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17 Dec 2007 : Column WA89
17 Dec 2007 : Column WA89
17 Dec 2007 : Column WA89
Monday 17 December 2007
Afghanistan: HIV/AIDS
Baroness Northover asked Her Majesty's Government:
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): There are an estimated 1,000 to 2,000 Afghans living with HIV. Although not directly engaged in tackling HIV/AIDS or the wider health sector in Afghanistan, DfID does monitor the situation in consultation with other donors active in this area, and provides funding to the multi-donor Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF), which helps to pay the salaries of government-employed health workers.
In support of HIV/AIDs, the World Bank has committed $10 million, the World Health Organisation $1 million, the Asian Development Bank $1.5 million and France $200,000. Additional funds of $11 million have also been requested recently from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria—GFATM)—to which DfID contributes.
DfID will continue to look to donors active in this sector to provide adequate support as part of its plans to co-ordinate aid behind the forthcoming Afghanistan National Development Strategy—ANDS—due in March 2008. The ANDS is the Afghan Government's own plan for development over the next five years.
The Ministry of Public Health established a Department of AIDS Control in 2005. The national strategy for AIDS control, developed by the Government of Afghanistan, which will run until 2010, includes some key elements for the prevention of AIDS in Afghanistan, including: strengthening the country's system for AIDS detection; obtaining political commitments to fulfil the strategy; improving co-ordination; and raising local awareness of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Agriculture: Foot and Mouth Disease
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2375), the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Export Restrictions) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2489) and the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) (No. 3) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2712) concerning restrictions resulting from foot and mouth disease, whether the importation of live animals susceptible to foot and mouth from member states in the European Union was allowed between 25 August and 13 September; and, if so, why the restriction against such imports was reimposed on 13 September. [HL794]
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The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): These domestic regulations implemented European Community legislation, which also required other member states to ensure that live animals of susceptible species were not dispatched to the restricted area within the UK. This area comprised the whole of Great Britain.
On 25 August 2007, these measures were relaxed and the ban on dispatching animals from other member states applied only to the protection zones and the surrounding surveillance zone. On 13 September, following the additional outbreak of foot and mouth disease, the restricted area in the UK was once again extended to the whole of Great Britain.
Therefore, between 25 August and 13 September, member states were able to dispatch live animals to any parts of Great Britain outside of the surveillance zone.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2375), the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Export Restrictions) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2489) and the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) (No. 3) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2712) concerning restrictions resulting from foot and mouth disease, why the word “Dispatch” in SI 2375 was replaced in the latter two by “Export”; and why the section on equidae was removed in SI 2489 and not reinstated in SI 2712. [HL795]
Lord Rooker: The word “dispatch” and the word “export” appear in the same set of regulations but are defined differently. This is to clarify the difference between the movement of goods within Great Britain (dispatch), and the movement of goods from Great Britain to other EU member states and third countries (export).
Commission Decision 2007/588/EC, which was implemented in England by the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Export Restrictions) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2489), removed restrictions relating to equidae.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
With reference to the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2375), the Foot-and-Mouth Disease (Export Restrictions) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2489) and the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-and-Mouth Disease) (No. 3) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2712) concerning restrictions resulting from foot and mouth disease, why the prohibition against personal exports was excluded from SI 2489 and reintroduced in SI 2712; whether any such personal exports took place between 25 August and 13 September; and, if so, what they were composed of and in what quantities. [HL796]
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Lord Rooker: Personal exports were allowed between 25 August and 13 September, as the foot and mouth disease restrictions only applied to a small area surrounding the initial outbreak. Information concerning the type and quantity of personal exports from Great Britain (GB) is not recorded, however.
Restrictions, including the personal export ban, on the whole of GB were reinstated on 13 September, following the discovery of further outbreak in Windsor, Maidenhead and Surrey.
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (Wales) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2330) implement European Commission decision 2007/552/EC while the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-And-Mouth Disease) (No. 2) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2375), which applies to England, implements European Commission decision 2007/554/EC. [HL798]
Lord Rooker: ): Animal health is a devolved matter, and England and Wales implement Commission decisions dealing with disease outbreaks separately. England and Wales have each implemented Commission Decision 2007/552/EC, through the Import and Export Restrictions (FMD) Regulations 2007 SI 2007/2331, and the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-and- Mouth Disease) (Wales) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/2330 (W189). Commission Decision 2007/554/EC revoked Decision 2007/552/EC. Accordingly, both England and Wales replaced the above-mentioned implementing legislation with the Import and Export Restrictions (FMD) (No.2) Regulations SI 2007/2375 and the Import and Export Restrictions (Foot-and-Mouth disease) (No 2) (Wales) Regulations (SI 2007/2385 (W. 196).
Agriculture: Movement of Animals
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether paragraph 5(3) of the Movement of Animals (Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) Order 2007 (SI 2007/2809) is intended to cover premises under the same ownership; and, if so, whether premises under the same ownership separated by a public highway that is on the limit of the temporary control area are included. [HL797]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Article 5(3) of the Movement of Animals (Restrictions) (England) Order 2002 (SI 2002/3229), as amended by the Movement of Animals (Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) Order 2007) (“the order”), provides for any premises which are partly inside and partly outside a temporary control area to be deemed wholly within that area. The order defines premises as including land with or without buildings.
The extent of a premises depends on a number of practical factors for the purposes of disease control,
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Animal Welfare: Squirrels and Toads
Lord Fearn asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action Natural England is taking to protect red squirrels and natterjack toads on the north-west Merseyside coast. [HL774]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Natural England is working to safeguard the long-term future of red squirrels and natterjack toads by recognising and protecting the Sefton coast as a Site of Special Scientific Interest, Special Area of Conservation and international wetland (Ramsar) site. Also by working with the other landowners on the coast, through the Sefton Coast Partnership (SCP), it helps to manage these habitats and species, namely through:
Working with the SCP in the recent production of a nature conservation and biodiversity strategy.Supporting the Mersey Community Forest with its initiatives to promote woodland to the benefit of red squirrel populations.Utilising environmental stewardship grants to promote positive management for a wide range of species and habitats.Providing advice to other landowners on the management of their land for wildlife.Contributing funding and technical expertise to the North Merseyside Biodiversity Partnership to deliver its local biodiversity action plan. This includes action plans for both the red squirrel and natterjack toad with specific actions to conserve these species.Contributing funding and technical expertise to the North Merseyside ‘Biobank' Local Record Centre which aims to store species distribution records across North Merseyside.Managing the two national nature reserves (Ainsdale Sand Dunes and Cabin Hill) to support their populations of the red squirrel and natterjack toad.Armed Forces: Healthcare
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration they have given to the memorandum on Access to Health Services for Military Veterans sent by Christopher Long, chief executive of the Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust, to all general practitioners and physicians in its area on 8 October; and whether they will be commending his approach for use more widely among primary care trusts. [HL31]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The Government welcome the recognition by Hull Teaching Primary Care Trust of the service given to their country by the Armed Forces. The Government announced on 23 November the expansion of National Health Service priority treatment to all veterans for injuries and ill health sustained as a result of active service.
British Coal Compensation
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the arrangements whereby the Law Society has been paying to claimants in the British Coal litigation the compensation previously awarded to them for inadequate professional service by the adjudicator (Legal Complaints Service), and thereupon taking an assignment of each such debt to facilitate recovery from the solicitors concerned on conclusion of proceedings before the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal; and, if so, what steps they will take to encourage such solicitors to make the required payments to their former clients. [HL800]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The legal profession is independent and self-regulating. Therefore, the conduct of solicitors who have represented clients claiming under the coal health compensation schemes is the responsibility of the Law Society.
Following the Law Society's announcement that it will make ex gratia advances on awards that have been made in the complainants favour in miners' compensation cases, 44 individuals have received a total of £35,000 to date. The Law Society recognises that these are exceptional cases and is therefore considering ways to relieve these vulnerable claimants of the burden of seeking enforcement of the awards through the courts.
Bridget Prentice and Malcolm Wicks sent a joint letter to all the solicitors involved in the scheme to remind them again of their obligations to pay back money to claimants where this was taken without their consent.
The Government have welcomed this initiative by the Law Society as it recognises the vulnerability of these miners and their families and helps to ease their burden. There are provisions in the Legal Services Act 2007, which will enable approved regulators to deal more effectively with cases of widespread wrongdoing in the future.
Lord Lofthouse of Pontefract asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have made an assessment of the regulatory proceedings pursued against solicitors in the Solicitors Disciplinary Tribunal arising out of their conduct of claims in the British Coal
17 Dec 2007 : Column WA94
Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The legal profession is independent and self-regulating. Therefore, the conduct of solicitors who have represented clients claiming under the coal health compensation schemes is the responsibility of the Law Society.
Information from the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA) states that 21 solicitors firms have been referred to the SDT. The SDT has considered matters involving our firms. These matters are now concluded with the following outcomes:
case 1—one solicitor was fined £7,500 and ordered to pay 80 per cent of the Law Society's costs, 11 July 2006;case 2—two solicitors were each fined £2,500 and three solicitors were reprimanded, 12 March 2007;case 3—one solicitor was fined £15,000; proceedings against seven other partners were withdrawn with the tribunal's consent, 25 June 2007; and case 4—this hearing did not relate to alleged misconduct; the tribunal made compensation enforcement orders that had been requested by the Law Society, 1 June 2006.The combined efforts of the LCS and SRA have led to well over £3 million being repaid to miners. This figure is expected to rise as investigations continue. There are provisions in the Legal Services Act 2007, which will enable approved regulators to deal more effectively with cases of widespread wrongdoing in the future.
Children's Plan
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How children and young people now looked after by local authorities will be included in the new national Children's Plan; and how the status of and support for foster parents and workers in residential children's homes will be improved. [HL961]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Lord Adonis): The Children's Plan sets out our plans for a step change in the way children, young people, parents and families—including foster carers and those working in residential children's homes—are supported to deal with the challenges they face. Our White Paper, Care Matters:Time for Change (2007), sets out the detail of how we will achieve this for children in care and those who look after them.
We are working on a number of policies to improve the status and support of foster carers and residential workers. For foster carers, we have introduced a national advice line (Fosterline), measures to improve the support and information given to foster carers subject to allegations and a national minimum allowance. We will be funding a national rollout of
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Department for International Development: MoD Liaison
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Department for International Development has a dedicated liaison officer working with the Ministry of Defence. [HL766]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for International Development (Baroness Vadera): The Department for International Development (DfID) does not have a dedicated liaison officer in the Ministry of Defence (MoD). However, in the last month, DfID and MoD officials have agreed in principle a secondment framework to enable more staff exchange.
DfID works closely with MoD, for example in countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, and in the Stabilisation Unit—formerly the Post-Conflict Reconstruction Unit. This is a tri-departmental joint unit of MoD, DfID and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, with staff from these departments and others.
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