Written Answers
Friday, 10th October 2003.
Iraq: Costs Of Military Campaign
asked Her Majesty's Government:Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 15 September
( WA 155), when they will be able to inform Parliament of the public expenditure that has been, and is likely to be, incurred in relation to the first year of the occupation of Iraq, including the cost of securing Iraq, policing it, and stabilising a new government in Iraq. [HL4617]
The departmental resource accounts for financial year 2002–03 should be published at the end of October. They will include the costs incurred during that year on operations in Iraq. I plan, at the same time, to provide whatever further cost information I can.
Private Finance Initiative: Acute Hospitals
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many private finance initiative contracts for acute hospital projects have been signed since May 2001; and which projects these are. [HL4344]
Eight private finance initiative contracts for acute hospital projects over £10 million have been signed since May 2001. These are listed as follows:
| National Health Service Trust | Capital Value £ million | Financial Close |
| Dudley Group of Hospitals | 137 | 01/05/2001 |
| Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre | 37 | 20/04/2002 |
| Gloucestershire Hospitals | 32 | 01/05/2002 |
| Leeds Teaching Hospitals— | ||
| Wharfedale | 14 | 20/09/2002 |
| The Whittington | 32 | 09/10/2002 |
| University Hospitals | ||
| Coventry & Warwickshire | 379 | 27/11/2002 |
| East Lancashire Hospitals— | ||
| Blackburn | 110 | 09/07/2003 |
| Southern Derbyshire Acute | ||
| Hospitals | 312.20 | 12/09/2003 |
Nhs Trusts: Costs And Income
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will state the financial basis on which National Health Service trusts are permitted to raise income from private patients and in particular whether National Health Service trusts are required to cover all costs, including apportionments of overheads and capital charges.[HL4440]
National Health Service trusts are required to recover full, costs, including apportioned overheads and apportioned capital charges, from the charges they make for services offered to private patients. NHS trusts have the powers to generate income in order to benefit their core NHS services in accordance with Section 7 of the Health and Medicines Act 1998.
Agriculture: Greenhouse Gas Emissions
asked Her Majesty's Government:In relation to
Strategy for Sustainable Farming and Food, whether the promised research on the potential for further reducing agricultural emissions has begun; and, if so, what is the planned timetable.
[HL4444]
For over 10 years the Government have had a programme of research to quantify agriculture's contribution to UK greenhouse gas emissions and develop cost-effective measures of control. The programme is reviewed regularly to ensure focus and build on the results of completed research. The most recent review was completed during 2002, and is published on the Defra website along with the results of completed individual projects. In 2003–04 the programme is expected to cost around £400,000.
Biosafety: Cartagena Protocol
asked Her Majesty's Government:Why they have not yet ratified the Cartagena protocol on biosafety; and whether they expect to have ratified in time to participate in the first meeting under the protocol in February 2004.[HL456I]
The European Community is expected to complete implementation of the Cartagena protocol later this month through the entry into force of measures governing the export of genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This will enable the UK to meet all of its obligations under the protocol, whereupon we will complete the ratification procedure. The Government regard the Cartagena protocol as an important international agreement governing the handling and movement of GMOs, and fully expect to be an active party at the first meeting of parties to the protocol in February 2004.
Landfill Tax Credit Scheme
asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the proposed profile of spending that is expected to result from the changes to the landfill tax credit scheme announced in this year's Budget.[HL4519]
In November 2002 the Pre-Budget Report allocated £100 million/£l 10 million/£l 10 million to sustainable waste management in the UK in the years 2003–04/2004–05/2005–06. This was confirmed in Budget 2003 and amounts to a spending programme for England of around £84 million/£92 million/£92 million.As the Government have announced, a proportion of the funding will be used to fund transitional arrangements for the landfill tax credit scheme [ref—
parliamentary statement of 3 February 2003 made by the Economic Secretary to the Treasury] and Defra further announced [ref—news release 259/03 issued on 4 July 2003] that £24 million would be made available to supplement the waste minimisation and recycling fund. A new waste implementation programme was launched in May this year as part of the Government's response to the Strategy Unit and the breakdown of programme of activities for proposed spend in this financial year includes:
| £ million | |
| Local authority support (led by Defra) | 1.90 |
| Data (led by Defra) | 3.50 |
| Research (led by Defra) | 5.00 |
| New technologies (led by Defra) | 3.77 |
| Waste minimisation (led by WRAP) | 7.93 |
| Kerbside recycling (led by WRAP) | 3.46 |
| Education and awareness (led by WRAP) | 3.00 |