Written Answers
Thursday 22 March 2007
Agriculture: Tractors
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 14 March (WA 122) concerning agricultural vehicles, why they are not included in the MoT scheme. [HL2792]
Agricultural vehicles are not within the scope of the MoT testing scheme because they are generally not used on the road very much by comparison with other classes of vehicle, so the risks they represent to other road users are also comparatively lower. The additional road safety benefits resulting from their inclusion would be likely to be outweighed by the costs—both the test itself and the inconvenience to all by requiring such vehicles to travel to testing stations.
British Citizenship
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the number of persons resident in Hong Kong who do not hold a British passport but may nevertheless be entitled to be a British citizen, British Overseas Territories citizen, British Overseas citizen, British National (Overseas), British subject or British protected person.[HL2614]
We can only confirm that the total number of British National (Overseas) (BN(O)) passports issued between April 1997 and the end of 2006 was 794,457. Some of these were renewals of full and/or lost passports.
There are 3.4 million BN(O)s, most of whom live in Hong Kong. Therefore by deduction there are approximately 2.6 million BN(O)s in Hong Kong without a passport. It is not possible to calculate the number who may be entitled to any other category of British nationality.
Census
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the next census will include questions on ethnicity and proficiency in languages, including proficiency in English. [HL2666]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Greaves, dated 22 March 2007.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Question asking whether the next census will include questions on ethnicity and proficiency in languages, including proficiency in English. (HL2666).
It is not possible to confirm what questions and response categories are to be included in the 2011 census until the consultation and testing programme is complete and formal approval is given by Parliament in 2010. It is apparent that demands for information from the census are greater than are likely to be able to be accommodated, and difficult trade-offs will need to be made. A White Paper setting out the Government's proposals, including the wording of any questions about ethnicity and language proficiency, is scheduled to be published in 2008.
You might like to know that, as part of the preparations for the 2011 census, ONS will be conducting a census test in May this year in areas within five local authorities in England and Wales. The questionnaire which will be used in the test was launched on 31 October and can be found on the National Statistics website at www.statistics.gov.uk/censustestquestionnaire.
The test questionnaire includes a question on ethnicity and a new question asking about proficiency in a number of languages. Some prior small-scale testing of the language question has, however, identified some problems and the quality of the information collected may be unacceptable. Analysis of the results of the main 2007 test and of further small-scale testing and consideration of other priorities for questions will inform the decision as to whether or not any information on languages will be collected in the 2011 census.
We are conducting a further consultation exercise on user needs for information on ethnicity, national identity, language and religion from the 2011 census in England and Wales. This focuses in particular on assessing public acceptability of the descriptions of the ethnic categories. The relevant documents are available on the National Statistics website. This consultation closes on 31 March 2007 (see www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/cn_155.asp).
Children: Disappearance from Care
asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many looked-after children abscond or disappear from their placements every year; what proportion of them are found again within six months; and what preventive action they are taking. [HL2206]
In the year ending 31 March 2006, 970 looked-after children went missing from their care placement for 24 hours or more1. The information requested on the proportion of looked-after children who go missing and are found again within six months can only be provided from national-level data sources at a disproportionate cost. Individual local authorities hold detailed information about the children in their care.
In 2002 the Government published detailed guidance for local authorities and their partner agencies on how they should respond to young people who go missing. This guidance included information about preventing children from going missing from their placement and on monitoring and reporting incidents.
1 (To ensure that no individual can be identified, all numbers on looked-after children are rounded to the nearest 100 if they exceed 1,000 and to the nearest 10 otherwise.)
Courts: Northern Ireland
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to review the sentencing policy of the courts in Northern Ireland.[HL2629]
Last year, following extended public consultation on a review of the existing sentencing framework, the Government announced proposals for a radical change to the structure of sentencing in Northern Ireland. I refer the noble Lord to the Written Statement made on 5 December 2006 (WS 117), which outlines these proposals.
Crime: Sex Tourism
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of recent efforts by other Governments, especially those in south-east Asia, to improve the rates of prosecution of sex tourists; what assistance they are giving for this purpose; and to which states they are giving this assistance. [HL2753]
The Government take the issue of sex tourism very seriously. We are signatories to the relevant international protocols, including the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which we are in the process of ratifying, and continue to press countries that have not yet signed it to do so. Countries in south-east Asia, such as Cambodia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam, have made significant efforts to improve prosecution rates for sex tourists. The UK has recently assisted these countries in their efforts through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Global Opportunities Fund drugs and crime programme. The UK has been especially active in funding areas of police capacity-building to investigate and act on cases of sexual exploitation, the training of judges in handling child witnesses in court and raising awareness of sexual exploitation.
Elections: Northern Ireland
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What was the cost to public funds of the Assembly election in Northern Ireland held on 7 March. [HL2659]
The anticipated cost of the 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly elections held on 7 March is approximately £2.7 million. The exact costs, however, will not be known for a number of months.
Energy: Biofuels
asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much tax has so far been written off under enhanced capital allowances for capital expenditure to fund plant and machinery in the biofuels industry.[HL2604]
Enhanced capital allowances (ECAs) provide a tax-timing benefit rather than a write-off of tax. Information on the value of ECA claims by an individual industry is not available.
English Heritage
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the fact that the new chairman of English Heritage will work 90 days per annum for £45,000 rather than three days per week for £54,000 per annum represents any downgrading of the role. [HL2243]
The current role attracts £68,390 per annum for a commitment of 144 days per year. In considering the appropriate time commitment for the future chair we reviewed the needs of the body and the role in conjunction with English Heritage, including the commissioners, and have agreed that 90 days a year is appropriate. This does not represent a downgrading of the role but reflects the fact that English Heritage’s modernisation programme has been completed and a greater time commitment will no longer be necessary. The remuneration level for the new chair has been set at £45,000 per annum, representing a small pro-rata increase. We recognise the importance of the role of the chairman of English Heritage and we are making every effort to identify a suitable successor to build on the excellent work of Sir Neil Cossons.
General Register Office
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the purpose of the General Register Office's digitisation of vital events project; whether it is intended to change the current service of CD-ROM and fiche provision; and, if so, what assessment has been made of the likely impact on customers of libraries and small archives.[HL2642]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Mason of Barnsley, dated 22 March 2007.
As Registrar General for England and Wales, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what is the purpose of the General Register Office's digitisation of vital events (DoVE) project; whether it is intended to change the current service of CD-ROM and fiche provision; and, if so, what assessment has been made of the likely impact on customers of libraries and small archives. (HL2642)
The DoVE project involves the scanning of 259 million civil registration records held by the General Register Office (GRO) and the data-capture of those records in order to create an electronic index of the scanned images. The records date from 1837 and cover all births, deaths, marriages and still births registered in England and Wales since that time.
A separate project, Registration Online (RON) is implementing a system enabling much more rapid capture centrally of new registrations. From April 2007 it is therefore intended to withdraw the sale of new CD-ROM and microfiche copies of the GRO index, and the RON index data for new registrations will be made available free of charge at the Family Records Centre in London from July 2007. The DoVE index date will start to be made available online, from early 2008, greatly increasing the number of people who have access to this information. It is expected that the DoVE project will be completed by 2009.
Existing customers with CD-ROMs and fiches will continue to be able to use these resources. However, the GRO expects that most libraries and similar organisations will provide the public with access to the new electronic indexes though internet-connected PCs.
Iran: Nuclear Capability
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the proposal of President Ahmadinejad of Iran that he should put his case personally to the United Nations Security Council as a means of clarifying Iran's nuclear intentions. [HL2735]
Iran has now made a formal request for President Ahmadinejad to participate in a Security Council meeting. While this is a matter for the council as a whole, we have no objection to President Ahmadinejad attending.
Israel and Palestine: Israeli Captives
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking with a view to Hezbollah and Hamas compliance with United Nations Resolution 1701 and the release of the Israeli soldiers captured during recent conflicts. [HL2758]
As part of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701, the previous UN Secretary-General wrote in his letter to the UN Security Council on 1 December 2006, and the current UN Secretary-General reiterated in his letter of 14 March, that the UN continues to make the unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, a top priority. A facilitator appointed specifically to address these issues by the UN is engaged in an intensive effort with all parties to reach a resolution. The UK continues to support the UN's lead role on this issue and is in regular contact with the UN on it.
Egypt has been leading international efforts to mediate the release of Gilad Shalit, who was kidnapped by Hamas. We continue to support these efforts.
We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the captured Israeli soldiers.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek information from Hezbollah and Hamas about whether Israeli soldiers captured in recent conflicts are alive and well. [HL2759]
As the previous UN Secretary-General wrote in his letter to the UN Security Council on 1 December 2006, and the current UN Secretary-General reiterated in his letter of 14 March, the UN continues to make the unconditional release of the Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hezbollah, Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, a top priority. A facilitator appointed specifically to address these issues by the UN is currently engaged in an intensive effort with all parties to reach a resolution. The UK continues to support the UN's lead role on this issue and is in regular contact with the UN on it.
Egypt has been leading international efforts to mediate the release of Gilad Shalit. We continue to support these efforts.
We reiterate our call for the immediate and unconditional release of the captured Israeli soldiers.
Languages
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the estimate of the number of people in Northern Ireland who speak on a daily basis (a) Irish (Gaelic), and (b) Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese). [HL2717]
There are no precise figures relating to Irish language speakers in Northern Ireland. The 2001 census found that 167,490 people “had some knowledge of Irish” and, of these, 75,125 “speaks, reads, writes and understands Irish”.
Information on the number of Chinese speakers, both Mandarin and Cantonese, is not held centrally. Research funded by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure, published in 2003, estimates that there are around 8,000 people in Northern Ireland of Chinese origin, with Mandarin spoken by around 10 per cent and Cantonese spoken by around 80 to 90 per cent of the community.
Manchester
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What Manchester's rate of economic growth has been compared to other regional cities in the United Kingdom since 2003.[HL2635]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Morris dated 22 March 2007.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Question about the rate of economic growth in Manchester and other regional cities of the UK since 2003. (HL2635)
Estimates of regional economic growth, as measured by gross value added (GVA), are only produced at current prices and do not allow for changes in prices over time (inflation) or differences in regional price levels (purchasing power). They do not, therefore, show growth in real or volume terms.
The Office for National Statistics publishes regional gross value added using official statistical geographies known as nomenclature of units for territorial statistics (NUTS)1. The NUTS classification corresponds to administrative boundaries of some, but not all, cities of the UK.
Table 1 shows annual growth for 2003 and 2004 in GVA per capita for each NUTS2 area of the UK. Table 2 shows annual percentage changes in GVA per capita for each NUTS3 area. The latest available estimates are for 2004.
The full range of published regional GVA estimates is available on the ONS website: www.statistics.gov.uk/statbase/Product.asp?vlnk=14650.
1. The Nomenclature of units for territorial statistics (NUTS) provides a single uniform breakdown for the production of regional statistics for the European Union. There are three levels of NUTS in the UK. These are:
NUTS1: Government office regions and Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
NUTS2: 37 areas—individual and groups of counties and unitary authorities.
NUTS3: 133 areas—generally groups of unitary authorities or districts, also known as local areas.
NUTS2 gross value added1 per capita percentage change GVA per-capita percentage change 2003 2004 Tees Valley and Durham 4.8% 5.9% Northumberland and Tyne and Wear 6.1% 5.9% Cumbria 6.1% 5.5% Cheshire 3.7% 4.5% Greater Manchester 5.4% 5.8% Lancashire 4.6% 5.2% Merseyside 5.8% 5.5% East Riding and North Lincolnshire 5.5% 5.0% North Yorkshire 6.0% 5.2% South Yorkshire 6.1% 5.6% West Yorkshire 5.2% 4.9% Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire 6.1% 6.0% Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire 6.7% 6.4% Lincolnshire 6.4% 4.8% Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire 4.4% 4.9% Shropshire and Staffordshire 5.7% 5.8% West Midlands 4.9% 5.2% East Anglia 6.2% 5.8% Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire 5.1% 5.8% Essex 7.4% 6.6% Inner London 6.7% 5.8% Outer London 4.9% 5.3% Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire 5.8% 5.8% Surrey, East and West Sussex 4.6% 4.4% Hampshire and Isle of Wight 5.4% 5.3% Kent 5.4% 5.0% Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and North Somerset 6.6% 6.1% Dorset and Somerset 4.7% 5.3% Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 6.8% 5.9% Devon 5.5% 4.7% West Wales and the Valleys 5.3% 5.4% East Wales 5.6% 5.4% North Eastern Scotland 3.6% 4.6% Eastern Scotland 6.4% 5.4% South Western Scotland 6.1% 5.8% Highlands and Islands 7.1% 5.6% Northern Ireland 5.7% 5.6% 1 GVA at current basic prices.
NUTS 3 gross value added1 per capita annual percentage change GVA per head annual percentage change 2003 2004 Hartlepool and Stockton-on-Tees 4.3% 6.2% South Teesside 7.2% 8.4% Darlington 5.0% 4.8% Durham CC 3.7% 4.6% Northumberland 6.1% 6.0% Tyneside 6.3% 5.8% Sunderland 5.4% 5.9% West Cumbria 4.4% 4.5% East Cumbria 7.4% 6.2% Halton and Warrington 5.5% 7.6% Cheshire CC 2.8% 2.9% Greater Manchester South 5.9% 6.0% Greater Manchester North 4.5% 5.4% Blackburn with Darwen 4.6% 5.9% Blackpool 4.2% 4.7% Lancashire CC 4.7% 5.1% East Merseyside 5.5% 5.5% Liverpool : 6.5% 5.7% Sefton 6.1% 5.6% Wirral 4.3% 4.7% Kingston upon Hull, City of 6.1% 5.9% East Riding of Yorkshire 5.6% 4.4% North and North East Lincolnshire 4.9% 5.0% York 5.3% 5.3% North Yorkshire CC 6.3% 5.1% Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham 6.3% 6.1% Sheffield 6.0% 4.9% Bradford 3.1% 3.7% Leeds 6.2% 5.2% Calderdale, Kirklees and Wakefield 5.2% 5.0% Derby 3.3% 4.6% East Derbyshire 6.3% 5.5% South and West Derbyshire 6.3% 6.2% Nottingham 7.6% 7.5% North Nottinghamshire 5.9% 5.7% South Nottinghamshire 6.3% 5.9% Leicester 6.8% 6.7% Leicestershire CC and Rutland 7.2% 6.4% Northamptonshire 6.3% 6.3% Lincolnshire 6.4% 4.8% Herefordshire, County of 4.9% 5.1% Worcestershire 5.9% 6.3% Warwickshire 3.0% 3.5% Telford and Wrekin 5.0% 5.3% Shropshire CC 7.0% 6.2% Stoke-on-Trent 5.6% 5.6% Staffordshire CC 5.5% 5.8% Birmingham 4.4% 4.8% Solihull 7.3 % 6.3% Coventry 4.0% 5.1% Dudley and Sandwell 4 3 % 4.9% Walsall and Wolverhampton 4.7% 5.5% Peterborough 7.9% 7.7% Cambridgeshire CC 6.3% 5.6% Norfolk' 6.2% 5.9% Suffolk 5.3% 5.3% Luton 5.0% 5.9% Bedfordshire CC 5 2% 5.6% Hertfordshire 5.2% 5.9% Southend-on-Sea 6.6% 7.1% Thurrock 6.5% 7.3% Essex CC 7 6% 6.5% Inner London—West 4.3% 3.4% Inner London—East 9.4% 7.7% Outer London—East and North East 5 0% 5.7% Outer London—South 6.2% 5.9% Outer London—West and North West 4.4% 4.8% Berkshire 5.3% 5.3% Milton Keynes 7.5% 6.9% Buckinghamshire CC 5.7% 6.1% Oxfordshire 6.2% 5.8% Brighton and Hove 5.2% 4.7% East Sussex CC 4.9% 5.1% Surrey 4.9% 4.6% West Sussex 3.9% 3.6% Portsmouth 5.4% 5.2% Southampton 6.7% 6.1% Hampshire CC 5.3% 5.4% Isle of Wight 3.4% 3.0% Medway 4.3% 4.8% Kent CC 5.6% 5.0% Bristol, City of 5.6% 5.4% North and North East Somerset, South Gloucestershire 7.6% 6.8% Gloucestershire 8.1% 6.7% Swindon 5.3% 6.1% Wiltshire CC 5.3% 5.2% Bournemouth and Poole 5.2% 5.6% Dorset CC 4.5% 5.4% Somerset 4.7% 5.1% Cornwall and Isles of Scilly 6.8% 5.9% Plymouth 5.0% 4.4% Torbay 3.1% 4.5% Devon CC 6.0% 4.9% Isle of Anglesey 5.3% 4.4% Gwynedd 8.5% 5.9% Conwy and Denbighshire 6.3% 5.6% South West Wales 4.4% 4.5% Central Valleys 5.4% 5.5% Gwent Valleys 3.9% 5.4% Bridgend and Neath Port Talbot 4.2% 5.0% Swansea 6.4% 6.5% Monmouthshire and Newport 5.6% 5.6% Cardiff and Vale of Glamorgan 7.1% 6.3% Flintshire and Wrexham 2.3% 3.7% Powys 6.3% 4.5% Aberdeen City, Aberdeenshire and North East Moray 3.6% 4.6% Angus and Dundee City 7.4% 6.3% Clackmannanshire and Fife 5.3% 5.1% East Lothian and Midlothian 7.9% 6.5% Scottish Borders 5.0% 3.7% Edinburgh, City of 7.1% 5.2% Falkirk 5.3% 5.2% Perth & Kinross and Stirling 6.2% 5.4% West Lothian 4.3% 5.3% East and West Dunbartonshire and Helensburgh & Lomond 5.5% 6.5% Dumfries and Galloway 4.0% 3.0% East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire Mainland 4.9% 5.2% Glasgow City 7.1% 6.1% Inverclyde, East Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire 5.8% 6.7% North Lanarkshire 7.7% 6.2% South Ayrshire 4.2% 5.0% South Lanarkshire 4.3% 4.4% Caithness & Sutherland and Ross & Cromarty 7.5% 5.9% Inverness & Nairn and Moray, Badenoch & Strathspey 9.5% 6.5% Lochaber, Skye & Lochalsh and Argyll and the Islands 3 3% 3.5% Eilean Siar (Western Isles) 9.4% 7.2% Orkney Islands 6.6% 5.5% Shetland Islands 6.3% 5.4% Belfast 7.2% 7.3% Outer Belfast 4.8% 4.9% East of Northern Ireland 4.9% 4.9% North of Northern Ireland 5.3% 5.0% West and South of Northern Ireland 6.6% 6.1% 1 GVA at current basic prices
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the percentage of worklessness in Manchester compared to the national average.[HL2637]
The level of worklessness in Greater Manchester is 28.1 per cent. The level of worklessness in the UK is 25.9 per cent.
Source: Annual Population Survey July 2005 to June 2006.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the difference in life expectancy between Manchester and the national average.[HL2639]
The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Morris of Manchester, dated 22 March 2007.
As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Question asking what is the difference in life expectancy between Manchester and the national average. (HL2639).
Life-expectancy figures are calculated as three-year rolling averages. The period life expectancy at birth1 in the Manchester local authority in 2003-052,3 (the latest period available) was four years less than the UK figure for males and three years less for females.
1 Period life expectancy at birth is an estimate of the average number of years a newborn baby would survive if he or she experienced the area's age-specific mortality rates for that time period throughout his or her life. The figure reflects mortality among those living in the area in each time period, rather than mortality among those born in each area. It is not therefore the number of years a baby born in the area in each time period could actually expect to live, both because the death rates of the area are likely to change in the future and because many of those born in the area will live elsewhere for at least some part of their lives.
2 Using local authority boundaries as of 2006.
3 Three-year rolling averages, based on deaths registered in each year and mid-year population estimates.
National Lottery: Awards for All
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations and others regarding their concerns that the National Lottery's increasing commitment to the 2012 Olympic Games constitutes a threat to the Awards for All, the Reaching Communities, the Community Buildings and Community Learning programmes and the Children's Play scheme; and what action they have taken, or will be taking, in response. [HL2591]
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has received a range of correspondence from the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and other voluntary-sector organisations representing their views on this issue.
However, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport made an announcement on 15 March regarding the diversion of funding from the Big Lottery Fund to the Olympics. This confirmed the transfer of £425 million after 2009 from the Big Lottery Fund. No existing lottery project need be affected. The department has agreed with the Big Lottery Fund that resources for the voluntary sector will be protected and will continue to receive £2 billion from the Big Lottery Fund between now and 2012.
Pensioners: Housing Benefit
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the percentage of pensioner households eligible to claim housing benefit (a) now; (b) in 2012; (c) in 2020; (d) in 2030; (e) in 2040; and (f) in 2050. [HL2077]
Under our proposed pension reforms, more people will receive a more generous state pension, providing a solid foundation for private saving. The proportion of pensioners entitled to housing benefit is, therefore, expected to be reduced over time. Housing benefit will continue to provide important targeted support for those who would otherwise struggle to be in decent accommodation.
This would be true of any pension system. Under a flat-rate universal pension, set at the level of the guarantee credit and uprated by earnings, around 12 per cent of elderly benefit units would still be entitled to housing benefit in 2050.
Entitlement projections are shown in the table below. Long-term projections of entitlement to housing benefit such as these are subject to inevitable uncertainty, including future patterns of owner occupation, household formation and private saving. In particular, the assumptions behind the projections do not include potential increases in private saving due to the proposed policy of auto-enrolment into occupational pensions or personal accounts.
Entitlement 2005-06 21 per cent to 22 per cent 2012-13 18 per cent to 20 per cent 2020-21 16 per cent to 17 per cent 2030-31 14 per cent to 15 per cent 2040-41 14 per cent to 15 per cent 2050-51 15 per cent to 16 per cent
The projections are estimated by a different method from that used to obtain pension credit entitlement figures. The latter are taken from the DWP's dynamic microsimulation model Pensim2, which is particularly well suited to long-term projections of entitlement to income-related benefits. However, Pensim2 cannot currently be used to forecast entitlement to housing benefit. Entitlement to housing benefit has been derived using the policy simulation model, a robust but less complex model. Care should therefore be taken when interpreting these projections alongside those for pension credit.
Notes:
1. These projections assume that housing benefit policies as they stand at 2007-08, the end of the current planning period, continue indefinitely.
2. The projections also take into account the reforms to the state pension system proposed in the Pensions Bill, which will affect pensioner housing benefit entitlement: continued earnings uprating of the standard guarantee credit; the savings credit maximum uprated by earnings from 2008 and then by prices from 2015; earnings uprating of the basic state pension from 2012; and measures to improve coverage of state pensions described in the Pensions Bill introduced from 2010.
3. Estimates do not take into account the potential increases in private saving due to auto-enrolment or personal accounts.
4. Entitlement to housing benefit is as a result of being in rented accommodation and either having qualifying income below the relevant threshold or being “passported” as a result of entitlement to another benefit. In the case of pensioners, the guarantee element of pension credit offers automatic entitlement to housing benefit. Currently, around 84 per cent to 87 per cent of the elderly housing benefit-entitled population are also entitled to some element of pension credit.
5. Elderly cases are defined as single people over female state-pension age or couples where at least one partner is over female state-pension age.
6. Estimates cover all elderly cases in the private household population in Great Britain. The data source is the Family Resources Survey.
7. Entitlement figures are calibrated against caseloads in 2004-05 using the National Statistics publication Income Related Benefits—Estimates of Take-Up in 2004-2005.
8. Estimates of the numbers entitled are given as ranges in order to account for possible biases in estimates from data that are less than perfect. They also take account of the effects of sampling variation. It is assumed that the size of this range remains constant in future years relative to the changing proportion of eligible elderly households.
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority will provide a list of its publications at its offices in Piccadilly. [HL2716]
The information requested will be placed in the Libraries.
Railways: Automatic Train Protection
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What would be the savings in cost to the railways if the automatic train protection system was withdrawn on the great western mainline network. [HL2783]
I am not aware of any estimate of the costs associated with decommissioning British Rail’s automatic train protection system on the great western mainline network.
Rally Ireland
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What sponsorship has been agreed with Rally Ireland about the 2007 rally; and how much of the rally will take place in County Fermanagh.[HL2632]
The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has agreed in principle that the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL) should join with Fáilte Ireland in part-sponsorship funding for the 2007 Rally Ireland event. The final amount will be subject to the approval of a fully costed business case.
The route of the rally has not been finalised. Therefore, the part of the event that will take place in County Fermanagh has not yet been determined.
Sport: Northern Ireland Stadiums
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have been approached by the Irish Football Association to provide funding for the repair of Windsor Stadium. [HL2701]
The Government have not been approached by the Irish Football Association (IFA) to provide funding for the repair of Windsor Park football ground. However, Ministers have recently agreed to a request from the IFA to discuss a number of issues relating to soccer, including the future of Windsor Park.
Sudan: Darfur
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the statement by the Rwandan Foreign Minister, Charles Murigande, that Rwanda will withdraw its troops from the African Union mission in Darfur because of inadequate equipment and lack of resources to fund its soldiers. [HL2773]
The African Union (AU) understands the operational constraints on the capacity of the AU Mission in Sudan (AMIS). It was at the forefront of international calls for the UN to play a more active role in peacekeeping in Darfur, which led to UN Security Council Resolution 1591. The UN is working with the AU to deploy a heavy support package, which will include logistics and other support functions and a full hybrid UN/AU force, which we want to be fully funded through the UN. Rwandan troops are a key troop contributor to AMIS and they are doing an excellent job. We want them to remain and become a key contributor to the AU/UN hybrid force.
The UK is one of the largest bilateral donors to AMIS, and is funding troop payments for AMIS through the AU. More broadly, we are working actively with other partners in trying to improve the AU's long-term planning and operational management capacity.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the Organisation of Islamic Conference's rejection of the United Nations Human Rights Council's report on human rights abuses in Darfur. [HL2774]
The UN Human Rights Council (HRC) mission to Sudan issued a damning report on 12 March, confirming what we already knew about the grave human rights situation in Darfur. The Organisation of Islamic Conference, and some Asian states, said that the council should not discuss the report on procedural grounds because the mission had not gone to Sudan. In statements to the council, my right honourable friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, and the UK Permanent Representative to the HRC have called on it to take effective action on Darfur and not become mired in procedural debates. We do not accept that the mission report is not valid, as the mission failed to go to Sudan. The Government of Sudan reneged on their commitment to co-operate with the mission and refused to grant visas to all members of the mission, so, rightly, none of the members went. The report is based on the assessments of UN humanitarian agencies, the African Union in Addis Ababa and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in eastern Chad. All of these organisations, which have large numbers of staff operating in Darfur and eastern Chad, continue to report an appalling human rights and humanitarian situation there. We will continue to press the HRC-to take forward the recommendations in the report.
Taiwan: Direct Flights
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which public authority is responsible for approving direct flights from the United Kingdom to other nations; and whether that authority has approved flights from the United Kingdom to Taiwan. [HL2676]
Flights between the UK and non-EU states operate under the terms of bilateral air services agreements. In addition, all non-EU airlines require the permission of the Secretary of State for Transport to operate in the UK in accordance with Article 138 of the Air Navigation Order 2005.
Her Majesty’s Government do not recognise Taiwan as a sovereign state and do not have an air services agreement with it. Air services between the UK and Taiwan are currently operated under the terms of an arrangement between the Taipei Airlines Association and British Airways plc. The Secretary of State has permitted China Airlines (Taiwan) and Eva Air to operate in the UK.
Under the Chicago Convention on International Civil Aviation, contracting states may designate airports for international air services. Two airports in Taiwan are recognised by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) for regular international services. Such designations are made by the People’s Republic of China, as Taiwan is not a member of the ICAO.
Waterways Ireland
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any proposals to reorganise the structure of Waterways Ireland; if so, on what basis; by whom such proposals have been made; when they were proposed; and after what consultation. [HL2698]
There are no current proposals to reorganise the structure of Waterways Ireland. However, Waterways Ireland, with the approval of both the sponsoring departments, let a tender for a review of the organisational structure in Waterways Ireland, and the contract was awarded to Deloitte on 28 December 2006. The review is ongoing.
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 12 March (WA 94) concerning Waterways Ireland carrying out work at Bagenalstown, whether outside contractors will be used; and, if so, how they will be selected. [HL2740]
I understand from Waterways Ireland that the proposal to provide a replacement slipway in Bagenalstown is undergoing design. Whether the project will be carried out in-house or by contract has yet to be determined.
Selection of contractors is at all times carried out in accordance with the Waterways Ireland financial memorandum.
Waterways: Grand Canal Dock
asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 12 March (WA 99) concerning work to be carried out on the Grand Canal Dock, where the tender for work is being advertised. [HL2741]
I understand from Waterways Ireland that the tender for the refurbishment of Grand Canal Dock was advertised in the Irish Times and the Belfast Telegraph on Friday 16 February, 2007.