asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are continuing to seek a derogation for English and Welsh sheep farmers from European Union ear-tagging requirements. [HL3733]

An application to extend the UK’s derogation from the need to double tag sheep and goats, beyond the current expiry date of 30 June 2007, was submitted to the European Commission on 11 January 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How much new allotment land has been created in the last 10 years; and how much has been lost without replacement. [HL3474]

We do not hold data on the amount of allotment land lost over the last 10 years, but we do hold a national figure for the last five years.

Government Office records indicate that in the last five years there have been disposals affecting 225 statutory allotment sites, in accordance with the legislative and planning framework in place to protect statutory allotments. Not all disposals result in the disposal of the full site—some relate to disposal of only a few plots.

We do not require local authorities to provide figures for the disposal of temporary or private allotments, or allotment gains, or gains for other types of green spaces, as it is a matter for local authorities to determine levels of provision to meet communities’ needs. We are aware that many local authorities are responding proactively to the recent resurgence in public interest in allotments.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why Appendix 4 of the 1992 habitats directive does not include the red squirrel as being protected, whereas the Berne convention, to which all European Union member states are signatories, lists the red squirrel as a protected animal under Appendix 3. [HL3647]

Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora (EC habitats directive) is the means by which the Community meets its obligations as a signatory of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern convention).

Under Article 12 of the habitats directive,

“member states shall take the requisite measures to establish a system of strict protection for the animal species listed in Annex IV (a) in their natural range”.

These are animal species of Community interest in need of strict protection, and Annex IV (a) corresponds to the strict protection for species listed in Appendix II of the Bern convention. The red squirrel (sciurus vulgaris) is not listed in Appendix II and therefore is not listed under Annex IV (a) of the habitats directive.

Under Article 6 of the Bern convention, signatories must,

“take appropriate and necessary legislative and administrative measures to ensure the special protection of the wild fauna species”,

specified in Appendix II, as opposed to the lower level of protection afforded under Article 7 for species listed in Appendix III (which does include the red squirrel).

This obligation is fulfilled in Great Britain under Section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which states that if any person intentionally kills, injures or takes any wild animal included in Schedule 5 to the Act he shall be guilty of an offence. The red squirrel is listed under Schedule 5. In England and Wales, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 added an element of recklessness to the offence concerning disturbance of such an animal or damaging its places of shelter.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the level of grant-funded research being carried out into squirrel pox and immunocontraception in mammals; and what grant-funded research is currently taking place. [HL3648]

The Scottish Executive are funding a three-year squirrel pox virus research project to establish factors in the transmission of the virus and how it is replicated within the body of infected animals. The project will begin this June at a total cost of £300,000.

The UK Red Squirrel Group is actively seeking to encourage new partners in developing and funding appropriate squirrel pox research proposals.

My department is funding a three-year project to examine the effectiveness and potential side effects of fertility control as a means of managing over-abundant wildlife populations. The project is to establish proof of concept for birds and mammals and three main species are being used to test the technique: wild boar, grey squirrel and ring-necked parakeet. This project is costing £993,000. Additionally, the Forestry Commission is providing £40,000 for work on grey squirrel. To date, immunocontraceptive vaccines have been tested only on wild boar and only by injection. This project is due to end on 31 March 2008. It had been intended to test vaccines on grey squirrels but the development of oral baiting systems has not progressed sufficiently and therefore preliminary trials on another type of fertility control agent have been initiated. The work on this project is still at a relatively early stage and further research is likely to be required to fully evaluate fertility control as a viable management technique.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

To what extent they have met their obligations to red squirrels under the Biodiversity Action Plan; and whether they have met any of their obligations to spend money on protection of this species. [HL3649]

Implementation of the UK Biodiversity Action Plan continues and red squirrels are also benefiting from 20 local biodiversity action plans. Work is under way to conserve red squirrels through identification of priority woodlands and implementation of best management practice, improving grey squirrel control, and conducting research into how red squirrels can be protected from squirrel pox virus. Despite these efforts, the red squirrel continues to decline across the UK because the threats cannot be easily reduced.

A conservation strategy, known as Red Alert North England, has been developed by a broad partnership of organisations with the aim of ensuring the long-term survival of red squirrel. Based on research evidence, this partnership has identified 16 red squirrel reserves where they believe the red squirrel has the best chance of long-term survival. These have management plans to help guide landowners and managers in conserving the red squirrel.

There are no specific obligations regarding expenditure, but financial resources for conservation measures are provided through a number of means. Of the many projects under way, the most notable is the Save our Squirrels project which is the largest single-species conservation project in the UK. It has a budget of over £1.2 million over three years and receives support from a range of bodies including Natural England, the Forestry Commission, three national parks, and the Heritage Lottery Fund.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they still regard grey squirrels as an invasive alien species. [HL3650]

Yes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What budget has been allocated for the climate change pack for secondary schools; and how much of this budget will go towards paying for the inclusion in the pack of the film “An Inconvenient Truth”. [HL3848]

The total cost to the DfES and Defra of producing and sending the climate change pack to schools was £55,834. Of this, £23,970 was spent on purchasing copies of “An Inconvenient Truth”.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in the light of Lord Bassam of Brighton's statements on the Art and Antiques Unit of the Metropolitan Police that “there is no threat to the current staffing levels of the unit” (Official Report, 20 February, col. 998) and that “There is no intention in the Metropolitan Police Service to cut the activity of this unit” (Official Report, 20 February, col. 999), their announced policy to reduce the funding provision for this unit by 50 per cent in 2008 and by 100 per cent in 2009 has been rescinded; and whether failure to secure sponsorship or income from the private sector for this unit would adversely affect its future staffing and effectiveness. [HL3165]

Decisions on the staffing and funding of the Metropolitan Police Service Art and Antiques Unit are operational ones for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they will take in light of the decision of the Metropolitan Police to halve the budget of their Art and Antiques Unit in 2007-08 compared to the previous year. [HL3631]

Decisions on the staffing and budget of the Metropolitan Police Service Arts and Antiques Unit are operational issues for the Commissioner of Police of the Metropolis.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What measures they will use to evaluate the usefulness of having signed the Optional Protocol to the convention on women’s rights; and whether such an evaluation will be used to inform discussions on whether the United Kingdom signs the Optional Protocol to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. [HL3674]

To evaluate the usefulness of the right of individual petition to the UN under the Optional Protocol to the convention on the elimination of discrimination against women, we will seek to identify any practical benefits which have resulted from ratification of the protocol; we will assess the costs to the taxpayer of handling any applications to the UN committee that oversees the convention; we will take a view on whether the process of application to the UN adds to remedies already available in the UK; and we will consider the wider implications for government policy of future use of the protocol. Our evaluation will inform any future consideration on recognising the competence of other United Nations committees (including the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities) to receive petitions from individuals in the UK.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How effective was the effort to ensure that service personnel received their postal votes in sufficient time to return them for counting in the elections on 3 May. [HL3717]

The Electoral Commission will be evaluating the impact of the Electoral Administration Act 2006 and the implementation of postal vote identifiers particularly in the context of the elections held on 3 May 2007. I understand that this evaluation will include the consideration of the impact of the changes on service personnel serving abroad.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What analysis they have made of the spending by the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) with private sector firms in the NDA’s supply chain. [HL3439]

The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA) is determined to promote and encourage supply chain development (consistent with public procurement rules) and in executing its nuclear decommissioning and clean-up programmes relies on a series of complex and interrelated supply chains. In the financial year 2006-07, more than £1.2 billion of the NDA’s total programme budget was spent by site licence companies (SLC) in the supply chain. Details are as follows:

Supply chain spend is driven by a number of contractual obligations including a requirement to complete work in line with European Union procurement rules including advertising in the Official Journal of the European Union (OJEU). This has led to a significant increase in the level of work awarded competitively. In addition, each SLC is required to prepare and publish annual site procurement plans which inform potential bidders of opportunities.

The NDA has appointed a head of supply chain development to support the development of supply chains so that it can meet NDA current and long-term needs, and the NDA has launched a number of initiatives, supported by benchmarking, to help judge the effectiveness of current policies and procedures. In addition, it continues to fund and participate in a wide range of events to promote supply chain development at SLC, regional, national and international levels. These, along with private bilateral market discussions, provide NDA with critical market feedback.

More information on the NDA’s activities can be found on its website at www.nda.gov.uk.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the extent to which a liberalised energy market is more likely to deliver the structural changes needed to achieve a low-carbon and renewable energy based economy than an energy market that incorporates fixed remuneration for renewable energy feed-in. [HL3817]

The objective being pursued through energy market liberalisation is to spur productivity, drive down prices to consumers and to give consumers more choice in terms of price and quality. International comparisons show that the UK has done well against these criteria (see for example the Ernst & Young study, “The Case for Liberalisation” www.dti.gov.uk/energy/markets/liberalisation/page28403.html.)

The achievement of low-carbon and renewable energy generation needs to be seen in the wider context of energy policy. The renewables obligation (RO) is one policy approach towards meeting the objective of low-carbon energy generation; feed-in tariffs are another. The RO follows market principles and so fits well with our liberalised energy market. Under the RO, generation of renewable electricity has undergone a step change with renewable electricity generation more than doubling since its introduction in 2002.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have made an assessment of which states have based policy decisions on the example of the German Renewable Energy Act, and of the effectiveness of these decisions in encouraging the deployment of renewable energy technologies. [HL3818]

The European Commission’s report The Support of Electricity from Renewable Energy Sources, reference COM(2005)627, published on 7 December 2005, assesses the systems used and their effectiveness in encouraging deployment of renewable energy technologies in member states. That study found that 19 of the 27 European countries studied had feed-in tariff schemes, five had some form of green certificate system (including the UK), two used tendering, and two used tax incentives as their primary mechanism. Many of the countries use combinations of mechanisms or supplement their primary mechanisms with tax incentives and other direct or indirect subsidies.

The Commission’s report also notes:

“In assessing effectiveness, the effects of more recent systems are difficult to judge. In particular, the experience with green certificates is more limited than with feed in tariffs”.

The UK Government support this caveat as at such an early stage in its introduction it is difficult to assess certificate mechanisms such as the renewables obligation (RO) against more established systems. The RO has, however, been successful in stimulating investment in renewable energy projects and we are looking at ways of strengthening and modifying it to further increase deployment. Any proposed changes to the RO will be announced in the forthcoming energy White Paper.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What they are doing to encourage and support research into the possible large-scale use of thorium as a source of nuclear power generation and the disposal of any waste emanating from it; and what support they will give to the construction of nuclear power stations using this type of fuel. [HL3551]

We do not have a view on a particular technology; all technologies would be subject to thorough scrutiny by the health, safety, environment and security regulators before they could be deployed.

Our preliminary view, subject of course to the forthcoming consultation, is that there is a case for having new nuclear power stations as one of the options companies could consider. It would be for the private sector to bring forward any proposals for new nuclear power stations and private sector operators would be obliged to meet their full decommissioning costs and their full share of waste management costs.

We will be publishing a consultation on nuclear power shortly alongside the energy White Paper which will bring together information and analysis that we have collated since the energy review began in November 2005, including on the management and disposal of radioactive waste from any new nuclear build.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Who is their representative in the high-level group on the future of justice and home affairs after the Hague programme set up by the German presidency. [HL3570]

The first ministerial meeting of the high-level group on the future development of justice and home affairs will take place in Germany on 20 and 21 May. Her Majesty’s Government plan officially to nominate a Home Office Minister as their representative in advance of that meeting. I represented the UK at a meeting in Brussels on 14 February which discussed the structure and work of the group.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the supervisory convergence measures initiated by the Committee of European Security Regulators in ensuring common guidelines, information sharing, and consistent application of key pieces of European Union financial services legislation, in particular, the markets in financial investments directive. [HL3714]

The UK fully supports the recommendations in the Financial Services Committee’s report on financial supervision (May 2006) to enhance the convergence of supervisory practices. These recommendations are applicable to all three so-called Lamfalussy Level III Committees; that is, the Committee of European Banking Supervisors (CEBS), the Committee of European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Supervisors (CEIOPS) and the Committee of European Securities Supervisors. Progress against these objectives is assessed annually by the Council of Ministers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

In the light of the recent European Commission White Paper on UCITS III, what conclusions they have reached with regard to the United Kingdom financial services environment; and what practical steps they intend to take to ensure that financial service providers furnish reliable, timely and comprehensive information to consumers, in particular those who may not be acquainted with the new types of alternative investments. [HL3715]

The Government support the proposals in the European Commission’s White Paper on investment funds and believe that, if properly implemented, they have the potential to yield substantial cost savings for fund managers and investors in the UK. Under the terms of the directive, many of the rules governing the marketing and promotion of UCITS funds are not harmonised and remain the responsibility of national Governments and regulators. In the UK, the Financial Services Authority enforces a rigorous regulatory regime governing financial promotions and disclosure to ensure that consumers receive clear and appropriate information on charges, risks and expected performance of all financial products. More stringent rules apply to products like UCITS III funds which carry the potential for higher volatility.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the recent United States Securities and Exchange Commission initiative to update the accredited investment ceiling for those investors deemed to be eligible to invest in hedge funds; and what is its likely influence on United Kingdom regulation. [HL3716]

The rules governing the marketing of hedge funds to investors in the UK are a matter for the Financial Services Authority (FSA). The approach taken by the FSA does not rely on an assessment of the wealth of the investor but on an assessment of the investor’s ability to understand the risks involved. Retail marketing of hedge fund investments is prohibited. The FSA is satisfied that these rules continue to provide an appropriate level of protection.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will open discussions with the relevant sector representatives with a view to stricter curbs on junk food advertising on television. [HL3645]

The public health White Paper, Choosing Health, set out the Government’s commitment to changing the nature and balance of food promotion to children across all media. In response, the independent broadcasting regulator Ofcom recently introduced significantly stronger rules on television advertising of food and drink to children. The Government are committed to evaluating the impact of these new measures and will then decide whether further action is necessary.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to prevent imported potatoes from being marketed as British produce. [HL3690]

It is the responsibility of the local authority trading standards departments to investigate any complaints concerning the correct labelling of potatoes, with regard to the variety of potato and the country of origin. The Office of Fair Trading has a co-ordination role, should any such complaints become more widespread over a number of regions.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the results of the recent potato sale survey in south Wales have been repeated elsewhere in the United Kingdom. [HL3691]

This survey was conducted by the trading standards department of the local authority, which is responsible for ensuring that produce is labelled correctly with regard to its country of origin. This survey was prompted by a particular local problem and was confined to just the one area.

It would be up to individual local authorities to decide whether they wished to carry out a similar survey in their own area. The Office of Fair Trading has a co-ordination role for the work of trading standards departments and may become involved if a cross-region survey is carried out.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What assessment they have made of the number of children who will have an examination using ionising radiation rather than magnetic resonance imaging each year; and at what radiation dose if the European Union physical agents directive is ratified. [HL3501]

Some 2,481,571 people had an imaging examination using ionising radiation in 2005-06. The data do not distinguish children from adults. The European Union physical agents directive covers the health and safety of staff working with non-ionising radiation examinations such as magnetic resonance imaging. It does not cover ionising radiation.

Source: Annual KH12 return.

asked the Chairman of Committees:

Whether he will reconsider, on both financial and environmental grounds, the decision to provide bottled water in Committee Rooms rather than tap water in carafes. [HL3887]

As I stated in my Answer on 28 March to the noble Baroness (WA 278), there is limited time available for Committee Rooms to be prepared between meetings and the provision of bottled water is quicker and more sanitary than the filling and washing of carafes. There are no plans to change this practice.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What assessment they have made of the remarks of General Sir Michael Rose on television on 2 May concerning the withdrawal of United Kingdom forces from Iraq. [HL3712]

As Ministers have made clear on numerous occasions, UK forces will leave Iraq once the conditions for the handover of security to the Iraqis have been met and we, the Iraqi Government and our coalition partners are confident that the Iraqi security forces can operate without our support.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland (WA 250), whether, when considering how to implement the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in Hirst v United Kingdom, they will have regard to the way in which the Government of the Republic of Cyprus have amended legislation to give effect to the judgment by conferring the right to vote upon all prisoners serving custodial sentences. [HL3685]

The Government are aware that the Republic of Cyprus has amended its laws concerning the voting rights of prisoners.

The Government will bear in mind the position of other ECHR member states when considering the implementation of the Hirst judgment.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they hold any data or research on complaints about noise from licensed premises that discriminates between live and recorded music. [HL3526]

My department does not hold any data or research on complaints about noise from licensed premises that discriminates between live and recorded music. Any data held relating to noise-related complaints are compiled from voluntary returns from local authorities submitted to the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH). Statistics include commercial/leisure noise incidents, but are not broken down further.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the extent of the involvement of United Kingdom officials in the United Nations-sponsored Millennium Ecosystem Assessment project launched in 2001 by the United Nations Environment Programme, especially in respect of nutrient cycling and fibre and water provisioning. [HL3707]

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) was prepared by 1,360 experts from 95 countries with an 80-person independent board of review editors. The overall summary report of the MA was launched on 30 March 2005 at a series of media events around the world, with the main press event in London. The then Minister of State for the Environment and Agri-Environment (Elliot Morley) gave the opening speech. The biodiversity synthesis report was released in May 2006. The then Minister for Rural Affairs, Landscape and Biodiversity (Jim Knight) spoke at the London launch.

Defra officials were engaged in the MA process at an early stage through consultations which took place with various multilateral environmental agreements (for example, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Ramsar Convention). Defra officials co-ordinated views on the peer review of the reports to the MA secretariat from government departments and agencies. A Defra official also participated as a lead author of a chapter (Policy Implications, Volume II, Chapter 14).

In addition, Defra and the Department for International Development have made financial contributions to the MA and follow-up work.

We are not aware of any specific contribution by UK officials in respect of nutrient cycling and fibre and water provisioning.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the costs to be incurred in the reallocation of some Home Office responsibilities and the creation of the Ministry of Justice, including expenditure on websites, external and internal branding, stationery and other spending areas. [HL3748]

Costs incurred by the DCA up to 9 May 2007 in relation to the setting up of the Ministry of Justice are estimated at £1.5m. These costs mainly relate to IT and estate changes to ensure the new ministry can operate effectively. Additional costs arising from the integration of the various activities that constitute the new ministry will be incurred after 9 May. These costs have yet to be fully assessed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 8 November 2006 (WA 194), what progress has been made towards establishing better ways of collating and making available information about recommendations made by the Parliamentary Ombudsman following its investigations. [HL3074]

Following initial discussions, the Home Office will now be holding further meetings in June with representatives from the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s office to consider what scope there is for establishing a more efficient means of collating and making available information about recommendations from the Parliamentary Ombudsman following his investigations.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the normal retirement ages of new entrants today to (a) the Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme; (b) local authority pension schemes; (c) the police; (d) the fire service; (e) National Health Service pension schemes; and (f) any other public sector bodies where the normal retirement ages of new entrants today is not 65; and [HL3687]

Whether they will list the categories of public sector employees for whom no final date has been agreed after which new entrants will have a normal retirement age of 65. [HL3688]

Following the Public Services Forum agreement with public service unions in October 2005, the teachers, NHS and the Civil Service pension schemes have been undergoing reforms to ensure future affordability. The increase in the pension ages for new entrants is an important component of these reforms, which also include sharing of future costs between employees and employers and a cap on future employer contribution rates. Reform has also taken place in other schemes including their counterpart schemes in devolved Administrations and the Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS).

Information on the pension ages currently applied in all public sector schemes is not held centrally, but the position as regards new entrants to the main schemes for which UK government Ministers are responsible is:

Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (PCSPS)—60, but the Cabinet Office has announced that new arrangements with a pension age of 65 are to start from July 2007;

Teachers’ pension scheme in England and Wales—65, with effect from 1 January 2007;

NHS Pension Scheme—60, but NHS employers have proposed that arrangements with a pension age of 65 should start by 2008;

Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS)—65;

Police—55, or 65 for those who leave before age 55, both with effect from 6 April 2006;

Firefighters—60, or 65 for those who leave before age 55, both with effect from 6 April 2006; and

Armed Forces—55, or 65 for those who leave before age 55, both with effect from 6 April 2005.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they received the report from the Parliamentary Ombudsman predicated in A Further Investigation of the Prudential Regulation of Equitable Life? (HC 910, Session 2003–04); and when it will be published. [HL3835]

The Parliamentary Ombudsman’s investigation into the prudential regulation of Equitable Life is, like all such investigations, being conducted in private. The Treasury is co-operating fully with the investigation. The timetable for the completion of the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s investigation is a matter for her.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they have given consideration to the 26th report of the Joint Committee for Human Rights (HL Paper 245, Session 2005–06) regarding the treatment of victims of trafficking and the implementation of recovery and reflection periods; and, if so, what steps they intend to take to implement the recommendations in this report. [HL3639]

We have given careful consideration to the report from the Joint Committee on Human Rights and the 44 recommendations and conclusions within it.

The provision of a recovery and reflection period for victims of human trafficking is central to the Council of Europe Convention on Action against Trafficking in Human Beings, which we signed on 23 March. We are in the process of identifying the best way of implementing the convention, including the articles which relate to recovery and reflection periods. We have established a project team to take forward this work and will look to draw on the expertise from non-governmental organisations and other stakeholders.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many publicly funded shelters are available, and how many beds are available in the United Kingdom for victims of human trafficking.[HL3682]

The Government are investing £2.4 million over a two-year period into the Poppy project to support women who have been trafficked into the United Kingdom for the purposes of sexual exploitation. The Poppy project has 35 bed spaces and provides outreach support. Additionally there are two independently funded projects that can collectively accommodate up to 19 women.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What decision they have made and what action they are taking following the rebuttal published by the Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers’ Association of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland's Operation Ballast report. [HL3769]

My colleague Paul Goggins, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, met with representatives of the Northern Ireland Retired Police Officers’ Association on 17 April to discuss its rebuttal report. Issues arising from that report, and other issues discussed at that meeting, are under consideration by Ministers.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether, in view of damage done to national security as a result of the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland publishing the McCord and Restorick reports on her website, they have plans to constrain the use of the Section 62 provision of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 in order to prevent further breaches of national security; and, if so, how soon this will be done. [HL3770]

There are no plans to constrain the use of Section 62 provision of the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 1998 in regard to the publication of reports by the Police Ombudsman.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many illegal raves have taken place in each county in England and Wales during 2006 and 2007; and what policies are in place to prevent them. [HL3537]

The figure for the number of raves which have taken place in England and Wales during 2006 and 2007 is not collected or held centrally.

Section 63 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 allows police in certain situations to direct rave-goers to leave an event. If they refuse, police are provided with a power of arrest. They also have powers to seize sound equipment in certain circumstances. The Public Order Act 1986 also provides police with powers of arrest to deal with individuals who are behaving in a disorderly way and causing harassment to others.

Following reports of problems with raves in buildings, the Government used the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 to amend the legislation to deal with raves. The police now have powers to direct participants at indoor raves to leave buildings where trespass is involved. Events where 20 or more people are present are covered. The Government have also made it a criminal offence, with a power of arrest, for a person on whom a direction under Section 63 has been served to attend any other outdoor or indoor trespassory rave within 24 hours of the direction being given. These new powers came into force in January 2004.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many prison officers have been convicted of corruption or other offences connected with their duties as prison officers in the last (a) 12 months; (b) five years; and (c) 10 years. [HL3737]

The Prison Service does not routinely record this information. The value of doing so will be considered as part of an ongoing improvement plan to strengthen the Prison Service’s approach to tackling corruption.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What cost benefits were achieved by relocating No. 6 Squadron from RAF Coltishall to RAF Coningsby in April 2006 rather than retaining it at Coltishall until disbandment 12 months later. [HL3694]

No. 6 Squadron relocating early to RAF Coningsby enabled the closure of RAF Coltishall, resulting in the saving of £5 million in station maintenance costs.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many civil amenity sites have been (a) closed, and (b) disposed of in the geographical area of the Greater London Authority in each of the past five years; and what firm current and closed plans there are to open new such sites in the current and subsequent two years. [HL3750]

The Government do not collect the information requested centrally; planning for civic amenity sites is a matter for the local authorities to ensure that they are able to deliver their waste strategies. However, 2005-06 data show that there were known to be 41 civic amenity sites in the geographical area of the Greater London Authority, an increase over the 40 in 2000-01.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What estimates have been made of the number of civil amenity sites required in the geographical area of the Greater London Authority to meet the European landfill targets in 2010, 2013 and 2020; and [HL3751]

What powers the Mayor has under the Greater London Authority Act 1999 to direct London boroughs to expand the number of civic amenity sites if these are considered insufficient to meet the European landfill targets of 2010, 2013 and 2020 without reasonable fear of legal challenge. [HL3752]

No such estimate has been made. European Union landfill directive targets to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste landfilled apply to England and not to regions, the Greater London Authority or individual local authorities. The Greater London Authority keeps a record of numbers and locations of civic amenity sites in London.

Local authorities are collectively working towards reducing landfilling through waste minimisation, recycling and composting (via kerbside collection schemes and facilities at civic amenity sites), as well as other waste treatment methods. Best value performance data show that over 90 per cent of London households receive a recycling collection service from home, or have suitable access to communal facilities.

The Mayor is a statutory consultee on the development plans of London boroughs (LDDs) which must be in general conformity with his London Plan. Should the Mayor have concerns on a borough’s proposed provision of land for waste facilities, his representations would be considered at the examination in public by an independent inspector.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What statutory powers the Mayor will have under proposals set out in July in The Greater London Authority: The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly to deliver the waste minimisation and recycling aspects of his municipal waste management strategy; and [HL3622]

What statutory powers the London Waste and Recycling Forum will have to deal with (a) waste management; (b) the introduction of new waste management technology; (c) increasing recycling levels; (d) the co-ordination of the transportation of waste; (e) climate change; (f) delivering the landfill directive; and (g) reducing the export of waste to landfills in regions surrounding London; and [HL3623]

What assessment they have made of the financial cost of the new London Waste and Recycling Forum; and who will bear this cost; and [HL3624]

What are the different responsibilities of the new London Waste and Recycling Forum and the existing London Regional Strategic Advisory Forum on Waste. [HL3625]

The Mayor's powers to implement his municipal waste management strategy remain unchanged by the Government’s proposals. However, a new duty has been placed on London’s waste authorities to be in “general conformity” with the Mayor’s strategy when exercising their waste functions.

The London-wide Waste and Recycling Forum, announced in The Government's Final Proposals for Additional Powers and Responsibilities for the Mayor and Assembly, in July last year, will bring together key interested parties, including London waste authorities, to improve waste management and recycling in London.

The Government have not proposed that the forum should have statutory powers and remain to be convinced that a statutory basis is necessary. Following discussions on the forum in Grand Committee the Government have agreed to further consider the role and constitution of the forum with interested stakeholders ahead of the next stage in the House of Lords. As part of these discussions, the relationship of the forum with other relevant groups, such as the Regional Strategic Advisory Forum, will be considered. These considerations will also inform the cost of running the forum, and how it will be funded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What percentage of non-household waste was recycled in the area of the Greater London Authority compared with the national average for England in 2005-06 and in each of the previous five years; and what are the estimated comparable figures for 2006-07 and 2007-08. [HL3753]

The tables below show the percentages of municipal waste recycled in London and in England from 2000-01. Data for 2006-07 and 2007-08 are not yet available. Municipal waste includes household waste and any other waste collected by a waste collection authority, or its agents, such as municipal parks and garden waste, beach cleansing waste, commercial or industrial waste and waste resulting from the clearance of fly-tipped materials.

Further data are not available for non-household waste, which includes commercial, industrial, construction and demolition wastes. Defra does not publish figures of non-household waste recycling rates by local authority or region. The figures are heavily dependent on factors such as the type of wastes collected, and the amount of rubble an area has to deal with. Furthermore, as these wastes are not, for the most part, the responsibility of local authorities, data which would answer this Question directly are not collected by the Government.

No estimates have been made on the percentage of non-household waste likely to be recycled in 2006-07 and 2007-08. For household waste, the Government have set statutory performance standards for recycling and composting in 2007-08 for all local authorities (including those in London), equal to the level of their targets in 2005-06 with the exception that the “floor level” of recycling performance is increased from 18 to 20 per cent for 2007-08. This will help to narrow the gap between the best and the worst authorities and ensure a more even level of service across the country.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What are the recycling rates of homeland waste for each of the London boroughs for 2006-07, estimated if necessary, and for each of the previous five years; and how many London boroughs are likely to meet statutory recycling targets for household waste in 2007-08 on their current plans. [HL3754]

Household recycling and composting rates achieved by each London borough for the years requested, as well as their 2007-08 targets, are shown in the following table¹.

No estimate of recycling and composting rates for 2006-07 has been made.

As the table shows, many of the London authorities have achieved recycling and composting rates which exceed or are equal to their 2007-08 targets. The Government and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) are targeting engagement and support in order to improve the recycling rates of the poorest performing local authorities.

¹ Source: Audit Commission's Best Value Performance Indicators.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will take steps to disociate the United Kingdom and the European Union from the appointment of Francis Nhema as chairman of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, in light of his tenure as Environment and Tourism Minister in the Government of Zimbabwe. [HL3767]

The EU called for the vote against the nomination of Francis Nhema as chairman of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development and the UK, with 20 other EU and like-minded states, voted against his candidacy. On behalf of all EU member states, the EU presidency made a statement following the vote which expressed deep concern that a representative from Zimbabwe should become chair as this will have a negative impact on the commission’s work and on the commission’s credibility. Both I and my honourable friend the Minister for Climate Change and the Environment, Ian Pearson, on behalf of the Government, have since publicly condemned the decision to appoint a Zimbabwean Minister to this position. Zimbabwe's catastrophic economic decline is in large part due to disastrous agricultural and energy policies, environmental degradation and unsustainable rural development. The impact on the human rights of those, particularly ordinary Zimbabwean farm workers, who have either been dispossessed or directly targeted as a consequence of Mugabe’s policies towards agriculture is well known.