asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have received on the proposal that the Border and Immigration Agency's operations at Heathrow Airport be subjected to the same performance targets as BAA's operations there. [HL5621]

We are not aware of any such proposal. The Border and Immigration Agency works closely with the airport operator Heathrow Airport Limited (HAL), including on monitoring of business performance through the use of vehicles such as service level agreements (SLAs).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What representations they have received on subjecting the airport security regime of the Department for Transport to the same performance targets as the rest of Heathrow. [HL5623]

No such representations have been received. Our regime is designed to be risk-based, while being robust and proportionate in response to likely threats.

UK airports that are subject to our national aviation security programme (NASP) are legally obliged to deliver security standards set by that document. They must therefore meet mandatory requirements of both UK and EU compliance regimes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which English airports have taken steps to improve and speed up the security measures for overseas travellers arriving in this country. [HL5572]

The Border and Immigration Agency is responsible for securing the UK border by assessing passengers' eligibility to enter. Recent initiatives to assist immigration officers with this task include:

the iris recognition immigration system (IRIS)—a biometric automated border entry system for pre-registered travellers using iris recognition technology. This is currently located at nine terminals in the United Kingdom including Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester and Birmingham; and

document scanners were installed earlier this year across the ports. These automatically read more data from passports including biometric passports and other travel documents than the earlier swipe system. Less detail has to be inputted manually and improved security and fraud checks can be undertaken.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which areas of England and Wales have sites devoted to the preservation of the red squirrel; and which sites are devoted to the preservation of the natterjack toad. [HL5571]

Areas of land of special scientific interest because of their flora, fauna, geological or physiographical features are notified as sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs). SSSIs in England that include red squirrels or natterjack toads as one of their notified features of special scientific interest are listed below. Other SSSI sites will have populations of these species, but have not been designated for that particular scientific interest.

Although this is a devolved policy issue, the Welsh Assembly Government have advised that in Wales the natterjack toad is present at Talacre Warren, which lies within the Dee Estuary SSSI. This is an introduced population and is not a designated feature of the SSSI. However, the management of the site is currently appropriate for the maintenance of the population.

There are areas in Wales where red squirrels occur. However, there are no SSSIs in Wales specifically designated for this particular species.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the guarantee of bank or building society deposits includes all loans, including bonds. [HL5420]

I refer my noble friend to the Statement the Chancellor of the Exchequer made on 11 October.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What advantage they anticipate from changing ministerial responsibility for part of the work of the Defence Export Sales Organisation.[HL5340]

The Government believe that trade promotion for defence exports will be more effectively delivered if carried out under the UKTI umbrella. Defence exports are different, as customers are overseas Governments, but there are clear benefits to be gained from building on trade promotion expertise within government by bringing together support for both civil and defence exporters. This approach recognises the importance of the defence sector to the economy: avoiding duplication; capitalising on synergies from the transfer; and making a good organisation even better.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether Royal Navy ships undertake fisheries protection duties in the territorial waters of (a) France; (b) the Republic of Ireland; or (c) the Netherlands; and what is the cost of any such patrolling of these foreign waters, and what charges are levied for this service on the Governments concerned. [HL5450]

The Royal Navy has not undertaken fisheries protection duties in the territorial waters of France, Ireland or the Netherlands. However, France has granted permission to other states, including the UK, to operate in French territorial waters subject to agreed procedures.

Outside territorial waters, the Marine and Fisheries Agency works with the Community Fisheries Control Agency and other member states in exercising joint deployment plans as required under fisheries regulations, as well as some other joint operations with other member states based on intelligence and need. These operations are often conducted with a vessel of the other state as well as Royal Navy fishery protection vessels and include exchanges of personnel.

The costs of these patrols are not separately identified and no charges are levied.

asked the Chairman of Committees:

What action he is taking to ensure that the no smoking regulations applicable to the House of Lords terrace are enforced. [HL5745]

The rules relating to smoking on the terrace are that staff can smoke on the Lords Terrace only if they are entitled to be there. At its meeting on 17 October the Refreshment Committee discussed the enforcement of these rules and agreed that there should be a clearer demarcation both of the boundary of the Lords’ and Commons’ terraces and of the smoking area. The committee also agreed to the introduction of a security guard to check passes and remove people from the terrace who should not be there. The committee has asked for a report on progress within six months.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to publish the third report on the costs of the identity card scheme under Section 37 of the Identity Cards Act 2006. [HL5525]

The next identity card scheme cost report is due to be published in November 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many proposals for regularising the immigration status of long-term overstayers, who have no criminal convictions, have been received by the Home Office and the Border and Immigration Agency or its predecessor in each of the past two 12-month periods. [HL5598]

The information requested is not centrally recorded and could be provided only by examining individual case records at disproportionate cost.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish the International Organisation for Migration rules governing both refugees and failed asylum applicants who wish (a) to return to their home countries, and (b) to be resettled in a third country; and, if so, when. [HL5568]

The International Organisation for Migration is responsible for publishing the rules and procedures relating to its organisation and not Her Majesty's Government. The IOM's website, which includes its published documents, can be accessed on the following link at www.http//iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp.

The Voluntary Assisted Return and Reintegration Programme (VARRP) is run by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) for those in the asylum system who want to return permanently to their country of origin or to a third country where it can be shown that they have a right of residence. The programme is open to those who:

have an asylum application pending;

have been refused asylum and are appealing against that decision;

have been refused asylum and have exhausted the appeals process;

are within the above categories, are in detention and are detained solely in relation to immigration offences, and

have been granted time-limited exceptional leave to enter/remain, or humanitarian protection or discretionary leave.

The programme is not open to those who:

are British citizens or EEA nationals;

have been granted indefinite leave to remain and/or refugee status;

have never sought asylum or humanitarian protection in the UK;

have permission to enter or remain in the UK for non-asylum/humanitarian reasons eg students, spouses, visitors etc;

have extant removal directions set;

have a deportation order served on them; or

prior to the receipt of application, have previously completed a criminal custodial sentence in excess of 12 months.

In each case, applications will be initially received by IOM, before being passed on to the Border and Immigration Agency assisted voluntary returns team for further consideration. In each case the final decision about suitability of the applicant for the programme rests with the BIA AVR team.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

With how many of the 450,000 asylum applicants, whose cases they estimate to be as yet undetermined, they, the Border and Immigration Agency, local authorities or other agencies have been in recent contact. [HL5569]

The Border and Immigration Agency does not hold this information in the format requested. The chief executive, Lin Homer, will be updating the Home Affairs Committee on the resolution of legacy cases in due course.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they are assisting the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle refugees from Iraq (a) trapped between Iraq and Syria at Al-Tanf, and (b) unable to leave Iraq, in a camp at Waleed; and whether they have made representations to the Government of the United States about the situation which these people are in. [HL5599]

The Waleed camp is inside Iraq. As such the Iraqis in Waleed are internally displaced persons (IDPs) and cannot be recognised as refugees within the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees. Individuals can be referred for resettlement only if they are already outside of their country of origin and have been recognised as a refugee within the 1951 UN convention by UNHCR. The UK cannot resettle any of the IDPs within Waleed.

The UK has not made representations to the Government of the United States about the situation of people in Waleed and Al-Tanf. The USA operates a large-scale resettlement operation in the region and discusses directly with UNHCR which people it can assist.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Prime Minister or another member of the Cabinet plans to visit the Isle of Man; and, if so, when and for what reason. [HL5535]

On grounds of security, Ministers' future travel arrangements are not normally disclosed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What would have been the additional revenue from making a charge of (a) £100, and (b) £200 for the issuing of replacement passports for those reported lost or stolen over the past 12 months. [HL5646]

The Identity and Passport Service (IPS) operates a published passport pricing structure that reflects the service level an applicant is both eligible for and that he/she wishes to apply for. The standard adult fee for a replacement application is one such fee and was £66 prior to its increase to £72 on 4 October. Based on the previous standard adult fee, the additional revenue for making a charge of (a) £100 and (b) £200 would be £34 and £134 respectively.

However, not all processed reports of loss or theft result in the issuance of a replacement passport as some individuals choose to replace their passport at a later date. For the year 1 October 2006 to 30 September 2007, IPS processed the following reports of loss or theft of a passport: lost = 249,241; stolen = 41,741; other = 10,548.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why persons departing from the United Kingdom do not have their passports checked electronically by the Border and Immigration Agency; what would be the cost of introducing such facilities by 2009; and what steps are currently in place to ensure that United Kingdom passports which have been lost or stolen are not used to exit the United Kingdom.[HL5647]

Persons departing from the UK will have their passport details checked electronically against e-Borders watchlists by the Border and Immigration Agency. These checks will cover 60 per cent of passengers by 1 December 2009, increasing to 95 per cent of passengers by 1 December 2010.

The costs associated with providing these facilities are covered by the e-Borders programme. As the programme is in the final and sensitive stages of procurement, this information is currently commercially sensitive.

The Identity and Passport Service supplies daily extracts of lost/stolen passport data to the Border and Immigration Agency to update its records for the checking of British passports.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many passports were issued from the Belfast office in each of the past five years. [HL5651]

The numbers of passports issued from the Belfast office over the past five complete calendar years are shown below:

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What progress has been made in implementing the action plan against human trafficking. [HL5597]

Many of the actions in the UK action plan have been completed or are progressing as anticipated. As implementation progresses, the plan will be updated and revised. The interdepartmental ministerial group on human trafficking meets quarterly to monitor implementation of the action plan.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to publish details concerning police operation Parameter II; and whether they will publish an interim report. [HL5595]

Operational results will be published following the completion of the nationwide operation. There are no current plans to publish an interim report.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps they are taking to ensure that partnership working between the business, public and voluntary sectors is not replicating old practices but is developing new and innovative solutions to the delivery of public services and the transformation of disadvantaged communities. [HL5579]

The Government recognise that innovations in public services and in the transformation of disadvantaged communities often come from citizens themselves and from organisations working in close partnership with them. To encourage a culture in which these innovations will flourish, the Government, in partnership with the third sector, have launched a social enterprise ambassadors programme, enabling leading social entrepreneurs to inspire others about their work.

Beyond raising awareness, the Government also recognise the importance of providing practical support to innovative partnerships. On 8 October, the Government launched the Innovation Exchange, an arm’s-length innovation agency that will bring third sector innovators together with public sector commissioners and help them to develop and grow innovative projects. The exchange will focus on developing support for disaffected young people and on helping people to live independently. This will ensure that the collective ingenuity of the third and public sectors is focused on two of the most significant challenges facing disadvantaged communities.

The Government have also launched a consultation on a £10 million risk capital investment fund for social enterprises, which would seek to provide further support for innovative projects, such as those that may emerge from the innovation exchange. This £10 million would be matched by other investors, bringing social enterprises together in new ways with supporters from the private and independent sectors.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What contribution is paid to train operating companies in respect of the expenses they incur as a result of losing their franchises to run passenger services. [HL5516]

No contribution is paid to train operating companies for such expenses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What studies the Highways Agency has commissioned from consultants in each of the past eight years concerning the movement of abnormal indivisible loads or related matters. [HL5637]

Over the past eight years the Highways Agency has commissioned from consultants the following studies concerning the movement of abnormal indivisible loads or related matters:

2007-08—The movement of abnormal loads at night (project started in September 2007 and is still ongoing).

2006-07—Study to raise speed limit of vehicles carrying special order abnormal loads (project started in February 2007 and is still ongoing). Evaluating the congestion caused by abnormal loads in terms of their impact on average vehicle delay and journey time (project started in January 2007 and is still ongoing). Commercial vehicles—Loading factors and incidents (project started in December 2006 and was completed in April 2007).

2005-06—Development of loading models for special order abnormal load vehicles (project started in September 2005 and is still ongoing).

2003-04—Evaluating the congestion caused by abnormal loads in terms of their financial impact (project started in December 2003 and was completed in December 2006).

2002-03—Weigh in motion (WIM) system and braking forces for abnormal loads (project started in September 2002 and completed in December 2003).

2001-02—Roadside weigh testing of very heavy vehicles carrying abnormal indivisible loads (project started in June 2001 and completed in May 2007).

1999-2000—Assessment loading for specific vehicles (project started in December 1999 and completed in March 2002).

In addition to the studies listed above, the Highways Agency has commissioned a consultant to assist a government/industry working group looking at identifying a network of strategic waterside sites on the UK commercial waterway network where abnormal loads can be loaded and offloaded.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What steps the Highways Agency is taking to improve the recovery of vehicles from roads for which it is the highways authority. [HL5639]

The Highways Agency is currently working on establishing new powers for traffic officers to deal with abandoned vehicles and certain broken-down or damaged vehicles on the strategic road network. The agency intends to let a new contract for a national vehicle recovery service to assist traffic officers in exercising their powers.

The Highways Agency is also championing national highways sector schemes 17 and 17B, which are aimed at improving standards of training for recovery operators working on the strategic road network.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proposals they have to deal with the nuisance created by heavy goods vehicles using unsuitable roads because the drivers are following the guidance of satellite navigation equipment. [HL5607]

The Department for Transport is reviewing legislation on route guidance devices. Informal public consultation has been undertaken as part of this review. Any legislative changes proposed will be subject to full statutory consultation. The department is also supporting a Network Management Board sub-group that aims to bring together a wide range of stakeholders to consider how best to address the issue of inappropriate routeing.