Written Answers of 27 November 2002

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  BBC
  Mr. Whittingdale
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the organisations that have made representations to her about the commercial effect on their business of the BBC's activities. [80434]

  Dr. Howells
  A number of organisations have made representations, as part of the consultation process on new BBC public services and on an ad hoc basis, including broadcasters, educational software publishers, independent producers and platform operators.

  BBC Freeview
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many advertisements for Freeview have been broadcast on(a) BBC television and (b) BBC radio; and if she will make a statement. [81778]

  Dr. Howells
  The BBC has not broadcast any advertisements for Freeview on either its radio or television services, but between 4 November and 20 November, it broadcast 70 information trails about its digital services on BBC One and BBC Two and around 170 on its five national radio networks. These trails inform viewers that the BBC's digital services can be accessed on Freeview, but also make clear that they are available on the digital satellite and digital cable platforms.

  Correspondence
  Tony Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, when she will reply to letters from Mr. Borthwick of Workington and the hon. Member for Workington to the Department of 13 April, 12 June, 26 July and 20 September. [80695]

  Dr. Howells
  My right hon. Friend the Minister for the Arts (Baroness Blackstone) has today replied to the letter of 26 July from the hon. Member for Workington which covered those of 13 April and 12 June from his constituent Mr Borthwick.

  I apologise for the delay in the handling of correspondence both from Mr. Borthwick and the hon. Member for Workington. My Department aims to reply to Members' correspondence and correspondence from the public within 18 working days of receipt. I regret that this did not happen here.

  Creative Industries
  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment 262W
  she has made of her Department's involvement in facilitating and promoting competitiveness of British creative industries (a) at home and (b) abroad; and if she will make a statement. [83745]

  Dr. Howells
  The Department is working in partnership with other Government Departments and representatives of the creative industries to enhance their economic performance at home and overseas. More recent figures from official sources suggest that in 2000 the creative industries:

  generated revenues of £76.6 billion

  provided jobs for 1.95 million

  account for 7.9 per cent. of GDP

  Film Council
  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the objectives of the Film Council; and if she will make a statement. [83757]

  Dr. Howells
  When the Film Council was established in April 2000, it was set 13 goals for film which had been identified in the course of the Film Policy Review (1998). These goals have formed the basis of the funding agreement with my Department. Progress against the funding agreement is reviewed regularly.

  Lottery
  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of(a) the effectiveness of her Department's transfer of functions from the Director General of the Office for National Lottery to the National Lottery Commission and (b) the relationship between her Department and the National Lottery Commission; and if she will make a statement. [83781]

  Dr. Howells
  The National Lottery Act 1998 made provision for the replacement of the office of Director General of the National Lottery by the National Lottery Commission; and I am satisfied that Parliament made the right decision in approving this change. Schedule 1 to the 1998 Act set out the transitional arrangements for the transfer of functions, which worked as intended. The relationship between the commission and the Department is as it should be. However, we published earlier this year a consultation document reviewing the way in which the National Lottery is now licensed and regulated, and seeking views on options for further change. We will announce our conclusions in due course.

  Sports Funding
  Mr. Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list Sport England's Exchequer and Lottery-funded programmes and initiatives. [80965]

  Mr. Caborn
  Sport England's current programmes are as follows:

  Space for Sport and Arts

  New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport

  Club Development—not started

  Community Capital Fund

  Governing Bodies Facilities strategies

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  Quest

  Benchmarking

  PPP and PFI

  Best Value

  Talent camps

  Clubmark

  Sporting Champions

  Sports Sponsorship Advisory Service

  Sports Gateway

  Sport England Direct

  Sports Aid

  Governing Bodies Awards

  English Institute of Sport Services

  Sports Science/Medicine

  World Class programmes

  Commonwealth Games

  National Centres

  English Institute of Sport facilities funding and development

  Active Communities Development Fund

  Sport Action Zones

  Awards for All

  Positive Futures

  Active Communities Projects

  Active Communities Infrastructure Posts-regional

  British Heart Foundation,

  National Association of Clubs for Young People

  Kids Club Network

  Local Exercise Action Pilots (LEAP)

  Football Foundation

  National Strategy for Education and Training

  Step Into Sport

  Volunteer Investment Programme (VIP)

  Coaching Development

  National Association for Sports Development—funding and liaison

  National Sports Development Seminar—funding and liaison

  Sport Development Professionals Regional Induction initiative

  Sport Development Professionals Supporting Infrastructure—Regional Training Units

  Running Sport

  Active Sports

  Child Protection in Sport Unit

  School Sport Coordinators

  Sportsmark and Activemark

  Sportsearch

  Panathlon

  Education infrastructure and Sport Alliances

  Coaching for teachers

  Adults other than Teachers

  Playing Fields and Green Spaces

  Statutory Planning

  Strategic Planning—Facility Planning Model

  Safer Sports Ground

  National projects

  Sportsmatch

  CCPR Funding

  Football Youth Development

  As part of its modernisation process, Sport England is reviewing all the programmes that it funds based on its new business strategy; it expects the review to be completed by the end of the year.

  Sustainability Strategy
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the sustainability strategy is for her Department; and if she will make a statement on how it has changed since the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. [83496]

  Dr. Howells
  As part of our long-term objective to maximise the Department's contribution to the Government's agenda on sustainable development and regeneration policy, we promised last April at a conference for our sectors held at the Science Museum to produce a sustainable development strategy. We are on target to fulfil this obligation.

  Since the World Summit, my Department has identified among its strategic priorities; the aim of enhancing access to a fuller cultural and sporting life of children and young people, giving them the opportunity to develop their talents to the full; and of improving the productivity of the tourism, creative and leisure industries. These are in line with one of the main programmes for activity agreed at the World Summit, that of eradicating poverty.

  Travel Budget
  Mr. Chope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total budget is for(a) her Department and (b) its agencies for official travelling in 2002–03. [83030]

  Dr. Howells
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The DCMS budget for official travelling and subsistence for 2002–03 is £934,894. In addition, the budget for the Royal Parks Agency is £37,700.

  Works of Art (Restitution)
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on progress concerning the restitution of works of art looted by the Nazis. [82955]

  Dr. Howells
  The Spoliation Advisory Panel received two new claims this year, following its Report on the first claim which was published in January 2001. The Panel met in October 2002 to consider these new claims and will meet again in early 2003 to continue its discussions, when other claims which have been intimated may also be considered.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Aid (Poorest Countries)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what steps she is taking to press other EU countries to(a) apply the EU Procurement Directive regarding tied aid and (b) increase the proportion of aid given to the poorest countries. [83192]

  Clare Short
  We support the Commission's efforts to ensure that member states' aid programmes comply with Community law. The Commission has recently presented to the Council of Ministers a Communication
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  on Untying which reiterates member states' obligation to apply the Procurement Directives to their bilateral programmes.

  Poverty elimination is the stated objective of EU development programmes. Nine of the fifteen member states provide more than 70 per cent. of their aid to the poorest countries. The record for Commission-managed aid is much less poverty focused and is 45 per cent. We continue to press in the Council and in annual budget discussions with the European Parliament for higher priority to be given to poor countries in allocating EC development funds.

  Developing Countries
  Phil Sawford
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action she is taking to help Governments in poorer countries in their efforts to provide targeted support and protection for local producers. [82911]

  Clare Short
  My Department provides support to Governments of developing countries that are designed to meet the different circumstances and needs of a broad range of producers living in those countries. These include efforts to make Government policy more responsive to the demands of poor producers, activities to strengthen the operation of local institutions, interventions designed to improve food security as well as support designed to lead to improved delivery of rural goods and services. We also provide support to a range of international organisations that work closely with Governments in developing countries and seeks to enhance the effectiveness of any interventions agreed between these parties.

  East Timor
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development (1) what discussions her Department has had with(a) the Government of Indonesia, (b) the Government of East Timor and (c) the UNHCR to ensure the return of children being held illegally in West Java to their families in East Timor; [80569]

  (2) what assessment her Department has made of the number of East Timorese children being held illegally in West Java; and what assessment her Department has made of the number of children that have been returned to their families in East Timor. [80568]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  I have been asked to reply.

  The violence and confusion surrounding the 1999 referendum on East Timor's status and the subsequent Indonesian withdrawal led to some children becoming separated from their families. There are no reliable figures for the number of children that were separated but the UNHCR estimates around 800 cases remain unresolved, mostly in West Timor.

  We are in regular contact with the UN Mission in East Timor and UNHCR on this sensitive issue, most recently, on 4 October 2002. We have also encouraged the Governments of Indonesia and East Timor to find a solution to this problem.

  Ethiopia
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what recent discussions she has had with(a) the Prime Minister and (b) international organizations about providing debt relief to Ethiopia. [83155]

  Clare Short
  We support international efforts to reduce Ethiopia's debt burden. Ethiopia qualified for interim debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries Initiative (HIPC) at Decision Point (DP) in November 2001. Irrevocable relief will be provided at HIPC Completion Point, which is expected within the next two years. Savings resulting from HIPC assistance will amount to around US$ 96 million per year on average until 2021. Ethiopia owes the UK £15.4 million. Provided Ethiopia remains on track with its programme of economic reform, Ethiopia will not be required to make any further payments on its debt to the UK after DP.

  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what long term plans she has to provide Ethiopia with development aid to help that country develop(a) irrigation system and (b) food storage facilities; and if she will make a statement. [83158]

  Clare Short
  An important component of our long-term development assistance to Ethiopia is work on improving food security. As one aspect of their food security strategy the Government of Ethiopia plans to increase access to irrigation and so help boost agricultural productivity. DFID is supporting the establishment of the Eastern Nile Technical Regional Office in Addis Ababa, which in coordination with Sudan and Egypt, plans to improve use of Nile waters for a range of users including irrigation. We have funded improvements in the food storage facilities of the Ethiopian Food Security Reserve Administration, which now has expanded capacity and a more efficient stock management regime. The EFSRA plays a vital role in ensuring the stability of food supplies to organisations distributing food relief to those in need.

  Good Governance
  Mr. Caton: Mr. Martin Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what criteria her Department employs in assuring good governance in other countries. [83364]

  Clare Short
  Our strategy to support developing and transitional countries build the institutions of an effective, inclusive, modern state is outlined in the document "Making Government Work for Poor People", which was published in September 2001 and placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  We encourage poor countries to take the lead in improving the quality of governance in developing countries. To this end we have helped the development of the governance assessments that will form part of the peer reviews of African countries in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD). We are also working with the World Bank and other international development agencies to ensure that

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  governance issues are properly reflected in poverty reduction strategies beingprepared for decisions on debt relief and for World Bank and IMF lending.

  These objectives and indicators are included in DFID's Service Delivery Agreement of its Public Service Agreement.

  Sustainability Strategy
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the sustainability strategy is for her Department; and how it has changed since the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. [83445]

  Clare Short
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman) on 15 October 2002,Official Report, column 651W.

  My Department does not have a free-standing sustainability strategy. We focus on improving the effectiveness of the international development effort to reduce poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the goal of ensuring environmental sustainability. This continues to be our focus following the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

  My Department works to promote economic growth that is equitable and environmentally sustainable, and works with developing countries to ensure that their poverty reduction strategies reflect the need to manage environmental resources sustainably. The World Summit gave an impetus to this work by integrating sustainability into the international agenda agreed at the Doha meeting of the World Trade Organisation and the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development.

TRANSPORT

  No-fly Zone (Scotland)
  Pete Wishart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what process is required to introduce a no-fly zone of(a) commercial and (b) military flights over towns and cities in Scotland; [83528]

  (2) if he will assess the no-fly zone status of commercial and military flights over areas in Scotland that contain petro-chemical plants; [83527]

  (3) what plans there are to review the no-fly zone status for both commercial and military flights over towns in Scotland; [83526]

  (4) what (a) commercial and (b) military no-fly zones have been in operation in Scotland since (i) January 2001 and (ii) 11 September 2001; and what locations have been covered. [83529]

  Mr. Spellar
  Following a request from the appropriate Government Department or, in some cases, the local police force, the Civil Aviation Authority drafts a Statutory Instrument (SI). This is ratified by the Department for Transport before being notified to the entire aviation community by means of a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM). The SI, which may be temporary or 268W
  permanent in effect, is binding on civil aircraft only, but military aircraft will normally comply. This process applies to all UK airspace.

  Towns and cities or petro-chemical plants do not have specific 'no-fly zones' unless already in the vicinity of restricted airspace. The Rules of the Air Regulations 1996 prohibit flying by civil aircraft below a height 1,500 feet above any town or city (unless landing or taking off). Military regulations in Volume 3, Part 1 (UK Military Low Flying System) of the UK Military Aeronautical Information Publication (AIP) introduce avoidance criteria for military aircraft.

  From January 2001 to 10 September 2001 there was no change to airspace restrictions in Scottish airspace currently published as permanent in the UK Air Navigation Order (ANO) and Aeronautical Information (AIP). These include the Highlands Restricted Area (HRA) and sites such as Dounreay, Faslane, Rosyth and Chapelcross.

  From September 2001 the following temporary airspace restrictions have been in operation for the periods and reasons shown:
  11 September to 12 September 2001, Entire Scottish Flight Information Region, in response to events of 11 September.
  11 September to 12 September 2001, Entire Scottish Upper Flight Information Region, in response to events of 11 September.
  11 September 2001 to 12 September 2001, Hebrides Upper Airspace Control Area, in response to events of 11 September.
  22 February 2002 to 24 February 2002, Perth—Scottish Labour Party Conference.
  13 September 2002 to 14 September 2002, RAF Leuchars—Air Show.

  In addition, temporary restrictions were imposed around Hunterston and Torness Nuclear Power Stations from 3 November 2001, which were made permanent as from 5 September 2002.

  The Government continue to monitor the number and extent of no-fly zones across the UK.

  Portland Helicopter Rescue Operation
  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the planned consolidation of the Portland sea helicopter rescue operation to Lee-on-Solent. [81654]

  Mr. Jamieson
  No decision has yet been made on the consolidation (relocation) of the Portland area helicopter to Lee-on-Solent.

  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimates he has made regarding the changes to recovery times if the possible consolidation of the Portland sea helicopter rescue operation to Lee-on-Solent goes ahead. [81655]

  Mr. Jamieson
  A risk assessment has been made on the effect of relocating the Portland area helicopter to Lee-on-Solent which indicates that the national criteria for UK Search and Rescue helicopters will continue to be met both in terms of response and recovery times.
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  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will allow a private company to purchase and lease back to the Maritime and Coastguard Agency the hangar for the Portland Sea helicopter rescue operation. [81656]

  Mr. Jamieson
  A range of options for the future of the hanger at Portland are being considered by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) appropriate to operational requirements for now and in the future.

  Rescue Times
  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the risk to lives caused by the changes to a 60 minute limit on rescue times in medium to high risk areas. [81658]

  Mr. Jamieson
  The national criteria for UK Search and Rescue helicopters, which includes the response to incidents in medium to high risk areas was established by the UK Search and Rescue Operators Group under the aegis of the UK Search and Rescue Strategic Committee and implemented in April this year following the endorsement of Ministers. The operators group has experienced representatives from all UK Search and Rescue providers including the Department for Transport (DfT), Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), Ministry of Defence (MOD), Home Office, Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Police, Fire, Ambulance and Mountain Rescue, together with the Association of Lowland Search and Rescue, teams in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland. The group considered an operational analysis of the risk assessment which introduced the national criteria.

  Roadworks
  Mr. Laws
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he is taking to reduce the time taken by utility companies to complete roadworks; and if he will make a statement. [83147]

  Mr. Jamieson
  We are taking a range of measures to deal with this problem.

  Regulations under section 74 of the New Road and Street Works Act came into force in April 2001. These allow highway authorities to charge utilities up to £2000 a day for works which overrun an agreed deadline. Over 120 authorities in England are using these powers which should encourage utilities to carry out their works more quickly and reduce disruption. We have appointed consultants (Halcrow) to monitor the effectiveness of these powers.

  Further "lane rental" powers under the Act are also being tested in pilot schemes. These allow authorities to charge utility companies "lane rental" charges of up to £750 for each of their works, regardless of whether these overrun or not. These pilots are running in Middlesbrough and Camden and Halcrow are also monitoring their results in order to decide whether these powers should be applied throughout England.

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Planning
  Mr. Hunter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (1) what assessment she has made of the workings and implementation of the sections of PPG8 which relate to telecommunications operators consulting with the public; and if she will make a statement; [82676]

  (2) if she will take measures to ensure that the sections of PPG8 which relate to telecommunications operators consulting with the public are consistently implemented; and if she will make a statement. [82677]

  Mr. McNulty
  I have been asked to reply.

  In August 2001 the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister introduced improved planning arrangements for telecommunications development. These included improved requirements for consulting local people, backed by tougher guidance in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8. The mobile phone network operators also published last year their Ten Commitments to best siting practice for new development. A key objective is to improve dialogue and consultation with local communities in developing mobile phone networks.

  A Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development, produced jointly by representatives of central and local government and the mobile phone industry, was published on 11 November 2002. Copies of which can be found in the House Library. It builds on Government guidance and operators' commitments and provides clear and practical advice to ensure the delivery of significantly better and more effective communication and consultation between operators, local authorities and local people. Standardised practice will promote greater consistency of approach and aid the transparency of the process for all concerned.

  The Federation of the electronics industry has commissioned a review by Deloitte and Touche to thoroughly assess the implementation of the ten commitments including the commitment related to improved consultation with local communities. The review has not yet been completed, but we expect to see the results by the end of 2002.

  Abandoned Cars
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many abandoned cars each local authority in England and Wales stated in their submissions to the Municipal Waste Survey in each year since 1997. [82500]

  Alun Michael
  As indicated in the reply on 22 October 2002,Official Report, column 176W, to the hon. Member for Gordon (Malcolm Bruce), the question on abandoned vehicles was asked for the first time in the 2000–01 Municipal Waste Management Survey. Figures from the survey show that 288 local authorities in England and Wales, out of a total of 376, responded

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  to the number of abandoned vehicles question. The authorities and the numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed reported are listed as follows:

  Authority

  No. of vehicles

  Adur

  793

  Alnwick

  54

  Amber Valley

  147

  Arun

  590

  Ashford

  612

  Aylesbury Vale

  507

  Babergh

  391

  Barking and Dagenham

  2,761

  Barnet

  3,287

  Barnsley

  248

  Basildon

  1,529

  Basingstoke and Deane

  780

  Bassetlaw

  92

  Bath and NE Somerset

  796

  Bedford

  876

  Bexley

  1,356

  Birmingham

  5,466

  Blaby

  113

  Blaenau Gwent

  960

  Blyth Valley

  110

  Bolsover

  249

  Boston

  65

  Bournemouth

  878

  Bracknell Forest

  707

  Bradford

  2,600

  Braintree

  554

  Breckland

  238

  Brent

  3,471

  Brentwood

  400

  Bridgnorth

  37

  Brighton and Hove

  4,000

  Bromley

  3,895

  Bromsgrove

  119

  Broxbourne

  1,393

  Broxtowe

  171

  Caerphilly

  1,800

  Calderdale

  441

  Cambridge

  261

  Camden

  1,629

  Cannock Chase

  30

  Canterbury

  809

  Caradon

  108

  Carmarthenshire

  120

  Carrick

  174

  Castle Point

  450

  Ceredigion

  150

  Charnwood

  153

  Chelmsford

  800

  Chesterfield

  45

  Chester-le-Street

  18

  Chichester

  600

  Chiltern

  195

  Christchurch

  73

  City of Bristol

  2,590

  City of Kingston-upon-Hull

  717

  City of London

  0

  Colchester

  319

  Conwy

  250

  Corby

  504

  Cotswold

  67

  County of Herefordshire

  368

  Craven

  0

  Crawley

  1,145

  Croydon

  2,878

  Dacorum

  1,150

  Darlington

  98

  Dartford

  483

  Daventry

  388

  Derby

  579

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  Authority

  No. of vehicles

  Derbyshire Dales

  40

  Derwentside

  15

  Doncaster

  410

  Dover

  469

  Dudley

  234

  Durham City

  39

  Ealing

  3,754

  Easington

  14

  East Cambridgeshire

  330

  East Devon

  288

  East Dorset

  279

  East Hampshire

  209

  East Hertfordshire

  355

  East Lindsey

  226

  East Northamptonshire

  191

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  227

  East Staffordshire

  164

  Eastbourne

  631

  Eastleigh

  200

  Enfield

  4,711

  Epping Forest

  1,838

  Epsom and Ewell

  360

  Erewash

  270

  Fenland

  176

  Flintshire

  100

  Forest Heath

  145

  Forest of Dean

  186

  Gateshead

  149

  Gloucester

  700

  Gosport

  496

  Gravesham

  884

  Great Yarmouth

  255

  Greenwich

  3,120

  Guildford

  724

  Gwynedd

  619

  Hackney

  2,700

  Hambleton

  96

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  1,430

  Harborough

  550

  Haringey

  6,500

  Harlow

  1,240

  Harrogate

  143

  Harrow

  1,914

  Hart

  256

  Hartlepool

  55

  Hastings

  1,100

  Havant

  897

  Havering

  1,250

  Hertsmere

  534

  High Peak

  87

  Hillingdon

  2,286

  Hinckley and Bosworth

  353

  Horsham

  173

  Hounslow

  2,247

  Ipswich

  785

  Isles of Scilly

  0

  Islington

  2,619

  Kennet

  54

  Kensington and Chelsea

  195

  Kerrier

  232

  Kettering

  350

  King's Lynn and West Norfolk

  271

  Kingston upon Thames

  739

  Kirklees

  287

  Lambeth

  3,308

  Leeds

  877

  Leicester

  1,416

  Lewes

  470

  Lewisham

  5,000

  Lichfield

  271

  Lincoln

  136

  Luton

  2,403

  Maidstone

  1,015

  Mansfield

  650

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  Authority

  No. of vehicles

  Medway

  1,157

  Melton

  30

  Mendip

  250

  Merthyr Tydfil

  482

  Merton

  1,683

  Mid Bedfordshire

  584

  Mid Devon

  376

  Mid Suffolk

  145

  Mid Sussex

  347

  Mole Valley

  621

  Monmouthshire

  244

  New Forest

  474

  Newark and Sherwood

  289

  Newcastle-under-Lyme

  150

  Newham

  6,704

  Newport

  789

  North Cornwall

  266

  North Devon

  33

  North Dorset

  60

  North East Derbyshire

  70

  North East Lincolnshire

  267

  North Hertfordshire

  332

  North Kesteven

  101

  North Lincolnshire

  135

  North Norfolk

  66

  North Somerset

  570

  North Tyneside

  451

  North Warwickshire

  133

  North West Leicestershire

  267

  Northampton

  1,682

  Norwich

  351

  Nottingham

  586

  Nuneaton and Bedworth

  183

  Oadby and Wigston

  58

  Oswestry

  129

  Oxford

  1,455

  Pembrokeshire

  487

  Plymouth

  1,779

  Poole

  649

  Portsmouth

  826

  Powys

  606

  Purbeck

  89

  Reading

  1,090

  Redbridge

  1,562

  Reigate and Banstead

  718

  Restormel

  266

  Richmond upon Thames

  1,201

  Richmondshire

  9

  Rother

  336

  Rotherham

  150

  Runnymede

  609

  Rushcliffe

  181

  Rushmoor

  375

  Rutland

  100

  Ryedale

  45

  Salisbury

  354

  Sandwell

  6,639

  Scarborough

  543

  Sedgefield

  80

  Sedgemoor

  377

  Selby

  120

  Sevenoaks

  498

  Sheffield

  100

  Shepway

  733

  Shrewsbury and Atcham

  86

  Slough

  669

  Solihull

  275

  South Bedfordshire

  500

  South Cambridgeshire

  100

  South Derbyshire

  154

  South Gloucestershire

  987

  South Kesteven

  148

  South Norfolk

  116

  South Northamptonshire

  140

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  Authority

  No. of vehicles

  South Oxfordshire

  418

  South Shropshire

  7

  South Somerset

  356

  South Staffordshire

  48

  South Tyneside

  415

  Southampton

  1,132

  Southend-on-Sea

  1,132

  Southwark

  1,934

  Spelthorne

  596

  St. Albans

  486

  St. Edmundsbury

  760

  Stafford

  37

  Staffordshire Moorlands

  26

  Stevenage

  598

  Stockton-on-Tees

  39

  Stoke-on-Trent

  250

  Stratford-on-Avon

  43

  Stroud

  51

  Suffolk Coastal

  165

  Sunderland

  197

  Surrey Heath

  226

  Sutton

  1,651

  Swale

  738

  Swindon

  440

  Tamworth

  60

  Tandridge

  500

  Taunton Deane

  248

  Teesdale

  17

  Teignbridge

  741

  Telford and Wrekin

  1,332

  Tendring

  835

  Test Valley

  406

  Tewkesbury

  115

  Thanet

  950

  The Vale of Glamorgan

  264

  Three Rivers

  351

  Tonbridge and Malling

  557

  Torbay

  354

  Torfaen

  668

  Torridge

  111

  Tunbridge Wells

  688

  Tynedale

  29

  Uttlesford

  250

  Vale of White Horse

  464

  Walsall

  976

  Waltham Forest

  2,716

  Wandsworth

  2,571

  Warwick

  137

  Watford

  822

  Waveney

  115

  Waverley

  343

  Wealden

  483

  Wear Valley

  40

  Wellingborough

  290

  Welwyn Hatfield

  1,000

  West Berkshire

  697

  West Dorset

  232

  West Oxfordshire

  290

  West Somerset

  64

  West Wiltshire

  113

  Westminster

  496

  Weymouth and Portland

  85

  Winchester

  263

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  488

  Woking

  352

  Wolverhampton

  381

  Worcester

  316

  Worthing

  310

  Wrexham

  231

  Wychavon

  90

  Wycombe

  1,155

  275W
  A total of 238,000 abandoned vehicles were estimated for England and Wales in 2000–01, which includes an estimation for the non-responding authorities.

  Agricultural Employees
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps are being taken by her Department to measure the number of agricultural employees per hectare on(a) organic farms and (b) non-organic farms within the United Kingdom. [81902]

  Mr. Meacher
  Information is not currently available to enable such a comparison to be made. But additional information to be collected when the EC Farm Structure Survey is next run, in 2003, is expected to provide a basis for doing so.

  Animal Diseases (EU Finances)
  Mr. Weir
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her Answer of 19 November 2002,Official Report, column 40W, on animal diseases (EU Finances), what estimate she has made of the sums of money that would have been received in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland and (d) England, had the application been lodged in time. [83694]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 26 November 2002]: Applications totalled some £5.5 million and covered UK TSE surveillance and Northern Ireland TB and Brucella, although not all of this would have been approved. No money would have been received in Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland because receipts are held centrally. The Commission have now confirmed that it is not legally possible for payments to be made.

  Arable Crops
  Mr. Hurst
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will state the gross value of non-food use of arable crops for the production of energy in 2001. [80478]

  Mr. Meacher
  Information is not collected on the value of arable crops grown specifically for the production of energy. Figures are available which give an indication of the cultivated area of such crops. Oilseed rape, which can be used to produce biodiesel, is the only arable crop commonly grown for the production of energy. Most of the rape destined for biodiesel is grown on set-aside land and in 2001; there were approximately 38,000 hectares grown on set-aside. However, not all of this rape will have been used for biodiesel.

  BABFO
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with BABFO, the trade association for the liquid biofuels industry, on what research and development work is required to drive this new industry forward. [81963]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department has held a number of discussions with BABFO on research and development work. The views of industry, including BABFO, are 276W
  taken into account when research and development is commissioned and will be particularly helpful when the Department considers future research needs as part of the planned review of the bio-energy programme in early 2003.

  Bat Colonies (Rabies)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been carried out on the likelihood of rabies affecting bat colonies. [82751]

  Mr. Morley
  For the last 15 years Defra has undertaken a survey for the rabies virus in bats found dead or ill. About 200 bats a year have been examined and the rabies related virus, European Bat Lyssavirus, has been found in only two Daubenton's bats.

  In 2003, when bats have stopped hibernating, we intend to increase our surveillance and visit bat roosts and take blood samples from live bats for testing for European Bat Lyssavirus.

  Biomass
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if regional funds have been made available in Yorkshire following the insolvency of the ARBRE biomass power station. [81833]

  Mr. Meacher
  I understand that Yorkshire Forward, the regional development agency for Yorkshire and Humber, has been actively considering the future of the ARBRE biomass power station with the Renewable Energy Development and Deployment Team at the Department of Trade and Industry and the Energy and Transport Directorate of the European Commission. Yorkshire Forward is examining potential and appropriate funding opportunities while discussions with possible future operators continue.

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations her Department has received concerning research into biomass; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of the research funded to date. [81899]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Department receives regular representations on research through meetings, correspondence and applications from industry for LINK research funding. All the Department's agricultural research programmes are subject to formal evaluation on a four-year cycle. The bio-energy programme was last reviewed in 1999, and will be reviewed again in early 2003. At the 1999 review, the value for money of the five programme areas was assessed by external assessors. One programme area was assessed as excellent value for money, three were assessed as good, and one could not be assessed because of the early stage of work at the time. The programme is also subject to on-going evaluation by all Government funders under the Interdepartmental Group on Energy Crop Research, which is chaired by this Department.

  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the findings of research undertaken by the Government into biomass. [81900]
  277W
  Mr. Meacher
  The purpose of the Department's biomass research and development programme is to provide industry with the basic knowledge to achieve an increase in crop yields, with these higher yielding crops ideally being protected using host resistance and biological techniques rather than conventional pesticides. Research has established that miscanthus is the highest yielding biomass crop in the UK. An industry-supported commercial breeding programme has been set up for short rotation coppice willow. This includes the use of varieties to control fungal diseases and pests. Studies have identified and quantified the environmental impact of bio-energy cropping, including the potential for soil carbon sequestration and the effect on water resources.

  BSE
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the welfare of those sheep inoculated intracerebrally with cattle BSE brain homogenate; and what measures are in place to ensure minimal suffering by those animals. [83378]

  Mr. Morley
  The use of animals in scientific procedures is regulated by the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986, which is widely viewed as the most rigorous piece of legislation of its type in the world. It puts into effect, and in some ways exceeds, European Union Directive 86/609/EEC (regarding the protection of animals used for experimental and other scientific purposes) and offers a high level of protection to animals while recognising the need to use animals in medical research, the development of new medicines and scientific testing.

  Under the 1986 Act, both personal and project licences are required. These ensure that those doing the work are qualified and suitable; that alternatives to animals are used wherever possible; that the number of animals used is minimised; and that suffering or other harmful effects experienced by the animals have been weighed against the potential benefits (to humans or animals). In addition work can only be carried out at designated establishments which meet high standards and which have suitable veterinary and animal welfare personnel.

  The sheep inoculated intracerebrally with cattle BSE brain homogenate at the Institute for Animal Health were no exception to the above legislation. All animals were sedated during intracerebral injection of cattle brain material. Inoculated animals were maintained under exceptionally high standards of animal husbandry practice and their health and welfare conditions continually monitored by the highly trained staff at the Institute for Animal Health. Any animal showing definite signs of clinical disease was euthanased immediately, in order to minimise any suffering.

  Cetaceans
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent scientific advice on cetacean bycatch she has received; and if she will raise this advice at the forthcoming Council of Fisheries Ministers. [83371]
  278W
  Mr. Morley
  The Sea Mammal Research Unit (SMRU) is continuing to advise this Department on the levels of cetacean bycatch in the fisheries on which it observes, and on mitigation measures. SMRU will shortly be restarting trials in the south west bass fishery to establish whether suitably modified separator trawls can reduce the bycatch of small cetaceans. I have already drawn this work to the attention of Commissioner Fischler and the French Government. I will share the full results with them and other EU Ministers when the results are available.

  Cloned Animals
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much her Department and its predecessors have spent on research into the possible use of cloned animals in agriculture. [82858]

  Mr. Morley
  Research to the value of £2.22 million was funded by the Department at Roslin Institute between 1990 and 1999 to understand the causes of Large Offspring Syndrome, a welfare problem in cattle and sheep bred using in vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer. The technology that led to cloning by nuclear transfer resulted from these studies. Research aimed at improving the efficiency of livestock cloning has not been supported by the Department since 1999, although the studies on Large Offspring Syndrome have continued and have identified ways by which the problem can be avoided.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with whom she has had discussions, and from whom she has received representations, in respect of the possible use of cloned animals in agriculture. [82859]

  Mr. Morley
  While there have been no formal discussions and no direct representations received on the use of cloned livestock, the Government have sought advice on the welfare implications of cloning farm animals from the independent Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC). FAWC's 1998 report made a number of recommendations, and the Government's response to it can be found on Defra's website (http//defraweb/animalh/welfare/farmed/cloning-resp.htm). In addition, the Agriculture and Environment Biotechnology Commission (AEBC) published a report in September this year on how well current and likely future questions about animals and biotechnology, including cloning, could be answered by the current regulatory and advisory machinery. The Government are currently considering the recommendations in the AEBC report and will respond shortly.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to prevent the use in the UK of cloned animals for agricultural purposes; and if she will make a statement. [82860]

  Mr. Morley
  There is legislation in place to protect farm livestock from any welfare concerns arising from both natural and artificial breeding procedures. Consideration is also being given to whether the misuse of biotechnology in animal breeding should be included in the proposed Animal Welfare Bill.

  CO2
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the CO2 emissions from the aviation sector in each year since 1990; and what the projected figures are for each year to 2010. [80844]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 20 November 2002]: The UK greenhouse gas inventory and the corresponding projections distinguish between domestic aviation (flights within the UK, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man) and international aviation (emissions from fuel loaded within this area onto flights with destinations outside it). The table shows the most recent emissions inventory data on carbon dioxide emissions for these two categories from 1990 to 2000, expressed as thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide (ktCO2) per year.

  Year

  Domestic

  International

  Total

  1990

  2,160

  14,791

  16,951

  1991

  2,119

  14,570

  16,689

  1992

  2,222

  16,121

  18,343

  1993

  2,281

  17,241

  19,522

  1994

  2,325

  17,856

  20,181

  1995

  2,449

  19,012

  21,461

  1996

  2,552

  20,238

  22,790

  1997

  2,640

  21,552

  24,192

  1998

  2,765

  24,122

  26,887

  1999

  2,827

  26,424

  29,251

  2000

  2,867

  28,544

  31,411

  Projections on the same basis as the inventory data are available at five yearly intervals from the model of the UK energy economy maintained by the Department of Trade and Industry. This model suggests that, on central assumptions, carbon dioxide emissions from domestic aviation will be 3177 and 3483 kt CO2 per year in 2005 and 2010 respectively, and corresponding projections for international aviation emissions are 31533 and 37583 ktCO2 per year. The projected total emissions are 34710 and 41066 kT CO2 per year in 2005 and 2010 respectively.

  Complaints
  Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many complaints were received against her Department in(a) 2001–02 and (b) 2002–03; and what proportion were investigated and concluded in (i) under 14 days, (ii) 15 days to four weeks, (iii) 29 days to eight weeks, (iv) 57 days to 12 weeks and (v) 12 weeks or more. [83150]

  Alun Michael
  15 complaints about standards of service were made to the Department's Complaint Adjudicator during the 2001–02 financial year, and five have so far been made during 2002–03. There is no central statistical record of less formal complaints.

  Defra aims to investigate service standard complaints within 15 working days wherever possible. However, due to the complexity of some cases it was not feasible to investigate them fully within that time. In all such cases, a holding reply was sent explaining the reasons for the delay and when the complainant could expect a full response.
  280W
  The length of time taken to investigate and conclude the complaints was as follows:

  Year

  Under 14 days

  15 days to four weeks

  29 days to eight weeks

  57 days to 12 weeks

  12 weeks or more

  Total complaints

  2001–02

  0

  4

  5

  5

  1

  15

  2002–03

  0

  1

  4

  0

  0

  5

  Correspondence
  Mr. Arbuthnot
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for North East Hampshire of 10 May regarding Mr. Lloyd, a constituent. [83025]

  Alun Michael
  My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, replied on 25 November.

  Deer (Forestry Damage)
  Mr. Gray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies her Department has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the economic damage caused by the deer population to forestry. [80830]

  Mr. Morley
  The Forestry Commission has not recently commissioned any work on the economic implications of deer. It has however undertaken various related studies, such as an assessment of wildlife damage in forests and a review of damage by mammals in north temperate forests.

  Drinking Water
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the adequacy of(a) controls and (b) the enforcement regime relating to drinking water from private suppliers. [83380]

  Mr. Morley
  Drinking water quality standards of private water supplies and requirements for sampling and analysis of supplies are set out in the Private Water Supplies Regulations 1991. The 1998 Drinking Water Directive (98/83/EC) introduced some new and some revised standards for drinking water quality. My Department will be consulting next year on draft proposals to implement the new and revised standards for the purposes of private water supplies.

  Local authorities are responsible for monitoring at the frequencies set out in the Regulations and, where necessary, enforcement of regulatory standards. Local authorities have powers in primary legislation to serve formal notice, requiring specified remedial action where a private supply is unwholesome, or is insufficient for the domestic purposes of people living in a house. Where a private supply is, or may become, so polluted that it is prejudicial to health, an authority may also apply to the court for an order for steps be taken to prevent injury or danger to health.
  281W
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of domestic customers it is estimated rely on lead pipes for connections to company supplies of drinking water. [83381]

  Mr. Morley
  In England and Wales, there are an estimated 21 million properties. Information provided by water companies recently indicates an estimated total of some 7.5 million lead communication pipes connecting properties to water mains.

  Food (Local Production)
  Mr. Steinberg
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of UK food was locally produced in the last 12 months; and what the projection is for the next(a) five and (b) 10 years. [82898]

  Mr. Morley
  This information is not available. The local food sector is highly diverse and any attempt to assess its size and impact is very difficult. In addition, as the Policy Commission on the Future of Food and Farming has recognised, there is no commonly accepted definition of locally produced food.

  Future of Farming and Food Report
  Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timetable is for the implementation of the recommendations outlined in the Report on the Future of Farming and Food. [81156]

  Mr. Morley
  The Government have already made significant progress delivering action identified in the Policy Commission's Report. A new strategy for sustainable farming and food in England will be published shortly. This will include a formal response to each of the Policy Commission's recommendations.

  An Implementation Group of independent members, chaired by former Policy Commission chair Sir Don Curry, will oversee delivery of the new strategy.

  Illegal Imports
  Andrew George
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many illegal imports by type in passenger baggage and freight were identified at Heathrow(a) from 1 April 2001 to 16 September 2002 and (b) since 16 September. [82412]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 21 November 2002]: The seizures of illegal imports through Heathrow airport as notified to the Illegal Animal Products Seizures database are as follows:

  1 April 2001 to 15 September 2002

  16 September 2002 to 19 November 2002

  Number of seizures

  Weight (kgs)

  Number of seizures

  Weight (kgs)

  Commercial

  Meat

  19

  1,916

  1

  165

  Fish

  35

  1,496

  10

  657

  Dairy

  15

  2,459

  1

  11

  Multiple

  29

  3,333

  5

  714

  Personal

  Meat

  493

  2,762

  167

  821

  282W

  1 April 2001 to 15 September 2002

  16 September 2002 to 19 November 2002

  Number of seizures

  Weight (kgs)

  Number of seizures

  Weight (kgs)

  Fish

  170

  1,932

  84

  653

  Dairy

  51

  319

  60

  355

  Multiple

  226

  4,645

  114

  1,485

  Kerbside Recycling
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many local authorities which undertook kerbside recycling schemes have carried out a continuous scheme for longer than six months. [83298]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: We do not have information on how long schemes have been in operation. This information is not held centrally.

  Kyoto Agreement
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the extent to which emissions from the aviation sector are covered by the Kyoto agreement [83377]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Kyoto Protocol when it comes into effect will cover emissions from domestic aviation for all Parties who ratify the Protocol, although only Annex I Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (developed countries) have emission limitation or reduction targets. Emissions from international aviation are not included in the targets that Annex I countries who have ratified the Kyoto Protocol will have to meet. Article 2.2 of the Protocol requests Annex I Parties to limit or reduce emissions from international aviation, working through the International Civil Aviation Organisation.

  Liquid Biofuels
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of funds spent on researching fuel from farmland has been directed to liquid biofuels in the past five years. [81962]

  Mr. Meacher
  With the exception of a small number of projects evaluating the environmental and socio-economic impacts of using oilseed rape for biodiesel, Defra does not fund research and development work on liquid biofuels. Such research is largely covered by the programmes of the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for Transport. This Department does have programmes supporting the sustainable development of arable crops that are used for liquid biofuels, both biodiesel and bioethanol, and food. Over the past five years, such research amounted to £10 million for wheat and £4 million for oilseed rape out of total expenditure of £513 million for agricultural, food chain, agri-environmental and non-food research.

  Paper Dyes
  Dr. Murrison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with representatives of the paper industry on moderating the use of dyes in paper that render material unsuitable for recycling. [82718]

  Mr. Meacher
  I am planning to have such discussions in the near future.

  Pelagic Trawls
  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which pelagic trawl fisheries in the Celtic Sea/Biscay/Channel area UK fishing vessels are active in; how many UK vessels are involved in each; and how many of these fisheries are subject to observer monitoring. [83372]

  Mr. Morley
  There are normally less than 10 UK vessels active in the pelagic trawl fisheries in the south western approaches, which may pursue any of the individual fisheries. Observers have been on vessels engaged in the anchovy, bass, herring, mackerel, pilchard, smelt and sprat fisheries.

  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what discussions she has had within the Council of Fisheries Ministers on an observer programme to monitor cetacean bycatch on pelagic trawl vessels in the Celtic Sea/Biscay/Channel area; [83373]

  (2) what discussions she has had with her European counterparts about cetacean bycatch in pelagic trawl fisheries south and west of Britain; and if she will make a statement. [83376]

  Mr. Morley
  The European Commission intends to bring forward proposals to reduce cetacean bycatch as part of its proposals for reform of the Common Fisheries Policy. Detailed discussions within the Council on the nature of such a strategy will follow

  Waste recycling rates, glass, 1990–97

  Percentage of apparent consumption

  Year

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Canada

  —

  —

  17

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Mexico

  —

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  4

  USA

  20

  20

  22

  22

  23

  24

  —

  —

  Japan

  48

  52

  56

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Korea

  46

  45

  43

  44

  46

  57

  60

  68

  Australia

  —

  —

  36

  —

  —

  42

  —

  —

  N. Zealand

  —

  —

  —

  —

  36

  —

  —

  —

  Austria

  60

  60

  64

  68

  76

  —

  —

  88

  Belgium

  —

  55

  54

  55

  67

  67

  66

  75

  Czech R.

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Denmark

  —

  35

  48

  64

  67

  63

  66

  70

  Finland

  36

  31

  44

  46

  50

  50

  63

  62

  France

  —

  41

  44

  46

  48

  50

  50

  52

  Germany

  54

  61

  60

  65

  75

  75

  79

  79

  Greece

  15

  22

  20

  27

  29

  35

  29

  26

  Hungary

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Iceland

  70

  75

  75

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Ireland

  23

  23

  27

  29

  31

  39

  46

  38

  Italy

  —

  53

  53

  52

  54

  53

  53

  34

  Luxembourg

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Netherlands

  67

  70

  73

  76

  77

  80

  81

  82

  Norway

  —

  22

  44

  67

  72

  75

  75

  76

  Poland

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  284W
  publication of the Commission's proposals. I have written to Commissioner Fischler and to the French Minister pressing the need for action in this area and will continue to raise the issue with EU Ministers as opportunities arise to do so. We are already funding UK observer programmes in relation to cetacean bycatch on pelagic vessels.

  Mr. Sanders
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what funding her Department has allocated to trialling marine mammal excludes devices for pelagic trawls; and what alternative mitigation measures she is investigating; [83374]

  (2) what measures she is undertaking to curb cetacean bycatch in pelagic trawl fisheries south and west of Britain. [83375]

  Mr. Morley
  This Department has allocated approximately £140,000 for trials into the use of exclusion devices to reduce the bycatch of cetaceans in pelagic trawl fisheries. If these trials are not successful, we will look at other measures. I do not rule out any approach at this stage including arguing for restrictions on fishing, gear or seasonal closures.

  Recycling
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she has collated on recycling rates within the OECD for(a) glass, (b) plastic and (c) total waste stream in each year since 1990. [81591]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 20 November 2002]: The United Kingdom contributes statistics on waste arisings and recycling rates to the OECD every two years. These are published in "OECD Environmental Data". The most recent publication detailing these figures for OECD countries is 1999. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has contributed more recent figures but these have not yet been published. The relevant pages for glass are detailed in the table. Figures are not available for plastic or total waste recycled.
  285W

  Waste recycling rates, glass, 1990–97

  Percentage of apparent consumption

  Year

  1990

  1991

  1992

  1993

  1994

  1995

  1996

  1997

  Portugal

  27

  29

  31

  29

  32

  42

  42

  44

  Spain

  27

  27

  27

  29

  31

  32

  35

  37

  Sweden

  —

  44

  58

  59

  56

  61

  72

  76

  Switzerland

  65

  71

  72

  78

  84

  85

  89

  91

  Turkey

  31

  28

  25

  23

  22

  12

  13

  20

  UK

  21

  21

  25

  27

  27

  26

  26

  26

  Slovak R.

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  40

  Notes:

  Recycling is defined as reuse of material in a production process that diverts it from the waste stream, except for recycling within industrial plants and the reuse of material as fuel. The recyling rate is the ration of the quantity collected for recycling to the apparent consumption (domestic production + imports—exports).

  CAN Packaging glass only.

  MEX Recycling rates are based on amounts of waste generated and refer to municipal waste only.

  USA Data refer to the material diverted from the municipal waste stream; recycling rates are based on amounts of waste generated.

  JPN Returnable bottles are excluded; data refer to reuse of glass as cullet compared to national production of glass bottles.

  NZL Packaging glass only.

  FRA Amounts collected as a percentage of apparent consumption (FEVE)

  DEU 1990:Western Germany only; 1991 onwards: total Germany; recycling is based on total sales.

  NLD Glass collected in bottle banks as percentage of sale of products in disposable glass on domestic market.

  NOR Excludes considerable amounts of glass recovered before entering the waste stream (deposits/reuse of bottles).

  UKD Great Britain only; glass collected in bottle banks and from industrial sources (bottlers and packers) and flat glass.

  Source:

  "OECD Environmental Data, Compendium 1999", OECD 1999

  Refrigerator Disposal
  Paddy Tipping
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much financial support each local authority will receive during the current financial year to help with the disposal of refrigerators. [83045]

  Mr. Meacher
  [holding answer 26 November 2002]: My written statement of 14 November related to the special grant report (No. 109) laid in Parliament that day (Col 2WS). The draft report, which is subject to the agreement of the House, details the proposed allocation to the relevant receiving authorities of the £40 million allocated this year to assist with the disposal of refrigerators. We propose that the amount payable to an authority will be allocated according to the formula used for county services within the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services SSA block.

  Scrapie
  Mr. Roger Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures she is taking to ensure the selective breeding of scrapie-resistant sheep; and how much her Department has spent on research into scrapie in each of the last five years. [83149]

  Mr. Morley
  The national scrapie plan has been in operation since July 2001. The aim of the plan is to eradicate TSEs from sheep by breeding genetic resistance into the national flock. So far, over 260,000 sheep have been genotyped. In addition, 25,000 ewes have been genotyped in Wales through the Welsh ewe genotyping scheme.

  The table gives expenditure on research into sheep TSEs (covering both scrapie and BSE research). The figures include expenditure on the development of TSE diagnostic tests.
  286W

  Expenditure on development of TSE diagnostic tests

  (£)

  1997 to 1998

  3.7

  1998 to 1999

  5.1

  1999 to 2000

  6.9

  2000 to 2001

  8.4

  2001 to 2002

  10.4

  Sellafield (Radiological Leaks)
  Llew Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the radiological leaks from Sellafield; when they took place; and what and how much radioactive material was leaked to the environment. [83251]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Environment Agency conducts monitoring of the local surface waters around the Sellafield site and springs of groundwater found on the Sellafield beach. I understand that, to date, the Agency has identified two sources which result in detectable levels of radioactivity off the Sellafield site, albeit at very low levels.

  These involved seepage of tritium from on-site burial trenches from the 1950s to the present day, resulting in off-site radioactivity levels of 119—353 Becquerels/litre; and seepage of technetium-99 from the B241 waste storage tanks from around 1978 to the present day, resulting in off-site radioactivity levels of <0.2 Becquerels/litre.

  The radiological and environmental impact of the leakage of low levels of tritium and technetium-99 is assessed by the Environment Agency to be trivial.

  Sustainability Strategy
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the
  287W
  sustainability strategy is for her Department; and how it has changed since the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. [83443]

  Mr. Meacher
  The Defra sustainable development strategy, "Foundations For Our Future", was published in June 2002, it provides a framework for how Defra will develop policies and identifies a set of indicators which will be used to monitor Defra's progress. The strategy will be reviewed in June 2003 taking into account the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

  Travel Budget
  Mr. Chope
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total budget is of(a) her Department and (b) its agencies for official travelling in 2002–03. [83031]

  Alun Michael
  The total 2002–03 travel and subsistence budget for Defra and its executive agencies, is as follows:

  £ million

  Total for Defra

  16.193

  of which agencies

  3.662

  TSE Surveillance
  Mr. Michael Weir
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding has been allocated for TSE surveillance in 2003 in(a) Scotland, (b) Wales and (c) Northern Ireland. [83695]

  Mr. Morley
  For 2003/2004, estimated funding allocated for TSE surveillance and associated costs in GB amounts to around £44 million. The testing programme is administered by Defra, in close consultation with the devolved administrations and FSA, so costs are not broken down by country. The estimated allocation of funding for TSE surveillance and associated costs in Northern Ireland is £3.5 million.

  Water Supplies
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many domestic customers are reliant on water supplies from private water suppliers. [83379]

  Mr. Morley
  Local authorities in England and Wales are required to maintain public registers of private water supplies in their areas. On the basis of the information provided by local authorities, we estimate that about one per cent. of the population in England and Wales use water from private supplies.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Biological and Chemical Attacks
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which countries in the middle east have purchased from the UK in the last 12 months protective clothing to guard against biological and chemical attack. [82549]
  288W
  Nigel Griffiths
  I have been asked to reply.

  Such equipment may not be licensable, and since sales can fall through, even after a licence has been granted, the DTI does not hold records of such purchases.

  Grants
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the grants funded by his Department for which individual members of the public and organisations may apply; and if he will make a statement as to(a) the total of such funding in the last financial year, (b) the total number of awards and (c) their administrative costs. [82196]

  Mr. Rammell
  The FCO funds grants for Education, the Environment, Human Resources and other projects. The total funding in 2001/02 was £58 million.

  The administration of grant programmes is carried out by a number of different units within the department to which a range of staff make a contribution. It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of these costs centrally.

  Tibet
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Tibet. [82498]

  Mr. Rammell
  We continue to have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Tibet. We welcome, however, the releases this year of several Tibetan prisoners, including Ngawang Choepel, Chadrel Rinpoche, Jigme Zangpo and Ngawang Sangdrol. All of these were on the list of individual cases of concern that we have raised with the Chinese Government. We have also welcomed, along with EU partners, the recent visit of the Dalai Lama's representatives to China. We encourage both sides to continue to use dialogue to find a peaceful resolution to the Tibetan issue.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to encourage the European Union to achieve the early appointment of a special co-ordinator in Tibet. [82499]

  Mr. Rammell
  The EU discussed the appointment of a special representative for Tibetan issues in April. After careful consideration, and bearing in mind the US experience, the EU decided against such an appointment. The EU presidency informed the Dalai Lama's representative accordingly.

CABINET OFFICE

  Civil Contingencies
  Miss Anne McIntosh
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent review of civil contingencies procedures there has been. [82223]

  Mr. Alexander
  The Civil Contingencies Committee (CCC) has conducted a wide-ranging review of the United Kingdom's contingencies procedures and infrastructure. In conducting the review, the
  289W
  CCC worked systematically through Government Departments, the emergency services, local authorities and the devolved Administrations. The arrangements are revised and tested through exercises to encourage continual improvement of our response arrangements.

  Contingency plans for civil emergencies are reviewed by the departmental owners of those plans and exercises are carried out on a routine basis to test their effectiveness and identify areas for improvement. This process is co-ordinated by a Cabinet Committee (DOP(IT)(R), chaired by the Home Secretary, with support from officials in the Cabinet Office.

  The Civil Contingencies Secretariat (CCS) is currently co-ordinating a rewrite of the third edition of "Dealing with Disaster", which is the core guidance document on planning for, responding to, and recovering from a major disruptive incident. The Government have also sponsored a review of emergency planning. The recommendations are being incorporated into the programme of work leading towards a civil contingencies Bill.

  Firefighters' Pay
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what advice his Department has given to the Fire Service's employers on pay increases for firefighters in the past 12 months. [82689]

  Mr. Alexander
  None.

PRIME MINISTER

  Royal Prerogative (War Decisions)
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will bring forward proposals to make it a requirement for Parliament to be consulted prior to each exercise of the power under Royal Prerogative to take the country to war. [82853]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham, North (Mr Allen) on 21 October 2002,Official Report, column 78W.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Research Funding (Universities)
  Rev. Martin Smyth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to increase research funding for universities in Northern Ireland. [81605]

  Jane Kennedy
  The draft Budget approved by the Executive prior to suspension contained an increase in line with inflation for university research funding. The final Budget proposals will be published in December. Until then I am not in a position to comment on the matter.

  Crime Victims
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he has taken to help the victims of crime in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [81606]

  Mr. Browne
  The Government remain committed to improving access to justice for victims of crime in Northern Ireland. The recommendations of the Criminal Justice Review sets out specific recommendations which are currently being implemented.

  We have invested almost £2 million in Victim Support (Northern Ireland) and the establishment of court witness schemes in this financial year.

  Belfast Agreement
  Mr. Tom Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress the Government have made in implementing the Good Friday Agreement. [81607]

  John Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made on the implementation of the Good Friday Agreement. [81618]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Implementation for the agreement is well advanced. But progress now, including restoration of the institutions, can only happen if there is trust that all parties remain committed to fulfilling their obligations, including the commitment to exclusively democratic and peaceful means. If we can secure that we can complete implementation rapidly.

  Criminal Justice Review
  Brian White
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the implementation of the criminal justice review. [81608]

  Mr. Browne
  The Criminal Justice Review aims to create a more modern, effective, transparent and accountable criminal justice system for Northern Ireland. The Government intend to publish a revised Implementation Plan for the Review in early 2003. The revised plan will provide details of progress made against its 294 recommendations. Good progress is already being made in a number of areas, supported by the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002. The revised plan represents another significant step towards the full implementation of the Belfast Agreement.

  Devolved Institutions
  Tony Wright
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to ensure that only those people and parties committed to exclusively peaceful methods may participate in the devolved institutions when they resume. [81609]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I do not believe restoration of the institutions would be possible on any other basis.

  Mike Gapes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the prospects for restoration of devolved government. [81616]
  291W
  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I refer my hon. Friend to the response I gave earlier to my hon. Friend the Member for Barnsley, Central (Mr. Illsley).

  Decommissioning
  Sir Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list by quantity and type the illegally held weapons and explosives decommissioned under the Good Friday Agreement. [81610]

  Jane Kennedy
  There have been three acts of decommissioning carried out by paramilitary organisations.

  The Loyalist Volunteer Force decommissioned:2 Madsen 9 mm sub-machine guns; 1 Sten 9 mm Mark 2 sub-machine gun; 1 modified Lanchester 9 mm Mark 1 sub-machine gun; 1 Steyr 7 mm rifle [1904]; 1 homemade.22 caliber rifle; 1 sawn-off double-barrelled 12 gauge shotgun; 1 FN Browning 9 mm semi-automatic pistol; 1 FN 7.65 mm semi-automatic pistol; 31 12-gauge magnum 00 buckshot shotgun shells; 23.38 caliber semi wad-cutter cartridges; 45.556 caliber cartridges; 280 9 mm cartridges; 5 electrical detonators; 2 pipe bombs; 2 weapons stocks and 5 assorted magazines.

  The IRA have carried out two acts of decommissioning. On 23 October 2001 the Commission reported that they had witnessed an event which they regarded as significant in which the IRA had put a quantity of arms completely beyond use. The material in question included arms, ammunition and explosives. On 8 April 2002 the Commission again reported that the IRA had put a varied and substantial quantity of ammunition, arms and explosive material beyond use. When the task is completed an inventory of the arms will be provided to the British and Irish governments.

  Mr. Baron
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on timetables set for the completion of IRA decommissioning and disbandment. [81625]

  Jane Kennedy
  Following the suspension of the devolved institutions in Northern Ireland the IRA issued a statement suspending contact with the Independent International Commission for Decommissioning. During his visit to Northern Ireland on 17 October 2002, the Prime Minister stated categorically that Republicans have to make the commitment to exclusively peaceful means, real, total and permanent as should all paramilitary organisations.

  Secondary School Admissions
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the reform of the secondary school admissions process. [81611]

  Jane Kennedy
  The recommendations of an independent Post Primary Review Body, chaired by Mr. Gerry Burns, were published for consultation in October 2001. The consultation, which was extensive, inclusive and transparent, ended on 28 June 2002 and a report on the responses was published on 8 October 292W
  2002. The responses indicated a widespread demand for change and an emerging consensus, including among political parties, for the ending of the transfer tests.

  I am determined to take the review forward and to continue to work towards the abolition of the transfer tests as soon as practical. No decisions have been taken about academic selection or new post-primary arrangements. In the responses to consultation a range of suggestions were made for future post-primary arrangements, including options involving academic selection, and Department of Education officials will be discussing these issues with key education partners and representatives of parents in the coming weeks. My aim is to develop a modern and fair education system which addresses the weaknesses of our current arrangements and enables all children to fulfil their potential.

  Multi-party Talks
  Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress with the multi-party talks. [81612]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The two Governments and the political parties met last Thursday to discuss the key issues related to political advance, including how to implement the Belfast Agreement in full and how to address the difficulties caused by paramilitary activity. We plan a further meeting tomorrow.

  Ann McKechin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what meetings he has had with other political parties on restoring powers to the Northern Ireland Executive. [81614]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  In recent weeks I have held bilateral meetings with all the parties in the Northern Ireland Assembly. Last Thursday the two Governments met a number of the parties to discuss the way forward. We shall meet them again tomorrow.

  Peace Plan
  Dr. Palmer
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the progress of the peace plan. [81613]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave today to my hon. Friend the Member for Glasgow, Cathcart (Mr. Harris).

  Minimum Income Guarantee
  Kali Mountford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many pensioners receive the minimum income guarantee in Northern Ireland. [81615]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  77,720 pensioners in Northern Ireland are receiving minimum income guarantee.

  Organised Crime
  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in combating organised crime. [81617]

  Jane Kennedy
  The Organised Crime Task Force (OCTF) which I chair has a clear strategy in place to tackle organised criminal activity. This is laid out in the OCTF threat and strategy documents, which were published on 23 May 2002.
  293W
  Following on from the successes of the 2001–02 financial year when 57 criminal networks were subject to detailed law enforcement investigation and 43 had members arrested, the law enforcement agencies continue to score many notable successes against the organised criminals.

  For example, in May 2002, during a series of joint search and arrest operations, the Police and Inland Revenue successfully uncovered widespread misuse of tax certificates in the construction industry, estimated to cost the Exchequer in the region of £10 million. In this operation, four people were arrested.

  In October 2002 one man was arrested following the detection of two fuel laundering plants. In the same operation, 30,000 litres of fuel and equipment used in the laundering process were seized by Customs Officers, assisted by PSNI. There have been many such seizures.

  Also in October 2002 the police smashed a loyalist extortion racket in the construction industry. Three individuals, allegedly involved in obtaining money by the use of threats, were arrested in north Belfast.

  The Task Force recognises that public support for the work of the law enforcement agencies is an essential ingredient for overall success against organised criminals. In September this year an OCTF website was launched. This is an important development, which will open a "shop window" for the OCTF and permit two way communications between the Task Force and the public. In October I hosted an OCTF awareness evening for the business community in Armagh and I plan to host a second awareness evening early in the new year in Ballymena.

  Official Document Theft (Security Implications)
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the security implications of the theft of documents from police and Government offices. [81619]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Government take the break-in at Castlereagh and the alleged terrorist intelligence-gathering operation at Stormont very seriously.

  Sir John Chilcot has been asked to conduct a review of the national security implications of the break-in at Castlereagh. A progress report has been received from Sir John, but as you will understand, the nature of the material it contains means that it is not appropriate to make it public.

  A team from the Security Service is currently undertaking a review of security procedures in the Northern Ireland Office, and I look forward to reading their report. Progress on their recommendations may be made within weeks as improvements are identified, but the review cannot be concluded until after the related police investigations are concluded.

  Community Policing
  Ian Lucas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of the Police Service of Northern Ireland in community policing. [81620]
  294W
  Jane Kennedy
  It is the policy of the Police Service of Northern Ireland to promote community policing as a core function of all policing activity by gearing its service towards meeting locally identified priorities and needs. The Police Service has recently published a policy document, "Policing with the Community in Northern Ireland", which they are arranging to place on their website. I have placed a copy in the Library.

  The Government have made clear its intention, through the coming policing legislation, to clarify the centrality of community policing in the work of PSNI and the Board's role in monitoring this.

  Violence
  Sir Sydney Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the recent level of violence in Northern Ireland. [81621]

  Jane Kennedy
  The recent outbreak of renewed violence at the interface in East Belfast is disappointing and is to be condemned. There is evidence that this was clearly orchestrated with the intent of stirring up again sectarian tensions within the area. The sight of a gunman on the streets cannot be tolerated.

  It is time for republican and loyalist paramilitary groups to make a commitment to end all forms of violence.

  Aggregates Levy
  Mr. Tynan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research his Department has carried out in the last six months regarding the impact of the introduction of the aggregates levy in Northern Ireland. [81622]

  Mr. Pearson
  None. Responsibility for policy regarding the aggregates levy rests with HM Treasury/Customs and Excise.

  Security
  Mr. Goodman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the security situation. [81623]

  Jane Kennedy
  Dissident Republicans remain a threat to the peace process but for the most part their activities have been thwarted, intercepted or nullified by good policing operations. Sectarian violence continues to blight both communities in interface areas in Northern Ireland.

  Recent activities by paramilitary groups on ceasefire have given cause for concern and the Secretary of State will continue to make judgments as set out in legislation under the Sentences Act 1998, particularly section 3(9).

  However, ceasefires in themselves are not enough and we must now see a real and permanent end to the activities of all paramilitary organisations.

  Schools (Religious Division)
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proposals he has to end religious division in schools. [81624]
  295W
  Jane Kennedy
  The Government do not seek to impose any particular type of education. The policy in Northern Ireland is that children should be educated in accordance with the wishes of their parents providing this does not involve unreasonable public expenditure.

  All schools are open to all pupils regardless of religion. All schools should further understanding of the diversity of national, religious and ethnic identities, and the need for mutual respect and tolerance.

  Employment Equality
  Fiona Mactaggart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress towards equality in employment between women and men in Northern Ireland. [81626]

  Mr. Browne
  The Programme for Government contains a commitment to bring forward a cross-Departmental gender equality strategy during 2003. This will strengthen work being done under section 75 of the Northern Ireland Act 1998.

  September 1997

  September 2002

  Increase

  Count

  WTE1

  Count

  WTE

  Count

  WTE

  Qualified nurses2

  12,994

  11,085.22

  14,137

  11,933.85

  1,143

  848.63

  Unqualified nurses

  3,799

  3,253.37

  4,506

  3,902.51

  707

  649.14

  Bank nurses3

  1,356

  n/a

  3,048

  n/a

  1,692

  n/a

  Total

  18,149

  n/a

  21,691

  n/a

  3,542

  n/a

  1 Whole Time Equivalent

  2 Figures for qualified nurses include health visitors, district nurses, midwives, school nurses, community psychiatric nurses, student health visitors, student midwives and other qualified nurses.

  3 Bank nurses maintain service delivery by covering staffing shortfalls and fluctuating workloads. Due to the variable nature of their employment it is not possible to obtain accurate whole time equivalent data with which to measure their input to the service.

  Source:

  Human Resource Management System

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Agency Workers
  Mr. Brian Jenkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what recent discussions she has had with (a) employment agencies and (b) trade unions regarding the impact of the proposed Directive on Temporary Agency Work; [82948]

  (2) what research her Department has carried out on (a) the number of agency workers as a percentage of the population and (b) the impact of the proposed EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work in (i) the UK and (ii) other European countries. [82949]

  Alan Johnson
  The DTI commissioned a survey of employment agencies which was conducted by the Bostock Marketing Group (BMG) in 1999. This reported an estimate for the number of temporary agency workers in the UK.

  The DTI produced a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) in 2002 which estimate the impact of the proposed EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work. Copies of the RIA are in the Libraries of the House.
  296W
  The strategy, including baseline indicators, is being developed in consultation with the Equality Commission and voluntary and community sector groups.

  Parades Commission
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the Quigley Report into the Parades Commission. [81627]

  Jane Kennedy
  Sir George Quigley's Report into the Parades Commission was issued for consultation on 7 November 2002. The consultation period will last until the end of January next year and the Secretary of State is keen to get a broad cross-section of opinion.

  Nurses
  Sandra Osborne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many nurses were employed in Northern Ireland in 1997; and how many now are employed. [81628]

  Mr. Browne
  Figures for nurses employed in September 1997 and September 2002, along with the corresponding increase in numbers, are given in the following table:

  To estimate the number of temporary agency workers, the number reported in the BMG survey was adjusted to reflect the rate of growth in the sector as reported by the Labour Force Survey. We estimated the number of agency workers to be 700,000, around 2.5 per cent. of total employment.

  The DTI has not conducted any research as to the possible impact of the EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work in other EU countries.

  Arms Exports (India)
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what shipments of military aircraft components to India were granted export licences in(a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002; and what end-user agreements were reached with the Indian Government in relation to them. [81726]

  Nigel Griffiths
  The export of military aircraft components is controlled under entries ML2, ML5, ML10, ML11, ML16, ML17, ML21, ML22 and PL5017 in Part III of Schedule 1 of the Export of Goods (Control) Order 1994 as amended.
  297W
  It would entail disproportionate cost to carry out a search of all export licences issued in 2000, 2001 and 2002 with the above ratings, to establish which covered the proposed export of components for military aircraft, where the end users were in India.

  Details of all export licences issued are published by destination in the Government's annual reports on Strategic Export Controls. Copies of the 2000 and 2001 annual reports are available in the Libraries of the House.

  The granting of a licence does not necessarily translate into an actual export.

  In almost all cases an application for a standard individual export licence, for the proposed permanent export of items controlled for strategic reasons, must be accompanied by an end user undertaking which is consistent with the model format published on the Department of Trade and Industry's Export Control Organisation website. The website address is www.dti.gov.uk/export.control.

  Combined Heat and Power
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from combined heat and power in each year since 1990. [82792]

  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the following table.

  TWh

  1991

  11.0

  1993

  14.2

  1994

  12.2

  1995

  14.8

  1996

  16.1

  1997

  16.8

  1998

  18.7

  1999

  20.2

  2000

  26.8

  Declared net plant capacity

  MW

  Conventional steam stations Major power producers

  End year1

  Nuclear sources

  Renewable sources

  Combined cycle gas turbine stations

  Total conventional steam

  Coal fired

  Oil fired

  Mixed or dual fired

  Other generators

  Combined Heat and Power2

  1990

  10,373

  1,235

  76

  55,712

  34,583

  12,487

  5,434

  3,208

  —

  1991

  10,373

  1,573

  76

  54,644

  34,298

  11,895

  5,172

  3,279

  2,312

  1992

  10,373

  1,645

  331

  51,520

  32,686

  10,817

  4,806

  3,211

  —

  1993

  10,373

  1,743

  1,279

  47,897

  30,523

  8,556

  5,781

  3,037

  2,893

  1994

  11,274

  1,795

  5,613

  44,239

  29,132

  6,317

  5,694

  3,096

  3,141

  1995

  11,649

  1,831

  8,517

  41,710

  27,774

  5,145

  5,534

  3,257

  3,390

  1996

  12,916

  1,962

  12,660

  41,459

  25,796

  3,989

  8,445

  3,229

  3,301

  1997

  12,946

  2,040

  13,009

  40,635

  25,796

  4,069

  7,530

  3,240

  3,388

  1998

  12,956

  2,171

  15,640

  38,332

  25,324

  2,829

  6,928

  3,251

  3,680

  1999

  12,956

  2,273

  17,351

  38,744

  25,581

  2,829

  7,017

  3,317

  3,919

  2000

  12,486

  2,449

  21,138

  38,149

  24,835

  2,933

  6,872

  3,509

  4,763

  2001

  12,486

  2,519

  22,293

  38,144

  24,835

  2,933

  6,872

  3,504

  4,801

  1 Before 1997 figures relate to end March.

  2 Prior to 1993 CHP data were not collected annually.

  298W

  TWh

  2001

  22.2

  Note:

  Before 1993 CHP data were not collected annually.

  Source:

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Dounreay
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value is of the contracts awarded in decommissioning Dounreay Nuclear Reprocessing Plant during each of the past five years to companies with their registered office in(a) the Highlands and Islands region, (b) Scotland and (c) UK. [80142]

  Mr. Wilson
  I understand from UKAEA that this information is only available from 1998–99.

  Value of contracts awarded in decommissioning Dounreay

  £million

  Registered office of company

  1998–99

  2000–01

  2001–02

  Highlands and Islands

  32

  35

  36

  Scotland (including Highlands and Islands)

  37

  41

  44

  UK (including whole of Scotland)

  61

  77

  89

  Electricity Generation
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what the total installed capacity of(a) renewable energy generation, (b) generation from each fossil fuel type, and (c) combined heat and power generation in the UK has been in each year since 1990; [82794]

  (2) what the total installed capacity of nuclear generators in the UK was in each year since 1990. [82799]

  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the following table and covers declared net capacities.
  299W
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what proportion of electricity generated in the UK was generated from(a) combined heat and power, (b) each fossil fuel type, (c) renewable sources and (d) UK-based renewable sources in each year since 1990. [82797]

  Proportion (percentage) generated from

  Fossil Fuels

  Total electricity generated (TWh)

  Combined heat and power1

  Coal

  Oil

  Gas

  Other2

  Renewable sources

  1995

  337.3

  4.4

  46.4

  3.7

  19.1

  1.4

  2.2

  1996

  350.9

  4.6

  41.4

  4.3

  24.0

  1.2

  1.7

  1997

  350.7

  4.8

  34.1

  2.5

  31.6

  1.2

  2.1

  1998

  362.7

  5.2

  33.9

  2.0

  32.5

  1.2

  2.5

  1999

  368.2

  5.5

  28.8

  1.8

  38.8

  1.2

  2.8

  2000

  377.3

  7.1

  31.8

  1.7

  39.3

  1.2

  2.8

  2001

  385.8

  5.8

  34.1

  1.3

  37.0

  1.1

  2.6

  1 The fossil fuels and renewables percentages include the use of these fuels in CHP plants.

  2 Other sources include coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and waste products from chemical processes.

  Source:

  Department of Trade and Industry

  At the moment, all renewables used for UK generation are UK based renewable sources. Most of the electricity imported into the UK is from French nuclear sources but in 2001 1.7 TWh was certified as being from renewable sources.

  Energy Sector (Government Support)
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Government financial support was given to the nuclear industry in each year since 1990, broken down by(a) research grants, (b) transfer of debt from privatised utilities, (c) non-fossil fuel levy, (d) investment in BNFL facilities, (e) running costs of UKAEA and NIREX and (f) other sources. [82801]

  Mr. Wilson
  I refer the Honourable Gentlemen to the answer I gave on 14 November 2001,Official Report, column 757W.

  Figures for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority for the period FY 01/02 are as follows:

  £ million

  Year

  Grant and grant in aid

  Fusion

  Other nuclear

  2001–02

  253.2

  14.3

  0.2

  Female Workers
  Stephen Hesford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what she is doing to encourage regional development agencies to improve women's participation in the labour market. [83431]

  Alan Johnson
  RDAs are required to take an integrated and sustainable approach to the economic
  300W
  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the table. Prior to 1995, figures were not compiled on a "fuel used" basis but by type of station.

  development of their regions, tackling competitiveness and productivity issues and also the underlying problems, including inequalities.

  All RDAs have led the development of Frameworks for Regional Employment and Skills Action (FRESAs). These bring together key regional and local bodies to produce a shared analysis of the region's labour market, and an action plan for meeting the region's skills and employment needs and for giving individuals the opportunity and skills to find and progress in employment. The FRESAs enable regional partners together to identify and address key issues for the regional labour market and agree partners who will take responsibility for equal opportunity, including increasing female participation rates where necessary.

  We are also working with the RDAs and interested Government Departments to identify and develop a role for the RDAs in encouraging and co-ordinating provision of childcare in their regions.

  Fireworks
  Mr. Doug Henderson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new measures her Department proposes to introduce in respect of fireworks. [80895]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I would refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Preston on 17 October 2002,Official Report columns 889–90, announcing a package of measures to address problems caused by fireworks.

  Foreign Direct Investment
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken to increase foreign direct investment to the UK. [83662]
  301W
  Nigel Griffiths
  Invest-UK in London and overseas promotes the UK as the top inward investment location in Europe and works in partnership with all of the UK's Development Agencies to attract the maximum level of inward investment.

  In the first three weeks of November Invest-UK has spearheaded initiatives at several events to promote the UK overseas, including:

  UK(5)IT Bangalore—28 October to 1 November

  Israel Telecoms Exhibition 2002—4 to 7 November

  BioScandinavia in Copenhagen to promote the UK as the place for R&D—14 November

  UK@Comdex, Las Vegas—15 to 22 November.

  Investment conditions are challenging but Invest-UK helped with 123 successes in the first half of 2002, slightly more than in the first half of 2001. In order to boost our effort, we are taking on further staff and improving our client presentations and communication systems.

  Fossil Fuels
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from fossil fuel sources in the UK in each year since 1990, broken down by fossil fuel type. [82793]

  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the following table. Prior to 1995, figures were not compiled on a "fuel used" basis but by type of station.

  Electricity generated from fossil fuels

  TWh

  Coal

  Oil

  Gas

  Other1

  1995

  156.4

  12.6

  64.3

  4.6

  1996

  145.2

  15.0

  84.1

  4.3

  1997

  119.7

  8.7

  111.0

  4.2

  1998

  123.0

  7.4

  117.8

  4.2

  1999

  106.2

  6.5

  142.9

  4.3

  2000

  120.0

  6.5

  148.2

  4.4

  2001

  131.5

  5.2

  142.6

  4.1

  1 Other sources include coke oven gas, blast furnace gas and waste products from chemical processes

  Source:

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Hawk Aircraft
  Norman Lamb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, pursuant to her answer of 20 November 2002, Ref 81322,Official Report column 151W, whether an export licence was granted in respect of spare parts for Hawk aircraft for export to a country other than Zimbabwe, which have subsequently been exported to Zimbabwe. [83035]

  Nigel Griffiths
  Since the introduction of the UK arms embargo on 12 May 2000, no Standard Individual Export Licences or Open Individual Export Licences have been issued, which would authorise the export of spare parts for Hawk aircraft to Zimbabwe.

  The Government rigorously assess all export licence applications to determine the risk of the proposed export being misused, diverted or re-exported under undesirable conditions in contravention of the consolidated EU and national arms export licensing criteria.
  302W

  Industrial Disputes
  Mr. Borrow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many industrial disputes lasted for longer than eight weeks in the most recently available figures. [83538]

  Alan Johnson
  Detailed information is not collected on the duration of industrial disputes, only the number of days lost to strike action. However, from the data available it is estimated that in the period January to September 2002, 12 industrial disputes (around 1 in 10 of all disputes) lasted more than eight weeks (counted from the first day of industrial action onwards).

  Inward Investment
  Lynne Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates she has made of the level of inward investment into(a) Birmingham, (b) the West Midlands region and (c) the London region in the period 1998 to 2002. [82867]

  Alan Johnson
  The figures in the table are based on information provided by companies at the time of the announcement of the decision to invest in the UK. There is no requirement to notify Invest-UK of such decisions to invest, and so these figures include only those projects where Invest-UK and its regional partners were involved or which have come to their notice.

  Invest-UK does not hold inward investment data relating to sub-regional level. However, the number of inward investment projects successes recorded in London and the West Midlands regions during the financial years 1998–2002 are as follows:

  Region

  1998–99

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  West Midlands

  72

  99

  103

  98

  London

  105

  159

  227

  215

  Office of Fair Trading
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she last met the Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading. [83667]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  My right hon. Friend last met the Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading in November 2001 and the next meeting is arranged for December.

  In addition, I have regular meetings with the Director-General of the Office of Fair Trading, as do DTI officials.

  Nuclear Energy
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from nuclear generators in the UK, and what proportion of all electricity used in the UK was generated from(a) nuclear generation and (b) UK-based nuclear generation, in each year since 1990. [82800]
  303W
  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the following table and covers electricity supplied from nuclear sources.

  Percentage of UK electricity supplied from

  Electricity supplied from UK based nuclear generators

  UK based nuclear generators

  Imports1

  1990

  58.7

  19.0

  3.8

  1991

  62.8

  19.8

  5.2

  1992

  69.1

  21.9

  5.3

  1993

  81.0

  25.4

  5.2

  1994

  80.0

  24.7

  5.2

  1995

  80.6

  24.1

  4.9

  1996

  85.8

  24.6

  4.8

  1997

  89.3

  25.7

  4.8

  1998

  90.6

  25.5

  3.5

  1999

  87.7

  24.2

  4.0

  Electricity generated from renewable sources

  GWh

  Hydro

  Biofuels and wastes

  Wind and wave

  Solar photo-voltaics

  Small scale

  Large scale

  Landfill gas

  Sewage sludge digestion

  Municipal solid waste combustion

  Other biofuels

  Wastes

  Total biofuels and wastes

  Total

  1990

  9

  —

  127

  5,080

  139

  316

  140

  —

  83

  678

  5,894

  1991

  9

  —

  142

  4,482

  208

  328

  151

  1

  88

  776

  5,409

  1992

  33

  —

  149

  5,282

  377

  328

  177

  52

  104

  1,038

  6,502

  1993

  217

  —

  159

  4,143

  447

  378

  251

  122

  165

  1,363

  5,883

  1994

  344

  —

  159

  4,935

  517

  361

  449

  192

  352

  1,870

  7,307

  1995

  392

  —

  166

  4,672

  562

  410

  471

  199

  412

  2,053

  7,283

  1996

  488

  —

  118

  3,275

  708

  410

  490

  197

  417

  2,221

  6,101

  1997

  667

  —

  164

  4,005

  918

  408

  585

  199

  483

  2,593

  7,428

  1998

  877

  —

  206

  4,911

  1,185

  386

  849

  234

  583

  3,237

  9,231

  1999

  850

  1

  207

  5,128

  1,703

  410

  856

  460

  558

  3,987

  10,174

  2000

  947

  1

  214

  4,871

  2,188

  367

  862

  473

  532

  4,422

  10,454

  2001

  967

  2

  210

  3,845

  2,507

  363

  948

  770

  488

  5,076

  10,099

  Source:

  Department of Trade and Industry

  Temporary Workers
  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's policy is on the proposed six weeks qualifying period for temporary workers to have the same rights as permanent workers, as part of the proposed EU Directive on Temporary Agency Work. [82950]

  Alan Johnson
  The Department of Trade and Industry supports the principle of a qualifying period before temporary agency workers have the same rights as permanent staff but believe the period should be much longer than 6 weeks. We have proposed 12 months.

  Turkey
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the level of bilateral trade with Turkey was in 2001–02. [83697]

  Nigel Griffiths
  The information is in the following table.

  UK trade with Turkey: current prices, balance of payments basis

  £ million

  UK exports

  UK imports

  Total trade

  Trade in goods and services 2001

  1,519

  2,193

  3,712

  January to September 2002

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  304W

  Percentage of UK electricity supplied from

  Electricity supplied from UK based nuclear generators

  UK based nuclear generators

  Imports1

  2000

  78.3

  21.1

  3.8

  2001

  83.0

  22.1

  2.3

  1 It is assumed that all electricity imported from France is from nuclear sources, except in 2001 when 1.7 TWh was certified as being from renewable sources.

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. Stunell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much electricity was generated from renewable sources in the UK in each year since 1990. [82796]

  Mr. Wilson
  The available information is shown in the table.

  UK trade with Turkey: current prices, balance of payments basis

  £ million

  UK exports

  UK imports

  Total trade

  Trade in goods

  2001

  1,179

  1,692

  2,871

  January to September 2002

  938

  1,523

  2,461

  Trade in services

  2001

  340

  501

  841

  January to September 2002

  n/a

  n/a

  n/a

  Note:

  Figures for trade in services are only available on an annual basis.

  Source:

  Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics (MRETS), ONS United Kingdom Balance of Payments (The Pink Book), ONS

  Vehicle Recycling and Disposal
  Dr. Vincent Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of scrap cars were valorised in 2001; if she estimates that the Automotive Consortium on Recycling and Disposal is on schedule to valorise 95 per cent. of all scrap cars by 2015; and if she will make a statement. [83648]

  Mr. Wilson
  The ACORD industry group report for 2001 estimated that 80 per cent. of the weight of vehicles scrapped in the year 2000 was re-used or recovered. The End-of-Life Vehicles Directive (2000/53/EC) requires
  305W
  member states to re-use or recover 95 per cent. by the beginning of 2015. The Government is presently considering the design of a system which will achieve that target. Draft regulations will be published early in 2003. Their final form will depend upon member states agreeing a common method for calculating ELV recovery rates, yet to be proposed by the European Commission.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Drugs
  John Mann
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps his Department is taking to ensure the provision of a minimum standard of drugs education in secondary schools. [82934]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  We are determined to ensure that the quality of drug education provision in all schools is of high quality. Funding is made available through the standards fund (£15.5 million in 2002–03) to all local education authorities to facilitate this. It will help schools deliver drug education programmes tailor made to the needs of young people, train teachers, and fund school drug adviser posts to work directly with schools to address gaps in the quality of drug education and help ensure drug education and incident management polices are in line with DfES guidance.

  There are a number of other measures in place to drive up the quality of drug education including the drug, alcohol and tobacco education package to improve teaching and learning and classroom practice and QCA curriculum materials which provide exemplar teaching and learning activities for key stages 1–4.

  The latest Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) survey of drug education published in November 2002 indicated that at key stages 3 and 4 the quality of teaching about drugs is at least adequate in all but a few lessons and good or better in 40 per cent. of lessons. We will be working with Ofsted to strengthen current arrangements for inspecting drug education. This might include specific training for Ofsted inspectors.

  Stephen Hesford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of additional post-threshold pay progression for teachers will be met by additional central Government funding; and whether this extra money will recur in future financial years. [83430]

  Mr. Miliband
  Movement to point two of the upper pay scale for post-threshold teachers is by performance points awarded on a discretionary basis by school governors. The Department is contributing £90 million to fund progression on the upper pay scale for teachers. The percentage of awards that the £90 million will fully fund depends on the number of discretionary points that governing bodies decide to award.

  Schools are also able to use their general budgets to fund moving teachers to point two should they wish to do so. Schools have benefited from a £1.3 billion increase in education standard spending assessments this financial year.
  306W
  The exact mechanisms for future funding have yet to be finalised. However, we have already said that funding for post-threshold and leadership performance points next year will not be less than the £150 million already announced.

  Adult Learning
  Dr. Francis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress he has made towards the targets for adult learning announced in March 1999 as part of the national learning targets for 2002 [82889]

  Mr. Miliband
  On November 13 this year, we announced that the National learning target for adult participation had been met. The announcement was made on the occasion of the publication of the Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey (ALALFS)2001–02.

  In 1999, the government set a target of increasing adult participation in learning (as measured by the National Audit Learning Survey (NALS) from 74 per cent. in 1997 to 76 per cent. in 2002.

  The NALS 2002 survey found that 76.4 per cent. of adults had taken part in learning activities recognised by NALS over the last three years. Thus the target has been met; and it is confirmed by this year's Annual Local Area Labour Force Survey. The target applies to adults living in England aged 16–69 outside continuous full-time education.

  The following table summarises the findings from recent surveys of learning which used the NALS definition. The same questions were asked in the NAL did not accept proxy interviews and had a lower response rate.

  Survey name

  Date of fieldwork

  Learning participation Per cent

  NALS 2002

  January 2002-June 2002

  76.4

  ELLFS 2001

  March 2001-February 2002

  76.0

  NALS 2001

  January 2001-May 2001

  75.6

  ELLFS 2000

  March 2000-February 2001

  74.2

  NALS 1997

  March 1997-April 1997

  73.8

  Arson
  Paul Holmes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many incidents of arson there were in, and what the cost of the damage was to(i) state primary schools, (ii) state secondary schools, (iii) all state schools, (iv) further education colleges and (v) higher education institutions, in each county in each year since 1992. [83137]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Department does not collect these figures.

  Class Sizes
  Mr. Willis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which local education authorities have classes of more than 30 pupils for five, six or seven-year-olds. [81084]
  307W
  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 18 November 2002]: The information requested is shown in the following table.

  Local education authorities with classes of 30 or more pupils—January 2002

  Total all classes

  Of which: number of classes with more than 30 pupils1

  Barnsley

  278

  4

  Bedfordshire

  531

  7

  Birmingham

  1,341

  7

  Bolton

  354

  2

  Bracknell Forest

  124

  1

  Bradford

  627

  9

  Brent

  291

  1

  Buckinghamshire

  606

  7

  Bury

  245

  3

  Cambridgeshire

  660

  11

  Camden

  130

  1

  Cheshire

  863

  9

  Cornwall

  526

  5

  Coventry

  398

  1

  Croydon

  384

  1

  Darlington

  128

  1

  Derbyshire

  964

  14

  Doncaster

  405

  4

  Dorset

  462

  1

  Dudley

  389

  2

  East Riding of Yorkshire

  391

  5

  East Sussex

  521

  2

  Enfield

  344

  1

  Essex

  1,622

  25

  Gateshead

  234

  1

  Gloucestershire

  665

  1

  Greenwich

  272

  1

  Hackney

  209

  4

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  107

  1

  Hampshire

  1,543

  7

  Haringey

  266

  1

  Havering

  294

  2

  Herefordshire

  222

  2

  Hertfordshire

  1,285

  9

  Hillingdon

  329

  4

  Hounslow

  252

  1

  Islington

  189

  4

  Kensington and Chelsea

  85

  2

  Kent

  1,707

  4

  Kingston upon Thames

  151

  1

  Knowsley

  245

  1

  Lancashire

  1,456

  4

  Leeds

  889

  4

  Leicester

  386

  3

  Leicestershire

  811

  9

  Lewisham

  291

  2

  Liverpool

  595

  5

  Luton

  257

  2

  Manchester

  566

  1

  Milton Keynes

  283

  8

  Newcastle upon Tyne

  293

  1

  Norfolk

  979

  3

  North East Lincolnshire

  213

  6

  North Lincolnshire

  189

  1

  North Yorkshire

  768

  5

  Northamptonshire

  914

  3

  Northumberland

  367

  11

  Oldham

  319

  2

  Peterborough

  232

  3

  Reading

  134

  1

  Redbridge

  288

  2

  Redcar and Cleveland

  199

  1

  Richmond upon Thames

  177

  1

  Rotherham

  354

  2

  Salford

  294

  1

  308W

  Local education authorities with classes of 30 or more pupils—January 2002

  Total all classes

  Of which: number of classes with more than 30 pupils1

  Sandwell

  403

  1

  Sheffield

  605

  3

  Shropshire

  322

  1

  Solihull

  292

  1

  Somerset

  603

  2

  South Gloucestershire

  354

  1

  Southampton

  254

  1

  Southwark

  340

  2

  Staffordshire

  1,122

  8

  Stockport

  354

  1

  Stockton-on-Tees

  260

  2

  Stoke-on-Trent

  311

  2

  Surrey

  1,177

  4

  Sutton

  174

  1

  Swindon

  255

  4

  Telford and Wrekin

  217

  1

  Tower Hamlets

  231

  2

  Trafford

  269

  1

  Wakefield

  392

  7

  Wandsworth

  216

  1

  Warrington

  278

  3

  Warwickshire

  624

  6

  West Berkshire

  173

  2

  West Sussex

  881

  5

  Westminster

  103

  1

  Wiltshire

  551

  6

  Windsor and Maidenhead

  127

  1

  Wirral

  455

  2

  Wolverhampton

  321

  2

  Total

  43,557

  325

  1 About 70 per cent. of these classes included pupils that were admitted as "excepted" pupils under the Education (Infant Class Size) Regulations 1998. Exceptions include classes with pupils admitted outside the normal admission round, after an admission appeal or because of a statement of Special Educational Needs. Also, classes where pupils are temporarily present from a special unit and classes for other teaching sessions such as games, music or drama.

  Source:

  Annual Schools' Census

  Infant class size information for September 2002 was published on 20 November 2002 in the statistical first release entitled, "Infant Class Sizes in England: September 2002". This showed that nationally there were 307 classes of more than 30 pupils of which 288 were recorded as acceptable under the Education (Infant Class Sizes) Regulations 1998. These September figures are not directly comparable with those in January, because of seasonal effects such as pupils entering school in January. Corresponding local education authority level figures are not yet available but will be published in due course on the DfES statistical website www.dfes.gov.uk/statistics

  Education Review Body
  Mr. Watts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will set up a review body to look at under-achievement and deprivation, and the funding system for education. [82429]

  Mr. Miliband
  The Education Funding Strategy Group (EFSG) and its technical sub group was set up in February 2001, to oversee the production of proposals for a new LEA funding system, building on the proposals in the September 2000 Local Government
  309W
  Finance Green Paper. The group considered papers on underachievement and deprivation at a number of their meetings. Its report was published in May 2002, and copies have already been placed in the Library of the House.

  Education Spending
  Mrs. Dean
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the(a) average spending per pupil and (b) pupil teacher ratios are in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in (A) Staffordshire and (B) England in 2001–02. [80595]

  Mr. Miliband
  The following tables contain information from 2000–01, the latest year for which data are available:

  NIE per pupil: 2000–01

  £

  Primary

  Secondary

  Staffordshire

  2,060

  2,620

  England

  2,210

  2,830

  Pupil teacher ratios: 2000–01

  £

  Primary

  Secondary

  Staffordshire

  23.7

  17.6

  England

  22.9

  17.1

  We do not yet have information on spending in 2001–02.

  Mrs. Dean
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average spending per pupil is in(a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) each shire education authority area in England and (ii) England. [80596]

  Mr. Miliband
  The following table provides the latest available information:

  LEA

  Primary

  NIE per pupil Secondary

  Bedfordshire

  2,280

  2,590

  Buckinghamshire

  1,820

  2,480

  Cambridgeshire

  2,040

  2,650

  Cheshire

  1,920

  2,220

  Cornwall

  2,100

  2,590

  Cumbria

  2,240

  2,820

  Derbyshire

  2,010

  2,570

  Devon

  2,040

  2,650

  Dorset

  2,180

  2,690

  Durham

  2,300

  2,780

  East Sussex

  2,120

  2,760

  Essex

  2,270

  2,860

  Gloucestershire

  2,220

  2,560

  Hampshire

  2,150

  2,670

  Hertfordshire

  2,150

  2,790

  Kent

  2,250

  2,790

  Lancashire

  2,180

  2,800

  Leicestershire

  2,080

  2,710

  Lincolnshire

  2,010

  2,630

  Norfolk

  2,010

  2,580

  North Yorkshire

  2,110

  2,750

  Northamptonshire

  2,220

  2,800

  Northumberland

  2,180

  2,490

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  LEA

  Primary

  NIE per pupil Secondary

  Nottinghamshire

  2,200

  2,730

  Oxfordshire

  2,230

  2,750

  Shropshire

  1,990

  2,630

  Somerset

  2,160

  2,710

  Staffordshire

  2,060

  2,620

  Suffolk

  2,230

  2,630

  Surrey

  2,210

  2,710

  Warwickshire

  1,980

  2,620

  West Sussex

  2,210

  2,770

  Wiltshire

  1,940

  2,480

  Worcestershire

  2,090

  2,530

  England

  2,210

  2,830

  Notes:

  1. All figures are provided on a cash basis and rounded to the nearest £10.

  2. NIE is the net institutional expenditure, which is the money spent within schools. It does not include central LEA expenditure.

  Source:

  1. Financial data are drawn from local education authorities section 52 financial statements (outturn) relating to the 2000–01 financial year.

  2. Pupil data are derived from the Annual Schools Census adjusted to a financial year basis.

  Educational Attainment
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentages of 15-year-olds were low-achieving in(a) reading, (b) mathematical and (c) scientific literacy in England in the last year for which figures are available. [83198]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The nearest equivalent information, relating to the percentage of 14-year-olds at or below level 3 in the Key Stage 3 tests in 2002 is given in the table.

  Percentage at or below level 3 Key Stage 3, 2002

  Subject

  English

  10

  Mathematics

  11

  Science

  9

  Funding (Cheshire)
  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what was the level of central funding from his Department to(a) Cheshire county council, (b) Chester city council, (c) Vale Royal borough council and (d) Crewe and Nantwich borough council in each of the last five years; and what the average funding of county, city and borough councils in England was in those years. [81262]

  Mr. Miliband
  No departmental funding has been made to Chester city council, Vale Royal borough council, or Crewe and Nantwich borough council. The table shows the Department's total recurrent and capital funding for the financial years 1997–98 to 2001–02 to Cheshire Local Education Authority.

  £

  Recurrent funding1

  Capital funding2

  1997–98

  16,006,000

  8,373,000

  1998–99

  7,906,000

  9,784,000

  1999–2000

  7,878,000

  15,337,000

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  £

  Recurrent funding1

  Capital funding2

  2000–01

  25,115,000

  27,812,000

  2001–02

  35,664,000

  34,124,000

  1 Funding comprised of Standards Fund Grant (departmental contribution), School Standards Grant, School Budget Support Grant, Education Budget Support Grant, Teachers Pay Reform Grant, Nursery Education Grant, Childcare Grant, Education Action Zone Grant and Grant Maintained Transitional Funding Grant. Reductions in 1998–99 and 1999–2000 are due to local government reorganisation and the transfer of Nursery Education Grant for four year-olds to Education Standard Spending.

  2 Funding includes Basic Need (ACG), Standards Fund Grant (departmental contribution), Voluntary Aided School Grant, Schools Access Initiative and New Deal for Schools.

  Note:

  Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000.

  The Department provides support to each local authority in England which is a local education authority, including all county councils. The main determinant of each local education authority's level of funding is the number of pupils it educates.

  House Prices (Windsor, Maidenhead and Wokingham)
  Mrs. May
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact on house prices in(a) The Royal borough of Windsor and Maidenhead and (b) Wokingham district following the statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister on 18 July, Official Report column 438; and what changes he expects to make to teacher funding levels in the area. [81760]

  Mr. Miliband
  My right hon. Friend has made no assessment of the impact of the effect on house prices following the statement made by the Deputy Prime Minister on 18 July, and will not be making any changes to funding levels in the area as a result.

  Intervention
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what reviews have been undertaken of the effectiveness of different methods of intervention in failing local government authorities; and what proposals he has to undertake further reviews. [81956]

  Mr. Miliband
  Ofsted reinspection reports on 27 LEAs previously found to be failing have so far shown that 26 had improved, with 21 now satisfactory.

  The Audit Commission, in their report, "A force for change central government intervention in failing local government services", which examined interventions in education and social services, found that "effective interventions work by tackling the fundamental causes of service failure: poor political and managerial leadership and poor systems and culture". In addition, in an NOP survey of local councils that had been subject to intervention, 72 per cent. of respondents thought that their councils had made substantial progress, while 75 per cent. said they had found intervention "fairly" or "very" helpful.
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  The Department has commissioned independent consultants to evaluate new organisational models in local education authorities, including those resulting from intervention. The consultants will report on organisational robustness, performance, value for money and sustainability, as well as identifying the local circumstances under which it would be appropriate to adopt one model rather than another. They will also advise on a process whereby the different models can be further evaluated in two years' time. The consultants' report and guidance will be published by March 2003.

  Non-teaching Staff
  Mr. Redwood
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the ratio is of non-teaching staff employed by local education authorities, his Department and educational quangos to the numbers of teachers teaching in state schools. [81261]

  Mr. Miliband
  The requested information is not collated centrally.

  Pupil Exclusions
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the support available to children with mental health problems excluded from school. [82745]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  In November 2001 the Government published statutory guidance, "Access to education for children and young people with medical needs", which covers mental health as well as other medical needs. And in June 2001 the Department also published jointly with the Department of Health guidance on "Promoting Children's Mental Health within Early Years and School Settings". The guidance is designed to help teachers and others working alongside mental health professionals, to promote children's mental health and to intervene effectively with those children experiencing problems. Children and Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAHMS) are available to offer a range of professional support and help for individual children, their families and schools. They can provide early identification of problems, assessment, specialist advice, outreach work and treatment. We have implemented a robust policy to ensure that all pupils permanently excluded from schools receive a suitable full-time education. All pupils should continue to have access to as much education as their mental health condition allows so that they are able to maintain the momentum of their education and keep up with their studies.

  School Buildings
  John Mann
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of capital investment in school buildings in coalfield areas was in each year since 1997; and how this compares with the national average. [82252]

  Mr. Miliband
  We do not have this information. The Department currently allocates most capital funding for schools to local education authorities (LEAs), based on needs-related formulae, and it is for the authorities to assess and prioritise the capital needs of their school buildings in line with their local asset management
  313W
  plans. Individual LEAs will, therefore, hold information on how much capital investment has been allocated to schools within coalfield areas.

  The table shows the level of central Government support for capital investment in school buildings in England for each financial year from 1996–97 to 2003–04.

  £ billion

  Year

  Capital allocation

  1996–97

  0.7

  1997–98

  0.8

  1998–99

  1.1

  1999–2000

  1.4

  2000–01

  2.1

  2001–02

  2.2

  2002–03

  3.0

  2003–04

  3.8

  Total

  15.1

  School Places (Sittingbourne and Sheppey)
  Mr. Wyatt
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many pupils and students in Sittingbourne and Sheppey do not have places in schools; and if he will make a statement; [82111]

  (2) how many schools in Sittingbourne and Sheppey have refused access to children on grounds of the health and safety legislation since the beginning of the school year. [82112]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 21 November 2002]: The Department does not collect this information. LEAs have a statutory duty to ensure that sufficient school places are available for pupils of compulsory school age and it is for them to monitor local needs and plan provision accordingly. LEAs in general, or boards of governors in foundation schools, have a statutory duty under health and safety legislation to take all reasonably practicable steps to ensure the health and safety of pupils and staff.

  School Playing Fields
  Mr. Greenway
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many school playing fields have been(a) leased and (b) sold under the Private Finance Initiative, broken down by education authority; [82361]

  (2) how many applications (a) to sell and (b) to change the use of school playing fields have fallen under the General Consent Orders of Section 77 (5) of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998 in (i) 1999–2000, (ii) 2000–01 and (iii) 2001–02; who determines whether an application falls under the Orders, and what checks his Department carries out on such applications; [82362]

  (3) how many applications were made to dispose of school playing fields larger than 2,000 metres square in (a) 1999–2000, (b) 2000–01 and (c) 2001–02. [82363]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested has been placed in the Lbraries.

  School Standards Grant
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 November,Official Report, column 310, on school standards grant, what adjustments have been made to the amount of standards fund grant payable to each local education authority as a result of changes in the number of pupils in schools within each LEA area. [82719]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Schools Funding (Buckinghamshire)
  Mrs. Gillan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what(a) the formula grant and (b) the spending per head in (i) primary and (ii) secondary schools in Buckinghamshire is in the year 2002–03. [81180]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 19 November 2002]: Funding for Buckinghamshire in 2002–03 is shown in the following table. We will not know actual spending until the autumn of 2003.

  £

  SSA

  Grants

  Total

  Primary

  2,660

  460

  3,120

  Secondary

  3,410

  330

  3,740

  Notes:

  1. Figures reflect education SSA settlement figures (primary and secondary sub-blocks respectively), plus all revenue grants in DfES's Departmental expenditure limits relevant to primary and secondary pupils (excluding EMA and a handful of others where it is not possible to get figures on a comparable basis over time).

  2. The pupil numbers used to convert £ million figures £ to per pupil are the maintained pupils und settlement calculations.

  3. Status:2002–03 grants (and hence total) figures are provisional.

  4. Price Base: cash.

  5. Rounding:figures are rounded to the nearest £10. Totals may not sum due to rounding.

  Specialist Schools Programme
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the engineering colleges that have been created under the Specialist Schools Programme, stating in each case the date of establishment. [82150]

  Mr. Miliband
  Four schools have been designated engineering colleges, following the first competition for the new specialism, and became operational in September 2002. They are:

  Devonport High School, Plymouth

  Eckington School, Derbyshire

  St. Benedict's Catholic High School, Cumbria

  Woodchurch High School, Wirral

  Teachers' Pay
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision is made in his Departmental budget for funding the upper pay scale for teachers. [82957]
  315W
  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: We are currently funding 185,000 full time equivalent teachers for their threshold money, which this year is 2,148. The threshold is point 1 of the upper pay scale.

  We have also allocated an extra 90 million this financial year for the costs of promoting teachers to point two of the upper pay scale. Schools are also able to use their general budgets to fund moving teachers to point two should they wish to do so.

TREASURY

  Child Tax Credit
  Martin Linton
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the percentage of families in the Battersea constituency who will benefit from the child tax credit from April. [83798]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Nine out of 10 families with children will be eligible for the child tax credit, to be introduced in April 2003.

  Estimates of the number of families with children in the Battersea constituency that will benefit from the child tax credit are not available; however, an estimated 700,000 families with children in London are expected to benefit from the child tax credit.

  CR74
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the results of the CR74 record management exercise. [83206]

  Dawn Primarolo
  CR74 was an Inland Revenue exercise in support of its day-to-day record management process. It involved a systematic check, over a six-month period earlier this year, of national insurance numbers held on Inland Revenue records. Updated records have been kept separate and the Department has introduced better processes to help ensure that its records stay up to date.

  CR74 identified about 3.5 million records as no longer needed. The exercise also identified around 1.3 million records as requiring further checking, and the Inland Revenue will be working through them over the next few months.

  Landfill Tax Credit
  Norman Baker
  To ask Mr. Chancellor of the Exchequer how much has been spent on promoting the landfill tax credit scheme in each year since its inception. [82850]

  John Healey
  It is not possible to give a precise figure for each year, however from the introduction of the landfill tax credit scheme to the year 2000 Entrust, the scheme's regulator, spent £606,000 on information, communication and promotion. Under its Terms of Approval, Entrust no longer promotes the scheme. To date the scheme has received £588 million in contributions.

  National Insurance
  Mr. O'Hara
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much was expended from national insurance contributions on(a) contributory benefits and (b) the NHS in each year since 1991–92; and what the forecasted expenditure is for each of the next 10 years. [80825]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Available estimates and outturn of benefit expenditure, 1991–92 to 2005–06, are published on the DWP website "http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/Table1.xls

  The amount of the NHS allocation from national insurance contributions is published in the accounts of the national insurance fund each year, copies of which are held in the House of Commons Library.

  The Government Actuary's Department's estimates for the NHS allocation from NIC receipts for 2001–02 to 2005–06 are shown in the table:

  £million

  Great Britain

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  2004–05

  2005–06

  NHS allocation of NIC receipts

  7,240

  7,560

  15,570

  17,840

  18,780

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Adviser Discretion Fund
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what information is kept on the uses of money paid out from the Adviser Discretion Fund; and what checks are made to ensure that the money is spent on the things for which it is assigned. [81793]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  We have introduced the Adviser Discretion Fund to give personal advisers more flexibility in the help they can offer their New Deal clients.

  The fund has been a success. Over 61,000 of the people who have received an award have moved into work. On 18 November we announced that we will be extending access to the Adviser Discretion Fund to all incapacity benefit clients working with Jobcentre Plus advisers in areas piloting the changes recommended in the 'Pathways to Work' consultation document.

  We maintain records of: the number of awards; the monetary value of awards (case by case and in total); the type of goods and services being purchased; and the number of people who, having received an award, subsequently find work.

  Confirmation of the goods and services purchased and their cost is provided through either an invoice where the supplier is paid direct or a receipt (from the supplier) provided by the individual customer.

  Attendance Allowance
  Mr. Steve Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the basis on which his Department collects data on the number of pensioners who had attendance allowance
  317W
  withdrawn during a stay in hospital; and how many pensioners were affected by these rules in the past three years for which figures are available. [84124]

  Maria Eagle
  The Department collects data on people in receipt of attendance allowance (and other disability and carer benefits) by means of a quarterly statistical inquiry. This allows analysis-on a sample basis-of the numbers of recipients whose awards are suspended at the date of the inquiry because they have been in hospital more than 28 days. Because periods of suspension may be completed between two quarterly inquiries or span more than one inquiry, this information does not provide a basis for calculating cumulative figures for people who have had their AA or DLA suspended after spending 28 days in hospital.

  Numbers of attendance allowance cases at 31 May of each year in the period 2000 to 2002 and numbers of cases in which payments were recorded as suspended because the recipient was in hospital

  Attendance allowance

  Total cases

  Cases with payment suspended while recipient in hospital

  2000

  1,249,600

  13,300

  2001

  1,290,000

  14,400

  2002

  1,288,200

  15,500

  Notes:

  1. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

  2. Figures for suspensions refer only to cases where the reason is known.

  3. Information is collected at the end of February, May, August and November each year. Figures in the table vary from those given in the written answer on 11 July 2002, Official Report, column 1146W, which date back from November 2001.

  Source:

  Analytical Services Division Information Centre:5 per cent. data.

  Child Support Agency
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he expects to implement the new assessment procedures at the Child Support Agency for(a) existing and (b) new clients. [82571]

  Malcolm Wicks
  I refer the hon. Member to the letter sent to hon. Members on 19 September 2002 by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, a copy of which was placed in the Library. The new scheme will commence for existing clients when we are satisfied that it is working well. We expect this to be about a year later.

  Civil Service Pensioners
  Mr. Randall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in receipt of a civil service pension started their service prior to 1949. [82047]

  Mr. Alexander
  I have been asked to reply.

  This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. Arrangements for the extraction of information from the civil service pensioner payroll database and subsequent investigation of individual pensioner files by former employing Departments would be necessary to identify those with pre-1949 service, including those whose service was in an unestablished (ie temporary) capacity.
  318W

  Corporate Responsibility
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many HSE investigations into the deaths of(a) people at work and (b) members of the public have resulted in the prosecution of a company director or senior manager in each of the last five years. [82054]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  [holding answer 21 November 2002]: HSE's validated prosecution statistics do not identify cases against individual directors and senior managers following fatal incident investigations. HSE have already recognised the need to address this shortfall in their information systems. They set up a new system in April 2002 that will enable them to accurately capture and provide this information for future years.

  Employment Action Teams
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what criteria are used by each Employment Action Team to define the areas of special employment action. [83244]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  [holding answer 26 November 2002]: We launched the first phase of the Action Teams for Jobs initiative in 2000. The locations of the 40 teams were selected on the basis of their low levels of employment, high levels of unemployment, high proportions of people from ethnic minority backgrounds; or their being in existing Employment Zone or European Social Fund Objective One areas. These teams were able to choose where they worked within the area, subject to the approval of an inter-Departmental Project Steering Group.

  In 2001 the Action Team initiative was extended. Some new teams were introduced and some teams in large urban areas were divided to ensure a strong local presence was retained. The focus of the teams was sharpened to ensure they targeted only the most disadvantaged people in the most employment deprived wards. Wards covered by the new Action Teams and additional wards covered by existing teams were selected because their working age employment rate was 58.5 per cent., or below in April 2001 when selection took place. Within these wards, teams can work with people from specified disadvantaged groups.

  Jobcentre Plus
  Mr. Heald
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) which local authority areas have been selected to receive additional points in respect of the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target set by his Department; what criteria were applied when selecting the areas; whom he consulted in respect of the selection; and if he will make a statement; [82508]

  (2) what the criteria are by which additional points are scored in relation to the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target scheme; and if he will make a statement; [82511]

  (3) what criteria he applied when determining the Jobcentre Plus Job Entry Target points score to be given to each type of priority client; and what guidance has been given to Jobcentre Plus staff on the way in which such clients should be prioritised in relation to (a) other priority client groups and (b) other clients. [82513]
  319W
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The Jobcentre Plus job entry targets help focus the agency's efforts and resources on helping those people on whom we want to target more support to move from welfare into work. They include lone parents, disabled people and those living in the most disadvantaged areas of the country.

  The way in which job entry and additional point scores have been allocated sends clear signals about our priorities to all Jobcentre Plus managers and staff who have been informed about them in writing.

  The 60 local authority areas attracting additional job entry point scores are in the table. These local authorities were chosen because they either have the highest unemployment rates or the highest minority ethnic populations. We consulted other Government Departments, the National Employment Panel and key stakeholders in deciding on these criteria.

  Local Authorities with highest unemployment rates

  Local Authorities with highest minority ethnic population

  Blaenau Gwent

  Barnet

  Caerphilly

  Birmingham

  Dundee City

  Bradford

  Easington

  Brent

  East Ayrshire

  Camden

  Glasgow City

  Coventry

  Hackney

  Croydon

  Halton

  Ealing

  Hartlepool

  Enfield

  Islington

  Greenwich

  Kingston upon Hull

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  Knowsley

  Hariney

  Liverpool

  Harrow

  Manchester

  Hillingdon

  Merthyr Tydfil

  Hounslow

  Middlesbrough

  Kensington and Chelsea

  Neath Port Talbot

  Kirklees

  Newcastle-upon-Tyne

  Lambeth

  Newham

  Leeds

  North Lanarkshire

  Leicester City

  Nottingham

  Lewisham

  Pembrokeshire

  Luton

  Redcar and Cleveland

  Merton

  Rhondda, Cynon, Taff

  Redbridge

  Salford

  Sandwell

  South Tyneside

  Sheffield

  Southwark

  Waltham Forest

  Sunderland

  Wandsworth

  Tower Hamlets

  City of Westminster

  West Dunbartonshire

  Wolverhampton

  Ken Willis (European Judgment)
  Mr. Russell Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the implications of the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the case of Ken Willis-application No. 36042/97; and if he will make a statement. [83036]

  Malcolm Wicks
  In June 2002 the European Court of Human Rights found that the UK Government had violated the Convention in respect of Mr. Ken Willis by not paying him the Widowed Mother's Allowance and Widow's Payment that he would have been entitled to had he been a woman in the same circumstances. The Court ordered a payment equivalent to the benefit that 320W
  he would have received had he been a woman and an amount in respect of interest. The Government is not contesting that judgement.

  Litigation remains before the domestic and Strasbourg Courts. The Court of Appeal heard arguments in the domestic cases during week commencing 7 October and judgment was reserved. The European Court of Human Rights has postponed further hearings of applications by widowers until the completion of the domestic litigation.

  The Government never speculates about the outcomes of cases or the decisions that it may take.

  Literacy
  John Mann
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the literacy levels of long-term unemployed people in coalfield areas were in each year since 1997; and how this compared with the national average. [82253]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  Information on the literacy-levels among long-term unemployed people in coalfield areas is not available. It is estimated that around one third of unemployed people have literacy levels below Level 1 (the level expected of an 11 year old) in England1.

  We are committed to helping unemployed people improve their literacy and numeracy skills so they can find and stay in work. Jobcentre Plus has comprehensive arrangements in place to identify clients who need help with their basic skills, and refer them to high quality learning opportunities. Around 15,000 clients are screened for literacy and numeracy needs by Jobcentre Plus every week.

  We are currently introducing a number of measures to enhance our basic skills provision even further. For example, each Jobcentre Plus district now has a basic skills champion to drive forward work and support front line staff in this important area, and in October we introduced a more intensive and work-focused basic skills training programme. Between September 2001 and March 2002 we piloted different ways of encouraging people to take up literacy and numeracy help. One of these pilots was in my hon. Friend's constituency. Evaluation of the pilots will help us determine the future strategy for helping unemployed people improve their basic skills. The final evaluation report will be available next summer.

  1 Source

  "Skills for Life: the National Strategy for Improving Adult Literacy and Numeracy Skills" (March 2001).

  New Deal (Disabled People)
  Mr. Bercow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on the number of beneficiaries of the New Deal for Disabled People. [81675]

  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  Since the national extension of the New Deal for Disabled People programme began, it has helped over 6,000 people into jobs and almost 28,000 have registered with Job Brokers to actively pursue employment.

  Retirement Ages
  Mr. Willetts
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average age of retirement is for(a) his Department's employees and (b) people who work in each of the executive agencies within his Department. [81951]

  Mr. McCartney
  The average age of staff retiring from the Department and from each of the executive agencies within the Department is shown in the following table:

  Average age (years)

  DWP

  61.4

  Jobcentre Plus

  61.1

  The Pension Service

  61.2

  Child Support Agency

  61.9

  Appeals Service

  62.7

  Stakeholder Pensions
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what take-up there has been of stakeholder pensions. [82222]

  Mr. McCartney
  Figures from the Association of British Insurers (ABI) show that up to the end of September 2002, 1,151,371 stakeholder pensions had been sold. A detailed breakdown of sales will not be available until next year. Sales of over a million in their first 18 months on the market represents a very encouraging start.

  In addition, the ABI figures show that 335,717 employers had designated a scheme for their work force. This means more people have the chance to save for a decent income in retirement through the work place.

  Widow's Benefits
  Mr. Russell Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many UK citizens have cases before the European Court of Human Rights and the domestic courts challenging the UK Government for failing to pay men widow's benefits prior to the introduction of the new bereavement benefits in April 2001. [83037]

  Malcolm Wicks
  At present the European Court of Human Rights has notified the UK Government of 73 applications from widowers in Great Britain relating to challenges for failing to pay men widow's benefit before April 2001. Further consideration of these cases has been postponed by the Court pending the outcome of the domestic litigation. Any Northern Ireland cases are a matter for my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

  Before the Court of Appeal, whose judgment was reserved following a hearing in October, there are four cases.

DEFENCE

  A400M
  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice was(a) sought from and (b) given by the
  322W
  Cultural Property Unit of the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to his Department in connection with the proposed partnering agreement between the Government and Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. to salvage antiquities from a wreck believed to be that of the 17th century warship, Sussex. [82980]

  Dr. Moonie
  Advice was sought from the Department for National Heritage, now part of the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), from an early stage on the implications of the agreement with Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc, and DCMS has been represented on an inter departmental Project Board which has given consideration to all aspects of the project.

  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a UK Government archaeological observer will be on board vessels deployed by Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. to monitor their operation in relation to salvaging from the wreck believed to be that of the 17th century warship, Sussex. [82981]

  Dr. Moonie
  The licence agreement provides for officially appointed observers to be on board the vessel during the whole exploration and recovery process at sea

  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what provision has been made to terminate the contract with Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. if the salvage operation on the wreck believed to be that of the 17th century warship fails to meet established standards of archaeological research. [82982]

  Dr. Moonie
  The licence agreement requires that Odyssey Marine Exploration Inc produce a detailed project plan, covering all aspects of the project, which must be approved by the Government Departments involved before any excavation can take place. The project plan will be subject to scrutiny by an independent archaeological review group, to be chaired by English Heritage, to ensure that it complies with appropriate standards of archaeological research. If, following further discussion with the company, these standards cannot be guaranteed at the review stage, the Ministry of Defence has the option to terminate the agreement. The licence agreement also includes provision for termination in the event of any serious breach by Odyssey of any of its obligations that has not been remedied as soon as reasonably practicable upon receipt of written notification of such a breach.

  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library the contract between the Government and Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. for salvage operations on the wreck believed to be that of the 17th century warship Sussex. [82984]

  Dr. Moonie
  I am unable to place a copy of the Licence Agreement in the Library in accordance with Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to a Third Party's commercial confidences. I will, however, place in the Library of the House a copy of The Partnering Agreement Memorandum and a synopsis of the archaeological requirements of the agreement.

  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which body will be responsible for assessing artefacts recovered from the wreck believed to be that of the
  323W
  17th century warship Sussex to establish (a) their archaeological significance and (b) the most appropriate means of retention or disposal under the terms of the partnering agreement between Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. and the UK Government. [82985]

  Dr. Moonie
  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport and English Heritage will be consulted prior to any final decision on retention and disposal of items recovered from the wreck. We are committed to ensuring that every effort is made to consult public museums with relevant collecting interests.

  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department first entered into discussion with Marine Odyssey Exploration Inc. in relation to proposals to salvage antiquities from the historic wreck believed to be that of the 17th century warship Sussex. [82986]

  Dr. Moonie
  The company first expressed an interest in locating the wreck and salvaging its cargo in 1995. The company requested permission to search for the wreck in 1998, and was informed that the Ministry of Defence had no objection to this. The MOD's position throughout has been that no agreement of any sort could be considered unless and until the wreck had been located and identified. Detailed discussions began, following the location of the wreck, in September 2002.

  Anti-tank Missiles
  Mr. Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the combined explosive force is of 20 anti-tank missiles of the type lost in the Bristol channel recently. [83391]

  Dr. Moonie
  The total explosive force of 20 Swingfire warheads is equivalent to 64.2Kg of TNT.

  Mr Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the report on the lost anti-tank missiles in the Bristol channel will be put in the Library. [83393]

  Dr. Moonie
  The summary of the Board of Inquiry report will be placed in the Library of the House on 28 November.

  Armed Forces (Home Owning)
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces(a) own their own home and (b) cite a wish to own their own home as a reason for leaving the forces; and if he will make a statement. [82473]

  Dr. Moonie
  Continuous Attitude Surveys (CAS) are undertaken to ascertain the attitudes of personnel towards a range of service conditions and the results used to inform personnel policies, by identifying those aspects of service life which are causes of both satisfaction and dissatisfaction to personnel. The last Naval Service CAS was in September 2002. Surveys were sent to 2000 individuals and 957 (48 per cent.) responded. Respondents represented 2.5 per cent. of the trained strength (excluding FTRS personnel). The latest Army CAS was sent out in March/April 2002. The surveys were sent to 3,978 individuals and 1,897 responded in time for the analysis work. Respondents represented 1.9 per cent. of the trained strength (excluding FTRS and Gurkhas). The latest RAF report 324W
  was published in March 2002 and covered surveys sent out in May and August 2001. Surveys were sent out to 4,000 individuals and 2,400 responded.

  The numbers of those who responded to the CAS that own their own home or cite the wish to own their own home as a reason for leaving each service are as follows:

  Navy

  The RN has for many years encouraged homeownership through its policy of freedom of choice over mobility and stability. The Long Service Advance of Pay (LSAP) is an £8,500 low interest rate loan available to all RN/RM personnel over 23-years-old with more than 10 years to serve and is designed to assist in house purchase. This is very popular and the latest Service Continuous Attitude Survey (SCAS) records 82 per cent. married personnel as homeowners and 72.2 per cent. living in their own home. LSAP is available to non-married personnel and the number of single homeowners is increasing. Definitive figures on ownership are not available but there is a 66 per cent. take up of LSAP among those unmarried personnel eligible to LSAP.

  Army

  Based on responses to the Army's most recent Continuous Attitude Survey, 38 per cent. of Army personnel own their own home. When questioned about the degree to which an intention to stay or leave was affected by the prospects of buying or renting their own home, 30 per cent. stated that it would increase their intention to stay, 55 per cent. stated that it would have no effect and 15 per cent. stated that it would increase their intention to leave.

  RAF

  Based on responses to a question in the RAF Continuous General Attitude Survey (GCAS) around 47 per cent. of RAF personnel own their own home (66 per cent. of officers and 42 per cent. of other ranks).

  The questions in the GCAS do not make it possible to determine whether an individual's wish to own a home is a factor that encourages them to leave, or remain in the service. However, officers who make an active decision to leave the RAF (by applying for PVR or exercising their right to leave at an option point), and airmen leaving, whether at the end of an engagement, by giving notice, or through PVR, are invited to complete a leavers' survey in which they are asked the importance of various factors on their decision to leave.

  Analysis of recent surveys show that there is no single reason for individuals deciding to leave the RAF and compared to other issues, accommodation factors do not rate highly for either officers or airmen. Job satisfaction, career opportunities outside the service, family stability and promotion prospects are among the main concerns.

  Armed Services (Fatalities)
  Mr. Paul Stinchcombe
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many 16 to 18-year-olds in the armed services have died in service since 1982; how many died as a result of firearms accidents; and if he will specify the other causes of death. [83232]
  325W
  Dr. Moonie
  Since 1 January 1982 there have been 332 deaths among 16 to 18-year-olds serving in the armed forces. Of these, 50 deaths have been due to firearm discharge, 12 of which were due to accidents and 38 were due to other causes (including hostile action and suicides). Of the non-firearm discharge deaths, 156 were due to road traffic accidents, 48 were due to natural causes, and 78 were due to other injuries.

  Army Recruitment
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes that would make Army life more attractive to new recruits were most commonly cited by Army personnel, when last questioned. [82474]

  Dr. Moonie
  The Army has been conducting the Continuous Attitude Survey (CAS) for over 20 years. It is a valuable tool in understanding the current thinking of Army personnel and is used to help manage retention, exercise duty of care and report on progress with Army and wider departmental initiatives.

  The latest survey was undertaken in March/April 2002 and sent to a 4 per cent. random sample of the trained Army (excluding Gurkhas and Full Time Reserve Service personnel); 3,978 questionnaires were sent out.

  The following changes were most commonly cited by personnel as having the potential to make Army life more attractive to recruits:

  Higher pay/better pension

  Better standards of single accommodation/accommodation in general

  Date of sale

  Description of auction

  Lot numbers

  8 September 2000

  Books and maps

  69–73, 286–295

  9 October 2000

  Printed books, atlases and maps

  248–275

  4 September 2000

  Furniture, carpets and works of art

  163–164, 180–182

  2 October 2000

  Furniture, carpets and works of art

  194

  5 February 2001

  Furniture, carpets and works of art

  96, 98, 248–250

  14 May 2001

  Furniture, carpets and works of art, clocks and watches

  452–455

  25 June 2001

  Furniture, carpets and works of art

  100

  5 November 2001

  Furniture, carpets and works of art, clocks and watches

  476–484

  2 November 2000

  Arms and armour, aeronautical automobilia

  1246

  5 December 2000

  Blenheim sale

  577

  16 May 2001

  Good continental ceramics and glass

  96–98

  21 November 2001

  Good continental and ceramics and glass

  1 85–86

  17 December 2001

  Silver and plated wares

  37

  26 June 2001

  Clocks and watches

  266–270, 279–282

  14 July 2001

  Traditional rivercraft and maritime

  123

  15 August 2002

  The maritime sale

  2 l–52

  9 September 2002

  Musical instruments

  51–105

  1 Could not sell, when by private sale

  2 Ships' bells, etc

  Total number between 2000–02 = 17

  Defence Fire Service
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he will introduce to modernise the Defence Fire Service; if he will make a statement on their capabilities; how many DFS establishments there are in the UK; how many fire engines and specialist teams are available; and what proposals he has to increase these levels. [83228]
  326W

  More civilian recognised qualifications

  More adventure training

  Challenger Tanks
  Mr. Keith Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many spare Challenger tank engines are held in stock by(a) his Department and (b) the UK defence industry. [82912]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Ministry of Defence holds 105 Challenger 2 Main Battle Tank (CR2 MBT) engines in stock. We are not aware of any CR2 MBT engines held in stock by the United Kingdom defence industry.

  Defence Disposal Agency
  Mr. Allan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the archaeological, historic and cultural heritage assets being disposed of by the Defence Disposal Agency; and what the(a) means and (b) mode of disposal are in each case. [82983]

  Dr. Moonie
  Items of historical interest declared surplus to the Disposal Services Agency (DSA) include ships' bells, musical instruments with insignia and official gifts. These are sold by public auction through Bonhams Auctioneers & Valuers who have conducted 17 sales since 2000 and following is a table detailing the dates of these auctions and the type of items sold. These sales were promoted by Bonhams Auctioneers & Valuers and the DSA to ensure maximum awareness.

  In 1999, the DSA conducted the disposal of wood and copper, recovered from HMS Victory during refurbishment, by competitive tender.

  Mr. Ingram
  A major review of the Defence Fire Services, known as the Ministry of Defence Fire Study 2000, has been under way for the past two years. This study, tasked to make recommendations on the most effective fire service for the future has recently been completed and the final report is imminent. It is expected to identify a number of modernisation initiatives for the organization of the Defence Fire Services. In parallel to this study, the Airfield Support Services Project (ASSP), encompassing the Defence Fire
  327W
  Services, is seeking to achieve the most viable and cost-effective solution for the provision of airfield support, with options that include both public-private partnership and in-house solutions. The result of Fire Study 2000 efficiencies will be used to inform the Public Sector Comparator for the ASSP.

  The Defence Fire Services, including the civilian and military components, are fully capable of meeting their defence role and are equipped with the latest state of the art technology. There are 71 establishments in the United Kingdom with 169 fire engines and there are no plans at present to increase these numbers. There are no specialist teams within the Defence Fire Services, with all personnel being trained to the same standard.

  (FTE)

  Executive Agencies1

  Civil Servants2

  Non departmental public bodies3

  April 1997

  October 2002

  April 1997

  October 2002

  April 1998

  October 2002

  Scotland

  6,401

  5,296

  3,223

  3,148

  0

  0

  Not Scotland

  54,649

  43,436

  42,611

  35,038

  344

  387

  Total

  61,050

  48,732

  45,834

  38,186

  344

  387

  Percentage Scotland

  10.5

  10.9

  7.0

  8.2

  0.0

  0.0

  Notes:

  1 The Ministry of Defence does not centrally hold information on the number of jobs or posts within its organisation and the equivalent number of people is shown as the nearest comparator.

  2 Figures include foil time equivalent numbers for individuals working part time.

  3 Figures are individually rounded and may not sum precisely to the totals shown.

  Eurofighter Typhoon
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to be able to make a statement on the recent crash of a pre-production Eurofighter Typhoon in Spain. [83366]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 26 November 2002]We very much regret the accident involving a Typhoon Development (not pre-production) aircraft last week but are relieved that both aircrew survived. It is too early to speculate on the cause or implications of the accident.

  Fire Service Cover
  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what special training has been given to civilian firefighters to work with the armed services in the event of chemical, biological or radiological attack against the United Kingdom; and whether such skills are shared by service personnel substituting for civilian firefighters on strike. [82903]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Ministry of Defence has no responsibility for the training given to civilian firefighters.

  During periods of industrial action, armed forces personnel will provide emergency fire and rescue cover. This will include a capability to handle hazardous materials and decontamination. Other contingency plans are in place for responding to a chemical, biological or radiological attack.

  Departmental Jobs (Scotland)
  Annabelle Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many, and what percentage, of(a) civil service, (b) executive agencies and (c) non-departmental public body jobs under the remit of his Department are located in Scotland; and how many of each have been relocated to Scotland since May 1997. [83580]

  Dr. Moonie
  The information for the civil servants and the executive agencies is shown below as at October 2002 and April 1997 (closest data available to May 1997). The non-departmental public bodies data is shown as at October 2002 and April 1998 (closest data available to May 1997). Information on relocations is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what assessment he made after 11 September 2001 of the role of civilian firefighters in the event of terrorist attack against military targets in the United Kingdom; [82902]

  (2) what discussions there have been between his Department and firefighters' leaders on action to be taken by striking firefighters in the event of a terrorist attack against military installations in the United Kingdom; [82904]

  (3)what estimate he has made of the impact of industrial action by firefighters on their response times in the event of a terrorist attack against military targets in the United Kingdom. [82905]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: Civil firefighters clearly have a role to play in responding to terrorist attacks in the United Kingdom, whether the attack is against a civil or military target. The nature of their response and arrangements during industrial action is a matter for the FBU, local authorities and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, who have responsibility for fire services. The Ministry of Defence welcomes the protocol agreed between these parties relating to the response to a terrorist incident during periods of industrial action.

  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many military personnel manning Green Goddess applicances have been drawn from units usually employed on security duties at military bases in the United Kingdom; [82906]
  329W
  (2) what overall assessment he has made of the implications of industrial action by firefighters on the safety and security of military installations in the United Kingdom. [82907]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: Security at military establishments is provided by trained military personnel based there, the Ministry of Defence Guard Service, the MOD Police (MDP) or a combination of the three. Neither the MOD Guard Service nor the MDP personnel are involved in providing emergency fire and rescue cover (Operation FRESCO) during the firemen's strike. Military personnel engaged in providing security do so as part of their normal daily duties and tasking is done on a rotational basis. There are no military units dedicated to providing security at military establishments.

  Armed forces personnel engaged in Operation FRESCO have been drawn from many different units and from all three Services. This has been done to help minimise the effect of withdrawing forces from their normal duties and to ensure that military core business can continue, including the provision of security at military establishments. Security at those establishments has not been compromised.

  HMNLS Rotterdam
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what UK operations and training exercises HMNLS Rotterdam has participated in the past two years; and which British personnel were embarked on the ship. [82212]

  Mr. Ingram
  The United Kingdom/Netherlands Amphibious Group, formed 29 years ago, enjoys a unique, close and historic working relationship in NATO and the European Amphibious Initiative, and regularly shares assets and a unified command.

  In the past two years HNLMS ROTTERDAM has participated in the routine training deployments ARGONAUT 00 and ARGONAUT 02 which took place between mid-September to late-November 2000 and early-September to early- November 2002 respectively. HNLMS ROTTERDAM'S participation in the former was curtailed when she was called to undertake national tasking. For completeness, HNLMS ROTTERDAM has also participated in the following NATO exercises with UK involvement and/or where UK personnel have been embarked on the ship:
  a. NATO exercise DESTINED GLORY 01 during which 845 Squadron (five x Sea King Mk4 and some 70 squadron personnel) embarked during the period October to November 2001 to provide lift for the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps (RNLMC)
  b. NATO exercise DESTINED GLORY 02, the main focus of the ARGONAUT 02 deployment. During the exercise, and in his NATO role, Commander United Kingdom Netherlands Amphibious Group (COMUKNLPHIBGRU), a RN Commodore, together with 173 UK personnel (constituting 34 per cent. of the ship's company) and four Sea King Mk4 from 845 Squadron providing lift for the RNLMC, embarked in ROTTERDAM between September to November 2002

  Iraq
  Mr. Menzies Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions(a) coalition aircraft and (b) UK aircraft patrolling the southern no-fly zone in Iraq have (i) detected violations of the no-fly zones, (ii) detected a direct threat to a coalition aircraft and (iii) released ordnance in each month since March, stating for each month the tonnage released; and if he will make a statement. [83246]

  Mr. Ingram
  The information requested is currently available only up to and including 13 November.

  (i) No-fly zone (NFZ) violations are detected in several ways. I am withholding details of detection methods in accordance with Exemption 1 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information. The number of violations recorded, by month, in the southern No Fly Zone, is as follows:

  Month

  Number of violations recorded

  March

  0

  April

  1

  May

  0

  June

  1

  July

  1

  August

  0

  September

  3

  October

  2

  November

  0

  (ii) Coalition aircraft recorded threats on a total of 143 occasions, as follows:

  Month

  Coalition aircraft recorded threats

  March

  0

  April

  1

  May

  20

  June

  13

  July

  30

  August

  15

  September

  41

  October

  14

  November

  9

  Note:

  We do not hold separate threat figures for individual nations' aircraft.

  (iii) (a) Coalition aircraft in the southern NFZ responded in self defence against Iraqi Air Defence targets on 41 occasions in the period from 1 March to 13 November, and released 126.4 tons of ordnance.

  Month

  Responses conducted in self defence

  Tonnage of ordnance released

  March

  0

  0

  April

  1

  0.3

  May

  5

  7.3

  June

  3

  10.4

  July

  5

  9.5

  August

  8

  14.1

  September

  10

  54.6

  October

  6

  17.7

  November

  3

  12.5

  331W
  (iii) (b) Of these totals, UK aircraft responded on 17 occasions and released 46 tons of ordnance:

  Month

  Responses conducted in self defence

  Tonnage of ordnance released

  March

  0

  0

  April

  0

  0

  May

  2

  4.9

  June

  2

  2.2

  July

  1

  3.2

  August

  2

  3.2

  September

  6

  21.1

  October

  4

  11.4

  November

  0

  0

  Kenya
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the viability of contracting out the(a) locating and (b) clearing of unexploded ordnance at the Archers Post training ground in Kenya. [83357]

  Mr. Ingram
  While some Non-Government Organisations and firms have approached the Ministry of Defence with broad offers to assist with Explosive Ordnance Clearance operations currently carried out by the British Army in Kenya, it is considered that this task can be more competently and comprehensively conducted by specialist Royal Engineer Explosive Ordnance Disposal units. Moreover, given the testing climatic environment, there is considerable training value in such clearance operations being carried out by the units involved.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what clearance techniques for removing unexploded ordnance are met at Archers Post, Kenya; [83358]

  (2) what surveying techniques are used by the Army in locating unexploded ordnance to be cleared at Archers Post, Kenya. [83361]

  Mr. Ingram
  After firing of ordnance British Army units training at Archers Post commence a visual search of the surface of the training area with the object of recording and clearing any "blind" or unexploded munitions before leaving the area. The techniques employed observe and adhere to extant British Army practices and regulations for the disposal of munitions. These procedures are applicable on all sites where the British Army trains throughout the world.

  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) what discussions his Department has held with the Kenyan Government about the future clearance of unexploded ordnance on land in Kenya made for military training by British forces; [83360]

  (2) how long the clean up of unexploded munitions at Archers Post training site in Kenya took in the spring of (a) 2000, (b) 2001 and (c) 2002 operations. [83355]

  (3) if he will place in the Library a copy of the agreement between his Department and the Kenyan Government on the clearing of unexploded ordnance at Archers Post and other training grounds in Kenya. [83359]
  332W
  Mr. Ingram
  There is no formal agreement with the Kenyan Government specifically dealing with the clearance of unexploded ordnance from areas used by the British Army for training in Kenya. To assist the Kenyan authorities Exercise PINEAPPLE, an annual Explosive Ordnance Clearance exercise, is conducted at Archers Post and other Kenyan training areas. This is a voluntary initiative of the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence, undertaken in order to provide a safe training environment. The exercise is conducted in conjunction with Kenyan Army Engineers and its requirement is assessed annually. During each of the years 2000, 2001, and 2002 some four weeks were spent conducting disposals at Archers Post. We plan to repeat this in 2003.

  Manning Control Reviews
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence (1) how many members of(a) the Army, (b) the Royal Navy and (c) the Royal Air Force have been subject to a manning control review in each of the last 15 years; in which regiments of the armed forces the policy of manning control has been practised over the past 15 years; and what the (i) start and (ii) end dates of the policy were; [82128]

  (2) how many personnel who elected for premature voluntary release in each year since 1996 were issued with a manning control warning certificate beforehand. [82129]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force have distinctive manning policies that are designed to meet their different requirements. The hon. Member's question relates to the Army's practice for its non-commissioned personnel and can only be answered specifically for the Army. I shall, however, also outline the nearest equivalent Royal Navy and Royal Air Force procedures.

  Army

  I refer the hon Member to the answer given on 7 May 2002, (Official Report, column 41) which reported the Army figures for the last five years for those discharged following Manning Control review. The number of soldiers in the Army who have been discharged under Queen's Regulations paragraph 9.413 'Not required for a full army career in each of the last 15 calendar years and by regiment following a Manning Control Point review is summarised in Tables 1 and 2 respectively.

  Table 1:Army Manning Control Point discharges by year

  Year

  Number MCP

  1988

  492

  1989

  467

  1990

  140

  1991

  100

  1992

  331

  1993

  157

  1994

  14

  1995

  7

  1996

  202

  1997

  231

  1998

  175

  1999

  93

  2000

  66

  2001

  47

  2002

  3

  Total:

  2,525

  333W

  Table 2 Army Manning Control Point discharges by Corps and Regiments

  Regiment

  Total

  Queen's Own Hussars

  5

  Queen's Royal Irish Hussars

  5

  13th /l8th Hussars

  9

  Royal Tank Regiment

  16

  Royal Artillery

  234

  Royal Engineers

  300

  Royal Signals

  216

  Grenadier Guards

  27

  Coldstream Guards

  21

  Scots Guards

  8

  Welsh Guards

  9

  Royal Scots

  16

  Royal Highland Fusiliers

  40

  King's Own Scottish Borderers

  9

  Black Watch

  23

  Queen's Own Highlanders

  13

  The Highland Regiment

  17

  The Gordon Highlanders

  20

  Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

  27

  Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

  28

  The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

  26

  Royal Anglian

  18

  King's Own Royal Border Regiment

  23

  The King's Regiment

  22

  Prince of Wales Own

  31

  Green Howards

  35

  The Royal Irish Regiment

  50

  Royal Irish (Home Service Full Time)

  27

  Queen's Lancashire Regiment

  36

  Duke of Wellington's Regiment

  22

  Devon and Dorset Regiment

  26

  The Cheshire Regiment

  21

  Royal Welsh Fusiliers

  29

  Royal Regiment of Wales

  16

  Gloucestershire Regiment

  15

  The Royal Gloucestershire, Berkshire and Wiltshire Regiment

  15

  The Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters Regiment

  16

  The Royal Hampshire Regiment

  13

  The Staffordshire Regiment

  47

  The Light Infantry

  31

  The Royal Green Jackets

  21

  The Parachute Regiment

  12

  Army Air Corps

  24

  Royal Logistics Corps

  79

  Royal Corps of Transport

  169

  Royal Army Medical Corps

  43

  Royal Army Ordnance Corps

  78

  Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers

  352

  Royal Army Veterninary Corps

  7

  Royal Pioneer Corps

  11

  Intelligence Corps

  6

  Army Catering Corps

  82

  Corps of Army Music

  6

  Women's Royal Army Corps

  13

  Adjutant General's Corps (Staff and Personnel Corps)

  19

  Adjutant General's Corps (Provost)

  5

  Others

  36

  Total:

  2,525

  While it is not possible to pinpoint the start date, research of the regulations has shown that Army Manning Control policy has been extant since at least 1952. Although the policy remains in being, as the statistics show, manning control points are used infrequently in the current manning climate.

  The information requested concerning the number of Army personnel who elected for Premature Voluntary Release in each year since 1996 and who were issued with a manning control warning certificate beforehand is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
  334W
  Royal Navy

  Royal Naval Ratings and RM other ranks are normally engaged on a 22-year open engagement, which may be curtailed for reasons of inadequate performance or conduct, or reduced employability for medical reasons. RN Ratings and RM other ranks may apply to extend their service beyond 22 years and will be allowed to do so when there is a service requirement. The Royal Navy does not apply a "manning control review" to ratings but its manning levels and rates of premature voluntary release are continuously monitored, and recruiting, training and promotion targets are set accordingly.

  Royal Air Force

  Non-commissioned engagements in the Royal Air Force are normally offered for an initial period of nine years. Individuals may apply to extend their service to a total of 12 or 15 years and will be allowed to do so when there is a Service requirement. Any further service above this is linked to promotion, for example service to 22 years is possible on promotion to corporal.

  Medical Reservists
  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements are made by his Department to compensate the NHS for medical staff called up as reservists. [83405]

  Dr. Moonie
  Like all other employers, health trusts may apply for financial assistance to cover the additional costs they incur as a result of their employees being called out. Payments are made in accordance with the regulations set out in Statutory Instrument 1997/309.

  Naval Vessels (Refit and Repair)
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those Royal Navy vessels not in service as a result of(a) refits and (b) repairs, together with their anticipated dates to re-enter service. [83585]

  Mr. Ingram
  In the majority of cases, it is not possible to separate those Royal Navy vessels undergoing repair from those in refit, other than arbitrarily, as all refits and other programmed maintenance periods contain an element of repair work. However, listed in the table are those vessels that, because they are undergoing some form of refit, maintenance or repair, are currently not available for operational tasking. Vessels that can be categorised as solely undergoing repair have been indicated.

  RN vessel

  Anticipated return to service date

  HMS Brecon

  February 2003

  HMS Campbeltown

  March 2003

  HMS Cattistock1

  2 —

  HMS Chiddingfold

  May 2003

  HMS Exploit

  December 2002

  HMS Glasgow

  January/February 2003

  HMS Gloucester

  July 2003

  HMS Illustrious

  February 2005

  HMS Invincible

  May 2003

  HMS Middleton

  February 2003

  HMS Montrose

  February 2004

  HMS Monmouth

  May 2003

  HMS Penzance

  February 2003

  HMS Ocean1

  December 2002

  335W

  RN vessel

  Anticipated return to service date

  HMS Pursuer

  December 2002

  HMS St. Albans

  January 2003

  HMS Sceptre

  Second quarter 2003

  HMS Spartan

  First quarter 2003

  HMS Tracker

  December 2002

  HMS Trafalgar

  First quarter 2004

  HMS Trenchant

  Fourth quarter 2003

  HMS Triumph1

  Fourth quarter 2002

  HMS Vanguard

  Third quarter 2004

  1 Out of service for repair.

  2 Damage sustained on 23 November still being surveyed–too soon to say how long her repairs will take.

  In addition, HMS Nottingham is currently in transit to the United Kingdom on a Heavy Lift Ship following her grounding incident off the west coast of Australia in July this year. No decision has yet been made on her future.

  Operation Sandcastle
  Ann Clwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many statements were taken and in which countries in connection with Operation Sandcastle; and if he will place the report of 31 March 1992 in the Library. [81327]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 18 November 2002]: According to records held by the Ministry of Defence, 1,868 potential witnesses were traced and interviewed during the course of Operation Sandcastle by the Royal Military Police. During the course of their investigation they recorded 1,056 individual questionnaires and collected a further 725 statements (including those made by British citizens held as Prisoners of War by the Iraqis).

  Our records do not detail in which countries those interviews were conducted but I understand that most were conducted in the United Kingdom and Kuwait as well as other Gulf States.

  This report contains the confidential statements of individuals who witnessed or were subject to alleged acts of Iraqi brutality during the Gulf War, and the Ministry of Defence has a duty to protect the confidentiality of those who co-operated with the Royal Military Police. I am therefore withholding the report under Exemption 14 (Information given in confidence) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

  Outreach Programmes
  Mr. Hawkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what funding from his Department has been provided for Outreach programmes run by ACFA in the financial year 2001–02; what will be provided in financial years(a) 2002–03, (b) 2003–04 and (c) 2004–05; and if he will make a statement. [82959]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: Outreach is a Youth and Community project, administered by the Army Cadet Force Association. The project receives funding from three separate Government Departments: the Ministry of Defence, the Home Office and the Department for Education and Skills. Funding for the project has been confirmed between 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04. A final
  336W
  decision on the level of funding for 2004–05 has yet to be made. The funding currently allocated by these Departments is as follows:

  £000

  Financial year

  Ministry of Defence

  Home Office

  Department for Education and Skills

  2001–02

  60

  60

  20

  2002–03

  60

  60

  34

  2003–04

  60

  60

  34

  PFI Contracts
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the PFI contracts for(a) the Germany white fleet, (b) MHE vehicles and (c) the RAF white fleet; when the contracts were completed; and if he will make a statement. [82258]

  Mr. Ingram
  Spend and completion dates for the specified PFI contracts are as follows:

  Germany white fleet—total spend to date £87.8 million; the contract is due for completion in March 2004.

  MHE Vehicles—total spend was £16.4 minion; the contract was completed in August 2002.

  RAF white fleet—total spend to date £65 million; the contract has been

  extended to run until negotiations for its re-let are concluded.

  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on the PFI contracts for(a) the hazardous stores information system, (b) the Yeovilton family quarters, (c) DFTS, (d) electronic messaging service (Armymail), (e) the Hawk simulator, (f) Tidworth water and sewerage, (g) DHFS (Helicopter Flying School) and (h) TAFMIS (IT); whether the contracts are on schedule; and if he will make a statement. [82266]

  Mr. Ingram
  I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

  Self-inflicted Injuries
  Mr. Kevin McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) members and (b) employees of each of Her Majesty's armed forces are perceived to have died through self-inflicted injuries in (i) Great Britain, (ii) Northern Ireland, (iii) Germany and (iv) other overseas postings in each year since 1990. [80684]

  Dr. Moonie
  Between 1 January 1990 and 31 December 2001 there have been 326 coroner confirmed suicides and coroners' open verdicts recorded for serving members of the Regular Armed Forces. No information is centrally held on suicides among civilian employees of her Majesty's Armed Forces. The following table breaks these down by location and year, and includes 285 coroner confirmed suicides and 41 open verdicts. Suicide and open verdicts for 1995 and later are subject to change as outstanding coroners' verdicts are confirmed. This could lead to significant increases, particularly for 1999 and later.
  337W

  Suicides and open verdicts: Regular Armed Forces personnel by location:1 January 1990 to 31 December 20011

  Location

  Year of death

  Great Britain2

  Northern Ireland

  Germany (BAOR)

  Other

  Grand total

  1990

  32

  3

  8

  1

  44

  1991

  24

  2

  8

  5

  39

  1992

  17

  4

  9

  3

  33

  1993

  23

  2

  5

  2

  32

  1994

  19

  3

  6

  2

  30

  1995

  14

  8

  4

  3

  29

  1996

  18

  3

  2

  3

  26

  1997

  22

  1

  2

  0

  25

  1998

  12

  0

  4

  0

  16

  1999

  16

  0

  1

  0

  17

  2000

  22

  1

  1

  3

  27

  2001

  7

  0

  1

  0

  8

  Grand total

  226

  27

  51

  22

  326

  1 Figures for suicides and open verdicts are subject to revision as further coroner's verdicts are reported to DASA

  2 Great Britain included UK waters and North Atlantic

  Note:

  As at 15 November 2002

  Service Careers
  Mr. Keetch
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of armed forces personnel who sign on for 22 years reached the 22-year point of their service in each of the last 15 years. [82119]

  Dr. Moonie
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: It is not possible to identify the original population who signed on for 22 years and as a result figures cannot be provided as percentages. The number of United Kingdom regular other ranks personnel who have left the armed forces having served 22 years or more are as follows.

  Financial year

  Naval1

  Service Army2

  RAF3

  1986–87

  -

  2,266

  524

  1987–88

  -

  2,316

  523

  1988–89

  -

  2,259

  518

  1989–90

  -

  1,950

  538

  1990–91

  -

  1,852

  543

  1991–92

  -

  2,134

  658

  1992–93

  -

  2,695

  698

  1993–94

  -

  2,997

  628

  1994–95

  -

  2,459

  412

  Submarine

  Class

  Commissioned date (a)

  Decommissioned date (b)

  Sold for continued operational service (c)

  Scrapped (d)

  Cachalot

  SSK

  —

  1980

  —

  1980

  Finwhale

  SSK

  —

  1988

  —

  1988

  Grampus

  SSK

  —

  1980

  —

  1980

  Narwhal

  SSK

  —

  1983

  —

  11983

  Porpoise

  SSK

  —

  1982

  —

  11985

  Sealion

  SSK

  —

  1987

  —

  1990

  Walrus

  SSK

  —

  1986

  —

  1987

  Oberon

  SSK

  —

  1986

  —

  1991

  Olympus

  SSK

  —

  1989

  21989

  —

  Orpheus

  SSK

  —

  1991

  —

  11991

  Odin

  SSK

  —

  1991

  —

  1991

  Onslaught

  SSK SSK

  —

  1991

  —

  1991

  Onyx

  SSK SSK

  —

  1991

  —

  1992

  Otter

  SSK

  —

  1992

  —

  31992

  Oracle

  SSK

  —

  1992

  —

  41992

  Osiris

  SSK

  —

  1992

  21992

  —

  338W

  Financial year

  Naval1

  Service Army2

  RAF3

  1995–96

  —

  1,935

  349

  1996–97

  73

  1,486

  373

  1997–98

  38

  1,440

  310

  1998–99

  31

  1,490

  323

  1999–2000

  45

  1,690

  346

  2000–01

  44

  1,727

  367

  2000–02

  50

  1,782

  457

  Notes:

  1. The naval service data shown include all exit reasons after the 22-year point and include five personnel who signed on for more than 22 years originally. Only six years of back data are available. These figures include RM and QARNNS.

  2. For the army the personnel involved will have joined between 1965 and 1980. During this period all soldiers signed on for a 22-year engagement. There have been some amendments to the 22-year engagement which are explained as follows:

  (a) From 1952 to 1957. The 22-year engagement was introduced on 1 May 1952. All soldiers enlisting on this engagement had the right to opt out at the end of three years' service or any subsequent period of three years. The right to premature release on repayment, which had been introduced in 1948, was continued.

  (b) From 1957. With effect from 1 October 1957, the three-year option was abolished apart for entrants into certain services and the foot guards.

  (c) From 1969. From 1 April 1969,the three-year option was reintroduced, except for certain skilled employments.

  Soldiers who signed up for 22 years but were commissioned before the end of the engagement period and have subsequently served additional years have not been included in these totals. The 22-year period has no special significance once a soldier has gained a 'Late Entry' commission.

  3. For RAF airmen the 22-year exit point is the first exit point at which they receive an immediate pension on exit. There are three further option points to which personnel can continue to serve-Age 47, Length of Service 30 and Age 55. Eligibility for further service to these points will be dependent on achieving certain ranks.

  Submarines
  Mr. Gordon Prentice
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when and which submarines were(a) commissioned, (b) decommissioned, (c) sold for continuing operational use and (d) scrapped since 1980. [82550]

  Dr. Moonie
  The submarines that have been commissioned, decommissioned, sold for continuing use and scrapped since 1980 are:
  339W

  Submarine

  Class

  Commissioned date (a)

  Decommissioned date (b)

  Sold for continued operational service (c)

  Scrapped (d)

  Otus

  SSK

  —

  1992

  —

  1992

  Ocelot

  SSK

  —

  1992

  —

  31992

  Opportune

  SSK

  —

  1992

  —

  1992

  Dreadnought

  SSN

  —

  51983

  —

  —

  Valiant

  SSN

  —

  51994

  —

  —

  Warspite

  SSN

  —

  51990

  —

  —

  Resolution

  SSBN

  —

  51994

  —

  —

  Repulse

  SSBN

  —

  51996

  —

  —

  Renown

  SSBN

  —

  51996

  —

  —

  Revenge

  SSBN

  —

  51992

  —

  —

  Churchill

  SSN

  —

  51990

  —

  —

  Conqueror

  SSN

  —

  51991

  —

  —

  Courageous

  SSN

  —

  61992

  —

  —

  Swiftsure

  SSN

  —

  51991

  —

  —

  Splendid

  SSN

  1981

  —

  —

  —

  Trafalgar

  SSN

  1983

  —

  —

  —

  Turbulent

  SSN

  1984

  —

  —

  —

  Tireless

  SSN

  1985

  —

  —

  —

  Torbay

  SSN

  1987

  —

  —

  —

  Trenchant

  SSN

  1989

  —

  —

  —

  Talent

  SSN

  1990

  —

  —

  —

  Upholder

  SSK

  1990

  1994

  7—

  —

  Unseen

  SSK

  1991

  1994

  2000

  —

  Unicorn

  SSK

  1993

  1994

  2001

  —

  Ursula

  SSK

  1992

  1994

  8—

  —

  Triumph

  SSN

  1991

  —

  —

  —

  Vanguard

  SSBN

  1993

  —

  —

  —

  Victorious

  SSBN

  1995

  —

  —

  —

  Vigilant

  SSBN

  1996

  —

  —

  —

  Vengeance

  SSBN

  1999

  —

  —

  —

  1 Used for target practice by MOD.

  2 Sold to Canada.

  3 Preserved in a museum.

  4 Sold for use as spares for overseas submarines.

  5 Stored afloat.

  6 Exhibit in HMNB Devonport museum.

  7 Reactivation work being carried out pending handover to Canada.

  8 Undergoing sea trials pending handover to Canada.

  Note:

  The four Swiftsure Class Submarines, HMS Sovereign, HMS Syperb, HMS Sceptre and HMS Spartan are not shown since all were commissioned prior to 1980, and are still in service with the Royal Navy.

  Timber
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what species of timber have been or are being procured for the accommodation and offices of the Colchester Garrison; who the suppliers of that timber were; and whether all the timber used or planned to be used meets the Government's requirement to procure timber from legal and sustainable sources. [82856]

  Mr. Ingram
  It is too early in the design development process to be specific about the materials to be used in the construction.

  However, the Ministry of Defence places a contractual obligation on its suppliers to comply with the Government's policy on the supply or consumption of timber and products containing wood.

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list all suppliers of timber-based board products and furniture to his Department in the last 12 months; and the total value of those items procured. [82857]
  340W
  Mr. Ingram
  Information on timber procurement is not currently collected in the form requested. In August, the Ministry of Defence introduced a new condition of contract, which places an express contractual obligation on its suppliers to comply with the Government's policy on the supply or consumption of timber and products containing wood, and in addition, to supply data to verify that compliance.

  Data on timber procurement, generated as a result of the new condition of contract, will be used to inform the process of sustainability monitoring and reporting currently being developed as part of the departmental Sustainable Development Strategy.

  US Aircraft
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has made to the Pentagon about the use of US aircraft by Israel in the occupied territories. [82588]

  Mr. Ingram
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has made no such representations.
  341W

LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

  Divorce (Religious Marriages)
  Mr. Dismore
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department when the Family Procedure Rules Committee will consider the Rules of Court required to give effect to the Divorce (Religious Marriages) Act 2002. [83352]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  It is intended that draft rules will be considered by the Rule Committee shortly and that the provisions of the Act will be brought into force in January or February 2003.

  Drug Courts
  John Mann
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how many JPs have direct experience of drug courts. [82882]
  342W
  Yvette Cooper
  The information requested is not readily available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

  Junior Barristers
  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department what recent representations he has received on the effect of changes in levels of public funding on the number of junior barristers there will be in five years' time. [82131]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  As part of the current review of the Family Graduated Fees Scheme, both the Bar Council and the Family Law Bar Association have raised concerns about the levels of fees and the potential impact on the number of future junior barristers. My officials are working closely with the Bar on these matters.

  No other such representations have been received on this issue.

HEALTH

  Child Care
  Mr. Allen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to improve the(a) pay, (b) conditions, (c) training and (d) career prospects of staff in residential care establishments for children. [80473]

  Jacqui Smith
  The Government do not have direct responsibility for pay and career progression within social care. These are the responsibility of the individual employers. However we are taking a lead in developing partnerships with employers.

  The national social care recruitment campaign aims to raise awareness about the type of work social workers and social care staff actually do and the career prospects available across all aspects of social care work, including residential child care.

  The National Minimum Standards that the National Care Standards Commission is using to register and inspect children's homes includes standards for training and qualifications for residential child care staff. These start with induction training that is to be undertaken within six weeks of commencing employment and leading through foundation training to the Level 3 Caring for Children and Young People National Vocational Qualification (NVQ).

  The standards also state that the registered manager of a children's home should have either a Level 4 Care NVQ or a Diploma in Social Work (DipSW) qualification and a Level 4 NVQ in Management. The inclusion of specific qualifications within the national minimum standards helps to raise the profile of residential child care staff and lay down a career path for them.

  Funding is available through the training support programme grant and the training strategy implementation fund to help staff undertake these various levels of training. Funding is also available to enable social workers within children's homes to undertake further specialist training in the form of a post qualification in child care award.

  Ambulance Personnel
  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average age of retirement for ambulance personnel has been over the last five years. [82175]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested in not collected centrally.

  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average pension received by an ambulance worker is; and what percentage of final salary an ambulance worker is entitled to after 30 years' service. [82178]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested is not collected centrally. Pension entitlement after 30 years service would normally be calculated on 30/80ths of final salary.

  Anti-TNF Alpha
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what guidelines he has issued on the dispensing of the drug Anti-TNF Alpha; and if he will make a statement; [82206]

  (2) how many people have been prescribed the drug Anti-TNF Alpha; and how many are on waiting lists for the drug, broken down by health authority area. [82205]

  Mr. Lammy
  Guidelines on the dispensing of anti-TNF drugs were issued in March 2002 by the Iindependent National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE). They recommended that consultant rheumatologists, or consultant paediatric rheumatologists in the case of juvenile idiopathic arthritis, should prescribe these drugs, in accordance with the guidelines set out by the British Society for Rheumatology and British Paediatric Rheumatology Group respectively.

  We do not hold information centrally about drugs prescribed and dispensed in hospitals, which is where these drugs are supplied. Waiting list data is not collected for individual drugs.

  On 5 December 2001, the Government announced that it would meet its manifesto commitment to ensure that patients receive drugs and treatments recommended by NICE on the National Health Service if deemed appropriate by their clinicians. Directions have been issued obliging health authorities and primary care trusts to provide appropriate funding for recommended treatments.

  From 1 January 2002 the NHS will have three months from the date of publication of each technology appraisal guidance to provide funding, so that clinical decisions made by doctors involving NICE recommended treatments or drugs can be funded.

  Artificial Limbs
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the provision of modern artificial limbs by the NHS to those whose arms require replacement. [82574]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: Artificial limbs are provided free of charge on the national health service. Each limb needs to be individually made and fitted for each patient. The range of NHS artificial limbs includes virtually everything that is available on the international market.

  Asthma
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children suffered from asthma in each year since 1997. [82700]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information requested is not collected centrally. However information on the number of hospital episodes by age and sex in National Health Service hospitals where the primary diagnosis is asthma from 1996–97 to 2000–01 is shown in the tables.

  The International Classification of Disease 10 codes J45–J46 has been used.
  345W

  Ordinary admissions and day cases combined: completed episode primary diagnosis 493(ICD9 code) Diagnosis: Asthma 345–346 (ICD10)

  Age

  Male

  Female

  Not known

  Persons

  England 1996–1997

  0–4

  17,660

  8,928

  215

  26,803

  5–14

  7,449

  4,893

  129

  12,471

  15–44

  6,563

  13,549

  205

  20,317

  Unknown

  5

  13

  —

  18

  England 1997–1998

  0–4

  14,114

  6,888

  59

  21,061

  5–4

  7,733

  5,085

  67

  12,885

  15–44

  7,141

  14,017

  113

  21,271

  Unknown

  8

  4

  1

  13

  England 1998–1999

  0–4

  13,119

  6,306

  6

  19,431

  5–14

  7,190

  4,702

  4

  11,896

  15–44

  6,652

  13,590

  3

  20,245

  Unknown

  2

  7

  1

  10

  England 1999–2000

  0–4

  11,589

  5,896

  8

  17,493

  5–14

  7,091

  4,606

  6

  11,703

  15–44

  6,351

  12,424

  21

  18,796

  Unknown

  7

  13

  —

  20

  England 2000–01

  0–4

  9,676

  4,790

  114

  14,580

  5–14

  6,916

  4,184

  47

  11,147

  15–44

  6,219

  11,763

  11

  17,993

  Unknown

  22

  33

  2

  57

  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to promote the use of controlled medication for children with asthma; and what support is available to reduce the stress caused by the illness. [82695]

  Jacqui Smith
  The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) has produced guidance on asthma inhalers for children. In September 2000 it issued guidance on the use of inhalers for children under five. NICE also published guidance on inhaler devices for older children, age range five to 15, on 11 April 2002.

  Patients with asthma are able to access the full range of National Health Service support services in both primary and secondary care settings.

  An analysis of hospital episode statistics shows that the number of hospital admissions for asthma has been falling over the last five years.

  Year

  1996 to 1997

  1997 to 1998

  1998 to 1999

  1999 to 2000

  2000 to 2001

  Admissions

  78,036

  74,000

  69,824

  66,054

  60,376

  Business Plan
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health, in which document he publishes his Department's business plan targets; and if he will make a statement. [80641]

  Mr. Lammy
  The priorities and targets for the next three years for the National Health Service and social services are set out in a document entitled "Improvement, Expansion and Reform: The Next 3 Years Priorities and Planning Framework 2003–2006". This document can be found on the Department's website.

  Work is also currently under way on the development of a business plan for the Department for the three-year period 2003–06; to ensure delivery of the targets contained in the Department's public service agreement. At the end of the process a Departmental business plan detailing the Department's work programme for the three-year period will be produced.

  Care Home Staff
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he plans to lay before the House the Statutory Instrument to extend the time limit for staff who were employed in care homes immediately before 1 April for obtaining checks from the CRB. [82966]

  Jacqui Smith
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: A Statutory Instrument will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible.

  Child Pornography
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on increasing resources for child protection in connection with child pornography material seized by police. [83177]

  Jacqui Smith
  Between 1996–97 and 2002–03, the Government increased social services funding by more than 20 per cent. in real terms, and will make further annual average real terms increases available of 6 per cent. between 2003–4 and 2005–6. The Government is spending £11 billion on personal social services this year, 2002–03. It is, however, up to local authorities with social services responsibilities, in the light of their assessments of children's needs within their area, to decide how to allocate this money.

  Children (National Service Framework)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the National Service Framework for children to be published. [83174]

  Jacqui Smith
  It is intended that the children's national service framework (NSF) will be publishing the hospital standards, as announced in response to the
  347W
  Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry. We will also be publishing a second document signposting the likely areas for inclusion in the final NSF to assist with local National Health Service planning.

  Children in Care (Crime)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likelihood of children in care being convicted and sent to prison as young adults. [82749]

  Jacqui Smith
  Our latest data show that 10.4 per cent. of children between 10 and 17, who have been in the care of the local authority for a year or more, have received a reprimand, final warning or conviction. This represents a rate that is three times greater than for all children. Hence, the Department has a public service agreement target to narrow the gap in offending between the looked after children and their peers.

  The achievement of this target is underpinned by the Quality Protects programme, which has been supported by a grant of £885 million over five years from 1999 to 2004. This major programme seeks to ensure that looked after children gain the maximum life chance benefits from educational opportunities, health care and social care and thus have the same opportunities as their peers to lead fulfilling lives.

  Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  Phil Sawford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what progress is being made into the biomedical research on chronic fatigue syndrome and ME; and when NICE will provide guidance on management and treatment for patients with ME; [80421]

  (2) when the Medical Research Council will report on their strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on chronic fatigue syndrome and ME. [80424]

  Jacqui Smith
  The independent group, set up by the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop a broad strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME), hope to complete their recommendations in time for submission to the MRC in March 2003. But the group has recognised that this is a tight timetable, and has agreed not to compromise the integrity and quality of their report to meet the timeframe proposed, reserving the right to extend the timescale if necessary.

  The Department endorses the view of the CFS/ME independent working group report that there should be no doubt this is a chronic illness and that health and social care professionals should recognise it as such.

  We are still considering whether to ask the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to provide guidance on management and treatment for patients with CFS/ME. In the meantime we have, through both the chief executive's bulletin and the GP Bulletin, made the National Health Service aware of the action for CFS/ME publication "Guidance on the management of CFS/ME". This is a useful summary of the issues.

  Delayed Discharges
  Mr. Amess
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many delayed discharges there were in(a) the first six months of 2002 and (b) 2001 at Southend General Hospital. [83586]

  Mr. Lammy
  Information on delayed discharges is collected centrally and is placed in the Library but not at trust level.

  The data relate to the number and rate of people in acute hospital beds with delayed discharge at a fixed point in time.

  Before 1 April 2002 data were collected at the old health authority level. Health authorities were disbanded on 1 April 2002 and replaced with primary care trusts. Health authority level data up to and including Quarter 4 2001–02, March 2002, is available.

  For Quarter 1 2002–03, up until the end of June 2002, primary care trust level data are available.

  Dementia (Care Homes)
  Angela Watkinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for funding the mental nursing needs of people suffering from dementia in care homes. [82483]

  Jacqui Smith
  National health service funded nursing care applies equally to care home residents, regardless of the condition they have. The important issue is the level of input into their care from a registered nurse. This applies to mental health needs as well as to the physical needs of the resident.

  Departmental Grants
  Mr. McLoughlin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the grants funded by his Department for which individual members of the public and organisations may apply; and if he will make a statement as to(a) the total of such funding in the last financial year, (b) the total number of awards and (c) their administrative costs. [82199]

  Mr. Lammy
  The Department makes grants to individuals and organisations but the information requested is not held centrally.

  The administration of grants is carried out by a number of different units within the Department, to which a range of staff make a contribution. It is not possible to provide an accurate estimate of these costs.

  Diabetes
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he will publish the diabetes National Service Framework implementation plan; and if he will make a statement; [83338]

  (2) when a comprehensive diabetic retinopathy screening programme will be in place in England. [83339]

  Mr. Lammy
  We shall be publishing the delivery strategy for the diabetes national service framework in the next few weeks. A national target for diabetic retinopathy screening is in the planning and priorities framework, "Improvement, Expansion and Reform", which sets the priorities for the national health service for the next three years. The target requires that 80 per cent. of people with diabetes will be offered screening for the early detection, and treatment if needed, of diabetic retinopathy by 2006, rising to 100 per cent. coverage of those at risk of retinopathy by the end of 2007.

  Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first outpatient attendance (weeks) ophthalmology, quarter 2 2002 to 2003

  Strategic Health Authority

  Proportion of first outpatient attendances seen within four weeks

  0 to 4

  4 to 13

  13 to 17

  17 to 21

  21 to 26

  over 26

  Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire

  2,926

  3,744

  1,266

  663

  105

  7

  33.6

  Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire

  1,278

  1,708

  730

  555

  280

  108

  27.4

  Birmingham and the Black Country

  2,085

  4,577

  1,696

  820

  271

  54

  21.9

  Cheshire and Merseyside

  3,669

  3,798

  1,547

  929

  561

  99

  34.6

  County Durham and Tees Valley

  460

  1,537

  384

  240

  166

  55

  16.2

  Coventry, Warwickshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire

  758

  1,842

  839

  738

  789

  50

  15.1

  Cumbria and Lancashire

  2,280

  2,757

  956

  703

  534

  23

  31.4

  Essex

  1,328

  2,540

  641

  458

  341

  69

  24.7

  Greater Manchester

  2,812

  4,298

  1,322

  1,015

  879

  64

  27.1

  Hampshire and Isle of Wight

  1,114

  2,934

  939

  480

  304

  2

  19.3

  Kent and Medway

  978

  1,779

  787

  625

  1,115

  0

  18.5

  Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland

  728

  1,492

  745

  650

  660

  55

  16.8

  Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire

  3,247

  3,581

  1,181

  837

  562

  68

  34.3

  North and East Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire

  1,469

  2,034

  575

  506

  356

  27

  29.6

  North Central London

  2,108

  6,608

  531

  448

  360

  76

  20.8

  North East London

  735

  1,156

  484

  463

  130

  7

  24.7

  North West London

  1,279

  2,036

  259

  275

  43

  0

  32.9

  Northumberland, Tyne and Wear

  990

  3,839

  644

  224

  103

  9

  17.0

  Shropshire and Staffordshire

  1,554

  1,531

  523

  465

  861

  190

  30.3

  Somerset and Dorset

  871

  1,949

  873

  618

  164

  52

  19.2

  South East London

  950

  2,470

  800

  655

  589

  184

  16.8

  South West London

  966

  2,185

  383

  171

  143

  4

  25.1

  South West Peninsula

  1,447

  2,615

  526

  720

  784

  23

  23.7

  South Yorkshire

  2,119

  2,785

  670

  252

  67

  1

  36.0

  350W
  Mr. Beith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he has taken to make insulin pump therapy more widely available for the treatment of diabetes in children. [83464]

  Mr. Lammy
  Insulin pump therapy is not suitable for every person who requires insulin to control their diabetes. The National Institute for Clinical Excellence has been asked to provide an appraisal of the clinical and cost effectiveness of insulin pump therapy. This is expected to be published in February 2003.

  Eye Specialists
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which health authorities do not offer patients an appointment to see an eye specialist within one month. [83188]

  Mr. Hutton
  Figures are not available to assertain which health authorities do not offer patients an appointment to see an eye specialist within one month.

  The table shows the effective length of wait from receipt of a general practitioner (GP) written referral request to first outpatient attendance in weeks for the specialty ophthalmology, quarter two 2002–03, by Strategic Health Authority.
  351W

  Effective length of wait from receipt of GP written referral request to first outpatient attendance (weeks) ophthalmology, quarter 2 2002 to 2003

  Strategic Health Authority

  Proportion of first outpatient attendances seen within four weeks

  Surrey and Sussex

  2,307

  4,037

  1,593

  1,055

  794

  0

  23.6

  Thames Valley

  906

  2,690

  957

  988

  286

  53

  15.4

  Trent

  2,078

  4,158

  916

  531

  406

  39

  25.6

  West Yorkshire

  1,774

  2,868

  953

  857

  394

  54

  25.7

  Foreign Nurse Recruitment
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what means exist for overseas nurses recruited by agencies to report the failure of their agency to comply with the ethical foreign nurse recruitment policy. [82964]

  Mr. Hutton
  Overseas nurses are able to contact the international nurses advice line for further advice and also to report their agency if they feel that the agency is not complying to the ethical recruitment policy.

  The nurses are also able to contact Work Permits UK and the Department of Trade and Industry depending on the nature of their complaint.

  Nurses who are members of unions may also seek advice from these bodies.

  Home Care Charges
  Mr. Best
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he is taking to monitor changes in home care charges. [82810]

  Jacqui Smith
  Monitoring of the implementation of this policy is being carried out by the Department's social services inspectorate as part of a wider in-year monitoring programme. Councils were asked to indicate the stage of preparation reached at 31 May 2002 in implementing the policy. This exercise was repeated in Autumn 2002 and the results are currently being processed and should be available at the end of December 2002. The process will be repeated again in Spring 2003.

  Long-term Care
  Mr. Edwards
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will change his policy on free provision of long-term nursing personal care. [82264]

  Jacqui Smith
  The Government introduced national health service funded nursing care in care homes on 1 October 2001. We do not intend to make personal care free.

  In England, in our response to the Royal Commission in the NHS plan, we stressed that personal care for everyone would be costly, and would not be guaranteed to lead to service improvements. Instead, we will invest £1 billion in social care services for older people by 2006. This will improve access to social care services, expand the capacity of these services and increase the choice of services available to older people, stabilise the care home market, and ensure that delayed discharge is reduced to a minimum.

  Macular Degeneration
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether NICE has made a final decision on the suitability of PDT for the treatment of macular disease. [82597]

  Nick Harvey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when NICE will issue final guidance on the use of photodynamic therapy for age-related macular degeneration; and if he will make a statement. [82744]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) appraisal of photodynamic therapy has been extended to allow further consideration of the draft guidance. We expect that guidance could be available to the national health service in January 2003, providing there are no appeals.

  In the meantime, guidance issued in August 1999 to all NHS bodies asked them to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies where guidance from NICE is not available at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the relevant factors including the available evidence on effect. The local introduction of photodynamic therapy under these arrangements should be funded locally.

  Meals on Wheels
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Leeds West were in receipt of meals on wheels in each of the last five years. [83483]

  Jacqui Smith
  In 2000–01 a reported 5,450 clients in Leeds metropolitan district received meals in their home as part of community-based services provided or commissioned by the council with social service responsibilities based on the referrals, assessments and packages of care return. Comparable data prior to 2000–01 is not readily available.

  Data for 2001–02 are not yet available.

  Mental Health
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many young remand prisoners have mental health problems; and what steps he is taking to assist them. [82750]

  Jacqui Smith
  A survey carried out by the Office for National Statistics in 1997 estimated that 95 per cent. of all young offenders in prison had some form of mental disorder. In 2000, the most recent year for which statistics are available, 96 prisoners—both remand and sentenced-between the ages of 17 and 20 were transferred to hospital on mental health grounds.
  353W
  All prisons holding juveniles or young offenders are involved in work to implement the improvements set out in Changing the Outlook, a Strategy for Developing and Modernising Mental Health Services in Prisons, published in December 2001. In addition, those prisons holding persons judged to have the greatest mental health needs will be part of the prison mental health in-reach project by March 2004.

  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects to publish a mental health bill; and if he will make a statement. [83806]

  Jacqui Smith
  A draft Mental Health Bill and consultation document was published on 25 June 2002. The consultation exercise closed on 16 September and

  1998 to 1999

  1999 to 2000

  2001–2002

  2001 to 2002

  Hearing Impairment

  New specialist workers

  133

  123

  146

  195

  Other training for specialist workers

  635

  538

  468

  527

  Awareness training for generalist or non-specialist workers

  4,145

  3,294

  5,213

  5,639

  Total

  4,913

  3,955

  5,827

  6,361

  Deaf Blind Impairment

  New specialist workers

  16

  86

  81

  130

  Other training for specialist workers

  290

  143

  185

  293

  Awareness training for generalist or non-specialist workers

  1,166

  1,330

  1,811

  2,391

  Total

  1,472

  1,559

  2,077

  2,814

  Deaf Children (Mental Health)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what residential care provision is available for deaf children with mental health problems. [82696]

  Jacqui Smith
  The Department does not hold this data centrally.

  NHS Purchasing
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many department civil servants and staff of NHS purchasing offices have been to conferences paid for by pharmaceutical companies in each of the last three years for which figures are available. [80546]

  Mr. Lammy
  This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Nursing Student Bursaries
  Dr. Evan Harris
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average value of the nursing student bursary is in terms of pounds per hour. [81684]

  Mr. Hutton
  Professional registration as a nurse is achieved following successful completion of a course of higher education at either diploma of higher education or degree level. The status of trainees during their course is that of full-time students, not employees and as such they are not contracted for a specific number of hours. Overall, students are required to complete a minimum of 4.600 curricular hours, usually over a period of three
  354W
  we are currently considering almost 2,000 replies. We intend to introduce a Bill as soon as parliamentary time allows.

  Mental Health (Deaf Children)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) sign language workers, (b) social workers, (c) psychiatrists with sign language skills and (d) specialist psychiatrists for deaf children there were in each year since 1997. [82698]

  Mr. Hutton
  The information requested is not available.

  Data collected through the training support programme grant since 1998–99 shows that the following numbers of social care workers have undertaken training to improve their skills when working with deaf and deafblind service users. It is not known whether or not they areworking with deaf children

  years. Over that period the average financial support provided for those studying at diploma level, who make up the majority of the nursing and midwifery student population, is currently around £18,600, the equivalent of over £4.00 per hour of study.

  Overseas Nurses
  Mr. Lilley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nurses working for the NHS were trained abroad, for each year since 1990. [80713]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department does not collect data about the number of nurses working in the National Health Service who were trained abroad. However, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) publishes an annual statistical report which includes information about the number of nurses and midwives on the NMC register, including new registrations from abroad. Data about the number of admissions to the register each year for nurses and midwives who trained in the United Kingdom and European Community/Non EC countries for the period 1989–90 to 2000–02 can be found on the NMC website at www.nmc-uk.orq.uk.

  This data shows the success of the Department's policy on international recruitment based on international agreements. Overall nurse numbers in the NHS work force have increased by an estimated 39,500 between September 1997 and March 2002.

  Paedophilia (Child Protection)
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many children have been taken into protective custody in connection with paedophilia in each year since 1997. [83176]

  Jacqui Smith
  The information requested is not held centrally.

  However, information is held centrally about the number of children looked after by local councils. From the year ending 31 March 2001, this information is collected by age and category of need, which records the main reason why the child requires assistance from his/her local social services department. One of the categories of need is abuse or neglect. However, this category spans all types of abuse and neglect and provides no information about the characteristics of the alleged abusers of the children.

  Prison Health Care
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the minimum health care standard to which prisoners are entitled. [83175]

  Jacqui Smith
  The prison and national health services aim, in partnership, to provide prisoners with access to the same range and quality of health services as the general public receives from the national health service. The current prison service performance standard on health services for prisoners is available at www.hmprisonservice.gov.uk

  Psychiatrists
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many psychiatrists there were per 100,000 people in each year since 1992. [82692]

  Mr. Hutton
  As at 31 March 2002, there were 3,090 consultants within the psychiatry group, a ratio of 6.1 per 100,000 of population. This is a 24 per cent. expansion in the number of psychiatry consultants since 1997. There were also 2,801 doctors in training as at September 2001, a ratio of 5.7 per 100,000 of population. The group comprises child and adolescent psychiatry, forensic psychiatry, general psychiatry, old age psychiatry, psychotherapy and psychiatry of learning disability.

  Population figures are due to be updated shortly following publication of results from the 2001 population census. This will include a revised set of estimates for the years 1992 to 2000, but these figures are not yet available.

  Public Health Laboratory Service
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks he will put in place to ensure NHS trusts correctly represent data on hospital-acquired infections once the Public Health Laboratory Service is abolished. [81717]

  Mr. Lammy
  Responsibility for co-ordinating surveillance of health care associated infections transfers from the Public Health Laboratory Service to 356W
  the Health Protection Agency in April 2003, but as the national system will remain unchanged no additional checks are needed.

  Quality Protects
  Mr. Paul Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the ringfenced budget allocations were for(a) IT projects, (b) disabled children, (c) leaving care, (d) RDWs and (e) the main grant for Quality Protects for the last three years; and what the planned expenditure is for each of the next three years. [82767]

  Jacqui Smith
  The table below shows the amounts ring-fenced in the last three years for improving access to information technology for children in and leaving care; services for disabled children and their families, implementing the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000; the costs of regional development workers (RDWs); and the main programme grant. The level of personal social services funding for councils for 2003–04 to 2005–06 will be announced shortly as part of the local government settlement announcements.

  All figures in £ million

  2000 to 2001

  2001 to 2002

  2002 to 2003

  IT projects

  9.5

  Disabled children

  15

  15

  Leaving Care1

  128

  298

  RDWs2

  0.75

  1

  1

  Main grant

  117.75

  147.25

  138

  Notes:

  1 The ring-fence for Leaving Care in 2001–02 covered only the second half of the year, i.e. from implementation of the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000 on 1 October 2001. Funding to assist councils in preparing for implementation was included in the main grant.

  2 As well as the costs of employing the RDWs and their assistants, the amount shown for RDWs also covers other development work including part funding for the Education Protects implementation team, who are helping councils implement the joint Department for Education and Skills and Department of Health Guidance on the Education of Children and Young People in Public Care.

  Schizophrenia
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of patients with schizophrenia suffered relapses within one year of receiving treatment in each year since 1997. [82699]

  Jacqui Smith
  The Department does not hold this information centrally.

  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made towards implementing NICE guidance on the use of atypical antipsychotic medicine for schizophrenia; and if he will make a statement. [83304]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: Detailed assessment of the implementation of individual items of National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidance is only possible at a local level. Comprehensive information is not collected centrally.

  Silicon Cosmesis
  Dr. Julian Lewis
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether, out of the baseline allocation for silicon cosmesis for artificial limbs(a) in 2001–02, £418,142 and (b) in 2002–03, £1,317,159 was not spent on such provision. [82279]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 21 November 2002]: Baseline allocations of £0.5 million in 2001–02, £1.5 million in 2002–03 and £2.0 million in 2003–04 were expected to be used for the provision of silicone cosmesis for artificial limbs. Spending on silicone cosmesis through the national health service purchasing and supply agency was £81,858 for 2001–02, and £182,841 so far in 2002–03. The baseline allocation for 2002–03 was for the whole financial year; the spending recorded so far relates to the first half of that year. It will not be possible to provide full-year spending figures for 2002–03 until after the end of that year.

  Specialised Health Services
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health who the members are of the small oversight review group that has been convened in order to consider questions from the review on commissioning specialised services from a national perspective; and whether the group has met. [82780]

  Mr. Lammy
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The following organisations were invited to send representatives to the 10 September national review group meeting:

  The Academy of Royal Medical Colleges

  The Royal College of Nursing

  The Joint Consultants' Committee

  Regional specialised commissioning groups

  Strategic health authorities

  Primary care trusts

  National health service trusts

  Patients' organisations

  Observers from Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act
  Mr. John Taylor
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether, in the context of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, existing and properly constituted management limited companies may convert themselves into RTMs, limited by guarantee, by special resolution; and what guidance he has issued on the changes that might need to be made to their memoranda and articles: [82544]

  Mr. McNulty
  Yes.

  Section 73(2) of the Act specifies that a company is a Right To Manage (RTM) company in relation to premises if:
  it is a private company limited by guarantee, and
  its memorandum of association states that its object, or one of its objects, is the acquisition and exercise of the right to manage the premises.
  358W
  Section 74 of the Act provides a power to prescribe the Memorandum and Articles of Association for a RTM company, and we are currently consulting on the form this prescription should take.

  Once the draft regulations have been finalised and brought into force, an existing company limited by guarantee could, by special resolution under the Companies Act 1985 change its objects clause to include the RTM object and adopt the prescribed Memorandum and Articles. In addition, the regulations may provide that certain of the prescribed memorandum and articles will have effect for an RTM company irrespective of whether or not it has adopted them.

  However, in order for a RTM company to actually exercise and acquire the right to manage for a building, the membership of that company and the premises itself must meet the qualifying conditions as laid down by sections 72–75 of the Act.

  Finally, while we have yet to produce guidance on RTM this will be available when the RTM provisions come into force. It will include all aspects of exercising and acquiring RTM.

  Mr. John Taylor
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he intends to introduce regulations bringing Part 2 of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 into operation. [82545]

  Mr. McNulty
  The first tranche of regulations on leasehold reform came into force on 26 July this year, making it is easier for leaseholders to buy the freehold of their property, extend their leases and seek the appointment of a new manager in tripartite leases.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister proposes to make and lay the remaining regulations on Leasehold Reform in two stages, in spring and autumn 2003. Regulations on right to manage, safeguards against forfeiture, new powers for leasehold valuation tribunals and changes relating to contracts and major works will be laid in spring and should be operational by summer 2003. Regulations on accounting procedures will be laid by autumn next year and operational three months later.

  Affordable Housing
  Mr. Grieve
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many units of affordable housing have been built in the Beaconsfield constituency in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [82382]

  Mr. McNulty
  Figures for the Beaconsfield constituency are not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The number of dwellings built by Registered Social Landlords and the local authority in south Buckinghamshire district in the last five years are shown in the following table:

  Year

  Number of dwellings

  1997–98

  6

  1998–99

  0

  1999–2000

  8

  2000–01

  26

  2001–02

  11

  Arson
  Mr. Pickles
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on reasons for which data are not available beyond 2000 for the number of malicious fires attended by local authority fire brigades. [83456]

  Mr. Leslie
  The latest annual data were published in "Fire Statistics, UK, 2000" in February 2002. The Statistical Bulletin ("Fire Statistics Estimates, UK, 2001") covering the most recent data will be published as soon as it is available, as required under the ONS Code of Practice for National Statistics.

  The data in the bulletin are compiled from statistical returns covering some 950,000 fire-related incidents, and are subject to quality control procedures before inputting. The time taken to process and publish is not unusual for complex data collection exercises of this kind.

  Civil Partnership Registration
  Mr. Key
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress he is making with his analysis of the implications of civil partnership registration and associated rights and responsibilities; and if he will make a statement. [82484]

  Ms Hewitt
  I have been asked to reply.

  Civil partnership registration and associated rights and responsibilities raise a number of complex issues, which have prompted a growing debate within society.

  These issues potentially have significant financial and administrative implications. The Government is now examining the issues in detail and DTI co-ordinates this work across all Government Departments with an interest in the issues raised by civil partnerships.

  As you will understand, the Government cannot commit itself to any changes without conducting a comprehensive analysis of the relevant rights and responsibilities, to provide a better understanding of their potential impact.

  Clinical and Medical Waste
  Dr. Murrison
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the definition of clinical and medical waste in the context of special collections by local authorities. [81507]

  Mr. Meacher
  I have been asked to reply.

  Clinical waste is defined in "The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992" as any waste which consists wholly or partly of human or animal tissue, blood or other body fluids, excretions, drugs or other pharmaceutical products, swabs or dressings, or syringes, needles or other sharp instruments, being waste which unless rendered safe may prove hazardous to any person coming into contact with it; and any other waste arising from medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, pharmaceutical or similar practice, investigation, treatment, care, teaching or research, or the collection of blood for transfusion, being waste which may cause infection to any person coming into contact with it.
  360W
  Under the Environmental Protection Act 1990, local authorities are obliged to collect clinical waste generated in the home where the householder asks them to do so. Local authorities may make a charge for these collections. Where someone is receiving healthcare treatment at home, it is the responsibility of the healthcare professional to assess whether waste arising from their illness and treatment poses a risk of infection and should therefore be treated as clinical waste.

  Council Housing, Cherwell
  Tony Baldry
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will meet the hon. Member for Banbury and a delegation from Cherwell district council and representatives of local tenants groups to discuss the future of council housing in Cherwell. [83023]

  Mr. McNulty
  The future of Cherwell's council housing will be decided by the tenants and the councillors of the district council who are currently looking at the large scale voluntary transfer of stock option. As with all local authorities, options available for the future management of council housing include: the council retaining ownership and management of its housing stock, large/small scale voluntary transfer, arms length management and the Private Finance Initiative. The Community Housing Task Force have been working with Cherwell district council to help advise on the option appraisal process. At present a meeting would not bring forward any alternatives that have not already been covered.

  English Committee of Regions
  Mr Liddell-Grainger
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who the members are of the Committee for English Regions; who funds the Committee; and who is responsible for the Campaign for the English Regions. [82893]

  Mr. Leslie
  I am not aware of any organisation called the "Committee for English Regions". There is, however, a Regional Affairs Standing Committee and a EU Committee of the Regions. The former is funded by Parliament and its members are.

  Name

  Constituency

  Party

  Candy Atherton

  Falmouth & Cambourne

  Labour

  Henry Bellingham

  North West Norfolk

  Conservative

  Karen Buck

  Regent's Park & Kensington North

  Labour

  Louise Ellman

  Liverpool Riverside

  Labour

  Nigel Evans

  Ribble Valley

  Conservative

  Andrew George

  St Ives

  Liberal Democrat

  Norman Lamb

  North Norfolk

  Liberal Democrat

  John Mann

  Bassetlaw

  Labour

  Denis Murphy

  Wansbeck

  Labour

  Ian Pearson

  Dudley South

  Labour

  Lawrie Qinn

  Scarborough & Whitby

  Labour

  Anthony Steen

  Totnes

  Conservative

  Derek Wyatt

  Sittingbourne & Sheppey

  Labour

  The Chair is selected from the Chairman's Panel and will vary from meeting to meeting.
  361W
  The EU Committee of the Regions has 16 full members from England. It is funded by the EU. The full members from England are.

  Full Members

  Region

  Authority

  Party

  Derek Boden

  North West

  Bury (Metropolitan District)

  Labour

  Michael Davey

  North East

  Northumberland (County)

  Labour

  The hon. Joan Taylor

  East Midlands

  Nottinghamshire (County)

  Labour

  Muriel Barker

  Yorkshire & Humberside

  North East Lincolnshire (Unitary)

  Labour

  Albert Bore

  West Midlands

  Birmingham (Metropolitan District)

  Labour

  Ken Bodfish QBE

  South East

  Brighton & Hove (Unitary)

  Labour

  Dame Sally Powell DBE

  London

  Hammersmith and Fulham (London)

  Labour

  Margaret Eaton

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Bradford (Metropolitan District)

  Conservative

  Gordon Keymer

  South East

  Tandridge (District)

  Conservative

  Sir Simon Day

  South West

  Devon (County)

  Conservative

  The rt hon The Lord

  East

  Essex (County)

  Conservative

  Hanningfield DL

  The Baroness (Joan) Hanham CBE

  London

  Kensington and Chelsea (London)

  Conservative

  Ruth Coleman

  South West

  North Wiltshire (District)

  Liberal Democrat

  Lord Tope CBE

  London

  Sutton (London)

  Liberal Democrat

  Peter Moore

  Yorkshire & Humberside

  Sheffield (Metropolitan District)

  Liberal Democrat

  Milner Whiteman

  West Midlands

  Bridgnorth (District)

  Independent

  The Campaign for the English Regions is an independent body, receiving no central Government funding, which aims to secure a commitment to regional government from all political parties.

  Fire Service
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which fire brigades are organised around the need to respond to fire incidents. [83253]

  Mr. Leslie
  All fire authorities have a duty under section 1(1) of the Fire Services Act 1947 to make provision for fire-fighting purposes, including securing for their area the services of a fire brigade and equipment necessary to meet efficiently all normal requirements.

  Firefighters
  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many former firefighters are on retirement pensions; and how many firefighters there are in service. [82173]

  Mr. Leslie
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. This is a matter for each 362W
  individual fire authority. It is estimated that in England and Wales there are over 22,000 former firefighters receiving ordinary and ill-health pensions. The number of regular wholetime firefighters eligible for membership of the pension scheme on 31 March 2001, the last date for which figures are available, was 33375.

  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average age of retirement for firefighters has been over the last five years. [82174]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average pension received by a firefighter is; what percentage of final salary a firefighter is entitled to after 30 years service; and what the average work-related pension received by a pensioner is. [82177]

  Mr. Leslie
  The information requested is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. This is a matter for each fire authority. An analysis of a small sample of brigades at 31 March 2002 suggests that the average ill-health pension is 9,200 per annum, and the average ordinary pension is 11,300 per annum. The percentage of final salary a firefighter is entitled to after 30 years service is 66 per cent. The median income from occupational pensions for single pensioners in 2000–01 was £2,392 per annum.

  Mr. Jenkins
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what percentage of the revenue of the fire service the present pension arrangements cost. [82180]

  Mr. Leslie
  Based on provisional outturn figures for fire authorities in England, the net total of payments under the firefighters' pension scheme for 2001–02 was approximately 16 per cent. of net budgeted expenditure.

  Homelessness (Leeds)
  Mr. Battle
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what his latest estimate of the number of street homeless in Leeds is. [81486]

  Mrs. Roche
  The latest estimate was published in September 2002 and a copy was placed in the Library of the House. It stood at eight.

  Housing Development
  Mr. Pickles
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applications have been approved for development on green-belt land in each year since June 1997 in each local authority area; and what locations were involved. [83414]

  Mr. McNulty
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 6 November 2002,Official Report, column 413W.

  IT Security
  Brian White
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he has taken to review the security of the Department's IT system; and how many digital attacks there were on the Department's system in(a) October and (b) 2002. [80779]
  363W
  Mr. Leslie
  The security of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's IT system is kept under constant review. Separate figures are not available for the number of "digital attacks" (such as computer viruses detected) on the Office's IT system, as the Office shares with the Department for Transport the IT network of their predecessor (the Department for Transport, Local Government, and the Regions). For that IT network, the number of computer viruses detected was(a) 18 in October and (b) 266 in 2002 up to the end of October.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Pickles
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of aggregate standard spending assessments across local authorities in England were financed by aggregate total external support in each year since 1993–94. [82811]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested can be found in the table.

  Standard Total External Support Spending Assessment (SSA)

  (£) million

  (£) million

  percentage

  2002–03

  49,762

  40,323

  81.0

  2001–02

  48,792

  40,067

  82.1

  2000–01

  46,690

  38,526

  82.5

  1999–00

  44,733

  37,123

  83.0

  1998–99

  42,668

  35,575

  83.4

  1997–98

  40,563

  34,101

  84.1

  1996–97

  40,157

  34,140

  85.0

  1995–96

  38,743

  32,727

  84.5

  1994–95

  37,848

  29,444

  77.8

  1993–94

  36,622

  28,592

  78.1

  Total external support consists of revenue support grant to local authorities, redistributed national non-domestic rates, central support protection grant and SSA reduction grant. For 1995/96 onwards it also includes principal formula police grant including the Metropolitan special payment and police transitional grant. Prior to 1995/96 the Home Office funded 51 per cent. of police expenditure. Total external support excludes the City of London offset and the grant to specified bodies.

  Local Government Structures
  Ann Winterton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to change the number of(a) local authorities and (b) elected representatives in reviewing local government in England following the establishment of elected regional assemblies; and what assessment he has made of the consequential effect of regional government on devolution. [82728]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Where an elected regional assembly is established, existing two tier local government will be restructured as unitary authorities following recommendations made by the Boundary Committee. The responsibility for electoral arrangements, including the numbers of Councillors, in any new structure will be a matter for the Electoral Commission.

  Paragraph 8.9 of the White Paper on Regional Governance said that some elected regional assemblies in England may need to consider the impact of their activities on Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland, and
  364W
  establish appropriate relationships with the devolved administrations and other relevant Scottish or Welsh bodies. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will have reserve powers to intervene if he or she considers that an assembly's strategies or actions are likely to have a detrimental impact on another region, Scotland, Wales, or the UK as a whole.

  Ann Winterton
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the Government's policy is on the future number of tiers of local government in England; what assessment he has made of the effect of a review of local government on the stability of local authority finance and administration; and if he will make a statement. [82729]

  Mr. Raynsford
  Policy for the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is that where an elected regional assembly is established, following a referendum in the region, there should only be a single tier of local government. The financial and administrative impact of local government reviews will depend on the structure and boundary changes proposed, and it will be for the Boundary Committee to assess this when it makes recommendation for change.

  New Towns (South-East)
  Mr. Watts
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the impact the creation of the proposed three new towns in the south east will have on public expenditure; what the cost will be of providing(a) transport, (b) schools, (c) housing, (d) health and (e) other infrastructure to the three towns; and what impact public funding for the new towns will have on other regions. [82600]

  Mr. McNulty
  In his statement to the House in July, the Deputy Prime Minister set out the Government's intentions for tackling the housing shortage in London and the south east. Studies of the potential for growth have been published for the Milton Keynes/South Midlands area and the London-Stansted-Cambridge area, and the Ashford study is due for publication imminently. These studies give some indication of the infrastructure that will be needed to support growth but what is needed will clearly be dependent on the scale of growth and where it is located. Over the coming months the Government, taking account of these studies, will work with regional and local partners in each of the areas to establish where, at what scale, and how quickly growth can be achieved. My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister will set out next steps when, early in the New Year, he makes a statement to the House on his comprehensive long-term programme of action for sustainable communities, as promised in his statement on 18 July.

  Right to Buy
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to review right to buy; and if he will make a statement. [83417]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has indicated publicly that we are concerned about the impact of right to buy sales in areas of housing pressure, and that we will act to address this. We are also concerned about exploitation of the rules of the scheme,
  365W
  and announced earlier this year that researchers at Heriot-Watt university have been commissioned to investigate the scale, nature and impact of such exploitation. The results are expected by the end of this year and will be published thereafter.

  Mr. Pickles
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the sources of the anecdotal evidence he has evaluated that the right to buy rules were being exploited in some areas. [83509]

  Mr. McNulty
  No. The information requested is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The results of the research by Heriot-Watt University into the scale, nature and impact of such exploitation are expected by the end of this year, and will be published thereafter.

  Mr. Pickles
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions Ministers and officials of his Department have held with the research team at Heriot-Watt University investigating the right to buy scheme; what was discussed at each meeting; who attended; and when each meeting took place. [83510]

  Mr. McNulty
  This research project is subject to normal project management procedures and disciplines operated by professional and policy officials. It is subject to review by a stakeholder group drawn from housing practitioners and representatives of lending institutions and local government.

  The results are expected by the end of this year, and will be published thereafter.

  Wakefield Metropolitan District
  Jon Trickett
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what was the percentage increase in(a) SSA, (b) expenditure (revenue and capital) and (c) government grant for Wakefield MDC in the 10 years from May 1992; and what the comparable statistics are for aggregate local government expenditure. [83159]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The information available is presented in the table.

  1992 to 93 (£) million

  2002 to 03 (£) million

  percentage increase

  Wakefield

  SSA

  207

  283

  36.8

  Revenue Expenditure

  229

  328

  43.2

  Capital Expenditure

  35

  44

  24.4

  Government Grants

  176

  252

  43.7

  All England

  SSA

  37,993

  53,570

  41.0

  Revenue

  Number of Antisocial Behaviour Orders issued, as reported to the Home Office from1 April 1999 to 30 June 2002, England and Wales

  From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 20001

  From 1 June 2000 to 31 December 2000

  From 1 January 2001 to 31 December 2001

  From 1 January 2002 to 30 June 2002

  Total

  ASBOs issued

  104

  134

  293

  123

  654

  1 Total figure only available within this period.

  We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made locally have been consistently under-reported in
  366W

  1992 to 93 (£) million

  2002 to 03 (£) million

  percentage increase

  expenditure Capital

  41,925

  65,252

  55.6

  expenditure Government

  6,568

  10,859

  65.3

  grants

  32,859

  47970

  46.0

  Note:

  1. Figures between 1992/93 and 2002/03 and between Wakefield and England are not directly comparable for the following reasons.

  a) In 1992/93 Revenue Support Grant (RSG) and National Non-Domestic Rate (NNDR) amounts were paid only to billing authorities. Consequently, the amounts shown for Wakefield cover all services including Police and Fire. From 1993/94 onwards, support for Police and Fire was paid directly to the relevant Police and Fire Authorities. The figures for England do include Police and Fire for both 1992/92 and 2002/03.

  b) There have been changes in the responsibilities of local authorities.

  c) In 1992/93, only information on RSG, NNDR and Specific Grants inside AEF are available on a consistent basis.

  2. The revenue and capital expenditure figures for 2002/03 are budget estimates.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Corpse Disposal
  Mr. Burns
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements have been made to deal with the disposal of corpses contaminated by a(a) chemical, (b) biological, (c) radioactive and (d) nuclear attack. [82161]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 21 November 2002]: Contingency plans for managing the consequences of attacks using chemical, biological and radiological material are in place and are regularly reviewed. These plans include arrangements for the efficient and sensitive handling of contaminated corpses, although the precise response would largely depend on the circumstances and scale of the incident. The Government do not reveal details of contingency arrangements relating to potential terrorist attacks for security reason.

  Antisocial Behaviour Orders
  Mr. Malins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Antisocial Behaviour Orders have been imposed in each of the last two years. [82083]

  Mr. Denham
  The table shows the number of notifications reported to the Home Office of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs) issued up to 30 June 2002 (latest available) within England and Wales.

  returns made by magistrates courts, and are considering how reporting can be improved.
  367W
  Mr. Malins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of(a) practical and (b) procedural difficulties in relation to the imposition of Anti-social Behavioural Orders; and what remedial proposals he has. [82086]

  Mr. Denham
  Legislative changes were introduced by the Police Reform Act to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of Antisocial Behaviour Orders (ASBOs). These changes, combined with the new guidance, will help to remedy some of the problems identified in the Home Office Review of ASBOs, published in April 2002. We are also working with the Local Chancellor's Department (LCD), Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and others to ensure that the necessary training is given to magistrates, prosecutors and others involved in the process. We will continue to review the working of ASBOs in order to make them as streamline as possible.

  Mr. Grieve
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued since their introduction in the Beaconsfield constituency. [82385]

  Mr. Denham
  The table shows the number of notifications received by the Home Office of antisocial behaviour orders (ASBOs), issued within Buckinghamshire (in which the Beaconsfield constituency is situated) and by local government authority up to 30 June 2002 (latest available).

  We are aware that the numbers of ASBOs made locally have been consistently under reported in returns made by magistrates courts, and are considering how reporting can be improved.

  Number of antisocial behaviour orders reported to the Home Office which have been issued as from 1 April 1999 to 30 June 2002 for Buckinghamshire by local government authority area

  Area

  From 1 April 1999 to 31 May 20001

  From 1 June 2000 to 30 June 2002

  Total

  Police force area/MCC

  Thames Valley2

  1

  9

  10

  Local government authority, county of Buckinghamshire Milton Keynes borough council

  3—

  3

  3

  Wycombe district council

  3—

  2

  2

  1 Total figure only available for Thames Valley police force area within this period. Local government authority not known.

  2 Includes total figure for counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire.

  3 Not available.

  Child Curfew and Safety Orders
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many(a) child curfew orders and (b) child safety orders there have been in each year since their introduction. [81004]
  368W
  Mr. Denham
  Between February 2001, when curfew orders with electronic monitoring were extended to 10 to 15-year-olds, and 31 October 2002 the courts imposed 2,704 orders on young offenders of that age.

  Two child safety orders were issued in the areas in which they were piloted between September 1998 and June 2000.

  Conviction Rates
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the conviction rate in Crown courts was in each year since 1992. [81001]

  Hilary Benn
  The information requested, for the years 1992 to 2000, is as follows:

  Conviction rate1 at the Crown court in England and Wales, 1992 to 2000

  Year

  Rate

  1992

  79.9

  1993

  79.5

  1994

  78.6

  1995

  79.1

  1996

  80.4

  1997

  80.3

  1998

  75.9

  1999

  74.3

  2000

  72.9

  1 Defendants convicted as a percentage of defendants for trial.

  Notes:

  The introduction of plea before venue from 1 October 1997 caused a greater number of guilty plea cases to be heard at magistrates courts.

  Statistics for 2001 will be available in December.

  Criminal Records Bureau
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the Criminal Records Bureau to be able to cope with demand sufficiently to implement the criminal record checks as part of the Protection of Vulnerable Adult lists. [81721]

  Hilary Benn
  [holding answer 19 November 2002]: As my right hon. Friend the Home Secretary made clear on 4 November 2002 in response to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for Hendon (Mr. Dismore), Official Report, column 99W, we shall introduce arrangements for Criminal Records Bureau checks against the Protection of Vulnerable Adults list at the earliest opportunity.

  Illegal Camping
  Ms Drown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the next guidance on managing illegal camping and travellers will be released. [82140]

  Mr. McNulty
  I have been asked to reply.

  The new joint Office of the Deputy Prime Minister/Home Office guidance on managing unauthorised camping by gypsies and other travellers will be issued by the new year.
  369W
  In order for the Government to strike up a balanced approach to unauthorised camping, the new guide will consist of two documents, Framework Guidance and detailed Operational Guidance, for use by local authorities, police services and both the settled and traveller communities.

  Consultation with key stakeholders will commence shortly.

  Immigration
  Mr. Caton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department classes as purposeful activities as set out in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002. [83435]

  Beverley Hughes
  Section 29 of the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 provides the necessary powers to provide and fund purposeful activities for asylum seekers supported in accommodation centres.

  Such activities are likely to include training in English language, information technology and other skills training and volunteering. Other examples include sport, creative activities and practical activities like cookery or gardening. We do not intend to follow an unduly prescriptive approach to what constitutes a purposeful activity. The aim is to keep asylum seekers

  Recorded crime: number of offences recorded from 1997 to 2001/02

  Police force area/ offence Lancashire

  19971

  1997–982

  1998–993

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–024

  Total racially aggravated offences5

  —

  —

  —

  232

  408

  1,057

  Total violent crime6

  5,550

  5,718

  12,183

  11,615

  13,870

  18,535

  Robbery of personal property7

  —

  —

  816

  866

  1,044

  1,437

  Drug offences8

  554

  529

  4,117

  3,135

  3,124

  3,169

  North West Region9

  Total racially aggravated offences5

  —

  —

  —

  1,284

  2,053

  4,746

  Total violent crime6

  46,224

  50,503

  87,033

  93,029

  95,940

  106,892

  Robbery of personal property7

  —

  —

  9,338

  10,425

  11,614

  13,656

  Drug offences8

  3,156

  3,164

  19,267

  16,106

  15,070

  14,775

  1 Recorded on a calendar year basis.

  2 The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the coverage and rules in use until 31 March 1998.

  3 The number of crimes recorded in that financial year using the expanded offence coverage and revised counting rules which came into effect on 1 April 1998.

  4 Cumbria, Greater Manchester and Lancashire implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of the national implementation date of April 2002. The 2000–01 and 2001–02 figures for these forces will be affected by the Standard. The NCRS and other changes to police recording practices, has had the estimated effect of increasing recorded crime statistics by at least 5 per cent. for 2001–02, which means the real increase of total recorded crime for 2001–02 is 2 per cent. compared to the published national total of 7 per cent. The impact will vary for different types of offence.

  5 Racially aggravated offences became notifiable to the police on 1 April 1999. The offences covered are; other wounding, harassment, common assault, criminal damage to a dwelling, criminal damage to a building other than a dwelling, criminal damage to a vehicle and other criminal damage.

  6 Violent crime is comprised of violence against the person, sexual offences and robbery.

  7 Robbery of personal property was recorded separately (from total robbery) as from 1 April 1998.

  8 Up until 1 April 1998, Trafficking in controlled drugs was the only drugs-related offence recorded. After this date the offence coverage was expanded to include more drugs-related offences.

  9 The North West Region comprises the following police forces; Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.

  Police Numbers
  Mr. Llwyd
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers there were in each police authority in Wales in each of the past.
  370W
  occupied; contribute towards a positive atmosphere in the centres; make time spent in the UK productive; and provide opportunities to develop useful skills. We want to allow room for local variation and innovation.

  Offences
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of(a) racially aggravated offences, (b) violent crime, (c) robbery of personal property and (d) drug offences were recorded in (i) Lancashire and (ii) the North West of England in (A) 1997, (B) 1998, (C) 1999, (D) 2000 and (E) 2001. [82373]

  Mr. Denham
  The requested statistics are given in the following table.

  On 1 April 1998, there was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime, and an expansion of the offences covered. This resulted in an increase of crimes recorded by the police. Recorded crime figures before this date will therefore not be directly comparable.

  As Lancashire, Cumbria and Greater Manchester police forces implemented the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in advance of its national implementation in April 2002, the recorded crime figures for these areas cannot be directly compared with those for previous years. The affects of the Standard are explained in table footnote 4.

  five years; and what the target number of police officers in each police authority was in each of those years. [82519]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The information requested about police strength has

  371W
  been set out in the table. Targets for individual force strength are not collected centrally.

  Police Officer Strength

  Year as at 31 March

  Dyfed-Powys

  Gwent

  North Wales

  South Wales

  1998

  1,002

  1,233

  1,396

  2,986

  1999

  1,026

  1,247

  1,391

  2,981

  2000

  1,040

  1,264

  1,403

  2,926

  2001

  1,055

  1,274

  1,444

  3,154

  2002

  1,132

  1,333

  1,506

  3,222

  Civilian Support Staff

  Year as at 31 March

  Dyfed-Powys

  Gwent

  North Wales

  South Wales

  1998

  341

  477

  479

  1,132

  1999

  341

  487

  508

  1,223

  2000

  359

  498

  519

  1,081

  2001

  401

  537

  498

  1,270

  372W

  Civilian Support Staff

  Year as at 31 March

  Dyfed-Powys

  Gwent

  North Wales

  South Wales

  2002

  459

  570

  645

  1,435

  Source:

  Home Office Statistical Bulletins—Police Service Strength 1998–2002

  Police Training
  Mr. Paice
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the pass marks for each police entrance exam and physical test for each batch of recruits into police training colleges during(a) 1997 and (b) 2001. [82493]

  Mr. Denham
  [holding answer 25 November 2002]: The 1997 information is no longer available. The 2001 information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  Iraq
  Iraq
  Bicycles
  Bicycles
  Child Curfews
  Child Curfews
  Gap-year School Assistants: Visa Regulations
  Gap-year School Assistants: Visa Regulations
  Asylum Seekers
  Asylum Seekers
  Clandestine Entrants: Penalty Regime
  Clandestine Entrants: Penalty Regime
  Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
  Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre
  Cabinet Office: Consultancy Costs
  Cabinet Office: Consultancy Costs
  Transport Accidents: Responsibility for Reinstatement of Infrastructure
  Transport Accidents: Responsibility for Reinstatement of Infrastructure
  Fire Service Personnel
  Fire Service Personnel
  Local Authority Election Voting
  Local Authority Election Voting
  Software: Government Procurement
  Software: Government Procurement
  EU: Turkish Accession
  EU: Turkish Accession
  Cyprus
  Cyprus
  "Prestige" Tanker
  "Prestige" Tanker
  Guantanamo Bay Detainees
  Guantanamo Bay Detainees
  Hungary
  Hungary
  British Council: Work with Older People
  British Council: Work with Older People
  Terrorist Threats: Pre-emptive Action
  Terrorist Threats: Pre-emptive Action
  International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missiles
  International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missiles
  Conference on Organised Crime in South-Eastern Europe
  Conference on Organised Crime in South-Eastern Europe
  Watchtree
  Watchtree
  Dark Chicken Meat: Nigerian Ban
  Dark Chicken Meat: Nigerian Ban
  Badgers: Krebs Trial Testing
  Badgers: Krebs Trial Testing
  Trainee Teachers
  Trainee Teachers
  Work and Pensions Department: DEL
  Work and Pensions Department: DEL