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Special Educational Needs Placing: Referrals to the Sheriff
The Earl of Mar and Kellie asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many cases have gone before Sheriff Courts in connection with the resolution of disputes over special educational needs in the last three years.[HL943]
Baroness Ramsay of Cartvale: The only special educational needs cases which go to the Sheriff are those concerning placing requests. Appeals relating to the record of needs (i.e. non-placement cases) went to the Secretary of State before devolution took effect on 1 July 1999 and now go to the Scottish Ministers. There were no special educational needs placing request referrals to the Sheriff between 1995-96 and 1998-99.
BSE: Cost
Lord Inglewood asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What has been the total cost of BSE to the United Kingdom taxpayer.[HL1296]
The Minister of State, Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (Baroness Hayman):
Total expenditure on the BSE crisis is estimated to be £4.4 billion to the end of the financial year 2001-02. Of that amount, the other European Union member states contribute about £500 million when the Fontainebleau mechanism is taken into account. Therefore, the net cost of BSE to the UK taxpayer to the end of the next financial year is about £3.9 billion.
Transport of Live Animals: Monitoring
The Countess of Mar asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When the decision was taken to abolish the branch of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food that monitored certain consignments of farm animals being handled by British animal dealers and hauliers; what advantages were obtained from the abolition; what representations they received about the abolition; and whether they intend to review the decision to abolish the branch.[HL1331]
Baroness Hayman: Contrary to the recent press reports, the branch in Animal Welfare Division concerned with policy towards the transport of live animals and the monitoring of international journeys has not been abolished.
EU Tobacco Subsidies
Baroness Jeger asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What was the amount in the last financial year contributed by United Kingdom taxpayers to subsidise the growing and exporting of tobacco by European Union member states: and how this accords with the Government's smoking and health policies.[HL1375]
Baroness Hayman: The last year for which figures are available for subsidies paid out of the EU budget to tobacco growers is the European Agriculture Guidance and Guarantee Fund financial year ending 15 October 2000, when payments totalled 984.8 million euros (£592.1 million*).
Member states contribute to the EU budget as a whole and not to any particular part. The UK contribution is about 17 per cent before the Fontainebleau abatement is taken into account.
The Government strongly disapproves of the common agricultural policy support scheme for tobacco which was introduced in 1970 to support production in disadvantaged areas, maintain farmers incomes and reduce surpluses by adapting production to market needs. We believe that the Community should progressively disengage from support for tobacco production on grounds of health and cost.*£=1.6631 euro.
Crime Strategy: Lord Birt's Role
Lord Tebbit asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Further to Lord Bassam's undertaking of 31 January (H.L. Deb., col. 686) that the advice given and conclusion reached by Lord Birt in his role as adviser on crime will be reported to Parliament, whether they will now publish such material as has been submitted.[HL883]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Bassam of Brighton):
The work undertaken by Lord Birt was considered alongside that undertaken by the Home Office, the Lord Chancellor's Department, the Law Officer's Department and Her Majesty's Treasury in preparing the Government's strategy document, Criminal Justice: The Way Ahead (CM 5074), which was published on 26 February 2001.
Haslar Detainees
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Whether two detainees were held in HM Prison Haslar for 15 and 20 months respectively; if so, why; and how many others have been held there for more than six months during the past three years.[HL1262]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. It is not possible to identify the two detainees mentioned in the question who were detained at Haslar. There are, however, three detainees currently held at HOHC Haslar who have been detained for between 15 and 20 months.
Zimbabwean Asylum Seekers
Baroness Park of Monmouth asked Her Majesty's Government:
- How many Zimbabweans whose applications for asylum have been refused since November 2000 were put in detention, whether any have been returned to their country of origin, and, of the remaining, whether it is proposed to return any of them to their country of origin.[HL1290]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Information about the number of Zimbabwean nationals who have been detained following the refusal of their asylum application is not held centrally and could only be obtained by examining individual case files.
Information about removals under Immigration Act powers is collected by nationality rather than destination. It is therefore not possible to say how many failed asylum seekers have been returned to Zimbabwe since November 2000 without examining the individual files.
Where a Zimbabwean is found not to be a refugee and does not qualify for leave to enter or remain in the
United Kingdom, our normal course of action would be to remove them to Zimbabwe. The current situation is kept under constant review and there are presently no reasons why refused asylum seekers should not be returned to Zimbabwe.Animal Rights Extremists
Lord Hardy of Wath asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What measures they are taking to combat animal rights extremism.[HL1447]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The Government has included a number of measures in the Criminal Justice and Police Bill, currently before Parliament, aimed at combating the activities of animal rights extremists. These include a new power for police to remove protestors from outside homes; measures to strengthen provisions on the sending of malicious communications; and a system to prevent disclosure of the home addresses of directors of vulnerable companies.
We have also consulted closely with the police and the Crown Prosecution Service to encourage a consistent approach to enforcement in this area. A consultation document is being issued tomorrow, 28 March, setting out a package of measures in this area, and copies will be placed in the Library.
Applications to Remain in UK: New Forms
Baroness Gould of Potternewton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- What plans they have to replace the application forms for foreign nationals wishing to apply for leave to remain in the United Kingdom.[HL1449]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The current application forms are valid for use until 14 April 2001. Revised forms will be prescribed before then and should be available by the end of March 2001. From the time they are issued until 14 April 2001, applications may be made on either the newly prescribed forms or the current versions. Only the new forms may be used for applications made on or after 15 April 2001. Copies will be placed in the Library as soon as they are available.
Border Controls
Lord Acton asked Her Majesty's Government:
- When they will respond to the Home Affairs Select Committee's report on border controls.[HL1475]
Lord Bassam of Brighton The Government has submitted its response to the report to the chairman of the Home Affairs Committee and a copy has been placed in the Library. I understand that the Home
Affairs Committee has decided to publish this today as its fourth special report HC 375 and this will be available on the Home Affairs Committee website at www.parliament.uk/commons/selcom/hmafhome.htm.Human Reproductive Cloning
Lord Alton of Liverpool asked Her Majesty's Government:
- Following reports in the Sunday Times of 18 February, what action they intend to take to raise with the Bush Administration the consequences of permitting the development of a cloned baby; and what is their policy concerning the proposed adoption of babies produced via reproductive cloning by British nationals.[HL939]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department of Health (Lord Hunt of Kings Heath): The United Kingdom and the United States discuss topical health issues in a number of international bodies. However, we have no plans to raise with the US the specific issue of cloning babies.
The US has observer status at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation and the Council of Europe where human reproductive cloning has been condemned. In 1997 the World Health Assembly (WHA) also passed a resolution condemning human reproductive cloning. The WHA is the annual meeting of the World Health Organisation with a membership of 191 member states including the US.
The decision to grant an adoption order must be taken in the light of what is in the best interests of the child. This, and the law on adoption, applies regardless of the circumstances of the child's birth.
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