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16 May 2007 : Column WA35
Written Answers
Wednesday 16 May 2007
Abortion
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath to Lord Patten on 29 March (WA 291), which research studies indicate that only a small minority of women experience long-term post-abortion distress; and what is meant by long-term. [HL3175]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): This issue is discussed on page 35 of the guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2004) and the research studies are listed on page 69. The research studies used a variety of methodologies and time periods. Copies of the guideline have been placed in the Library.
Lord Patten asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Hunt of Kings Heath on 29 March (WA 291), whether they will provide the dates of publication and all the research studies to which the Answer refers. [HL3252]
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: This issue is discussed on page 35 of the guideline The Care of Women Requesting Induced Abortion issued by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (2004) and the research studies are listed on page 69. The research studies used a variety of methodologies and time periods. Copies of the guideline have been placed in the Library.
Afghanistan: Attacks
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their response to the present level and intensity of attacks on British advanced bases in Afghanistan. [HL3610]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Our response remains to keep the Taliban on the back foot through a series of operations which both degrade its capability and bring stability, extend the reach of the Afghan Government and allow reconstruction and development. Recent operations such as Operations Silver and Silicon have done just this.
Afghanistan: Combat Stress
Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts asked Her Majesty's Government:
What studies have been made of the likely levels of combat stress among members of the British Armed Forces who have served in Afghanistan. [HL3611]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The MoD has funded the King’s College London Centre for Military Health Research (KCMHR) to undertake major research into the health of those who have served on recent operations. Ongoing work includes multiple theatres, including Afghanistan. At a time when a growing number of personnel have been deployed to more than one operational theatre, it is becoming clear that it is difficult to attribute a subsequent mental health condition (which in many cases may not present itself until months or even years later) to service on a specific deployment.
The new research mirrors that carried out by KCMHR on members of the British Armed Forces who served in the Iraq war in 2003, and which resulted in major pieces of work published in 2006, details of which can be found on the KCMHR website: www.kcl.ac.uk/kcmhr/information/publications.html. This research showed that there was no increase in psychiatric disorders seen in regular personnel deployed on the first phase of Operation TELIC compared to the rest of the UK Armed Forces and that the later Operation TELIC deployments examined were not associated with any worsening of mental health consequence compared to the initial Operation TELIC group.
A new questionnaire to gather data on those who have served in Afghanistan has already been piloted and funding approved, and the data collection phase of the research will be commencing shortly. It should be noted that the result of this research will not be available for a period of years.
A tri-service overarching review of operational stress management was carried out in 2004-05 which recognised the issues surrounding operational and combat stress. The Armed Forces have been tasked with adopting its recommendations as appropriate within their single-service provisions.
Afghanistan: Vector Patrol Vehicles
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many men and pieces of equipment the Vector patrol vehicle can carry compared to the armoured Land Rover. [HL3620]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Vector provides greater capacity and payload, better protection and increased mobility when compared with the protected Land Rover known as Snatch; Vector can carry more equipment and an extra passenger.
Afghanistan: Women
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assistance they are providing to the Government of Afghanistan to combat violence against women and improve family planning and maternal health; and whether they will respond to the call made by the executive director of the United Nations population fund in Kabul on 23 April for greater investment in the health and well-being of Afghanistan's women and their families. [HL3415]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Amos): DfID supports the Government of Afghanistan in their plan to meet all of the millennium development goals (MDG) by 2020. This includes MDG 3, promoting gender equality and empowering women, and MDG 5, improving maternal health. DfID is working with the Government to ensure that gender is fully addressed and integrated into the Afghanistan national development strategy (ANDS), which will provide the framework for development over the next five years. We have seconded an adviser to the ANDS secretariat, who will work closely with UNIFEM and the Ministry of Women's Affairs to ensure that gender issues are addressed. Overall, we provide 80 per cent of our current assistance (estimated to be £107 million in 2007-08) directly to the Government of Afghanistan. This helps, for example, to pay salaries of staff in the Ministry of Public Health, as well as in other government departments, and in this way supports healthcare provision in Afghanistan, including family planning and maternal health. In addition we also support gender equality at provincial level and through NGOs.
DfID has provided £17 million over the past three years (2003-06) to the Afghan Government's national solidarity programme (NSP). This programme has led to the creation of 16,000 community development councils (CDCs). Under this programme, DfID is pressing for more effort to be placed on improving women's participation in the councils. Female-only CDCs have already been established and have become fora for a discussion on issues that women could not previously discuss openly in mixed gender CDCs (for example on health, domestic violence and literacy).
So far, DfID has also provided £20 million to the Government of Afghanistan's micro-finance and investment support facility of Afghanistan (MISFA). This provides micro credit loans to more than 311,583 beneficiaries across 22 provinces, over 75 per cent are women. This supports women in developing sustainable livelihoods and therefore promotes economic independence. MISFA plans to expand to all 34 provinces by the end of 2007.
DfID has also provided £4 million to support quick impact projects (QIPs) in Helmand. These are identified by the Afghan Government, and some benefit women directly. One particular example is the construction of new midwifery facilities in Lashkar Gar.
DfID is also supporting a five-year women's empowerment programme from 2005-10, implemented by Womankind, through our Civil Society Challenge Fund. This £500,000 initiative is focused on promoting women's equal participation in governance; building awareness of women's rights among civil society and policy makers; and on providing educational, health, community and psycho-social support to those women affected by violence and conflict.
Airports: Security Measures
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the impact of the current security measures on transit times at Heathrow Airport; and [HL3664]
What is their assessment of the impact of the current security measures on the daily number of passengers in transit at Heathrow Airport who miss their connecting flights. [HL3665]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Aviation security measures are kept under constant review. The Department for Transport is in close consultation with industry colleagues to ensure that the current measures are capable of being delivered for only as long as is necessary.
While the department is sympathetic to any passenger who might have had to queue for longer than usual, it is important that security screening is carried out properly and to the required standard.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the guidelines to security staff at Heathrow Airport on how many spot checks should be carried out. [HL3666]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My noble colleague will understand that on security grounds I am unable to reveal any measures contained within the national aviation security programme.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the risk that a passenger in a United Kingdom airport could pass through the walk-through security undetected with sufficient liquids strapped to the body to destroy an aircraft. [HL3667]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: My noble colleague will understand that on security grounds I am unable to reveal any information that might be useful to those who seek to carry out acts of terrorism.
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why passengers in transit at United Kingdom airports are required to go through secondary security arrangements when they have already been through security arrangements at the country of origin of the flight. [HL3668]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Aviation security is governed by international law, as set out in the standards and recommended practices contained in Annexe 17 to the Chicago Convention 1944 which is administered by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), of which the UK is a member. The overriding principle is that of host state responsibility, and the UK Government are responsible for the security of civil aviation leaving UK airports.
Armed Forces: Internment Procedure
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the document entitled 1QLR Internment procedure, dated 9 July 2003, as disclosed at the recent court martial of members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment and others. [HL3559]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): Yes.
Aviation: Air Safety
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the ability of the European Aviation Safety Agency to ensure high standards of air safety within United Kingdom air carriers and in United Kingdom airspace in comparison with that of the Civil Aviation Authority. [HL3676]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, rather than the European Aviation Safety Agency, is responsible for ensuring the safety of UK airlines. Under the convention it is recognised that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the United Kingdom remains sovereign in the management of air safety matters with United Kingdom air carriers and in United Kingdom airspace. [HL3677]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority is responsible for the safety regulation of UK airlines. The operational safety standards which UK airlines currently have to meet are established by the CAA and are in line with the minimum standards established under the Convention on International Civil Aviation. Under the convention it is recognised that every state has complete and exclusive sovereignty over the airspace above its territory.
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
What powers they possess to appoint, discipline or dismiss officials within the European Aviation Safety Agency for incompetence or failure to ensure the safety of passengers or crew of United Kingdom air carriers or of others within the United Kingdom airspace. [HL3678]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The governance arrangements for the European Aviation Safety Agency are set out in EC Regulation 1592/2002.
The regulation establishes a management board for the agency composed of one representative from each member state and one representative from the European Commission. The board has responsibility for appointing the executive director of EASA, on a proposal from the European Commission, and the directors on a proposal from the executive director.
The management board can exercise disciplinary authority over the executive director and the directors. The board can dismiss the executive director on a proposal of the European Commission and dismiss the directors on the proposal of the executive director.
Aviation: Cabin Baggage
Viscount Waverley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take to inform international passengers in transit through United Kingdom airports of the maximum allowance of one item of cabin baggage per passenger. [HL3663]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: It is the responsibility of airline operators to inform passengers of security restrictions in place at any international airport at which their passengers might be transiting.
Bees
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made any reassessment, since the Written Answer by Lord Whitty on 24 March 2004 (WA 104), of the economic value of honey bees as pollinators. [HL3701]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The figures quoted in the noble Lord's Answer of 24 March 2004 (WA 104) were based on the 2001 economic evaluation of Defra's bee health programme. A recent re-examination of those figures suggests that the value of pollination of the commercial crops used to derive the earlier figure has dropped by some £20 million. This is due to a reduction in some of the crops used in the calculation, such as apples, cherries and runner beans. However, these figures do not take into account crops such as borage which rely on honey bee pollination. The value of pollination of wild plants by honey bees has not been calculated.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have assessed the possible causes of colony collapse disorder (CCD) among honey bees; whether they have estimated the economic and environmental cost of CCD occurring in the United Kingdom; what research they are undertaking to improve their understanding of CCD; and what contingencies they have in place to reduce the possible impact of a collapse in the bee population. [HL3704]
Lord Rooker: Colony collapse disorder (CCD) is a generic name given to a number of major colony losses reported by no more than around 60 commercial bee farmers spread across 25 states in the USA. Currently, the UK is not suffering from similar bee health-related problems on the same scale. Nevertheless, the National Bee Unit (NBU) at Defra's central science laboratory is maintaining close contact with researchers from the USA who are investigating possible causes. Although it is not possible to develop contingency plans for unknown threats, the NBU's activities are devoted to identifying new threats and mitigating the impact of known pests and diseases.
A 2001 economic evaluation of Defra's bee health programme estimated the value of honey bees to commercial pollination at approximately £120 million, although changes in crop areas and values suggest that the value may now be lower. No valuation of the role of honey bees in relation to the pollination of wild plants is available.
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
What budget they have allocated to the National Bee Unit each year since 1997; what proportion of that budget has been for research; and what other contributions they have made to bee research in the United Kingdom. [HL3705]
Lord Rooker: Defra was created in June 2001. Expenditure on the National Bee Unit (NBU), by Defra and the Welsh Assembly Government, is as follows:
| Year | Expenditure with the NBU (£) |
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