asked Her Majesty's Government:

What methodology they will use to evaluate their alcohol harm reduction strategy; and whether they will provide a summary of the relevant indicators which will be used. [HL2057]

The Government are committed to undertaking a review of the 2004 Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. This review will look at progress made against the recommendations of the 2004 strategy.

In reviewing progress, a range of retrospective indicators will be employed, such as the British Crime Survey's alcohol-related crime and perceptions of drunk and rowdy behaviour statistics, Office for National Statistics data and General Household Survey data on alcohol consumption, and the Department of Health's Survey of Smoking, Drinking, and Drug Use Among Young People. These are all readily available and in the public domain and can be used to inform discussions on the Government's Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What study has been made of the potential health risks to British Armed Forces personnel who may have been exposed to Agent Orange when based at Canadian forces base Gagetown in Canada during the period 1966–1967; and [HL1876]

Whether they will hold discussions with the Government of Canada to ascertain the potential risks to British Armed Forces personnel who may have been exposed to Agent Orange while based at Canadian forces base Gagetown in Canada during the period 1966–67; and [HL1877]

What health conditions are associated with exposure to Agent Orange. [HL1878]

The published peer-reviewed evidence is of sufficient quality and quantity to recognise a statistical association between exposure to Agent Orange and chronic lymphatic leukaemia, soft tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and chloracne. There is limited evidence of an association with respiratory cancer, prostate cancer, multiple myeloma and porphyria cutanea tarda. Limited evidence means that the studies are not consistent in outcome and that the possibility that the findings might be due to chance or bias cannot be ruled out. These associations have only been recognised in heavily exposed populations. Currently, the scientific evidence does not support the conclusion that associations between exposures and adverse health effects are causal.

Since 2005, MoD officials have been in regular contact with the Canadian authorities on the facts surrounding the spraying of Agent Orange at Gagetown in 1966 and 1967. We have followed closely the Canadian Government's initiative announced in August 2005. This had three main tasks: first, to establish those present, including foreign military units, at Gagetown since 1952, including in 1966, and 1967; secondly, to review the history and science of herbicide spraying; and thirdly, to assess the health risks from the herbicides based on the products used and likely exposure dose. Much of this work has been reported or final reports are awaited.

Scrutiny of the published peer-reviewed evidence on Agent Orange and its adverse health effects has been carried out by MoD officials. The Canadian authorities have provided information on UK units present at Gagetown in 1966 and 1967 and details of locations and areas sprayed and of weather conditions. Findings of the Canadian study so far are that the exposure to Agent Orange resulting from normal activities during 1966 and 1967 was very low and unlikely to increase risk of adverse health. We will continue to monitor results emerging from the Canadian project.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the debate on the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Bill on 7 February 2006 (Official Report, col. 620), whether, in relation to the exercise of discretion by the Secretary of State to register as a British citizen a child born in the United Kingdom of an asylum seeker who is subsequently granted leave to remain, they will clarify the circumstances in which the Secretary of State would register the child as a British citizen in order that the parents would know in advance whether the application was likely to succeed. [HL1919]

A child born in the United Kingdom to an asylum seeker will have an entitlement to register as a British citizen if, while still a minor, the father or mother becomes a British citizen or becomes settled in the UK and an application is made for the minor's registration.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Triesman on 23 January (WA 213) concerning the issue of letters confirming whether a person holds or has ever held British nationality, whether they will place in the Library of the House the stock letters used by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong to confirm this where the person in question acquired British nationality by birth in Hong Kong (a) prior to 1 January 1949; (b) between 1 January 1949 and 31 December 1982; and (c) between 1 January 1983 and 30 June 1997. [HL2054]

We will place in the Library of the House the stock letter used by the British consulate-general in Hong Kong to confirm whether a person holds or has ever held British nationality.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they are making to the Government of Chad concerning the growing violence and fears of genocide in Chad. [HL2070]

A joint Foreign and Commonwealth Office and Department for International Development team is visiting Chad. Officials met with the Chadian Foreign Minister, Ahmat Allami, on Tuesday 20 February and raised our concerns over the humanitarian situation in eastern Chad and the violence spilling over from the conflict in Darfur, particularly affecting the security of refugees and internally displaced people.

Together with our partners in the UN Security Council, the UK also supported the presidency statement of 15 December 2006, which called on the Government of Chad to “do all it can to protect its civilian population”, and expressed its “grave concern regarding the increase in military activities of armed groups in eastern Chad”.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the 41 per cent decrease in the exposure of children to high fat, sugar and salt food advertising, as agreed by Ofcom, meets the Government's objectives of addressing the balance of television advertising to children; and [HL1910]

Whether, as indicated in Choosing a Better Diet: A food and health action plan, they will take a decision in mid-2007 on the introduction of legislation to restrict the television advertising of foods high in fat, sugar and salt to children; and, if not, when this decision will be taken. [HL1911]

We welcome Ofcom's announcement on tightening the rules on broadcast advertising of food and drink to protect children from encouragement to eat foods high in fat, salt and sugar. This is a complex area and Ofcom has sought to strike a balance which protects the health of our children but also considers the impact on our broadcasting industries.

Parliament has placed clear duties on Ofcom to ensure that any regulatory interventions they propose must be proportionate, appropriately targeted and soundly based on evidence of impact.

Under this package of measures, in households where children's viewing includes a large number of programmes targeted at adults as well as programmes for children and young people, children under 16 would see 41 per cent fewer high fat, salt and sugar foods and drinks advertisements. For under-9s, the reduction would be 51 per cent. This represents a significant reduction, which Ofcom has deemed proportionate.

Ofcom's new rules will be fully implemented from 1 July 2007 at the same time as new Committee on Advertising Practice restrictions for non-broadcast media.

We are monitoring closely the impact of television restrictions and other measures across all media in order to see whether there is going to be a real change in the nature and balance of food promotion. The department will conduct an interim review in 2007, and we will undertake a more detailed review in 2008. On that basis, the Government will decide whether future action, through new (for non-broadcast) or existing legislation, is required.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many children under the age of 18 have been held in police cells under Operation Safeguard; and, of these, how many were aged 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17. [HL2103]

No children under the age of 18 have been held in police cells under Operation Safeguard.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether every allegation of rape which is drawn to the attention of each police force, sexual assault referral centre or other rape victim handling centre is included in the national statistics that are reported to Parliament. [HL1852]

Published national statistics include all offences of rape that are recorded as crimes by police, including cases where the victim has reported to the police and been examined at a sexual assault referral centre. They exclude cases that are “no crimed” because they meet one of the following criteria:(i) there is additional verifiable information that a crime did not take place;(ii) the crime was committed outside the jurisdication of the recording force; (iii) the crime constitutes part of a crime already recorded; or (iv) the reported incident was recorded as a crime in error. Each sexual assault referral centre (SARC) operates according to local protocols with respect to how anonymous third-party referrals are reported to the police. We are working with the national SARC steering group to develop a consistent approach to crime recording in these circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What arrangements exist for the recording of false allegations of rape where (a) no proceedings are brought against a false accuser; (b) no DNA is retained; and (c) the accuser's accusations are not entered into national statistics on rape; and what arrangements are in place to ensure that false allegations under circumstances (a), (b) and (c) above are available to police forces investigating allegations of rape. [HL1853]

Where a crime is recorded by a police force and additional verifiable information that an allegation is false comes to light, this is one of a number of circumstances in which an allegation will be recorded as a “no crime” by the police. “No crime” data are not included in published national statistics but are available to other police forces on request. Where a person has been arrested for perverting the course of justice or wasting police time on the basis that they have made a false allegation, their details would appear on the police national computer, and would therefore be accessible to other forces.

Under the IMPACT programme, we are developing a national police data-sharing system that will improve the ability of the police service to manage and share intelligence and other operational information to prevent or detect crime. The exact scope of the information to be included on the system is still under consideration, but would need to comply with data protection requirements, including that sharing the information would be fair, necessary and proportionate for a policing purpose.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether allegations of rape described by police forces as “no crimed” enter into national statistics on reported rapes in all circumstances. [HL1896]

If an offence of rape is “no crimed”, it should be reported monthly on the recorded crime return made to the Home Office. However, offences which have been “no crimed” do not feature in the recorded crime statistics published by the Home Office.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether statistics of reported rapes can be double-counted where specific allegations of rape are repeated in more than one jurisdiction within the United Kingdom. [HL1897]

Reported allegations of rape should not be double-counted. If the same allegation of rape is made in several different police force areas, it is the force in which the alleged offence occurred which will be responsible for recording it. If the same allegation has already been recorded in any other force areas, the alleged offence should be “no crimed” in accordance with the guidance contained in Section C of the Home Office Counting Rules and the details transferred to the force responsible for recording. The guidance on “no-crimes” is available at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs07/countgeneral 07.pdf.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will ask the German presidency of the European Union to make representations to the Government of Eritrea about the cause of the death in custody of Mr Fessehaye Yohannes at Eiraeiro on 11 January, and of the deaths of the other eight prisoners who have died at that camp since the beginning of 2005. [HL2055]

The UK remains deeply concerned about Eritrea's human rights record and about the reported death of Fessehaye Yohannes. The detention without charge by the Eritrean Government of members of minority religious groups, journalists, leading political figures and members of civil society is unacceptable and contravenes international human rights agreements to which Eritrea is a party.

On 14 February, our ambassador in Asmara expressed the UK's concern at reports of Fessehaye Yohannes' death in custody to the Eritrean Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The UK is in close touch with the German presidency of the EU, and our other EU partners, on this and other human rights issues in Eritrea.

We make our concerns about the human rights situation in Eritrea known to the Eritrean Government whenever possible. We will continue to remind Eritrea of its human rights obligations, including through the EU political dialogue with Eritrea.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they support the creation of the post of European Union Foreign Minister; and, if so, whether they have proposals to change the role of the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs and the remit, staffing and operating budget of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. [HL2099]

The Treaty Establishing a Constitution for Europe, including provisions for an EU Foreign Minister, was agreed by all member states on 29 October 2004. However, following the no votes in France and the Netherlands, there is at present no consensus among member states on the future of the constitutional treaty. The way forward will be discussed at the European Council in June. The Government make no presumption as to the outcome of those discussions. My right honourable friend the Minister for Europe made a Written Ministerial Statement on 5 December 2006 regarding the UK's approach to these discussions. This remains the Government's position (Official Report, cols. WS10-11).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many (a) executive, and (b) administrative posts are held by non-British European Union nationals in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office; how they were selected; and when the first non-British European Union national was recruited by the department. [HL1824]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) employs 18 non-British EU nationals in non-reserved executive posts as band C language teachers in FCO services. These appointments were made in accordance with the Office of the Civil Service Commissioners' code on recruitment. The first recruits to Civil Service posts were selected on merit through fair and open competition in 1999. However, FCO Language Training has used fee-paid teachers from EU countries since at least 1974 and continues to do so. Some of the 18 were originally fee-paid teachers who were subsequently selected for permanent contracts in 2002.

The FCO also sometimes hosts non-British EU nationals on secondment from other EU Ministries of Foreign Affairs. These positions are usually offered for one year on a reciprocal basis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will place in the Library of the House the response of the deputy chief caseworker of the Home Office Nationality Group to Tameem Abdulhusein Ebrahim's request for information about the technical difficulties surrounding the processing of applications for British citizenship from Hong Kong (ref: FOI 5108/5202, 6 December 2006); whether since the new system went live on 9 December 2006 the backlog of applications outstanding since February 2006 has been cleared; and, if not, when they expect the backlog will be cleared. [HL1699]

A copy of the letter from the deputy chief caseworker will be placed in the Library of the House. I can confirm that the outstanding applications have been cleared.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many Ministers are of ethnic minority extraction; and what is that figure as a proportion of the total. [HL1991]

This information is not collected.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many cases of Clostridium difficile were reported in National Health Service hospitals in (a) 2005, and (b) 2006.[HL1420]

Since January 2004, all acute National Health Service trusts in England have been obliged to report all cases of Clostridium difficile associated disease in patients aged 65 and over under the mandatory surveillance scheme.

National, regional and individual trust data were published for the years 2004 and 2005 (the latest available data) in Mandatory surveillance of healthcare associated infections report 2006 on the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) website: www.hpa.org.uk/infections/topics_az/hai/MandSurvHCAI2006.pdf

The annual total of Clostridium difficile- associated disease in adults aged 65 was 51,690 cases in 2005.

Data for 2006 were published by the HPA on 30 January 2007 and can be found at: www.hpa. org.uk/hpa/news/articles/press_releases/2007/070130_mrsa.htm.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many (a) executive, and (b) administrative posts are held by non-British European Union nationals in the Home Office; how they were selected; and when the first non-British European Union national was recruited by the department. [HL1825]

The Home Office, which includes the Immigration and Nationality Directorate, Prison Service, Identity and Passport Service but not its agencies recruits staff through fair and open competition in accordance with the Civil Service recruitment code and the Civil Service nationality rules.

Nationals of the European Economic Area (EEA) are permitted to apply for 82 per cent of all Civil Service posts from senior to the most junior posts. The EEA comprises the member states of the European Union and the EFTA member states (Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland under a separate agreement. EU nationals are not the only European nationals eligible for Civil Service employment.

The Home Office does not centrally record information on the number of non-British European Union nationals holding executive and administrative posts or when the first non-British European national was recruited by the department, so a comprehensive response to this Question could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What advice they will offer to owners of older properties which are likely to receive-low rating energy reports; and [HL2091]

What practical steps can be taken at reasonable cost for owners of older properties to achieve energy savings. [HL2092]

The Energy Performance of Building Directive (EPBD) calls for energy performance certificates to be made available when buildings are constructed, sold or rented out. Energy performance certificates (EPCs) will include not only ratings of energy efficiency and environmental impact but a set of recommendations as to how the owner can improve energy efficiency. They will also include more general advice on saving energy. Owners will not be obliged to act on this information. However the EPC also displays prominently the telephone number of the Energy Savings Trust so that consumers are signposted to a source of impartial and expert advice, including the availability of grant schemes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many young unaccompanied asylum seekers were fast-tracked in the first half of 2006, despite their claim to be under 18. [HL1093]

Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children (UASC) are not subject to detained fast track processes. For detention purposes, a person claiming to be under 18 will only be treated as an adult if:

there is credible and clear documentary evidence that they are 18 years of age or over; or

a full age assessment by social services is available stating that they are 18 years or over; or

their physical appearance/demeanour very strongly indicates that they are significantly older than 18 and no other credible evidence exists to the contrary.

Management information shows that between January and June 2006 six asylum applicants were taken into the detained fast-track (DFT) process despite their claim to be under 18. In each case, they met one or more of the above criteria when their suitability for DFT was assessed but subsequent information, in the form of a full social services age assessment, later emerged which led us to accept their claim to be a child.

In addition, five asylum applicants claimed to be minors after they had entered the DFT process and one claimed to be a child on transit to the detention centre. Three of these applicants were released following a full social services age assessment and three were released without an age assessment taking place as the case owners responsible for their claims were satisfied on the basis of other evidence available to them that they were children.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

For how many cases each caseholder in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate is normally responsible. [HL1208]

The number of cases allocated to individual caseholders across the Immigration and Nationality Directorate varies for a number of reasons, including type and complexity of case or caseholder experience. It is not therefore possible to give the number of cases for which a caseholder will be responsible.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In cases where the Medical Foundation confirms that an asylum applicant has suffered torture, what action is taken by the Immigration and Nationality Directorate to ensure that the person or their dependants are not detained in custody. [HL1969]

Under Rule 35 of the Detention Centre Rules 2001, the medical practitioner at a removal centre is required to report to the manager on the case of any detained person who he is concerned may have been the victim of torture. Systems are in place to ensure that any such reports are passed to the on-site immigration manager for onward transmission to the relevant IND caseworker.

Should the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture confirm that a detainee has suffered torture, this, along with any independent medical advice, would be fully considered by the IND caseowner, who would consider whether detention remains appropriate in those specific circumstances.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What response they received from Jamaat-e-Islami representatives in Pakistan when the Government pressed them to come down firmly against the use of violence. [HL2052]

We have seen no evidence that Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) representatives have recently publicly renounced violence. Qazi Hussain Ahmed, the leader of the JI party, did issue a condemnation regarding the kidnappings of westerners in Iraq.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What information they hold concerning the numbers and proportion of prisoners in (a) young offender institutions, and (b) adult prisons who had been in care during their childhood years. [HL1521]

This information is not collected centrally. The best available data come from the Office for National Statistics psychiatric morbidity survey (1998). This study found that a quarter of adult-sentenced male and female prisoners had been taken into local authority care as children. The figures were slightly higher for prisoners on remand (33 per cent for males, 29 per cent for females).

Analysis of a sub-sample of young offenders (aged 16-20 years) found that 29 per cent of male sentenced prisoners, 42 per cent of male remand prisoners, and 35 per cent of female sentenced prisoners had been taken into local authority care as a child. Too few female young offenders on remand were sampled to enable reliable analysis for this group.

Sources: Psychiatric Morbidity Amongst Prisoners in England and Wales (ONS, 1998). Mental Disorders Among Young Offenders (ONS, 2000)

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many life-sentence prisoners are being held beyond the tariff number of years set by the trial judge; whether the current risk assessments are working fairly and effectively; and whether they anticipate a reduction in the numbers of prisoners held beyond tariff. [HL1967]

The information requested about the number of life sentence prisoners being held beyond the tariff expiry date is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

I am satisfied that the current risk assessments are working fairly and effectively. In recent years, a range of major improvements to risk assessments and risk-reduction measures have been introduced by prison and probation services. These include the use of actuarial risk-assessment models, the adoption of evidence-based and accredited offending behaviour programmes and improved training in risk assessment for staff.

Regular risk assessments are carried out in order to assess a life-sentence prisoner's progress and whether a life-sentence prisoner is ready to progress to a lower category prison, including open conditions, or release. The question of release is a matter for the independent Parole Board. The Parole Board makes a release decision based on whether or not it is necessary for the protection of the public for that prisoner to be confined. The main criterion governing the board's consideration is the risk of serious harm that the prisoner may pose to others.

It is not possible to anticipate the number of release directions of life-sentence prisoners on tariff expiry that the Parole Board will make.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their response to proposals for a Commission to promote restorative justice; and whether they have assessed the potential reduction in re-offending and in consequent prison sentences following wider application of restorative methods. [HL2061]

The Government have invested £5 million in the Crime Reduction Programme restorative justice pilots and their evaluation. The pilots delivered restorative justice at all stages of the criminal justice system. Two (of four) research reports have been published on, respectively, the setting up of the pilots and the delivery of the process. The third and fourth reports on victim and offender satisfaction, and the impact of restorative justice on reconviction rates and cost-effectiveness, are expected to be published this year. This research will inform our future strategy on the use of adult restorative justice. In the mean time, our strategy is to encourage, but not require, the use of adult restorative justice, particularly as a service to victims where there is consistent evidence that it delivers high levels of satisfaction.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are assisting the recognised Government of Somalia to establish effective administration; whether other governments are co-operating to this end; and, if so, how the Government and other Governments are assisting the Government of Somalia in this regard. [HL2062]

We support the Transitional Federal Government (TFG) of Somalia in their attempts to establish an effective administration. Several other Governments are also supporting the TFG in this respect. The International Contact Group on Somalia (the UK, the United States, Norway, Sweden, Italy, Tanzania, the UN, the European Commission, the European Union presidency, the African Union, the Arab League, the chair of the Intergovernmental Authority for Development) issued a communiqué on 9 February urging “the donor community to provide additional resources in a co-ordinated manner ... to enable the Transitional Federal Institutions (TFIs) to establish administrative institutions”.

We, along with other donors (mainly the European Commission, Norway and Sweden), are providing both technical and financial assistance to help the TFIs of Somalia to become established. Support to date has included direct financial support to the costs of the TFIs through a UN development programme project (e.g. refurbishment and equipping of TFI buildings, stipends for parliamentarians, police and judiciary); capacity building support to the TFIs; and support for developing a constitution.

A broader group of donors, including Denmark and Italy, as well as bilateral support from within the region from countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia, is providing support to establish the security institutions of the TFIs, including training of police, and where possible training of the security forces.

The UN development programme has recently produced a prioritised plan for supporting the TFIs for the next six months and all donors are considering the best way to respond.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In what respect the standards of compulsory public disclosure on employee relations, pensions, executive remuneration, risk management, corporate governance and social responsibility change once a publicly listed company has been acquired through a private company takeover; which of those changes are in the public interest; and whether they will review ways of reducing or ending such information gaps. [HL2075]

Effective disclosure is a fundamental principle of UK company law and listing rules. Financial and narrative reporting requirements were consulted on extensively in the formulation of the provisions in the Companies Act 2006. The differences in disclosure requirements between private and publicly listed companies exist to achieve an appropriate and proportionate degree of transparency between those companies which do not offer securities to the public, and those which do. All private companies, other than small companies, are required to produce a business review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have had consultations with other nearby European Union countries on their plans to switch to digital television signals; and what progress is being made in such areas. [HL1771]

Digital switchover may be covered from time to time in bilateral ministerial meetings. It was discussed by the Council of Ministers in December 2005 when, under the UK presidency, Council agreed conclusions in response to the Commission's communication on switchover. The Council's conclusions are detailed in the press release available at: www.consilium.europa.eu/ueDocs/cms_Data/docs/pressData/en/trans/87389.pdf.

Ofcom represents the UK Government in fora covering spectrum use.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will seek to extend the European Union sanctions against leaders of the Zanu-PF regime in Zimbabwe to cover Gideon Gono, governor of the Reserve Bank. [HL2107]

On 19 February, EU member states unanimously agreed to roll over the EU-targeted measures against Zimbabwe for an additional year—the fourth year they have been rolled over. With other EU member states, we continue to discuss options for strengthening the targeted measures. Together we keep under review the names of all those responsible for Zimbabwe's disastrous economic and political policies, including that of Gideon Gono.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are taking action to prevent Zimbabwe becoming vice-president of the United Nations World Food Programme. [HL2125]

We welcome the decision to appoint Cape Verde as vice-president of the World Food Programme. At a time when the devastating agricultural policies of the Mugabe regime have led to a great many of its own population requiring food aid, it would have been particularly inappropriate for Zimbabwe to be elected to this position.

We will continue, as we have done up to now, to give food aid through the World Food Programme to those most in need, including those in Zimbabwe.