asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of the extent to which the European Commission's proposal to ban the commercial importation of the fur of companion pets sets a precedent in the use of trade measures to protect animal welfare. [HL3288]

The Government examined the case on cat and dog fur and concluded that the way in which these animals were treated to obtain their fur was unacceptable. We successfully called for EU-wide action as this will be more effective than national legislation.

The UK strongly supported the European Commission's animal welfare action plan published in 2006. The ban on the import, export and sale of cat and dog fur was one of the first measures announced under it. We are currently working to ensure that the proposed legislation will be effective in line with the Government's Better Regulation Agenda.

Within the WTO DDA agricultural negotiations, “non-trade concerns” are recognised. This could include animal welfare provisions, but there has as yet been little discussion on this. However, the UK continues to work on this issue in other fora. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) that has traditionally set guidelines on animal health has agreed its first ever codes on animal welfare.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 56-7) concerning funding of the arts in Northern Ireland compared with the rest of the United Kingdom, whether, in the years since 2000, there has been a budget increase for arts funding in Northern Ireland in the Comprehensive Spending Review. [HL3399]

In the 2002 Comprehensive Spending Review the Arts Council received an increase in its baseline of £3.5 million. In addition to this, capital funding of £4 million and £15.5 million was allocated for arts infrastructure projects in the Comprehensive Spending Reviews 2002 and 2004 respectively.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have received scientific advice or evidence about the accuracy of the traditional test for tuberculosis in cattle, or suggestions for an improved test; what are the annual costs, direct or indirect, of the existing test; and how much compensation has been paid in each of the past four years to owners of cattle reacting to the test. [HL3173]

The single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test, commonly known as the tuberculin “skin test”, is the primary screening test for TB in cattle in Great Britain and other parts of the European Union (EU). The skin test, which is used throughout the world to screen cattle, other animals and people for TB, is the internationally accepted standard for surveillance for infection with mycobacterium bovis and is considered the best screening test currently available for detecting TB in live animals.

No diagnostic test is 100 per cent accurate, but the current skin test is effective. Published research from studies around the world shows that skin testing will detect approximately 80 per cent of all infected cattle (at standard interpretation). This is known as the test's sensitivity. Occasionally, reactions to the tuberculin test can be caused by exposure to other mycobacteria; when the skin test is applied to cattle without TB, there is a one in a 1,000 chance that a non-infected animal will be wrongly classified as a reactor. This is known as the test's false positive rate. An alternative way of defining this is to say that the skin test has a specificity¹ of 99.9 per cent.

In October 2006, the Government extended the use of the gamma interferon blood test, alongside the skin test (as permitted by EU legislation), to improve the sensitivity of the testing regime for controlling disease in infected herds by identifying more infected animals more quickly. It is being applied mainly in herds disclosing TB infection in low-risk areas to help ensure infection does not become established in cattle or wildlife. It will also continue to be available for use as a disease control tool in areas of higher incidence. In line with recommendations from the scientific community, Defra continues to fund further research into improved diagnostics for bovine TB.

The cost to government of cattle testing in Great Britain for 2004-05 was £36.4 million and for 2005-06 it was £36.7 million. These costs include: tuberculin costs, arranging, assessing and monitoring tests, conducting investigations of incident herds and meeting the costs of private vets—local veterinary inspectors—who carry out most of the TB testing work. The cost to government of surveillance activity by the Veterinary Laboratories Agency, which includes tuberculin costs, was £4.9 million in 2004-05 and £7.5 million in 2005-06. We cannot provide an estimate of “indirect costs”, which are difficult to define, although we certainly acknowledge that the farming industry also incurs costs to support the TB testing programme.

Compensation paid for TB reactors and contact animals compulsorily slaughtered across Great Britain in the past four years is shown in the table below. Figures include salvage money received by the Government for those carcasses permitted to go into the food chain or eligible for the Over Thirty Months Scheme.

¹ Specificity is the ability of a test correctly to identify non-infected animals identified as negative (the higher the specificity the lower the probability of false positives). Sensitivity is the proportion of infected animals detected as positive (the higher the sensitivity the lower the probability of false negatives).

No diagnostic test, including the tuberculin test, is totally accurate, ie 100 per cent sensitive and 100 per cent specific, as there is a trade-off between these two properties.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the number of Chevening scholarships awarded since 2003-04 has declined by 20 per cent; and what plans they have to reverse this situation in view of the programme's success. [HL3446]

There are a number of reasons for the decline in the number of Chevening scholarships awarded since 2003-04. The introduction of the Chevening Fellowship scheme in 2004-05 changed the focus of the overall programme and diverted funds from the scholarship scheme. A rationalisation of sponsorship schemes has led to a decrease in numbers of scholars and co-sponsorship funding as schemes that no longer meet objectives have fallen away. Inflation has also raised the costs of the programme as a whole. A new director of Chevening Sponsorship has recently been appointed to seek new partners for co-sponsorship of scholarships.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have studied the effect of social workers' intervention into matters of parental discipline of children; and whether they propose to take any action to enable parental responsibility to be exercised without such intervention. [HL3213]

The department commissioned a review of What Works in Parenting Support? A Review of the International Evidence in 2004¹. This report has been very influential in both policy and practice. The report notes that intervention with parents by various professionals can be successful. The department has commissioned further research to look in more depth at parental support.

As part of the Government's reforms of the children's workforce, the common core of skills and knowledge has been developed and in conjunction with national bodies, is being incorporated into national occupational standards. The common core specifies the skills and knowledge that all those who come into regular contact with children, young people and families should have. The common core was consulted on extensively and parenting groups were involved in its development. Social workers must also sign up to a code of practice that sets out how they work with service users. This means that those working with parents and children are required to respect their rights and promote their independence while also protecting from harm.

¹ *DfES Report and Brief 574: www.dfes.gov.uk/research/data/uploadfiles/RR574.pdf

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will take steps in accordance with Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996 to ensure that the film “An Inconvenient Truth” is not circulated to schools by government departments or agencies. [HL3438]

The Government are planning to distribute a climate change pack to secondary schools in England, which will include a copy of the film “An Inconvenient Truth” among other resources. Online teacher guidance accompanying the pack will remind teachers about the duties contained in Sections 406 and 407 of the Education Act 1996, which require a balanced presentation of political issues.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether their representations on behalf of Mrs MT Nlandu have been successful in securing her release from custody in the Democratic Republic of Congo and access to necessary medical care. [HL3479]

The Government have followed Marie Therese Nlandu's case closely from the start. Over the past five months, we made several representations to the Congolese Government, including to President Kabila himself. In December 2006, we and European partners raised our concerns that Mme Nlandu's human rights, particularly her access to legal representation, were not being respected. Subsequently Mme Nlandu was granted access to a lawyer. Our most recent representations were in April. President Kabila promised to look into the case and on 30 April 2007, Marie Therese Nlandu was acquitted, along with her co-accused.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which are the countries whose citizens are entitled to register and vote in elections to the United Kingdom Parliament. [HL3253]

The Representation of the People Act 1983 provides that those entitled to register and vote in elections to the United Kingdom Parliament are:

British citizens;

citizens of Commonwealth countries who are lawfully resident in the UK; and

resident citizens of the Republic of Ireland.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In relation to the Family Resources Survey currently being conducted by the Office for National Statistics and the National Centre for Social Research on behalf of the Department for Work and Pensions (a) what is the cost of the survey; (b) what is the size and geographic situation and demographics of the sample being surveyed; (c) what are the terms of the brief given to the framers of the questions being posed to the interviewees; and (d) when and where it is proposed that the result of the survey will be published. [HL3440]

The total cost of the Family Resources Survey was £3.7 million in 2005-06 and £3.8 million in 2006-07.

The survey sample aims to cover private households across the whole of the United Kingdom. The original sample chosen for 2005-06 consisted of 50,000 addresses. In total, 28,000 households participated fully with the survey. All members of each participating household were interviewed either in person or by proxy. This represented 64,000 individuals of all ages.

The consortium of the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and the National Centre for Social Research (NatCen) provides training to its interviewers and refresher training. The training is usually in the form of a one-day event consisting of presentations and a run through the interview questions in the computer-assisted personal interview. Each interviewer, either from the ONS or NatCen, uses their own approach on the doorstep to secure an interview and use their own purpose leaflets. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) supplies a purpose leaflet and has a page on its website for those asked to take part in the survey, which provides useful further information.

Results of the survey were published on the DWP website on 27 March 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many internet gambling companies have indicated that they are changing their domain in view of the proposals in the recent Budget. [HL3427]

No internet gambling companies have notified the Government or the Gambling Commission that they intend to move their operations from one country to another.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much each primary care trust in the East of England region has spent on continuing care in each of the past five years. [HL3230]

The information requested is not held centrally. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts in conjunction with stakeholders to commission services to meet the needs of the communities that they serve.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will provide comprehensive information to pregnant women on cord blood donation; and [HL3339]

Whether they will provide the infrastructure to allow the easy collection of cord blood in delivery units; and [HL3340]

Whether they will take steps to promote cord blood stem cell technology to the public; and [HL3342]

Whether they will work with the royal colleges, especially the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, to bring cord blood technology to the general public. [HL3344]

The Government are supporting the NHS cord blood bank with approximately £10 million which involves collection from Barnet General, Northwick Park and Luton and Dunstable Hospitals and soon Watford General Hospital. Comprehensive information about cord blood banking, and its clinical use, is provided to inform mothers at these hospitals. These hospitals have been selected as they are in areas of greater ethnic diversity. Approximately 40 per cent of samples are collected from black and minority-ethnic mothers thus improving the coverage of the NHS cord blood bank.

The Government are also supportive of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists, which has provided advice and guidance to professionals and mothers about private cord blood collection. In particular, the Government endorse the advice to National Health Service trusts to consider local policy around private and other cord blood banking, and in particular to maximise the safety of the mother and baby. For this reason, the NHS cord blood bank employs additional staff to undertake cord blood collection in order not to burden the local midwife with additional responsibilities.

The Government have also noted the recommendation of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists to consider the future funding infrastructure for cord blood banking in light of future developments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the implementation of the knowledge and skills framework (KSF) for nursing and midwifery; whether training budgets will be ring-fenced; and what steps can be taken to ensure that all National Health Service employers, including foundation trusts, take necessary and urgent steps to ensure that the commitment to the KSF is honoured. [HL3488]

National Health Service organisations are required to monitor implementation of the knowledge and skills framework (KSF) as part of the Agenda for Change agreement. Data are reported to the NHS Staff Council quarterly.

Funding for training is included as part of the baseline allocation to strategic health authorities (SHAs). How it is utilised is for individual SHAs to determine against their workforce planning strategies.

A national working group to include senior trades union representation has been established to relaunch and revitalise the KSF to ensure that all NHS staff paid under Agenda for Change have a yearly development review based on the KSF resulting in a personal development plan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many orphan medicines or medicines for orphan diseases have been appraised by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE); what percentage of such medicines received (a) positive; (b) restricted; and (c) negative guidance on their usage in the National Health Service; and what percentage of standard medicines considered by NICE received appraisals in each category in the latest period for which figures are available, compared to standard medicines that have undergone NICE appraisal. [HL3445]

Between March 2000 and December 2006 the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has published a total of 75 technology appraisals of pharmaceutical products, including reviews of existing appraisals. From this total, 15 appraisals covered one or more pharmaceutical products that have been awarded orphan drug status by the United States of America's Food and Drug Administration or the European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products, for the treatment of conditions affecting fewer than 200,000 persons in the USA or fewer than five per 10,000 persons in the European Union. Of these:

four appraisals recommended routine use within the licensed indications of the products being appraised (27 per cent);

10 recommended the use of some but not necessarily all the drugs being appraised for use by specific patient groups (66 per cent); and

one recommended use in the context of further research (7 per cent).

Of the remaining 60 technology appraisals:

19 appraisals recommended routine use within the licensed indications of the products being appraised (32 per cent);

40 recommended the use of some but not necessarily all the drugs being appraised for use by specific patient groups (67 per cent); and

one recommended use in the context of further research (one per cent).

Percentages are rounded to the nearest 1 per cent.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much cord blood is collected annually in the United Kingdom; what percentage is discarded; and what estimate they have made of the number of National Health Service patients who travel overseas annually to receive treatments involving adult stem cells derived from cord blood. [HL3273]

The Government do not collect figures of the quantity of cord blood collected across the United Kingdom. However, the British Bone Marrow Registry also contains information about the number of units banked in Northern Ireland (189). Scotland is now planning to set up a cord blood bank but there is nothing in Wales so far. The NHS cord blood bank has collected more than 9,000 cord blood samples for clinical purposes since it started in 1996. Since 2005 it has collected 4,554 samples, of which 2,615 were banked, indicating that 42 per cent of collected samples were discarded. This is consistent with the rates in other countries and is caused by a variety of reasons such as small volume, incomplete information from the mother or bacterial contamination. The units that cannot be banked may be made available for research if the mother has given her consent.

There are no central records of patients who go abroad for cord blood transplantation. If National Health Service patients require a cord blood transplant which is not available in the NHS cord blood bank it can be imported from a suitable overseas bank for NHS treatment. The Government are aware that some UK patients travel abroad to undergo experimental or private procedures.

asked the Chairman of Committees:

What progress has been made in discussions with the House of Commons Refreshment Department about the purchase of fair trade bananas from it. [HL3466]

The Commons Refreshment Department took the decision recently to cease the purchase of fair trade bananas. As a result, the Lords Refreshment Department will be unable to procure fair trade bananas from the Commons. The Lords Refreshment Department investigated alternative supply routes and identified a potential supplier. The supplier proposed purchasing terms that would have required the House to order a minimum of 18 to 19 kilogrammes of fair trade bananas per delivery. This is three times in excess of the House's daily needs and would have resulted in significant wastage. The supplier was also unable to guarantee consistent quality and a regular supply of bananas.

Based on this information, the department took the decision not to pursue the contract on the grounds that it would not prove cost-effective or meet the practical needs of the House. The department continues to support the sale of fair trade products in its outlets and will explore other supply routes for fair trade bananas that become available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Under what circumstances, if any, membership of (a) the House of Commons, or (b) the House of Lords is compatible with non-resident status for United Kingdom tax purposes. [HL3379]

I am not aware of any legal bar to membership of either House arising from non-resident status for United Kingdom tax purposes.

However, the House of Lords Appointments Commission's criteria for nominations states that nominees should be resident in the UK for tax purposes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 18 April (WA 72) concerning the Irish Language Bill, who was consulted about the decision not to include Ulster Scots. [HL3398]

There was no commitment made at St Andrews to introduce legislation relating to Ulster Scots; consultation on whether Ulster Scots should be included in the Irish language legislation was therefore not considered appropriate.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have made to the Government of Israel concerning the demolition for a fifth time of the International Peace Centre at Anata, east Jerusalem.[HL3394]

We have made no recent representations to the Israeli Government about the demolition of this building.

Punitive house demolitions—the demolition of the homes of the families of suicide bombers and militants—were suspended on 17 February 2005. However, due to Israeli restrictions on the granting of housing permits to Palestinians in Jerusalem, Palestinians often build houses without obtaining permits. These homes are then demolished and heavy fines imposed. We are concerned about Israel's policy of house demolitions, especially in east Jerusalem, which leaves hundreds of Palestinians homeless each year and threatens to change the nature of some areas of the city. We have repeatedly raised our concerns with the Israeli authorities.

asked her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 29 March (HL2934), how many (a) national insurance contributions and (b) benefit payments were made during 2006 in respect of the approximately 76 million national insurance numbers held on the customer information system of the Department for Work and Pensions. [HL3131]

The information is not available.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many of the 76,719,264 national insurance numbers currently held by the Department for Work and Pensions customer information system are those of deceased persons; what is their policy on retaining national insurance numbers of deceased persons; and what arrangements there are for the registrar-general to notify the department of deaths. [HL3359]

There are approximately 16.5 million national insurance numbers held on the DWP customer information system which relate to deceased persons.

At present, national insurance numbers are not removed if someone dies. This is because a partner may make a claim for a contributory benefit, which is dependent on the contribution record of the deceased individual. This means that the number of accounts held on the system accrues as national insurance numbers are allocated each year.

The DWP receives notifications of death from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) for England and Wales, the general-registrar (Scotland) and the general-registrar (Northern Ireland) on a weekly basis. Dates of death are also received from next of kin in advance of notifications from registrars, particularly where social security benefits are in payment.

As part of the ONS modernisation programme, dates of death will be notified to DWP on a daily basis from March 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many potential recruits have been rejected on the grounds of religion since the creation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and what is that number as a percentage of the total recruited. [HL3065]

Since the creation of the Police Service of Northern Ireland there have been 11 completed recruitment exercises, which have generated in excess of 65,000 applications.

The number of non-Catholic recruits that are expected to be rejected as a result of the 50:50 provisions is 708. This figure is a projection based on the likely number of appointments to be made from each recruitment exercise up to and including the Campaign 11.

This figure represents 1.68 per cent of the total number of non-Catholic applicants.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In how many prisons the Chief Inspector of Prisons has reported that the personal officer system is not operating satisfactorily. [HL2851]

HM Inspectorate of Prisons does not collate this information centrally in the way that the noble Earl requests.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many non-geographic telephone numbers are in use by the Department for Transport and its agencies; what services can be accessed by calling each of them; and what revenue has been received from them between September 2004 and September 2006. [HL3301]

The non-geographic telephone numbers in use in the Department for Transport and its agencies are as follows:

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will make representations to the Government of Vietnam about the recommendations made by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, in its report Vietnam: Twelve Human Rights Defenders Have the Floor. [HL3414]

We, with our EU partners, regularly raise human rights issues with the Vietnamese Government. The biannual EU-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, which was established in 2003, is the main forum for raising our concerns. The most recent dialogue was held on 20 December 2006.

The EU and other like-minded partners have lobbied the Vietnamese focusing on the recent actions against dissident groups and individual political activists in Vietnam on three separate occasions since the beginning of March.

My right honourable friend the Minister of State for Trade, Investment and Foreign Affairs, Ian McCartney, raised the human rights issue at a recent bilateral with the Vietnamese Vice Minister, Le Cung Phung, during the EU/Association of South East Asian Nations Foreign Ministers meeting on 14 and 15 March.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have refused to grant a transit visa to the Iraqi scientist, Riyadh Lafta; if so, what were the grounds for the refusal; and whether, as alleged in the Guardian of 26 April, they have received complaints from Canadian scientists about the refusal to grant a transit visa to Mr Lafta. [HL3464]

The details of any visa application are confidential to the applicant and his authorised representatives.