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27 Feb 2008 : Column WA121
Written Answers
Wednesday 27 February 2008
Armed Forces: War Pensions
Lord Morris of Manchester asked Her Majesty's Government:
What response the Ministry of Defence has received on the first phase of its War Pension Stewardship Review from the Royal British Legion; and when they expect to comment on the response. [HL1871]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): Officials have held a number of initial informal discussions with the ex-service organisations including the Royal British Legion to obtain their first thoughts.
All submissions will be considered in order to decide what options may be developed. We will continue to work with the Central Advisory Committee in taking the review forward. Any proposals will be subject to full consultation in due course.
Arms Trade
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What main points and principles they intend to put forward at the forthcoming meeting of experts in New York to discuss the International Arms Trade Treaty. [HL1904]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The first meeting of the group of government experts took place at the UN headquarters in New York from 11 to 15 February 2008. The 28 experts examined the feasibility, scope and draft parameters for a comprehensive, legally binding instrument to stop the irresponsible import, export and transfer of all conventional arms. The meeting was constructive, with full engagement by all the experts. The experts agreed a framework for more detailed discussion at forthcoming meetings scheduled for 12 to 16 May and 28 July to 8 August, also in New York.
The UK's position on the international Arms Trade Treaty (ATT) was set out in full in the paper submitted to the UN in March 2007. It is available on the UN website at: http://disarmament.un.org/cab/att/ Views_ Member States.html. UK experts at the 11 to 15 February meeting based their interventions on the principles in the paper. We believe that an ATT should uphold international humanitarian and human rights law and support sustainable development; and that its overall effect should be to help maintain international peace and security, including by reducing conflict.
Channel Tunnel Rail Link
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
At what date the infrastructure managers of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link Section 1 became liable to publish a network statement under Clause 12 of the Railways Infrastructure (Access and Management)
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Lord Bassam of Brighton: Under The Railways Infrastructure (Access and Management) Regulations 2005 CTRL became liable to publish a network statement in November 2006.
The first network statement was published for consultation at this time by Network Rail (CTRL) Ltd, the independent allocation body and charging body, and covers both CTRL Sections 1 and 2.
The current network statement, aspects of which continue to be the subject of discussion with the industry, is available on HS1's website (www.highspeed1. com—click downloads then click CTRL network statement). The network statement can also be obtained from Network Rail (CTRL) Ltd.
Climate Change: Carbon Capture and Storage
Lord Jenkin of Roding asked Her Majesty's Government:
How, as part of their plans for carbon capture and storage, they envisage a carbon dioxide pipeline grid developing in the United Kingdom; and [HL1821]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): We are in the very early stages of the development of a carbon capture, transport and storage (CCS) industry, so it is difficult to predict how the relevant infrastructure will develop, whether specific regulation will be required and how it would be financed. These are all issues that we will be looking at as part of our ongoing policy work to consider how to achieve widespread deployment of CCS technology.
Debt Collection
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the current legislation surrounding debt collection agencies. [HL1767]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): The legislation relating to debt collection agencies has been reformed as part of a wider review of consumer credit law. The Consumer Credit Act 2006 strengthens the regulatory options available to the Office of Fair Trading, which is responsible for the
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EU: Reform Treaty
Lord Pearson of Rannoch asked Her Majesty’s Government:
Whether British citizens speaking against the European Union could be charged with xenophobia following the granting of legal personality to the European Union by the reform treaty. [HL1523]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The conferral of legal personality on the EU by the Lisbon treaty will in no way diminish the freedom to criticise the EU. British citizens speaking against the EU cannot therefore be charged with xenophobia.
Food: Supplements
Earl Howe asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Davies of Oldham on 8 January (WA 196), whether they will review their policy of allowing low value consignment relief for the import from the Crown Dependencies of food supplements and herbal remedies which, if placed directly on the United Kingdom market, would be illegal by virtue either of their composition or of the claims made about them. [HL1690]
Lord Davies of Oldham: As there is no prohibition on the importation of food supplements for personal use within the EC food supplement directive, with the exception within the UK of Kava-Kava containing foodstuffs, UK Customs must apply the VAT exemption rules.
There are no immediate plans to make any legal or procedural changes to the relief, but the Government take very seriously the impacts of international trading patterns on UK-based businesses and appreciate the wide range of factors that contribute to the pressures facing retailers. Therefore the matter will remain under review.
Incitement to Violence
Lord Ahmed asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have ever taken action against a head of state for inciting violence in London. [HL1883]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): I am not aware of any prosecution proceedings brought against a head of state in relation to inciting violence in London. The
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Iraq: Camp Ashraf
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consult Iranian residents of Camp Ashraf and the Temporary International Protection Facility and the Iraqi and United States authorities about the resettlement of the persons in those camps elsewhere in Iraq or abroad. [HL1897]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Iraqi and US authorities are responsible for Camp Ashraf in Iraq. Officials in our embassies in Baghdad and Washington continue regularly to discuss the future of Camp Ashraf with their Iraqi and US counterparts. UK officials have no contact with members of the Mujaheddin e Khalq (also known as the People's Mujaheddin of Iran) resident in Camp Ashraf as the organisation is currently proscribed under the Terrorism Act.
Lord Speaker
Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay asked the Chairman of Committees:
Whether the Lord Speaker retains outside public relations or communications consultants; if so, under what contractual terms; and what payments have been made to them since July 2006. [HL2142]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): The Lord Speaker has not retained any outside public relations or communications consultants during her term of office.
Passports
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Under what circumstances a former resident of the Irish Republic who is married to a United Kingdom citizen and lives in the United Kingdom can obtain a United Kingdom passport. [HL2010]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): Irish citizens born before 1949 may opt for British subject status under the British Nationality Act 1948 which entitles them to acquire a British subjects passport.
Such British subjects who have resided within the United Kingdom for the qualifying period may then choose to register as British citizens under Section 4 of the British Nationality Act 1981 and apply for a full British citizen's passport.
Irish citizens who do not have British subject status may acquire British citizenship only by naturalising as a British citizen under Section 6 of the British Nationality Act 1981. They may then apply for a British citizen's passport.
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Railways: Freight
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider combining the central railway freight route with the adjacent high-speed line for passenger trains from St Pancras station to the north of England and Scotland. [HL2065]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: In 2004, the Government declined Central Railways' request for them to support the passage of a hybrid Bill through Parliament to establish a rail link between the south-east and the north-west of England, predominantly for use by freight traffic.
In the event that new proposals were submitted to combine the Central Rail route with any other existing railways, or for other variations to the original scheme, the Department for Transport would consider them in full.
Suicide
Lord Roberts of Llandudno asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many people under the age 25 committed suicide in each of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007. [HL2029]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
Letter from Colin Mowl, Director of Macroeconomics and Labour Market, to Lord Roberts of Llandudno, dated 27 February 2008.
The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your recent Question asking how many people under the age of 25 committed suicide in each of 1960, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000 and 2007. I am replying in her absence. (HL2029)
The table below contains numbers of suicides in persons aged under 25 in England and Wales for the years requested up to 2006, the latest year for which data are available.
Figures are provided separately for those aged under 15 and those aged 15-24, because of different definitions of suicide used by ONS for these age groups. Figures for the latter age group also include deaths which are classified by ONS as being due to injury/poisoning of undetermined intent. Details of the definitions used are included in the footnote to the table. There were no deaths in children aged under 13 with a suicide verdict for the years requested.
Before the Suicide Act of 1961 it was not possible for a coroner to return an open verdict and so deaths could not be coded to injury/poisoning of undetermined intent. The figures for 1960 are therefore only for deaths with a verdict of suicide and are not comparable with data for later years.
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2 The cause of death for suicide was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Seventh Revision (ICD-7) codes E970-E979 for 1960, Eight Revision (ICD-8) codes E950-E959 for 1970, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E950-E959 for the years 1980, 1990 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes X60-X84 for 2006.
3 In England and Wales it has been customary to assume that most injuries and poisonings of undetermined intent, in those aged 15 and over, are cases where the harm was self-inflicted but there was insufficient evidence to prove that the deceased deliberately intended to kill themselves. ONS therefore includes in its suicide statistics both those deaths from intentional self-harm, and those from injury/poisoning of undetermined intent. The cause of death for injury/poisoning of undetermined intent was defined using the International Classification of Diseases, Eight Revision (ICD-8) codes E980-E989 for 1970, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) codes E980-E989 excluding E988.8 for the years 1980, 1990 and 2000, and Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes Y10-Y34 excluding Y33.9 where the Coroner's verdict was pending for 2006.
* This figure only includes deaths with a coroner's verdict of suicide as open verdicts could not be returned prior to the Suicide Act 1961.
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