NOTICES AND ORDERS OF THE DAY
Items marked † are new or have been altered.Items expected to be taken during an adjournment are marked # (lunch) or ‡ (dinner).
FRIDAY 3RD NOVEMBER
At eleven o’clock
The Lord Woolmer of Leeds—To move, That this House takes note of the Report of the European Union Committee on The Seventh Framework Programme for Research (33rd Report, HL Paper 182).
Social Landlords (Permissible Additional Purposes) (England) Order 2006—The Lord Avebury to move, That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the Order, laid before the House on 26th July, be annulled (S.I. 2006/1968).
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To move, That this House regrets the proposals set out in the Local Probation Boards (Appointment and Miscellaneous Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/2664) and calls upon Her Majesty’s Government to withdraw the Statutory Instrument and to enable consideration of the proposals contained in it by each House of Parliament in the context of primary legislation on the Management of Offenders. [46th Report from the Merits Committee]
The Lord Rea—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proportion of National Health Service finances are currently spent on the private sector; and what is their estimate of the likely rise or fall of this proportion in the future.
MONDAY 6TH NOVEMBER
*The Lord Trefgarne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the number of members of the Taliban who have been killed by United Kingdom forces and their allies in Afghanistan in the last three years; and how these numbers have been determined.
*The Baroness Neuberger—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to improve standards in hospital food.
*The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what recent changes have been made to the funding of the Access to Work programme.
*The Lord Hylton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in the light of current conflicts and human rights issues, they have authorised exports of military equipment to China, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Russia or Colombia.
Examiner of Petitions for Private Bills—The Chairman of Committees to move, That, pursuant to Private Business Standing Order 69, Mr D W N Doig be appointed an Examiner of Petitions for Private Bills in place of Mr F A Cranmer.
Crossrail Bill—The Lord Davies of Oldham to move, That, if a Crossrail Bill is brought from the House of Commons in the next Session of Parliament, the Standing Orders of the House applicable to the Bill, so far as complied with or dispensed with in this Session or in the Session 2004-05, shall be deemed to have been complied with or (as the case may be) dispensed with in the next Session.
Armed Forces Bill—Third Reading [The Lord Drayson]
[It is expected that any message on the NHS Redress Bill will be considered this day]
In the Moses Room
At 3.30 pm
Report of the Economic Affairs Committee on Government Policy on the Management of Risk (5th Report, HL Paper 183)—Consideration in Grand Committee [The Lord Wakeham]
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To move, That the Grand Committee do consider the England Rural Development Programme (Closure of Project-Based Schemes) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/2298). [45th Report from the Merits Committee]
TUESDAY 7TH NOVEMBER
*The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the finding in the report by the Songbird Survival Trust that grey squirrels are one of the main predators of songbirds.
*The Baroness Masham of Ilton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to prevent the spread of clostridium difficile in hospitals and in the community.
*The Earl of Mar and Kellie—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have finalised their plans for the new cross-country rail franchise, in particular, the disconnection of West Central Scotland from that new franchise.
†[If the Police and Justice Bill is returned from the Commons, it will be considered this day]
Charities Bill [HL]—Consideration of Commons Amendments [The Baroness Scotland of Asthal]
[The Lord Rooker intends to move the following two motions en bloc: but if any Lord objects the motions must be moved separately]
Victims and Survivors (Northern Ireland) Order 2006—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 9th October be approved. [Considered in Grand Committee on 25th October]
Electricity Consents (Planning) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 9th October be approved. [Considered in Grand Committee on 25th October]
Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006—The Lord Rooker to move, That the draft Order laid before the House on 9th October be approved. [Considered in Grand Committee on 25th October]
The Lord Smith of Clifton—To move, as an amendment to the above motion, to leave out all the words after “That” and insert, “this House declines to approve the draft Rates (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Order 2006 until the Northern Ireland Assembly has taken a decision on the subject matter of this Order.”
The Lord Glentoran—To move, as an amendment to the motion in the name of the Lord Rooker, at end to insert “but this House calls upon Her Majesty’s Government to take no action to change the rating system in Northern Ireland before proposals are agreed by a devolved Parliament in Northern Ireland.”
[If any further messages are received from the Commons, they will be considered this day]
WEDNESDAY 8TH NOVEMBER
[At eleven o’clock]
*The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the State Peace and Development Council of Myanmar (Burma) about reports of continuing offensives against ethnic national groups.
*The Lord Faulkner of Worcester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to protect the wrecks of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse from the activities of foreign nationals undertaking penetration dives and disturbing the human remains which lie there.
*The Lord Sheldon—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements are being made to allow special advisers to give evidence to select committees.
[If any further messages are received from the Commons, they will be considered this day]
THURSDAY 9TH NOVEMBER
[At eleven o’clock]
*The Lord Russell-Johnston—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to introduce legislation making forced marriage illegal; and, if so, when.
*The Baroness O’Cathain—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what will be the availability this winter of seasonal flu vaccines and avian flu vaccines.
*The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have proposals to cease using tribunals held in secret to handle terrorist suspect cases.
NO DAY NAMED
PART I
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the causes of family dysfunction and breakdown and to their cost to the nation; and to move for papers.
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the role and responsibilities of fathers; and to move for papers.
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they agree with the First Report from the Committee for Privileges, Code of Conduct and Members’ Interests, (Session 2003-04, HL Paper 69) in particular its recommendation that Members of the House in receipt of pensions from the European Union do not normally need to declare such pensions as a financial interest when taking part in debates on European Union matters; and, if so, why.
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their proposals for increasing charges for general aviation.
The Lord Willoughby de Broke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they consider continuing United Kingdom membership of the European Union to be in the national interest.
The Baroness Hooper—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what developments they envisage in policies on education and cultural heritage for the Overseas Territories.
The Baroness Cox—To call attention to the security, humanitarian and human rights situation in North Korea; and to move for papers.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for establishing a fixed date for Easter; and to move for papers.
The Lord Hoyle—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to persuade the owners of sports stadiums to make those stadiums non-smoking areas.
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the administration and management of H M Revenue and Customs are satisfactory.
The Baroness Noakes—To call attention to the use of mixed sex wards in the National Health Service; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Shephard of Northwold—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the production of bio-fuels in the United Kingdom.
The Viscount Bridgeman—To call attention to the problem of hospital acquired infection; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Hooper—To call attention to the situation in Paraguay; and to move for papers.
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they propose to honour their commitment that family carers of people with lifelong severe intellectual impairment should be at the heart of decision-making about their relatives’ accommodation, health care and support.
The Lord Dholakia—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will bring forward legislation to reform the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.
The Lord Pearson of Rannoch—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Botswana about its treatment of the bushmen of the Central Kalahari Game Reserve.
The Baroness Northover—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to combat AIDS across the world and its effect on children.
The Lord Dubs—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will now introduce legislation to grant pardons to the troops in the British Armed Forces who were shot for alleged cowardice and desertion during the First World War.
Renewable Energy Zone (Designation of Area) (Scottish Ministers) Order 2005—The Duke of Montrose to move to resolve, That this House calls upon Her Majesty’s Government to revoke the Order laid before the House on 14th November 2005 (S.I. 2005/3153).
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the environmental impacts of a second runway at Stansted airport.
The Lord Northbourne—To call attention to the report of the Commission on Families and the wellbeing of children entitled, Families and the State—Two way support and responsibilities; and to move for papers.
The Lord Lea of Crondall—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making towards introducing a national scheme of road pricing.
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the situation in Sudan, with particular reference to Darfur and the implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement.
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effect of the Pharmaceutical Price Regulation Scheme on small pharmaceutical companies.
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the justification for requiring civil justice costs to be recovered in their entirety from those who become suitors before the court.
The Lord Chidgey—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they are making in response to the situation in the Democratic Republic of Guinea, Conakry, having regard in particular to the impact on emerging democratic institutions in Sierra Leone.
The Baroness Scott of Needham Market—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making on housing market renewal pathfinder programmes.
The Baroness Williams of Crosby—To call attention to the reconstruction of Iraq; and to move for papers.
The Lord Giddens—To call attention to the future of the European social model; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dubs—To call attention to the case for affordable housing to accommodate families and those living in overcrowded conditions; and to move for papers.
The Lord Sheldon—To call attention to the case for a Civil Service Act; and to move for papers.
The Lord Lucas—To call attention to the consequences of decriminalised parking regimes; and to move for papers.
The Lord Beaumont of Whitley—To call attention to the disposal of allotment land in England in 2004 and 2005; and to move for papers.
The Lord Foulkes of Cumnock—To call attention to the progress of devolution in Scotland in light of issues raised in the Arbuthnot Report; and to move for papers.
The Lord Smith of Leigh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to devolve more power to local authorities; and, if so, when they intend to do so.
The Baroness Morris of Yardley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to enhance the role of modern universities.
The Lord Campbell of Alloway—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will consider amending the Ministerial Code of Guidance to provide for an independent body to advise on non-financial ethical conduct.
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the level of funding and support for the United Kingdom Film and Television Archives.
The Viscount Waverley—To call attention to initiatives for the resolution of global terrorism; and to move for papers.
The Lord Judd—To call attention to the reform of the United Nations; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Morgan of Drefelin—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of current cancer genetics services.
The Baroness Anelay of St Johns—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have applied the changes proposed in their Statement of Changes in the Immigration Rules retrospectively to those migrant workers who are already in employment in the United Kingdom.
The Lord Trefgarne—To move to resolve, That this House regrets the diminishing capacity of the House of Lords to hold Ministers to account.
The Viscount Montgomery of Alamein—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the outcome of the recent Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Edinburgh.
The Baroness Rendell of Babergh—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether patients whose lifestyle choices endanger their health should be charged for National Health Service treatment.
The Lord Norton of Louth—To call attention to the case for establishing a Royal Commission on the constitution; and to move for papers.
The Baroness Northover—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they are putting forward to promote the peace process in Israel and Palestine.
The Lord Glenarthur—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of their diplomatic and development representation in and among the South Pacific island states and of the international bodies which work to support the region.
The Lord Howarth of Newport—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to increase support for the conservation of historic places of worship.
The Lord Turnberg—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what advice they will seek in formulating their response to the Chief Medical Officer’s Report, Good Doctors, Safer Patients.
The Baroness Neuberger—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the British Medical Association’s report, Child and adolescent mental health—guide for healthcare professionals, published in June 2006.
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to efforts to eradicate contemporary slavery.
The Lord Harrison—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the United Nations resolution on diabetes.
The Lord Tanlaw—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether statistics for the period of darker evenings after the end of British Summer Time on the last Sunday in October show any increase in road accidents, street crime and electricity consumption.
The Lord Rotherwick—To call attention to the Civil Aviation Authority’s strategic and regulative review of General Aviation; and to move for papers.
The Lord Alton of Liverpool—To call attention to the implications of North Korea’s decision to conduct its first nuclear test; and to move for papers.
The Lord Dykes—To call attention to the economic and social conditions in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank; and to move for papers.
The Lord Anderson of Swansea—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have for the future status of Kosovo.
Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006—The Lord Dixon-Smith to move, That an Humble Address be presented to Her Majesty praying that the Regulations, laid before the House on 7th September, be annulled (S.I. 2006/2238). [44th Report from the Merits Committee]
The Lord Holme of Cheltenham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the rising level of Chinese investment in Africa.
The Baroness Stern—To move, That this House takes note of the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention of Terrorism, Cm. 6901, presented to Parliament on 24th July; and requests that Her Majesty’s Government do not ratify it until the Joint Committee on Human Rights has reported on its implications.
The Lord Carlile of Berriew—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the use of physical restraints, including seclusion and strip searching, on children in custody.
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER
[Tabled on 2nd November, or unanswered after 14 days]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
5th June
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th May (WA 65), where the information is held indicating on how many occasions since 1997 the Home Office has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman; and how members of the public may have access to that information. [HO] (HL6054)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th May (WA 65), whether the Home Office will in future hold information about the department’s compliance with the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s recommendations in a way which permits public access to that information. [HO] (HL6055)
5th July
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House any documents, dated between 5th July 2002 and 9th October 2002, pertaining to making provision for certain British nationals without other citizenship to register as British citizens under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. [HO] (HL6795)
6th July
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether welfare benefits are paid in respect of more than one wife in a polygamous marriage in the case of (a) wives in this country; and (b) wives abroad; and, if so, how many recipients there are in each category. [DWP] (HL6862)
18th July
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay in answering the Question for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill (HL6054) on the information held regarding the number of occasions since 1997 when the Home Office has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. [HO] (HL7075)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay in answering the Question for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill (HL6055) on whether the Home Office will in future hold information about the department’s compliance with the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s recommendations in a way which permits public access to that information. [HO] (HL7076)
19th July
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in accordance with section 17 of the model contract for special advisers, those special advisers employed by the Deputy Prime Minister have notified their head of department of any other external employment they have undertaken in the last year; and, if so, what was the nature of any such external employment. [CO] (HL7100)
24th July
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the brochures and programmes for the Rally Ireland event in 2006, which they funded, were individually sold; and, if so, how much money was collected from their sale. [NIO] (HL7203)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many present and past members of the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate are currently being investigated for alleged impropriety in the performance of their official functions; and, of these, how many are suspended on full pay. [HO] (HL7209)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the staff of the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate have been (a) suspended; (b) prosecuted; and (c) dismissed for impropriety in each of the last five years. [HO] (HL7210)
25th July
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of people that are likely to enter the United Kingdom on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union; and what criteria will be used in reaching this estimate. [HO] (HL7254)
2nd October
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next expect to discuss European Union constitutional issues with the government of Germany prior to the latter’s Presidency period in January; and what main issues they will include in such discussions. [FCO] (HL7411)
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the national annual cost of pathology testing carried out in National Health Service primary care trusts. [DoH] (HL7442)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which proposals for European Union legislation they gave agreement to were passed in 2005 and in 2006 to date on which the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution relating to the work of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee was still in place; and which of these were deemed to be confidential, routine or trivial. [FCO] (HL7486)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their response (HC 1187) to recommendation 19 of the House of Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions’ Second Report (HC 834-I), whether it is possible to calculate the net fiscal cost to the Exchequer of not moving a person off welfare and into employment, given that it is possible to calculate the net fiscal benefit of doing so. [DWP] (HL7487)
9th October
The Lord Dearing—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, before announcing the recent successive changes in methods of social security payment, they made any assessments of the potential effects of such changes on the post offices network and of the cost to the public purse in support of post offices; and whether they undertook any surveys of the attitude of pensioners towards the proposed changes in methods of social security payment. [DWP] (HL7491)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Drayson on 9th October (WA 47) and 22nd June (WA 99), what information the Ministry of Defence has received from its liaison officer in Washington DC on the range, scope and cost in the current financial year of federally funded research at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas into Gulf War veterans’ illnesses; when it was received; and what assessment the Department has made of its possible relevance among British veterans of the conflict. [MoD] (HL7500)
The Baroness Williams of Crosby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the strip searching of children at H M Prison Huntercombe and other prison establishments will now be stopped. [HO] (HL7509)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the concerns raised in the letter “BN(O) limbo”, published in the South China Morning Post on 25th September, highlighting the continuing difficulties faced by British Nationals (Overseas) of Indian origin waiting for British citizenship certificates; and whether they will place a copy of the letter and their response in the Library of the House. [HO] (HL7531)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military personnel serving in the present engagement in Iraq have lost a limb due to combat; and what were the circumstances in each case. [MoD] (HL7536)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military personnel who have served or who are serving in the present engagement in Iraq have been treated for post traumatic stress disorder; and what is this figure as a proportion of the total number of service personnel who have served in the current operation. [MoD] (HL7537)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessments they have made of the adequacy of the present number of Ministry of Defence hospital units located within National Health Service hospitals to meet current and projected patient volumes; and how these assessments might impact on the planned decision to close the remaining military hospital at Haslar. [MoD] (HL7541)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Tom Watson, on 4th September (HC Deb, 1693W), when they expect the new Defence Medical Staff manning requirement figures to be available; and whether these manning requirements will address current shortages in key medical officer and nursing specialities. [MoD] (HL7543)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Northern Ireland Office has arranged in each year since 1999; what form such consultations took; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7544)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by Northern Ireland Office responded to any consultation; if so, to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7545)
[As amended on 10th October]
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; and what groups the Office consulted. [NIO] (HL7546)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; if so, to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7547)
[As amended on 10th October]
10th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; what those consultations were; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7558)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues, and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7559)
11th October
The Lord Acton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 20th July (HC Deb, col. 473) that vulnerable women and those for whom mental health treatment would be more appropriate should not be in prison, what plans they have to achieve that result. [HO] (HL7595)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 9th October (WA 101), whether they will now answer the original question asked by the Lord Jopling (HL7082). [HO] (HL7619)
12th October
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the increased amount that will enter the waste stream if the limit on junk mail is abolished. [DEFRA] (HL7627)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; what those consultations were; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7636)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7637)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Asylum and Immigration Tribunal hearings concerning conducive deportation of foreign nationals have been conducted since April 2005; how many appeals were successful; and how many deportations have been successfully completed. [HO] (HL7649)
13th October
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Trade and Industry has any arrangements to enable staff of that department to raise, in confidence, concerns about matters of financial reporting, disclosure of other information or value for money; and, if so, whether they will give details of the arrangements. [DTI] (HL7667)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent in Northern Ireland as a result of its support for 2005 and 2006 Rally Ireland. [NIO] (HL7673)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 105) concerning Rally Ireland, when they expect that details of the expenses for the event during 2005 and 2006 will be completed; and whether they will be published. [NIO] (HL7677)
16th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 119), how they demonstrate their commitment to affording equal respect and recognition to the Irish and Ulster-Scots languages and cultures. [NIO] (HL7688)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether strategic health authorities or primary care trusts have any arrangements to enable their staff to raise, in confidence, concerns about matters of financial reporting, disclosure of other information or value for money; and, if so, whether they will give details of the arrangements. [DoH] (HL7693)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which areas have applied to take part in the second wave of 101 non-emergency number schemes for reporting certain non-emergency crimes, policing and anti-social behaviour; and which areas have asked for more time to put in an application. [HO] (HL7699)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether areas that have been given more time to put in an application to take part in the second wave of 101 non-emergency number schemes for reporting certain non-emergency crimes, policing and anti-social behaviour will have their applications treated on the same basis as those areas that met the original deadline. [HO] (HL7700)
The Lord Dixon-Smith—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Tom Watson, on 10th July (HC Deb, 1430W), for the purpose of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, on what basis the additional permit costs of establishments are calculated. [MoD] (HL7713)
17th October
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay of 19 weeks by the Home Office in answering the two Questions for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill tabled on 5th June, when the target time for answer is two weeks. [HO] (HL7726)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they commissioned the signage referring to an agreement which was used at the St Andrews Summit on 13th October. [NIO] (HL7741)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many export credit guarantees have been granted to British firms involved in activities in Iran in each of the last ten years; and, in each case, what was (a) the name of the company to which the export credit guarantee was granted; and (b) the nature of the company’s business. [DTI] (HL7746)
18th October
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legislation has been enacted since 1970 to help disabled people. [DWP] (HL7777)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits are available to disabled people. [DWP] (HL7778)
The Lord Trefgarne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the present strength of—
(c) the Royal Air Force; and
and how these figures compare with the same figures three years ago. [MoD] (HL7779)
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what (a) income support, and (b) benefits, individuals subject to control orders may receive; and what legislation currently regulates this. [DWP] (HL7787)
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (a) males, and (b) females subject to control orders, broken down by age group, received (i) income support, and (ii) benefits in each month since 2003. [DWP] (HL7788)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [FCO] (HL7790)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Work and Pensions has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DWP] (HL7791)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Health has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DoH] (HL7792)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Trade and Industry has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DTI] (HL7793)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what helicopter activity they are funding in their international development programme; and through which agencies. [DfID] (HL7797)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to paragraph 8.52 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191-I), whether the consultation on the United Kingdom Technical Advisory Group’s proposals has been completed; and when they will respond to the consultation. [DEFRA] (HL7800)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to evaluate the success of immigration removal centres; and whether the initial acceptance rate of one per cent for new detained asylum seekers in the fast track process at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre is an indicator of success. [HO] (HL7803)
19th October
The Lord Lucas—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the interpreting profession’s initiative to bring forward proposals for a national call centre for interpreters, similar to that used by police for duty solicitors. [HO] (HL7814)
The Lord Lucas—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines have been or are being established to ensure that, as far as possible, only qualified interpreters are used within the criminal justice system; what percentage usage of qualified interpreters would be regarded as good practice; and how the guidelines set up in the new Interpreter’s Working Agreement will be monitored. [HO] (HL7815)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect of Part 2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the planning system in terms of speed, transparency, the level of bureaucracy and general effectiveness; and what actions they are taking to review the operation of the Act. [DCLG] (HL7816)
The Lord Whitty—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance is given by the Department of Health in relation to the suitability of companies tendering for contracts for the provision of residential care. [DoH] (HL7821)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to take forward, in consultation with stakeholders, best practice guidance and a model written agreement. [DCLG] (HL7822)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to undertake ongoing planning reform so that suitable moorings can be developed and include planning in the best practice guidance. [DCLG] (HL7823)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to encourage sponsoring departments to write to the main navigation authorities outlining the Government’s expectations of the role of the authorities with respect to residential boating. [DCLG] (HL7824)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 104), how the three public relations firms who quoted for the account of Rally Ireland were selected; and by whom this selection was made. [NIO] (HL7828)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a recent review of procedures for family members and colleagues to report concerns about the health of serving Armed Forces personnel has been undertaken. [MoD] (HL7833)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th October (WA 186-7), what is the basis for their assertion that a person who acquired British Overseas citizenship under Article 6(1) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 as a result of being a Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizen under section 16 of the British Nationality Act 1981 did so by birth; and whether they will make the relevant updates to the B(OS) application form and guidance notes. [HO] (HL7837)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th October (WA 186-7), whether they will also update section 8 of the British citizenship application form B(OS) and part 8 of guide B(OS) to explain how an applicant who became a British Overseas citizen ipso jure under Article 6(2) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 should complete the application form. [HO] (HL7838)
2nd November
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Lord Rooker on 31st October (HL Deb, col.153), how his statement that English Nature requested closure because of the pink sea fan is compatible with the indication given to the Minister by English Nature that the purpose of the closure would be to prevent damage from towed fishing gear to seabed habitats and communities. (HL8108)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the need for fresh drinking water to be made available to older people in hospitals and care homes. (HL8109)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will instruct the Food Standards Agency to include in its new Nutrient and Food Based Guidance for Care Homes measures to ensure that free, fresh water in addition to other drinks is made available to residents throughout the day. (HL8110)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines are in place for schools and pre-schools with regard to the supply of free fresh drinking water for children. (HL8111)
The Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the reasons for the delay in the publication of the Anti-social Behaviour Orders statistics for 2003-04 and 2004-05. (HL8112)
The Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Qadafi Foundation for Development is sufficiently independent to qualify as a monitoring body in relation to the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Libya. (HL8113)
The Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the independence and suitability of the Qadafi Foundation for Development as an independent monitor for the Memorandum of Understanding signed with Libya. (HL8114)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, when the European Commission cites articles 94, 95 or 308 as the legal base for its initiatives, what steps they take to ensure that such base is appropriate. (HL8115)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 9th October (WA 94) concerning the imbalance in the number of men and women in prison, whether they have any evidence concerning any difference between men and women in their propensity to commit crime. (HL8116)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many automatic direction finding waypoints are required for the airways of the United Kingdom airspace above flight level 100. (HL8117)
The Lord Rotherwick—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many global positioning system RNAV MNP5 waypoints are required for the airways of the United Kingdom airspace above flight level 100. (HL8118)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the circumstances which led to the Commission for Racial Equality (CRE) being allowed to wait until 2009 before becoming a part of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights have changed; if so, when they expect the CRE to join; and what are the reasons for any changed circumstances. (HL8119)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what changes have occurred since the appointment of the chair of the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) in the arrangements for the transition of existing commissions into the CEHR; and whether the CEHR will be operational by October 2007. (HL8120)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will seek to appoint commissioners for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights (CEHR) who reflect specific experiences and backgrounds of the equality strands covered by the CEHR; and when such appointments will be announced. (HL8121)
The Lord Ouseley—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many complaints have been received to date from rejected candidates for appointment as Commission for Equality and Human Rights commissioners; and whether these complaints have been responded to. (HL8122)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the United Kingdom population by (a) age, and (b) gender are in receipt of income capacity benefit. (HL8123)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage and number of those on incapacity benefit are in receipt of—
(a) lower rate disability living allowance;
(b) middle rate disability living allowance; and
(c) higher rate disability living allowance. (HL8124)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage and number of those on incapacity benefit are—
(a) not in receipt of disability living allowance;
(b) in receipt of lower rate disability living allowance;
(c) in receipt of middle rate disability living allowance;
(d) in receipt of higher rate disability living allowance; and
(e) estimated to receive care of between 20 and 35 hours per week. (HL8125)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what number and proportion of lone parents work below the lower earnings limit but, because they are in receipt of tax credits, qualify for the national insurance stamp. (HL8126)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what number and proportion of lone parents qualify for tax credits through holding more than one 16-hours per week part-time job. (HL8127)
The Baroness Hollis of Heigham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of the United Kingdom population resident in the United Kingdom for more than 5 years by (a) age, and (b) gender are estimated not to posses a national insurance number. (HL8128)
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any plans to adopt the European single currency. (HL8129)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have made an assessment of the need for traffic calming measures for the Ballyhackamore area of East Belfast. (HL8130)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what hotel projects have received grants from the Northern Ireland Tourist Board since 1989; how much was paid; and when the projects funded were completed. (HL8131)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether members of the Northern Ireland Civil Service are entitled to annual sick leave without a doctor’s certificate; if so, how much sick leave they are entitled to; and what are the reasons for this entitlement. (HL8132)
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why printed copies of the Stern Review Report on the Economics of Climate Change are not available four days after publication; when they will be made available; and who was responsible for the decision not to make printed copies available. (HL8133)
QUESTIONS FOR WRITTEN ANSWER AWAITING ANSWER
2nd NOVEMBER 2006
[Tabled on the dates shown]
[The Government department responsible for answering each Question is shown in brackets]
5th June
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th May (WA 65), where the information is held indicating on how many occasions since 1997 the Home Office has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman; and how members of the public may have access to that information. [HO] (HL6054)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th May (WA 65), whether the Home Office will in future hold information about the department’s compliance with the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s recommendations in a way which permits public access to that information. [HO] (HL6055)
5th July
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House any documents, dated between 5th July 2002 and 9th October 2002, pertaining to making provision for certain British nationals without other citizenship to register as British citizens under Section 4B of the British Nationality Act 1981. [HO] (HL6795)
6th July
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether welfare benefits are paid in respect of more than one wife in a polygamous marriage in the case of (a) wives in this country; and (b) wives abroad; and, if so, how many recipients there are in each category. [DWP] (HL6862)
18th July
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay in answering the Question for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill (HL6054) on the information held regarding the number of occasions since 1997 when the Home Office has refused or omitted to give effect to the recommendations of the Parliamentary Ombudsman. [HO] (HL7075)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay in answering the Question for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill (HL6055) on whether the Home Office will in future hold information about the department’s compliance with the Parliamentary Ombudsman’s recommendations in a way which permits public access to that information. [HO] (HL7076)
19th July
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, in accordance with section 17 of the model contract for special advisers, those special advisers employed by the Deputy Prime Minister have notified their head of department of any other external employment they have undertaken in the last year; and, if so, what was the nature of any such external employment. [CO] (HL7100)
24th July
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the brochures and programmes for the Rally Ireland event in 2006, which they funded, were individually sold; and, if so, how much money was collected from their sale. [NIO] (HL7203)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many present and past members of the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate are currently being investigated for alleged impropriety in the performance of their official functions; and, of these, how many are suspended on full pay. [HO] (HL7209)
The Lord Marlesford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the staff of the Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate have been (a) suspended; (b) prosecuted; and (c) dismissed for impropriety in each of the last five years. [HO] (HL7210)
25th July
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what estimate they have made of the number of people that are likely to enter the United Kingdom on the accession of Bulgaria and Romania to the European Union; and what criteria will be used in reaching this estimate. [HO] (HL7254)
2nd October
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they next expect to discuss European Union constitutional issues with the government of Germany prior to the latter’s Presidency period in January; and what main issues they will include in such discussions. [FCO] (HL7411)
The Earl Howe—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their latest estimate of the national annual cost of pathology testing carried out in National Health Service primary care trusts. [DoH] (HL7442)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which proposals for European Union legislation they gave agreement to were passed in 2005 and in 2006 to date on which the Scrutiny Reserve Resolution relating to the work of the House of Lords European Union Select Committee was still in place; and which of these were deemed to be confidential, routine or trivial. [FCO] (HL7486)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to their response (HC 1187) to recommendation 19 of the House of Commons Select Committee on Work and Pensions’ Second Report (HC 834-I), whether it is possible to calculate the net fiscal cost to the Exchequer of not moving a person off welfare and into employment, given that it is possible to calculate the net fiscal benefit of doing so. [DWP] (HL7487)
9th October
The Lord Dearing—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, before announcing the recent successive changes in methods of social security payment, they made any assessments of the potential effects of such changes on the post offices network and of the cost to the public purse in support of post offices; and whether they undertook any surveys of the attitude of pensioners towards the proposed changes in methods of social security payment. [DWP] (HL7491)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Lord Drayson on 9th October (WA 47) and 22nd June (WA 99), what information the Ministry of Defence has received from its liaison officer in Washington DC on the range, scope and cost in the current financial year of federally funded research at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas into Gulf War veterans’ illnesses; when it was received; and what assessment the Department has made of its possible relevance among British veterans of the conflict. [MoD] (HL7500)
The Baroness Williams of Crosby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the strip searching of children at H M Prison Huntercombe and other prison establishments will now be stopped. [HO] (HL7509)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their response to the concerns raised in the letter “BN(O) limbo”, published in the South China Morning Post on 25th September, highlighting the continuing difficulties faced by British Nationals (Overseas) of Indian origin waiting for British citizenship certificates; and whether they will place a copy of the letter and their response in the Library of the House. [HO] (HL7531)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military personnel serving in the present engagement in Iraq have lost a limb due to combat; and what were the circumstances in each case. [MoD] (HL7536)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many military personnel who have served or who are serving in the present engagement in Iraq have been treated for post traumatic stress disorder; and what is this figure as a proportion of the total number of service personnel who have served in the current operation. [MoD] (HL7537)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessments they have made of the adequacy of the present number of Ministry of Defence hospital units located within National Health Service hospitals to meet current and projected patient volumes; and how these assessments might impact on the planned decision to close the remaining military hospital at Haslar. [MoD] (HL7541)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Tom Watson, on 4th September (HC Deb, 1693W), when they expect the new Defence Medical Staff manning requirement figures to be available; and whether these manning requirements will address current shortages in key medical officer and nursing specialities. [MoD] (HL7543)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Northern Ireland Office has arranged in each year since 1999; what form such consultations took; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7544)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by Northern Ireland Office responded to any consultation; if so, to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7545)
[As amended on 10th October]
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; and what groups the Office consulted. [NIO] (HL7546)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; if so, to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7547)
[As amended on 10th October]
10th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; what those consultations were; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7558)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues, and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7559)
11th October
The Lord Acton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the statement by the Secretary of State for the Home Department on 20th July (HC Deb, col. 473) that vulnerable women and those for whom mental health treatment would be more appropriate should not be in prison, what plans they have to achieve that result. [HO] (HL7595)
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answers by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 9th October (WA 101), whether they will now answer the original question asked by the Lord Jopling (HL7082). [HO] (HL7619)
12th October
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the increased amount that will enter the waste stream if the limit on junk mail is abolished. [DEFRA] (HL7627)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, how many consultations the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland has arranged in each year since 1999; what those consultations were; and what groups they consulted. [NIO] (HL7636)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, regarding section 75 groups recognised by paragraphs 4 and 5 of Schedule 9 to the Northern Ireland Act 1998, whether the groups consulted by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety in Northern Ireland responded to any consultation; to what extent and in what form they addressed equality of opportunity issues; and whether any suggestions were made leading to a change in proposed policies. [NIO] (HL7637)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many Asylum and Immigration Tribunal hearings concerning conducive deportation of foreign nationals have been conducted since April 2005; how many appeals were successful; and how many deportations have been successfully completed. [HO] (HL7649)
13th October
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Department for Trade and Industry has any arrangements to enable staff of that department to raise, in confidence, concerns about matters of financial reporting, disclosure of other information or value for money; and, if so, whether they will give details of the arrangements. [DTI] (HL7667)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much has been spent in Northern Ireland as a result of its support for 2005 and 2006 Rally Ireland. [NIO] (HL7673)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 105) concerning Rally Ireland, when they expect that details of the expenses for the event during 2005 and 2006 will be completed; and whether they will be published. [NIO] (HL7677)
16th October
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 119), how they demonstrate their commitment to affording equal respect and recognition to the Irish and Ulster-Scots languages and cultures. [NIO] (HL7688)
The Baroness Noakes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether strategic health authorities or primary care trusts have any arrangements to enable their staff to raise, in confidence, concerns about matters of financial reporting, disclosure of other information or value for money; and, if so, whether they will give details of the arrangements. [DoH] (HL7693)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which areas have applied to take part in the second wave of 101 non-emergency number schemes for reporting certain non-emergency crimes, policing and anti-social behaviour; and which areas have asked for more time to put in an application. [HO] (HL7699)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether areas that have been given more time to put in an application to take part in the second wave of 101 non-emergency number schemes for reporting certain non-emergency crimes, policing and anti-social behaviour will have their applications treated on the same basis as those areas that met the original deadline. [HO] (HL7700)
The Lord Dixon-Smith—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Under-Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Tom Watson, on 10th July (HC Deb, 1430W), for the purpose of the European Union Emission Trading Scheme, on what basis the additional permit costs of establishments are calculated. [MoD] (HL7713)
17th October
The Lord Jopling—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the reason for the delay of 19 weeks by the Home Office in answering the two Questions for Written Answer by the Lord Lester of Herne Hill tabled on 5th June, when the target time for answer is two weeks. [HO] (HL7726)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they commissioned the signage referring to an agreement which was used at the St Andrews Summit on 13th October. [NIO] (HL7741)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many export credit guarantees have been granted to British firms involved in activities in Iran in each of the last ten years; and, in each case, what was (a) the name of the company to which the export credit guarantee was granted; and (b) the nature of the company’s business. [DTI] (HL7746)
18th October
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what legislation has been enacted since 1970 to help disabled people. [DWP] (HL7777)
The Lord Ashley of Stoke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what benefits are available to disabled people. [DWP] (HL7778)
The Lord Trefgarne—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the present strength of—
(c) the Royal Air Force; and
and how these figures compare with the same figures three years ago. [MoD] (HL7779)
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what (a) income support, and (b) benefits, individuals subject to control orders may receive; and what legislation currently regulates this. [DWP] (HL7787)
The Baroness Cox—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (a) males, and (b) females subject to control orders, broken down by age group, received (i) income support, and (ii) benefits in each month since 2003. [DWP] (HL7788)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Foreign and Commonwealth Office has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [FCO] (HL7790)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Work and Pensions has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DWP] (HL7791)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Health has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DoH] (HL7792)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much the Department for Trade and Industry has paid out in compensation to former employees in each of the last 10 years. [DTI] (HL7793)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what helicopter activity they are funding in their international development programme; and through which agencies. [DfID] (HL7797)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to paragraph 8.52 of their response to the House of Lords Science and Technology Select Committee report, Water Management (8th Report, HL Paper 191-I), whether the consultation on the United Kingdom Technical Advisory Group’s proposals has been completed; and when they will respond to the consultation. [DEFRA] (HL7800)
The Earl of Sandwich—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what criteria they use to evaluate the success of immigration removal centres; and whether the initial acceptance rate of one per cent for new detained asylum seekers in the fast track process at Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre is an indicator of success. [HO] (HL7803)
19th October
The Lord Lucas—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the interpreting profession’s initiative to bring forward proposals for a national call centre for interpreters, similar to that used by police for duty solicitors. [HO] (HL7814)
The Lord Lucas—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidelines have been or are being established to ensure that, as far as possible, only qualified interpreters are used within the criminal justice system; what percentage usage of qualified interpreters would be regarded as good practice; and how the guidelines set up in the new Interpreter’s Working Agreement will be monitored. [HO] (HL7815)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the effect of Part 2 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 on the planning system in terms of speed, transparency, the level of bureaucracy and general effectiveness; and what actions they are taking to review the operation of the Act. [DCLG] (HL7816)
The Lord Whitty—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what guidance is given by the Department of Health in relation to the suitability of companies tendering for contracts for the provision of residential care. [DoH] (HL7821)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to take forward, in consultation with stakeholders, best practice guidance and a model written agreement. [DCLG] (HL7822)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to undertake ongoing planning reform so that suitable moorings can be developed and include planning in the best practice guidance. [DCLG] (HL7823)
The Baroness Hanham—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the publication of the Summary of responses to the consultation paper on security tenure for residential boats in May 2006, what progress they have made on their commitment to encourage sponsoring departments to write to the main navigation authorities outlining the Government’s expectations of the role of the authorities with respect to residential boating. [DCLG] (HL7824)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 9th October (WA 104), how the three public relations firms who quoted for the account of Rally Ireland were selected; and by whom this selection was made. [NIO] (HL7828)
The Lord Astor of Hever—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a recent review of procedures for family members and colleagues to report concerns about the health of serving Armed Forces personnel has been undertaken. [MoD] (HL7833)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th October (WA 186-7), what is the basis for their assertion that a person who acquired British Overseas citizenship under Article 6(1) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 as a result of being a Hong Kong British Dependent Territories citizen under section 16 of the British Nationality Act 1981 did so by birth; and whether they will make the relevant updates to the B(OS) application form and guidance notes. [HO] (HL7837)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 18th October (WA 186-7), whether they will also update section 8 of the British citizenship application form B(OS) and part 8 of guide B(OS) to explain how an applicant who became a British Overseas citizen ipso jure under Article 6(2) of the Hong Kong (British Nationality) Order 1986 should complete the application form. [HO] (HL7838)
23rd October
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Statement by the Lord Drayson on 19th October (WS 87-8), when the findings of the Vaccines Interactions Research Programme into the health effects of the combinations of vaccines administered to troops involved in the 1990-91 Gulf War first became known to the Ministry of Defence. [MoD] (HL7844)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will reply to the Lord Morris of Manchester’s Question for Written Answer (HL7737), tabled on 17th October, regarding the Vaccines Interactions Research Programme undertaken by the Ministry of Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down. [MoD] (HL7845)
The Lord Willoughby de Broke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action the Food Standards Agency will be taking over the sanctions imposed by the European Commission on Bowland Dairy Products Limited. [DoH] (HL7847)
The Lord Willoughby de Broke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the Food Standards Agency agrees with the European Commission’s decision to issue emergency measures against Bowland Dairy Products Limited, which resulted in an European Union-wide product recall and the closure of the business. [DoH] (HL7848)
The Lord Willoughby de Broke—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they and the Food Standards Agency will be defending any legal action taken against them by the European Commission in connection with Bowland Dairy Products Limited. [DoH] (HL7849)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many prosecutions have been brought for acts of genital mutilation. [HO] (HL7850)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are their plans for preventing acts of genital mutilation being committed. [HO] (HL7851)
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of juveniles, how many of the total offences for the possession of cannabis brought to justice so far this year and in—
were made up of (i) penalty notices for disorder; (ii) reprimands; (iii) final warnings; (iv) prosecutions; (v) court appearances; and (vi) convictions; and in each case (i) to (vi) what was the proportion of the total offences for the possession of cannabis brought to justice. [HO] (HL7863)
The Baroness Stern—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in respect of adults, how many of the total offences for the possession of cannabis brought to justice so far this year and in—
were made up of (i) penalty notices for disorder; (ii) reprimands; (iii) final warnings; (iv) prosecutions; (v) court appearances; and (vi) convictions; and in each case (i) to (vi) what was the proportion of the total offences for the possession of cannabis brought to justice. [HO] (HL7864)
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will make representations to the government of Israel about the prospects of Israel joining the Non Proliferation Treaty, given that their arsenal of long-range weapons is estimated internationally to be larger than that of the United Kingdom. [FCO] (HL7870)
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have now concluded their analysis of the nuclear detonation in North Korea on 9th October, in terms of its classification as a full nuclear incident. [FCO] (HL7871)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have proposals for a campaign to identify the benefits of energy saving in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL7884)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many successful prosecutions there have been in Northern Ireland for speeding on a public road in each of the last five years. [NIO] (HL7886)
24th October
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will include the whole of the river network in England and Wales within the catchment boundaries under the European Union Water Framework Directive. [DEFRA] (HL7888)
The Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they support the recommendation from Natural England that an additional 129 Sites of Special Scientific Interest and 149 Biodiversity Action Plan sites should be characterised as “water bodies” under the European Union Water Framework Directive. [DEFRA] (HL7889)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of bovine tuberculosis have occurred in humans in the United Kingdom for each year since 1995; what were the age groups of those infected; how many of the cases were attributed to drinking raw milk from cows infected with bovine tuberculosis from farms in the United Kingdom; in how many cases the disease was believed to have been acquired from sources outside the United Kingdom; and what has been the outcome of treatment. [DoH] (HL7890)
The Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts—To ask Her Majesty’s Government up to what point in the award process may changes in the bidder group take place under the Wireless Telegraphy (Licence Award) (No. 2) Regulations 2006 (S.I. 2006/1806). [DTI] (HL7893)
The Baroness Williams of Crosby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many control orders were issued in the first two quarters of 2006 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005; and, of these, how many were orders derogating from the European Court of Human Rights. [HO] (HL7896)
The Baroness Williams of Crosby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many control orders were issued in the last two quarters of 2005 under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005; and, of these, how many were orders derogating from the European Court of Human Rights. [HO] (HL7897)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what are the crime detection rates for each police authority in the United Kingdom. [HO] (HL7898)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many school pupils receive free school meals in each region of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland; and what those figures are as a percentage of the school population in each case. [DfES] (HL7899)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in each police authority area were convicted of alcohol and drug offences in 1980; 1985; 1990; 1995; 2000; and 2005; and what are these figures as a percentage of the population in each police authority area. [HO] (HL7900)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and each region of England were registered with a dentist in 1990; 1995; 2000; and 2005; and what those figures are as a percentage of the population in each case. [DoH] (HL7901)
The Lord Corbett of Castle Vale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers by constabulary area in England and Wales retired on grounds of ill health in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [HO] (HL7902)
The Lord Corbett of Castle Vale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many police officers facing disciplinary charges by constabulary area in England and Wales retired on grounds of ill health before disciplinary hearings were completed in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [HO] (HL7903)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated financial cost to the Government of the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; whether Government property was covered by suitable insurance; whether they implemented a disaster recovery operation; and when Ministers were informed of the loss of Government property. [CO] (HL7905)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files were lost by the Crown Estate in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on the Crown Estate; whether any work or projects will be delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred. [DCA] (HL7907)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government who headed the Medical Research Council’s review of research originally funded by the government of the United States into Gulf War illnesses. [DTI] (HL7910)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 23rd October (WA 214-5), whether the Medical Research Council will now make an assessment of the findings to date of the research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Services in the United States on Microglial activation following neurotoxic exposure: the self-propelling cycle of neuroinflammation in neurodegenerative disease and their possible relevance to illnesses among British veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf war. [DTI] (HL7911)
The Lord Roberts of Conwy—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Sainsbury of Turville on 23rd October (WA 214-5), whether the Medical Research Council will now make an assessment of the findings to date of the research at the National Institute of Environmental Health Services in the United States on Non-invasive imaging of inflammation on the central nervous system and their possible relevance to illnesses among British veterans of the 1990-91 Gulf war. [DTI] (HL7912)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to ensure that the Ulster Scots language obtains equality and parity of esteem with Irish in any arrangements resulting from the discussions at St Andrews. [NIO] (HL7913)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any proposals to increase the budget for 2007 for the Ulster Scots Agency to match that available to the Irish language in order to meet the requirements of equality and parity of esteem. [NIO] (HL7914)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what proposals they have to ensure that an understanding of Ulster Scots history and culture is taught in schools in Northern Ireland. [NIO] (HL7915)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are held in corrective institutions in Northern Ireland; and what is that number as a percentage of the total capacity available in those institutions. [NIO] (HL7916)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what response they received to the consultation on the Sexual Orientation Regulations initiated by the Women and Equality Unit in March; whether they have taken account of the concerns expressed by the Society of Christian Lawyers; and when they propose to lay the draft Regulations. [DCLG] (HL7924)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cluster munitions were used by British forces during the first Gulf War; what is their estimate of the number of sub-munitions delivered as cluster munitions which failed to detonate; and how many of these have since been detonated or made safe. [MoD] (HL7925)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cluster munitions were used by British forces during the second Gulf War; what is their estimate of the number of sub-munitions delivered as cluster munitions which failed to detonate; and how many of these have since been detonated or made safe. [MoD] (HL7926)
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civilian casualties they estimate have been caused by cluster sub-munitions which failed to detonate used by British forces in (a) the first, and (b) the second Gulf wars. [MoD] (HL7927)
The Lord Naseby—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they propose to take to ensure that National Health Service patients referred by their general practitioner for surgery are treated equally and fairly regardless of whether they smoke. [DoH] (HL7928)
25th October
The Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the highest marginal combined tax and benefit withdrawal rate for people in work which will not adversely affect work incentives. [HMT] (HL7931)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have responded to the matters raised in the letter published in the South China Morning Post on 23rd October, highlighting the issues which continue to face British Nationals (Overseas) of Indian origin waiting for British citizenship certificates; and whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the letter and their response. [HO] (HL7932)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 23rd October (WA 206), why, given that no ordinary residence test applies to otherwise stateless British Overseas citizens, British Protected Persons and British subjects wishing to register as British citizens, otherwise stateless British Nationals (Overseas) should continue to be required to satisfy an ordinary residence test. [HO] (HL7933)
The Lord Avebury—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their policy on the treatment of persons who become stranded in the United Kingdom, having been granted asylum in the United States, and having been refused second applications to the United States authorities for renewal of their Convention Travel Documents, following their attendance at institutions of higher education in the United Kingdom. [HO] (HL7934)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why the objectives for the development of the railway in the North West Regional Planning Assessment for the Railways (RPA) do not include support by the RPA for the regeneration of the East Lancashire towns. [DCLG] (HL7935)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how railway lines and services that cross regional boundaries but are not part of the trans-Pennine franchise or the West Coast Main Line are dealt with in the Regional Planning Assessments for the Railway process. [DCLG] (HL7936)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the East Lancashire railway line is considered to be part of a trans-Pennine service or whether it is considered to be local and rural rail. [DfT] (HL7937)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government why Blackburn is excluded from the Manchester commuting zone in the North West Regional Planning Assessment for the Railway, bearing in mind that most of the line between Blackburn and Bolton is included. [DCLG] (HL7938)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the North West Regional Planning Assessment for the Railway rules out the extension of Clitheroe services to Hellifield and beyond. [DCLG] (HL7939)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the North West Regional Planning Assessment for the Railway rules out the proposal by the housing market renewal pathfinder Elevate East Lancashire for a Manchester-Blackburn-Burnley-Rochdale-Manchester service which would involve the reinstatement of the Todmorden curve. [DCLG] (HL7940)
The Lord Dykes—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the latest Quartet meeting on 23rd October will be followed by an early resumption of substantive negotiations on the Middle East Road Map. [FCO] (HL7947)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files were lost by OFCOM in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on OFCOM; whether any work or projects will be affected, delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred. [DTI] (HL7951)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files were lost by the Natural History Museum in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on the museum; whether any work or projects will be affected, delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred. [DCMS] (HL7952)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files were lost by the Department for Communities and Local Government in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on the department; whether any work or projects will be affected, delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred. [DCLG] (HL7953)
The Lord Hanningfield—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what files were lost by the National Gallery in the fire at the paper records warehouse in Twelvetrees Crescent, London, in July; what impact these losses will have on the gallery; whether any work or projects will be affected, delayed or abandoned as a result of the fire; and what costs were incurred. [DCMS] (HL7954)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what the total cost of the organisation ICONS has been; and how much of this has been provided out of public funds. [DCMS] (HL7957)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the objective of the organisation ICONS; and whether that objective has been achieved. [DCMS] (HL7958)
The Lord Tebbit—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the answer by the Baroness Scotland of Asthal on 19th October (HL Deb, col. 868), whether cases of alleged rape are recorded on the basis of uncorroborated evidence of the complainant that they were subject to a sexual act without having given consent. [HO] (HL7959)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to upgrade the part of the road from Londonderry to Dublin which passes through the United Kingdom; what is the nature of the proposed upgrade; how the upgrade will be funded; and when the improvements will take place. [NIO] (HL7960)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25th October (HL7678), whether the proposed extent of the part of Rally Ireland that will take place in Northern Ireland was discussed in the initial discussions on the 2007 event; and, if so, what is the proposed extent of that part of the rally. [NIO] (HL7961)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the promise of equality and parity of esteem for the two traditions in Northern Ireland contained in the 1998 Belfast Agreement was included in the St Andrews Agreement or its follow up discussions; and, if so, how this promise will be manifested. [NIO] (HL7962)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people have been charged as a result of the raid on the Northern Bank in Belfast in December 2004. [NIO] (HL7963)
The Lord Laird—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25th October (HL7589), why Northern Ireland Members of the House of Lords are not included in the list of those people who are consulted under equality legislation. [NIO] (HL7964)
The Lord Monson—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the imposition of penalties for minor littering and waste disposal offences which may be disproportionately high in relation to the nuisance caused will foster respect for the law. [DEFRA] (HL7965)
[As amended on 26th October]
The Lord Elton—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Amos) on 9th October (WA 1-2), whether the government referred to in the first line of the answer is the government of Afghanistan; whether further consideration has been given by the government of Afghanistan or Her Majesty’s Government to the proposal to establish a department for promotion of virtue and prevention of vice; and, if so, to what effect. [FCO] (HL7966)
The Lord Redesdale—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what targets they have set for paper recycling in the National Health Service. [DoH] (HL7967)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning, Yvette Cooper, on 16th October (HC Deb, 1025W), why the introduction of home information packs will be VAT neutral. [DCLG] (HL7971)
The Baroness Byford—To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by the Lord Rooker on 25th July (WA 256), how many further catchment abstraction management strategies have now been completed; and whether the analysis by assessment points supports the earlier finding concerning over-licensing and over-abstracting. [DEFRA] (HL7972)
26th October
The Lord Judd—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made, or are making, to the government of Russia concerning alleged police violence against Yekaterina Sokiryanskaya at a recent memorial gathering for Anna Politkovskaya; and whether in those representations they emphasised, or are emphasising, that by invitation in September and October Ms Sokiryanskaya had attended a conference at Ditchley Park chaired by Sir Brian Fall on the Caucasus region. [FCO] (HL7973)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the North West Regional Planning Assessment for the Railway rules out the reinstatement of the Colne to Skipton line and the reinstatement of passenger services on that line. [DfT] (HL7974)
The Lord Greaves—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the report by the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police Authority of 26th October, Electoral offences in London following the local elections of May 2006, will lead to any further action on their part to safeguard the integrity of the system of postal voting. [DCA] (HL7975)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people are currently detained in high security prisons for immigration offences. [HO] (HL7976)
The Lord Lester of Herne Hill—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether as part of the review of the operation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 they have made an assessment of the introduction in other countries of provisions in freedom of information fees regulations (a) to include reading time, consideration time and consultation time in the calculation of the appropriate limit above which requests could be refused on cost grounds; and (b) to aggregate requests made by any legal person, or persons apparently acting in cohort, to each public authority for the purposes of calculating the appropriate limit. [DCA] (HL7977)
The Duke of Montrose—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether the exclusion under the Gangmasters (Licensing) Act 2004 which applies to agricultural contractors who are providing an agricultural service and whose workers operate machinery would include an agency which supplies relief milkers to dairy farmers. [DEFRA] (HL7980)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government which European and United Nations Conventions still await signature or ratification by the United Kingdom. [FCO] (HL7981)
The Lord Roberts of Llandudno—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list all United Kingdom defence personnel who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan since 23rd June with their ages and regiments. [MoD] (HL7982)
The Countess of Mar—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what change in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ budget of 2006-07 has been requested of the Central Science Laboratory; and what are the likely staffing implications. [DEFRA] (HL7983)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they were satisfied with the accuracy of the Explanatory Memorandum accompanying the Pensions Appeals Tribunal (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Rights of Appeal) Amendment Regulations 2006; and, if not, what action they have taken to correct it. [MoD] (HL7986)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the President of the Pensions Appeals Tribunals regarding the Pensions Appeals Tribunals (Additional Rights of Appeal) (Amendment) Regulations 2006, the Pensions Appeals Tribunal (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Rights of Appeal) Amendment Regulations 2006 and the Armed Forces and Reserve Forces (Compensation Scheme) (Amendment) Order 2006 (S.I. 2006/1438); and what action they have taken. [MoD] (HL7987)
The Lord Morris of Manchester—To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have received from the Select Committee on the Merits of Statutory Instruments regarding the Pensions Appeals Tribunals (Additional Rights of Appeal) (Amendment) Regulations 2006, the Pensions Appeals Tribunal (Armed Forces and Reserve Forces Compensation Scheme) (Rights of Appeal) Amendment Regulations 2006 and the Armed Forces and Reserv | 
