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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, what action they have taken to improve the translation and interpretation facilities available to investigators in-theatre; and [HL1202]
Following the cases of Sergeant Selman and others acquitted at court martial, what procedures have been put in place to ensure that all statements taken in the course of an investigation, particularly those requiring interpretation and translation, are read back to interviewees and an addendum signed to confirm this. [HL1203]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Since the investigation into the death of Ahmed Jaber Kareem which led to the court martial of Sergeant Selman
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It is standard RMP practice for statements taken in operational theatres to be recorded in the local language. The statement is then read by the witness (or read back to the witness if he or she cannot read), amended as necessary and signed by the witness (and by the interpreter if the witness cannot read). In line with civil police guidelines, witness interviews are audio recorded. On rare occasions where this is not possible, comprehensive notes are maintained. During major incident investigations, it is standard practice for key witness interviews to be video recorded.
Courts: Charges
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Baroness Ashton of Upholland on 9 January (WA 67), whether they will publish the report of the review undertaken by HM Courts Service to evaluate whether the current system of exemptions and remissions adequately protects access to justice. [HL1289]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Constitutional Affairs (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): The outcome of the fundamental review of the system of exemptions and remissions will not be published in the form of a separate report. The issues identified and the proposals for revising the system of fee concessions will be published in a forthcoming consultation paper. The proposals build on a system already in place and ensure that we can be confident that the system is well targeted and affordable, while making more people aware of their entitlements.
Crime: Asset Seizures
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assets have been seized in South Armagh since 1 January; and how many prosecutions have followed as a result. [HL444]
Lord Rooker: A full answer could be provided only at a disproportionate cost.
The Police Service of Northern Ireland has had a number of successes in County Armagh, including three seizures of counterfeit goods and counterfeiting equipment to the value of £146,317. Fifteen prosecution files have been submitted to the Director of Public Prosecutions as a result of activity at Jonesborough Market; however, none of these has yet been through the court.
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Crime: Rape
Lord Campbell-Savours asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will introduce legislation to enable publication of information on whether compensation was paid or not paid under the criminal injuries compensation scheme in rape cases without identifying the name of the accuser and only identifying the name of the convicted; and [HL1255]
How many awards have been made by the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority to the accusers in the Leslie Warren and Warren Blackwell cases separately. [HL1256]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Legislation is unnecessary. The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) already has discretion to disclose information about awards made for injuries inflicted by the same offender, provided that the authority is satisfied that any disclosure is unlikely to enable a particular victim, or the award made to a particular victim, to be identified. For example, CICA has disclosed more general information about awards made to victims of the late Harold Shipman and to victims of the 7/7 London bombings. It follows that CICA cannot release information relating to the second Question, including whether any applications for criminal injuries compensation have in fact been made in the Leslie Warren and Warren Blackwell cases.
Demonstrations
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the boats that assembled and blew their hooters on the river outside Parliament on the morning of 10 January constituted a demonstration. [HL1304]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police informs me that there was a demonstration involving 20 commercial vessels on the River Thames outside Parliament on 10 January. The demonstration was not authorised by the Metropolitan Police as required under Sections 132 to 138 of the Serious Organised Crime and Police Act 2005. I understand that the Metropolitan Police intend to write to the owners of each vessel informing them that they held an unauthorised demonstration and explaining how they should go about applying for authority to demonstrate in the future.
Energy: Demand Reduction Trials
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Statement by Lord Truscott on 21 November 2006 (WS 32), why £4.75 million is being transferred to the Department of Trade and Industry from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in respect of energy demand reduction
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The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The 2006 Budget announced funding of £5 million to run smart metering trials. Following discussions with stakeholders, the Government decided that there was a strong case for expanding the trials in order to pilot approaches aimed at securing household behavioural changes that would result in a reduction in energy demand.
Defra agreed to contribute £4.75 million from the £20 million announced in the same Budget to support work on household energy efficiency. The decision to create a single pot of money was taken in order to maximise administrative efficiency and to ensure a single coherent framework for designing, tendering and monitoring the trials. Close interdepartmental co-ordination is ensured through a joint Department of Trade and Industry, Defra and Ofgem steering committee.
Energy: Microgeneration
Baroness Byford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Science and Technology, Mr Malcolm Wicks, on 13 December 2006 (Official Report, Commons, col. 1078W), by how much the costs of various microgeneration systems have already fallen; by how much further they are likely to fall before June 2008; whether such falls will equate to the sums of money that have been available through householder funding; and how much the population is to be made aware of the availability and costs of the various systems. [HL1296]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Trade and Industry (Lord Truscott): Since the launch of the Clear Skies scheme in 2002, the greatest number of projects have been solar thermal hot water installations. There has been a small increase in the price of solar thermal installations, which is believed to be part of the natural development of the market. However, we would expect prices to fall as the supply base develops. Under the solar PV major demonstration programme, which was launched in 2003, the price per installed capacity of solar panels has fallen on average by 15 per cent.
Under the low-carbon buildings programme (LCBP), launched in April 2006, we have yet to assess the impact of the capital grant programme on the cost of microgeneration systems. Even so, one of the main objectives of the scheme is to drive down costs, and we will be looking to assess the impact on cost over the life of the programme.
As part of the microgeneration strategy that was published in March 2006, we announced that there
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Firearms
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many persons have died of injuries inflicted by handguns in each year since the passage of the Firearms Acts. [HL1196]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Available information is for England and Wales from 1997 to 2004-05 and for Scotland from 1997 to 2005-06.
Fishing: Drift Netting
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
What impact the recent announcement by the Government of the Republic of Ireland that drift netting is to end off the Irish coast will have on the netting regime under the jurisdiction of the Irish cross-border Loughs Agency. [HL1180]
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Lord Rooker: The Loughs Agency is in the process of developing its policy on mixed-stock fisheries, taking account of the policy operated in the Republic of Ireland. The Loughs Agency is currently consulting stakeholders. When it formalises its policy, this will be subject to the approval of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure as the department responsible for salmon policy in Northern Ireland.
Fishing: Lough Neagh
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Further to the Written Answers by Lord Rooker on 8 November (WA 183) and 13 December (WA 206), whether the Fisheries Conservancy Board’s patrols on Lough Neagh are operationally efficient; and, in light of the proportion of boat patrols claimed that were incorrectly logged, they will take punitive or remedial action. [HL1116]
Lord Rooker: Patrols on Lough Neagh are the responsibility of the Fisheries Conservancy Board, which carries out patrol activity within operational budgets and the income available to it. In response to concerns that there has been a lack of enforcement patrols in 2006, DCAL staff have been made available to FCB to assist in carrying out such patrols. The department has written to the chief executive of FCB strongly emphasising the importance of providing accurate information in response to Parliamentary Questions and has sought and received details of measures taken by FCB to avoid a recurrence. Any further disciplinary action will be the responsibility of the board.
Gulf War 1990-91: Vaccines
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 20 January 2003 on the guidance given to doctors on the product licence summary that the anthrax vaccine licensed by the Secretary of State for Health should be used alone, whether this was observed when vaccinating troops deployed to the 1990-91 Gulf War; and what action was taken to try to ensure that it was observed. [HL1133]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): I refer my noble friend to the Answer that my noble friend Lord Bach gave him on 9 October 2003 (Official Report, cols. WA 67-79).
Health: Waiting Times
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
What inspection system they have in place to monitor National Health Service waiting lists in Northern Ireland and to ensure that hospital trusts are providing full and accurate information on waiting times; whether waiting times for initial
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Lord Rooker: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety publishes official waiting list/times statistics on a quarterly basis. The publication includes:
out-patient waiting list/times, which comprise the number of patients waiting for their first out-patient appointment with a consultant, or a member of the consultant's team (or a locum in place for a member of the consultant's team); and in-patient waiting list/times, which comprise the number of patients waiting for ordinary admission or daycase admission to hospital.| Next Section | Back to Table of Contents | Lords Hansard Home Page |