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Nuclear Weapons
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 12 March (WA 240—1), what specific proposals for creating a nuclear weapon-free world and to support zero tolerance of proliferation they propose to take to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee meeting from 28 April to 9 May. [HL2695]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): Our primary objective for the 2008 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee meeting will be to continue to develop the conditions for a successful outcome to the 2010 NPT Review Conference, essentially a strengthened NPT and seeking to make it harder for countries to withdraw from the NPT. The UK will present the preliminary findings of our research into the verification of nuclear disarmament, which the Atomic Weapons Establishment at Aldermaston has been working on in conjunction with Norwegian defence laboratories and the non-governmental organisation Verification Research, Training and Information Centre. We will also discuss with key states the UK proposals for an enrichment bond and a UN Security Council permanent members' Nuclear Laboratories Conference. In our national statements, we will continue to call for the start of negotiations without preconditions on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty and for those states who have not yet done so to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty.
Official Visits: Irish President
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, in the light of the President of the Republic of Ireland's remarks about the conditions which must be fulfilled politically before the Queen is allowed to visit the Republic, they have any plans to restrict visits by the President to the United Kingdom.[HL2799]
The Minister of State, Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Lord Malloch-Brown): No. The Irish President, Mary McAleese, is a welcome visitor to the UK.
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The noble Lord may wish to note that the president's recent comments, made in reply to a journalist's question and reflecting earlier statements by the Taoiseach, referred specifically to a state visit.
Parking
Lord Lucas asked Her Majesty's Government:
On what legal basis paragraph 10.69 of Operational Guidance to Local Authorities: Parking Policy and Enforcement, published by the Department for Transport on 25 March states that “a certificated bailiff can alter the address on the warrant if the respondent has moved”. [HL2889]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: This sentence repeats the guidance given to local authorities in 1995 about decriminalised parking enforcement outside London. It does, however, appear that the sentence has no legal basis and this was not identified in the responses to the consultation on the draft operational guidance. We will amend the guidance and notify those who have already received it.
People Trafficking
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 19 March (WA 67—8) and in the light of the fact that they have not provided legal guardians for children presumed to have been trafficked, whether they will arrange mentors for such children, taking into account cultural and language affinities. [HL2871]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Children and Young Person's Bill, currently before Parliament, contains provisions to extend and strengthen the authority of the role of the independent reviewing officer (IRO), to ensure that the voices of all looked-after children are taken into account by the local authority responsible for planning the care for each looked-after child.
In addition to our proposals for developing the IRO role, the current statutory framework already requires local authorities to ensure that looked-after children are able to have access to independent advocates. Access to advocates should not just be confined to complaints procedures; children should be provided with support from an advocate whenever they wish to make representations about the services they receive.
Furthermore the Bill proposes that wherever it is in the child's interests, each looked-after child should be offered the support of an independent “visitor” who will befriend and advise the child.
The Government believe these arrangements to be satisfactory and do not therefore believe that a new requirement on local authorities to allocate dedicated mentors is necessary, in order to safeguard and promote the welfare of looked-after children who may have been trafficked.
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Police: Fatalities
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether there are any nationally applicable instructions to police forces dealing with fatalities; and, if so, where these may be found. [HL2614]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): There is a range of guidance produced by ACPO and/or the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) to assist individual forces in responding to incidents involving sudden death including: multiple fatalities in a disaster; single death homicides; and road traffic collisions. These manuals of guidance are held by ACPO and the NPIA. Some, such as the ACPO Road Death Investigation Manual, are in the public domain and available on the ACPO website.
Prisoners: Northern Ireland
Lord Laird asked Her Majesty's Government:
Lord Rooker: A range of sanctions including criminal prosecution are available depending on the circumstances of the case. All prisoners who breach temporary release conditions, on returning to prison, are charged with the offence under Prison Rules, if there is prime facie evidence to support a charge. The prisoner is then adjudicated on by a governor during a disciplinary hearing. If found guilty, the prisoner will be the subject of an adjudication award. Adjudication awards have a maximum of 14 days’ cellular confinement, with loss of association with other prisoners and loss of prison earnings. There are a range of losses of privileges for varying time periods.
Since summer 2002, following a European Court ruling, an adjudicating governor cannot increase a prisoner’s sentence by awarding loss of remission. However, the prisoner’s release date is recalculated and extended by the length of time the prisoner has been unlawfully at large.
Where prisoners have failed to return to prison by the designated date and time the adjudicating governor may decide to deal with the matter internally or can adjourn the hearing and refer the matter to the PSNI for investigation and consideration for prosecution. Section 25 of the Prison Act carries a maximum penalty of 2 years’ imprisonment for being unlawfully at large.
The Prison Service updated its memorandum of understanding with the PSNI and PPSNI last autumn so that any prisoner who has absconded for a significant period of time, normally over 7 days, is referred to the authorities to be considered for prosecution. For shorter time periods governors may refer any case for prosecution if they consider the individual circumstances make it appropriate.
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Each individual prisoner’s leave quotas under the pre-release home and resettlement scheme are based upon the length of sentence and continuous custody. If a prisoner breaks continuous custody by remaining out of the prison unlawfully for a full calendar day or more, the prisoner is deemed to have broken continuous custody. As a result the prisoner's entitlement to such leave is recalculated from the day on which he returns to prison, and consequently his home leave quotas will significantly reduce.
In any subsequent application for home or resettlement leave account is taken of any previous leave failures by the Home Leave Board as part of its consideration.
Prostitution
Lord Hylton asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord West of Spithead on 19 March (WA 68), when they expect to decide on future funding for the care of persons leaving prostitution; and whether that funding will be a national allocation, given geographical differences in the distribution of persons requiring such care. [HL2870]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The Government's co-ordinated prostitution strategy recognises that those at risk of, or involved in, street prostitution have a range of complex needs, including housing, drug treatment and other health needs. In areas where prostitution markets exist, local partnerships are responsible for ensuring that adequate services are available to those involved in selling sex.
Ensuring that dedicated work takes place to support routes out of prostitution is part of our Tackling Violence Action Plan, published on 18 February. A decision on how this work will be taken forward will be made early in the 2008-09 financial year.
Public Sector Information
Lord Beaumont of Whitley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they intend to make unrefined information held by trading funds available free of legal and financial restrictions, as recommended in the recently commissioned study, Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds; and [HL2713]
Why certain financial information in the Ordnance Survey and United Kingdom Hydrographic Office sections were redacted as confidential in the recent Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds report; and [HL2715]
Whether they intend to make the Met Office's unrefined information available free of legal and financial restrictions, following the finding of the recently commissioned study Models of Public
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Whether in light of the finding of the recently commissioned study Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds that there is a net benefit to society if trading funds release unrefined information at marginal cost, they will review the financial and legal restrictions on all unrefined information held by public bodies. [HL2734]
Whether they will define the “public tasks” for trading funds in order to identify information that should be released free of financial and legal restrictions, as highlighted in the recently commissioned study Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds (chapter 3, paragraph 3.49). [HL2735]
Lord Davies of Oldham: As announced in the Budget, the Government will look closely at public sector information held by trading funds to distinguish more clearly what is required by Government for public tasks and ensure that this information is made available as widely as possible for use in downstream markets. In the lead-up to the next spending review the Government will ensure that information collected for public purposes is priced so that the need for access is balanced with ensuring that customers pay a fair contribution to the cost of collecting this information in the long term.
For central government bodies other than trading funds, the clear policy is that raw information should, subject to any statutory provision, be freely available or provided at the marginal cost of dissemination.
In drafting the report Models of Public Sector Information Provision via Trading Funds, Cambridge University relied on the co-operation of and provision of data from trading funds. Some of the financial data provided was commercially confidential and was therefore not published in the report. This did not alter the overall conclusions of the report.
Railways: Catering
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 19 March (WA 51), if a catering plan is provided as part of a franchise bid and does not form part of any contract, whether a bidder could undertake to provide a catering service but not deliver it. [HL2882]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Catering is a matter for train operators and so does not normally form part of either the franchise specification against which intending operators are invited to bid or the franchise agreement subsequently concluded between the Department for Transport and the successful bidder. Operators are therefore free to make changes to the catering service they offer without having to seek the department's consent.
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Railways: Crossrail
Lord Berkeley asked Her Majesty's Government:
Further to the Written Answer by Lord Bassam of Brighton on 28 February (WA 131—2), whether W10 gauge will be created under any newly electrified sections of the Great Western Main Line to be used by Crossrail trains. [HL2776]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The only clearance work needed in addition to Crossrail works to achieve W10 gauge throughout the newly electrified sections of the Great Western Main Line would be in relation to a small number of existing arched bridges.
Whether to undertake additional works to these bridges for non-Crossrail purposes is for Network Rail to review as usual for any gauge clearance investment.
Railways: Light Rail
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their policies for the expansion of light rail adequately reflect the rising price of oil, the need to take account of climate change and the importance of dealing with congestion. [HL2703]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: The benefits of light rail expansion are considered on a case by case basis and will vary according to the specific scheme being considered. The Department for Transport aims to consider all impacts of transport schemes including impacts on greenhouse gas emissions and changes in congestion. The assessment should also be informed by the best available evidence. The recent increase in the price of oil will be considered in the assessment of schemes although the impact of this is likely to be relatively modest.
The methods and information used to assess the impact of a scheme are generally considered state of the art and are regularly reviewed. As part of this process the department is currently reviewing its appraisal techniques as part of the NATA (New Approach to Appraisal) Refresh. Recommendations about improvements to the assessment of schemes will be finalised after public consultation on the NATA Refresh closes on 31 March 2008.
Railways: London to Manchester
Lord Bradley asked Her Majesty's Government:
What is their reaction to the proposal to build a new high-speed train line from London to Manchester. [HL2808]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Our immediate priority is increasing capacity on the rail network. In the period 2009-14, £10 billion will be invested in more trains and more capacity to meet passenger demand for rail travel.
We are also beginning work with the rail industry to develop an understanding of some of the complex rail options we might need to consider in future, including the long-term case for new lines.
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Railways: Rolling Stock
Lord Bradshaw asked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether their approval is required for any transfers of rolling stock between train operating companies. [HL2738]
Lord Bassam of Brighton: Proposals to acquire or transfer rolling stock are welcome, provided the train operators concerned are willing to fund them. The Government do, however, need to be sure that appropriate contractual provisions are in place to ensure that services can be maintained in the event of franchise termination. Proposed arrangements of this sort are therefore subject to approval by the Department for Transport.
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