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24 May 2006 : Column WA103
Written Answers
Wednesday, 24 May 2006.
Afghanistan: Army Radios
Lord Marlesford asked Her Majesty's Government:
Which units of the British Army currently serving in Afghanistan are equipped with the Bowman radio system; which units do not have that radio system; and whether there are any units in Afghanistan still using the Clansman radio system. [HL5846]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): All British Army units currently operating in Afghanistan do so with the Clansman radio system and elements of Bowman. Secure communications are also provided by a TacSat military system, which is compatible with US and other NATO forces operating in southern Afghanistan.
Anti-social Behaviour: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
How many anti-social behaviour orders have been issued in Northern Ireland since their introduction; for what; when; and where. [HL5651]
Lord Rooker: The relevant authorities have notified the Northern Ireland Office of 13 anti-social behaviour orders in Northern Ireland.
The orders were made to protect people from behaviour that caused or was likely to cause harassment, alarm or distress. The relevant authorities have reported that eight of these orders were made in 2005 and five in 2006.
Armed Forces: Helicopters
Lord Garden asked Her Majesty's Government:
What are the current average and maximum periods of detached duty for operationally qualified Chinook, Merlin, Puma and Sea King aircrew over a 12-month period; and how these periods compare with desired harmony levels. [HL5555]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of Defence (Lord Drayson): The average and maximum periods which operationally qualified support helicopter aircrew of the Royal Navy and Royal Air Force spent on detached duty away from their parent air stations in the year ending 31 March 2006 are shown in the following table.
| Aircraft type | Average | Maximum |
| RAF Puma | 68 | 204 |
| RAF Merlin | 140 | 203 |
| RAF Chinook | 125 | 179 |
| RN Sea King | 148 | 225 |
| RAF Sea King | 41 | 88 |
Defence strategic guidance contains harmony planning assumptions of which there are two components: separated service assumptions derived from analysis of historical norms and judgments by each service principal personnel officer of the harmony needs of their personnel and force structure planning assumptions.
The separated service assumption for the Royal Navy is that an individual should spend no more than 660 days away from home over a rolling three-year period while force structure planning assumptions state that fleet units should spend no more than 60 per cent of time deployed in a three-year cycle, although for support helicopters RAF force planning assumptions apply.
The Royal Air Force separated service assumption is that an individual should spend no more than 140 days away from home in a rolling 12-month period while force structure planning assumptions state that RAF units should operate on a cycle of four months on operations followed by an interval of 16 months.
These figures exclude RAF and RN search and rescue (SAR) helicopters with the exception of 78 Squadron in the Falklands where two crews are provided at any one time to provide 24 hour, 365 days a year, deployable SAR cover for Commander British Forces South Atlantic Islands.
Aviation: ADS-B
Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are considering the automatic dependent surveillance-broadcast (ADS-B) system for aviation. [HL5674]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is currently seeking Cabinet Office approval to consult on a "Proposal to amend the Air Navigation Order 2005 for the purpose of improving the technical interoperability of all aircraft in UK Airspace". The consultation will examine various systems, including ADS-B.
24 May 2006 : Column WA105
Badgers
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their justification for continuing the protected status of badgers in England and Wales in view of the large increase in the number of badgers and the absence of natural predators. [HL5828]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord Rooker): The badger benefits from legal protection introduced to outlaw cruelty towards animals; for example, the Protection of Animals Act 1911, which among other things made the baiting of animals illegal, and the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996, which made certain specified acts of cruelty illegal.
In addition, there are legal restrictions on the range of methods that can be used to kill or take badgers. This protection was introduced to outlaw inhumane and/or indiscriminate methods of control. The key legislation in this respect is the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Some of these restrictions apply to all animals, while others apply only to animals, such as the badger, listed in Schedule 6 to the Act.
There have also been specific laws to protect badgers. These were introduced as a welfare measure to combat illegal badger baiting and also as a conservation measure in response to declines in badger numbers in the 1970s and 1980s. Badgers and their setts are fully protected under the provisions of the Protection of Badgers Act 1992, which consolidated previous statutes. However, the 1992 Act does provide for the department to issue licences to interfere with badgers or their setts to prevent, among other things, serious damage to land, crops or property.
Although this protection may be unique for a non-endangered animal, it reflects the concern the Government have about the gratuitous acts of cruelty that badgers have been subjected to in the past.
Conventions: Joint Committee
Lord Barnett asked the Chairman of Committees:
Whether all papers submitted to the Joint Committee on Conventions will be published immediately on receipt. [HL5946]
The Chairman of Committees (Lord Brabazon of Tara): This depends on decisions which the Joint Committee has yet to make. I understand the matter will be considered at its next meeting, and I will write to Lord Barnett when I know the outcome.
Disability: Blue Badges
Lord Dubs asked Her Majesty's Government:
What action they are taking to ensure that the parking concessions for disabled people with blue badges are the same in the London Boroughs of Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Camden and the City of London as in other parts of the capital. [HL5544]
Lord Davies of Oldham: The Blue Badge Scheme of parking concessions for disabled people has never applied to the Cities of London and Westminster, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea and part of the London Borough of Camden due to concerns about the particularly severe problems with traffic flow and pressure on parking space in these parts of London. This exemption, however, came under scrutiny during the most recent review of the scheme and the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee (DPTAC, the department's statutory advisers on the transport needs of disabled people) recommended that it be removed. Consequently, research is being undertaken to look at the grounds for the exemption to see if it can still be justified. The research is due to be completed later this year.
Health: Research
Baroness Finlay of Llandaff asked Her Majesty's Government:
What research has been supported following the Department of Health's call for research into long-term neurological conditions; and what is happening to projects approved for funding, but not yet supported. [HL5785]
The Minister of State, Department of Health (Lord Warner): The recommendation of the long-term neurological conditions research initiative's external advisory group was that six research projects should be supported at a total cost of £1.5 million. The Department of Health has accepted the recommendation and will be funding the following projects:
Needs and experiences of services by individuals with progressive neurological condition and their carers: a benchmarking study, Professor Ray Fitzpatrick, University of Oxford, Cost: £250,761
Integrated services for people with long term neurological conditions: evaluation of the impact of the National Service Framework, Professor Gillian Parker, University of York, Cost: £334,837
Support for carers, particularly those with multiple caring roles: an investigation of support needs and cost of provision, Professor Lynne Turner-Stokes, Kings College, London, Cost: £287,827
Long-term involvement in fitness enablement study Dr Helen Dawes, Oxford Brookes University Cost: £243,889
Defining the palliative care needs of people with late stage Parkinson Disease, Multiple System Atrophy and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Professor P Nigel Leigh, Kings College, London, Cost: £228,676
Transition to adulthood: the experiences and needs of young men with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy and their families, Professor John Carpenter, Health and Social Care Research Centre, Bristol, Cost: £155,378
24 May 2006 : Column WA107
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