asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they will be in a position to make an announcement on the future carrier main gate before the Comprehensive Spending Review. [HL4643]

As I indicated in my Oral Answer to the noble Lord on 25 June 2007 (Official Report, col. 414), an announcement is linked to agreement with industry on a robust and affordable deal.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they have considered the possible introduction of a small tactical surveillance satellite as an aid to protect the interests of British forces in the Persian Gulf. [HL4445]

We keep under constant review the capabilities needed to support UK troops deployed overseas, including the requirement for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance assets.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

How the Army regularly ensures that all its personnel are fit for their duties. [HL4599]

Officers and soldiers (regular and territorial) are responsible for maintaining their own personal physical fitness. All personnel are subject to regular physical fitness assessment as set out in military annual training test 2 (MATT2). It is the responsibility of commanders at all levels to ensure that the requirements of MATT2 are implemented. Those failing to meet the required standard are asked to take the test again and those who fail the retest are ordered to participate in directly supervised physical training. Current fitness policy recommends that regular soldiers undertake three 40-minute periods of formal physical training per week.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether, and, if so, when, they intend to ratify the Council of Europe’s 2001 Convention on Cybercrime. [HL4724]

The Government remain committed to ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Cybercrime, which we signed in 2001. We have recently legislated, in the Police and Justice Act 2006, to reform the criminal law to ensure that the Computer Misuse Act 1990 is fully compliant with the convention. However, the Government will not implement the Computer Misuse Act changes before April 2008. This is because we are currently making further unrelated changes to the Act in the Serious Crime Bill.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the statement by the Prime Minister on 3 July (Official Report, Commons, col. 818) that there will be consultation concerning changes to the laws that now restrict the right to demonstrate in Parliament Square, (a) when the consultation will begin; and (b) to whom it will be open. [HL4720]

As the noble Baroness is aware, we have announced that we shall consult widely on the provisions in the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act with a view to ensuring that people’s right to protest is not subject to unnecessary restrictions. The consultation will begin in due course.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 25 June (WA 101-2) on the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill, whether they have assessed the possibility of a regulated procedure under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 involving the injection of human embryonic stem cells into tetraploid animal embryos as a potential route to human reproductive cloning of numerous identical clones; and [HL4580]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 25 June (WA 101-2), whether the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill contains any prohibition against performing inter-species tetraploid complementation; and [HL4581]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 25 June (WA 101-2), whether they have assessed the appropriateness of inter-species tetraploid complementation experiments regulated under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, bearing in mind that tetraploid complementation is an established procedure for deriving whole mice from mouse embryonic stem cells; and HL4582]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 25 June (WA 101-2), in the event that it proves possible to derive a substantially human foetus by injecting human embryonic stem cells into a tetraploid embryo of another species, whether such a hypothetical entity would be considered an unprotected animal until half way through its gestation; and [HL4583]

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 25 June (WA 101-2), whether they have assessed the appropriateness of a potential route to human reproductive cloning in the form of a legally permissible regulated procedure under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 in the event that this proves possible by injecting stem cells from embryos created by nuclear transfer into tetraploid embryos. [HL4584]

As set out in the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill, if the cells that make up an embryo contain at least a haploid set of human chromosomes and at least one sequence of animal DNA, including a tetraploid complement of animal chromosomes, then it will be regulated as an inter-species embryo by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act 1990, as amended by the Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill.

The Human Tissue and Embryos (Draft) Bill is drafted so that in vitro human embryos that contain animal cells are caught by the definition as found in new Section 4A(5)(d). The regulation of animal embryos that contain single or multiple human cells is not within scope of the Bill.

Any embryo or inter-species embryo that contains a human embryo may be cultured in vitro in accordance with a licence from the new authority. Any animal embryo that contains human cells will require a licence from the Home Office once it becomes a protected animal. A licence would also be required for implantation of the embryo into another animal.

The Government have taken a clear stance on the prohibition of human reproductive cloning. The implantation of an embryo into an animal, for any purpose, requires ministerial authorisation and, where the aim of the research is the reproductive cloning of a human, no licence would be authorised.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they will support an initiative for all civic offices within the union to fly the union flag on a permanent basis. [HL4735]

DCMS will shortly be consulting on the arrangements on flag flying from central government buildings. This follows the publication of the Green Paper The Governance of Britain on Tuesday 3 July.

In the mean time, the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport has decided that government departments should have the freedom to fly the union flag when they want. This arrangement will stay in place until the outcome of the consultation is published.

Individuals, local authorities and other organisations can already fly the union flag whenever they wish.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Warner on 24 July 2006 (WA 240) (a) what progress they have made with their own research programme into water fluoridated following the recommendations of the United States National Research Council in March 2006; and (b) whether they will follow the United States example in advising parents to avoid fluoridated water when reconstituting infant formula for bottle-fed infants, in view of the National Research Council’s finding that “on a per-body-weight basis, infants and young children have approximately three to four times greater exposure than do adults”. [HL4563]

The United States National Research Council’s findings suggested that mixing powdered infant formula with fluoridated water might increase the chance of a child developing dental fluorosis in their permanent teeth. Dental fluorosis is characterised by a flecking, or more rarely a mottling, of teeth, which may give some people concern about the appearance of their teeth. It does not, however, affect the extra resistance to dental decay that is provided by exposure to fluoride.

In light of these findings, the department is funding a research project involving the use of intra-oral cameras and automated software in order to obtain consistent readings in surveys of levels of dental fluorosis. If the project is successful, we intend that the photographs should be used in a further study to assess the aesthetic impact of fluorosis.

The department’s advice to parents concerned about fluorosis is that breastfeeding is the best option and that, where this is not possible, ready-to-use infant formula has a low fluoride content.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Which members of the Government serve in the House of Lords; and what are their salaries. [HL4733]

A full list of the Government, including Ministers in the House of Lords, is in the Libraries of both Houses.

Details of Ministers’ salaries are available in the Libraries of both Houses and on the Civil Service website www.civilservice.gov.uk/other/parliamentary/pay/ministerial/index.asp.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Who is now responsible for the former National Health Service hospital in Lower Richmond Road, Putney, which has been empty and derelict for a number of years. [HL4664]

Responsibility for this hospital rests with Wandsworth Teaching Primary Care Trust.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 18 June (WA 15), what is the detail of the research into Henoch-Schönlein purpura which is available on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research. [HL4706]

The national research register lists the following studies undertaken in the National Health Service:

a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study to determine whether steroids reduce the incidence and severity of nephropathy in Henoch-Schönlein purpura;

a study of the incidence of rare vasculitidies in children in the West Midlands, and the outcome of children with Henoch-Schönlein purpura after five years follow-up; and

Henoch-Schönlein purpura (HSP) in childhood—how do abnormalities in immunoglobulin A relate to the pathogenesis of HSP.

asked the Chairman of Committees:

What was the total cost of producing the report by the House of Lords Select Committee on Animals in Scientific Procedures in 2002 (HL Paper 150, Session 2001-02). [HL4770]

The total cost of this committee was £127,950. Of this sum, £72,950 was in respect of administrative costs and expenses and an estimated £55,000 was in respect of staff costs.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What arrangements they will make to communicate to the House events occurring between 26 July and 8 October affecting the United Kingdom Armed Forces deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. [HL4642]

If Her Majesty’s Government need to make any defence-related announcements or to provide an update on any significant defence issues while Parliament is in recess, I will write to Front-Bench spokespersons, to my noble friend Lady Dean, chair of the House of Lords Defence Group, and to any noble Lords who may have expressed a strong interest in the specific issue at hand. I would expect to draw any major development to the attention of the ex-chiefs of staff, for example. Written Ministerial Statements made in the other place in September will be repeated in the House of Lords.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Why Mr Peter Etame was held in immigration detention for over eight months, despite claiming previous torture on arrival in England; whether he was denied access to the Medical Foundation for the Care of Victims of Torture before his two attempts at suicide; and whether he is eligible for compensation. [HL4605]

I am unable to comment on individual cases within the House.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

When the evaluation report on the three pilot areas for Section 9 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants, etc.) Act 2004 will be published. [HL4634]

The evaluation of the Section 9 pilot was published on 25 June 2007 and is available on the Border and Immigration Agency website at www.bia.homeoffice.gov.uk/6353/aboutus/familyasylum.

A Written Ministerial Statement detailing future implementation of the Section 9 provision was also published on 25 June 2007 (Official Report, Commons, col. 9WS).

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

How many persons, if any, have been charged or convicted of an offence as a result of random stops for questioning at British ports of entry since 2001. [HL4639]

Schedule 7 to the Terrorism Act 2000 enables an examining officer to examine and/or detain a person at a port of entry if the officer believes that that person’s presence may involve the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism. Schedule 7 codes of practice advise that all Schedule 7 examinations that last longer than one hour are recorded centrally and that examinations of shorter duration are recorded locally. There is no centrally held information about the number of stops made by police officers lasting less than one hour. Some statistics are held centrally in relation to the number of people subject to examinations lasting more than one hour.

Border and Immigration Agency and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs officers do not conduct random spot checks, although intelligence-led document checks are conducted by immigration officers at some ports of entry. HMRC interventions carried out at ports of entry are the result of risk and intelligence assessments.

Information on charges or convictions arising from stops at ports of entry could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether any instructions have been given concerning random stopping and questioning of United Kingdom Muslims at ports of entry; and, if so, whether there are any proposals to discontinue this practice. [HL4640]

No instructions on random stopping of British Muslims have been issued by the border control agencies (the Border and Immigration Agency, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs or the police) to their front-line staff.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is their proposed response to the encampment on the grass area of Parliament Square; and [HL4613]

How many tents are now erected on the grass area of Parliament Square; and what proportion of the grass area is as a consequence unavailable to members of the public; and [HL4614]

What representations they have made, or propose to make, to the Greater London Authority about the tents illegally erected on the grass area of Parliament Square. [HL4615]

Responsibility for the management of the grass area of Parliament Square and the enforcement of by-laws falls to the Greater London Authority under the GLA Act 1999. The Metropolitan Police are responsible for the policing of demonstrations.

I am informed that on 3 July there were 10 tents on Parliament Square Garden. The tents occupy approximately 25 square metres of the grass area of the square, which equates to approximately 2 per cent of the total grass area unavailable to the general public.

We are in regular discussion with the Greater London Authority and the Metropolitan Police about the tents.

As the noble Lord will be aware, we have recently announced our intention to review the provisions that govern demonstrations around Parliament. We shall consult widely with a view to ensuring that people’s right to protest is not subject to unnecessary restrictions, but protestors will in return need to obey the law.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Why on 1 July only two passport personal interview offices, those in Glasgow and Belfast, were operational. [HL4632]

The requirement to attend an interview will be introduced gradually, starting with modest volumes of interviews in a limited number of interview offices from May 2007 (starting in Belfast and Glasgow), with the Identity and Passport Service progressively adding further offices through to the end of 2007. This progressive introduction follows the best practice approval for implementing a major change and will enable the Identity and Passport Service to fine-tune the interview process for customers using feedback from the early interviews.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Why, of the 55 personal passport interview officers already employed, only nine, three at Belfast and six at Glasgow, were engaged in their duties on 1 July. [HL4633]

All interview office staff were engaged in their duties on 1 July 2007, which included testing, training and preparation of a number of interview offices, as well as conducting interviews at the Belfast and Glasgow offices.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they intend to review the policy and implementation of passport personal interview offices. [HL4635]

My noble friend Lord Bassam gave the Government’s position in the House of Lords on Thursday 15 March, when he said:

“I cannot agree with the suggestion that the Government should review their policy on the introduction of interviews for first-time passport applicants. It is an important process”.—[Official Report, 15/3/07; col. 927.]

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What has been the cost to 1 July of setting up and operating the scheme for passport personal interviews. [HL4636]

The cost of setting up and operating the interview office network is as follows:

the actual cost for 2006-07 was £50,802,631.34 and the estimated cost for 2007 up to 1 July is £18,229,099.96, a total of £69,031,731.30.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Assuming that all eligible individuals were receiving the means-tested benefits due to them, what is the estimated net cost of replacing the means-tested system with an increase of £20 per week in the state single pension. [HL4586]

The estimated net cost of replacing pension credit (assuming current take-up levels) with an increase of £20 per week in the basic state pension is some £2.5 billion in 2007-08⁽¹⁾. This proposal would benefit richer pensioners at the expense of the poorest. Single pensioners on pension credit would lose some £45 per week on average from the abolition of PC⁽²⁾ and gain a maximum of £20 per week from the rise in BSP.

Footnotes

⁽¹⁾ Based on estimated spending on pension credit (for those in receipt) in 2007-08 and taking into account subsequent impacts on housing benefit and council tax benefit expenditure modelled using the department’s policy simulation model in 2007-08 prices for Great Britain: www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Table3.xls.

⁽²⁾ Source November 06, Quarterly Statistical Inquiry.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Who monitors the work of the Independent Police Complaints Commission. [HL4535]

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) is a non-departmental public body (NDPB) created by the Police Reform Act 2002. The IPCC is sponsored by the Home Office. It is an independent body whose work is overseen by commissioners appointed by the Home Secretary.

The IPCC has an established audit committee to support its responsibilities for issues of risk, control and governance and associated assurance. The committee oversees the IPCC’s systems and processes of finance, corporate governance, accountability and complaints against the organisation.

It has two independent members, one of whom is the chair. The NAO is the appointed external auditor of the IPCC and is required to examine, certify and report on each of the statements comprising the financial statements of the IPCC.

As accounting officer, the IPCC’s CEO is accountable to Parliament and she may be called to give evidence to the parliamentary public affairs committee. The IPCC’s commission meetings are held in public.

The IPCC reports annually to the Secretary of State for the Home Department and that report is laid before Parliament.

The investigations undertaken by the IPCC are independent and are open to challenge through the courts.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Who ensures that the commissioners’ investigations within the Independent Police Complaints Commission are proportionate and fair; and [HL4536]

What is the role of the commissioners in connection with investigations carried out by the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC); and, in particular, whether the commissioners may add to, substitute for or amend conclusions or recommendations reached by IPCC investigators. [HL4537]

These are matters for the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC), which has oversight of the police complaints system. This Question has been passed to the chair of the IPCC for a response.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What are the decision criteria used before a multi-agency alert is issued regarding persons or cargoes due at British ports of entry. [HL4670]

Each border agency is responsible for issuing alerts to their front-line staff based on their respective responsibilities and in accordance with specific threat and risk assessments. No multi-agency alerts are issued by specific agencies, although sharing of information and intelligence across agencies is an important part of our border security arrangements.

The UK Border and Immigration Agency warnings index is an index of adverse immigration and intelligence information, some of which is placed directly on the system by other agencies. Strict data entry criteria, which comply with the Data Protection Act, ensure that the data placed on the system are accurate and current. It is long-standing policy not to discuss specifics about the type or source of the data, or the detail of how they are used, as to do so would be counterproductive.

asked the Leader of the House:

What steps were taken to reduce the number of Written Questions remaining unanswered after more than 14 days from 254 from 17 government departments on 17 April to four from three government departments on 2 July; and whether they will take steps to ensure that Written Questions are answered within 14 days. [HL4662]

Departments have been working closely with my office to address the number of outstanding Questions for Written Answer and ensure that they are answered promptly and accurately, wherever possible within the 14-day deadline.

All departments are aware of the importance of responding to Questions for Written Answer from Members of the House within this deadline and I will continue to ensure that Answers are provided in a timely fashion.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Answer by Baroness Crawley on shipping light dues on 18 April (Official Report, cols. 216-7) and the study between the Department for Transport and the Department of Transport of the Republic of Ireland on the funding system and the potential for a more equitable cost sharing, whether the terms of reference of the study have been agreed; who will undertake the work; what is the planned completion date; and whether they will place a copy of the terms of reference of the study in the Library of the House. [HL4721]

The terms of reference for the review of funding for the Irish Lights have been agreed and I will place a copy in the Library of the House. The review is being carried out by consultants working within the Department for Transport and the Irish Department of Transport, reporting to a steering group consisting of representatives of both departments, and has a planned completion date of end November 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to monitor the activities of Islamic charities in the United Kingdom, in light of the alleged links between some Islamic charities and international terrorism. [HL4607]

The Charity Commission (the commission) is established by law as the regulator and registrar for charities in England and Wales. As such it is responsible for securing compliance with charity law and for dealing with abuse and poor practice.

Islamic charities are subject to the same regulatory requirements in terms of submission of statutory information to the regulator as all registered charities.

The commission has the powers to intervene where necessary to protect a charity’s assets where investigation establishes serious mismanagement or abuse. It works closely with the police and other security and prosecution authorities in investigating these matters.

The Home Office and HM Treasury have recently reviewed the safeguards in place to protect the charitable sector from terrorist abuse and are currently running a consultation exercise examining the best ways to enhance and develop these safeguards, which will run until 2 August 2007.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the international standard-setting body, has recently reviewed the UK’s anti-money-laundering and terrorist-financing controls. It assessed the prevention of abuse of non-profit organisations for terrorist financing to be largely compliant with FATF standards, overall judging the UK to have a comprehensive legal structure to combat money-laundering and terrorist financing.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they will provide the ratings of English regions in order of their cleanliness for litter as reported through the relevant best-value performance indicator. [HL4737]

BV199a is the best-value performance indicator for street cleanliness, which grades levels of litter and detritus. The information requested is shown in the table below.

Data express the regional averages in BV199a and give the percentage of surveyed sites with unacceptable levels of litter and detritus in 2005-06.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether they plan to use the playing fields at Rochester young offender institution (YOI) for building new prison accommodation; and, if so, what additional facilities will be provided to ensure that physical education facilities continue to be available to the YOI at Rochester. [HL4708]

NOMS proposes to construct new prison accommodation on the playing fields to the rear of the existing Rochester YOI subject to planning permission.

The proposed new facilities will include an outside all-weather football pitch, a gymnasium and classrooms dedicated to the theory of physical education, all of which will provide enhanced opportunities for physical education.