asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 21 February 2007 (WA 244), whether prior to 8 March 2007 there was a detailed strategic plan in place for the establishment of a centre of excellence for autism at Middletown; if so, how this was devised; by whom they were advised; whether the authors consulted established educational or medical institutions; and whether they will place a copy of any such strategic plan in the Library of the House. [HL1120]

Ministers in Her Majesty’s Government ceased to be in charge of the Northern Ireland departments on 8 May 2007, when the Northern Ireland Executive took over responsibility. I am advised that a plan for a centre of excellence for autism at Middletown had been drawn up before devolution within the Department of Education, Northern Ireland. The noble Lord may wish to make contact with that department to seek further information about it.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

How many applications the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission has received for information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in (a) 2006 and (b) 2007; and how many were allowed. [HL1155]

(a) The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission received seven requests in 2006 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. Some information was withheld in relation to one of these requests under Section 40 of the Act. The other six were answered in full, in so far as the information was held.

(b) The Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission received six requests in 2007 under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. In relation to one request, some information was withheld under Section 40 of the Act and, in relation to another, some information was withheld under Section 42 of the Act. The other four were answered in full, in so far as the information was held.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What assessment they have made of the effectiveness of using hydroxyl radical generators which reproduce the disinfecting qualities of open air in protecting the public in the event of bioterrorist attack. [HL1040]

No specific assessment of hydroxyl radical generators has been undertaken within government. However, there is a need to identify suitable CBRN decontamination techniques. Subject to competitive techniques, funding and other prioritisation considerations, hydroxyl radical generators may be evaluated in future as part of Home Office or other government programmes.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 15 November (WA 32), how much they have invested in the development of intelligence units to tackle level 2 crime in each police region; how much they have contributed to the growth of a serious crime investigatory unit in the east Midlands; and for how long that contribution will be maintained. [HL607]

In 2006-07, the Home Office provided £2,423,599 and in the first two quarters of 2007-08 it has provided £1,827,424 to the East Midlands Special Operations Unit. The funds provided to the 10 regional intelligence units over this period were as set out in the attached table.

The Minister for Security, Counter-terrorism, Crime and Policing announced in a Written Ministerial Statement on Monday 10 December that additional money would be provided to strengthen protective services at national and regional levels, with £11 million being allocated in 2008-9 and 2009-10, rising to £13 million in 2010-11. Of this extra funding, £13 million will provide continued support to the regional intelligence units—£5 million in 2008-09 and £4 million in each of the following two years—and £4.5 million will go to the East Midlands Special Operations Unit over the three-year period. Grant support to these regional units is being continued to ensure that their important work combating serious and organised crime is sustained. Discussions will take place with police forces and authorities on how best to ensure that they contribute to supporting them and to delivering improvements in protective services in the future.

This additional funding also includes £2 million to complete the Home Office’s protective services demonstrator programme to test out new initiatives for improving protective service delivery through collaboration. Thirteen demonstrator sites are now being funded, involving 34 police forces working in collaboration to deliver protective services. The east Midlands region is participating in this programme with two projects—addressing witness protection and specialist operational capability and capacity—which are receiving a total of £264,750 in grant support over 2007-08 and 2008-09.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

Whether there was any agreement reached at St Andrews concerning recruitment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and, if so, whether that agreement led to a change in their policy. [HL1264]

I refer the noble Lord to my Written Answer on 18 April (WA 76). Annexe B of the agreement at St Andrews confirms the Government’s commitment that the temporary 50:50 arrangements for recruitment to the PSNI will lapse when Patten’s target for Catholic officers has been achieved. The agreement has not led to any change in the policy on recruitment to the PSNI.

asked Her Majesty’s Government:

What consideration has been given to bringing back into service the class 442 trains, which are lying idle in sidings in Eastleigh, to enable the Watford to Brighton (Gatwick Airport) service to be maintained. [HL1328]

Southern will be using 17 of the class 442 trains from December 2008 to provide additional capacity on the Brighton main line. The change in the pattern of the west London line service from December 2008 does not necessarily preclude the possibility, as proposed in the south London route utilisation strategy, that there might be a “cross-Clapham” service from south London to Kensington Olympia or, in due course, to Shepherd’s Bush.