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22 Jan 2007 : Column WA197
Written Answers
Monday 22 January 2007
Afghanistan: Helmand Province
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What targets are set for the reform and reconstruction of the Helmand province of Afghanistan during the United Kingdom's three-year deployment; and what progress the deployed forces have made on meeting these targets to date. [HL937]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): A joint UK plan for Helmand was drafted by a cross-Whitehall team facilitated by the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit (PCRU) in December 2005. The Helmand plan is jointly owned and implemented by DfID, the FCO and the MoD. The Helmand Executive Group based in Lashkar Gah is responsible for the day-to-day implementation of the plan. The overall strategic aim of the joint UK plan for Helmand is,
- “an effective, representative government in Afghanistan, with security forces capable of providing an environment in which sustainable economic and social development can occur, without substantial security support from the international community”.
The strategic objectives of the plan are broken down into four categories—governance, security, economic development and counter-narcotics. DfID is responsible for the economic development part of the plan. The objective of the economic development strand is,
- “greater economic opportunities and access to public services to reduce poverty and a sustainable improvement in the legal economy of Helmand”.
The economic development part will be measured by 1) a higher level of household income, 2) increased food security, 3) better health and 4) more people educated. The way in which progress will be measured is by using a combination of the National Rural Vulnerability Assessment (NRVA) report and various UN reports. As development activities have been implemented in Helmand only since April 2006, it is too early to judge the impact.
DfID is providing £30 million over three years to support the Helmand Agriculture and Rural Development Programme (HARDP). This programme aims to increase economic opportunities for the rural poor of Helmand by supporting the Government of Afghanistan in the roll-out of existing successful national programmes in Helmand. Priority preliminary tasks have been undertaken and, by the end of March 2007, this programme will have constructed 200 wells in and around Lashkar Gah city, and 49 kilometres of road will be under construction by then.
In addition, DfID has committed £4 million to the UK Global Conflict Prevention Pool (GCPP) funding allocation of £6.5 million for the delivery of quick
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Through the £3 million DfID-funded Research into Alternative Livelihoods Fund (RALF), the Restorative Agriculture and Rural Economy Research Project, implemented by Mercy Corps, in Helmand is working on export feasibility of grapes, tomatoes, mushrooms, eggplants and okra, and has made strong contacts with raisin importers (organic and fair trade). The programme is evaluating at least 10 different small-scale agri-processing industries, and producing case studies of enterprises that prove to have value added—for example, tomato paste.
Airports: Wheelchairs
Lord Faulkner of Worcester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will make representations to British airports to adopt the provisions of European Union regulation 1107/2006 in respect of wheelchair charges in time for the 2007 holiday season, rather than wait until 26 July 2008; and [HL1323]
What steps they are taking to discourage airports from regarding wheelchair handling as a profit centre.[HL1324]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: We are not aware of any UK airport imposing additional charges to individual passengers for provision of wheelchairs. Furthermore, the existence of established case law in this area should already deter airport operators from doing so.
Department for Transport officials are in regular contact with UK air transport industry stakeholders, including the Airport Operators Association, on accessibility matters and will be issuing a formal consultation later this year on the implementation of European Union regulation 1107/2006 within the UK. Under this regulation, the practice of charging disabled passengers for assistance will be unlawful.
Armed Forces: Procurement
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have undertaken any assessment of the likely impact of the merger of the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation on current procurement programmes; and what measures have been put in place to reduce any identified impacts. [HL1127]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): We keep under continuous review the impact of the merger on ongoing business. Support to operations and delivery of capability to the front line remains our top priority and is monitored closely by senior managers and at board level in the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation.
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress they have made since 3 July 2006 in identifying the core and non-core functions of the Defence Procurement Agency and the Defence Logistics Organisation in advance of the merger of the two organisations; and whether any targets towards the merger are outstanding to date. [HL1130]
Lord Drayson: Plans are progressing to establish a fit-for-purpose integrated procurement and support organisation on 2 April 2007, which initially will take forward all the functions presently carried out by both organisations, and will be named Defence Equipment & Support. As part of the bedding down of the new organisation in 2007, further consideration will be given to the case for transferring non-core functions elsewhere. We are on track to meet the targets for merger set out in the Enabling Acquisition Change report.
Arms Trade: Al Yamamah
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which Ministers communicated with the Serious Fraud Office (SFO), or on whose behalf communications were sent to the SFO, about the investigation of offences of corruption in relation to Saudi Arabian arms contracts; and whether they will place copies of these communications in the Library of the House. [HL1089]
The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith): In December 2005, in accordance with the well established procedure known as a Shawcross exercise, I sought views from ministerial colleagues as to the public interest considerations raised by the SFO investigation. Such views were provided in December 2005 by the Prime Minister and the then Foreign and Defence Secretaries and updated in September 2006. Further such views were provided by the Prime Minister and the Foreign and Defence Secretaries in December 2006. I conveyed those views to the director of the SFO but (apart from the Solicitor-General and myself) no Ministers communicated directly with the SFO. In addition the Leader of the House of Commons raised the case with me in November 2006. The decision to discontinue the investigation was taken by the SFO in its capacity as the independent prosecuting and investigating authority.
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The communications contain material which is sensitive from the point of view of national security so I am not in a position to place copies in the Library. However, consideration is being given to the question of disclosure in the context of requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what statutory authority the Prime Minister used his executive power to order the termination of investigations of possible corruption in dealings between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia relating to defence contracts; whether there are any precedents for such use of executive power; and, if so, what are those precedents; and [HL1440]
What legal or other advice the Prime Minister sought before the decision was taken to terminate investigations of possible corruption in dealings between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia relating to defence contracts; and [HL1441]
Whether the Cabinet was consulted before the decision was taken to terminate investigations of possible corruption in dealings between BAE Systems and Saudi Arabia relating to defence contracts. [HL1442]
Lord Goldsmith: The Prime Minister did not order the termination of the investigation. The decision to terminate the investigation was taken by the director of the Serious Fraud Office. The Cabinet was not consulted about that decision but, as explained in my Statement of 14 December 2006, the views of the Prime Minister, the Foreign Secretary and the Defence Secretary were obtained as to the public interest considerations raised by the investigation. This was done in accordance with the well established procedure known as a Shawcross exercise.
Arms Trade: South Africa
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to instruct the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to stop investigations into arms sales to South Africa; and, if not, what are the differences between South Africa and Saudi Arabia which caused the Government to instruct the SFO to stop its investigations in the case of arms sales to the latter country. [HL1107]
The Attorney-General (Lord Goldsmith): There is no question of the Government giving any such instructions to the SFO, and they did not do so in relation to the SFO investigation with respect to the Al Yamamah programme with Saudi Arabia. As I made clear in my Statement to the House on 14 December 2006, the decision to discontinue that investigation was taken by the director of the SFO independently of government, on the basis of facts particular to the Al Yamamah contract investigations. The SFO's other investigations (including a number relating to BAE Systems) are continuing, and I have made clear to the director of the SFO that he should pursue those investigations vigorously.
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Aviation: Frequent Fliers
Lord Russell-Johnston asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have given any consideration to enabling frequent fliers to obtain security clearance in advance in order to accelerate security procedures at airports. [HL1231]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. It is a cornerstone of aviation security that passengers, flight crew and ground staff, and the items they are carrying, are subjected to security screening on each and every occasion they move from landside to airside at an airport.
Benefits: Housing
Baroness Thomas of Winchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why housing benefit payable to private landlords is not paid per calendar month instead of every four weeks. [HL1283]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): Local authorities have some discretion in deciding how to pay benefit in any particular case and are expected to take into account the reasonable needs and convenience of the customer in determining the frequency and timing of payments. The general principle is that the timing of payments should reflect the nature of the customer’s liability.
Housing benefit paid direct to landlords is paid every four weeks. However, where the client has a monthly rent liability, direct payments may be made at calendar monthly intervals.
Community Interest Companies
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many community interest companies have been registered in each of the years since the coming into force of the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004. [HL1274]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Truscott): The Community Interest Regulations 2005 and Part 2 of the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 came into force on 1 July 2005. The number of community interest companies incorporated during the first year, 1 July 2005 to 30 June 2006, was 273. From 1 July 2006 to 16 January 2007, 396 community interest companies have incorporated.
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Constitution
Lord Norton of Louth asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs and Lord Chancellor (Lord Falconer of Thoroton): Lawyers in the department occupy the equivalent of 56.6 full-time posts.
Court Martial: Sergeant Selman and Others
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Following the cases of Sergeant Selman and others acquitted at court martial, whether the defence had access to their own (or independent) translation and interpretation services when provided with all statements taken during the course of the investigation. [HL1204]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The solicitors for Sergeant Selman employed a translator who undertook translation work both prior to and during the trial. The translations were made available to the other defence teams. A solicitor for one of the other defendants was able to read and write Arabic.
Diplomatic Passports
Lord Russell-Johnston asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which member countries of the European Union issue diplomatic passports to their parliamentarians. [HL1232]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): To answer the Question fully, officials would need to contact every member state in the EU to collate this information and this would incur disproportionate cost.
Elections: Voter Registration
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What powers electoral registration officers and returning officers now possess in the case of suspicions arising about the validity of voter registrations; in what circumstances they are advised to use such powers; and whether they can refuse to place such electors on the register until the checks have taken place to their satisfaction. [HL1266]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): Electoral registration officers do not have to enter a person on the register until any checks they wish to conduct have been completed to their satisfaction. They have powers to request information from those applying for registration and to conduct a hearing of the application where they consider this necessary. They are not to enter a person on the register until the five-day period for making objections to the application to be registered has elapsed. The Electoral Administration Act 2006 clarified that objections to registration could be made not only to an application for registration, but to an existing entry in the register. The 2006 Act also conferred much broader powers on registration officers to review the entitlement to be registered of a person with an existing entry in the register. They can use this power, for example, if they are suspicious about someone's nationality or fraud. The 2006 Act also created a broader criminal offence of providing false information to registration officers in connection with electoral registration.
Lord Greaves asked Her Majesty's Government:
What advice they are giving to returning officers about the steps they should take and the procedures they should follow in the event of suspicions or objections arising over late applications to register as electors up to 11 days before polling day. [HL1267]
Baroness Ashton of Upholland: The Government are not intending to issue guidance on this point. Such guidance is usually issued by the Electoral Commission and we understand that it will be doing so as part of the wider guidance on the EA Act.
Embryology
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether paragraph 2.74 of the White Paper, Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act, regarding the possible need for “more basic research” means that basic research has already been unlawfully authorised. [HL1043]
Whether they will clarify the meaning of “basic research”, referred to in paragraph 2.74 of the White Paper Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act; and which cases they have in mind; and [HL1044]
Whether, in the light of paragraphs 2.52 and 2.77 of the White Paper Review of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act regarding the proposed removal of the restriction on altering the genetic structure or replacing the nucleus of cells which form part of an embryo, existing research using these techniques and permitted by the regulatory authority was unlawful; and, if so, how they will ensure that the proposed new regulatory authority will not also participate in such practices; and [HL1045]
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