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The findings of the School of Health and Related Research pricing and promotion review, the KPMG review on the alcohol industry's social responsibility standards and the Campden and Chorleywood Food Research Association (CCFRA) review of labelling and a further monitoring review, to be carried out towards the end of the year, will be considered alongside the responses to the government consultation and the mandatory code. We will then decide what actions need to be taken to tackle the harm that alcohol misuse causes, to prevent irresponsible practices and to provide an environment where people are able to drink sensibly. This includes whether or not a mandatory code on alcohol retail should be introduced and whether mandatory labelling of alcohol products should be introduced.
The methodology used by the CCFRA, including the definition and calculation of market share and the 62 separate features it examined, is explained in its report, Monitoring Implementation of Alcohol Labelling Regime, a copy of which is in the Library.
Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Astor of Hever asked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made to date with the British-French helicopter initiative; and what further progress they anticipate in the short term and in the longer term.[HL5300]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The British-French helicopter initiative has stimulated considerable activity. EU member states and NATO allies have identified, through questionnaires, deficiencies in their helicopter capabilities that preclude them from deploying on operations. Advanced tactical training was identified as one of the areas in which EU member states were deficient and which, if resolved, could assist some member states in their planned operational deployments.
In the short term, urgent work is being undertaken in the European Defence Agency to produce a European helicopter tactics training syllabus and to demonstrate its use in supporting EU member states with tactics training prior to operational deployments. The first students should be available for operational deployment in 2009. In the longer term, all EU member states have offered to work together to address the perceived shortfalls in helicopter tactical training. This work is vital and will build on nations' ability to work together in testing operations. In the longer term, the EDA plans to investigate the possibility of taking a more multinational approach to helicopter upgrades to achieve efficiencies and operational deployability.
Armed Forces: Non-military posts
Lord Moonie asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many serving members of the Armed Forces occupy positions which (a) have in the past been occupied by civilians; (b) may alternatively be occupied by civilians; and (c) require no combat training. [HL5288]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): There are currently 318 posts across defence occupied by military personnel that have in the past been occupied by civilians.
The job specifications for posts in the Ministry of Defence are reviewed regularly and evolve to meet the department's operational need. Military personnel should only be required when there is a requirement for the application of personal military knowledge, expertise and judgement. There are some posts, called opportunity posts, that can be filled by someone from any branch or service of the Armed Forces and by civilians on a rotational basis. Opportunity posts have a limited time span after which they revert to civilian posts. Detail on the current number of opportunity posts is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
All serving members of the Armed Forces are required to undertake combat training because they are liable for deployment at any time. Nevertheless, there are some established posts undertaken by service personnel in which combat training is not a direct requirement of the job.
Armed Forces: Tactical Requirements
Lord Moonie asked Her Majesty's Government:
What consideration has been given to offering cash prizes for innovative ideas to solve tactical military requirements; and what changes to legislation would be required to provide such incentives for privately funded concepts.[HL5291]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Ministry of Defence is actively encouraging the nation's innovators to engage with the defence sector to deliver battle-winning technology for UK Armed Forces through initiatives such as the Centre for Defence Enterprise and the Grand Challenge. The guiding principle is to ensure value for money for the taxpayer while delivering departmental objectives. This is usually achieved by restricting payment to delivery of goods and services through contractual arrangements, but other methods of reward are possible including cash prizes.
Armed Forces: Unmanned Aerial Vehicles
Lord Moonie asked Her Majesty's Government:
What plans have been made for buying Reaper unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) beyond those currently in service; and what representations have been made by United Kingdom industry to supply UAVs which fulfil a similar role.[HL5289]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): All Reapers are being acquired under urgent operational requirement (UOR) arrangements to support operations. We currently have two Reaper UAVs available for operations with a
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UK industry understands that it could not offer a similar UAV to meet the immediate operation-specific requirement, but we are engaged closely with UK industry on our future requirements, for example through a joint investigation into the UK's military UAV capability requirement and how it should be delivered and through UAV technology demonstrator programmes such as TARANIS and MANTIS aimed at exploring the scope for affordable indigenous capability.
Buses
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether local authorities and bus operators are receiving sufficient funding to allow the concessionary bus fares scheme to work properly.[HL5281]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government provide around £l billion a year of funding for the concessionary travel scheme. This includes an extra £212 million that was made available to local authorities for 2008-09, through a special grant, to fund the increased cost of the new statutory minimum bus concession. The funding allocation was approved following debate in the House of Commons on 25 March, and the allocation for each local authority in England for the next three years is published in the special grant report (No. 129).
The Government are confident that the extra funding is sufficient to meet the total cost to local authorities, as it is based on generous assumptions around fares, pass take-up, extra journeys and additional costs.
The Government are not party to negotiations between bus operators and local authorities regarding the amount of concessionary fare reimbursement paid to operators taking part in concessionary fares schemes.
Cyprus
Lord Maginnis of Drumglass asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to extend the Prime Minister's recent “freer trade for Palestinians” appeal to citizens of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus who, despite their support for various solutions including the 2004 Annan plan, have been subject to an embargo since 1974. [HL5115]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): The Government congratulate the two leaders in Cyprus for their decision, announced on 25 July, to start direct negotiations and for the progress they have made towards a reunified, indivisible Cyprus. The UK is fully committed to the establishment of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality in Cyprus and stands ready to play its part in supporting the efforts of the two
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While the Government believe that only through a comprehensive solution can the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community be fully lifted, the UK supports all measures which would promote trade between Turkish Cypriots and the rest of Europe, demonstrating the economic benefits for all Cypriots of a settlement. To this end, the Government will continue to work with the European Commission and presidency to find a mechanism to enable the Turkish Cypriots to trade with the EU on preferential terms.
Energy: Air Source Heat Pumps
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the contribution to domestic energy supply which air source heat pumps could provide. [HL5257]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): Air source heat pumps can be an option for reducing carbon emissions from buildings, depending on the efficiency rating of the air source heat pump and the carbon intensity of the electricity it uses. At current prices they will generally be more expensive than conventional sources of heating, and their take-up will depend on future policy, as well as technology developments. The renewable energy strategy consultation published recently includes considerations of the role that microgeneration, including air source heat pumps will play going forward and considers a range of possible initiatives such as financial or regulatory instruments. We will also be consulting on a low-carbon heat strategy later this year.
In spring 2009, we plan to outline the measures we will need to meet our share of the EU targets by 2020 but also to achieve our longer-term renewable and carbon targets. In this strategy we will look further at microgeneration as part of our renewable energy policy and in the context of the UK's wider energy generation mix.
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will consider incorporating air source heat pumps into the Code for Sustainable Buildings.[HL5258]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): The Code for Sustainable Homes (the code) was introduced in April 2007 as the national sustainability standard for new homes. A code for sustainable buildings does not currently exist, and the
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Energy: Renewables
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, at a recent meeting of the European Union Energy Working Group, they proposed to change the text of the draft directive on renewable energy to remove the requirement to provide priority access for renewable energy to the national grid; and how such a change will increase the proportion of renewable energy.[HL5240]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office & Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (Lord Jones of Birmingham): The Government believe that priority access should remain an option for member states. In considering whether this is the right approach for our market, the issue is not simply whether we can connect more renewable generation but whether we can also maintain a reliable network and encourage essential investment in other generating technologies. Much variable renewable generation, such as from wind and wave power, requires a significant amount of responsive generation as back-up. We need to be sure that both are available. From the perspective of a renewable generator, knowing that a grid connection will be available when needed is likely to be more important than whether there is priority access over other technologies.
The recently published transmission access review (TAR) report (web address: www.berr.gov.uk/files/file46774.pdf) sets out a package of measures that, we believe, when taken together could remove or significantly reduce grid-related barriers to renewable and other forms of generation. These include short-term measures to connect more generators, enduring reform to grid access arrangements and acceleration of the way in which new grid infrastructure is planned and developed.
Equal Pay
Baroness Scott of Needham Market asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their assessment of the impact on local authority budgets of the recent Court of Appeal judgment on equal pay schemes in local government. [HL5256]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Andrews): Local authorities, in their capacity as employers, are considering the potential impact of the recent Court of Appeal judgment in Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council v Bainbridge & Ors. Communities and Local Government is monitoring developments with the local government employers.
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Health: Cancer Drugs
Lord Steinberg asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they will reconsider the non-availability on the National Health Service of certain cancer drugs which can prolong life.[HL5236]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): General practitioners are able to prescribe any licensed medicine on the National Health Service unless it is listed in Schedules 1 or 2 to the National Health Service (General Medical Services Contracts) (Prescription of Drugs etc.) Regulations 2004.
Hospital clinicians are not affected by these statutory restrictions. They can prescribe any medicine, provided their local primary care trust agrees to its supply at NHS expense.
Health: Cognitive Behavioural Therapy
Lord Carlile of Berriew asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which NHS trusts have used the ultrasis computerised cognitive behavioural therapy system since the White Paper Our Care, Our Health, Our Say; and what is their assessment of its effectiveness as a primary care mental health system; and [HL5228]
Whether they have any proposals for increased use of computerised cognitive behavioural therapy. [HL5229]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): Information about which National Health Service (NHS) trusts have used a specific computerised cognitive behavioural therapy (cCBT) is not collected centrally.
The effectiveness of cCBT was assessed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), which published guidance, Computerised cognitive behavioural therapy for depression and anxiety, in February 2004. NICE will consult on plans to review this in September 2008.
In October 2007, the Secretary of State announced investment rising to £173 million by 2011 for the delivery of the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme (IAPT). In spring 2008, the department issued guidance detailing the implementation of the IAPT programme and issued a separate tool kit for commissioners. Both of these describe the use of cCBT as an integral element of IAPT. The responsibility for the provision of all NHS services and treatments rests with primary care trusts (PCTs), and decisions about spending on treatments are made by each PCT.
Health: Drug Tariff
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the areas of the drug tariff in which the NHS efficiency target is used to determine the annual fee increase formula for remuneration. [HL5254]
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Darzi of Denham): I refer the noble Lady to the Written Answer I gave her on 22 July 2008 (Official Report, 22/7/08; col. WA 254).
Baroness Masham of Ilton asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many new (a) categories, and (b) sub-categories there are in their consultation document, Proposed new arrangements under Part IX of the Drug Tariff for the provision of stoma and urology appliance—and related services—in Primary Care.[HL5255]
Lord Darzi of Denham: The proposed classification is as follows:
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