NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAY
Items marked † are new or have been altered.
MONDAY 8TH DECEMBER
At half-past two o’clock
*The Lord Dubs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of road humps and other traffic-calming measures.
*The Lord Barnett—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy in relation to the European Union’s indirect tax harmonisation proposals.
*The Lord Taverne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will empower the Press Complaints Commission to impose heavy fines on newspapers which publish inaccurate stories and refuse to publish prompt and prominent corrections.
†*The Lord Selsdon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the House, on 26th November 2003, were elected peers and how many were appointed peers.
Business of the House—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the time limit on the debate on the motion in the name of the Baroness Greenfield set down for Tuesday 9th December shall be increased from 2½ hours to 3 hours.
†[The Chairman of Committees intends to move the following two motions en bloc: but if any Lord objects the motions must be moved separately to the extent desired.]
†European Union—The Chairman of Committees to move, That a Select Committee be appointed to consider European Union documents and other matters relating to the European Union.
That the expression “European Union documents” shall include the following documents:
(i) Any proposal under the Community Treaties for legislation by the Council or the Council acting jointly with the European Parliament;
(ii) Any document which is published for submission to the European Council, the Council or the European Central Bank;
(iii) Any proposal for a common strategy, a joint action or a common position under Title V (provisions on a common foreign and security policy) of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council or to the European Council;
(iv) Any proposal for a common position, framework decision, decision or a convention under Title VI (provisions on police and judicial co-operation in criminal matters) of the Treaty on European Union which is prepared for submission to the Council;
(v) Any document (not falling within (ii), (iii) or (iv) above) which is published by one Union institution for or with a view to submission to another Union institution and which does not relate exclusively to consideration of any proposal for legislation;
(vi) Any other document relating to European Union matters deposited in the House by a Minister of the Crown.
That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be named of the Committee:
B. Billingham
L. Bowness
L. Brennan
L. Dubs
L. Geddes
L. Grenfell (Chairman)
L. Hannay of Chiswick
B. Harris of Richmond
B. Maddock |
L. Marlesford
L. Neill of Bladen
B. Park of Monmouth
L. Radice
L. Renton of Mount Harry
L. Scott of Foscote
L. Shutt of Greetland
L. Williamson of Horton
L. Woolmer of Leeds; |
That the Committee have power to appoint sub-committees and to refer to such sub-committees any of the matters within the terms of reference of the Committee; that the Committee have power to appoint the Chairmen of sub-committees, but that such sub-committees have power to appoint their own Chairman for the purpose of particular inquiries; that two be the quorum of such sub-committees;
That the Committee have power to co-opt any Lord for the purpose of serving on a sub-committee;
That the Committee have power to appoint specialist advisers;
That the Committee and any sub-committee have power to adjourn from place to place;
That the Committee have leave to report from time to time;
That the Reports of the Select Committee from time to time shall be printed, notwithstanding any adjournment of the House;
That the minutes of evidence taken before the European Union Committee or any sub-committee in the last session of Parliament be referred to the Committee;
That the minutes of evidence taken before the Committee from time to time shall, if the Committee think fit, be printed.
†Statutory Instruments—The Chairman of Committees to move, pursuant to Standing Order 74 and the resolution of the House of 16th December 1997, That, as proposed by the Committee of Selection, the following Lords be appointed to join with a Committee of the Commons as the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments:
L. Brougham and Vaux
B. Gale
L. Greenway
L. Lea of Crondall |
L. Mancroft
E. Russell
L. Skelmersdale. |
The Lord President (Baroness Amos)—To move to resolve, That it is the opinion of this House that, subject to the requirements of business, the House should rise for the summer recess not later than Thursday 22nd July 2004, should sit during two weeks in September 2004, and should sit again no sooner than Monday 11th October 2004.
The Lord Woolmer of Leeds—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union on “Open Skies” or Open Markets? The Effect of the European Court of Justice (ECJ) Judgments on Aviation Relations Between the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) (17th Report, Session 2002-03, HL Paper 92).
The Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Fighting Infection (4th Report, Session 2002-03, HL Paper 138).
TUESDAY 9TH DECEMBER
*The Baroness Boothroyd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to strengthen the charging regulations for overseas tourists who unlawfully obtain free medical treatment from the National Health Service; and who is involved in the consultation on this issue.
*The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will introduce a strategy to tackle alcohol-related problems.
*The Lord Hoyle—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what have been the savings to the National Health Service arising from the inquiry by the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service into fraud related to the supply of imitation gold fillings in dentistry.
*The Lord Corbett of Castle Vale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether representations have been made by Rehab UK on the rehabilitation and training of people with brain injuries to assist them back to work; and, if so, what was their response.
The Baroness Greenfield—To call attention to mechanisms to improve communication between scientists and politicians with a view to better public understanding of scientific policies; and to move for papers. (2½-hour debate)
†Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 (Amendment of section 46(1) and paragraph 7(2) of Schedule 8) Order 2003—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 27th November be approved.
Northern Ireland Act 1998 (Modification) Order 2003—The Lord President (Baroness Amos) to move, That the Order laid before the House on 27th November be approved.
Public Audit (Wales) Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Evans of Temple Guiting]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Evans of Temple Guiting to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
Media Ownership (Local Radio and Appointed News Provider) Order 2003—The Lord McIntosh of Haringey to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 13th November be approved. [32nd Report, Session 2002-03, from the Joint Committee]
Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2003—The Lord Whitty to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 1st December be approved. [First Report from the Joint Committee]
WEDNESDAY 10TH DECEMBER
*The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the priorities of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for human rights in 2004.
*The Lord Steel of Aikwood—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the introduction of new constituency boundaries in Scotland for the election of Westminster Members of Parliament, they will consider the introduction of the Single Transferable Vote in multi-member seats for elections to the Scottish Parliament.
*The Lord Renton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, given that much of the legislation dealing with criminal justice has recently been amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, whether they will take steps as soon as possible to consolidate that Act and those statutes which were subject to amendment.
The Lord Forsyth of Drumlean—To call attention to the European Union Constitution; and to move for papers.
†Extradition Act 2003 (Police Powers: Code of Practice) Order 2003—The Lord Bassam of Brighton to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 3rd December be approved.
†Extradition Act 2003 (Part 3 Designation) Order 2003—The Lord Bassam of Brighton to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 3rd December be approved.
†Extradition Act 2003 (Designation of Part 2 Territories) Order 2003—The Lord Bassam of Brighton to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 3rd December be approved.
†Extradition Act 2003 (Designation of Part 1 Territories) Order 2003—The Lord Bassam of Brighton to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 3rd December be approved.
THURSDAY 11TH DECEMBER
[At eleven o’clock]
Energy Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Whitty]
†In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Whitty to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
†[At two o’clock
Judgments]
At three o’clock
*The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy towards the current situation in Burma (Myanmar) with regard to the State Peace and Development Council’s policy towards opposition and ethnic national groups.
*The Lord Carter—To ask the Chairman of Committees when new arrangements for Thursday sittings will start.
*The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take action to translate the Geneva Accord and the Ayalon-Nusseiba agreement into just and permanent peace arrangements for the Middle East.
[It is expected that the Second Reading of the Energy Bill will continue]
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what developments there have been since they announced in August an ex gratia payment scheme for people infected with hepatitis C by contaminated National Health Service blood products.
MONDAY 15TH DECEMBER
*The Lord Bishop of Rochester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are able to use non-governmental organisations in the delivery of aid to the needy in Zimbabwe.
*The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve the usage of English grammar and punctuation.
*The Lord McNally—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they intend to encourage the widest participation by the public in their consultation exercise relating to the review of the BBC Charter.
*The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are concerned about the increased growing of heroin poppies in Afghanistan and what steps they are taking to prevent the import of heroin from Afghanistan to the United Kingdom.
Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Baroness Scotland of Asthal]
The Lord Jopling—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on A Fractured Partnership? Relations Between the European Union and the United States of America (30th Report, HL Paper 134).
TUESDAY 16TH DECEMBER
*The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have considered the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s report on disabled children entitled It doesn’t happen to disabled children: child protection and disabled children.
†*The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management will examine the possibility of establishing a deep geological depository for high level waste.
†*The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what further consideration they are giving to the problems and needs of veterans of the 1991 Gulf Conflict with still undiagnosed illnesses.
†*The Baroness Trumpington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, during recent state visits, there has been an increase in crime.
†Justice (Northern Ireland) Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord President (Baroness Amos)]
Export of Goods, Transfer of Technology and Provision of Technical Assistance (Control) Order 2003—The Baroness Miller of Hendon to move, That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the Order, laid before the House on 31st October, be annulled (S.I. 2003/2764).
The Viscount Astor—To move, That this House regrets Her Majesty’s Government’s decision to proceed with the Horse Passports (England) Order 2003.
The Lord McIntosh of Haringey—To move, That this House takes note with approval of Her Majesty’s Government’s assessment as set out in the Pre-Budget Report 2003 for the purposes of section 5 of the European Communities (Amendment) Act 1993.
WEDNESDAY 17TH DECEMBER
†*The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their policies towards the deaths and injuries of both civilian and military Iraqi citizens and the welfare of their dependants during and since the 2003 war in Iraq.
†*The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in view of the expected accession of ten countries to the European Union, what opportunities they see in establishing, in conjunction with the European Commission, common embassies with other member states in countries which are not members of the European Union.
†*The Lord Renton of Mount Harry—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they remain confident of the validity of their key performance targets.
†The Earl of Caithness—To call attention to the opportunities to the United Kingdom that a comprehensive maritime policy would bring; and to move for papers. [Balloted debate]
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To call attention to the trends in the number of road deaths and casualties; and to move for papers. [Balloted debate]
European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the Republic of Lebanon) Order 2003—The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 4th November be approved. [31st Report, Session 2002-03, from the Joint Committee]
European Communities (Definition of Treaties) (Euro-Mediterranean Agreement establishing an Association between the European Communities and their Member States and the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria) Order 2003—The Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 4th November be approved. [31st Report, Session 2002-03, from the Joint Committee]
Fishery Limits (United Kingdom) Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lady Saltoun of Abernethy]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lady Saltoun of Abernethy to move, That the bill be committed to a Committee of the Whole House.
THURSDAY 18TH DECEMBER
†[At eleven o’clock]
Gender Recognition Bill [HL]—Second Reading [The Lord Filkin]
In the event of the bill being read a second time, the Lord Filkin to move, That the bill be committed to a Grand Committee.
Local Government Best Value (Exemption) (England) Order 2003—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 17th November be approved. [First Report from the Joint Committee]
Conduct of Employment Agencies and Employment Businesses Regulations 2003—The Lord Sainsbury of Turville to move, That the draft Regulations laid before the House on 3rd December be approved.
MONDAY 12TH JANUARY
The Rt Hon Dame Brenda Hale DBE
will be introduced as a Lord of Appeal in Ordinary.
NO DAY NAMED
PART I
The Lord Thomas of Gresford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they accept the legitimacy of pre-emptive armed attack as a constituent of the inherent right of individual or collective self-defence under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter; and, if so, whether they will define the principles upon which it will be exercised.
The Lord Hooson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will explore the potential of harnessing tidal power to produce electricity; and in particular whether they will set up a full study of the feasibility and cost of harnessing the tides in the Severn estuary.
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the Government’s progress in fulfilling their commitment to be “tough on the causes of crime”; and to move for papers.
The Lord Fowler—To call attention to the role of the Global Fund in combating the world-wide spread of HIV/AIDS; and to move for papers.
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they expect NATO to help the people of Afghanistan to defeat terrorism and improve security within the terms of the Bonn Agreement and of the revised United Nations mandate.
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on recent developments in Sudan.
The Lord Howe of Aberavon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in light of the Prime Minister’s initiative to attract more overseas students to the United Kingdom, whether they plan to make entry and visa arrangements for such students more user-friendly.
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the independence and accountability of H M Inspectorate of Prisons are not compromised.
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will establish an independent inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Joseph Scholes at Stoke Heath Prison.
The Baroness Walmsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what provisions are being made to improve cross-border vetting arrangements to prevent persons unsuitable to work with children from gaining employment with children in the United Kingdom and across the European Union.
The Lord Gray of Contin—To move, That this House takes note of the Energy White Paper, published in February 2003, entitled Our Energy Future—Creating a Low Carbon Economy.
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they will respond to the recent report by the Theatres’ Trust entitled Act Now: Modernising London’s West End Theatres.
The Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the European Union is developing its policy towards Moldova, Ukraine and Belarus.
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to improve relations with Taiwan.
The Lord Lloyd-Webber—To call attention to the place of music in education; and to move for papers.
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether direct taxation has been ceded to the European Union under the existing European treaties.
The Lord Rea—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the total costs to date in economic and human terms of the recent conflict in Iraq and the likely future costs of the occupation, reconstruction and rehabilitation of Iraq.
The Baroness Hooper—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to make changes in the Overseas Territories following the meeting of the Overseas Territories Council 2003.
The Lord Moynihan—To call attention to the case for a new Government policy for sport and recreation; and to move for papers.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to recommend the greater use of Special Public Bill Committees in the House of Lords.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for improving contact and understanding between the two Houses of Parliament; and to move for papers.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the method of determining members’ allowances in local authorities.
†The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the case for more public recognition of, and support for, the role of parents in the care and education of the nation’s children; and to move for papers.
PART II
MOTIONS FOR BALLOTED DEBATE
[Ballot on 10th December for debate on 7th January]
The Baroness Hooper—To call attention to recent developments in Latin America; and to move for papers.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for putting in place effective mechanisms to prevent fraud on the European Union budget; and to move for papers.
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To call attention to the eugenic provisions in statute that permit conditions such as cleft palate and cleft lip to be regarded as “serious handicaps” for the purposes of terminating the lives of the unborn after 24 weeks gestation; and to move for papers.
The Lord Lea of Crondall—To call attention to the Report prepared for the All Party Parliamentary Group on Railways by Professor Phil Goodwin, What Future for Rail?; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff—To call attention to the arrangements for cancer registration in England and their role in support of the National Health Service Cancer Plan; and to move for papers.
†The Lord Sheldon—To call attention to the state of the Civil Service; and to move for papers.
†The Lord Harrison—To call attention to the Public Library Service of the United Kingdom and the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s publication, A Framework for the future; and to move for papers.
†The Lord Blaker—To call attention to the situation in Zimbabwe; and to move for papers.
PART III
SELECT COMMITTEE REPORTS
[The date in brackets is that on which the Report was published]
The Baroness Prashar—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Joint Committee on Human Rights on The Case for a Human Rights Commission (6th Report, HL Paper 67). [19th March, Session 2002-03]
The Viscount Colville of Culross—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Religious Offences Committee on Religious Offences in England and Wales (HL Paper 95). [10th June, Session 2002-03]
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the Report from the Select Committee on the European Union, EU—Effective in a crisis? (7th Report, HL Paper 53), they are content with the current capability of the civilian aspects of the European Security and Defence Policy. [5th March, Session 2002-03]
The Baroness Harris of Richmond—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Report from the Select Committee on the European Union, Proposals for a European Border Guard (29th Report, HL Paper 133), what legal controls and parliamentary oversight they believe should apply to new European Union structures for co-ordinating border management and to joint operations between the Member States. [10th July, Session 2002-03]
The Lord Patel—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Science and Technology Committee on Science and the RDAs: SETting the regional agenda (5th Report, HL Paper 140). [16th July, Session 2002-03]
The Lord Slynn of Hadley—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the Joint Committee on the Draft Corruption Bill (HL Paper 157). [31st July, Session 2002-03]
The Lord Radice—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Is the European Central Bank Working? (42nd Report, HL Paper 170). [30th October, Session 2002-03]
The Lord Scott of Foscote—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Report from the Select Committee on the European Union, If At First You Don’t Succeed...Takeover Bids Again (28th Report, HL Paper 128), whether they regard the proposed European Union Takeovers Directive as being, on balance, in the interests of the United Kingdom; and, if not, what changes they regard as necessary or desirable to the terms of the proposed Directive. [Session 2002-03]
The Lord Grenfell—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee: Annual Report from the Committee (44th Report, HL Paper 191). [27th November]
The Lord Woolmer of Leeds—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on Towards a Single Market for Finance: The Financial Services Action Plan (45th Report, HL Paper 192). [2nd December]
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled on 4th December]
The Baroness Hilton of Eggardon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made on the Quinquennial Review of the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art. (HL248)
The Lord Northbourne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, and if so to what extent, girls are performing better in maintained schools than boys; and whether, if this is the case, there are significant variations in this respect between ethnic groups. (HL249)
The Lord Chan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the Commission for Health Audit and Inspection will continue the review of ethnic diversity currently undertaken by the Commission for Health Improvement in their corporate reviews of National Health Service Trusts. (HL250)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have about the identification of civilians killed or injured in the recent Samarra engagement by coalition forces in Iraq. (HL251)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of the population in (a) Baghdad; (b) Basra; and (c) the rest of Iraq currently have access to sewage systems which are fully functioning; and what proportion are using sewage systems in which sewage is not being treated. (HL252)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial and personnel resources have so far been expended; what resources have been pledged; and what resources they estimate will be needed to provide sound arrangements for administration of justice in Afghanistan. (HL253)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what financial and personnel resources have so far been expended; what resources have been pledged; and what resources they estimate will be needed to provide sound arrangements for administration of justice in Iraq. (HL254)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the latest estimate of (a) total military expenditure by the coalition for the war and subsequent military activity in Iraq; and (b) the financial value of resources provided for relief, rehabilitation and reconstruction in Iraq. (HL255)
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the specific proposals for the role of the United Nations in the evolution of political institutions in Iraq. (HL256)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to prevent law enforcement officers and other public servants from holding membership of known racist organisations and organisations proscribed by law. (HL257)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any organisation proscribed by law or any known racist organisation has been investigated and found to be in breach of the Race Relations Act 1976 or the Human Rights Act 1998. (HL258)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the recent Russian Memorandum for the resolution of constitutional and other issues in the Republic of Moldova. (HL259)
The Lord Bowness—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps remain to be taken, and when, to implement the assurances previously given, that citizens of states due to accede to the European Union on 1st May 2003 are able from that date, if they so wish, to enter the United Kingdom and take up employment. (HL260)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in light of the recent study by the Open University and Staffordshire University, they believe that, of the 524 secondary schools surveyed, 1.7 per cent of budgets spent on Information Communication Technology compared with 0.8 per cent spent on books represents an appropriate balance. (HL261)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what educational research they have conducted into the relationship between pupil achievement and computer use. (HL262)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what, for the most recent financial year for which figures are available, was the annual budget for information technology in schools as compared with the budget for more traditional learning resources, such as books. (HL263)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what lessons have been learnt from the roll-out of the tax credits information technology system for the forthcoming procurement of the Inland Revenue’s £4 billion Aspire service provision deal. (HL264)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Turkish Cypriots are employed in each of the two United Kingdom Sovereign bases on the island of Cyprus; and whether their employment will be influenced if only the Greek Cypriot southern sector of Cyprus becomes a member of the European Union. (HL265)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the effect on the employment of Turkish Cypriots in the two United Kingdom Sovereign bases in Cyprus if the northern Turkish Cypriot sector of Cyprus does not join with the southern Greek sector of Cyprus in membership of the European Union in 2004. (HL266)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what political advice has been given to Turkish Cypriots in Beyarmudus by Colonel Grosswith, Commander of the United Kingdom Sovereign base in Dhekelia in Cyprus; whether the advice on voting was given by the United Kingdom High Commission in Cyprus; and whether the Army approve of involvement in the election process. (HL267)
The Lord Kilclooney—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why mobile gear fishing has been banned in Strangford Lough; what consultation was held with interested parties prior to the ban; and when the report on the Horse Mussel Community in Strangford Lough will be made available. (HL268)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what activities of the Cross Border Bodies require the preparation of a business case. (HL269)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 358), whether the answer confirms that the Language Implementation Body’s Budget for 2003 was set by a department of the Eire government and notified to the appropriate department in the United Kingdom. (HL270)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long Cross Border Implementation Bodies can continue without the existence of a Northern Ireland Executive. (HL271)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Eire government announced the 2004 budget allocations for the Cross Border Language Implementation Body unilaterally in November; and why the proper procedure was not used. (HL272)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the review of the Belfast Agreement announced by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, whether the cost effectiveness and impartiality of the North South Ministerial Secretariat in Armagh over the last two years will be scrutinised. (HL273)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 2nd April (WA 132), on what basis the budgets for the Cross Border Bodies for 2003 were set. (HL274)
The Lord Carter—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage broadcasters to make their services more accessible to blind and partially sighted people. (HL275)
The Lord Soulsby of Swaffham Prior—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage the development, validation and use of replacement alternatives for the in vivo potency testing in the United Kingdom of batches of botulism toxin for use for clinical and cosmetic purposes. (HL276)
The Duke of Montrose—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to issue their draft plan for the implementation of the European Union carbon emissions trading arrangements. (HL277)
The Duke of Montrose—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the proposal for the licensing of carbon emissions would begin with actual historic levels or would be calculated on the basis of actual historic levels. (HL278)
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER AWAITING ANSWER
4th DECEMBER 2003
[Tabled on the dates shown]
[The Government Department responsible for
answering each Question is shown in brackets]
26th November
The Baroness Uddin—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the Bosnian government for victims of rape during the civil war to be afforded “civilian war victim status”, which is currently reserved for those with physical disabilities, so as to secure limited financial support for such victims and their children. [FCO] (HL1)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask the Chairman of Committees what are the current rates for use of a motor vehicle and bicycle for Peers’ travel between their homes and the House of Lords and on business of the House. [CoC] (HL2)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask the Chairman of Committees what was the total amount of allowances claimed for use of car and bicycle by Peers during the last financial year; and how many Peers claimed for these two allowances. [CoC] (HL3)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask the Chairman of Committees whether Peers are able to reclaim payment of the London congestion charge as part of their travel expenses. [CoC] (HL4)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the maximum approved mileage rates for use of car and bicycle authorised by the Treasury; and whether use of higher rates attracts additional personal tax liabilities. [DEFRA] (HL5)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what basis the Health and Safety Commission classes the railways, along with gas conveyance, explosives, offshore and nuclear installations, as major hazardous industries; and why they do not include road transport in this category. [DWP] (HL6)
The Lord Hunt of Kings Heath—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made towards the statutory regulation of herbalists. [DoH] (HL8)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the number of individuals who would be affected if the proposed pension cap of £1.4million were implemented in 2003-04; and, assuming annual rates of inflation of 2.5 per cent and average earnings of 3.5 per cent, how many individuals would be affected in 2008-09; 2013-14; and 2018-19. [HMT] (HL9)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they agree with research conducted for Saga which showed that the proportion of people working past statutory retirement age will rise to 13 per cent by 2020. [DWP] (HL10)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the proposal to set up a European Mortgage Finance Agency to encourage long-term fixed rate mortgages; and whether they consider that such an agency should be backed by an implicit or explicit guarantee by the European Union. [HMT] (HL11)
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to announce a decision on the local plan for Salisbury. [ODPM] (HL12)
The Lord Jenkin of Roding—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support they are giving to the proposal by Cambridge University to build a primate research centre either in Cambridge or in a guarded military facility elsewhere. [DfES] (HL13)
The Baroness Ludford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why they are proposing in the Inter Governmental Conference on a European Union constitution that the scope of Union rules on data protection should not extend to justice and home affairs and common foreign and security policy matters. [FCO] (HL14)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is the case that proposals for the Olympic Games would result in some 350 businesses being displaced in the Stratford area; and, if so, what action they will take to alleviate the problem. [DCMS] (HL16)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what effect the Home Secretary’s statement that there was no limit to the number of immigrants in the country who could be assimilated would have on the sustainable communities plan; where additional housing capacity would be placed; and how many extra units they expect would have to be provided as a result. [HO] (HL17)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the feasibility of offshore tidal lagoons compares to the feasibility of other renewable energy sources such as wind turbines. [DTI] (HL19)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what support and encouragement they are giving to the research and development of offshore tidal lagoons. [DTI] (HL20)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they consider to be the main advantages and disadvantages of offshore tidal lagoons as sources of renewable energy. [DTI] (HL21)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what contribution they expect from tidal power in reaching their target of 10 per cent of electricity to be provided from renewable sources by the year 2010. [DTI] (HL22)
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what actual or contingent liabilities will remain for payment from public funds in connection with the Millennium Dome and its site after the commercial deal between Millennium Dome Limited, Anschutz Entertainment Group and the Government becomes unconditional, as expected by June 2004. [ODPM] (HL23)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in view of the 70th anniversary of the famine of 1932-33 in the Ukraine, whether they will consult the Ukrainian community in the United Kingdom about an appropriate form of commemoration. [FCO] (HL24)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what initiatives they have supported to build democracy and civil society in the Southern Caucasus. [FCO] (HL25)
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions they have held with the governments of Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan to encourage social and civil development. [DfID] (HL26)
The Lord Chadlington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 3rd September (WA 35), what work is being done inside prisons to help the 31 per cent of prisoners who were opiate users before conviction. [HO] (HL27)
The Lord Chadlington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 3rd September (WA 36), whether they intend to expand the High Intensity Training Programme to other young offenders institutions. [HO] (HL28)
The Lord Chadlington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 3rd September (WA 35), how discussions are progressing between the Home Office, the Department of Health and the National Treatment Agency on pilot projects to test aspects of the heroin prescribing guidance. [HO] (HL29)
The Lord Hoyle—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether there are plans to privatise the Iraqi oil industry. [FCO] (HL30)
The Lord Hoyle—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what powers the draft European Union constitution gives the European Union over British oil and gas reserves and the United Kingdom’s ability to license exploration, security of supply, and negotiations with third countries. [DTI] (HL31)
The Lord Taylor of Warwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to remedy the errors in the Inland Revenue’s accounting system, which led to an overpayment of tax credits of £2 billion in 2000-01. [HMT] (HL32)
The Lord Taylor of Warwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in order to ensure more effective regulation of gas prices, they will consider extending the remit of the Financial Services Authority to include regulatory enforcement for Spectron as well as for the International Petroleum Exchange. [HMT] (HL33)
The Lord Taylor of Warwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they will take to introduce independent regulation of accountancy firms. [DTI] (HL34)
The Lord Taylor of Warwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to monitor the activities of personal loan and debt consolidation companies, which are now being advertised on daytime television. [DTI] (HL35)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they have given toward achieving a United Nations convention on the rights of disabled people as recommended in Rehabilitation International’s Charter for the New Millennium. [DWP] (HL38)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have had from and on behalf of the Haemophilia Society regarding the ex gratia payments scheme to be introduced for people infected with hepatitis C by contaminated National Health Service blood products; what replies they have sent; and what further action they are taking. [DoH] (HL39)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will now publish in the Official Report the terms in which the then Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr Metters, advised the Ministry of Defence of his concerns, and those of the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control, about combining the anthrax and pertussis vaccines in immunising troops deploying to the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. [MoD] (HL40)
[As amended on 27th November]
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who was responsible for advising, and when and in what ways they advised, troops deploying to the first Gulf conflict of their rights in regard to accepting or rejecting vaccines used under the multiple immunisation programme adopted by the Ministry of Defence; when troops were advised that the pertussis vaccines were not licensed for administration to adults or for use as an adjuvant; and when they were told that the widely used Merieux pertussis vaccine was not licensed for use at all in the United Kingdom. [MoD] (HL41)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19th November (WA 323), why the Northern Ireland Department for Culture, Arts and Leisure officials Dr Edward Rooney and Mrs Patricia McAllister did not communicate the advice concerning the budget for the Ulster Scots Agency for 2003 to the Minister as directly requested by the Chairman of the Agency. [NIO] (HL42)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19th November (WA 329), whether the Northern Ireland Equality Commission is opposed to religious discrimination in all sectors of employment. [NIO] (HL43)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 17th November (WA 235) concerning the budget for 2003 for the Ulster Scots Agency, on the basis of what information, supplied by whom, the decision was taken not to change the original assessment of proportionality. [NIO] (HL46)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 13th November (WA 214) concerning visitors centres in prisons, whether they will publish the letter therein referred to in the Official Report. [HO] (HL48)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord McIntosh of Haringey on 14th November (WA 233) concerning the National Statistician, whether they will arrange for the publication in the Official Report of the letter referred to therein. [HMT] (HL49)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 19th November (WA 292) concerning H M Inspector of Prisons, whether they will arrange for the publication in the Official Report of the letter referred to therein. [HO] (HL51)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to commence section 53 (Attendance Targets) of the Education Act 2002. [DfES] (HL54)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to amalgamate the Inland Revenue with H M Customs and Excise. [HMT] (HL57)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether it is possible for life peers to renounce their titles and places in the House of Lords under current practice and legislation; and, if so, by what means. [DCA] (HL58)
The Lord Janner of Braunstone—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will take measures to ensure that non-smokers are protected from passive smoking in the workplace and in public places. [DTI] (HL59)
27th November
The Lord Chadlington—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what they are doing to prevent e-fraud, in light of the increasing number of people being tricked by fraudulent e-mails into divulging their bank details. [HO] (HL75)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9th October (WA 67), whether, and, if so, when the companies supplying the Ministry of Defence with pertussis vaccines for use in vaccinating British troops in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict were informed by the Ministry of the unlicensed use for which they were purchased; and where, in the view of the Law Officers, legal liability lies in cases where unlicensed use of a vaccine is held to have damaged the health of a service man or woman to whom it was administered or to have constituted a significant health hazard. [MoD] (HL76)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9th October (WA 67), whether the hepatitis A vaccine was administered to troops involved in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict at the same time as that for polio or yellow fever; if so, in how many cases it was administered; and how many of those deployed were given a cholera vaccine with yellow fever or tetanus. [MoD] (HL77)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9th October (WA 67), whether at any time since the 1990-91 Gulf conflict a research study of veterans with medically unexplained illnesses has been suggested for grant application to help in identifying markers of immune system deficits and aberrations; and whether any such study has been funded. [MoD] (HL78)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9th October (WA 67), whether they will now publish the findings of research already completed by the National Institute for Biological Standards and Control relating to their studies of vaccine combinations, in particular anthrax with pertussis, administered to troops involved in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. [MoD] (HL79)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 9th October (WA 67), what, at any one time in the marmoset study at Porton Down, was the maximum number of vaccines administered to a single animal from among those used for immunising troops involved in the 1990-91 Gulf conflict. [MoD] (HL80)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration they have given to the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children’s report entitled It doesn’t happen to disabled children: child protection and disabled children; and what action they will take on its recommendations. [DfES] (HL81)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the effectiveness and efficiency of the Health and Safety Commission is monitored and when the National Audit Office last carried out a review of the Commission. [DWP] (HL82)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how the Health and Safety Commission exercises its corporate governance role over the Health and Safety Executive; and, in particular, how it assures itself that the Executive is effective and efficient in its work. [DWP] (HL83)
The Lord Berkeley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide a breakdown of the costs of the recent visit by President Bush including—
(a) temporary structures;
(b) emergency heliport in Hyde Park;
(d) policing. [HO] (HL84)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether new criminal offences have been created by—
(a) the Criminal Justice Act 2003; and
(b) the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003;
and, if so, whether they will list such offences and the dates from which they are expected to come into effect. [HO] (HL86)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes have been made to the conditions of employment and remuneration of workshop instructors in H M Prisons, which are to be transferred to local education providers; how many of these instructors have so far handed in their notice; and what steps they will take to ensure that craft training hours in the prisons are maintained. [HO] (HL87)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many failed asylum seekers have been assisted to return by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) since April 2003; and what reports they have had from the IOM of the way in which the returnees have been treated by the authorities in Zimbabwe. [HO] (HL88)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many troops the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) has on the ground in Ituri, Democratic Republic of Congo; whether the local commanders consider they have sufficient forces to complete the processes of disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, reintegration or resettlement of foreign armed forces; and whether they will seek a resolution in the Security Council extending the mandate of MONUC so that the same processes can be implemented for the domestic militias. [FCO] (HL89)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to A bitter pill to swallow—The sentencing of foreign national drug couriers, which was published in November by Rethinking Crime and Punishment. [HO] (HL90)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any progress has been made towards ending the jamming of the BBC’s short wave Mandarin radio transmissions, and on unblocking access by Chinese citizens to the BBC News website; and whether they will take steps, in collaboration with other like-minded states, to establish a website on China’s restrictions on freedom of expression, so that journalists planning to visit China for the Olympic Games are aware of the problems they may face. [FCO] (HL91)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit disbanded the sub-group of their Advisory Group on the draft Analytical Report on alcohol; and whether they will publish the paper submitted by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, a member of the sub-group. [CO] (HL92)
The Lord Freyberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the application for the Greenside case will be called in for a planning inquiry so that Runnymede Council’s grounds for granting demolition of a 1937 listed building can be examined. [ODPM] (HL93)
The Lord Freyberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Human Rights Act 1998 overrides both planning law and national planning policy. [DCA] (HL94)
The Lord Freyberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what measures they intend to take to ensure that council officers and planning committee members are adequately informed of the merits of twentieth century buildings which contribute to the national heritage. [ODPM] (HL95)
The Lord Freyberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Greenside case has set a precedent in planning law and national planning policy which other applicants would be able to follow. [ODPM] (HL96)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord President on 19th November (WA 325) and 11th June (WA 44) on the Ulster Scots Agency budget, whether the Agency’s business plan had been discussed and agreed when the budget was first communicated to the Agency. [NIO] (HL97)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 19th November (WA 323) concerning North South Implementation Bodies, why the staff costs of the Special European Union Programmes Body increased by over 100 per cent between 2001 and 2002. [NIO] (HL98)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10th September (WA 123) concerning North South Implementation Bodies, why it was considered necessary to provide a car for the Chief Executive of the Special European Union Programme Body. [NIO] (HL99)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 18th November (WA 273) concerning the 2003 budget for the Ulster Scots Agency, who agreed to the budget in February; and whether an appropriate business plan was considered and agreed. [NIO] (HL100)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why all Ulster Scots Agency job advertisements require clearance from the appropriate departments when those for other bodies, such as Waterways Ireland, do not require such clearance. [NIO] (HL101)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 12th November (WA 197) concerning the budget for the Ulster Scots Agency for 2003, on what date the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure was supplied with the business plan for 2003 by the Agency. [NIO] (HL102)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, when illegal food imports are seized, they are tested for the foot-and-mouth disease virus or any other virus. [DEFRA] (HL105)
The Baroness Uddin—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to help provide job opportunities for people with autism. [DWP] (HL112)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many men and how many women aged between 50 and state pension age live in a household—
(a) with someone in work;
(b) with someone in work and a household income below 60 per cent of median income, after housing costs;
(c) with no one in work; and
(d) with no on in work and a household income below 60 per cent of median income, after housing costs. [DWP] (HL113)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people aged between 50 and state pension age live in a household with no one in work and no one claiming a state benefit (excluding child benefit and basic state pension); and how many have a household income below 60 per cent of median income, after housing costs. [DWP] (HL114)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people claimed the New Deal 50 Plus Employment Credit between April and June 2002. [DWP] (HL115)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people claimed the Working Tax Credit 50 Plus Element between April and June 2003. [DWP] (HL116)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assistance they have provided to the Jamaica Constabulary Force and its executive agencies; what is the financial value of the programme; what is the human rights content of the training; and what government-to-government military or security equipment transfers have taken place. [FCO] (HL117)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what evaluation has been undertaken of the training they provide to the Jamaican Constabulary Force. [FCO] (HL118)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the training they provide to the Jamaican Constabulary Force includes preservation of forensic, ballistics and other evidence from incident scenes where police have discharged firearms or used other force. [FCO] (HL119)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what procedures are in place to monitor the use of force by individual police officers in the Jamaican Constabulary Force to whom they have provided training, firearms or other security equipment. [FCO] (HL120)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what monitoring procedures are in place to ensure that small arms and other security equipment exported from the United Kingdom to Jamaica are not being used by police officers in the Jamaican Constabulary Force to commit unlawful killings or injuries. [FCO] (HL121)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many licences have been (a) granted and (b) refused for exports of small arms, components of small arms and small arms ammunition to Jamaica since 1st January 2003. [DTI] (HL122)
1st December
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what licences have been (a) granted; and (b) refused under category PL 5001 security equipment for Jamaica since 1st January 2003. [DTI] (HL131)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the implications for the assistance provided by Scotland Yard to the Jamaica Constabulary Force of the police killings of Lewena Thompson, Angela Richards, Matthew James and Kirk Gordon on 7th May. [FCO] (HL132)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider the human rights record of the Jamaican Constabulary Force when planning joint police operations with them. [FCO] (HL133)
The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the Secretary of State decided, under section 94(5) of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002, to place Jamaica on the list of states under section 94(4) of the Act, whereby applications for asylum are presumed to be unfounded unless applicants can provide evidence to rebut that presumption. [HO] (HL134)
The Baroness Uddin—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department of Health has planned a recruitment drive to attract specialist speech therapists. [DoH] (HL136)
The Lord Lucas—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimates they have received from local authorities, and have made themselves, of the likely costs involved in meeting the obligations under the Licensing Act 2003 and the revenues anticipated from licence fees under that Act. [DCMS] (HL137)
The Lord Baker of Dorking—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was their grant to the following institutions for each year since 1997—
(b) the Natural History Museum;
(d) the National Maritime Museum;
(e) the Victoria and Albert Museum;
(f) the National Gallery;
(g) the National Portrait Gallery;
(h) the Imperial War Museum; and
(i) the National Army Museum;
and what was the level of the grant in real terms related to 1997. [DCMS] (HL138)
The Lord Baker of Dorking—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many universities provide courses in media studies, and how many students are taking courses in that subject. [DfES] (HL139)
The Lord Baker of Dorking—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many colleges of further education are providing courses in business studies, plumbing, catering related services, tourism related services and skills required in construction work; and how many students are taking courses in those studies. [DfES] (HL140)
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to ensure the security of the ballot in elections held by postal voting. [DCA] (HL141)
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what training is provided to senior civil servants on the role, procedures and significance of Parliament; how long such training lasts; and what grades of civil servants are involved. [CO] (HL142)
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long the induction event for new Ministers, provided by the Centre for Management and Policy Studies, lasts; and what subjects are covered. [CO] (HL143)
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance is given to officials in bill teams on the procedures of both Houses of Parliament. [CO] (HL144)
The Lord Norton of Louth—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what limitations there are, if any, on Non Departmental Public Bodies making representations to Government departments on issues of public policy. [CO] (HL145)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they accept the findings of the report No Half Measures by the Alcohol Harm Reduction Group on the impact of alcohol misuse on the police, ambulance services, accident and emergency departments and fire services; and how the extension of opening hours under the Licensing Act 2003 will contribute towards a reduction of these problems. [DoH] (HL146)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, with regard to the draft analytical report on alcohol of the Cabinet Office Strategy Unit Advisory Group, why none of the academic or expert advisers were consulted about the deletion from the report of certain paragraphs which (a) dealt with price and availability as the two main supply-side levers which can be used to influence alcohol use and misuse, and (b) cited research indicating that relaxing availability causes increased harm. [CO] (HL147)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many sector based scheme work permits have been issued to workers coming into the United Kingdom; how many are for short-term seasonal workers; and how many are for longer-term posts. [HO] (HL148)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to ensure that central and local government websites comply with their guidelines for interoperability and accessibility. [CO] (HL149)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that all but five of 62 Government websites tested failed to comply with Government standards on metadata and the e-Government Metadata Framework. [CO] (HL150)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that 58 of 62 Government websites tested failed to meet the Priority 1 requirements. [CO] (HL151)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they respond to the recent survey from Business2WWW suggesting that the websites of the Prime Minister, the Home Office, the Community Legal Service and others were all less than 1 per cent compliant with current guidelines for access to the disabled. [CO] (HL152)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider that the use of Radio Frequency Identification tags on consumer goods represents risk to civil liberty and privacy; and, if so, whether they have any plans to initiate an inquiry into such use. [DTI] (HL153)
The Earl of Northesk—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they believe that retailers and other users of Radio Frequency Identification tags should make their policies and practices in respect of such tags available to the public. [DTI] (HL154)
The Baroness Greengross—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many families with one member aged over 50 (i) receive and (ii) are entitled to working tax credit; and of those families how many (i) receive and (ii) are entitled to working tax credit—
(a) with child tax credit;
(b) without child tax credit;
(c) with the childcare element;
(d) with the disability element;
(e) with the severe disability element; and
(f) with the 50 plus element. [HMT] (HL155)
The Lord Rogers of Riverside—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the early construction of the Thames Gateway Bridge; and when they expect to make an announcement. [DfT] (HL156)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which fishing and trawler licences have been sold and transferred to Spanish trawlers during each of the last ten years both from individual sales and fishing groups, [DEFRA] (HL157)
The Lord Mason of Barnsley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the fuel and power imports into the United Kingdom during 2001-02; from which countries they were imported; and whether they will break down the type of fuel and power imported from each country. [DTI] (HL158)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give reasons why, after three adjournments of the case of Mr Lumituri Shala on 30th October, an “all options” pre-sentence report was not available when he appeared on a charge of driving whilst disqualified at East Berkshire Magistrates’ Court sitting in Bracknell; what implications arise from this case; and what action will result. [HO] (HL159)
The Lord Stoddart of Swindon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will explain the statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister on the BBC1 programme the Politics Show on 2nd November concerning regional assemblies that, “The boundaries have already been set for us”. [ODPM] (HL160)
The Lord Peston—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are aware of any examples of price cutting of the cover price of newspapers and periodicals at the retail level; and, if so, whether they will identify the examples. [DTI] (HL161)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many reports they have received under Schedule 7, paragraph 6, to the Learning and Skills Act 2000 of inspection findings of inadequate sixth forms in the years ending (i) March 2002; and (ii) March 2003. [DfES] (HL162)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they collect about schools with inadequate sixth forms in connection with reports of inspection findings under Schedule 7 to the Learning and Skills Act 2000. [DfES] (HL163)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many schools have had a second inspection of the adequacy of their sixth forms; and of those inspections how many resulted in a second finding that the sixth form was inadequate. [DfES] (HL164)
The Baroness Sharp of Guildford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many sixth forms have been closed following the procedures set down in Schedule 7 to the Learning and Skills Act 2000. [DfES] (HL165)
The Lord Christopher—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many appeals were made to the Civil Service Arbitration Tribunal in each of the years 1994-2002, and in the year 2003 to date; and, of each total, how many emanated from appellants from the Ministry of Defence. [CO] (HL166)
The Lord Christopher—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of civil service staff, including the industrial civil service, were employed by the Ministry of Defence for each year from 1994-2002 and in the year 2003 to date. [CO] (HL167)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they intend to establish an Anti-Doping Agency, independent of UK Sport, with a reporting structure direct to the Minister of Sport. [DCMS] (HL168)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the United Kingdom’s current anti-doping arrangements are compliant with the World Anti-Doping Agency Code with regard to (a) mandatory aspects of the Code; and (b) best practice suggested by the Code. [DCMS] (HL169)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on which dates discussions have been held with the Football Association to (a) review its anti-doping procedure; and (b) consider individual doping offences; and whether they will provide summary progress reports from each meeting. [DCMS] (HL170)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the annual budget for UK Sport’s anti-doping work for the years 1996-97 to 2003-04; and what the budget will be for the years up to 2006-07. [DCMS] (HL171)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many laboratories in the United Kingdom are accredited to analyse anti-doping tests. [DCMS] (HL172)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 18th November (WA 271), who took the decision to use the word “North” on the occasion referred to; and whether an instruction was issued to all departments, including to the Secretariat, to use the title Northern Ireland when referring to the country. [NIO] (HL173)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 13th November (WA 207), whether the delay in granting approval to appoint an Educational Language Officer is satisfactory. [NIO] (HL174)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 353), what is the difference between the Department of Community and Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs advising the Department for Culture Arts and Leisure of the 2003 budget for the Language Body and the former Department advising the latter Department of its provision for the budget for 2003, when the Government is obliged to provide three times the Eire contribution. [NIO] (HL175)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 351), whether any department in either Government has agreed the 2004 budget with any of the Bodies; and, if not, why the schedule is not being adhered to. [NIO] (HL176)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 349), what meetings have taken place since 1999 between stakeholders in both jurisdictions; who was represented; and when the next meeting is scheduled. [NIO] (HL177)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the current status of the former Chief Executive of the European Special Programmes Implementation Body; whether he will be taking up his post again; and, if not, whether he is in receipt of a pension or other considerations as a result of his time as Chief Executive. [NIO] (HL178)
2nd December
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many QUANGOs currently exist in Northern Ireland; and how much they cost. [NIO] (HL180)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many ombudsmen are currently employed in Northern Ireland; and how much they cost. [NIO] (HL181)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many oversight commissioners there are in Northern Ireland; and how much they cost. [NIO] (HL182)
The Lord Glentoran—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the working population in Northern Ireland are Government employees. [NIO] (HL183)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will set out the approximate maintenance and renewal expenditure by (i) Railtrack; (ii) Network Rail; and (iii) the Strategic Rail Authority, for the year 2002-03 for the following sections of railway—
(a) Anglia-Great Eastern;
(b) Great North Eastern Railway;
(c) Great Western Main Line;
(e) the former Southern Region;
(f) West Coast Main Line; and
(g) the remainder of the railway. [DfT] (HL184)
The Lord Bradshaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the actual (as opposed to the timetabled) railway service being provided at Congleton station since September conforms with the Passenger Service Obligation agreed by the train operating companies involved. [DfT] (HL185)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why, in their public consultation document A future fair for all, they ask whether big night clubs, which generate public order problems, should pay towards the costs of controlling disorder outside as well as inside their premises, having rejected the idea when it was discussed during the proceedings on the Licensing Bill. [DCMS] (HL186)
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance has been issued to (a) chief constables; (b) local government chief executives; and (c) other public sector senior managers regarding their own and their employees’ membership of the British National Party, the National Front or organisations proscribed by law; and whether they will place a copy of such guidance in the Library of the House. [CO] (HL187)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 352), whether they do not expect any underspend from either section of the Language Implementation Body for 2003. [NIO] (HL188)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 351), whether proportionality of funding is being considered for 2004 for all Cross Border Implementation Bodies. [NIO] (HL189)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 354) concerning the budget of the Language Implementation Body, whether they will list the various stages in the administrative procedures for the setting of the 2003 budget, including dates of discussion, the persons involved, the location and the outcome. [NIO] (HL190)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 356), when the section of the Joint Declaration of 1st May 2003 concerning the diversity of traditions and respect for civil, political, social and cultural rights will be applied to those of an Ulster Scots background; and whether it has been so applied to date. [NIO] (HL191)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what areas of Northern Ireland have been covered by the Second Survey of Historic Buildings; when the project will be completed; which buildings have been retained on the Historic Buildings List; which have been removed; and which were removed against the advice of the Historic Buildings Council. [NIO] (HL192)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 10th November (WA 153), whether they exercised their discretion properly following the publication of the Patten report on policing, as regards the recommendations for reverse religious discrimination and against reverse gender discrimination; and whether reverse discrimination was necessary to recruit the Roman Catholics to the Police Service of Northern Ireland since November 2001 but not necessary to recruit the women it has recruited in the same period. [NIO] (HL193)
The Baroness Finlay of Llandaff—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the national alcohol harm reduction strategy has assessed the potential savings which would arise if licensed premises switched from glass to plastic bottles and if they used only Kite-marked half and one pint capacity glasses. [DoH] (HL194)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what communication they have had with the European Commission regarding VAT being levied on voluntary sports clubs. [HMT] (HL195)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European Union member states apply (a) an exemption; and (b) a reduced rate of VAT on the construction of community sports facilities. [HMT] (HL196)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide an estimate of the projected revenue to the Exchequer resulting from the proposed Olympic lottery game. [DCMS] (HL197)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will provide an estimate of the revenue to the Exchequer from the taxation of sport. [HMT] (HL198)
The Lord Moynihan—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they have taken to inform local authorities about mandatory rate relief for Community Amateur Sports Clubs. [HMT] (HL199)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a large number of post offices are unable to supply game licences; and whether this will be taken into account in decisions on the prosecution of those who have been unable to obtain a licence and who are then found to be shooting without a game licence. [DEFRA] (HL200)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what date the charge for a game licence was last increased; and what the present charge would be if it were to be increased by the change in the consumer price index since that date. [DEFRA] (HL201)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which roundabouts on the A1 trunk road they have no plans to change to grade separated junctions; and when they expect to have such plans for each roundabout concerned. [DfT] (HL202)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will give a completion date and estimated cost of upgrading the railway tunnel at Ipswich so that it allows free movement by rail of containers to and from the port of Felixstowe. [DfT] (HL203)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect to bring the draft Money Laundering Regulations 2003 into effect. [HMT] (HL204)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from commerce, industry and charitable organisations on the cost of complying with the draft Money Laundering Regulations 2003; and what changes to the Regulations they propose as a result of such representations. [HMT] (HL205)
3rd December
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether Israel has ratified the Statutes of the International Criminal Court. [FCO] (HL209)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider the demolition of flats, adjacent to one occupied by a person suspected or accused of terrorism, or other collective punishments, constitute crimes under international humanitarian law; and, if so, what action they are able to take in respect of recent events in the occupied West Bank. [FCO] (HL210)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government to what extent the European Union has an agreed common policy as regards the Republic of Moldova. [FCO] (HL211)
The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they expect that the removal of Russian Forces and military equipment from Moldova and Transdneistria (agreed at the Istanbul Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe Summit Meeting for the end of December 2003) will be achieved. [FCO] (HL212)
The Earl Attlee—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are concerned that the current serious difficulties on the London Underground system may damage the bid for London to hold the 2012 summer Olympic Games. [DCMS] (HL213)
The Lord Morris of Aberavon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Warner on 1st December (HL Deb, cols. 98-100) concerning healthcare in Wales being a devolved matter, whether primary legislation has been passed permitting the Welsh Assembly to legislate against smoking in public places in Wales. [DoH] (HL214)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the audit arrangements in Scotland corresponding to those proposed for Wales in the Public Audit (Wales) Bill. [SO] (HL215)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the Audit arrangements in Northern Ireland corresponding to those proposed for Wales in the Public Audit (Wales) Bill. [NIO] (HL216)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Falconer of Thoroton on 25th February 2002 (WA 199) in respect of rough sleeping in the Piazza in front of Westminster Cathedral, how many people in the Government’s Homelessness Directorate are involved in attempting to reduce the numbers of those sleeping rough in the area. [ODPM] (HL217)
The Lord Patten—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend that peers who have committed crimes leading to a sentence of 12 months or more imprisonment should be removed from membership of the House only if the jurisdiction of the court is in the United Kingdom. [DCA] (HL218)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA 357), why the physical competence test for the Police Service of Northern Ireland was moved to the training stage for recruits; and whether it is still a condition of entry to the police. [NIO] (HL219)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA350), whether they can give an undertaking that the year 2000 accounts for the Language Implementation Body will be certified in a similar way to all other accounts for Cross Border Implementation Bodies and with the same wording. [NIO] (HL220)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President on 20th November (WA352) concerning the £8. | 
