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Question

Asked by Lord Roberts of Llandudno

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): I cannot provide the information requested as the UK Border Agency does not keep a separate record of visa applications made in connection with any particular event in the UK. The UK Border Agency worked closely with the Llangollen festival organisers to ensure that those performers who required visas this year were aware of the application process and timelines to obtain their visas.

Ofsted: Learning and Skills

Question

Asked by Baroness Sharp of Guildford



5 Oct 2009 : Column WA429

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): This is a matter for Ofsted. HM Chief Inspector, Christine Gilbert, has written to the noble Baroness and a copy of her reply has been placed in the House Libraries.

Parking Fines

Question

Asked by Lord Lucas

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): The Civil Enforcement of Parking Contraventions (Approved Devices) (England) Order 2007 requires that CCTV equipment used by local traffic authorities for civil parking enforcement must be certified by the Secretary of State as an "approved device". This ensures that the evidence recorded meets appropriate standards of integrity, security and reliability. Authorities in London had until 30 March 2009 to comply. Westminster City Council has not satisfied the Secretary of State that its equipment meets the requirements for certification.

Protests

Question

Asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): The document referred to is a note that was produced by Home Officials in relation to targeted online advertising. The note was shared in draft with Phorm, one of the companies specialising in targeted online advertising systems, to ensure that the technical content was correct. The document and related correspondence have already been put into the public domain as a result of freedom of information requests. Contrary to media reports, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory reform did not pass confidential police information regarding a protest to a private company.

Shipping: MV Canna

Question

Asked by Lord Laird



5 Oct 2009 : Column WA430

The Secretary of State for Transport (Lord Adonis): As in my answer of 29 June (Official Report, col. WA23) the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) became aware that the MV Canna was operating without a valid passenger certificate on 3 October 2008, while completing the annual survey. The MCA is not required to check insurance cover for this class of vessel.

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child

Question

Asked by Baroness Walmsley

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Children, Schools and Families (Baroness Morgan of Drefelin): The Government are fully committed to implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

In England, the Children's Plan sets out how our long-term ambitions and policies for all children and young people are underpinned by the UNCRC. The Children's Plan: One Year On builds on this and sets out our priorities in taking forward the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations.

The Government are planning to publish a UK-wide action plan by the end of the year, which sets out how the UK is responding to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's concluding observations and how each of the devolved Administrations is responding to the concluding observations within the context of their own national requirements.

Answers received between Monday 24 August and Tuesday 1 September 2009

Regional Venture Capital Funds

Questions

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Minister for Economic Competitiveness and Small Business (Baroness Vadera): The UK Innovation Investment Fund, announced in June 2009, will be developed to provide an additional boost for high-growth, high-technology businesses struggling to raise equity finance, alongside existing national equity interventions. The Government have committed £150 million with the aim of attracting significant private sector investment into a fund of funds, to invest into underlying specialist

5 Oct 2009 : Column WA431

technology venture capital funds including digital technologies, life sciences, clean technology and advanced manufacturing.

Regional venture capital funds (RVCFs), launched in 2002, were designed to increase the amount of equity investment available to SMEs in amounts up to £500,000 to SMEs that demonstrate growth potential. From a total fund size worth £250 million, £133 million has been invested in 356 companies. This includes a government commitment of nearly £75 million which has been fully drawn down. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently undertaking an interim assessment of the performance of the RVCFs. This is due to report in autumn 2009.

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

Baroness Vadera: Regional venture capital funds (RVCFs), launched in 2002, were designed to increase the amount of equity investment available to SMEs in amounts up to £500,000 to SMEs that demonstrate growth potential. From a total fund size worth £250 million, £133 million has been invested in 356 companies. This includes a government commitment of nearly £75 million which has been fully drawn down.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is currently undertaking an interim assessment of the performance of the RVCFs. This is due to report in autumn 2009.

Answers received between Tuesday 1 September and Monday 7 September 2009

Afghanistan

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Minister for International Defence and Security (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): As my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary stated in his speech to NATO on 27 July 2009, burden sharing is a founding principal of the NATO alliance, and needs to be honoured in practice as well as theory. We will continue to press other NATO allies to share more of the burden in Afghanistan, focusing on what they can realistically deliver, including military and non-military assets.

Asked by Lord Swinfen



5 Oct 2009 : Column WA432

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Casualty statistics for UK military and civilian personnel in Afghanistan are routinely updated each fortnight on the MoD website, which can be found at the following link:

www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/FactSheets/OperationsFactsheets/OperationsInAfghanistanBritishCasualties.htm

The majority of Armed Forces personnel who are injured on operations subsequently recover and return to full fitness. In some cases that can take many weeks or months and because of our successes in treatment and rehabilitation, even in serious cases, it is not always possible to determine in advance whether their injuries will make them permanently unable to deploy.

Even if designated "not fully fit", many remain fit enough to work in some military capacity and therefore continue to make a contribution to operational effectiveness, often within theatres of operation.

Wounded service personnel whose injuries affect their ability to perform their duties will generally be referred to a medical board for a medical examination and a review of their medical grading. In clear-cut cases where the individual's fitness falls below the service employment and retention standards, the board will recommend a medical discharge without further delay. In many cases, however, the patient will first be downgraded, to allow for treatment, recovery and rehabilitation. For personnel who do not make a full recovery, the board may recommend the patient is retained as permanently downgraded with limited duties or they may recommend a medical discharge.

Although medical boards recommend medical discharges, they do not attribute the principal disability leading to the board either to service or to previous deployment. A medical board could take place months or even years after an event or injury and it is not clinically possible in some cases to link an earlier injury to a later problem which might lead to discharge.

The Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) has compiled information on the numbers of service personnel previously identified as deployed in Afghanistan on Operation Herrick who were medically discharged during 2008 with musculoskeletal disorders and injuries given as the principal cause leading to discharge. Figures have been compiled using the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems version 10 (ICD 10). The numbers of such personnel are follows:

Naval Service (Royal Navy and Marines): 6;

Army: 7;

RAF: -.

Numbers less than five have been suppressed (-) in line with Office for National Statistics guidelines.

Asked by Lord Astor of Hever



5 Oct 2009 : Column WA433

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: As stated on 7 July 2009 (Official Report, column WA 121), there is evidence that elements of the Iranian regime provide arms and funding to the Taliban and other illegal armed groups in Afghanistan. For reasons of operational security it would be inappropriate for me to comment on specific evidence.

Armed Forces: Chief of the General Staff

Question

Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

The Minister for International Defence and Security (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): Accommodation for the Chief of the General Staff in 2008-09 was leased at a cost of £108,408 per annum with £10,485 being expended for the associated contracted cleaning services. For the last known period, a dedicated staff car was leased, under the provisions of the United Kingdom White Fleet contract, for the Chief of the General Staff at a cost £4,993 per annum. With this vehicle was assigned a dedicated qualified driver at an indicative annual salary of £34,662 in 2008-09.

Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Over the period 17 July 2008 to 16 July 2009 inclusive, the Chief of the General Staff undertook 40 separate helicopter flights within the United Kingdom over a combination of 20 journeys . All those journeys were for official purposes with seven being visits to units, four to attend/speak at conferences, four to attend meetings, three to attend/participate in official ceremonies, one a combination of conference and unit visit and the remaining one a combination of meeting and official representation. Additionally, on 5 and 6 June 2009, the Chief of the General Staff used a helicopter for the return journey to and from Normandy to attend the D-Day commemorations.

Armed Forces: Cultural Property

Question

Asked by Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn



5 Oct 2009 : Column WA434

The Minister for International Defence and Security (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): There are no plans to appoint specialist staff to protect ancient monuments and works of art in locations where British troops are operating. However, operations are always conducted with due regard to the obligations contained within the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954.

Armed Forces: Pensions and Compensation

Question

Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester

The Minister for International Defence and Security (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Central Advisory Committee (CAC) on Pensions and Compensation underwent a review in 2008. As a result of the review the CAC was re-focused to deal with occupational service pensions as well as compensation policy issues, and developed to provide a credible and visible consultative mechanism. The CAC stopped dealing with issues of wider concern to veterans and ceased routine involvement in issues of scheme operation and delivery, where more appropriate mechanisms are in place. The membership of the CAC reflects the role of the committee and is representative of those affected by pension and compensation scheme issues.

A review of the role, function and responsibilities of the War Pensions Committee (WPC) is currently under way, and at present the findings of the review are being collated.

Banking: Small Businesses

Question

Asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick

The Minister for Economic Competitiveness and Small Business (Baroness Vadera): This Government continue to act to ensure that viable small businesses are able to access the finance they need to assist them during the current economic downturn and to invest in the future. For example:

the Chancellor's Lending Panel of the major banks and Ministers monitors the flow of lending and recommends action to increase lending where necessary;
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