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National Parks: South Downs
Lord Judd asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether the reopened public inquiry into the South Downs National Park Designation Order is expected to close on 23 May; and how soon after its closure they expect to announce their decision on the confirmation order and the final boundary of the new national park. [HL2815]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): I can confirm that the reopened public inquiry is currently scheduled to continue until 23 May.
We had previously hoped to be in a position to make an announcement later this year, but we now anticipate that a decision will be made by January 2009.
I appreciate that this will be disappointing news, but it is important that we ensure that the democratic process is not prejudiced and that sufficient time is given for all views to be considered properly.
Occupational Health
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment they have made of the availability of the professionally trained staff required to support the rollout of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme. [HL2694]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The National Health Service undertakes an annual census of staff. The figures for 2006-07 show 2,413 full-time equivalent (FEE) clinical psychologists and 584 FTE psychotherapists working in the NHS, a 71 per cent and 184 per cent increase respectively since 1997.
The department is liaising with the professional bodies representing psychological therapists, the British Psychological Society, the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies, and the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy to ensure that experienced staff working outside the NHS are aware of the opportunities available through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
In the medium term, training will be made available for them and others to ensure that they have the competencies required to deliver the IAPT services. In the longer term, we will develop a new workforce, training new graduates and people with life experience, so as not to denude the existing services of experienced NHS staff.
Official Transport: Electronic Countermeasures
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether electronic countermeasures in ministerial cars can interfere with airborne aircraft. [HL2682]
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Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government Car and Despatch Agency is responsible for providing ministerial cars and drivers. For obvious security reasons, it would be inappropriate to discuss the details of any security devices that may be fitted to ministerial cars.
Questions for Written Answer: Late Answers
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by the Leader of the House of Lords on 17 March (WA 1), why the Question tabled by Baroness Valentine was not answered until 17 March. [HL2902]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): I refer the noble Lord to the Written Answer given by my noble friend Lord West of Spithead on 26 March 2008 (Official Report, col. WA89).
Questions for Written Answer: Unanswered Questions
Lord Jopling asked the Leader of the House:
What explanations have been given to her by the Home Office to justify the Written Question by Baroness Valentine tabled on 8 November 2007 remaining unanswered on 11 March 2008, being 15 weeks overdue of the target of 14 days. [HL2449]
The Lord President of the Council (Baroness Ashton of Upholland): An Answer was given to Baroness Valentine on 17 March (Official Report, col. WA 1). I regret the delay in replying to the noble Baroness and, if she wishes to discuss this issue with the Home Office, I would be pleased to facilitate.
Railways: Carriages
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many carriages are required to meet the present franchise commitments of First Great Western; and how this number will change throughout the life of the franchise allowing for transfers of carriages out of and into the franchise.[HL2736]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The number of carriages it operates to meet its franchise commitments is a matter for First Great Western to manage.
On 30 January, the Department for Transport published its rolling stock plan. This shows indicative numbers of rolling stock per train operating company. Fifty- two additional vehicles are shown for First Great Western. The rolling stock plan explains that these numbers are not intended to be prescriptive or to limit the development process with the industry, and could therefore be subject to change in the final outcome.
I also refer to the Written Statement made by my honourable friend the Secretary of State on 26 February
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Railways: Engineering
Lord Dykes asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will commission external business consultants to reform Network Rail's engineering works procedures. [HL2887]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: No. This is an operational matter for Network Rail as the owner and operator of the national rail network. The noble Lord should contact Network Rail’s chief executive at the following address for a response to his Question: Iain Coucher, Chief Executive, Network Rail, 40 Melton Street, London, W1 2EE.
Smoking: Television and Cinema
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they have any plans to ban or reduce the use of smoking on television and in cinema films as a method of discouraging smoking. [HL2797]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): The Government share concerns about the portrayal of smoking in films but have no plans to prohibit smoking either on television or in films. The British Board of Film Classification guidelines direct the board to take anything that may harm children into consideration in the rating of films.
The Office of Communications guidelines direct that smoking should not be shown in a glamorous or appealing way before the 9 pm watershed.
Toxic Chemicals
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Rooker on 10 March (WA 217), upon what basis Lovells was expected to advise the Environment Agency Wales in its claim for remediation of Brofiscin Quarry against Solutia Incorporated in the United States bankruptcy courts when it had not met representatives of EAW or seen statements and supporting evidentiary proofs material to the claim. [HL2474]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): Lovells LLP was fully and properly instructed by the Environment Agency to act on its behalf in the United States bankruptcy court proceedings. All pertinent information and documentation was supplied by the Environment Agency. Legal representatives of the Environment Agency and Lovells LLP held regular telephone conferences
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The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the negotiations between Monsanto and the Environment Agency Wales, Monsanto accepted possible United Kingdom liability for Brofiscin Quarry only, deferred to the future with full legal defences. [HL2475]
Lord Rooker: Brofiscin Quarry is listed as a legacy site in Appendix B to a relationship agreement made between Solutia Inc and Monsanto, approved by the United States bankruptcy court, which allocates environmental liabilities between the companies. This means that if there are any environmental liabilities attributable to Solutia/Monsanto at Brofiscin Quarry, Monsanto will take on those liabilities subject to legal or factual defences available to it in the United Kingdom. Monsanto will also be liable on the same basis and subject to the same defences for other similar but unlisted waste disposal sites in the United Kingdom that received wastes prior to 1997.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
What assessment has been made of the quantity of polychlorinated biphenyls and dioxins and other toxic chemicals that have leached into the Cardiff aquifer from Brofiscin Quarry; whether this pollution continues; and what action is being taken to protect the water from further pollution. [HL2476]
Lord Rooker: The Environment Agency has not made an estimate of the quantity of contaminants that have leached into the Miskin aquifer from Brofiscin Quarry. Investigations to date have concentrated on the shallow groundwater regime beneath the quarry, and its interactions with the surface water environment. The conceptual site model report of July 2007 confirms the pollution of controlled waters from the waste mass is ongoing. The Environment Agency is currently conducting a remedial options appraisal in accordance with the relevant legislation and statutory guidance.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
At what levels and under what circumstances they consider dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls, especially those typed as aroclors 1242, 1248, 1254 and 1260, to be safe. [HL2572]
Lord Rooker: The World Health Organisation International Programme on Chemical Safety (IPCS) has recently reviewed the data on the toxicity of polychlorinated biphenyls in its Concise International Chemical Assessment Documents Series. This is available on its website. In this document, a tolerable intake value of 0.02 micrograms per kg per day was derived for an aroclor 1254 mixture.
With regard to dioxins, the Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) has recommended a tolerable
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There is no single threshold set for dioxin emissions into the environment. Directive 2000/76/EC on waste incineration sets an emission limit for dioxins of 0.1 nanogram I-TEQ per cubic metre of gaseous releases to air, and emission limit values for discharges to water are set at 0.3 nanogram per litre. The Persistent Organic Pollutants Regulation (EC-850/2004) brought in additional controls on the disposal of waste containing dioxins above a trigger level of 15 micrograms per kg TEQ.
Transport: Appraisal
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
How an allowance is made for the total carbon effect of a scheme in the new approach to transport appraisal. [HL2739]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport’s new approach to appraisal (NATA) requires scheme promoters to estimate the amount of carbon emitted by all modes of transport for “with intervention” and “without intervention” options. A monetary estimate of the damages associated with any change in carbon emissions caused by interventions must also be produced using a value produced by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
The estimated change in the quantity of carbon emissions and the monetary value for carbon emissions in both the opening year and over the whole appraisal period must be clearly reported alongside qualitative comments and data sources.
In principle, the total carbon impact from all aspects of proposed interventions should be assessed. Data on traffic flow and speed by vehicle type is used to predict fuel consumption under “with intervention” and “without intervention” scenarios for every year in the appraisal period, and the resulting information is used to calculate carbon emissions based on the carbon content and density of fuel burnt. The department is also consulting on future improvements to NATA and investigating ways to make the estimation of carbon impacts more comprehensive by taking account of non-fuel-consumption related carbon effects of transport schemes.
Transport: Freight Carbon Emissions
Lord Teverson asked Her Majesty's Government:
What steps they will take to reduce the carbon emissions of the United Kingdom freight industry. [HL2818]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Department for Transport funds modal shift of freight from roads to rail and water, where this offers overall benefits—including carbon reduction, through three grant schemes. These are: freight facilities grant (towards the capital cost of
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The department also supports programmes to reduce the environmental impact of road freight including freight best practice and the safe and fuel efficient driving schemes.
Wages
Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope asked Her Majesty's Government:
What proportion of United Kingdom workers are engaged in low-waged work; and how this compares to other European Union countries. [HL2309]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Baroness Vadera): Based on data from the Office for National Statistics' Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2007, BERR estimates that, in the UK, around 430,000 employee jobs (less than 2 per cent of the UK total) were paid at the relevant national minimum wage in April 2007. In April 2007, this was £5.35 for those aged 22 or over, £4.45 for those aged 18 to 21, and £3.30 for those aged 16 to 17.
Although there are issues surrounding comparability of data, research conducted by the European Foundation for Living and Working Conditions in 2007 (Minimum Wages in Europe: Background Paper) found that the UK had a significantly smaller proportion of employees on the minimum wage than in most other EU member states.
Waste Management: Brofiscin Quarry
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Evans of Temple Guiting on 1 May 2007 (WA 202), when they will make available the response of the National Assembly for Wales Minister for Environment, Planning and Countryside. [HL2530]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): A copy of the letter has now been placed in the Library of the House.
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are aware of the presence of dioxins and dibenzofurans in the Brofiscin landfill site; whether Monsanto confirmed this in 2007; and why the Environment Agency Wales (EAW) did not type the aroclors found as polychlorinated biphenyl congeners at the site when this would have enabled the EAW to pinpoint the source of the PCBs. [HL2534]
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