000 to be recruited in 2002–03.
Rural Policing Fund: as in 2001–02, £30 million is provided for the particular needs of more rural forces through the Rural Policing Fund.
Airwave: £65 million will be available for the start-up operational costs of authorities taking Airwave in 2002–03 and to enable those forces who have the Airwave service to purchase additional menu services from BT.
London and south east payments: £33 million in total is provided for funding of free train travel for all Metropolitan and City of London officers; funding of 75 per cent of the cost of the increase of £3,327 a year in London allowance paid to officers in the Metropolitan and City of London forces who were recruited on or after 1 September 1994 and who are not in receipt of housing emoluments, and an allowance for other forces in the south east.
Police authority capital
The main items are as follows:
We intend to increase provision of capital grant and supplementary credit approvals from £157.43 million in 2001–02 to £209.43 million in 2002–03. The increase is substantial, and police authorities will be asked to direct a significant proportion of the extra provision towards improvement of their estate, as well as providing for other capital assets such as vehicles and equipment.
Capital grants (up to £76 million) for introduction of Airwave will be made available to those authorities taking up the radio communications service in 2002–03. Similar arrangements were made for 2001–02 and will be made for 2003–04.
Centrally provided services
The main elements are CFF training costs (£23 million); DNA expansion programme (£61 million); the Airwave contractor's core service charges (£50 million); and the National Strategy for Police Information Systems (£27 million).
Central administration
These include Home Office costs attributable to policing such as the Police Information Technology Organisation (PITO) and national police training facilities.
Enhanced security since 11 September
Additional provision of £30 million has also been made through the pre-Budget review for the police response during the current year to events of 11 September in the United States of America. We are considering further any longer-term implications for policing.
The settlement continues to take account of our commitment to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the police service. Future grant allocations will be considered in the light of police authorities improving efficiency by 2 per cent, reprioritising use of resources in favour of front-line policing.
In addition to the resources which we have detailed specifically for policing, police forces share in and benefit from various wider programmes for crime reduction. For example, since April 1999, under the Crime Reduction Programme, over £390 million has been invested in the running and evaluation of over 1,450 crime-fighting projects. These will provide an evidence base on what methods, employed by the police and their crime and disorder partners, are the most effective in tackling crime and its causes.
Table 2
| |||
Grant allocations
| |||
2001–02
| 2002–03
| % change
| |
Allocation 1
| Allocation 1
| ||
Police authority
| £m
| £m
| |
English Shire forces
| |||
| Avon & Somerset | 148.3 | 152.4 | 2.7% |
| Bedfordshire | 55.8 | 57.5 | 3.0% |
| Cambridgeshire | 66.0 | 67.5 | 2.3% |
| Cheshire | 96.4 | 98.9 | 2.6% |
| Cleveland | 77.7 | 80.1 | 3.0% |
| Cumbria | 54.1 | 55.6 | 2.8% |
| Derbyshire | 91.3 | 95.0 | 4.0% |
| Devon & Cornwall | 152.4 | 156.9 | 2.9% |
| Dorset | 58.2 | 59.6 | 2.5% |
| Durham | 75.7 | 77.7 | 2.7% |
| Essex | 147.4 | 150.8 | 2.3% |
| Gloucestershire | 53.9 | 55.3 | 2.5% |
| Hampshire | 173.3 | 178.9 | 3.2% |
| Hertfordshire | 96.0 | 98.6 | 2.7% |
| Humberside | 103.4 | 105.8 | 2.3% |
| Kent | 167.3 | 171.1 | 2.3% |
| Lancashire | 163.7 | 168.5 | 2.9% |
| Leicestershire | 92.0 | 94.6 | 2.8% |
| Lincolnshire | 55.5 | 56.8 | 2.3% |
| Norfolk | 74.2 | 76.8 | 3.5% |
| North Yorkshire | 66.6 | 68.1 | 2.3% |
| Northamptonshire | 57.8 | 59.1 | 2.3% |
| Nottinghamshire | 115.6 | 118.3 | 2.3% |
| Staffordshire | 100.0 | 102.6 | 2.5%, |
| Suffolk | 60.4 | 61.8 | 2.3% |
| Surrey | 80.7 | 82.5 | 2.3% |
| Sussex | 144.8 | 148.3 | 2.5% |
| Thames Valley | 194.7 | 199.2 | 2.3% |
| Warwickshire | 45.6 | 46.6 | 2.3% |
| West Mercia | 98.7 | 101.0 | 2.3% |
| Wiltshire | 55.4 | 56.6 | 2.3% |
English Metropolitan forces
| |||
| Greater Manchester | 352.9 | 362.5 | 2.7% |
| Merseyside | 223.6 | 228.7 | 2.3% |
| Northumbria | 199.3 | 203.9 | 2.3% |
| South Yorkshire | 160.1 | 163.8 | 2.3% |
| West Midlands | 358.0 | 368.1 | 2.8% |
| West Yorkshire | 268.8 | 275.6 | 2.5% |
London forces
| |||
| GLA—all functions2 | 1,882.5 | 1,943.0 | 3.2% |
| City of London2 | |||
| English Total | 6,468.1 | 6,648.2 | 2.8% |
Welsh forces
| |||
| Dyfed-Powys | 45.6 | 47.0 | 3.0% |
| Gwent | 63.6 | 65.9 | 3.6% |
| North Wales | 67.6 | 69.2 | 2.3% |
| South Wales | 150.4 | 156.2 | 3.9% |
| Welsh Total | 327.2 | 338.3 | 3.4% |
| Total | 6,795.3 | 6,986.5 | 2.8% |
Notes
1. Rounded to the nearest £100,000. Grant as would be calculated under the Local Government Finance Report (England) and Local Government Finance Report (Wales). This includes the Metropolitan Police special payment, and the effects of floors and ceilings. Debt charges adjustments are added to the 2001–02 grant figures for England.
2. Figures for the City are excluded because these are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions. GLA is included but it includes all functions (eg fire).
3. Because of the transfer of responsibilities for NCIS/NCS, the total available for distribution has been adjusted for 2001–02 to ensure like-to-like comparison with 2002–03.
4. Special payments for transitional costs associated with changes to the boundaries of the Metropolitan Police District from 1 April 2000.
5. Capital Financing SSAs as would be calculated under the Local Government Finance Report (England) and Local Government Finance Report (Wales).
Table 3
| |||
Total Standard Spending
| |||
2001–02
| 2002–03
| % change
| |
Allocation 1
| Allocation 1
| ||
Police authority
| £m
| £m
| |
English Shire forces
| |||
| Avon & Somerset | 177.5 | 182.8 | 3.0% |
| Bedfordshire | 66.5 | 68.6 | 3.2% |
| Cambridgeshire | 79.5 | 81.6 | 2.6% |
| Cheshire | 116.0 | 119.3 | 2.9% |
| Cleveland | 86.8 | 89.6 | 3.2% |
| Cumbria | 63.4 | 65.3 | 3.0% |
| Derbyshire | 108.6 | 113.3 | 4.3% |
| Devon & Cornwall | 183.8 | 189.6 | 3.2% |
| Dorset | 73.4 | 75.5 | 2.9% |
| Durham | 85.6 | 88.0 | 2.8% |
| Essex | 181.2 | 185.0 | 2.0% |
| Gloucestershire | 65.5 | 67.3 | 2.8% |
| Hampshire | 209.2 | 216.3 | 3.4% |
| Hertfordshire | 120.2 | 123.4 | 2.6% |
| Humberside | 118.5 | 121.1 | 2.2% |
| Kent | 199.9 | 204.9 | 2.5% |
| Lancashire | 188.8 | 194.8 | 3.1% |
| Leicestershire | 108.3 | 111.6 | 3.0% |
| Lincolnshire | 67.1 | 68.9 | 2.6% |
| Norfolk | 89.5 | 92.7 | 3.7% |
| North Yorkshire | 82.2 | 84.3 | 2.5% |
| Northamptonshire | 69.4 | 71.1 | 2.5% |
| Nottinghamshire | 133.2 | 136.4 | 2.4% |
| Staffordshire | 119.0 | 122.3 | 2.8% |
| Suffolk | 73.3 | 75.3 | 2.6% |
| Surrey | 108.6 | 110.2 | 1.5% |
| Sussex | 177.8 | 182.6 | 2.7% |
| Thames Valley | 239.8 | 245.5 | 2.4% |
| Warwickshire | 55.8 | 56.7 | 1.6% |
| West Mercia | 121.6 | 124.3 | 2.2% |
| Wiltshire | 67.9 | 69.2 | 1.9% |
English Metropolitan forces
| |||
| Greater Manchester | 395.8 | 407.2 | 2.9% |
| Merseyside | 247.2 | 253.0 | 2.3% |
| Northumbria | 222.7 | 227.4 | 2.1% |
| South Yorkshire | 180.8 | 184.6 | 2.2% |
| West Midlands | 400.9 | 412.6 | 2.9% |
| West Yorkshire | 304.0 | 312.4 | 2.8% |
London forces
| |||
| Metropolitan Police2 | 1,788.0 | 1,841.1 | 3.0%, |
| City of London2 | 55.1 | 59.1 | 7.2% |
| English Total | 7,232.3 | 7,434.7 | 2.8% |
Welsh forces
| |||
| Dyfed-Powys | 55.1 | 56.9 | 3.3% |
| Gwent | 73.5 | 76.2 | 3.7% |
| North Wales | 80.5 | 82.1 | 2.0% |
| South Wales | 172.3 | 179.1 | 4.0% |
| Welsh Total | 381.4 | 394.4 | 3.4% |
| Total | 7,613.7 | 7,829.0 | 2.8% |
Notes
1. Rounded to the nearest £100,000. The allocation is the sum of: Police Grant, transitional grant, Police SSA and capital finance SSA. Figures for capital finance SSA are provisional.
2. Figures for the Metropolitan Police includes its special payment.
3. Figure for the City includes Police SSA and Police Grant only and excludes other SSAs (eg capital financing) and Central Support Protection Grant. These are allocated to the Common Council of the City of London as a whole in respect of all its functions.
4. Because of the transfer of responsibilities for NCIS/NCS, the total available for distribution has been adjusted for 2001–02 to ensure like-to-like comparison with 2002–03.
Baroness Morgan Of Huyton
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether the appointment of Baroness Morgan of Huyton as a Minister provides an example of the "discretionary right for the Prime Minister to appoint a small number of people … directly as Ministers in the Lords", referred to in paragraph 66 of the White Paper
The House of Lords: Completing the Reform (Cm 5291), and which it is proposed the Prime Minister should retain. [HL1535]
Yes.
Former Far East Prisoners: Compensation
asked Her Majesty's Government:Why the criteria for being considered British under the offer of compensation made in November 2001 to those held prisoner by the Japanese in the Second World War were later restricted so far as civilian internees were concerned; and how restricted criteria can be justified which rule out many of those who were interned simply because they were holding British passports. [HL1440]
The ex gratin payment scheme for former Far East prisoners, which was announced on 7 November last year, covers various British groups, including civilians who were interned by the Japanese. The eligibility criterion for civilian claimants under the scheme is that they were British subjects whom the Japanese interned and who were born in the United Kingdom or had a parent or grandparent born here. This criterion was clarified earlier this year, but there has been no change to the intended scope of the scheme. Holding a British passport, either then or now, was never a criterion for eligibility under the scheme.
Service Personnel: Separated Service
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the Ministry of Defence will produce the statistics for the amount of separated service undertaken by each individual in the Armed Forces. [HL1475]
Recording separated service for all service personnel is a key objective of the Armed Forces' personnel strategy, reflecting its importance in our efforts to manage the effect of operational tempo on the family lives of our people. The provision of systems to capture this information from a widely dispersed and highly mobile population is a difficult task and there are competing demands for the technical resources required. We have made a substantial investment in the development of this capability, and its coverage will be extended to all parts of the services as soon as it is practicable.Since 1997, the RAF has provided a facility for its personnel to record periods of separation of three days or longer. The naval service commenced recording separation on a daily basis for the majority of its personnel in September this year. The Army conducted trials of a recording system in some of its units earlier this year and intends to implement a universal recording system as soon as the technical modifications to its personnel information systems can be made.The frequency and duration of separation varies very widely between the armed services, and people joining their chosen service do so with appropriate expectations. While this information is of great importance to the services in managing their people, it is in no way a benchmark for comparison with any other type of employment or even for comparison within the services. We do not believe it would be helpful to produce aggregated statistics for the amount of separated service undertaken by each individual.Although separated service can be a strain on service families, it should not be seen as a wholly negative factor. The prospect of overseas deployment is a very powerful attraction to potential recruits and the vast majority of service personnel relish the opportunity to put their skills to use on operations and exercises.
Affinitas
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the role of the company Affinitas in providing careers advice to members of the Royal Navy; and what is the nature and cost to the Government of any commercial arrangement with Affinitas. [HL1516]
Affinitas is a private company which offers careers advice on a commercial basis to individuals who are considering leaving the Royal Navy. Members of the Royal Navy may elect to use its services or those of any other supplier. The Government have no commercial arrangement with Affinitas.
Royal Navy: Stakeholder Pensions
asked Her Majesty's Government:What advice the Royal Navy arranges or makes available to its members under the age of 30 as to whether and how to determine the suitability of stakeholder pensions for their circumstances. [HL1517]
In accordance with legislation, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has designated a provider of stakeholder pensions to the Armed Forces. This is Scottish Widows plc. Individuals may choose to invest in this or any other stakeholder pension scheme. Financial advice may only be given by those who are qualified under the terms of the Financial Services Act. Personnel, regardless of age, are therefore encouraged to seek independent financial advice before making decisions of this sort. Information on where to find such advisers is available in MoD and Scottish Widows' literature.
Bowman Tactical Radio System
asked Her Majesty's Government:Which companies are the main contractors for the supply of the Bowman tactical radio system to be operated by the United Kingdom Armed Forces; what contracts have so far been let for this equipment; and what is the value of these contracts. [HL1602]
I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave on 19 July 2001 (WA 153) to my noble friend Lord Howie of Troon. The prime contract for the supply and support of the Bowman tactical radio system was awarded to CDC, a subsidiary of General Dynamics, now trading as General Dynamics (UK) Ltd (GD(UK)Ltd).The placing of subcontracts is a matter for GD(UK) Ltd. and this work is continuing.The contract with GD(UK) Ltd. was placed on 13 September at a value of about £1.8 billion (VAT inclusive at outturn prices).
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will set up a public inquiry into the military and cost consequences of, and the procurement lessons to be learnt from, the failure to replace the Clansman family of radios and ancillaries as the main tactical radio and communications system operated by the United Kingdom Armed Forces with the Bowman system in 1995 as planned and the consequent nine-year delay in the in-service date of the Bowman system to 2004. [HL1603]
No. The reasons for the delays to the Bowman system are well known and have been reported to Parliament on many occasions in response to questions and also as part of the Ministry of Defence's annual response to the major projects report. This report, produced by the National Audit Office on behalf of the Public Accounts Committee, has examined in detail the problems with Bowman several times. As a result the MoD has given evidence to the committee on Bowman.As part of SMART acquisition, under which Bowman has been brought to a successful production contract placement, a learning from experience exercise is currently under way. Lessons learned from earlier phases have already been promulgated.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they propose to take to ensure that the United Kingdom Armed Forces have access to a secure tactical radio communications system during the three years before the Bowman system comes into service. [HL1604]
The in-service Clansman family of radios can already provide secure tactical communications down to the battlegroup level. Where secure communications are required below that level, we use a system of manual encryption.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is expected to be the cost during the current financial year and in each of the next three years of supplying the United Kingdom Armed Forces with the Bowman tactical radio system. [HL1605]
The cost during the current financial year of supplying the United Kingdom Armed Forces with the Bowman tactical radio system is expected to be £103 million.The costs for the next three years are approximately:
| Year | Costs £ million |
| 2002–03 | 250 |
| 2003–04 | 300 |
| 2004–05 | 360 |
Note: all costs are VAT inclusive at outturn prices.
Millennium Dome: Mr Gez Sagar
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the sole shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) last met Mr Gez Sagar of Cardew & Co; and whether he has discussed the Millennium Dome with him at any time. [HL1532]
Mr Gez Sagar is not an employee of Cardew & Co. He has been retained by the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) as an in-house press officer since 1997. I last met Mr Sagar on 31 December 2000 at the Millennium Dome, the last day of operation for the Millennium Experience. In my position of shareholder of the New Millennium Experience Company (NMEC) I have discussed issues relating to the Millenium Experience with him on a number of occasions.
Heathrow Terminal 5
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether, following the statement of Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 20 November (HL Deb, col. 1036), they can now confirm whether or not they released or authorised the release of any information to the media concerning the Secretary of State's decision to grant approval to the development of Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport prior to the announcement to Parliament. [HL1585]
I can confirm that no information was released or authorised for release to the media by the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions concerning the Secretary of State's decision to grant approval to the development of Terminal 5 at Heathrow prior to the Secretary of State's announcement to Parliament.
London Underground: Financing
asked Her Majesty's Government:With what regularity Ministers at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions have had meetings and communicated with the financial institutions involved in financing the proposed public private partnership deal for the London Underground; and when prior to 14 November was the last time that any such meetings or communications took place. [HL1618]
Ministers from the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions have had occasional meetings with representatives of bidders for the modernisation of London Underground. My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Minister for Transport most recently met representatives of each preferred bidder and their financial supporters in October and November.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether any of the financial institutions involved in financing the proposed public private partnership deal for the London Underground expressed reservations to Ministers at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions about their continued involvement in the period from 7 October to 14 November; and, if so, what was the substance of such reservations. [HL1619]
My right honourable friends the Secretary of State for Transport, Local Government and the Regions and the Minister for Transport most recently met representatives of each preferred bidder and their financial supporters during the specified period. They reaffirmed the Government's commitment to the use of private finance for transport infrastructure projects and, in particular, for the Tube modernisation plans.
asked Her Majesty's Government:When Ministers at the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions became aware of the concerns recently expressed by Land Securities as to its continued involvement in the proposed public private partnership deal for the London Underground. [HL1620]
Land Securities Trillium is one of the bidders for the London Underground property partnership. The conduct of the competition is a matter for London Regional Transport and London Underground Limited.
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they are confident that potential bidders for the proposed public private partnership deal for the London Underground will be able to make sense of the 135 volumes and 2,800 pages which to date comprise the contracts for it. [HL1621]
The preferred bidders have had detailed negotiations with London Underground about the contracts for the modernisation of the Tube. The Government are satisfied that the contracts make sense and are comprehensible to both London Underground and the bidders.
European Elections Voting System
asked Her Majesty's Government:What research and advice they are seeking on the advantages that may be obtained in the next round of European elections by switching to a voting method (such as open list system or single transferable vote) which, while maintaining proportionality, would allow voters to choose between the candidates nominated by a particular party. [HL1634]
A Home Office review of the 1999 European Paliamentary election, published in May 2000 and available on the DTLR website, included a review of the closed list voting system and concluded that the introduction of this system appeared not to affect voter motivation in that election. We are currently undertaking no further research on the voting system for the next European elections.
Research Council System
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the outcome of the second stage of the quinquennial review of the six grant-awarding research councils will be announced and what its principal conclusions are. [HL1831]
I am pleased today to announce the outcome of the second stage of the quinquennial review of the six grant-awarding research councils. I shall be placing a copy of the stage 2 report in the Libraries of both Houses.
Quinquennial reviews are conducted in two stages. I announced the outcome of stage 1 on 19 July. It concluded that the six grant-awarding research councils should continue to be executive non-departmental public bodies.
I welcome the thrust of the stage 2 report and its recommendations and accept the review's main conclusions that:
the research council system is working reasonably well;
to deal with the increasing pace of scientific change and complexity of national and international arrangements, the councils need to be capable of acting and speaking as one, and of promoting new and increasingly multidisciplinary science;
they also need to do business with their key stakeholders in more convergent ways and in line with Modernising Government principles;
there should be a new strategy group comprising the council chief executives and the Director General of the Research Councils to achieve these aims, and to provide a framework for cross-council working at all levels;
with a clearer identity and mission, the councils as a group will be able to develop closer links with the other major science funders, including the funding councils, government departments and the major charities;
they will also be able to work more closely with other key stakeholders, including the universities and the business and public service organisations which use their research and trained people;
to capitalise on these stronger relationships and closer working, and to ensure delivery of key objectives, the research councils and DTI need to develop a stronger strategic framework for science and a long-term strategic road map towards which the full range of players in science can direct their efforts.
It will be for the research councils, working closely with my department, to implement the review's detailed recommendations. Once this is completed, I am confident that the effectiveness of science budget expenditure will be enhanced.
I am grateful to all those who contributed to this quinquennial review, in particular the members of the review steering group, working groups and research council staff.
Royal Armouries: Long-Term Loan Of Items
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they were consulted over the Royal Armouries' plans to make long-term loans of items from their national collections to a private museum in Louisville, Kentucky, United States; and; (a) whether they can confirm that the Louisville Museum has received a personal commitment to this effect from Her Majesty the Queen, as reported in the American press; (b) whether the loan items bound for the Louisville Museum are from store or are usually on display at its three sites; (c) how many items will be on loan to the Louisville Museum, and how long they will be loaned for; and (d) how much money the Royal Armouries will receive from this loan; and [HL1600]Whether they are aware of any government-sponsored museums or galleries which are considering entering into arrangements with private institutions either within or outside the United Kingdom similar to the arrangements between the Royal Armouries and the Louisville Museum, Kentucky, United States. [HL1601]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) has been consulted about the Royal Armouries' plans for an arrangement with the Owsley Brown Frazier Historical Arms Museum in Louisville, Kentucky, USA, involving the long-term loan of items from the Royal Armouries under Section 21 of the National Heritage Act 1983, in exchange for payments.DCMS has informed the Royal Armouries that we will need to be satisfied that the business case which the armouries is preparing is sound financially and legally before we give approval for the project to proceed.I can confirm that:
I am not aware of any other national museums and galleries sponsored by my department which are considering entering into arrangements similar to those the Royal Armouries propose with the Frazier Historical Arms Museum in Louisville involving the long-term loan of objects from their collections in exchange for payments.
English Heritage: Church Repair Budget
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the English Heritage budget for church repairs for each financial year from 1997–98 to 2003–04. [HL1786]
English Heritage's budget: for repairs to all listed places of worship for 1997–98 to 2003–04 is:
| Year | £ |
| 1997–98 | 7,127,000 |
| 1998–99 | 9,550,000 |
| 1999–00 | 10,169,000 |
| 2000–01 | 11,042,000 |
| 2001–02 | 9,049,000 |
| 2002–03 | 10,370,000 |
| 2003–04 | 12,220,000 |
Listed Places Of Worship Grant Scheme
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the new grant to assist repairs and maintenance to listed places of worship will be launched. [HL1833]
I have today launched this grant, entitled the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. Documentation relating to the new scheme is now available and may be obtained through the scheme's telephone hotline (0845 601 5945—calls charged at local rate), website (www.lpwscheme.org.uk) or by writing to:
- Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme
- PO Box 609
- Newport
- NP10 8QD.
Boys: Academic Education
asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to motivate boys to accept academic education and to succeed at school and not to reject schooling or to behave in such a way that they are excluded from school. [HL1590]
Our focus on standards is having a positive impact in schools. Pupils in general and boys in particular are more engaged and motivated through structured lessons, the greater interactivity between teachers and pupils and the pace of lessons advocated by the national literacy and numeracy strategies in primary schools and the key stage 3 strategy in the early years of secondary education.In recent telephone surveys, 87 per cent of primary headteachers polled said that pupils were positive about the literacy hour, and 36 per cent said it was closing the achievement gap between boys and girls: and 81 per cent of primary heads also said the numeracy strategy had improved pupils' attitudes to mathematics.
Early piloting work in key stage 3 is showing similar perceptions, with over 70 per cent of headteachers reporting that the strategy had improved pupils' motivation and engagement. Boys have shown improvements in this year's national curriculum tests for 14 year-olds: in English there was an increase of 1 per cent on last year and in science an increase or 5 per cent.
And boys are doing better at key stage 4: they have improved by 2 per cent in their attainment of live or more grade A* -C GCSEs in the three academic years since 1999.
Youth Leaders: Recruitment
asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they are taking to facilitate the recruitment of suitable young men as youth leaders, mentors and personal advisers; and what action they propose to take to protect children from sexual abuse and to protect men working with children from false accusations of sexual abuse. [HL1592]
The Government published the Transforming Youth Work consultative document in March 2001, which recognised several issues concerning recruitment, training and retention of good quality youth workers. We have embarked on a review of qualification training with key external partners and stakeholders. The review will consider a comprehensive strategy for the selection, recruitment, training, retention, and employment of a well qualified workforce.The responsibility for the employment of youth workers rests with the employing body (usually a local authority or voluntary sector organisation) and as such they are subject to a range of statutory employment requirements, including procedures for checking the background of applicants through guidance provided by the Criminal Records Bureau and by the use of its disclosure service.
The recruitment of Connexions personnel to work directly with young people is subject to the satisfactory completion of rigorous vetting procedures. These personnel are also required to follow codes of conduct in line with the Home Office guidance Caring for young people and the vulnerable? , intended to protect young people from sexual abuse and avoid situations where allegations of abuse, whether justified or unfounded, could be made.
Where learning mentors are recruited as part of the Excellence in Cities programme, the guidance is that schools and local authorities should make sure that all applicants for learning mentor posts are thoroughly checked to ensure they are suitable to work with young people. This includes undertaking police and other background checks.
Foot And Mouth Inquiries
asked Her Majesty's Government:When the inquiry into the lessons to be learnt from the foot and mouth disease outbreak of 2001, chaired by Dr Iain Anderson, will report its findings; and [HL1540]When the scientific review by the Royal Society into questions relating to the tranmission, prevention and control of epidemic outbreaks of infectious disease in livestock, chaired by Sir Brian Follett FRS, will report its findings. [HL1541]
The Royal Society Inquiry into Infectious Diseases in Livestock has been asked to make recommendations by summer 2002. Dr Iain Anderson's Lessons Learned Inquiry has been asked to make recommendations six months after it has officially started.
Green Claims Panel
asked Her Majesty's Government:What action they intend to take as a result of the Department of Trade and Industry report (October 2001) into the feasibility of establishing a green claims panel to help both producers and consumers establish what claims such as "environmentally friendly" mean. [HL1572]
A green claims panel is one of a number of measures being considered by the Government to improve the standards of environmental claims made by manufacturers and retailers. The Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment has considered the DTI report and the Government will take its views into account in deciding whether to consult further on the panel proposals with business and consumer stakeholders.
Listed Companies: Environmental Performance
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many of the major companies listed on the Stock Exchange have responded to the Prime Minister's challenge to report on environmental performance by the end of 2001. [HL1574]
We currently estimate that 56 of the top 100 companies are now producing substantive reports on their environmental performance and 12 more have indicated that they will report in future. Twenty-three of the next 250 currently report and 12 have indicated that they will do so in future. Around 10 per cent of other companies in the FTSE 350 mention environmental issues but do not report substantively on environmental performance.To help more companies meet the challenge, the Government have added to their existing guidelines on reporting on greenhouse gases, waste and water use. In March FTSE 350 companies were consulted on new general guidelines describing the reporting process and the contents of an environmental report. The final version was launched in November and is now being sent to all FTSE 350 companies and other CBI members under cover of a joint letter from DEFRA and DTI Ministers and the CBI.Copies of the guidelines and this letter are available in the Library of the House.
North-East Region: Non-Departmental Public Bodies
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will list the number and membership of all non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) in the north-east region of England. [HL1493]What is the total amount of the annual spending nationally in the north-east region of England of the non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos). [HL1494]How many people are directly employed nationally and in the north-east region of England by non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos). [HL1495]Which body or bodies appoints members of the non-elected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos); and whether they will list their members. [HL1496]How many unelected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) have been set up in the north-east of England since the general election in 1997; and what are their membership and their appointing bodies. [HL1549]
How many unelected non-government departmental committees (formerly known as quangos) have been axed in the north-east of England since the general election in 1997. [HL1550]
Information on the number of non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) and other public bodies based in the north east, their expenditure, number of employees and the basis of appointments to such bodies is not compiled centrally. However, information on NDPBs, certain public corporations (including nationalised industries) and NHS bodies, including the location of the bodies concerned, their terms of reference, expenditure and remuneration is set out in the annual Cabinet Office publication, Public Bodies. The next edition of Public Bodies will be published around the end of the year.