Written Answers
Wednesday, 14 January 2004.
North/South Language Body: Budget
asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20 November (WA 358) whether the Answer confirms that the Language Implementation Body's budget for 2003 was set by a department of the Eire Government and notified to the appropriate department in the United Kingdom. [HL270]The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): My answer of 20 November (
WA 358) does not confirm that the Irish Government set the language body's budget for 2003.
Northern Ireland: Civic Forum
asked Her Majesty's Government: What has been the total cost of the civic forum created by the Belfast agreement; and what it has achieved. [HL512]
:
| Northern Ireland Civic Forum1 | |
| 2000–01 | 145,000 |
| 2001–02 | 450,000 |
Note1 :
Includes cost of salaries, administration, meetings, members' expenses, printing of reports and researchers.
The civic forum has provided input to the following issues being taken forward by Northern Ireland departments: the review of post-primary education; promoting social inclusion: consultation on future priorities; draft bill of rights; a commissioner for children for Northern Ireland; investing in health; draft programme for government 2001–02; draft programme for government 2002–03; review of community relations policy; task force on employability and long-term unemployed; victims strategy; and a response to the review of the Parades Commission.
The civic forum also published two reports: The regional strategy for promoting social inclusion was published in June 2002; and the report entitled Can do Better —Educational Disadvantage in the context of life long learning was launched in September 2002.
North/South Implementation Bodies
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there is any provision in the legislation implementing the Belfast agreement by which the Eire Government can unilaterally take decisions on behalf of Cross-Border Bodies and of the United Kingdom Government. [HL562]
There is no such provision.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Which Cross-Border Bodies have had their budgets for 2004 settled; and in each case (a) how much they requested in their business plans; (b) how much was agreed; and (c) what is the percentage change from the 2003 budget. [HL596]
Budget recommendations for 2004 have been agreed for four of the six North/South Implementation Bodies. Details of the amounts requested in the 2004 business plans, the amounts recommended and the percentage change from the 2003 budget are set out in the table below. The budget recommendations will be considered in the context of the respective spending review processes north and south.
| North/South Implementation Body | Amount Requested in Business Plan (£m) | Amount recommended (£m) | %Change from 2003 Budget |
| Waterways Ireland | 31.70 | 31.70 | -40.0 |
| InterTradeIreland | 9.00 | 9.00 | 0.0 |
| Special EU Programmes Body | 2.02 | 2.02 | 0.0 |
| Food Safety Promotion Board | 6.08 | 6.08 | -12.0 |
Northern Ireland: Nomenclature
asked Her Majesty's Government: Why the annual report for 2002 of the North/South Ministerial Joint Secretariat refers to Northern Ireland as "the North"; whether this is the correct title for Northern Ireland; and, if not, why it was used. [HL597]
I refer the noble Lord to the answer given on 18 November 2003 (WA 272).
Northern Ireland: Civil Servants
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether there are circumstances in which Northern Ireland civil servants take instructions on policy matters from the Eire Government. [HL601]
No. Northern Ireland civil servants act at all times under the direction and control of their departments and Ministers.
Special Public Bill Procedure
asked the Leader of the House: Whether she will consider reviving the use of the Special Public Bill procedure (unused since 1995) in order to involve the public in suitable Bills. [HL604]
The option of referring a Bill to a Special Public Bill Committee remains open for use in appropriate cases. There are no plans at present to use it in this Session.Another way to involve the public in scrutiny of suitable Bills is through pre-legislative scrutiny committees. The Government have published, or announced plans to publish, 10 draft Bills this Session in order to give Parliament the opportunity to conduct pre-legislative scrutiny.
Fire Safety
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many uniformed fire service officers from the Fire Service Inspectorate are currently working in conjunction with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Buildings Division to develop fire safety standards supporting the proposals outlined in the fire service White Paper and with the British Standards Institution and other safety standard bodies to improve fire safety in buildings. [HL689]
Currently, two inspectors from Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate work in conjunction with Buildings Division to develop fire safety standards in buildings.
asked Her Majesty's Government:What plans they have following the disbandment of the Fire Safety Advisory Board to establish a forum involving fire service bodies, the Fire Service Inspectorate and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Buildings Division and Fire Policy Division to ensure structured dialogue between those engaged in the design and construction of buildings and those who fight fires in them. [HL690]
The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister plans to continue, in developing the fire aspects of building regulations policy, the effective involvement of all relevant stakeholders including the fire service bodies and Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate and the relevant divisions of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will seek the advice of the statutory Building Regulations Advisory Committee and consult the recently established Practitioners' Forum and Business and Community Safety Forum for the Fire and Rescue Service.
Iraq: Uk Service Personnel Non-Combatant Injuries
asked Her Majesty's Government:How many regular, reserve and territorial members of Her Majesty's Armed Forces have been evacuated from Iraq since 19 March for non-combatant injuries and illnesses; and what were the categories of those injuries and illnesses. [H L243]
Around 1,760 Service personnel have been aeromedically evacuated with non-combatant injuries from Iraq since 19 March 2003. Of these, around 280 are either reserve or territorial forces. The following table breaks this down into injury type:
| Injury Type | Percentage of Total Evacuation Number |
| Limb Injury | 23.3 |
| Trauma | 13.7 |
| Spinal | 10.9 |
| Psychiatric | 9.6 |
| Surgical Non-Trauma | 8.0 |
| Knee Injury | 5.6 |
| Genito-Urinary | 5.6 |
| Dermatology | 3.4 |
| Respiratory | 3.2 |
| Opthalmology | 3.0 |
| Gastro-Intestinal | 2.9 |
| Neurological | 2.5 |
| Ear, Nose, Throat | 2.0 |
| Cardiology | 1.8 |
| Women's Health | 1.6 |
| Dental and Maxillo-Facial | 1.0 |
| Oncology | 0.7 |
| Metabolic | 0.6 |
| Haematology | 0.3 |
| Men's Health | 0.2 |
| Tropical Disease | 0.1 |
| Total | 100.0 |
Ministry Of Defence: Assets
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the total of Ministry of Defence resource assets in cash terms; how much the Ministry of Defence pays for these assets; and what is the surplus or shortfall in the Ministry of Defence budget in cash terms. [HL356]
The value of the Ministry of Defence's assets is set out each year in its annual report and accounts. The most recent information is set out in the annual report and accounts for 2002–03 (HC 1125 of 30 October 2003), Schedule 3 (page 93) of which provides balance sheet values at 31 March 2003. Supporting information on how asset values are derived is provided in notes 1.10 to 1.36 to the accounts on pages 98 to 102.The primary costs to the department of holding its assets for that year comprised the notional cost of capital charge, depreciation charged in year on tangible fixed assets and amortisation charged in year on intangible assets. Details are set out at Schedule 2 to the accounts on page 92 and notes 7 and 8 on pages 110 and 111.Surpluses and shortfalls in the detailed allocation of resources to particular programmes or budgetary areas identified in the first six months of the financial year were remedied through the department's winter supplementary estimates (HC 15 of 27 November 2003). Further adjustments will be made as necessary in spring supplementary estimates.
Copies of both publications are available in the Library of the House. Both include a table describing the cash consequences of resource provision voted by Parliament (Schedule 1 on pages 88–89 of the accounts, and the resource to cash reconciliation on page 208 of the winter supplementary estimates).
Defence Medical Services: Staffing
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the establishment for nurses and for consultants in the Defence Medical Services; and what is the deficiency of these medical personnel.[HL593]
The following table details the establishment of nurses and consultants in Defence Medical Services and their deficiency as at 1 October 2003.
| Establishment | Manning | Deficiency | |
| Consultants | 315 | 217 | 98(31%) |
| Nurses | 1,469 | 1,167 | 302(21%) |
Iraq: Depleted Uranium Contamination
asked Her Majesty's Government: What progress has been made in Iraq to ensure that the recommendations of the Royal Society and the United Nations Environment Programme, with regard to post-conflict monitoring of depleted uranium contamination, are followed. [HL572]
Substantial progress has been made on implementing the recommendations. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) expects to commence its full environment field survey in Iraq—of which depleted uranium (DU) is a part—in spring 2004. However, this will depend on the local security situation. The Department for International Development (DFID) has, in principle, agreed to part-fund this work.In support of the UNEP survey, the Ministry of Defence has provided UNEP with details of UK DU target locations and has offered to provide advice on carrying out risk assessments on DU within urban areas and on long-term monitoring of the DU in the environment, including water. In June 2003, MoD scientists completed a preliminary technical assessment of a number of Iraqi tanks thought to have been struck by DU rounds. These tanks have been clearly marked pending further detailed examination by an MoD scientific team when the security situation allows. Preliminary findings indicate very low levels of DU in the vicinity of the tanks. The MoD is sharing the information obtained on these tanks with UNEP as well as the Royal Society.
All surface-lying DU fragments are being removed from the battlefield as they are discovered. Iraqi locals have been warned by signs and leaflets that they should not go near or touch any debris they find on the battlefield. All UK Armed Forces personnel are being offered a test for total uranium in their urine followed up by an isotope test if this gives anomalous results, to determine whether the uranium is depleted. Personnel who are identified as being most likely to have received high level exposure to DU are being offered both tests from the outset.
Children: Continence Problems
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they have made any assessment of the value of continence services for the health and education of children and in the context of social care; and [HL618]What assessment has been made of the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis, daytime wetting, soiling and constipation in—
What assessment has been made of the prevalence of continence problems in children with autism; and[HL621]
Whether an assessment has been made of the role of specialist continence nurses and the value of nurse-led clinics for children with bowel and bladder problems. [HL622]
Continence services play an important role in the health and education of children affected by problems of incontinence. Good Practice in Continence Services, issued by the Department of Health in April 2000, provides guidance to primary care trusts (PCTs) on continence services. This includes the advice that PCTs should have specialist continence services in place, which provide patients with an individual assessment of their needs.It is estimated that 10 per cent of five to 15 year-olds have a mental health disorder. Among children with a mental health disorder, an estimated 5 per cent suffer from enuresis as a physical complaint and 1 per cent from soiling. The department does not collect data on continence problems in children with learning disabilities, in care, or children with autistic spectrum disorders.The department and the Medical Research Council have recently funded a training fellowship on clinical nurse specialists' contribution to patient care and evidence-based practice. This included a qualitative study of the current and potential role of continence nurse advisers working in a primary care setting in north-west England.
Children: Height And Weight Monitoring
asked Her Majesty's Government: How frequently children have their height and weight measured. [HL631]
Height and weight measurements in early childhood form a part of the child health surveillance programme. Intervals between checks are determined by the primary health care team in the light of professional judgement. Height and weight monitoring after school entry is undertaken on a selective basis when there is concern about a child's health or growth.
Chemical And Biological Weapons
asked Her Majesty's Government: What are the symptoms, incubation period, methods of spread, diagnosis, treatment and prevention as well as the frequency of death from agents weaponised by the former Soviet Union such as marburg, tularemia and plague. [HL643]
There has been no occurrence of marburg, tularemia or plague as biological weapons and therefore the characteristics of the agents as naturally occurring infections are given in the answer as follows.
Marburg
Marburg virus disease does not occur naturally in the United Kingdom. Symptoms include headaches, fever, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhoea, haemorrhaging, conjunctivitis, sensitivity to light (photophobia), skin rash and jaundice. The incubation period is five to seven days and method of spread is via direct contact with infected bodily secretions, organs or blood of a person or animal. Samples from patients are submitted for laboratory testing (virus isolation and polymerase chain reaction (PCR)). There is no specific treatment and prevention relies on the isolation of infected individuals and animals to prevent transmission. The fatality rate is about 25 per cent.
Tularemia
Tularemia does not occur in the UK. There are two groups of symptoms which depend upon the route of infection. If infection is by the inhalation route, the symptoms are characterised by sudden onset of chills, fever, headache, muscle aches, fatigue, loss of body fluids. If infection is via the skin, this is characterised by deep ulcers on the skin with swelling of regional lymph nodes. The incubation period is one to 21 days. Method of spread is via blood or tissue of infected animals or bites of infected deer flies, mosquitoes or ticks. Less commonly infection can result from inhalation of contaminated dust or ingestion of contaminated food or water. Samples from patients are submitted for laboratory testing (microbiology, serology and PCR). Antibiotics such as streptomycin or gentamicin are effective in treating tularemia. There is a vaccine for the disease (produced in the United States and not licensed) but it does not appear to protect against the airborne form of the disease. There are two forms of the organism—type A which causes more serious disease in humans, and type B. If untreated, the mortality rate of type A infections ranges from 4 per cent for the skin form, to 30 to 60 per cent for the inhalation form of the disease.
Plague
Plague does not occur naturally in the UK. There are two forms of plague which depend upon the route of infection—bubonic plague and pneumonic plague. Both types are associated with high fever, headache, general aches, extreme weakness, glandular swelling and pneumonia. The incubation period is two to six days for bubonic plague and one to six days for pneumonic plague. The bubonic form is spread from rodents to humans by the bite of an infected flea. The pneumonic form is spread by inhalation of the organism. Samples from patients are submitted for laboratory testing (microbiology and PCR).
Antibiotics such as streptomycin, doxycycline, gentamycin and ciprofloxacin are effective in treating disease. No vaccine is available and prevention is primarily via control of the rodent population. If untreated, both forms of plague are usually fatal.
Olympic Games 2012: London Bid
asked Her Majesty's Government: What will the anticipated yearly incomes and expenditure flows be for each year up to and including 2013–14 under the financial model used to estimate public subsidy required by the London 2012 Olympic Games. [HL500]
London 2012 is currently working on its own, detailed plans for a London Olympics. In doing so it will develop its own financial models, including early income and expenditure forecasts. This work is ongoing and will be refined as the detail of the bid is developed over the next 10 months. Government and the other stakeholders will work closely with London 2012 on this task during the further preparation of the bid.However, the consultants Arup did model anticipated yearly incomes and expenditure flows as part of their cost benefit analysis of a "specimen" London Olympic Games centred on the lower Lea Valley. Arup's figures are set out in the table below.
| Expenditure £million | Income £million | |
| 2003 | 11 | 3 |
| 2004 | 250 | 231 |
| 2005 | 215 | 146 |
| 2006 | 93 | 11 |
| 2007 | 75 | 0 |
| 2008 | 53 | 18 |
| 2009 | 366 | 210 |
| 2010 | 489 | 98 |
Expenditure £million
| Income £million
| |
| 2011 | 354 | 201 |
| 2012 | 1,475 | 1,477 |
| 2013 | 132 | 55 |
| 2014 | 22 | 0 |
| 2015 | 23 | 0 |
| Total | 3,558 | 2,450 |
Note:
The financial model used assumes: (i) that the athletes' village is based at Mill Meads and (ii) a main stadium with a football legacy. The financial model includes all attributable costs and revenues covering: the bid, staging, construction and infrastructure, land assembly and elite sports funding. The figures in the table are forecast to outturn figures (assuming an inflation rate of 2.5 per cent pa) and are rounded to the nearest million pounds.
Arup's work was used to inform the Government's own detailed analysis of the costs and risks associated with a London Olympic Games, which was based on a critical appraisal of risk and contingency, probability analysis and benchmarking past games. This work led to the development of a public sector funding package of £2.375 billion, which bridges the £1.1 billion gap between expenditure and income identified by Arup and provides further contingency to cater for foreseeable risks in staging the games.
The Amp model includes total figures of £399 million and £491 million for land assembly and land disposal respectively. These activities account for much of the income and expenditure in 2004 and 2005. Under the memorandum of understanding between the Government and the Mayor governing Olympic funding, the London Development Agency (LDA) will meet the costs of the required land assembly during the bid period and beyond. Income from the sale of this land will be at the disposal of the LDA. During the bid period the LDA will only acquire land which could be used for regeneration purposes should the bid not be successful.
Service Personnel: Income Tax
asked Her Majesty's Government: What studies have been made in the United Kingdom of the practice of certain other countries, notably the United States, in exempting armed personnel, including reservists, from paying income tax while on active service. [HL711]
In the United Kingdom the long-standing rule—recognised by successive governments—is that Crown servants, wherever they are serving, are chargeable to income tax on their government salaries. We have no plans to change it.
Scrapie
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether, in the light of the latest information obtained from sheep that have contracted scrapie, they will reconsider the ban on the use of Type 3 rams in hill breeds of sheep after 2006. [HL602]
The current restrictions do not allow the sale of Type 3 rams in hill breeds of sheep after 2006, but allow their continued breeding on farm until the end of 2008. We are currently carrying out a review of the National Scrapie Plan in order to draw up a long-term plan. The review includes looking at restrictions such as those on Type 3 rams in hill breeds.
Phytophthora Ramorum
asked Her Majesty's Government: Whether they are able to trace recent purchasers of plants susceptible to phytophthora ramorum from nurseries that have been found to be infected; and to what extent they undertake this. [HL675]
Emergency measures put in place in May 2002 required the notification of any movement of rhododendrons and viburnums, the two types of plant which in Europe have been most often found to be infected. These were superseded in November 2002 by EU-wide measures to ensure that consignments of these plants intended for trade are accompanied by a plant passport. This passport will identify the registered producer from whom any infected material originates. The registered producer is under an obligation to keep records of consignments despatched. Host material purchased by the premises where infection is found can therefore be traced back to the original supplier and an inspection of those premises takes place. Similarly, all commercial premises to whom infected material has been distributed will be inspected. This would include any material sold on for general landscape purposes where the buyer is known.Clearly tracing of plants sold on to the general public is more problematic. Buyers of host species have been advised to check plants before purchase for symptoms of the disease and to contact their garden centres if these subsequently develop. Any confirmed findings will then be subject to the tracing procedures outlined above. A number of initiatives have also been instigated to raise public awareness including a poster and information sheet which is available on Defra's website at
www.defra.gov.uk/planth/graphics/sod.pdf. Copies have also been placed in the Library of the House.
asked Her Majesty's Government: Further to the answer by the Lord Whitty on 6 January which indicates that the number of nurseries with material infected by phytophthora ramorum has doubled since the Written Answer by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 February 2003 (HC Deb, col. 852–3W), whether they would consider issuing for the reassurance of the public certificates of freedom from the disease to nurseries that have had no evidence of infection. [HL676]
Plant passports must be attached to all rhododendrons and viburnums going to retailers or landscapers. Authorisation to issue plant passports is given to nurseries which have been officially inspected and at which either no symptoms of P ramorum have been seen, or plants found to be infected, and those in a surrounding cordon sanitaire, have been immediately destroyed under official supervision. Nurseries are free to publicise their authorisation if they wish, to provide an assurance of their disease-free status. As indicated in my answer to Lord Greaves in the House on 6 January, action at sites where there is persistent infection will in future include notification of those responsible for adjoining land. Further consideration is being given to the appropriate balance between the need for transparency and the need to avoid a disproportionate reaction to isolated findings which have been swiftly eliminated. A map of outbreaks is already maintained on Defra's website and is available at www.defra.gov.uk/planth/graphics/sod.pdf. Copies have also been placed in the Library of the House.
Public Sector Employees: Membership Of Proscribed Organisations
asked Her Majesty's Government: What guidance has been issued to (a) chief constables; (b) local government chief executives; and (c) other public sector senior managers regarding their own and their employees' membership of the British National Party, the National Front or organisations proscribed by law; and whether they will place a copy of such guidance in the Library of the House. [HL187]
Schedule 1 to the Police Regulations 2003 states that "A member of a police force shall at all times abstain from any activity which is likely to interfere with the impartial discharge of his duties or which is likely to give rise to the impression amongst members of the public that it may so interfere; and in particular a member of a police force shall not take any active part in politics".Copies of Police Regulations 2003 are in the Library of the House (Statutory Instrument No. 527 of 2003).The conduct of local authority employees is a matter for individual authorities, in line with the terms of their contracts of employment.The rules regarding political activities of civil servants are set out in Chapter 4.4 of the Civil Service Management Code. Copies of the Civil Service Management Code are in the Library of the House.
Dyslexia
asked Her Majesty's Government: What is their response to the British Dyslexia Association's advice on improving accessibility to information in government brochures and documents, particularly in the light of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995. [HL567]
Her Majesty's Government, as a matter of good practice, make information available to as wide a range of people as possible, which includes those with literacy difficulties.In February 2001, the Government launched good practice guidance
Let's Make it Accessible for all government departments and agencies about how to make information for the public more accessible to disabled customers.
This guidance encourages government departrnents to comply with the "spirit as well as the letter" of the Disability Discrimination Act. This guidance refers to people with dyslexia and stresses the need to use "concise plain language" to increase everyone's understanding. The Department for Work and Pensions is currently working on an updated version of this document, but the original version can be found on the web at http://www.disability.gov.uk/images of disability/access.html
Civil Servants: Secondment To Non Departmental Public Bodies
asked Her Majesty's Government: What is the number of civil servants seconded to work for non-departmental public bodies (NDF'Bs); and what is the number working in each NDPB.[HL574]
The information requested is not held centrally. Secondment figures are collected by the Cabinet Office from departments, under a number of headings: industry and commerce; academia and education; voluntary and charitable; European and international; local authority; health and other public service. The number of civil servants seconded to the wider public service, which includes non-departmental public bodies, is as follows.
| 2000–01 | 447 |
| 2001–02 | 327 |
| 2002–03 | 597 |