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Armed Forces: Homelessness
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What provisions exist or are planned to prevent homelessness among former members of the Armed Forces and their families. [HL3477]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The Ministry of Defence works closely with the Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG), other government departments, veterans' organisations and other service providers to ensure a co-ordinated and structured approach to homelessness among a small minority of ex-service personnel. Our aim is both to prevent new service leavers becoming homeless and to provide an effective safety net for existing homeless ex-service personnel. Current measures to achieve this include:
enhanced housing advice and assistance to all service personnel;joint research to identify the extent of ex-service homelessness, to understand better the factors leading to it and to assess the effectiveness of remedial measures;supporting a range of initiatives by the voluntary sector, particularly through the Ex-Services Action Group on Homelessness, including funding for key workers and an advisory leaflet for homeless ex-service personnel in London;supported short-term accommodation for service leavers at risk of homelessness; and9 May 2007 : Column WA257
Interim findings of a current study indicate that these measures are achieving considerable success, with the proportion of rough sleepers with an Armed Forces background down by around two thirds since 2000.
Burma: Refugees
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will seek to organise, through the offices of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees or otherwise, education and access to employment for refugees from Burma now in India and Thailand. [HL3480]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): Our embassies in Bangkok and Rangoon have regular discussions with the UN High Commission for Refugees in Thailand and Burma, and the Government of Thailand, about the welfare of refugees in Thailand. These discussions include access to education and employment. The UN High Commission for Refugees is denied access to Mizoram State and is therefore unable to visit the camps in India. However, we look for opportunities to raise the situation of Burmese refugees in India with the state and central governments as part of our dialogue with the Government of India on Burma.
Children: Secure Institutions
Lord Ramsbotham asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many children have attempted suicide in the past 12 months in (a) young offender institutions; (b) secure training centres; and (c) local authority secure children's homes in England and Wales; and [HL2670]
How many children have self-harmed, excluding attempted suicide, in the past 12 months in (a) young offender institutions; (b) secure training centres; and (c) local authority secure children's homes in England and Wales. [HL2671]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Her Majesty's Prison Service does not distinguish attempted suicide from self-harm. There is no definition of what constitutes an attempted suicide, as it is very difficult to measure suicidal intent.
Her Majesty's Prison Service only holds estimates of the number of individuals who self-harm. The exact information requested can therefore not be provided.
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The Youth Justice Board has been compiling quarterly figures of incidents of self-harm in secure training centres since March 2006. Figures up to 31 December 2006 are in the Library. Statistics relating to self-harm in local authority children's secure homes were not previously held centrally, and figures for the past 12 months could be collated only at disproportionate cost. However, on 1 April 2007, the Youth Justice Board introduced a new data collection system for all establishments in the secure estate for children and young people, which will capture information on self-harm.
China: Human Rights
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What representations they have received on the lack of progress made through the United Kingdom-China and European Union-China human rights dialogues; what response they have given to the recommendations made by Amnesty International on the adoption of specific benchmarks against which to measure progress; and whether they have any other proposals for improving the productivity of these dialogues. [HL3590]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): We receive and welcome regular feedback from Parliament and non-governmental organisations on the UK-China and EU-China human rights dialogues. We believe that the dialogues contribute to incremental progress on human rights in China within the context of a range of actions and representations by the UK, EU and other interested parties. They should be viewed and assessed within that wider context. We do not support the adoption of specific benchmarks against which to measure progress of individual sessions of the dialogues. We continue to assess and develop the dialogues and are working with the Chinese Government and the EU on a number of proposals.
Commission for Equality and Human Rights
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they propose to give lead responsibility for the Commission for Equality and Human Rights, and for the Government's policy on equality and human rights to the Ministry of Justice; and, if not, what is the justification for dividing lead responsibility for equality and human rights between departments. [HL3435]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): It is government policy for all non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) to have a lead sponsoring government department to ensure accountability to Parliament for their funding and operations. As the lead department on equality, the
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Courts: Sentencing
Lord Lester of Herne Hill asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to meet the concerns expressed by the Judges' Council as to how to match sentences to available resources so that judges are not under pressure to impose sentences that they do not believe are appropriate. [HL3146]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): Sentencing in individual cases is entirely a matter for the judge or magistrates dealing with it in accordance with the law and with regard to any guidelines issued by the Sentencing Guidelines Council or the Court of Appeal.
Funding for courts is the responsibility of the Lord Chancellor. By virtue of Section 1 of the Courts Act 2003, he is obliged to ensure that there is an effective and efficient courts system and that appropriate services are provided. The Government believe that, as a matter of general policy, prison should be reserved for serious and dangerous offenders and that others are better punished in the community. But they do not seek to influence individual sentences, and nor will they under the new machinery of government arrangements.
Crime: Sentences
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proposals they have to improve the public's understanding of the factors taken into consideration in the sentencing of criminals in Northern Ireland. [HL3353]
Lord Rooker: During the Government’s extensive review and consultation on a new sentencing framework for Northern Ireland, a common theme that emerged was a lack of clarity in current sentencing. From the views expressed, it became clear that the cause of this lack of clarity was the existing automatic right of prisoners to 50 per cent remission, rather than any mitigating factors taken into account by the judiciary in considering individual cases.
That is why our proposals for a new sentencing framework bring an end to automatic 50 per cent remission. Dangerous violent and sexual offenders could, if necessary, be detained indefinitely, while those committing other specified offences could be detained until the end of their prison sentence. For all other offenders, the court would set a clearly defined custodial part of the sentence, which the offender
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We will consult fully on a set of draft legislative proposals later this year.
EU: European Council
Lord Leach of Fairford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House copies of all correspondence between the Government and the presidency of the European Union regarding the meetings of the focal points in preparation for the European Council on 22 June.[HL3609]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): At the request of the German presidency, two senior UK officials have been appointed as “focal points” to liaise with the presidency in consultations on possible ways forward on institutional reform. Discussions are currently under way. The Government do not release papers relating to ongoing discussions on such institutional issues.
EU: Treaty
Lord Stoddart of Swindon asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend at the next European Union summit in June to agree to an amended European Union treaty containing provisions for the creation of a full-time president of the Council, a foreign minister, a legal personality and the relinquishment of further vetoes; and, if so, whether their pledge to hold a referendum before significant changes are made to the existing treaties will be honoured. [HL3511]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Triesman): There is at present no consensus among EU partners on the way forward regarding the constitutional treaty or any new treaty. These issues will be discussed at the European Council in June. It is too early to speculate on the outcome of these discussions. The Government’s approach to these discussions was set out in the Written Ministerial Statement in another place of my right honourable friend the Minister for Europe, Geoff Hoon, of 5 December 2006 (cols. 10-11WS).
Extradition: Mr Manzarpour
Earl Attlee asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is the situation with regard to Mr Ali Manzarpour's extradition to the United States; and [HL3453]
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Whether they remain of the opinion that Mr Ali Manzarpour has not committed any offence under European Union, Polish or United Kingdom law. [HL3454]
The Minister of State, Home Office (Baroness Scotland of Asthal): These Questions have been assumed to relate to an extradition request by the United States of America to Poland for Mr Manzarpour. The United Kingdom Government have no locus in this case and consequently are unable to answer the Questions.
Festivals: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 25 April (WA 154) concerning the Festival Transitional Fund in Northern Ireland, what equality process will be used in the allocation of the funding; and how an organisation applies for such funding. [HL3502]
Lord Rooker: This matter is now the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Administration.
Fishing: Salmon
Lord Dear asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which salmon rivers in England are designated as special areas of conservation under the European Habitats Directive, including rivers for which the presence of salmon is a qualifying feature rather than a primary reason for designation; and which of these (a) are currently failing to meet their conservation limits; and (b) are expected to fail their conservation limits in 2010. [HL3298]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The information requested is set out in the table below.
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A river is classed as complying with the management objective if there is a high probability, more than 95 per cent, that it will exceed its conservation limit in four years out of five. Two of the eight SAC rivers, the Camel and the Derwent, fall into this category. Three other rivers, the Ehen, Eden and Dee, are less certain to comply fully with the management objective but are all tracking very close to their conservation limits and showing improving trends.
The remaining rivers are further below the management objective, but one (Itchen) shows a good improving trend while the others (Avon and Wye) have seen periods of recovery but currently show no clear long-term trends.
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