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Police Complaints Authority Appointments
Baroness Nicol asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will make further appointments to the Police Complaints Authority.[HL3617]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My honourable friend the Minister of State for the Home Office (Mr Clarke) has invited Mr Duncan Gear, Mrs Anne Boustred and Mrs Alison McDougall to serve as members of the Police Complaints Authority. Mr Gear took up his appointment on 1 June and Mrs Boustred on 5 June.
Mrs McDougall will take up her appointment on 18 September. All appointments are for a three-year period initially.Mr Gear was previously a Senior Inspector with the Magistrates' Courts Service Inspectorate; Mrs Bousted joins the authority after serving as principal advocate in the Legal Services Directorate of Essex County Council; and Mrs McDougall was previously the deputy head of Equity Research, Europe for Lehman Brothers.
Kosovo: Police Manpower
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What are the planned and current levels of police manpower in Kosovo under the authority of United Nations Mission in Kosovo (a) in the International Police Force and (b) in the locally recruited police.[HL3465]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): The United Nations International Police in Kosovo has an authorised force level of 3,593 regular police officers and 1,125 special police officers. We have been informed by the United Nations Secretariat that there are currently 3,215 regular police and 707 special police deployed in theatre.
The OSCE-run police school in Kosovo has an authorised personnel level of 211 international police trainers. At present there are 164 trainers in theatre. The school has to date recruited and trained 1,381 local cadets for the Kosovo police service: the target is to recruit and train 4,000 cadets by May 2001.
Entry Clearance Study
Lord Peston asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they intend to publish the report of the 1998 Joint (Foreign and Commonwealth Office/Home Office) Study on entry clearance.[HL3557]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The joint study report on entry clearance has been placed in the Libraries of both Houses. The study was conducted between January and April 1998 by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Home Office, Cabinet Office and Treasury. Its conclusions led to the establishment of the new Joint Entry Clearance Unit (JECU) as part of the Government's wider commitment to providing a "fairer, faster and firmer" entry clearance process. The study report may be of interest to noble Lords in the context of the memorandum of understanding agreed between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Home Office, which was placed in the Libraries on 7 June.
Hong Kong and the Sino-British Joint Declaration
Lord Peston asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will publish the next report to Parliament on Hong Kong and the Sino-British Joint Declaration.[HL3558]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: The seventh report in this series, covering the period January to June 2000, was published today and copies have been placed in the Libraries of the House. A copy of the report is also available on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website (www.fco.gov.uk). The report includes a foreword by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary. I commend the report to the House.
Diplomatic Missions and the NationalNon-domestic Rate
Baroness Massey of Darwen asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will list the names of the diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom which have outstanding balances of over £10,000 as at 4 April in respect of national non-domestic rates.[HL3566]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Most diplomatic missions and international organisations in the United Kingdom meet their obligations and pay the national non-domestic rates requested from them. However, at 4 April 2000 the following missions owed over £10,000 in respect of national non-Domestic rates (NNDR):
| Amount | |
| Country | £ |
| Algeria | 37,025.01 |
| Angola | 19,855.30 |
| Cameroon | 23,849.51 |
| Iran | 84,348.90 |
| Jordan | 30,674.95 |
| Senegal | 10,927.33 |
| Yemen | 29,903.16 |
| Total | 236,584.16 |
Seven additional diplomatic missions who owe £10,000 or more in respect of national non-domestic rates and who have made arrangements with the Valuation Office Agency to clear outstanding debts or who are awaiting instructions from their governments have not been included in this list. The total amount outstanding from all missions, including these exceptions, is £1,074,469.
Baroness Walmsley asked Her Majesty's Government:
How much of the £3 million budget for the best practice research scholarships programme for
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- teachers has been allocated; and how much was applied for:
(a) by individuals; and
(b) by organisations.[HL3538]
The Minister of State, Department for Education and Employment (Baroness Blackstone): The department received applications for best practice research scholarships from 120 groups representing 913 individual teachers and a further 475 applications from individuals not associated with a group bid. All of the £3 million allocated will be distributed to successful candidates. However, we are not yet able to announce the final distribution, nor what percentage of group or individual bids have been successful. The department will write to the noble Baroness as soon as possible.
Baroness Darcy de Knayth asked Her Majesty's Government:
Baroness Blackstone: The Government have no plans to change Section 324 of the Education Act 1996, which requires the special educational provision in a statement of special educational needs to be specified. Neither the 1996 Act nor the Education (Special Educational Needs) Regulations 1994 require provision to be quantified. We are consulting on a proposal to change the wording of the code of practice on the identification and assessment of special educational needs and the Education (Special Educational Needs) Regulations 1994 to simplify the language used. Under our proposals it would still be appropriate for local education authorities to set out provision in quantified terms in cases where it is necessary, but not so in others. We will consider carefully all of the responses to consultation on this and other issues.
Baroness Darcy de Knayth asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the proposal in the new draft code of practice on the assessment of children with special educational needs to replace the word "specify" with the words "set out" in both the Special Educational Needs Regulations and the code is intended to change the current legal position whereby special educational provision specified in a statement should normally be quantified (as per the advice in paragraph 4:28 of the existing code and the judgment in L v. Clarke and Somerset County Council 1998). [HL3526]
Whether they propose to amend Section 324(3)(b) of the Education Act 1996 to remove local education authorities duty to "specify" special education provision in a statement and replace it with the duty to "set out" special educational provision in order to bring the Act in line with the proposed new regulations. [HL3527]
26 Jul 2000 : Column WA58
Baroness Blackstone: The Government are not currently proposing changes to Section 324 of the Education Act 1996.
Baroness Darcy de Knayth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will provide the text of the legal advice on which the Department for Education and Employment is basing its opinion that there is no difference in meaning between the word "specify", as this is used in the schedule (Part B) to the Education (Special Educational Needs) Regulations 1994 and the words "set out", which they propose as a replacement for "specifying" in the amended regulations [HL3528]
Baroness Blackstone: No, we do not feel it would be appropriate to publish advice.
Baroness Darcy de Knayth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether they will provide the list of voluntary organisations and parents' groups who have been sent the consultation draft of the new code of practice on special educational needs. [HL3529]
Baroness Blackstone: The initial list of voluntary organisations, parent groups and organisations with a special interest in special educational needs who have received the draft copy of the revised SEN code of practice is shown in the following list. The noble Baroness should be aware that there will be others who will have requested copies from our publications centre. Parent groups Parents Initiative Parent Network Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) Campaign for Real Education (CRE) Campaign for the Advancement of State Education (CASE) The National Association for Able Children in Education (NACE) The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) The Support Society for Children of High Intelligence (CHI) European Council for High Ability (ECHA) The Institute of High Ability National Confederation for Parent Teachers Association (NCPTA) Parentline Parents for Inclusion Alliance of Parents and Schools Education Forum Home and School Council
Special education and related groups National Society for Epilepsy National Association for Mental Health (MIND) Mental Health Foundation Royal Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and Adults (MENCAP) SCOPE Royal Association for Disability and Rehabilitation (RADAR) National Society for Mentally Handicapped People in Residential Care Royal Association in Aid of the Deaf National Deaf Children's Society British Deaf Association National Deafblind and Rubella Association (SENSE) NSC of Hospital Teachers British Association of Teachers of the Deaf Royal National Institute for the Deaf Association for all Speech Impaired Children (AFASIC) College of Speech Therapists Association for Professional Music Therapists in Great Britain Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) Opsis College of Teachers of the Blind British Dyslexia Association Dyslexia Institute Dyspraxia Foundation National Autistic Society Association of Workers with Children with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties Association for Education Welfare Management (AEWM) Association of Educational Psychologists British Psychological Society National Association for the Education of Sick Children National Standing Conference of Hospital Teachers Northern Association of Hospital Managers London Association of Hospital and Home Teachers British Diabetic Association. LEA Special Educational Needs Support Service Teams Special Educational Needs Tribunal Special Educational Needs Interest Group Association of Independent Residential Special Schools National Association for Special Educational Needs (NASEN) National Association of Advisory Officers for Special Educational Needs Special Education Needs Advisory Council (SENNAC) Council for Disabled Children Alliance for Inclusive Education IPSEA
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