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British Passports
Lord Kilclooney asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many United Kingdom passports have been issued in the past 12 months to persons with addresses in (a) Northern Ireland; and (b) the Republic of Ireland. [HL1689]
Baroness Scotland of Asthal: Between October 2004 and September 2005, the UK Passport Service issued 142,101 British passports to persons with addresses in Northern Ireland. In the same period, the British Embassy in Dublin issued 10,500 passports to persons with addresses in the Republic of Ireland.
Countryside: Right of Access
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they (a) have taken since the introduction of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000; and (b) propose to take, in order to inform the general public that no universal right to roam exists in England and Wales. [HL1814]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Bach): Information was available to the public in both England and Wales well in advance of the introduction of the right of access under the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 on the extent of the new right. This has been promoted as the right has commenced in each area in England and as the new right of access was launched in Wales on the 28 May.
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Ordnance Survey is revising its explorer maps to show all known access land in England and Wales. The maps provide clear information on the extent of access land, including under the CROW Act. A new specifically designed access symbol is being used on the ground where needed, to help indicate where access land starts and ends.
On 12 July 2005 the Countryside Agency launched a new website at www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk to help the public find out where they can go and what they can do in the English countryside. Ordnance Survey maps and the Countryside Agency's website show "Access Information Points" marked in orange, where up to date information about local access land is held.
A leaflet Countryside Access and the new rights published by the Countryside Agency explains where people can go and what they can do, as well as their responsibilities on access land. This is available from tourist information and visitor centres, libraries and members of the Outdoors Industry Association. A revised version of the Countryside Code for England and Wales was issued in July 2004 giving general advice about responsible access across all types of countryside—including access land. A moorland visitors code has been published giving more detailed information for moorland areas. Details of both and further information on the right are available at www.countrysideaccess.gov.uk.
The Welsh Assembly Government and the Countryside Council for Wales have undertaken a similar approach in ensuring that the public in Wales are aware of the extent of the new right of access and their responsibilities while visiting the countryside. The Countryside Council for Wales has established a website that shows the extent of the land (www.ccw.gov.uk) and has published a number of leaflets explaining the new right of access.
The Countryside Agency launched an educational campaign in April 2005 aimed at primary and secondary school teachers and youth group leaders in England. It is estimated that 2.1 million young people will be reached in this way.
We have established a programme to monitor the effects of access and we will consider the need for more information or other measures if this highlights significant problems.
Department for Transport: "Streets for All" Publications
Baroness Buscombe asked Her Majesty's Government:
What costs have been incurred by the Department for Transport in the production of the Streets for All publications. [HL1712]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Department for Transport provided no financial contribution for the production, of the Streets for All publications. However, in providing advice on the text and
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photographs used in the documents, officials contributed a considerable amount of staff time to their production.
EU Constitutional Treaty
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have received notification from other European Union member states that the verification process of the draft constitutional treaty will continue once the United Kingdom presidency ends on 31 December. [HL1743]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): No, the Government have not received any such notification. In June the European Council agreed that in response to the French and the Dutch no votes "the timetable for the ratification in different member states will be altered if necessary in response to these developments and according to the circumstances in these member states".
It is our understanding that Belgium intends to proceed with parliamentary ratification of the European Union constitutional treaty. Estonia has not set a date for parliamentary ratification of the European Union constitutional treaty. The Irish Government have not set a date for their referendum. Poland has not decided how, if at all, to proceed with ratification. The Czechs, Danish, Finnish, Portuguese and Swedish Governments have postponed their ratification processes.
EU: Enlargement
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
How they plan to ensure that the enlarged European Union can act efficiently during the coming years; and what operational provisions of the Nice Treaty they will seek to use to meet such an objective. [HL1744]
Lord Triesman: The Protocol on the Enlargement of the European Union annexed to the Treaty of Nice, and which was agreed to by all member states, contains the provisions to adjust existing structures and procedures in line with the requirements of an enlarged EU: Article 2 refers to the European Parliament, Article 3 to the weighting of votes in the Council and Article 4 to the Commission.
European Court of Human Rights: Non-implementation of Judgments
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which judgments of the European Court of Human Rights have not been implemented in the United Kingdom; when the judgments were given; and, in each case, what are the reasons for non-implementation. [HL1632]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The execution of the following judgments against the United Kingdom is currently being supervised by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe pursuant to Article 46(2) ECHR (as listed by the Council of Europe Secretariat).
In a number of the above cases further information has been passed to the Secretariat of the Council of Europe, indicating that the judgment has been implemented, and that information remains under consideration.
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