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My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for International Development held a meeting with NGOs on 10 January and I also held a subsequent meeting last Tuesday. Both meetings were an opportunity for the government to hear from NGOs what support they most needed. We have for example, already provided funding for and facilitated the arrival of a Merlin assessment team and surgical unit into Port-au-Prince. DfID will continue to work with NGO members of DEC and others to facilitate the delivery of rescue operations in Haiti.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to send military as well as civilian personnel to assist the rescue effort in Port-au-Prince. [HL1337]
Lord Brett: The Ministry of Defence (MoD) is working closely with the Department for International Development (DfID) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) in co-ordinating the British Government's response to the earthquake in Haiti.
A 16-man MoD Operational Liaison and Reconnaissance Team arrived in Port-au-Prince on 24 January and a small deployment from the Joint-Stabilisation Unit arrived on 23 January to assist UK teams already working on the ground and to assess what further specialist requirements are needed in Haiti.
The UK will deploy the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship, RFA Largs Bay, loaded with aid to help with the relief operation in Haiti at the request of the United Nations. It will sail from the UK carrying relief supplies that will be needed by the people of Haiti in the weeks and months ahead. Largs Bay has a crew of around 60 Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel and a small team from 17 Port and Maritime RLC to operate a Mexefloat craft.
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A Royal Military Police protection team will also be arriving in Haiti soon to provide security for the FCO's consular rapid deployment team.
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many emergency services personnel from the United Kingdom have been deployed to Haiti to assist the rescue there. [HL1387]
Lord Brett: The UK sent a total of 64 emergency services personnel with heavy rescue equipment, drawn from the national Fire and Rescue Service.
Health: Contaminated Blood Products
Question
Asked by Lord Morris of Manchester
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received from the Macfarlane Trust regarding the Second Reading debate on 11 December on the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected and Bereaved Persons) Bill [HL]; and what response they will be sending to the trust. [HL1443]
Baroness Thornton: The department received a letter from the Macfarlane Trust, dated 19 January 2010, regarding the Second Reading debate on 11 December on the Contaminated Blood (Support for Infected and Bereaved Persons) Bill and a response will be sent in due course to the trust.
Housing: Tenancy Deposits
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the contracts governing the independent arbitration of the three tenancy deposit protection schemes will be extended from April. [HL1431]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government & Department for Work and Pensions (Lord McKenzie of Luton): The Department for Communities and Local Government's contracts with the three tenancy deposit protection scheme providers for the provision of tenancy deposit protection schemes will run until the end of March 2012. Under the contracts, the individual scheme providers make their own arrangements for the arbitration of disputes.
Internet: Explorer
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in the light of the recent announcement by Microsoft that Internet Explorer was used to carry out the
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The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord West of Spithead): We take internet security very seriously. The UK Government have worked with Microsoft and other suppliers over many years to understand the security of the products used by HMG, including Internet Explorer. Each department is responsible for managing the risks to its IT systems based on government information security and assurance policy and technical advice from CESG, the National Technical Authority for Information Assurance.
Complex software will always have vulnerabilities and motivated adversaries will always work to discover and take advantage of them. There is no evidence that moving from the latest fully patched versions of Internet Explorer to other browsers will make users more secure. Regular software patching and updating will help defend against the latest threats. A government Internet Explorer user, operating on government systems, such as the GSi (Government Secure Intranet), will benefit from additional security measures, unlikely to be available to the average home computer user. These include tools which actively monitor for evidence of any malicious attacks and provide a layered approach to internet security.
Internet: Google Earth
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Bach on 10 December 2009 (WA 160), whether there are security concerns arising from Google Earth's ability to display the entrances and road frontages of properties owned and utilised by Her Majesty's Armed Forces. [HL1258]
The Minister for International Defence and Security (Baroness Taylor of Bolton): The Ministry of Defence keeps under review the impact of all technical advances in aerial surveillance and the wider public availability of images of UK defence establishments. Individual establishments may request the pixilation of all or part of MoD sites in appropriate cases.
Israel and Palestine
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are considering requesting that the European Union representation in the Middle East quartet be more active in encouraging the resumption of direct talks between the Palestinian Authority and Israel; and whether they have recently made representations to the Government of Israel about delays to such talks. [HL1373]
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Lord Brett: The EU is an active member of the Middle East quartet. The recent quartet statements of 24 September and 26 June 2009-drafted jointly by quartet members (US, EU, UN and Russia)-stressed the need for the prompt resumption of peace negotiations.
The EU Foreign Affairs Council conclusions of 8 December 2009 underlined the need for "reinvigorated quartet engagement" on the peace process.
The UK permanent representative on the UN Security Council (UNSC) called publicly for the rapid resumption of peace negotiations at the UNSC open debate on the situation in the Middle East on 27 January 2010.
Israel and Palestine: Quartet
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was decided at the recent meeting in Brussels of the Middle East quartet. [HL1427]
Lord Brett: Middle East quartet envoys met in Brussels on 13 January 2010. The meeting was an opportunity to exchange views on latest developments on the ground and how the quartet can best advance the Middle East peace process.
Malaysia
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made or intend to make representations to the Government of Malaysia about the attacks on nine Christian churches and one convent between 8 January and 14 January. [HL1381]
Lord Brett: On 14 January 2010 our High Commissioner in Kuala Lumpur expressed concern about the attacks to the Malaysian Minister of National Unity and Integration. He has also raised the matter with senior officials. Our High Commission will continue to follow developments closely and encourage the Malaysian Government to pursue laws and practices which foster tolerance and mutual respect.
MEPs: Salaries
Question
Asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made regarding the increase of the salaries of Members of the European Parliament by £16,000 to £86,000 and the increase in expenses by £22,000, in the light of their proposals for wage restraint for United Kingdom citizens. [HL1081]
Lord Brett: The salaries and expenses for Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) have not increased since the June 2009 European elections. MEPs' salaries
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In December 2009 the Council refused to grant a proposed 3.7 per cent pay increase for the staff of EU institutions, in view of the current economic and financial situation, replacing it instead with a proposed increase of 1.85 per cent.
Nigeria
Question
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to promote the continuation of stable democratic Government in Nigeria; whether in the absence of the President they are encouraging the military in Nigeria to remain outside politics and encouraging the political community to secure the smooth transfer of power to the Vice-President in accordance with the Nigerian constitution; and what is their assessment of the situation in Nigeria. [HL1411]
Lord Brett: The UK continues to promote the continuation of stable democratic Government in Nigeria through supporting the expressed commitment of the Government of Nigeria to adhere to its constitution, as well as in the longer term through efforts such as the Department for International Development's Deepening Democracy in Nigeria programme.
The importance of the constitution is a message that both my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary and my noble friend Lady Kinnock have given to Foreign Minister Maduekwe in recent weeks, and that our High Commission in Abuja reiterates in all its contacts with Nigerian authorities, both civilian and military. We continue to wish President Yar Adua well for a speedy recovery. However it remains important that Nigerian authorities continue to focus on the job of government in the mean time. We are, meanwhile, very concerned about the recent violence and loss of life in Jos. Our High Commission in Abuja has made clear to the Nigerian federal and state authorities the need for those responsible to be held to account.
North Korea
Questions
Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have made representations to the Government of North Korea about the arrest on 25 December 2009 of the human rights campaigner Mr Robert Park; and what assessment they have made of his whereabouts and health. [HL1334]
Lord Brett: Our ambassador in Pyongyang is following this case closely through regular contact with the Swedish embassy there, which is the consular protecting power for US nationals in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK). Our ambassador has
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Asked by Lord Alton of Liverpool
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following the recent visit to Pyongyang of the United States envoy, Mr Stephen Bosworth, they have discussed with the Government of the United States whether progress has been made in securing North Korea's renewed participation in the six-party talks on security and nuclear disarmament. [HL1335]
Lord Brett: I welcome the bilateral talks that took place between the US and North Korea in December 2009. Stephen Bosworth's visit to Pyongyang was a useful first step towards North Korea resuming the six-party talks. There was a common understanding on the need to resume the six-party talks and implementing the 2005 Joint Statement on denuclearising the Korean Peninsula. The next step is to get North Korea to agree a date for a return to the six-party talks.
We have discussed progress with the US Government. Until North Korea returns to the six-party talks and makes verifiable progress on denuclearisation, there is no question of the international community lifting UN sanctions.
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will make representations to the Government of North Korea about (a) conditions in labour training centres, and (b) the use of capital punishment in those centres. [HL1382]
Lord Brett: We remain very concerned about the grave human rights situation in North Korea and take every opportunity to raise these concerns with North Korean officials. We expressed our concerns on a number of human rights issues in the UN's Universal Periodic Review of North Korea in December 2009, including the extremely harsh conditions of detention, political prison camps and the right to life.
As part of an EU initiative, we also co-sponsored the UNGA resolution in November 2009 to raise awareness of the human rights situation in DPRK including the extensive use of forced labour.
Both bilaterally and with the EU, we will continue to ensure human rights issues stay at the top of our agenda.
Palestine: Refugees
Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will propose that the terms of reference of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the near east be widened to include responsibility for all Palestinian refugees. [HL1396]
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Lord Brett: The Department for International Development (DfID) has no plans to make such a proposal.
Political Parties: Funding
Question
Asked by Lord Foulkes of Cumnock
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much public money is paid to David Cameron to run the office of the Leader of the Opposition; for what purposes such funds can be used; and whether any recent requests have been made to alter the level of funding or the arrangements for using the funds. [HL1314]
The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon): Payments from Short money to support the work of the office of the Leader of the Opposition have been available since April 1999. The initial amount approved by Parliament in 1999 was £500,000, and is increased each April by the increase in RPI.
Short money payments are made to political parties, not to individual Members.
The following table shows the payments made in each financial year since the last general election in respect of the office of the Leader of the Opposition.
| Year | Amount Paid |
The purpose of Short money is to provide financial assistance to assist an opposition party in carrying out its parliamentary business. This is defined as research associated with Front Bench duties, developing and communicating alternative policies to those of the Government of the day, and shadowing the Government's Front Bench. Financial assistance is intended for expenses which have been incurred.
No requests have been made to alter the level of funding or the arrangements for using the funds.
Public Finances
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