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The length of the initial period of leave to enter under either tier has yet to be decided.
The BIA is currently carrying out extensive consultations with interested parties, including faith groups, on the proposed changes to the immigration system. Both Tier 2 and 5 of the PBS are due for implementation in the autumn.
Iraq: Rape
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the level of rape suffered by the women of Iraq; and how this compares with the position five years ago. [HL2051]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Under Saddam Hussein, torture and abuse, including the systematic use of rape, were used as instruments of state repression and there was no culture of respect for human rights in Iraq. Following the removal of Saddam Hussein and the creation of a democratically elected government, work continues for the creation of a society based on respect for human rights. We have no evidence to support a belief that violence overall has increased towards women in Iraq.
The Government condemn all intimidation of and violence against women and are committed to supporting the development of women's rights in Iraq. Although the Iraqi constitution includes many provisions to protect women's rights, the challenge remains for the Government of Iraq to turn these into real improvements in women's lives.
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their estimate of the level of the use of rape as a method of pressurising women of minority groups in Iraq to convert to Islam. [HL2052]
Lord Malloch-Brown: We have no evidence to support a belief in the use of rape as a method of applying pressure to convert to Islam or that violence overall has increased towards women in Iraq. The
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Kosovo
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
When they expect to be in post (a) the European Union Special Representative to Kosovo; and (b) the British ambassador to Kosovo; and whether the ambassador will initially be a full-time or a joint appointment. [HL2018]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The European Union special representative to Kosovo, Mr Peter Feith, arrived in Pristina on 18 February.
Mr David Blunt, previously head of the British office in Pristina, was appointed British ambassador to Kosovo on 19 February. The position is a full-time appointment.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Malloch-Brown: The donors conference for Kosovo is being organised by the European Commission in partnership with the World Bank.
While no date has yet been finalised, we expect it to be held in May or June 2008.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether European Union and bilateral support for Kosovo will work to ensure maximum integration with its neighbouring states in respect of transport, fuel and energy systems. [HL2054]
Lord Malloch-Brown: The EU has earmarked approximately 500 million euros over the next three years. Part of this funding is focused on cross-border co-operation—essential if Kosovo's transport, fuel and energy systems are to be integrated and efficient.
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the terms of reference of the NATO Kosovo Force will be changed; and, if so, to what extent. [HL2055]
Lord Malloch-Brown: The Kosovo Force (KFOR) is mandated under UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1244. On 18 February 2008, the North Atlantic Council agreed that KFOR should continue to remain in Kosovo on the basis of UNSCR 1244, unless the UN Security Council decides otherwise. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation's responsibility and capability to ensure a safe and secure environment in Kosovo remain unchanged.
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Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether EULEX will seek to arrange secure access between Serbia and Serbian Orthodox monastic houses in Kosovo, particularly for principal religious festivals. [HL2056]
Lord Malloch-Brown: The EU's European Security and Defence Policy (ESDP) mission in Kosovo, EULEX, will assist with policing and rule of law. It will also work closely to ensure that all communities and their religious and cultural heritage are protected and promoted in line with the UN special envoy's comprehensive proposal for a Kosovo status settlement.
The proposal provides extensive safeguards for non-Albanian communities, especially the Kosovo Serbs and guarantees a special status for the Serbian Orthodox Church and protection of its religious sites.
The main responsibility to ensure the security of Kosovo's religious and cultural heritage, including secure access for pilgrims, will lie with the Kosovo Police Service (KPS). The ESDP rule of law mission, in consultation with the Kosovo Force (KFOR), will monitor, mentor and advise the KPS in this task.
Milk
Lord Taylor of Holbeach asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why the Milk and Milk Products (Pupils in Educational Establishments) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/3429) apply Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/1999 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products rather than Council Regulation (EC) No. 2597/97 on the common organisation of the market in milk and milk products for drinking milk, as per the Drinking Milk (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2007 (SI 2007/3428). [HL2181]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Council Regulation (EC) No. 2597/1997 (as amended) applies to the subject of drinking milk in general. Council Regulation (EC) No. 1255/1999 and Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2707/2000 made under it (both as amended), specifically deal with a sub-set of drinking milk—that is, milk provided to children in educational establishments—and the system to support this.
As European legislation has made a distinction between drinking milk in general, and milk for schoolchildren specifically, each of the two topics is dealt with by a separate strand of domestic legislation. The Drinking Milk Regulations 1998 (Statutory Instrument (SI) 1998/2424) relate to Council Regulation EC (No.) 2597/1997, that is to drinking milk in general. It is this SI to which subsequent SI 2007/3428 makes amendments on this general topic.
The Milk and Milk Products (Pupils in Educational Establishments) (England) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/994) relate to Council Regulation 1255/1999 and to Commission Regulation (EC) No. 2707/2000, that is
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NHS: Insurance
Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether newly qualified NHS foundation trusts are free to purchase commercial insurance in the form of either top-up or ground-up cover; and what guidance is given to NHS trusts on the purchase of insurance cover, including its procurement; and [HL2086]
What is the estimated cost to the public purse of a hospital not covered by commercial insurance being destroyed by a disaster such as flood or fire; and what procedure would be followed; and [HL2087]
How the level of insurance cover of National Health Service hospitals against fire, flooding and other non-clinical risk is assessed. [HL2088]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The National Health Service Litigation Authority operates two non-clinical risk pooling schemes for NHS trust hospitals and NHS foundation trust hospitals. The liabilities to third parties scheme (LTPS) provides cover for a wide range of non-clinical liabilities, subject to pre-determined excesses and limits of cover set out for each type of liability in the rules governing the scheme. The property expenses scheme (PES) provides cover in relation to damage to buildings and other property and related matters such as business interruption. Levels of cover vary according to member income subject to excesses and up to a maximum of £1 million for property damage and one million pounds for business interruption.
Long-standing government policy has been that NHS trust hospitals should rely on the LTPS and PES for non-clinical risk cover, and should not use commercial insurance. All NHS trusts are members of both the LTPS and the PES. NHS foundation trusts are also eligible to be members and we are not aware of any that have given up their membership since achieving foundation status. However, the greater independence of NHS foundation trusts means that they are free to obtain additional insurance from the commercial sector if they so wish.
The PES is not intended to cover the extremely rare event of catastrophic damage to property, such as the complete destruction of a hospital complex. Apart from anything else, it would be impossible to assess accurately in advance what the likely costs of such an event might be. Each would have to be considered on its own merits, taking into account all the local circumstances before decisions could be taken on the best way forward, including funding options.
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NHS: Risk Management
Lord Harrison asked Her Majesty's Government:
How the quality of non-clinical risk management undertaken at National Health Service hospitals is assessed. [HL2089]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): In addition to managing liability claims made against National Health Service organisations, a key function of the NHS Litigation Authority (NHSLA) is to “contribute to the incentives for reducing the number of negligent or preventable incidents”. The NHSLA achieves this aim through an extensive risk management programme, the core of which is provided by standards and assessments.
The current version of the risk management standards for NHS hospital trusts issued by the NHSLA incorporates organisational, clinical and non-clinical/health and safety risks. Previously, the NHSLA issued separate clinical and non-clinical risk management standards. The risk issues addressed by the NHSLA standards include those that are known to give rise to a significant number and/or cost of liability claims made against the NHS.
The NHSLA risk management standards for acute trusts comprise five standards, each with 10 criteria and set at three incremental levels. All NHS trusts are assessed against the standards by a specialist team with the frequency of assessment ranging from annually to once every three years depending on the level achieved by the trust at its previous assessment.
Northern Ireland: Bill of Rights
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether an equality impact assessment was prepared for the Northern Ireland Bill of Rights Forum; if so, by whom; and whether they will place a copy of it in the Library of the House. [HL2131]
Lord Rooker: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given on 19 February (Official Report, col. WA46).
Northern Ireland: Equality Commission
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action the Northern Ireland Equality Commission is taking concerning the ban on British symbols on local council property; and [HL2132]
Whether the Northern Ireland Equality Commission approves of the appointment of the chairman of the Bill of Rights Forum without either application or interview. [HL2133]
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Lord Rooker: The sponsorship of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland is a matter for the devolved Administration.
Northern Rock
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Jersey-based trust Granite, associated with Northern Rock, has ever paid any United Kingdom tax. [HL2148]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The rules of taxpayer confidentiality do not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose this information.
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the Granite trust has ever had a demand for a tax payment of any kind from HM Revenue and Customs. [HL2149]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The rules of taxpayer confidentiality do not permit HM Revenue and Customs to disclose this information.
Lord Roberts of Conwy asked Her Majesty's Government:
With their present knowledge on nationalisation of Northern Rock, whether transactions between Northern Rock and Granite should have been liable to tax. [HL2150]
Lord Davies of Oldham: Any tax liability would depend on the nature of the transactions but to disclose this information would be a breach of taxpayer confidentiality.
Nuclear Weapons
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any proposals to provide that nuclear disarmament should take place in parallel with nuclear non-proliferation. [HL2017]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The UK is committed to working towards a world free of nuclear weapons, to zero tolerance of proliferation and to the integrity and strengthening of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. In his speech of 5 February to the Conference on Disarmament in Geneva my right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Defence noted that,
- “although we all understand that there is no formal conditionality between progress on disarmament and non-proliferation, our goal should be a virtuous circle, where progress on one reinforces the other”.
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Peru: Travel Advice
Lord Avebury asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in view of the farmers' strike in Peru and the suspension of rail services to Cusco, they will update the travel advice on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website; and whether they have received representations from the Government of Peru for help from the United Kingdom or the European Union to facilitate a dialogue with the leaders of the strike. [HL2234]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Foreign and Commonwealth Office travel advice is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals and is reviewed and updated regularly; Peruvian travel advice has been updated five times in the past month. We will continue to monitor the situation in Peru and update the travel advice as appropriate. Neither our embassy in Lima nor the local EU presidency (France) have received any representations from the Government of Peru for help to facilitate dialogue with the leaders of the strike, nor do we judge it likely that it will be forthcoming.
Police: Traffic
Viscount Simon asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many police officers are engaged in policing roads full-time (not shared with other tasked activities); and, of these, how many are (a) authorised examiners for the purposes of Section 67 of the Road Traffic Act 1988; (b) authorised examiners for the purpose of Section 69 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Mechanical Prohibition); (c) authorised persons for the purpose of Section 70 of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Overload prohibition); (d) authorised persons for the purpose of Section 99A of the Transport Act 1968 (Power to prohibit driving of vehicle); and (e) adequately trained to investigate collisions.[HL2281]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The latest information relates to the position at 31 March 2007. At that time the number of full-time equivalent police officers whose main function was traffic was 6,412. The traffic function includes those who are predominantly employed in the policing of traffic and motorway related duties. It does not include those engaged in other road policing activities. Information on the numbers of officers authorised or trained for the purposes referred to in the Question is not collected centrally.
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