asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the likely impact of the proposed excise duty directive on the commercial revenue of smaller regional airports gained from duty-free shopping. [HL3892]

As it currently stands, the European Commission's proposal for Article 13 of the council directive concerning the general arrangements for excise duty would restrict duty-free sales to passengers whose immediate destination is outside the EU. The Government have not conducted an assessment of the extent of any impact of the proposal on smaller regional airports.

However, later proposals from the EU presidency have replaced the word “immediate” with “final” in Article 13 of the draft directive. This will maintain the current position, allowing passengers to continue purchasing duty-free goods at any port or airport, providing they hold a valid transport document to a destination outside the EU, regardless of their immediate or interim destination.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether pre-flight briefing quarters at terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport can cater for a reasonable build-up of delayed flights without having to impose cancellations due to inadequate space being available. [HL3872]

The aircrew facilities at Heathrow's terminal 5 are a matter for British Airways as the sole airline operating from the terminal, and BAA as the airport's operator.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Which airline is the national flag carrier of the United Kingdom. [HL3870]

The term “flag carrier” in relation to UK aviation is an informal term with no official meaning.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will take action to enable interested airlines to bid to take over routes now franchised by British Airways to other airlines. [HL3871]

British Airways does not franchise services on behalf of the Government. In most parts of the world it is open to any UK airline to compete with British Airways or its franchise partners on the routes it operates.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 22 May (WA 207) concerning the cost of the Saville inquiry, whether an apology was made. [HL3959]

As set out in my previous Written Answers dated 17 March (Official Report, col. WA 2), and 30 April (Official Report, col. WA 24), the costs quoted on BBC TV's “Sunday AM” programme in July 2006 were inaccurate and the Government subsequently informed Parliament of the correct figures.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What plans they have to develop and implement a sustainable funding strategy for rape crisis centres, similar to those in Scotland. [HL4005]

Central government devolves a majority of its resources to local areas to allocate according to local priorities. Central government grant schemes and initiatives are not intended to be a substitute for long-term sustainable local funding.

However, the Government recognise that rape crisis centres face considerable financial difficulties and have set up an advisory group of sexual violence organisations to consider what more can be done to increase the capacity and sustainability of the sexual violence voluntary sector. To respond to the crisis in the short term, the Minister for Women announced on 18 March an emergency fund of over £1 million to prevent immediate closures and that money is in the process of being distributed.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether victims of violent crime must register with the Northern Ireland prisoner release victim information scheme in order to receive notice of matters relevant to them which involve the perpetrator of the crime. [HL3927]

Yes. Following the conclusion of a trial where the perpetrator of a crime is sentenced to a term of imprisonment of six months or more, the Police Service of Northern Ireland writes to the identified victim or victims inviting them to register with the Northern Ireland prison service's prisoner release victim information scheme. Only if they choose to register with the scheme will they receive information about the release, whether temporary or otherwise, of the perpetrator of the crime against them. This is a requirement of Northern Ireland Statutory Rule No. 293 (The Prisoner Release Victim Information (Northern Ireland) Scheme 2003).

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Andrews on 28 April (WA 4–5), what arrangements will be put in place to monitor the outputs of renewable energy installations whose locations have not been justified during the planning process; to remove them if they do not perform; and to compensate the local population for the failure of installations which do not perform.[HL3820]

Planning authorities are expected to address the environmental, social and economic impacts that arise from the proposed location of a renewable energy project. In doing so, they can already use planning conditions to require the removal of a renewable energy installation at the end of a specified period. In such cases planning conditions can also be used to require that a site is restored to its former condition. In the case of wind farms, a guidance note prepared for the Renewables Advisory Board and published by BERR^* highlights that decommissioning conditions can be used to ensure full and satisfactory restoration of a site, either in whole or part, should one or more turbines cease to be operational for a given period of time prior to the cessation of a planning permission. There is no reason in principle why such conditions should not be applicable to other installations for renewable energy. Planning authorities can also impose planning conditions relating to other environmental matters such as noise emissions. The companion guide supporting planning policy statement 22 on renewable energy^** provides practice guidance on the use of planning conditions and their applicability to a range of renewable energy technologies.

^* Available from the BERR and planning and renewable energy websites

^** Available from the CLG website.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What terms are in the contract with the consultancy firm Parsons Brinckerhoff to prevent it charging more than its initial quotation for analysing how the environment around the Severn estuary would be affected if a tidal range power project went ahead. [HL3794]

In the tender for the strategic environmental assessment (SEA) submitted by the consortium led by Parsons Brinckerhoff on 21 February 2008, there is a detailed outline for the work on the environmental impacts of proposed tidal power developments in the Severn estuary. This includes studies on hydraulics and geomorphology, flood management, water quality, bird and fish surveys, estuarine and marine ecology surveys and compensation habitat review. If we decide that any extra environmental studies or other work are required in order to complete a good-quality environmental report, particularly after the scoping phase of the SEA later this year, then we will agree a price with the contractor as a variation to the current contract.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have plans to publish national clinical standards for asthma care in England; and, if so, how compliance with such standards would be monitored and encouraged. [HL3804]

Pending consideration of the recommendations of the NHS Next Stage Review, clinical standards are published by the department when they are developed as part of specialty-specific strategies and national service frameworks. The department is not currently engaged in discussions which might result in the publication of clinical standards for asthma.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the proposals in the White Paper Pharmacy in England—Building on Strengths—Delivering the Future (Cm 7341) for pharmacists to play a greater role in the delivery of health services will include encouraging pharmacists to build partnerships with existing community-led healthy living centres across the country. [HL3885]

In taking forward the vision within the White Paper Pharmacy in England—Building on Strengths—Delivering the Future of community pharmacies as healthy living centres, it will be important to ensure that pharmacists work in partnership with other health improvement services, including existing community-led healthy living centres. The public health leadership forum for pharmacy will support this programme of work.

asked the Chairman of Committees:

What consideration has been given to permitting public petitions to the House of Lords to be submitted electronically. [HL4055]

As I indicated in my Answer on 16 May 2008 (WA 154), public petitions to the House of Lords are rare: the last occasion on which a petition was presented was on 13 December 2000. I do not therefore believe that expenditure on developing a system of e-petitioning unique to the House of Lords could be justified.

On 6 April 2008 the House of Commons Procedure Committee published a comprehensive report on e-Petitions (1st Report, Session 2007-08, HC 136). The committee envisages that if its proposals are agreed by the House of Commons the earliest date at which a system of e-petitioning could be operational is likely to be early in 2010. The appropriate committees in this House may at the appropriate time wish to take stock of experience in the Commons, and consider whether a similar system should be introduced in the House of Lords.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many local authorities have achieved each of the eight themes that are quoted as hallmarks of a well performing local authority in relation to biodiversity in the Association of Local Government Ecologists publication Increasing the Momentum 2004–10.[HL3827]

Increasing the Momentum is a vision statement by the Association of Local Government Ecologists for biodiversity in local government. There is no commitment for the Government to monitor the uptake of the vision and therefore we cannot report on how many local authorities have achieved the eight themes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What regulations are in force governing the sale of knives. [HL3906]

The Government made it an offence to sell knives to people under the age of 18 in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. The Knives Act 1997 created an offence of marketing a knife in a way which suggested it was suitable for combat, or is otherwise likely to stimulate the violent use of a knife.

There are also 18 items on the Criminal Justice Act 1988 (Offensive Weapons) Order 1988 which it is illegal to sell, offer for sale, hire or import. Belt buckle knives, push daggers and butterfly knives are among the items on this order.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether customers are required to produce identification before purchasing firearms or knives. [HL3907]

Anybody purchasing a firearm or shotgun covered by Sections 1 or 2 of the Firearms Act 1968 must produce a valid certificate which entitles them to purchase the gun being sold. These certificates contain a stamped photograph of the holder. Air weapons can only be sold by way of trade or business through a registered firearms dealer who must record the name and address of the purchaser in a register of transactions.

The Government made it an offence to sell knives to people under the age of 18 in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. If sellers are in any doubt about a person's age, they can request proof of age documents including passports, photo driving licences, or accredited proof of age cards.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What safeguards exist to regulate the sale of knives or firearms by mail order. [HL3908]

The Government made it an offence to sell knives to people under the age of 18 in the Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006. A mail order company selling knives over the internet would be committing an offence if it did not take proper steps to ensure that it was not selling these weapons to under-18 year-olds as with any other retail outlet. The Knives Act 1997 created an offence of marketing a knife in a way which suggested it was suitable for combat, or is otherwise likely to stimulate the violent use of a knife. This applies to mail order companies as to other retail outlets.

In the case of firearms, when a person applies for an authority to possess a firearm the police conduct detailed background checks to ensure that he is fit to possess a firearm and is suitable to have it in his possession without a danger to public safety or to the peace. While firearms may be bought via mail order, only those holding the appropriate certificates from the police or Secretary of State would be able to purchase firearms legally.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether people convicted of carrying a knife are banned from carrying in public a knife of any length or articles with a blade or point. [HL3910]

It is an offence to carry a knife or bladed article in public without good reason or lawful authority. However, folding penknives with blades of not more than three inches are currently not included in this definition. We keep this legislation under constant review.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

When they expect to publish their Green Paper on policing. [HL3752]

The policing Green Paper will be published shortly.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What will be the main areas to be covered in their forthcoming Green Paper on policing. [HL3753]

The policing Green Paper will set out this Government's vision for policing. It will provide a substantive response to Sir Ronnie Flanagan's independent review of policing and will set out proposals for further improvements in four broad areas:

making best use of resources and capacity;

effective leadership and governance;

clear, effective performance machinery; and

clarity and co-operation over competing demands.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many police stations have been closed or scheduled to close since the establishment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland. [HL3777]

The chief constable has provided the following Answer:

Twenty-nine police stations have closed since the establishment of the PSNI on 4 November 2001. Stations that are scheduled to close will be subject to the PSNI estate strategy, which is currently being considered by the Northern Ireland Police Board.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the proposed commencement date of the new police training college at Loughry, Cookstown, County Tyrone. [HL3779]

The proposed commencement date of the new joint police, fire and prisons training college is summer 2012.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the number of reserve officers presently serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland; and how this compares with the numbers in 2005, 2006 and 2007 respectively. [HL3780]

The chief constable has provided the following Answer:

The number of reserve officers presently serving in the Police Service of Northern Ireland is 659. This compares to 1,237 in 2005, 985 in 2006 and 704 in 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What have been the latest developments regarding the proposed closure of post offices in Northern Ireland. [HL3801]

The local consultation period for Northern Ireland started on 1 April and closed on 12 May. Post Office Ltd announced its final decisions on 3 June.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 2 June (WA 6), who takes the decision that a Question should not be answered in the Official Report; on what basis; and when this policy first arose. [HL3958]

Ministers take full responsibility for answering Questions. We answer for issues for which the Government are responsible. I am satisfied that the Answer was sufficient to give the noble Lord the information he was seeking.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the most recent guidance that has been issued to civil servants by the Home Office on the drafting of Answers to Questions for Written Answer in the House of Lords. [HL3549]

Cabinet Office guidance for civil servants on drafting Answers to Parliamentary Questions was published in February 2005. A copy of the guidance is in the Library of the House. It can also be found on the Cabinet Office website at: www.cabinet office.gov.uk/propriety_and_ethics/civil_service/pq_ guidance.aspx.

A note and guidance on timeliness and the quality of answers to Parliamentary Questions was circulated to all members of the Home Office's Senior Civil Service on 10 March 2008.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What is the most recent guidance that has been issued to civil servants by the Department for Work and Pensions on the drafting of Answers to Questions for Written Answer in the House of Lords. [HL3649]

I have deposited a copy of the most recent guidance available to the department's staff in the Libraries of both Houses.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 3 June (WA 48), how the business case for further electrification takes account of the United Kingdom's dependence on oil as the major tractive force in the transport system. [HL3982]

The Department for Transport will take into account a range of scenarios to reflect uncertainties about longer-term oil supply and demand when analysing the business case for further electrification. This will include considering the impact of sustained high oil prices.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 3 June (WA 48), what is the anticipated cost of operating the InterCity Express train in an all-electric formation compared with a bi-mode (electric and diesel) version. [HL3980]

The operating cost of InterCity Express programme (IEP) trains is subject to tenders from the market which are set to be submitted at the end of June. An all-electric IEP train is expected to have marginally lower operating costs than the bi-mode version under electric power. The bi-mode train can clearly operate to destinations off-wire or on diversionary routes.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 3 June (WA 48), whether they have assessed the possibility of providing an all-electric InterCity Express train with an automatic coupling device so that it may be hauled by a diesel locomotive beyond the periphery of the electrified network. [HL3981]

The invitation to tender for InterCity Express programme (IEP) does not preclude this option. It is for the market to propose a solution that best meets the IEP specification. We will be able to verify these proposals when we have received bids from the market later this month.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What action they are taking to raise bilaterally and in appropriate multilateral international fora the safety and religious freedom of apostates from Islam to Christianity. [HL3895]

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) takes every opportunity to urge states to implement laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect. FCO officials often make representations on behalf of people whose rights to profess their religion of choice are violated. We have recently made representations, bilaterally and with EU partners, to Governments in Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan and Egypt.

The UK, in conjunction with the EU, successfully argued for the inclusion of the right to change or renounce one's religion or belief in the UN Resolution on the Elimination of all Forms of Intolerance and Discrimination Based on Religion or Belief at the 6th session of the UN Human Rights Council in December 2007.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

How many school nurses were employed in secondary schools in England and Wales in each of the past 10 years; and what proportion of secondary schools employed one or more school nurses in each of the past 10 years. [HL3923]

This information is not held centrally.

Such information as is available is shown in the following table and shows the number of school nurses employed by each primary care trust (PCT) in England from 2004-07. School nurses were identified for the first time in the 2004 annual workforce census.

School nurses are generally employed by PCTs although some school nurses will be directly employed by both state and independent schools. The National Health Service workforce census does not capture these. A number of qualified school nurses will also work coterminously across PCT boundaries but be directly employed by one single PCT.

Notes:

(1) More accurate validation processes in 2006 have resulted in the identification and removal of 9,858 duplicate non-medical staff records out of the total workforce figure of 1.3 million in 2006. Earlier years' figures could not be accurately validated in this way and so will be slightly inflated. The level of inflation in earlier years' figures is estimated to be less than 1 per cent of total across all non-medical staff groups for headcount figures (and negligible for full-time equivalents). This should be taken into consideration when analysing trends over time.

Source: The Information Centre for health and social care, Non-Medical Workforce Census, general and personal medical services statistics.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What comparisons they have made between the market share of supermarkets in other large European Union countries and the 75 per cent market share of the main four supermarkets in the United Kingdom; and what figures they have received from those countries. [HL3484]

The Competition Commission in the course of its recent investigation into the UK grocery market undertook research of this nature. The Competition Commission made use of a variety of industry publications and data sources. These included publications by market research organisations such as IGD and Verdict, and survey data collected by Taylor Nelson Sofres plc (TNS) and the Office for National Statistics (ONS). The Competition Commission also undertook separate surveys of suppliers to grocery retailers, local planning authorities (LPAs) and the retail offer of grocery stores in 44 locations across the UK. The results can be found in the Competition Commission's final report at: www.competition commission.gov.uk/rep_pub/reports/2008/538grocery .htm.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will publish the calculation underlying the Statement of the Minister of State for Public Health, Dawn Primarolo, to the British Medical Association on 14 March that the higher taxes on alcohol in this year's Budget will save 3,250 lives by March 2013 if fed through to prices. [HL3493]

The calculation underlying this Statement is in the form of a paper, which has been placed in the Library.

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What was the budgeted and actual expenditure of the United Nations Office of Internal Oversight Services in each of the calendar years 2005, 2006 and 2007; and how many people that office employed at the end of each of those years. [HL3930]

The UN regular budget is a biennial budget in support of core UN Secretariat functions. The regular budget allocations for oversight services for the 2004-05 and 2006-07 biennial are shown in the table below:

There are also additional oversight-related posts and activities funded from extra-budgetary sources throughout the UN system, including within UN funds and programmes, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, the international criminal tribunals and UN peacekeeping operations.