Written Answers of 30 June 2003

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

  Health and Safety
  Mrs. Brooke
  To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission (1) whether all statutory health and safety standards are applied throughout the Parliamentary Estate; and whether all manual workers on the Parliamentary Estate have been fully trained in health and safety legislation; [121592]

  (2) when the last full health and safety audit of the Parliamentary Estate was carried out; where hon. Members may inspect it; and when the next audit is due. [121593]

  Sir Archy Kirkwood
  The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and the regulations made under it do not in terms apply to the House. The Commission nevertheless attaches great importance to applying both the spirit and practice of the legislation. The House employs qualified health and safety specialists, and seeks to ensure full compliance with the law and industry best practice. All directly-employed works manual staff are required to undertake wide-ranging health and safety training including manual handling, risk assessment, control of substances hazardous to health and emergency first aid training. Contractors' staff are required to be competent individuals, who must work in accordance with a health and safety action plan. This plan is based on a formal risk assessment which is carried out for each project.

  Statutory health and safety standards are met through a 10-year rolling programme which includes cyclical maintenance, inspections, surveys and audits. Health and safety audits using the RoSPA Quality Safety Audit method were carried out in the Parliamentary Works Services Directorate and in the Refreshment Department in 2001. Currently an audit of the Serjeant's Departmental Safety Action Plan is being carried out. Copies of these audits are available for inspection from the Occupational Health, Safety and Welfare Service in 7 Millbank.

TRANSPORT

  Aviation
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the responses the Government has received to The Future Development of Air Transport in the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland consultation document. [121925]

  Mr. McNulty
  We have received approximately 300 responses to the consultation concerning Northern Ireland and about 140,000 responses from across the 2W
  UK. We will analyse all responses carefully and set out our conclusions in the Air Transport White Paper later this year.

  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what action he has taken to implement the principle enunciated in the 1998 Transport White Paper that aviation should meet the external, including environmental, costs it imposes. [122775]

  Mr. McNulty
  Following the announcement made in the 2002 Pre-Budget Report, the Government has issued a discussion document and held a series of workshops with stakeholders to consider the most effective economic instruments for ensuring that aviation meets its external costs, including environmental costs. The Government will set out its views in the forthcoming Air Transport White Paper. The Government strongly supports further action at the international level to tackle the contribution of aircraft emissions to climate change, and we are working within ICAO and the EU to achieve this. At the local level differential charges related to aircraft noise already exists at BAA's London airports.

  Chancery Lane Derailment
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what responsibility Metronet had for the recent replacement of bolts and brackets on Central Line trains; how much they received; and what the total programme cost. [121886]

  Mr. McNulty
  The bulk of the modification work was carried out by Infraco BCV, when it was a wholly owned subsidiary of London Underground Ltd. (LUL). Its ownership transferred to Metronet on 4 April 2003. Metronet Rail BCV will be paid for completing the remaining modification work, with the costs involved subject to discussion between LUL and Metronet. LUL report that, due to the intensive workload and the focus on reinstating a safe train service, the final costs are still being calculated.

  Civil Servants
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in his Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over. [119817]

  Mr. McNulty
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Douglas Alexander) on 24 June 2003,Official Report, columns 657–60W.

  Driving Licences
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how long it takes on average to(a) complete and (b) process the application form for a driving licence; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121579]
  3W
  Mr. Jamieson
  The current driving licence application form has been subject to detailed research to ensure ease of completion. Time to complete the form will depend on individual circumstances.

  In 2002–03 the DVLA's targets required that 95 per cent. of applications for normal vocational and first driving licences should be delivered to the driver within eight working days and 95 per cent. of other licence types within 10 working days. These targets were met in full for the six million photocard licences issued.

  Targets for 2003–04 have been tightened to require 98 per cent. of licences to be issued within the same timescale.

  Applications requiring background checks into health or identity can take longer. Customers can expect to receive licences within 15 working days.

  Flying Hours
  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposals under consideration by the Council of Ministers to increase the limits on flying hours; [121846]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the effects of pilot fatigue on aircraft accidents. [121847]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has reviewed the European Parliament's proposed flight time limitations (FTL) requirements. They advise me that, while the requirements are not totally acceptable, with suitable amendment they could form a baseline European FTL requirement which could be supplemented by additional requirements in each member state. We recognise the need for FTL requirements to be harmonised at a European level and should the proposal come before the Council we will work constructively with other member states to ensure that it is appropriately amended. I can assure the hon. Gentleman that we will not endorse the proposal if any of the limits are significantly different to those set by the CAA in CAP 371, which are in line with scientific advice that the CAA has received over the years.

  The CAA reviews all fatal accidents to large aircraft, both within the UK and abroad. Causal factors, contributory factors and consequences are analysed. In analysis of over 900 fatal accidents, crew fatigue has been identified as a possible secondary causal factor in 20 cases. None of these involved a UK registered or operated aircraft.

  Heathrow
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many and what proportion of(a) flights and (b) night flights landed at Heathrow Airport from a (i) westerly and (ii) easterly direction in (A) 1999, (B) 2000, (C) 2001, (D) 2002 and (E) the first 6 months of 2003. [122625]

  Mr. McNulty
  The information cannot be provided in the format requested within the required timescale. I will write to my hon. Friend in due course.

  London Underground
  Mr. Godsiff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps are being taken to ensure that pollution on the London Underground does not exceed statutory levels. [122184]

  Mr. McNulty
  London Underground Ltd. (LUL) has consulted the Government's Committee on the Medical Effects of Air Pollution (COMEAP) on this issue. COMEAP's advice is that statutory levels do not apply to the Underground. Nevertheless I understand from LUL that dust levels are many times lower than the statutory occupational exposure limits for various forms of dust, set by the Health and Safety Executive.

  Mental Health
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his staff retired on medical grounds due to mental health problems in the last year. [111945]

  Mr. McNulty
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Minister for the Cabinet Office on 24 June 2003,Official Report, column 662W.

  Offshore Wind Farm Bill
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the Department's policy on the Robin Rigg Offshore Wind Farm (Navigation and Fishing) (Scotland) Bill. [121768]

  Mr. Jamieson
  [holding answer 26 June 2003]: This Bill will be considered, in line with normal practice, when it has been passed by the Scottish Parliament.

  Self-employed Transport Managers
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his policy is on the use of self-employed transport managers under(a) the Goods Vehicle Licensing of Operators Act 1995 and (b) EU directive 96/26. [122313]

  Dr. Howells
  The Goods Vehicles (Licensing of Operators) Act 1995 and Directive 96/26/EC require the holders of Standard National and International goods vehicle operators' licences to be professionally competent or to have a transport manager. A transport manager is an individual who is in, or who is engaged to be in, the employment of the licence holder and who has continuous and effective responsibility for the management of the transport operations. Transport managers must be professionally competent and of good repute.

  The statutorily independent Traffic Commissioners are solely responsible for administering the goods operator licensing system. It is for them to decide if a nominated transport manager meets the requirements of the law, based on the individual circumstances of each operator.

  Signalling Masts
  Mrs. Patsy Calton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many rail signalling masts of 15 metres and over are planned by Network Rail in each region. [121832]
  5W
  Mr. McNulty
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on 19 May 2003,Official Report, columns 545–46W. Network Rail advises that in addition to its planned national mast installation programme forming part of its new safety system known as the Global System for Mobile Communications—Railways, 175 train control system masts are being installed on the West Coast Route as part of its modernisation.

  Stansted Airport
  Vera Baird
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what facilities are available at Stansted airport for the assistance and support of(a) disabled and (b) elderly members of the public; what information about such facilities is disseminated, and to whom; and what plans there are to improve assistance to disabled and elderly people at Stansted airport. [121833]

  Mr. McNulty
  Facilities and procedures at United Kingdom airports for assisting travellers with special needs should comply with the standards set in my Department's Code of Practice on Access to Air Travel for Disabled People, published in March. I have asked BAA plc to write to my hon. and learned Friend with details of the facilities available at Stansted.

  Information on facilities at Stansted can be obtained from the BAA Stansted website, the main airport telephone number and staff on duty at the airport. The Uttlesford District Council Access Group offers advice to travellers through its regular newsletters, and carries out an annual audit of the airport's special needs facilities, in addition to BAA's own internal access audit. I understand that all new facilities at BAA airports are designed in accordance with standards which take into account travellers with special needs.

  My Department plans to commence monitoring compliance with the Code of Practice at airports throughout the United Kingdom later this year.

  Traffic Commissioners
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has made to the Cabinet Office in its review by the Better Regulation Task Force of the role of traffic commissioners. [122310]

  Dr. Howells
  The Cabinet Office informed the Department for Transport in advance of a study its Better Regulation Task Force proposed into independent regulators including traffic commissioners. The study was launched in March 2003. The Department will be invited to comment in due course on the factual findings of the study about the transport sector.

  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what guidelines he has issued to traffic commissioners on implementing the Goods Vehicle Licensing of Operators Act 1995. [122312]

  Dr. Howells
  Traffic commissioners are statutorily independent. It is their responsibility to decide applications for goods operator licences in the light of the requirements of the Goods Vehicle (Licensing of Operators Act) 1995.

  Train Services
  Mr. Paul Marsden
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost was of a(a) standard and (b) first class train fare between Shrewsbury and London in each year since 1997. [121113]

  Mr. McNulty
  The following table provides the information requested.

  £

  Year

  Route Birmingham

  Route any permitted

  January

  SOR

  SVR

  FOR

  SOR

  SVR

  FOR

  2003

  115

  33.70

  184

  147

  44.10

  231

  2002

  108

  33.30

  172

  138

  43.60

  217

  2001

  98.50

  32.60

  157

  126

  40.50

  198

  2000

  98.50

  32.60

  143

  126

  43.80

  181

  1999

  83.50

  32.50

  121

  97

  43.70

  139

  1998

  72

  31.50

  100

  88

  42

  124

  1997

  70

  30.50

  97.50

  85

  41

  120

  Note:

  Cheaper book-ahead fares also exist. Slightly cheaper Saver fares also exist via route 'Central/Silverlink' valid only on Silverlink trains between Birmingham and London.

  SOR = Standard Open Return. Valid one month, fully-flexible with no time or day restrictions. Unregulated.

  SVR = Saver. Valid one month. Valid any time at weekends, off-peak Monday-Friday. Regulated.

  FOR = First Open Return. Valid one month, fully-flexible with no time or day restrictions. Unregulated.

  Underground (Dust)
  Harry Cohen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport why the dust vacuuming Underground train was taken out of service; and what plans there are to reintroduce it. [121887]

  Mr. McNulty
  The Tunnel Cleaning Train (TCT) was taken out of service last autumn, due to safety issues related to its age. The TCT has been problematic ever since it was introduced, because it was built using old (1938) rolling stock. Tube lines are now responsible for this train and are considering options for its repair or replacement or alternative ways of cleaning the tunnels. In the meantime, I understand that manual cleaning using standard industrial vacuum cleaners continues, that dust levels in the tunnels and stations are monitored, and that they have not changed as a result of the TCT not being in use.

  Vehicle Excise Duty
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will estimate how long it takes on average to(a) complete and (b) process the application form for Vehicle Excise Duty; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121577]

  Mr. Jamieson
  DVLA expects to handle some 40 million application forms for vehicle excise duty in 2003–04. Around 30 million of those require only the applicant to indicate the period of licence, sign and date the form and take minimal time to complete. A different form is required where there has been a recent change of circumstance and completion is estimated to take several minutes.
  7W
  Processing these forms at DVLA takes on average three weeks from date of receipt. The Agency aims to process 100 per cent. within one month of date of receipt.

  Tax discs are issued over the post office counter on production of the completed form, payment and other documents. The processing time thus has no impact on the motorist.

  Mr. Nigel Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many instances there were of vehicle excise duty evasion in Gloucestershire, broken down by local authority, in each year since 1997; and if he will estimate the cost of vehicle excise duty evasion in Gloucestershire, broken down by local authority, in each year since 1997. [121879]

  Mr. Jamieson
  A breakdown of evasion and of the revenue loss from evasion by local authority area could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The estimated number of vehicles evading Vehicle Excise Duty in each year since 1997 in England is as follows:

  England (thousand)

  1997–98

  1,424.1

  1998–99

  1,472.7

  1999–2000

  1,336.3

  2000–01

  1,403.1

  2001–02

  1,481.4

  2002–03

  1,559.6

  The estimated revenue loss from Vehicle Excise Duty evasion in each year since 1997 in England is as follows:

  £ million

  1997–98

  162.5

  1998–99

  172.5

  1999–2000

  162.2

  2000–01

  169.0

  2001–02

  170.5

  2002–03

  172.1

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Anti-terrorism measures
  Vera Baird
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he is taking to ensure that anti-terrorist measures are put in place in the regions. [120732]

  Mr. Blunkett
  Safeguards are in place right across the country to combat the threat posed by terrorism. It would not be appropriate to comment on the specific safeguards or operational procedures adopted by a particular local area. Day-to-day operational considerations are a matter for the heads of the relevant authorities in that area.

  The Government gives the police and security forces the funds and powers necessary to do their job. I am sure my hon. and learned Friend understands that it would not be appropriate for me to disclose contingency arrangements or how particular authorities utilise those resources available to them.

  Anti-Semitism
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many anti-semitic incidents were recorded in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement on the trend over the last year. [120937]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The Government publishes general statistics on racist incidents and racially-aggravated crime, but does not hold figures on specifically anti-semitic incidents. However, according to figures made available by the Community Security Trust (CST), a body that advises and represents the Jewish community on matters of anti-semitism and security, the numbers of anti-semitic incidents over the last five years were as follows:

  Total number of incidents

  1998

  236

  1999

  270

  2000

  405

  2001

  310

  According to the same source there were 89 anti-Semitic incidents reported in the first three months of 2003, an increase of 75 per cent. on the equivalent period in 2002. A high proportion of these incidents took place on university campuses.

  Asylum Seekers
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what services there are at Heathrow airport for unaccompanied children seeking asylum in the United Kingdom; and if he will make a statement. [116709]

  Beverley Hughes
  The Immigration Service has a duty of care to all unaccompanied children. Services and procedures are in place at Heathrow to ensure that this duty is fulfilled. These are:Unaccompanied children are dealt with immediately on arrival. They are given priority over other passengers.
  Appropriate adult staff are provided to supervise children while they are at Heathrow.
  All children are offered refreshments.
  Unaccompanied children arriving at Heathrow are, wherever possible, interviewed by immigration officers specifically trained to interview children.
  Reference to the Port Medical Inspector is always made prior to departure on temporary admission, or earlier, if there are any concerns about a child's health.
  Those children whose circumstances raise care and protection issues are referred to Hillingdon Social Services and the Metropolitan police's child protection officer based at Heathrow.
  All unaccompanied asylum-seeking children are referred to the Children's Panel who act as the independent advisor to the child during the processing of their asylum claim.
  We are currently trialling a multi-agency project on children who arrive at Heathrow Unaccompanied or without parents or guardians present. This will provide the basis for a detailed evaluation of such an approach in the longer term.

  Civil Contingencies
  Mr. Djanogly
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional expenditure over and above that identified prior to 1 April 2002(a) was

  9W
  spent in 2002–03 and (b) will be spent in 2003–04 on national and regional resilience work for (i) dealing with mass fatalities and (ii) decontamination; whether arrangements exist to release expenditure during the current financial year for resilience projects currently under consideration for (A) dealing with mass fatalities and (B) decontamination; and if he will make a statement. [113926]

  Mr. Blunkett
  [holding answer 16 May 2003]: The Government's Civil Contingencies Capabilities Programme has identified broad areas of activity under which Departments group specific projects, activity and programme expenditure. The purpose is to deliver broad generic capabilities which allow the UK to respond effectively to a wide range of disruptive challenges.

  The Home Office assumed responsibility for the initial assessment of the mass fatalities resilience work in late 2002. Prior to this, work was carried out on fatalities but was judged not to necessitate a specific project and was incorporated in other resilience work. All expenditure in 2002–03 is therefore additional. In 2002–03 £15,000 has been used researching the preparedness of the emergency services. £65,000 has been provided for work on a temporary facility (organised by GOLondon) at Northolt Airport and is to be spent in 2003–04. Further to this spending any additional money for the current financial year will not be known until the completion of the initial assessment work. The central expenditure excludes all the related work under way in local authorities.

  Decontamination is led by the Department of Health and supported by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister through Her Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate. I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Minister of State, Department of Health, the right hon. Member for Barrow and Furness (Mr. Hutton), on 12 June 2003, Official Report, column 1068W, and my hon. Friend the former parliamentary Under-Secretary, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (Mr. Leslie) on 26 June 2003, Official Report, column 900W. Within the Home Office the Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Team works on CBRN resilience which includes decontamination. This is not quantifiable in financial terms as it is integrated with other aspects of CBRN planning.

  The capabilities that we are working to deliver have been developed to allow the Government to deal with the fullest range of scenarios. Should a specific additional urgent operational need arise, at any point of the spending cycle, action would be taken to meet It. The public expenditure framework the Government have put in place provides the flexibility to deal with unexpected pressures.

  Civil Service (New Entrants)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many new entrants to the Civil Service were employed in his Department in each of the last five years; and how many in each year were aged 50 or over. [119825]
  10W
  Mr. Blunkett
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Paisley, South (Mr. Alexander) on 24 June 2003,Official Report, column 657W.

  DNA Database
  Mr. Wray
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department under what circumstances records of a person's DNA are kept; what plans he has to create a national DNA database; and what security measures he proposes to put in place to ensure that it is not abused. [119571]

  Ms Blears
  Sections 63 and 63A of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act (PACE) 1984, as amended, provides powers for taking a non-intimate sample without consent from a person in police detention in the following circumstances:following charge with a recordable offence or notification that a suspect will be reported for such an offence;
  on an Inspector's authority, which can only be given where the officer has reasonable grounds for believing the suspect is involved in a criminal offence and the DNA fingerprints will tend to confirm or disprove his involvement; or
  following conviction for a recordable offence.

  Section 64 of PACE provides that DNA samples and the profiles derived from them may be retained by the police but may only be used for purposes related to the prevention or detection of crime, the investigation of an offence or the conduct of a prosecution.

  DNA samples and their profiles may also be retained from persons who have voluntarily given a DNA sample and who have given their written consent to the profile being added to the National DNA Database, for example, persons who have taken part in an intelligence screening exercise where an offender is believed to live in a particular area.

  The national DNA database was established in 1995. It is a police intelligence database managed by the Forensic Science Service (FSS) on behalf of the police forces of England and Wales. Scotland has its own DNA database, and DNA profiles from subjects and selected unsolved crimes in Scotland are also added to the National DNA Database. The Police Service of Northern Ireland also has its own DNA Database. The Northern Ireland DNA Database is maintained by Forensic Science Northern Ireland. Occasional checks are made against the National DNA Database on behalf of the Police Service of Northern Ireland and steps are in hand to carry out quality checks on the Northern Ireland data with a view to adding all the profiles from that database to the National DNA Database.

  The Chief Scientist of the FSS is the Custodian of the National DNA Database under a Memorandum of Understanding with the Association of Chief Police Officers. Access to the information contained on the database is strictly controlled by the National DNA Database Custodian. Only Custodian staff have direct access and then only to the level required.

  There are no Government plans to introduce a database containing the DNA profiles of the entire UK population.

  Drugs
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many kilograms of(a) heroin and (b) cocaine were seized by Merseyside police in each of the past five years; and how many arrests were made in each year. [121624]

  Caroline Flint
  Kilograms of(a) heroin and (b) cocaine seized by Merseyside police in each year from 1997 to 2001 are shown in the table. Information on arrests for drug offences does not separately identify individual drugs. However, data provided in the table show persons found guilty or cautioned for possession of (a) heroin and (b) cocaine in the Merseyside police area from 1997–2000.

  The data on seizures and offenders for 1997–2000 are taken from the annual Home Office Statistical Bulletin, and on seizures for 2001 from Finding 202, "Seizures of Drugs in the UK 2001". These are available on the RDS website and in the Library (http://www. homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/hosb402.pdf and http:// www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs2/r202.pdf)

  Number of persons found guilty and cautioned for unlawful possession of heroin and cocaine and quantities in kilograms seized in Merseyside by year

  Cocaine

  Heroin

  Quantity (kg)

  Offenders

  Quantity (kg)

  Offenders

  1997

  5.6

  141

  8.6

  263

  1998

  3.5

  209

  3.4

  368

  1999

  2.8

  217

  13.7

  316

  2000

  16.1

  223

  3.5

  365

  2001

  27.3

  1—

  7.1

  1—

  12001 data on offenders are not yet available.

  Source:

  Home Office Drug Seizure and Offender Statistics, United Kingdom—Area Tables.

  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department makes money seized from drug dealers under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 available to fund additional places in drug rehabilitation clinics for addicts. [121625]

  Caroline Flint
  Criminal assets recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 are paid into the Consolidated Fund. There are no plans for money recovered from drug dealers to be used to fund additional places in drug rehabilitation clinics. However, money from recovered assets is currently being used to fund a number of anti-drugs projects and will in future go to the Home Office to help fund core expenditure programmes, including crime reduction and policing.

  Significant funding is being invested into the improvement of drugs treatment services. The annual spending on all treatment services, including treatment in prisons and supervised opiate substitute prescribing schemes, has increased considerably and is now over £500 million per annum.

  Euro Roadshow
  Mr. Flight
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the events he plans to attend as part of the Government's euro roadshow. [121401]
  12W
  Mr. Blunkett
  I refer the hon. Member to the reply my hon. Friend (John Healey) gave the right hon. and learned Member for Folkestone and Hythe (Mr. Howard) on 20 June 2003,Official Report, columns 458–59W.

  Faith Communities
  Mr. Bryant
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what way his Department is taking forward the Government's commitment to review the way in which Government departments interface with the faith communities. [123216]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The Government have a manifesto commitment to "look at Government's interface with the faith communities". This was prompted by the success of the Lambeth Group at the time of the millennium celebrations. My Department is now able to act on this commitment.

  My predecessor, my noble Friend Lord Filkin, recently convened a high-level Steering Group to take the work forward. I will now chair the Group. Its terms of reference are to consider the most effective means of achieving greater involvement of the faith communities in policy-making and delivery across Whitehall; to identify the specific policy areas where this input would be most valuable; to oversee the agenda of the Working Group, and comment on and monitor its work; and to agree a report and recommendations by the end of December 2003.

  The Group includes a number of Ministers from Departments with a particular interest, as well as prominent representatives of the faith communities and others with an interest. A membership list is attached for the information of the House. The small Working Group referred to in the terms of reference is carrying out the technical mapping and other work associated with the Review, and will report to the Steering Group.

  My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister is aware of our plans and attaches considerable importance to this Review. It will lay the foundations for the effective long-term involvement of the faith communities' perspectives and needs in policy development across Government, building on excellent work that is already being done, for instance in ensuring that Prison chaplaincy provision meets the needs of inmates from many faith communities. It also complements the work my Department is doing to deepen engagement with individual communities through ministerial visits and meetings.

  Review of Government's interface with the faith communities

  Membership Of Steering Group

  >Fiona Mactaggart MP, Home Office, Minister for Race Equality, Community Policy and Civic Renewal (Chair);

  Yvette Cooper MP, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister; Chair, Inner Cities Religious Council;

  Jacqui Smith MP, Department of Trade and Industry; responsible for Single Equality Body;

  HM Treasury Minister;

  Estelle Morris MP, Department for Culture, Media and Sport;

  Lord Filkin, Department for Constitutional Affairs;

  Stephen Twigg MP, Department for Education and Skills;

  13W

  William Chapman, Appointments Secretary, No. 10 Downing Street;

  Councillor Laura Willoughby, Chair, Local Government Association Equalities Executive;

  Rosalind Preston QBE, Co-Chair, Inter Faith Network for the UK;

  Right Reverend Tim Stevens, Anglican Bishop of Leicester;

  Reverend Joel Edwards, General Director, Evangelical Alliance;

  Baroness Kathleen Richardson, Moderator, Churches Commission on Inter Faith Relations;

  Sarah Lindsell, Director, Caritas Social Action;

  Iqbal Sacranie OBE, Secretary General, Muslim Council of Britain;

  Bimal Krishna das, Secretary, National Council of Hindu Temples;

  Indarjit Singh OBE, Director, Network of Sikh Organisations (UK);

  Prof. Jonathan Sacks, Chief Rabbi, United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth;

  Hon. Barney Leith, Secretary, National Spiritual Assembly of the Baha'is of the UK; and

  John Battle, Member of Parliament.

  Incitement of Racial Hatred
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what sanctions are available to prevent people from(a) receiving, (b) downloading and (c) storing materials (i) on the internet and (ii) from satellite TV which are likely to incite racial hatred; and if he will make a statement. [120938]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  Section 23 of the Public Order Act 1986 makes it an offence for a person to possess a recording of visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting, with a view to their being distributed, shown, played, broadcast or included in a cable programme service, if they are intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. This law applies to material broadcast via satellite television or on the internet which comes within UK jurisdiction. The Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 increased the maximum penalty for incitement to racial hatred from two to seven years' imprisonment.

  The investigation of possible breaches of these laws is an operational matter for the police and then the Crown Prosecution Service to pursue.

  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action can be taken against companies which make available material likely to incite race-hatred on satellite TV in the UK; and if he will make a statement. [120939]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  Under Section 22 of the Public Order Act 1986 any person making or participating in a broadcast or cable service programme involving threatening, abusive or insulting visual images is guilty of an offence if it is intended, or likely, to stir up racial hatred. Section 23 of the Act makes it an offence for a person to possess a recording of visual images or sounds which are threatening, abusive or insulting with a view to its being distributed, shown, played, broadcast or 14W
  included in a cable programme service, if it is intended or likely to stir up racial hatred. The offences now carry a maximum penalty of seven years' imprisonment.

  Additionally, under Section 43 of the Telecommunications Act 1984 it is an offence for a person to send, by means of a public telecommunication system, a message or other matter that is grossly offensive or of an indecent, obscene or menacing character.

  There may be jurisdictional problems in dealing with the broadcasting of racist satellite programmes from overseas into the UK. It is of course for the police and prosecuting authorities to decide whether to pursue proceedings, and for the courts to decide, in all the circumstances, whether an offence has been committed.

  Parliamentary Questions
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on writing to hon. Members to inform them of errors in replies to parliamentary questions. [121172]

  Mr. Blunkett
  Hon. Members are informed of errors in replies to parliamentary questions by the Questions Manager. If the error is of no great substance and is recorded prior to the publication of the bound copy of Hansard, then the hon. Members, along with Hansard, are written to informing them of the change.

  However, if the deadline for these errors has passed or it is a substantial change, then Table Office are informed. Table Office would then agree a pursuant answer. Hon. Members would then receive an answer from the Minister in the same manner as if it were an ordinary parliamentary question and the new answer would appear in Hansard.

  Payroll Contracts
  Mr. Benton
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total value is of the contract between the Home Office and Logica CMG to provide payroll bureau services for Home Office pay and Pensions Service; how much has been paid by the Home Office to CMG and Logica CMG to date under the payroll bureau services contract; how much has been paid by the Home Office to consultants for work undertaken for the Home Office Pay and Pensions Services in each year since April 2000; and how much has been paid by the Home Office to Employment Agencies for work undertaken within the Home Office Pay and Pensions Service in each year since April 2000. [120540]

  Mr. Blunkett
  [holding answer 20 June 2003]: The total value of the contract between the Home Office and Logica CMG to provide payroll services to the Home Office Pay and Pensions Service is £13.94 million. This represents a significant reduction per annum on what was paid to the previous payroll provider. A total of £8.2 million has been paid to date.

  The Home Office has paid the following amounts for consultants to undertake work in the Home Office Pay and Pensions Service.
  15W

  £ million

  1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001

  0

  1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002

  0.33

  1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003

  0.35

  1 April 2003 to date

  0.1

  The Home Office has paid the following amounts to employment agencies:

  £

  1 April 2000 to 31 March 2001

  0

  1 April 2001 to 31 March 2002

  5,473.70

  1 April 2002 to 31 March 2003

  169,371

  April 2003 to date

  7,904

  Prison Service
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list, for each of the last five years, the average number of prisoners held in each of the Category D prisons for which the Prison Service has responsibility. [121366]

  Paul Goggins
  [holding answer 25 June 2003]: The average number of prisoners in the years 1998 to 2002 held in open prisons is given in the following table.

  Annual average prison population

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  Male open prisons

  Ford

  434

  365

  378

  374

  495

  Hewell Grange

  193

  177

  173

  163

  184

  Hollesley Bay

  382

  314

  294

  323

  409

  Kirkham

  646

  462

  481

  462

  497

  Leyhill

  376

  374

  367

  356

  419

  Morton Hall

  200

  186

  120

  —

  —

  North Sea Camp

  193

  185

  195

  189

  250

  Frescoed

  95

  88

  95

  103

  106

  Spring Hill

  242

  242

  242

  243

  245

  Standford Hill

  340

  301

  310

  334

  382

  Sudbury

  495

  492

  499

  496

  505

  Wealstun

  290

  283

  282

  277

  272

  Female open prisons

  Askham Grange

  125

  120

  117

  120

  128

  Drake Hall East

  267

  218

  166

  202

  265

  Sutton Park

  91

  88

  76

  92

  89

  YOI open prisons

  Hatfield/Moorland Open

  153

  119

  131

  165

  173

  Thorn Cross

  217

  231

  224

  212

  219

  Note:

  Population figures are based on the main role of the prison

  Public Sector Workers (Protection from Assault)
  Mr. Donohoe
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to improve the protection of public sector workers against violence in their workplace. [120648]

  Mr. Browne
  I have been asked to reply

  The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) is committed to tackling the problem of work-related violence. In March 2000 HSC embarked on a three year programme to help employers, including those in the public sector, to tackle this problem, with the aim of reducing the number of incidents of violence at work. So far the programme has resulted in the publication of
  16W
  new guidance specifically aimed at small businesses; the development of new National Occupational Standards on work-related violence; a programme of inspections in the health care sector; and new research to establish good practice for lone workers, including those in the public sector.

  HSE officials are now evaluating this programme and will be submitting written proposals to the HSC on the next stage (2003–06) in due course.

  Regulatory Impact Assessments
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120838]

  Mr. Blunkett
  A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals.

  Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year is not held.

  From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their annual report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review. The NAO intend to review one Home Office RIA.

  The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

  Sewel Motions
  Annabelle Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to his Department's responsibilities and Government Bills he has sponsored. [120697]

  Mr. Blunkett
  Of the Bills sponsored by my Department the following were the subject of a Sewel motion in the Scottish Parliament on the date indicated.

  Bill

  Date of Sewel motion

  Representation of the People

  13 January 2000

  Sexual Offences (Amendment)

  19 January 2000

  Political Parties, Elections and Referendums

  9 March 2000 and 6 July 2000

  Regulation of Investigatory Powers

  6 April 2000

  Race Relations (Amendment)

  25 May 2000

  Criminal Justice and Courts Service

  5 October 2000

  Criminal Justice and Police

  7 February 2001

  Proceeds of Crime

  24 October 2001

  Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security

  15 November 2001

  Police Reform

  30 January 2002 and 27 June 2002

  Criminal Justice

  5 December 2002

  Sexual Offences

  20 March 2003

  Sustainable Development
  Mr. Roger Williams
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what remit relating to sustainable development is required by his Department's(a) executive agencies, (b) advisory non-departmental bodies, (c) executive non-departmental bodies, (d) tribunals, (e) public corporations and (f) other bodies. [116679]

  Mr. Blunkett
  Only one of the Home Office sponsored bodies, the Security Industry Authority, has a specific reference to sustainable development built into the Board's Code of Practice. However, the remits of most of the other bodies do make a positive contribution towards the social progress element of sustainable development. Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies (NDPBs) are also required to either follow the Department's Greening Operations Policy or to develop their own.

  Terrorism (European Framework Law)
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his policy is on a European framework law to govern the prosecution of terrorism. [121404]

  Mr. Blunkett
  The EU Framework Decision on Combating Terrorism, which was agreed by the Justice and Home Affairs Council of December 2001, requires all member states to introduce rigorous common terrorist offences and penalties. As a result, specific antiterrorism legislation has to be introduced in those EU member states that did not have such measures in place. The United Kingdom, which already has specific strong counter-terrorism legislation, fully supported the framework decision. We believe it is vital to ensure that the EU has a co-ordinated, robust response to terrorism.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Careers Services
  Mr. Boswell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve continuity of service between Connexions and higher education career services. [120588]

  Margaret Hodge
  Higher Education careers services are key partners on local adult information, advice and guidance (IAG) partnerships, with which Connexions Partnerships have close links, including representation on each others' Partnership Boards. The Learning and Skills Council (LSC)—which funds local adult IAG partnerships—and the Connexions Service National Unit (CSNU) have recently issued joint guidance to

  Maintained primary schools: Number of schools by religious character in each London borough

  Primary shools1

  January 2003 (Provisional)

  No religious character

  Church of England

  Roman Catholic

  Methodist

  Other Christian Faith2

  Jewish

  Muslim

  Sikh

  Other

  Total

  London

  1,362

  239

  241

  0

  0

  17

  1

  1

  1

  1,862

  Inner London

  471

  130

  105

  0

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  708

  City of London

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  Camden

  20

  13

  8

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  41

  Hackney

  42

  8

  4

  0

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  56

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  23

  5

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  35

  Haringey

  45

  10

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  66

  Islington

  31

  9

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  47

  18W
  local LSC and Connexions Partnerships on managing the transition to relevant adult IAG services for young people who are approaching age 20. This aims to ensure a seamless transition for those who continue to need support on choosing learning and career options including those entering higher education.

  Child Care
  Mr. Ruffley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many childcare places have been created in(a) Bury S. Edmunds constituency, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Cambridgeshire and (e) Essex in each year since 1999. [120429]

  Margaret Hodge
  The table shows the number of new child care places created each year in these areas.

  New child care places

  1999–2000

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  Bury St. Edmunds constituency1

  128

  148

  301

  206

  Suffolk

  1,044

  1,009

  1,427

  2,846

  Norfolk

  647

  1,529

  1,628

  2,579

  Cambridgeshire

  2,492

  2,208

  1,807

  2,802

  Essex

  3,544

  3,461

  2,983

  2,776

  1 Figures for the Bury St. Edmunds constituency exclude places with childminders, for whom data cannot be broken down within local authority areas. Within Suffolk, there were 282 new places with childminders in 1999–2000, 347 such places in 2000–01, 593 in 2001–02 and 1,040 in 2002–03.

  All figures are from local authorities' quarterly childcare monitoring returns.

  Criminal Records Bureau
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003,Official Report, column 303W, on the Criminal Records Bureau, how his Department calculated the figure to be contributed. [121745]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The level of contribution was determined in consultation with my right hon. Friends the Home Secretary and Secretary of State for Health having regard to the proportion of applicants for CRB Disclosures from the education sector.

  Faith Schools
  Mr. Cox
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many faith schools exist in each London borough authority. [120526]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is shown in the tables.
  19W

  Maintained primary schools: Number of schools by religious character in each London borough

  Primary shools1

  January 2003 (Provisional)

  No religious character

  Church of England

  Roman Catholic

  Methodist

  Other Christian Faith2

  Jewish

  Muslim

  Sikh

  Other

  Total

  Kensington and Chelsea

  12

  7

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  26

  Lambeth

  39

  15

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  61

  Lewisham

  49

  10

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  70

  Newham

  56

  3

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  66

  Southwark

  48

  12

  12

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  72

  Tower Hamlets

  53

  9

  8

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  70

  Wandsworth

  39

  9

  9

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  57

  Westminster

  14

  19

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  40

  Outer London

  891

  109

  136

  0

  0

  15

  1

  1

  1

  1,154

  Barking and Dagenham

  42

  2

  5

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  49

  Barnet

  57

  15

  11

  0

  0

  8

  0

  0

  0

  91

  Bexley

  52

  4

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  63

  Brent

  40

  5

  11

  0

  0

  3

  1

  0

  0

  60

  Bromley

  62

  8

  8

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  78

  Croydon

  75

  7

  11

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  94

  Ealing

  54

  3

  8

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  65

  Enfield

  47

  12

  5

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  65

  Greenwich

  47

  7

  10

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  64

  Harrow

  47

  2

  6

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  56

  Havering

  55

  2

  8

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  65

  Hillingdon

  53

  6

  6

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  66

  Hounslow

  51

  2

  7

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  60

  Kingston upon Thames

  22

  11

  4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  37

  Merton

  32

  5

  6

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  43

  Redbridge

  42

  1

  6

  0

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  51

  Richmond upon Thames

  26

  9

  6

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  41

  Sutton

  33

  4

  5

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  42

  Waltham Forest

  54

  4

  6

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  64

  Maintained secondary schools: Number of schools by religious character in each London borough

  Secondary schools1

  January 2003 (Provisional)

  No religious character

  Church of England

  Roman Catholic

  Methodist

  Other Christian Faith2

  Jewish

  Muslim

  Sikh

  Other

  Total

  London

  302

  29

  69

  0

  2

  3

  0

  1

  1

  407

  Inner London

  89

  14

  28

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  1

  133

  City of London

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  Camden

  7

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Hackney

  6

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  5

  2

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Haringey

  8

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  10

  Islington

  7

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Kensington and Chelsea

  1

  0

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  4

  Lambeth

  5

  3

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  10

  Lewisham

  9

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  12

  Newham

  13

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  15

  Southwark

  7

  2

  4

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  13

  Tower Hamlets

  11

  2

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  16

  Wandsworth

  7

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Westminster

  3

  3

  1

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  8

  Outer London

  213

  15

  41

  0

  1

  3

  0

  1

  0

  274

  Barking and Dagenham

  8

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  9

  Barnet

  14

  2

  4

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  21

  Bexley

  11

  1

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  15

  Brent

  10

  0

  3

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  14

  Bromley

  15

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  17

  Croydon

  14

  2

  5

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  21

  Ealing

  11

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  13

  Enfield

  14

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  17

  Greenwich

  10

  1

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  14

  Harrow

  8

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  10

  Havering

  14

  1

  2

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  18

  Hillingdon

  14

  1

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  1

  0

  17

  Hounslow

  10

  1

  3

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  14

  Kingston upon Thames

  7

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  10

  Merton

  6

  0

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  8

  Redbridge

  13

  0

  3

  0

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  17

  Richmond upon Thames

  7

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  8

  Sutton

  11

  1

  2

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  14

  Waltham Forest

  16

  0

  1

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  0

  17

  1 Includes middle schools as deemed.

  2 Includes schools of mixed denomination or other Christian beliefs.

  Source:

  Annual Schools' Census and EduBase
  20W

  Literacy and Numeracy
  Gregory Barker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent representations he has received regarding government targets for literacy and numeracy. [120781]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  Ministers recently met and talked with over 2000 primary headteachers at conferences across the country. They shared our ambitions for raising standards but asked us to consider how we could help to motivate them and their staff to achieve improved pupil performance.

  We agree with them that primary schools should have targets which are not only stretching, but realistic and signed up to by everyone in the school. Targets in literacy and numeracy provide a clear focus for what we need to achieve. All children who have the potential to do so should achieve Level 4 in English and maths at age 11. Our document 'Excellence and Enjoyment: a strategy for primary schools' published in May announced that in future schools will be empowered to set their own challenging but appropriate targets for individual pupils at age 11.

  Public Service Agreements
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the Minister for Children will be setting new Public Service Agreements. [121002]

  Margaret Hodge
  We have no plans to set any new Public Service Agreement Targets before the next spending review. The PSA targets which the Department for Education and Skills will be taking over with its new, additional responsibilities for children and families will be published on its website in due course.

  Sewel Motions
  Annabelle Ewing
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list Sewel motions passed by the Scottish Parliament since May 1999 that apply to his Department's responsibilities and Government Bills he has sponsored. [120693]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  One Sewel motion was passed by the Scottish Parliament in respect of the Education and Skills Department legislation—in respect of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 on 18 May 2000.

  Sunset Clauses
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to include a sunset clause in all new legislation promoted by his Department unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120850]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  This will not be my policy: it will depend on the subject matter of the Bill whether any sunset clauses are appropriate in respect of any of its provisions.

  Teacher Recruitment
  Mr. Damian Green
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much his Department is spending on the current television advertising campaign for teacher recruitment. [120999]
  22W
  Mr. Miliband
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Altrincham and Sale, West (Mr. Brady) dated 23 June 2003,Official Report, column 544W.

  Teacher Training
  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if he will make a statement on bursaries available for postgraduate teacher training; and what assessment he has made of the effect of bursaries on the number of students entering postgraduate teacher training; [121773]

  (2) what plans he has to introduce a bursary for undergraduates taking teacher training courses. [121774]

  Mr. Miliband
  The introduction of teacher training bursaries from September 2000 played a major part in reversing an eight-year trend of declining recruitment to courses of initial teacher training at institutions in England. Since 1999/2000, the number of entrants to courses leading to the Postgraduate Certificate in Education has increased by 34 per cent. to 23,441, a record level. In the same period, the numbers of science and mathematics graduates entering teacher training have risen by 21 per cent. and 38 per cent. respectively. Figures published on 4 June by the Graduate teacher Training Registry showed applications from graduates to train as teachers in 2003/04 running 16 per cent. above their level at the same time last year. My right hon. Friend has no present plans to extend eligibility for the training bursaries.

  Young Voices
  Mr. Hendry
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what he estimates the annual cost of Young Voices will be. [120532]

  Margaret Hodge
  [holding answer 20 June 2003]: 'Young Voices' is not a Connexions produced publication. It is an independent magazine and is an off-shoot of 'The Voice', a magazine targeted at members of the black community.

  'The Voice' and ' Young Voices' are published by Vee Tee Ay (Media Resources) Co Ltd. 'The Voice' is an independent, weekly publication established in 1992. It has an audited publication of c. 34,000, and a cover price of £0.75.

  London Connexions Partnerships supported the recent launch of 'The Voice' by having Connexions Personal Advisers (PAs) present at the launch event. The PAs were on hand to offer advice, support and guidance to young people attending the event. 'Young Voices' will also feature the Connexions Direct number from time to time, but this is at no cost to Connexions.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

  Africa
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what percentage of Africa she estimates was covered in forest in(a) 1975, (b) 1985, (c) 1995 and (d) 2002. [122665]
  23W
  Hilary Benn
  Comparable UN estimates for forest cover in Africa are available for 1990 and 2000. Forest cover fell from almost 24 per cent. of total land surface to just under 22 per cent., a net loss of 0.8 per cent. or 5.2 million ha a year (a loss roughly equivalent to the size of France annually). There were particularly high rates of loss of mangrove forests and in Cote d'Ivoire and Congo of natural forest.

  Estimates of forest cover are available for 1980 and 1975 (25 per cent. in 1980 and between 17 per cent. and 33 per cent. of land area in 1975), but are not truly comparable as (a) they are based on different definitions of forest cover and (b) the assessment methods used in 1975 were neither accurate nor complete.

  Deforestation between 1990 and 2000 was higher in Africa than in Asia. This is because 62 per cent. of Asia forest cover is now plantation, and this has compensated for loss of natural forest, whereas in Africa only 4 per cent. is plantation.

  While "deforestation rate" is one official indicator for measuring success or failure of Millennium Development Goal 7 it is an imperfect one that hides differential impacts on poor people and does not capture the underlying causes of reducing forest cover—population growth, trade (including trade in illegal timber), macro-economic policies, weak governance, unclear access rights and conflict.

  Sources:

  State of the World's Forests 2002, FAO

  State of the World's Forests, 1995, FAO

  An Interim Report on the State of Forest Resources in Developing Countries, 1988, FAO

  Sommer, A. "Attempt at a Global Assessment of Tropical Moist

  Forests", Unasylva, 112–113, Vol 28.1976

  Global Forest Watch—various

  Norman Baker
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if the Secretary of State will take steps to prevent industrial fishing by EU countries from seriously depleting fish stocks off the coast of Africa. [122668]

  Hilary Benn
  We recognise that there is a risk to the fish stocks of African coastal states and that the activities of European fishing vessels, supported by EC negotiated access agreements, could be contributing to this.

  We acknowledge that this is a very serious issue because very many poor people in these countries depend on healthy fish stocks to provide sources of livelihood, income and nutrition. However, the sale of access rights to foreign vessels also contributes substantially to the Government revenue of several African countries where there are few alternative sources of funds.

  We believe that the solution lies in coherent policy and effective control rather than in outright prevention. In conjunction with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, we are actively promoting the incorporation of measures for effective social and environmental impact assessment and regular stock assessment into these agreements. DFID's contribution to the current review of the European Union's Common Fisheries Policy is directed at securing these measures. Once the Policy reflects these improvements, we will
  24W
  closely monitor how they are implemented. Finally, DFID funds several development programmes and initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of developing countries in fisheries generally and in the negotiation of fisheries access agreements in particular. We are currently discussing with a number of African countries support to strengthen policy for a fairer distribution of the benefits generated from such agreements.

  Finally, DFID funds several development programmes and initiatives aimed at increasing the capacity of developing countries in fisheries generally and in the negotiation of fisheries access agreements in particular. We are currently discussing with a number of African countries support to strengthen policy for a fairer distribution of the benefits generated from such agreements.

  International Finance Facility
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if she will make a statement on the discussions and conclusions made in the recent G8 summit regarding the International Finance Facility. [122737]

  Hilary Benn
  The recent G8 summit reaffirmed its view that achieving the Millennium Development Goals will require both increased efforts and resources. I welcome in particular, the positive and practical conclusion that Finance Ministers should report back by September on the issues raised by the financing instruments, including the proposal for a new International Finance Facility.

  Iraq
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what action UK forces are taking to ensure that children in Iraq are receiving an education; and if she will make a statement. [121615]

  Hilary Benn
  The UK military in Iraq are working to maintain a secure environment in which it is safe for schools to operate normally. They have also carried out a number of projects to restore public services in the south of Iraq.

  UNICEF, UNESCO and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) are working with the Iraqi Ministry of Education to get schools back up and running as soon as possible. 500 "school in a box" kits have been distributed to encourage the immediate reopening of schools. Funding is also being made available through US Agency for International Development contractors to rehabilitate 6,000 schools and provide school equipment. The CPA has announced that over 60 per cent. of Iraq's schools are now open. The school year has been extended by a month to help make up for the time that children were unable to go to school during the conflict.

  Mr. Jim Cunningham
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if she will make a statement on the UK preparations for the return of Iraqi refugees; and what action is being taken to alleviate the burden of refugees in Iran. [122246]
  25W
  Hilary Benn
  As many as 500,000 refugees and asylum seekers may wish to return to Iraq once the situation in the country stabilises. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNCHR) is consulting host countries and the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) over repatriation arrangements for the 214,000 refugees in neighbouring countries, mainly Iran. The CPA is not yet in a position to facilitate returnees, but is making preparations to do so, with the support of DFID staff.

  The Government restarted the processing of Iraq asylum claims in the United Kingdom on 16 June following a moratorium requested by UNHCR because of the war. It is now possible for Iraqis who wish to return from the UK to do so under a programme administered by the International Organization for Migration (IOM). Only voluntary returns are being assisted at this stage.

  Kenya
  Mr. Wiggin
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development what assessment he has made of the potential danger to workers involved in the flower industry in Kenya due to exposure to chemicals; and if he will make a statement. [122017]

  Hilary Benn
  Kenya is a major supplier of cut flowers both to the UK and European markets. Exporting firms operate under Codes of Practice or Standards agreed with buyers from these markets. Most such Codes commit the growers to follow acceptable practices in the use of chemicals and pesticides in order to protect the health and safety of workers. Kenyan law also contains several provisions relating to worker health and safety.

  DFID has worked with leading flower growers and the Kenya Flower Council to develop an industry-wide code, which covers good practice in the use of chemicals. DFID has also been working with the Ethical Trading Initiative and industry stakeholders to provide training and capacity building, and both DFID and the ETI are observers on a recently-formed Steering Committee, comprising all stakeholders in the flower sector, which is developing a framework for social auditing. These initiatives are designed to help ensure that good practice is not only developed but is also implemented.

  Performance Targets
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will list the targets the Department for International Development set for(a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) non-governmental organisations, (c) consular offices, (d) research bodies and (e) agencies in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [122565]

  Hilary Benn
  DFID has not set any formal targets for non-governmental organisations, research bodies, non-departmental public bodies or agencies in the years mentioned. Consular offices are the responsibly of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

  However, when we work with or fund any such organisations we agree the outcomes we expect them to deliver and assess their performance accordingly. We have entered into a number of formal Partnership Programme Agreements with non-governmental
  26W
  organisations, for example. These are based on agreed outcomes which contribute to DFID's overall objectives.

  In our 2001–04 Public Service Agreement we set a target for CDC (of which the Secretary of State for International Development is the sole shareholder). This required CDC to make at least 70 per cent. of its new investments in poor developing countries and 50 per cent. of its new investments in sub-Saharan Africa and south Asia. Alongside this target, DFID established in 1999 an Investment Policy to which CDC Group plc must work. This involves using its capital so as to maximize the creation and long-term growth of viable businesses in poorer developing countries through responsible investment and by mobilising private finance.

  Senior Departmental Posts
  Annabelle Ewing
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development how many senior departmental posts were advertised in each year since June 1999; and how many of those were advertised in the Scottish press. [120670]

  Hilary Benn
  Due to a change in DFID's advertising service provider, DFID only hold details of adverts placed since 2001.

  Senior Departmental posts advertised each year since 2001 include:

  Senior departmental posts advertised

  Financial year

  Number of senior departmental posts advertised

  Number advertised in Scottish media

  2001–02

  1

  0

  2002–03

  6

  0

  2003–041

  3

  0

  1 To date

  Our advertising service provider advises on which publications maximise value for money and circulation coverage. Many of the publications used, produce Scottish editions or have UK nationwide coverage.

  WTO Meeting (Mexico)
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Minister of State, Department for International Development if he will make a statement on the United Kingdom Government's objectives at the World Trade Organisation's ministerial meeting in Mexico in September. [121912]

  Hilary Benn
  The Government are committed to making sure that the new round of trade talks launched in Doha in November 2001—the so called Doha Development Agenda—delivers real benefits for the world's poor. In particular, we are working hard with other Government Departments to ensure a successful outcome to the fifth World Trade Organisation (WTO) Ministerial meeting in Cancun in September, especially on those issues which are of most importance to developing countries, namely agriculture, TRIPs and public health and special and differential treatment.

CABINET

  Civil Contingencies Bill
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent representations he has received on the implications for local government finance of the Civil Contingencies Bill. [121351]

  Mr. Alexander
  Representations have been received from a wide range of organisations on the Civil Contingencies Bill. These have included representations dealing with the issue of funding.

  The draft Civil Contingencies Bill (Cmd 5843) was published on 19 June 2003. Two of the specific questions raised in the accompanying consultation document are related to the mechanism and level of funding for local government civil protection work. I expect to receive further representations on funding as a result of the consultation.

  Regulatory Impact Assessments
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement or the department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120859]

  Mr. Alexander
  The Cabinet Office has policy responsibility for the Regulatory Impact Assessment process and provides guidance and support to departments to help ensure compliance with the process.

  A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.

  From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.

  The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

  Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year is not held.

  Sunset Clauses
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make it his policy to include, a sunset clause in all new legislation unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120861]

  Mr. Alexander
  The Cabinet Office actively promotes the better regulation agenda and the use of sunsetting where appropriate.
  28W
  On 28 January 2003 we published the revised Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) guidance 'Better Policy Making: A Guide to Regulatory Impact Assessment'. It advises policy officials to consider time limiting or sunsetting at an early stage of policy development and gives specific examples of where sunsetting may be appropriate.

  However, Sunsetting will not always be appropriate. When we do regulate we aim to do so in a light touch way. We are not going to apologise for introducing the minimum wage, bringing in parental leave, giving millions of employees the right for the first time to paid holidays, or tackling discrimination.

  Traffic Commissioners
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office if he will make a statement on his review of the role of traffic commissioners by the Better Regulation Task Force. [122309]

  Mr. Alexander
  The independent Better Regulation Task Force is not reviewing the role of the traffic commissioners. Its study, launched in March 2003, will examine what lessons can be learned about the way in which a good independent regulator should be run and conduct its business. The Task Force has decided to focus on several areas where regulators have an influence, and is collecting evidence from a selection of bodies that regulate healthcare, sport, the built environment and the transport (non-rail) sector, including the traffic commissioners.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

  Crown Prosecution Service
  Mr. Steen
  To ask the Solicitor General how many cases were referred to the CPS by each police service in England and Wales in each of the last three years; what percentage of referred cases were dropped by the CPS; and what percentage of referred cases resulted in a criminal conviction. [122052]

  The Solicitor-General
  CPS records are held for each of the 42 Areas of the Service which are not always coterminous with the boundaries of the 43 police forces.

  The tables which have been placed in the Library show the number of defendant cases received by the Crown Prosecution Service in magistrates' courts and in the Crown Court for each of the last three years, and the eventual outcome of proceedings. Case outcomes are expressed as a percentage of completed cases for each year. The number of cases dealt with may differ from the number received because incomplete proceedings are carried over from year to year.
  29W
  Cases may result in a number of different outcomes: these are shown in full.

  The table of outcomes for magistrates' courts shows:
  Received: the number of defendants whose case was received from the police during each year, including cases referred for pre-charge advice as well as those which were the subject of charge or summons;
  Discontinued: the number in which the CPS decided not to proceed before evidence was heard;
  Bound over: the number in which the CPS agreed to accept a bind over, and no trial was held;
  Written off: the number of cases which could not proceed because the police could not trace the defendant, or the defendant had died or been found unfit to plead;
  Committed for trial in the Crown Court;
  Dismissed; and
  Convicted, including guilty pleas as well as convictions after trial.

  The table of outcomes for the Crown Court shows:
  Received: the number of cases received from magistrates' courts, including appeals and committals for sentence as well as those committed for trial;
  Judge ordered acquittals: the number in which the CPS decided not to proceed before a jury was sworn;
  Bound over: the number in which the CPS agreed to accept a bind over, and no trial was held;
  Written off: the number of cases which could not proceed because the police could not trace the defendant, or the defendant had died or been found unfit to plead;
  Acquitted; and
  Convicted, including guilty pleas as well as convictions after trial.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Tourism
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what measures her Department is taking to assist the English tourism industry. [122077]

  Mr. Caborn
  England offers visitors a wonderful range of attractions. The Department supports tourism directly through its sponsorship of VisitBritain, which has a remit to promote Britain overseas and England to the domestic market. It also provides funds to the Regional Development Agencies, who play a key role in strategic planning for tourism. Under reformed arrangements, we will work closely with the industry to drive up accommodation quality, foster skills to increase productivity, improve tourism statistics, and ensure that a coordinated marketing strategy yields maximum benefit for the sustainable growth of English tourism.

  British Film Industry
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to secure the future of the British film industry. [122078]
  30W
  Estelle Morris
  In April 2000, the Government charged the UK Film Council with building a sustainable British film industry. As part of its Stage Two Strategy, the Council has identified three key areas for development: training and skills, the better distribution of British films, and facilities for filmmaking in the UK.

  Regional Anthems

    Olympic Bid
    Richard Ottaway
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the appointment of Ms Barbara Cassani to lead the London Olympic bid. [122080]

    Tessa Jowell
    Barbara Cassani has been selected as Chair of the company that is being established to prepare the bid to bring the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London. The decision was made jointly by the three key partners in the bid: the Government, the Mayor of London and the British Olympic Association. Barbara Cassani has the skills, business acumen and drive to give London the best chance to bring the games to the UK in 2012.

    Social Exclusion
    Mr. Simon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will take steps to introduce a distribution of National Lottery funding aimed at tackling social exclusion and regenerating deprived communities. [122085]

    Estelle Morris
    Since the introduction of the 1998 Lottery Act and changes to policy directions, we have encouraged distributors to focus on areas of social and economic deprivation.

    National Lottery
    Bob Spink
    What assessment she has made of the trend in National Lottery receipts. [122090]

    Estelle Morris
    National Lottery sales were over 5 per cent. down in the last financial year compared to 2001–02. But Camelot has taken steps to arrest this decline and there are good prospects for growth in ticket sales from planned new games.

    Norman Lamb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on lottery funds for sport-related activities. [122094]

    Mr. Caborn
    Since the introduction of the National Lottery almost £1.9 billion has been awarded to sports projects and activities. The New Opportunities Fund is also making available £581 million for the provision of sports facilities at schools in England. The Government have guaranteed until 2009 the percentage shares of the National Lottery passing to the sport, arts, heritage and charities good causes.

    Nick Harvey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Lottery money went to(a) good causes, (b) the Exchequer as duty, (c) administration costs, (d) prizes and (e) other places in each of the last 10 years. [121630]

    Estelle Morris
    The following table shows a breakdown of the c ivision of Lottery proceeds for each year since the National Lottery was established.
    31W

    £ million

    1994–95

    1995–96

    1996–97

    1997–98

    1998–99

    1999–2000

    2000–01

    2001–02

    2002–03

    Total sales

    1,191

    5,217

    4,723

    5,514

    5,228

    5,094

    4,983

    4,834

    4,5753

    Prizes

    544

    2,505

    2,256

    2,635

    2,501

    2,454

    2,418

    2,207

    Good causes1

    312

    1,457

    1,444

    1,753

    1,671

    1,581

    1,551

    1,523

    Lottery duty

    143

    626

    567

    662

    627

    611

    598

    580

    Retailers' commission

    61

    265

    242

    282

    265

    258

    253

    248

    Retained by the operator2

    137

    452

    311

    318

    301

    306

    280

    403

    Notes:

    1. Money for good causes to the National Lottery Distribution Fund includes ticket sales, unclaimed prizes shortfall, ancillary income and interest. For this reason, total figures may not add.

    2. Sales less prizes, ticket sales payment, prize target shortfall, lottery duty, other miscellaneous payments, ancillary activity income and retailers' commissions.

    3. For 2002–03 the total sales figure is taken from Camelot's prelimininary statement. Audited data for the remaining headings will be available shortly in the National Lottery Commision's annual report.

    Regional Anthems
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what discussions she has had with regional arts corganisations concerning regional anthems as a way of promoting the Government's vision of regional government in England. [122091]

    Estelle Morris
    No such discussions have taken place.

    Sports Facilities (Rural Schools)
    Mr Ian Liddell-Grainger
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on public sports facilities provided through schools in rural areas. [122092]

    Mr. Caborn
    The Government is committed to improving access to sport for all, wherever they live. We are investing over £1/2 billion in England alone by way of the New Opportunities Fund PE and Sport programme, through which all LEAs have received funds for new build and refurbishment schools projects. Preference is being given to those proposals with a public and community aspect.

    Sporting/Cultural Activities (West Midlands)
    Mr. Jim Cunningham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how the Government plans to encourage(a) sporting and (b) cultural activities in the west Midlands. [122093]

    Mr. Caborn
    The Government are committed to promoting increased access and participation in both sport and cultural activity throughout the country, including the west Midlands. The region has and will continue to benefit from funding through a number of sports and cultural funding programmes.

    Community Sports Facilities
    Laura Moffatt
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of collaborative initiatives which deliver community sporting facilities on school sites. [122095]

    Mr. Caborn
    The New Opportunities Fund will be evaluating the success of schemes under the PE and sport programme up until 2008—three years after the deadline for spending funds secured through the programme. A sample of schemes being completed 32W
    under the space for sport and arts initiative—all of which will be complete by March 2004—will be studied to establish the impact of new facilities built.

    BBC Licence Fee
    Miss McIntosh
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the future of the BBC licence fee. [122096]

    Tessa Jowell
    The Government's intention is that the television licence fee will remain as the main source of BBC funding at least until the expiry of the BBC's current Royal Charter at the end of 2006. The subsequent funding arrangements will need to be considered as part of BBC Charter review.

    Dorrington Recreation Association
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport when Sport England will issue a grant to Dorrington Recreation Association to support their application for funding a new hard play area. [121861]

    Mr. Caborn
    The responsibility for Lottery awards rests with the independent distributing bodies. Sport England, as with all distributing bodies, makes its funding decisions independently of Government.

    Sport England's review of its operations, business objectives and Lottery-funded programmes is being carried out as part of its modernisation and restructuring programme. I understand that Sport England's Council hopes to make decisions on outstanding applications soon.

    Gaming Laws
    Mr. Greg Knight
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what organisations and individuals she has consulted in respect of the Government's proposed changes to the gaming laws. [R] [122569]

    Mr. Caborn
    When we published the report of the Gambling Review Body in July 2001, we invited public comments on its proposals. We received many responses and took them all into account when preparing our response to the report, which we published in March 2002 as Cm 5397. Appendix E to Cm 5397 lists all those who participated in the consultation. Since then we have regularly consulted the main stakeholders, including
    33W
    gambling industry bodies, local authorities, law enforcement bodies, churches and bodies concerned with the prevention and treatment of problem gambling.

    Greyhound Racing
    Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, how many greyhounds were bred for racing in the UK in each of the past five years; how many made it to the tracks each year; and what information she has on the greyhounds that did not make it to the tracks. [122265]

    Mr. Caborn
    The information available from the British Greyhound Racing Board (BGRB), the governing body for 31 of the 51 licensed greyhound tracks in this country; shows that the number of British bred greyhounds for each of the last five years as: 4,278 (1998); 3,984; 4,206 (2000); 4,446 (2001); and 5,286 (2002).

    The following figures detail the number of British bred greyhounds registered with the National Greyhound Racing Club (NGRC), the regulatory body for these 31 tracks, to race in each of the last five years, 2,404 (1999); 2,265 (1999); 2,482 (2000); 2,250 (2001); and 2,632 (2002).

    Information is not held centrally and is not readily available about numbers of unraced greyhounds or greyhounds racing at the 20 independent tracks.

    Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the bookmaking industry has taken in each of the last five years from betting on greyhound racing; and how much of this money was spent on retirement provision for greyhounds. [122275]

    Mr. Caborn
    The British Greyhound Racing Board (BGRB), the governing body for 31 of the 51 licensed greyhound tracks in this country, has supplied figures estimating the level of bookmaker turnover on greyhound racing in each of the last five years as: £1.5 billion (1998); £1.2 billion (1999); £1.6 billion (2000); £1.8 billion (2001); and £2.1 billion (2002).

    Profit levels are not available for all of the bookmakers, although some of the larger public owned companies provide profit figures in their annual reports.

    The BGRB has also supplied figures detailing the money allocated to the Retired Greyhound Trust (RGT), a body funded through the voluntary contribution made by bookmakers to greyhound racing, for each of the last five years as: £137,000 (1998); £175,000 (1999); £245,000 (2000); £285,000 (2001); and £600,000 (2002).

    There is no centrally held information concerning the retirement provisions at the 20 independent tracks.

    Sports Administration
    Mr. Reed
    To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to promote greater co-operation between the sports administrators of the four home nations. [121409]
    34W
    Mr. Caborn
    A number of means already exist to facilitate effective co-operation between the sports administrators of the four home nations. At ministerial level, there is the Sports Cabinet, which is responsible for identifying strategic priorities and brings together Sports Ministers from the four parts of the UK and others closely involved in the development of UK sport. The membership comprises the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, who chairs it, and the Home Country Ministers with responsibility for sport. I represent England. The Chairs of the Home Country Sports Councils also attend in the capacity as observers to hear discussions where appropriate. The Cabinet meets on average twice a year.

    The Chairs of the Home Country Sports Councils are also Council members of UK Sport. UK Sport takes the lead in co-ordinating activities between home country sports councils and sport administrators working in high performance sport. UK Sport hosts regular meetings of the Chief Officers' Group, lead officers in performance, modernisation and on issues of ethics and equity. In addition, UK Sport has convened a 'Performance Forum', involving home country sports councils, the sports institutes from the home countries and representatives of national governing bodies of sport. This complements the work of the 'leadership group' which includes the directors and chairs of the four home country sports institutes, alongside representatives of UK Sport and which was established to help co-ordinate work across the UK Sports Institute network.

  CHURCH COMMISSIONERS

    St. Giles Church, Imber
    Dr. Murrison
    To ask the hon. Member for Middlesbrough, representing the Church Commissioners if he will make a statement on the Commissioners' plans for St. Giles Church, Imber. [122061]

    Mr. Bell
    St. Giles Church was declared redundant last November. The Commissioners have undertaken wide-ranging discussions with all interested parties about the options for the future of this church and will be considering these further next week.

  ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

    Postal Voting
    Mr. McLoughlin
    To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, if he will make a statement on the Commission's research on postal vote arrangements. [122059]

    Mr. Viggers
    The Electoral Commission published a report on the law and practice in relation to postal and proxy voting in March. The Commission's evaluation of the pilot schemes run at the local government elections in England in May, including those schemes that involved all-postal voting, will be submitted to Government on 31 July 2003.

  DEFENCE

    A and P Shipbuilders
    Mr. Frank Field
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list(a) refit and (b) other work which his Department has placed with A and P Shipbuilders in each of the past four years. [122734]

    Mr. Ingram
    The following contracts, all relating to Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) vessels, were awarded to the A and P Group during the period 1 June 1999 to 31 May 2003:

    Refit

    Planned Upkeep/ Maintenance Work

    Other work

    1999

    Sir Tristram

    Sir Bedivere

    Brambleleaf

    Sir Galahad

    Diligence

    2000

    Oak Leaf

    Gold Rover

    2001

    Sir Galahad

    Fort Austin

    Sea

    Sir Geraint

    Orangeleaf

    Crusader

    Grey Rover

    (return charter)

    Sir Bedivere

    Sea Centurion

    Sir Tristram

    Sir Percivale

    Sir Galahad

    2002

    Sir Rosalie

    Brambleleaf

    Fort Victoria

    Gold Rover

    (propeller repair)

    Fort Victoria

    2003

    Nil

    Oakleaf

    In addition, the company was awarded a contract for small vessel repair/refurbishment work in each of the years 2000, 2001 and 2002.

    Army Housing
    Hugh Robertson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost was of Army house removals in each year since 1999; and what the average volumes were for those moves. [122470]

    Mr. Caplin
    The information requested is taking time to collate. As soon as this is complete, I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

    Bereaved Service Families
    Mr. Amess
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he is taking in support of widows and partners of service personnel who died in the Gulf conflict. [122708]

    Mr. Caplin
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer my predecessor gave on 1 May 2003,Official Report, columns 452–53W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Redcar (Ms Baird).

    Cluster Munitions
    Harry Cohen
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the expected service life was of the BL755 when it entered service; and whether projects are under way to extend its service life. [121602]

    Mr. Ingram
    BL755 entered service in 1971 with a planned service life of 15 to 20 years. It is currently planned that it will go out of service around the end 36W
    of the decade. Surveillance trials are conducted periodically to confirm that it continues to provide a usable capability.

    Compendium of Ministry of Defence Acquisition Requirements
    Mr. Jenkin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the latest version of the Compendium of Ministry of Defence Acquisition Requirements; and when he intends to publish another version. [120872]

    Mr. Ingram
    The Compendium has previously been published as a companion annual supplement to the fortnightly Ministry of Defence Contracts Bulletin. The compendium was produced to provide the defence industry with a consolidated list of the MOD's approved requirements for future equipment and services for the armed forces. However, defence industry interest in the document has declined significantly and, in view of the resource taken to compile it, we have decided that the Compendium will no longer be published. MOD's requirements continue to be advertised in the MOD's Contracts Bulletin which provides up to date information for our suppliers and potential suppliers.

    The final edition of the Compendium of MOD Acquisition Requirements (for 2001) was published as a Special Issue of the Contracts Bulletin in January 2002. I am placing a copy of this in the Library of the House.

    Defence Medical Services (Iraq)
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003,Official Report, column 252W, on Operation Telic, how many personnel currently serving in Operation Telic have been medically downgraded; and what percentage of the total personnel deployed this represents. [122177]

    Mr. Caplin
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 18 June 2003,Official Report, column 252W.

    Defence Projects (Israel)
    Dr. Tonge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Government of Israel concerning a new generation jet fighter project in collaboration with the Netherlands. [121676]

    Mr. Ingram
    None.

    Defence Systems Exhibition
    Mr. Sanders
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's role in the Defence Systems and Equipment International Exhibition being held in Docklands in September. [120998]

    Mr. Ingram
    The exhibition is an international trade event organised by a commercial company. The role of the Ministry of Defence is in inviting a number of Official Defence Delegations and as sponsor of a stand and demonstrations by British Army teams. Subject to operational constraints, two RN ships are planned to be
    37W
    present. A letter of welcome to the Exhibition by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence will appear in the printed catalogue.

    Departmental Targets
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets his Department had in place with(a) non-departmental public bodies, (b) non-governmental organisations, (c) consular offices, (d) research bodies and (e) agencies in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [122041]

    Mr. Caplin
    Key targets for Ministry of Defence agencies are announced annually through a written statement in the House; these include two Trading Fund agencies who are the Department's primary research bodies. The Department does not have comparable systems of targets in place in relation to non-departmental public bodies, non-governmental organisations, or consular offices.

    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what targets his Department had in place with(a) the Performance Assessment Network, (b) the Performance Reporting Information System for Management and (c) the Multilateral Organisations' Performance Assessment Initiative in (i) 2000–01, (ii) 2001–02 and (iii) 2002–03; and if he will make a statement. [122042]

    Mr. Caplin
    None.

    Euro
    Norman Lamb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he received the Treasury documents relating to the five economic tests and the 18 background studies; what discussions he has held with ministerial colleagues on the tests since receipt of the documents; when he expects to complete his analysis of the documents; and what representations(a) he and (b) departmental officials will make to other Departments before a decision is reached on the economic tests. [115392]

    Mr. Ingram
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Pontefract and Castleford (Yvette Cooper) the Under-Secretary of State, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 23 June 2003,Official Report, column 640W.

    Executive Agencies
    Angus Robertson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Analytical Services Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and how these figures compare to 2002. [119285]

    Mr. Caplin
    The Defence Analytical Services Agency currently employs around 150 civilian staff at seven locations. As last year, no staff are employed in Scotland. The total personnel costs for financial year 2002–03 were just over £4.4 million compared to around £4.0 million for financial year 2001–02.
    38W
    Angus Robertson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Procurement Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and how these figures compare to 2002. [119295]

    Mr. Caplin
    The Defence Procurement Agency employs approximately 4,500 civilian and military staff, of which 119 are in Scotland compared to 122 in 2002. The total Defence Procurement Agency personnel costs for financial year 2002–03 were just under £138 million, compared with an estimated £147 million for financial year 2003–04.

    Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman
    Mr. Jenkin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action the Military Police in the Basra region has taken to investigate the whereabouts of Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman; and if he will make a statement. [116225]

    Mr. Ingram
    In the light of information that came to light last month, the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch have begun an investigation into the disappearance of Fred Nerac and Hussein Osman. Prior to this, and subject to the constraints of the security situation on the ground, British troops in southern Iraq, including members of the Royal Military Police, provided ITN investigators with whatever assistance they reasonably could in trying to establish what had happened.

    General Service Medal (Suez)
    Mr. Laws
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the detailed qualification criteria for the General Service Medal for those who served in the Suez Canal Zone 1951–54 to be(a) formulated and (b) made public; whether broad qualification criteria will be made public beforehand; and if he will make a statement. [121308]

    Mr. Caplin
    My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced on 11 June 2003,Official Report, column 869W, that Suez veterans who served in the Canal Zone between 1951 and 1954 are to be awarded the General Service Medal. Following that announcement the detailed work is now being carried out by the Ministry of Defence for eventual presentation to Her Majesty for approval. It is too early to judge when this work will be concluded.

    Health Care Initiatives
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the(a) Army Training and Recruiting Agency Secondary Healthcare Initiative, (b) Waiting List Initiative and (c) Rapid Treatment Initiative. [121309]

    Mr. Caplin
    The Army Training and Recruiting Agency's (ATRA) secondary healthcare initiative was formally introduced on 1 April 2001 and remains in operation. Personnel eligible for treatment under the scheme are ATRA trainers or trainees referred by their unit General Practitioner for investigation, opinion and/ or treatment for a condition which is preventing them from continuing with their employment or training. Personnel are referred only when lengthy waiting times occur at the local Ministry of Defence Hospital Unit or
    39W
    NHS hospital. The initiative has proved successful in reducing the average waiting time for both consultation and treatment, enabling trainers and trainees to return to work or training more quickly. The scheme is kept under constant review.

    The Waiting List Initiative and the Rapid Treatment Initiative were schemes run by the then Defence Secondary Care Agency in 2000–01 and January 2002 respectively. Some 2000 referrals were made under the two schemes, which were successful in treating personnel more quickly than would otherwise have been possible and in returning many of them to full fitness. Experience gained from these two initiatives will be relevant to further fast-track treatment initiatives in the future.

    Infantry Deployment
    Mr. Jenkin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which infantry regiments were deployed on Operation(a) Joint Guardian, (b) Essential Harvest, (c) Palliser, (d) Fingal, (e) Veritas and (f) Telic. [120874]

    Mr. Ingram
    The information requested is set out as follows:

    Operation Veritas is the overarching operational name given to Operations in Afghanistan, encompassing Operations Oracle, Jacana, and Fingal. No infantry battalions were deployed on either Operations Oracle or Jacana, and the infantry regiments de cloyed on Operation Fingal are detailed separately.

    Operation Joint Guardian

    1 Battalion The Irish Guards

    1 Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment

    1 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    2 Battalion The Royal Green Jackets

    2 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

    1 Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

    1 Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

    1 Battalion The Black Watch

    1 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales

    1 Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

    1 Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment

    1 Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment1

    Operation Essential Harvest

    2 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    Operation Palliser

    1 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    Operation Fingal

    2 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    1 Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment

    2 Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment

    Operation Telic

    1 Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

    1 Battalion The Black Watch

    1 Battalion The Duke of Wellington's Regiment

    1 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    3 Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    1 Battalion The Royal Irish Regiment

    1 Battalion Irish Guards1

    I Battalion Light Infantry1

    1Company level only.

    40W
    Mr. Jenkin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which infantry regiments have undertaken BATUS training exercises in each of the past five years. [120876]

    Mr. Ingram
    The infantry units that have trained in BATUS during the last five years are listed as follows:

    1998

    1st Battalion The Green Howards

    1st Battalion Irish Guards

    1999

    2nd Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

    2000

    C Company, 1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment

    C Company, 1st Battalion The Royal Highland Fusiliers

    1st Battalion The Queen's Lancashire Regiment

    2nd Battalion The Parachute Regiment

    2001

    1st Battalion Irish Guards

    1st Battalion The Staffordshire Regiment

    1st Battalion Welsh Guards

    2002

    1st Battalion The Black Watch

    1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers

    1st Battalion The Kings Regiment

    1st Battalion The King's Own Scottish Borderers

    2003

    1st Battalion The Light Infantry

    1st Battalion The Royal Regiment of Wales

    1st Battalion The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshire)

    1st Battalion The Cheshire Regiment

    Maintenance Costs
    Patrick Mercer
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how often reviews are undertaken of the cost-effectiveness of contracts that the Ministry of Defence and its agencies have with outside contractors for the maintenance of Ministry of Defence(a) equipment, (b) civil establishments, (c) military establishments and (d) IT equipment. [121249]

    Mr. Ingram
    The Ministry of Defence places on average around 40,000 contracts per year. The information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Iraq
    Julie Morgan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how large the task force is which is looking for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq broken down by(a) scientists, (b) army personnel and (c) others; and if she will list the job categories of those in
    © above. [121013]

    Mr. Hoon
    [holding answer 23 June 2003]: The Iraq Survey Group will have a changing membership based on the task at hand. The ISG will be around 1,400 strong and will be able to draw upon expertise and personnel as required. Its members would be Service personnel and subject-matter technical experts.
    41W
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the circumstances in which British Service personnel will be withdrawn from Iraq. [122447]

    Mr. Hoon
    We have committed ourselves to the long-term humanitarian, political and economic welfare of the Iraqi people. We will help them to restore effective representative government for all their people, to regain economic stability, and to reintegrate into the international community. Our Military Campaign Objectives contain a commitment to the withdrawal of British military forces from Iraq as soon as is practicable.

    Richard Younger-Ross
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what weapons British forces allow Iraqis to keep for self-defence. [122645]

    Mr. Ingram
    Iraqi citizens are prohibited from possessing automatic weapons or from carrying weapons in public. In their homes, Iraqi citizens may keep non-automatic rifles, shotguns and pistols.

    Mr. MacDougall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the number of deaths resulting from the recent war in Iraq. [117878]

    Mr. Ingram
    [holding answer 9 June 2003]: In the period to 1 May, 33 UK service personnel had lost their lives. As of 25 June a further 10 personnel had died.

    Fatalities suffered by other members of the coalition is a matter for them to comment on.

    We make every effort to minimise any impact on the Iraqi civilian population of the coalition's military action. We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqi civilians, or other categories, who were killed during the conflict.

    Regular medical personnel deployed on operations overseas

    Iraq

    Bosnia

    Kosovo

    Afghanistan

    Sierra Leone

    Falkland Islands

    Anaesthetics

    2

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    General Surgery

    1

    0

    1

    0

    0

    0

    General Medicine

    0

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Occupational Medicine/Public Health

    2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    General Practitioner/General Duties Medical Officer

    22

    3

    2

    1

    1

    2

    Nurses

    29

    6

    8

    1

    1

    1

    Physiotherapy

    0

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    Environmental Health Officer

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Environmental Health Technician

    3

    0

    0

    1

    0

    0

    Pharmacist

    2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Pharmacy Technician

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Laboratory Technician

    1

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Radiography

    0

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Operating Department Practitioner

    0

    0

    2

    0

    0

    0

    Combat Medical Technician/Medical Assistant

    124

    42

    10

    6

    0

    11

    Health Care Assistant

    0

    4

    6

    0

    0

    0

    Medical Support Officer

    22

    4

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Dental Officer

    2

    2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Dental Support Specialist

    2

    2

    0

    0

    0

    1

    42W
    Mr. Gerald Howarth
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much money has been raised for British servicemen through the UK Gulf Forces Trust Fund. [121799]

    Mr. Caplin
    As at 25 June the total amount raised by the United Kingdom Forces Gulf Fund was approximately £290,000.

    Mr. Tynan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Iraq Survey Group to report on the progress of its work; and if he will make a statement. [122131]

    Mr. Ingram
    I refer my hon. Friend to my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's answer on 23 June 2003,Official Report, column 616W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith).

    Mr. Allen
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many casualties there have been in the Iraq conflict, broken down by(a) British military personnel, (b) Iraqi civilians and (c) other categories. [118879]

    Mr. Ingram
    In the period to 1 May, 33 UK Service personnel had lost their lives. As of 25 June a further 10 personnel had died.

    We make every effort to minimise any impact on the Iraqi civilian population of the coalition's military action. We have no means of ascertaining the numbers of Iraqi civilians, or other categories, who were killed during the conflict.

    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many medical personnel are on service overseas, broken down by specialisation; in which locations; and if he will make a statement. [118798]

    Mr. Caplin
    [holding answer 12 June 2003]: As at 23 June 2003, 650 personnel in the Defence Medical Services were deployed on operations overseas. The following table breaks this down between Regular and Reserve personnel and by specialty and location:
    43W

    Regular medical personnel deployed on operations overseas

    Iraq

    Bosnia

    Kosovo

    Afghanistan

    Sierra Leone

    Falkland Islands

    Anaesthetics

    6

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    General Surgery

    3

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    General Medicine

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Pathologist

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Radiologist

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    General Practitioner

    11

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Nurses

    134

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Physiotherapy

    3

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Technical Officer

    3

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Environmental Health Technician

    2

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Pharmacist

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Laboratory Technician

    6

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Radiography

    3

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Operating Department Practitioner

    10

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Combat Medical Technician/Medical Assistant

    117

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Medical Support Officer

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Dental Support Specialist

    5

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Dental Hygienist

    1

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Operation Dimming Sun
    Llew Smith
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on operation Dimming Sun; how much it cost to host; where and when it took place; which countries' participants came, what scenario was tested; and if he will(a) post on the departmental web site and (b) place in the Library a copy of the final report of the exercise. [122278]

    Mr. Ingram
    Exercise Dimming Sun 03 was a joint UK/US Grade A defence nuclear accident response exercise. It is not possible to disaggregate the costs of the exercise as the majority lie where they fall, and are not charged specifically to an exercise budget as participants are carrying out duties to which they are already assigned in their command structure. The exercise took place in Norfolk over the period 16 to 20 June 2003, and was co-sponsored by the United Kingdom Ministry of Defence and the United States Department of Defense (DoD), Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA). Exercise play was also conducted at the MOD Headquarters Nuclear Accident Response Organisation in London, the US Embassy in London and by US Government officials in Washington. The exercise scenario simulated the crash in Norfolk of a US Air Force aircraft, carrying a cargo of unarmed nuclear weapons. UK and US units participated in the exercise and responded to the incident, as well as other Government Departments, agencies, civil emergency services and local authorities. A copy of the All Agency Report on this exercise will be placed in the Library of the House as soon as it is completed. It will not be posted on the Departmental web site.

    Operation Telic
    Angus Robertson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many(a) volunteer reserves personnel and (b) regular reservists in the (i) Royal Navy, (ii) Royal Marines, (iii) Army and (iv) RAF units are involved in Operation Telic; and if he will make a statement. [122152]
    44W
    Mr. Caplin
    As at 20 June, the following Volunteer and Regular Reservists were involved in Operation TELIC:

    Volunteer and regular reservists involved in operation TELIC

    Number

    Royal Navy

    Royal navy reserve

    145

    Royal fleet reserve

    0

    Royal Marines

    Royal marine reserve

    0

    Royal fleet reserve

    0

    Army

    Territorial army

    3,990

    Regular reserve

    157

    RAF

    RAFR and RauxAF

    656

    Sponsored reserves

    10

    Regular reserves

    165

    Parliamentary Questions
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in response to how many parliamentary written questions during the 2002–03 session he has decided to withhold information under the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information; and what percentage of written questions asked this constitutes. [119104]

    Mr. Caplin
    [pursuant to his answer, 18 June 2003, col. 252 W]: I regret that the date and last session of the Select Committee on Public Administration report 'Ministerial Accountability and Parliamentary Questions' was incorrect. The last report was published in July 2002 for Session 1999–2000.

    Private Sector Medical Treatment
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces have been removed from medical waiting lists because they have opted to pay for their own treatment in the private sector in the last 12 months; and if he will make a statement. [121370]
    45W
    Mr. Caplin
    This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Procurement
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors underlay the decision to purchase Sonar 2087 systems for frigates; and if he will make a statement. [120727]

    Mr. Ingram
    It was decided to purchase Sonar 2087 in order to protect against modern, quieter nuclear and conventionally powered submarines. The system is designed to detect, classify, localise and track a hostile submarine while remaining outside its firing range. The number of ship sets to be purchased takes into account such considerations as the threat assessment, budgetary priorities and platform availability.

    Order

    Item

    Contract placed

    Quantity

    Delivery period

    Desert Trouser

    19 and 24 December 2002

    89,700

    February to April

    Desert Lightweight Jacket

    19 and 24 December 2002

    92,750

    February to April

    Desert Boots

    29 November 2002 and 10 January 2003

    30,000

    February to April

    Radioactive Material
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the quantities of radioactive material he has held in each year since 1980, broken down by(a) high level, (b) intermediate level and (c) low level material. [122664]

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

    RAF Northolt
    Mr. Randall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list operational military airfields situated within 50 miles of central London. [122173]

    Mr. Ingram
    Operational military airfields within 50 miles of central London are:

    RAF Odiham

    RAF Benson

    RAF Northolt

    Mr. Randall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his Answer of 3 June 2003,Official Report, column 292W, on Heathrow, (1) what assessment has been made of the future status of RAF Northolt if flying activity there were to cease; [122166]

    (2) what assessment has been made of alternative airfields for military flights within the London area, should flying activity at RAF Northolt be precluded. [122165]

    Mr. Ingram
    As no decision has yet been made on the possibility of a third runway at Heathrow, it would be
    46W
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the order was placed for the supply of desert boots and uniforms prior to the war in Iraq; what quantities were ordered; what the contract price was; when the order was supplied; and what the final cost was. [120730]

    Mr. Ingram
    Due to the scale of deployment of personnel to Iraq, contracts were placed prior to the commencement of operations to supplement stock already held under planning assumptions. These are shown in the following table. The delivery dates reflect the dates for delivery of the items to the Ministry of Defence's central storage depots in the United Kingdom. I am withholding details of cost in accordance with Exemption 13 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

    premature to assess the future status of RAF Northolt or the alternative airfields that might be available if flying activity were to cease there.

    Mr. Randall
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the strategic importance of RAF Northolt, with particular reference to military flights. [122167]

    Mr. Ingram
    RAF Northolt is home to 32 (The Royal) Squadron, part of the Ministry of Defence Communications Fleet, which is established for the support of military and Government communications tasks in times of crisis and war. It provides a rapid and secure method of transport for key personnel in pursuit of urgent defence tasks.

    Refurbishment Costs
    Patrick Mercer
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many refurbishment programmes undertaken by the Ministry of Defence and its agencies are over-running; what extra costs have been incurred by these over-runs; and how many of these programmes involve outside contractors. [121251]

    Mr. Ingram
    Given the size of the Defence estate and the number of buildings and other facilities on it, it is difficult to define what constitutes "refurbishment". Work on buildings can range from minor modifications and maintenance, to the complete restoration of listed buildings, and the maintenance of machinery such as lifts. While information on individual contracts is available, it is currently not held centrally or on a consistent basis could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Suicide
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the suicide rate of active members of the Army has been since 1993, broken down by regiment. [121367]
    47W
    Mr. Caplin
    I am unable to provide a suicide rate for individual regiments due to changes in the Army regimental structure since 1993. I have therefore provided the suicide, and open verdict, mortality rate of Army personnel since 1993 for each Arm or Service. This information is contained in the table.

    Suicide and open verdict mortality mtes in Army males, 1993–2002

    Arm or Service

    Rates per 100,000 strength

    H Cavalry/RAC

    14

    RA

    7

    RE

    8

    R Signals

    14

    Infantry

    20

    RLC

    19

    RAMC/RAVC/RADC/QARANC

    18

    REME

    7

    AG Corps

    12

    AAC

    —

    Other1

    11

    All

    14

    1Other includes staff, RAChD, SASC, Int Corp, APTC, General List, CAM, Officer Designates, LS LIST and unallocated.

    Surveillance Devices
    Mr. Sanders
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether surveillance devices were discovered during the last refurbishment of the MOD buildings in Whitehall. [120140]

    Mr. Caplin
    All security issues are regularly reviewed, including the capability to detect surveillance devices during refurbishment. However I am unable to provide any further information in accordance with Exemption 1 a of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information which relates to security.

    Tigers Road Premises, South Wigston
    Mr. Gamier
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has for the future use of the Territorial Army and cadet premises and land at Tigers Road, South Wigston, near Leicester. [122181]

    Mr. Caplin
    We have no plans to vary the current use or to dispose of the land known as Glen Parva Barracks, which is used as the Territorial Army (TA) Centre for B Squadron, The Royal Yeomanry, and a detachment from 118 Recovery Company, 104 Battalion REME (V). In addition, the County Headquarters of Leicestershire, Northhamptonshire and Rutland Army Cadet Force will continue to be based at the Barracks.

    A recent decision has been taken to dispose of some land adjacent to Glen Parva Barracks, owned by the East Midland Reserve Forces and Cadet Association, but this will not have a impact on the activities of the units based at the TA Centre.

    War Pensions
    Mr. Dismore
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate he has made of the number of claims under the war pensions scheme, accepted under the current burden of proof arrangements, which would be rejected under his proposed changes. [120002]
    48W
    Mr. Caplin
    The proposed changes would not affect claims from those currently eligible under the War Pension Scheme, or from those whose conditions arose before the introduction of the new scheme. The review team's evaluation of the changes proposed for the new scheme looked at the combined effect on a future cohort of claimants of those changes (including arrangements for time-limits and review for deterioration, as well as standard of proof) as against the combined provisions of the two existing schemes—the War Pension Scheme and the Armed Forces Pension Scheme. Its primary concern was whether, overall, the new arrangements would ensure eligibility for those claimants whose conditions might reasonably be regarded as attributable to service and whether the level of provision was appropriate to the pain and suffering incurred and to the expected effect on earnings capacity. It also looked at the overall budgetary implications for the Department. It did not consider the specific effect on numbers of the change to standard of proof. The important issue was the overall effect for those with a reasonable claim rather than the effect of one isolated aspect. The review team's conclusions were that its proposals would provide fairer, more comprehensible and administratively more simple arrangements with a better focus on those whose earning capacity has been significantly affected. As indicated, decisions on claims would be subject to an independent tribunal. The review team expects its proposals to be broadly cost neutral.

  TREASURY

    Benefits Cost
    Vera Baird
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the cost of(a) benefits and (b) tax credits was (i) in the UK, (ii) in the North East region and (iii) in the Tees Valley as a percentage of GDP in the last year for which figures are available. [121826]

    Dawn Primarolo
    As described in Chapter C of Budget 2003, the 2001–02 cost of social security benefits was 10.1 per cent. of GDP. Similarly, tax credits (including those treated as expenditure and those as negative taxation) were 1.1 per cent. of GDP. Child allowances in Income Support and Jobseekers' Allowance are included in the latter figure rather than the former, to give consistent definitions over the period of the Budget tables.

    Comparable figures are not available for regions or sub-regions.

    Council Tax
    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) of 10 June 2003,Official Report, columns 746–47W, on council tax, what the council tax was as a percentage of gross income for (a) pensioner households and (b) non-pensioner households in each income decile in England for the financial year 2001–02. [121737]

    John Healey
    The information requested falls within the Responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
    49W
    Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Edward Davey, dated 30 June 2003:
    As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking for a break down of council tax as a percentage of gross income in England in 2001–02 by (a) pensioner and (b) non-pensioner households consistent with estimates given in the previous answer of 10 June to Matthew Taylor MP for households in Great Britain. (121737).
    Estimates for council taxes and income are based on the analysis "The effects of taxes and benefits on household income 2001–02" produced by the ONS and published on the National Statistics website on April 11 2003 and in Economics Trends in the May 2003 edition. The analysis can be obtained from the House of Commons Library. This includes measures of income inequality for the United Kingdom as a whole based on data from the Expenditure and Food Survey. Sample sizes for pensioner households are only sufficient to allow a breakdown to be given for England not for Scotland or Wales, and by quintiles of income distribution not by decile.
    Pensioner households have been defined as those where the Household Reference Person is retired or unoccupied and aged 65 or more and male, or 60 years of age or more and female, and

    Council tax as a percentage of gross income for pensioner 1 and non-pensioner households, 2001–02, England

    Percentage

    Quintile groups of all households ranked disposable income

    Households

    Bottom

    2nd

    3rd

    4th

    Top

    All households

    Quintile points2(equivalised

    Pensioner

    9,230

    11,539

    13,998

    8,548

    disposable income £ per year)

    Non-pensioner

    11,773

    17,264

    23,332

    32,276

    Gross council tax

    Pensioner

    8.3

    4.9

    2.9

    2.3

    1.6

    2.8

    Non-pensioner

    7.4

    4.5

    3.6

    2.8

    1.8

    3.1

    Net council tax3

    Pensioner

    6.1

    3.4

    2.1

    1.9

    1.6

    2.2

    Non-pensioner

    4.6

    3.9

    3.5

    2.7

    1.8

    2.8

    1 Household reference person is retired or unoccupied and over minimum state pension age.

    2 Equivalised disposable income at the boundary point between two quintile groups.

    3 Net councils taxes after deducting benefits and discounts.

    Source:

    Office for National tatistis, based on the analysis 'The effects of taxes and benefits on household income', published on the ONS website and in Economic Trends No. 594 May 2003.

    Customs Seizures
    Simon Hughes
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many seizures of(a) firearms, (b) drugs and (c) other dangerous goods were recorded at UK ports and airports in the last five years; [120596]

    Financial Year

    Heroin (Kgs)

    Cocaine (Kgs)

    Other Class A (Kgs)

    Ecstasy (kgs)

    Cannabis (Kgs)

    Firearms seized1 (Number)

    Other offensive weapons siezed2 (Number)

    2001–02

    1,489

    6,075

    113

    1,330

    67,061

    2,015

    2,045

    2000–01

    2,043

    7,420

    305

    1,060

    41,776

    2,697

    Figures not available

    1999–2000

    2,707

    2,525

    1,900

    800

    77,853

    1,911

    Figures not available

    1998–1999

    594

    3,540

    1,542

    Not separately recorded

    62,028

    2,689

    Figures not available

    1997–1998

    1,821

    2,356

    1,548

    Not separately recorded

    80,380

    5,461

    Figures not available

    1 Includes self-defence sprays and stun guns.

    2 Includes flick knives, butterfly knives, knuckle dusters, telescopic truncheons, death stars, blow pipes and sword sticks.

    A breakdown of seizures for ports and airports and postal depots for the last five years could only be obtaine at disproportionate cost.
    50W
    economically inactive. Non-pensioner households are all other households. The House hold Reference Person is identified during the interview and is defined as the member of the household who:

    a. owns the household accommodation, or

    b. is legally responsible for the rent of the accommodation, or

    c. has the household accommodation as an emolument or perquisite, or

    d. has the household accommodation by virtue of some relationship to the owner who is not a member of the household.

    If there are joint householders, the Household Reference Person will be the householder with the highest income. If the income is the same, then the eldest householder is taken.
    The following table shows the estimated gross and net council tax for pensioner and non-pensioner households in England for each income quintile where households are ranked by equivalised disposable income. The net council tax figures are gross council tax less benefits and discounts. The table shows the equivalised disposable income quintile point boundaries, which have been calculated separately for the pensioner and non-pensioner households.
    For example, the 1st quintile point for the pensioner households is the income below which one fifth of all pensioner households are estimated to lie and similarly for the non-pensioner households. The quintile point boundaries differ between the two groups, particularly between the fourth and fifth quintiles.

    (2) on how many occasions in each of the last five years (a) firearms, (b) drugs and (c) other dangerous goods were intercepted in the post. [120761]

    John Healey
    The following table gives HM Customs and Excise seizures of drugs, firearms and other offensive weapons over the five years up to 2001–02, the last complete year for which figures are available.

    Departmental Ministers
    Mr. Horam
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many Ministers there were in his Department in each year since 1995. [120989]
    51W
    John Healey
    I refer the hon. Gentleman to the reply given to him by the Minister for the Cabinet Office and Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster on 24 June 2003,Official Report, column 661W.

    Environmental Costs
    Sue Doughty
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what economic instruments the Treasury plans to use to internalise the environmental costs of goods; and if he will make a statement. [121986]

    John Healey
    The Government will continue to use a range of economic instruments, including environmental taxes and tradable permit schemes, to internalise environmental costs in prices.

    The principles and approach of Government policy on using economic instruments are set out in the document Tax and the environment: using economic instruments', which was published alongside the 2002 Pre-Budget Report.

    The Chancellor decides taxation policy in the context of the Budget process.

    European Economic Convergence
    Mr. Stephen O'Brien
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what measures he would take, following a decision to implement a discretionary fiscal policy to stabilise the economy to ensure that departmental expenditure reinforces policy regarding taxation, in order to maintain macroeconomic stability, as discussed in the Treasury document Fiscal stabilisation and EMU. [121555]

    Mr. Boateng
    Departmental expenditure plans are set within a framework that is consistent with the Government's objective of achieving fiscal sustainability and therefore macroeconomic stability. In the event of EMU entry, using government spending for stabilisation purposes would not be sensible, as any changes made would involve long inside lags and frequent changes would conflict with the current medium-term spending framework.

    Financial Products (Charges)
    Mr. Kidney
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will publish the responses that he has received to his consultation on the 1 per cent. cap on administration charges for financial products; and what his timescale is for making an announcement on the outcome of the consultation. [122626]

    Mr. Boateng
    The Government published their consultation document 'Proposed Product Specifications for Sandier "Stakeholder" Products' on 5 February, 2003. The consultation closed on 2 May, 2003. The Government will publish a response to the consultation in the summer.

    Responses to the consultation will be placed on the Treasury website, with the exception of the limited number that requested confidentiality.

    Liquefied Petroleum Gas
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to establish medium term stability on the taxation of liquefied petroleum gas. [122350]
    52W
    John Healey
    In Budget 2001, the Chancellor gave a commitment that the duty on liquefied petroleum gas would not be increased in real terms until 2004 at the earliest. The Chancellor announced in Budget 2003 that the Government would consult key stakeholders on how best to ensure that support for road fuel gases beyond 2004 would continue to reflect environmental and other policy objectives. This consultation was launched earlier this month and will seek stakeholders' views on the effectiveness of range of potential incentives, including fuel duties and the grants for LPG vehicles currently offered through the TransportEnergy PowerShift programme.

    The consultation is being carried out jointly by the Department for Transport, HM Treasury and HM Customs and Excise and will conclude in September. We plan to announce our conclusions at this year's Pre-Budget Report.

    Local Authority Funding
    Mr. Cousins
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will place in the Library a copy of the Treasury study for the issues in the review of local authority funding. [122464]

    John Healey
    The Treasury is not undertaking a review into local authority funding. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister is currently reviewing the balance of funding in local government finance and copies of the papers for this review are available on the ODPM website.

    Personal Debt
    Mr. Jenkins
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer [pursuant to his answer of 16 June,Official Report, column 40W, on personal debt, what action is he taking to reduce the level of existing personal debt within the UK. [120742]

    Mr. Boateng
    Within the framework of macroeconomic stability and financial awareness set by the Government, operational decisions reside with relevant institutions and individuals.

    Stamp Duty
    Mr. McGrady
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to remove stamp duty for first-time buyers. [121730]

    Mr. Boateng
    The Government is not convinced that removing stamp duty for first-time buyers is the best way to assist those on the bottom rung of the housing ladder. Indeed it might actually fuel house price inflation and make property less affordable for first-time buyers. Continuing stability through the Government's policies, and in particular, continuing low interest rates, have been effective in helping people to be able to afford their own home. As such there are no plans to remove stamp duty for first-time buyers.

    VAT
    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) what the change in value added tax was in each financial year since 1991–92; [121735]
    53W
    (2) what the (a) average amount of value added tax paid per household and (b) the average change per household in value added tax paid was in each financial year since 1991–92. [121736]

    John Healey
    The standard rate of VAT was increased from 15 per cent. to 17.5 per cent on 1 April 1991, and has remained unchanged since then. Information on other changes to VAT and on VAT receipts in subsequent financial years may be found in HM Customs and Excise's Annual Reports, copies of which are available in the Library of the House. Information about the number of households in the UK in those years is available on the website of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, and from the Department for Social Development in Northern Ireland.

    War Debt
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the schedule of remaining war debt to be paid to the United States is in respect of the Second World War. [122338]

    Mr. Boateng
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer the Economic Secretary gave him on 28 February 2002,Official Report, columns 1439–41.

    Table B19 in the Supplementary Statements to the Consolidated Fund and National Loans Fund Accounts for 2001–02, presented to Parliament on 19 December 2002, provides the latest published data on the outstanding Second World War debt to the United States Government (HC 113, Session 2002–03).

    A further repayment of principal, amounting to $66,381,002.61, was made at the end of December 2002 under the terms of the 1945 Agreement.

  SCOTLAND

    Regulatory Impact Assessments
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will make a statement on his Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120819]

    Mr. Darling
    A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals, including prospective legislation, which may have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals and their impact.

    The Scotland Office has no routine programme of policy or legislative measures that would normally lead to an RIA. Exceptionally, the office prepared one RIA, published in February this year, in relation to the Sunday Working (Scotland) Bill, which is currently before Parliament.

    Tax Credits
    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland pursuant to the answer of 24 June 2003,54W
    Official Report, column 664W, on tax credits, how many families in Scotland are expected to receive (a) the child tax credit and (b) the working tax credit. [122720]

    Mrs. McGuire
    I refer the hon. Lady to the answer I gave the hon. M ember for Galloway and Upper Nithsdale (Mr. Peter Duncan) on 5 June 2003,Official Report, column 528 W.

  PRIME MINISTER

    Access Disputes
    Andrew Selous
    To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his oral Answer of 11 June 2003,Official Report, column 676, when he will write to the hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire on access disputes. [122150]

    The Prime Minister
    I replied to the hon. Member on 24 June.

    Children's Trusts
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 25 June 2003, ref 120952, on children's trusts, which Minister has lead responsibility; and when decisions concerning the pilot children's trusts will be announced. [122765]

    The Prime Minister
    Margaret Hodge, Minister for Children at the Department for Education and Skills and Dr. Stephen Ladyman, Parliamentary Undersecretary of State for Community, which includes child health, will have joint responsibility for the policy development of Children's Trusts. The decision on the first phase of children's trusts will be announced shortly.

    Defence Contracts
    Mr. Gerald Howarth
    To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has made to President Bush to secure(a) greater access for (i) BAE Systems and (ii) other British defence contractors to US military contracts and (b) increased sharing of defence technology between the US and UK. [122716]

    The Prime Minister
    When I met President Bush shortly after his inauguration we underlined our shared commitment to the removal of unnecessary barriers to transatlantic defence trade. More recently, operations in Iraq have emphasised the need to ensure that there are no impediments to our military forces working together, and I have suggested to President Bush that we should consider further steps to improve arrangements for the flow of information between the United States and the United Kingdom.

    E-mail Addresses
    Mr. Yeo
    To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his answer of 10 February 2003,Official Report, column 582W, on e-mail addresses, when he expects an e-mail address by which members of the public may contact him to be made available; and if he will make a statement on the reasons for the delay in making such an address available. [122274]
    55W
    The Prime Minister
    I can confirm that an e-mail address will be made available during August. It had been hoped to make an e-mail address available earlier in 2003 but the high number of visitors to the No. 10 website over the last few months, has meant that more work has been necessary to ensure the robustness, integrity and security of the system.

    European Constitution
    Mr. Evans
    To ask the Prime Minister in which policy areas the United Kingdom will consider giving up its veto under the new European Constitution. [122580]

    The Prime Minister
    More Qualified Majority Voting is essential to push through our solutions to Europe-wide problems in key areas, such as immigration and asylum. But we have areas on which we would not be prepared to move away from unanimity. As we made clear in the Convention, we would not agree to any changes on common foreign arid security policy, defence, taxation or social security which would threaten the national interest.

    Iraq
    Harry Cohen
    To ask the Prime Minister what procedures exist for investigations to be carried out into cause of deaths in custody in British detention centres in Iraq; and if he will make a statement. [121603]

    The Prime Minister
    Any deaths that occur while an individual is in the custody of British forces are investigated by the Special Investigation Branch (SIB) of the Royal Military Police (RMP). Mandatory force regulations require that the RMP be informed of any death immediately. The SIB then carry out an investigation into the cause of death. There are set procedures that exist for investigations of this nature and they involve the examination of witnesses, an investigation of the scene of the crime and the arrest, detention and questioning of suspects as appropriate.

    London Mayor
    Mr. Mark Field
    To ask the Prime Minister how many times he has met the Mayor of London in official meetings in each of the past three years. [122139]

    The Prime Minister
    I have meetings with a wide range of organisations and individuals, including the Mayor of London. As with previous Administrations, it is not my practice to provide details of all such meetings, under Exemption 2 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

    Political Honours
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Prime Minister (1) how many times the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee has(a) rejected and (b) referred back for re-consideration a recommendation for (i) a peerage and (ii) other honours; [122110]
    56W
    (2) if he will request the Political Honours Scrutiny Committee to publish the results of its deliberations where it has entered a reservation about a proposed honour. [122113]

    The Prime Minister
    Information, opinions and assessments given in relation to recommendations for honours are not disclosed under Exemption 8 of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

    Sellafield Nuclear Plant
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Prime Minister what recent representations he has received from the Government of the Republic of Ireland regarding the Sellafield nuclear plant; and if he will make a statement. [121910]

    The Prime Minister
    I have recently received representations from the Taoiseach about the Sellafield nuclear plant. The issue has also been discussed in the course of routine contacts between us and there is wide ranging co-operation between the two Governments at various levels over issues relating to Sellafield.

    Staff Costs
    Mr. Yeo
    To ask the Prime Minister how many staff his office had in each year since 1997; and what they cost in each year. [122298]

    The Prime Minister
    For staffing figures for the period up to 1 April 2002 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 25 March 2002,Official Report, columns 125–27W.

    For staffing costs for the period 2000–01 I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 11 July 2002, Official Report, column 1099W.

    As at 1 April 2003 the number of staff on the No. 10 payroll was 194. Total staff costs for 2001–02 were £8 million. Final figures of total staff costs for 2002–03 are not yet available.

    Tibet
    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to raise the issue of Tibet when he visits China next month. [122630]

    The Prime Minister
    The Government remain of the view that a long-term political solution in Tibet can only be found through dialogue between the Chinese authorities and the Tibetan people, including the Dalai Lama. We have welcomed the visits to China by senior representatives of the Dalai Lama and have urged China to continue to develop such a dialogue.

    Weapons of Mass Destruction
    Llew Smith
    To ask the Prime Minister pursuant to his statement of 23 June 2003 on the Thessaloniki European Council,Official Report, column 707, what additional resources are being committed by (a) the United Kingdom and (b) the other EU member states to implement Annex II of the declaration on nonproliferation of weapons of mass destruction. [122273]
    57W
    The Prime Minister
    The Declaration sets out formally our aims and targets for countering the proliferation threat. The UK and the EU are already fully engaged in work in this area, and have already
    committed considerable resources to this work.
    58W
    No assessment has yet been made of what, if any, additional resources may be required to implement fully the steps set out in the Declaration.

  FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

    Afghanistan
    Joan Ruddock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what special provision has been made by(a) the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan and (b) the Afghan Transitional Authority to register women voters. [122213]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The United Nations Assistance Mission to Afghanistan (UNAMA) has been working closely with the Transitional Administration to develop a comprehensive programme of voter registration, on a country-wide and on a non-partisan basis, in anticipation of elections in 2004. UNAMA hopes to begin registration in August 2003, with a particular focus initially on rural areas where winter access would be more difficult. UNAMA is sensitive to the particular needs of women, and will ensure that registration takes place in private single sex facilities, with women registrars employed to ensure that as many women as possible are registered to vote.

    An important precursor to registration is the civic education process now being undertaken. One of the main objectives of this will be to educate heads of households and community leaders on the importance of females registering and voting, as well as reminding women themselves of their rights to vote.

    Joan Ruddock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the gender breakdown of(a) civilian and (b) military staff is in the UK-led provincial reconstruction team in Mazar-e-Sharif. [122212]

    Mr. Ingram
    The percentages of women and men for the personnel allocated to posts against the current planned establishment for the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team (PRT) due to deploy to Mazar-eSharif is as follows:

    Gender breakdown of the UK-led PRT

    Percentage

    Civilians

    Military

    Women

    50

    9

    Men

    50

    91

    Burma
    Mr. Leigh
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of recent British policy on Burma, with particular regard to improving the Burmese human rights record. [121354]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The UK annually co-sponsors resolutions on the human rights situation in Burma at the United Nations (UN) General Assembly and the UN Commission on Human Rights. The UK also supported the EU Common Position on Burma which is designed to encourage national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy in Burma. Last year there were some very modest improvements in limited 60W
    areas of human rights in Burma. There has also been an increase in co-operation between the Burmese regime and the International Labour Organisation, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, though this has yet to be translated into substantive improvements in human rights.

    As highlighted by the terrible events of 30 May, the overall human rights situation in Burma remains extremely poor and a matter of grave concern. The UK will continue to maintain pressure on the regime to improve the human rights situation in Burma.

    Vera Baird
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had on strengthening the EU sanctions against Burma; and what his policy is on the UK introducing unilateral sanctions. [121758]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    On 16 June, EU Foreign Ministers agreed to strengthen further the EU Common Position on Burma. FCO Ministers and officials remain in regular contact with EU partners to ensure that pressure on the Burmese regime to move irreversibly towards democracy and respect for human rights is maintained and increased.

    Due to existing UK and EU policy, our economic, trading and diplomatic links with the Burmese regime are very limited. Further multilateral action against the Burmese regime would therefore be far more effective than unilateral action. We are currently pursuing with EU colleagues what additional action we might take.

    Vera Baird
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will raise the issue of assaults on democracy and human rights in Burma at the UN Security Council. [121759]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    We are in discussions with partners in the Security Council to determine whether the Security Council can consider the issue of Burma. HMG is encouraging all the appropriate bodies of the UN to tackle the issue of helping bring about national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy in Burma.

    Vera Baird
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on how many people have been killed in the recent action by the Burmese junta on members and supporters of the National League for Democracy; and how many people are in prison. [121760]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    It is not known exactly how many people were killed or imprisoned in the recent crackdown by the Burmese regime. Credible reports indicate that more than four people, as reported by the Burmese authorities, were killed and that approximately 100 others have been detained.

    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Burmese Government regarding the detention of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi; and if he will make a statement. [121916]
    61W
    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The UK has made numerous representations to the Burmese authorities concerning the arrest of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi. I have spoken to the Burmese Deputy Foreign Minister and the Burmese Ambassador to register the UK's grave concern over the unacceptable violence and repression that has been inspired, organised and carried out by the Burmese regime. This has been supplemented by representations by the British Embassy in Rangoon, FCO Officials, as well as by statements on behalf of the European Union, including the European Council statement on Burma of 16 June 2003 that announced the introduction of further European Union sanctions against the Burmese regime.

    Mr. Tynan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the treatment by the Burmese authorities of members of(a) the Shan and (b) other minority groups, with particular reference to women. [122130]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    United Nations resolutions over many years have consistently assessed Burma's human rights record as being very poor. Human rights violations are widespread and systemic and the ethnic minorities, including the Shan, suffer disproportionately. Women are particularly vulnerable and there are many credible reports documenting the use of rape by members of the Burmese armed forces against women in Shan State.

    Mr. Best
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will introduce sanctions unilaterally against Burma if agreement cannot be reached at European Union Level. [122185]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    Due to existing UK and EU policy, our economic, trading and diplomatic links with the Burmese regime are very limited. Multilateral action against the Burmese regime is therefore far more effective than unilateral action. We are currently pursuing with EU colleagues what additional action we might take.

    Mr. Best
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if European Union representations to the United Nations Security Council regarding the political situation in Burma will include concerns about the plight of the(a) Karen, (b) Karenni and (c) Shan minorities. [122186]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The United Nations Security Council has not formally considered the issue of Burma. However, we are in discussions with Security Council Partners to help bring this about. Should Burma feature on the Security Council agenda, HMG would ensure that the plight of Burma's ethnic minority groups was taken fully into account.

    Mr. Tynan:>
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the levels of opium production in Burma; and what reports he has received of (a) state and (b) military complicity in such production. [122175]

    Mr. Best
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of links between the Burmese Government arid the(a) production of and (b) trade in opium. [122187]
    62W
    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    Burma is the world's second largest producer of opium. There are credible reports that some production and trafficking of opium from Burma is carried out with the knowledge of members of the Burmese armed forces. But it is not clear how much the senior levels of the Burmese authorities know about this. However they are certainly culpable for not doing more to effectively address the problem.

    Mr. Best
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if the Government will support the imposition of additional targeted EU(a) economic and (b) diplomatic sanctions against the Burmese government. [122188]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    We have long been at the forefront of EU action to maintain and increase targeted pressure on the Burmese regime. The EU Common Position was further strengthened on 16 June 2003 and we are currently pursuing with EU colleagues what additional economic and diplomatic action is required to ensure that national reconciliation, respect for human rights and democracy is soon possible in Burma.

    Mr. Best
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with other EU foreign ministers about the political situation in Burma. [122189]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    On 16 June; EU Foreign Ministers agreed to strengthen further the EU Common Position on Burma. FCO Ministers and officials remain in regular contact with EU and other partners around the world to ensure that pressure on the Burmese regime to move irreversibly towards democracy and respect for human rights is maintained and increased.

    China
    Harry Cohen
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he was asked to meet the released Tibetan political prisoner Ngawang Sandrol during her visit to London; what his response was; what his policy is with regard to(a) himself and (b) other Ministers in his Department meeting political prisoners; whether he raised the issues of (i) Tibet and (ii) political prisoners in China when he met the Chinese Foreign Minister Li Xlaoxing; and if he will make a statement. [122564]

    Mr. Rammell
    My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary did not meet Ngawang Sangdrol, but I did so on 26 June.

    There is no specific policy on meeting former political prisoners. Ministers meet a wide range of people in the context of our efforts to promote better human rights worldwide.

    During his talks with the Chinese Foreign Minister, Li Zhaoxing, on 25 June, the Foreign Secretary raised the issue of Tibet and the human rights situation in China more generally. A list of individual cases about whom we are particularly concerned was handed to the Chinese delegation.

    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to raise the issue of Tibet in his forthcoming meeting with the Foreign Minister of China. [122629]
    63W
    Mr. Rammell
    My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised Tibet, and the human rights situation in China more generally, when he met Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on 25 June.

    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to meet Ngawang Sangdrol, the recently-released Tibetan political prisoner. [122631]

    Mr. Rammell
    Ngawang Sangdrol visited the UK from 21–27 June. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary was unable to meet her during her visit. However I met her on 26 June.

    Christians
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Christians have been(a) killed and (b) injured because of their faith in the last year in each country for which information is available. [120101]

    Mr. Rammell
    The Government strongly condemns all instances where individuals or groups are subject to discrimination, intimidation or attacks because of their religion or belief. In co-operation with nongovernmental organisations active in this field, we monitor closely reports of religious persecution. The Government do not, however, keep independent statistics on the numbers of those killed and injured belonging to one religion in any particular country. We also believe that it would be extremely difficult to verify in many cases that the death or injury to the person was solely or primarily because of their religious belief.

    The Government continue to raise their concerns over Freedom of Religion in the relevant international fora, including the UN Commission on Human Rights. We also regularly make representations to the governments concerned on specific cases of religious persecution.

    Cocaine Trafficking
    Mr. Wiggin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to reduce the amount of cocaine reaching the UK from(a) Colombia and (b) the remainder of South America; and if he will make a statement. [122003]

    Mr. Rammell
    The UK maintains an active dialogue on drugs trafficking with Colombia and other coca producing countries and transit countries in South America and the Caribbean. In financial year 2002–03, the FCO's Drugs and Crime Fund provided over £5 million in counter-narcotics related assistance to priority countries in the region including Colombia. Projects included funding for Her Majesty's Customs and Excise drug law enforcement training, provision of drug detection equipment and contributions to various United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime projects.

    Colombia
    Sandra Osborne
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the President of Colombia's statement 64W
    that there is no difference between combatants and non combatants in the context of the protection of the civilian population. [121837]

    Mr. Rammell
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: Various reports have appeared of what was said by President Uribe at a meeting with Colombian non-governmental organisations on 11 June. I warmly welcome the fact that the meeting took place. When I met the President in May I stressed the importance which HMG attaches to respect for human rights and the role of civil society in Colombia.

    Congo
    Lynne Jones
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations the Government has made to(a) Rwanda and (b) Uganda with regard to their actions in the Democratic Republic of Congo. [122040]

    Mr. Mullin
    We are in regular contact with the governments of Rwanda and Uganda. We continue to call on them, and on the government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), to stop all support to armed groups in both Ituri and in the DRC more widely. UN Security Council Resolution 1484 of 30 May demanded that all states in the Great Lakes region refrain from any activity which could further destabilise the situation in Ituri, and demanded "the cessation of all support, in particular weapons and any other military materiel, to the armed groups and militias" and further demanded that all Congolese parties and all states in the region actively prevent the supply of such support.

    EU Regulations
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many regulations originating from the EU have been implemented by the Department over each of the last five years. [120845]

    Mr. MacShane
    Regulations are, in general, directly applicable in the member states, without the need for implementation in national law. This has been a fundamental requirement of our membership of the EU since we joined in 1973.

    The total number of EC, ECSC and Euratom regulations made over each of the last five years is estimated to be:

    Number

    1998

    2,852

    1999

    2,802

    2000

    2,882

    2001

    2,600

    20021

    2,125

    1 Up to and including November

    It should be noted that many of these are small or technical regulations to amend, implement or indeed repeal existing measures.

    It would incur disproportionate cost to identify which Government Department was responsible for each of

    65W
    these regulations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office plays a co-ordinating role in the UK's EU policy, and so rarely has lead responsibility for EC regulations.

    France
    Mr. David Stewart
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) how many UK citizens employed as lorry drivers were arrested, detained and released in France where a judge has failed to authorise their continued detention in each year since 1997; [121355]

    (2) how many UK citizens employed as lorry drivers were released from France and then subsequently committed to be extradited in each year since 1997. [121356]

    Mr. Mullin
    We do not record statistics on the points raised by my hon. Friend. It would involve disproportionate cost to provide the information requested.

    Indonesia
    Mr. Godsiff
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his latest assessment is of British military equipment which has been misused by the Indonesian Government. [122191]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The Indonesian Government has told us that British-built military equipment has not and will not be used offensively or in violation of human rights. We are continuing to monitor the situation.

    We know that on 19 May 2003 British-built Hawk aircraft were used to escort military transport aircraft on the first day of action in Aceh, and on 23 June 2003 British-built Scorpion tanks were deployed to Aceh. The Indonesian Government has said that this is to protect supply routes against attack. We have no other confirmed reports of British-built equipment being used in Aceh.

    Iraq
    Mr. Simmonds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the sites in Iraq categorised by the British Government as key in the search for weapons of mass destruction; which of these sites have been searched by Coalition forces; what percentage of the total number of sites this represents; and if he will publish any significant evidence that has been discovered. [115516]

    Mr. Hoon
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 29 April 2003,Official Report, column 315W, to the hon. Member for Southport (Dr. Pugh).

    The Coalition has several hundred sites we wish to examine and further sites are being identified as investigations develop. Investigations may require more than one visit to certain sites. The process of visiting and examining the sites and other evidence will not be quick, and the number of sites visited or left to visit is not an indication of the success of the task at hand.

    As the Government have already made clear we will aim to release information concerning evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programmes and when and where appropriate.
    66W
    Mr. Allen
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many Iraqis have been tried in proceedings initiated or authorised by the British occupation authorities for offences committed(a) before and (b) after the occupation of Iraq; and what legislative procedures have been used in these trials. [121483]

    Mr. Rammell
    The applicable law is the law that applied in Iraq on 16 April 2003 (in accordance with Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) Regulation No. 1), subject to modifications and amendments made by the CPA. On 9 June 2003 the CPA issued an Order amending the Iraqi Penal Code to ensure compliance with basic international legal obligations.

    No Iraqis have been tried in proceedings initiated or authorised by the British occupation authorities for offences committed before the occupation of Iraq. I will write to my hon. Friend when the information becomes available regarding the number of Iraqis tried by the Iraqi court authorities.

    Kenya
    Mrs Curtis-Thomas
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on human rights abuses in Kenya. [121616]

    Mr. Mullin
    The success of Kenya's democratic elections in December 2002 reflected the progress the country has made or human rights issues in recent years. The new government under President Kibaki are addressing past failures. They have established a Human Rights Commission, and have now ratified all six core UN Human Rights conventions. Kenya has also provided refuge for over 100,000 Somali and Sudanese nationals fleeing conflicts in their respective countries.

    While more work is needed, for example, on the police and prison services, we are satisfied that the present Kenyan government are committed to improving human rights. We will continue to work with them on this.

    Occupied Territories
    Dr. Tonge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel regarding restriction of fishing off the coast of the Gaza Strip in Occupied Palestinian Territories. [121665]

    Mr. Rammell
    This Government have expressed our serious concerns to the Israeli Government about restrictions on the free movement of people and essential supplies in the Occupied Territories. We are concerned about the humanitarian and economic consequences of closures and curfews. Economic hardship and unemployment can only fuel hatred and violence and make a comprehensive settlement more difficult to achieve.

    Dr. Tonge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign
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    and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Government of Israel concerning food shortages in the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the dependence on international aid. [121672]

    Mr. Rammell
    My hon. Friend the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (Mike O'Brien) raised with Israel's Ambassador to London on 23 May concerns about restrictions imposed on foreign nationals trying to access the Gaza Strip, hindering UN and aid agencies' efforts to provide humanitarian aid. Officials in both London and Tel Aviv took similar action.

    We continue to press the Government of Israel to meet its obligations as an occupying power under the Fourth Geneva Convention, including ensuring the provision of food and aid to those in need. We remain concerned about continuing restrictions on access to Gaza and the West Bank and their impact on humanitarian aid operations. We expect Israel to do all it can to ease the situation without delay. Easing restrictions on movement and halting the destruction of Palestinian infrastructure are essential to the recovery of the Palestinian economy and ending dependence on international aid.

    Opium Trade
    Mr. Wiggin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to curb the opium trade in Afghanistan; and if he will make a statement. [122004]

    Mr. Rammell
    The Afghan Transitional Administration adopted a National Drug Control Strategy on 19 May 2003. The UK has committed £70 million over the next three years to assist in the objective of eliminating opium poppy from Afghanistan and will post additional British Embassy personnel to Kabul in the coming months to help the Afghan Transitional Administration to achieve their objective.

    Senior Departmental Posts
    Annabelle Ewing
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many senior departmental posts were advertised in each year since June 1999; and how many of those were advertised in the Scottish press. [120664]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    Since March 2000 we advertise the large scale recruitment campaigns for the Diplomatic Service in papers in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Recruitment Section does not have the money to advertise all the senior jobs this widely as they are usually advertised in specialist press as well as a broadsheet.

    In 1999 we advertised four senior jobs, none in the Scottish press.

    In 2000 we advertised one senior job, not in the Scottish press.

    In 2001 we advertised one senior job which was in the Scottish press.

    In 2002 we advertised two senior jobs, one of which was in the Scottish press.
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    To date in 2003 we have advertised one senior job, not in the Scottish press.

    Sierra Leone
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the situation in Sierra Leone. [121917]

    Mr. Mullin
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Mr. Rammell) gave on 10 June 2003,Official Report, column 519.

    South Africa (Sanctions)
    Mr. Wiggin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has held in 2003 with President Mbeki of South Africa regarding sanctions against the Zanu PF regime in Zimbabwe; and if he will make a statement. [122019]

    Mr. Mullin
    My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary discussed Zimbabwe with President Mbeki and Foreign Minister Zuma on 13 to 14 May 2003. He welcomed continued efforts to promote inter-party dialogue. We share the same objective of seeing Zimbabwe return to peace and prosperity. We also agree that bringing this about must ultimately be a matter for the Zimbabwean people. Our views on targeted sanctions are well known to the South Africans.

    Sudan
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps he is taking to promote human rights in Sudan. [121915]

    Mr. Mullin
    The promotion of human rights in Sudan remains one of our priorities. Our Embassy in Khartoum, the UK Special Representative for Sudan and other UK officials regularly lobby the Government of Sudan at ministerial level on human rights. The EU dialogue with the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement seeks information on measures taken and encourages progress on a range of issues, including on human rights. We are in close contact with opposition and human rights activists.

    Uganda
    Jeremy Corbyn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations to the Government of Uganda on the protection of people in the north and east of Uganda from rebel action. [121540]

    Mr. Mullin
    We deplore the violence perpetrated against innocent civilians by the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA). We are particularly concerned about the effect of fighting in the north of Uganda on the local population, who have borne the brunt of the violence. While we sympathise with the Ugandan Government's aim of defeating the LRA, we have, through our High Commission in Kampala, encouraged them to consider alternative methods of bringing the conflict to an end. We will continue to make representations to the Government of Uganda at both ministerial and official level.

    Voluntary Organisations
    Mr. Hendry
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what funding programmes are operated by his Department to support voluntary organisations working with young people; and what the level of support has been over the last three years. [116491]

    Mr. Rammell
    Support for voluntary organisations working with young people is not accounted for as a distinct FCO budget line. However, the Human Rights Project Fund (budget of £7 million in 2003–04) this year includes projects totalling £466,867 that involve young people, £264,417 of which is channelled through nongovernmental organisations (NGOs). Various bilateral programmes also contain elements which are channelled through NGOs and affect young people, as do some projects of the new Global Opportunities Fund. But identifying the specific elements within these programmes could be undertaken only at disproportionate cost. The same applies to ascertaining the level of support over the last three years.

    Zimbabwe
    Mr. Wiggin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs (1) what(a) recent meetings he has held and (b) meetings he plans to hold with EU leaders in 2003 to discuss the effect of sanctions on Zimbabwe; [122020]

    (2) what plans he has to extend the application of sanctions on Zimbabwe. [122022]

    Mr. Mullin
    We are in regular contact with our EU partners about sanctions on Zimbabwe. The most recent EU discussion of Zimbabwe was among Political Directors at the Thessaloniki Summit and among Africa Directors on 16 to 17 June 2003. The dates of further ministerial discussions will depend on events on the ground in Zimbabwe.

    Mr. Wiggin
    To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what(a) recent meetings he has held and (b) meetings he plans to hold with the leaders of (i) Namibia, (ii) Nigeria, (iii) Kenya and (iv) Botswana to discuss the situation in Zimbabwe. [122021]

    Mr. Mullin
    We discuss Zimbabwe with other African countries on a regular basis. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to Botswana's President Mogae in London on 11 June 2003. Our High Commissioners in Nigeria and Kenya have had recent discussions with their host governments on Zimbabwe. The African Union Summit in Mozambique (10 and 11 July 2003) will provide a further opportunity for Ministers and senior officials to discuss Zimbabwe with African leaders.

  TRADE AND INDUSTRY

    Bacton Gas Terminal
    Norman Lamb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on security precautions at Bacton Gas Terminal in North Norfolk. [121798]
    70W
    Mr. Timms
    The companies who operate this terminal receive protective security advice from various agencies. The Government has recently undertaken a comprehensive review of security. It is not appropriate to comment on specific measures, as this could compromise the security of the site.

    Age Discrimination
    Mr. Bellingham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 19 May 2003,Official Report, column 631W, on age discrimination, what; safeguards are in place to prevent unfair discrimination by employers against younger women in favour of older women. [121948]

    Ms Hewitt
    We will outlaw age discrimination in employment and vocational training from the end of 2006 when we implement the age strand of the European Employment Directive. The legislation will protect workers of all ages, and regardless of their sex. We are about to launch a consultation that seeks views on options for legislation. In the meantime, the Department of Work and Pensions' Age Positive campaign promotes the business benefits of age diversity, and encourages employers to take a non-ageist approach by referring to the voluntary Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment.

    Arms Trade
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what; the Government's policy is on Ministers promoting the arms industry, with particular reference to(a) human rights, (b) regional security and (c) development issues; and if she will make a statement. [110395]

    Mr. Ingram
    I have been asked to reply.

    It is Government policy to support legitimate defence exports, which con tribute to our wider defence and international security interests. We are committed to the maintenance of a strong defence industry, but believe that arms exports must be managed responsibly. Ministers undertake activities in support of our defence industry in accordance with our policy.

    Aviation Industry
    Lembit Öpik
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the contribution to the UK economy made by the general aviation industry; and if she will make a statement. [122034]

    Mr. McNulty
    I have been asked to reply.

    The Department for Transport is part funding a research project, being undertaken under the auspices of the General Aviation Awareness Council, that includes an assessment of the economic benefits of General Aviation. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2003.

    Biotechnology
    Andrew George
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people work in the biotechnology sector, broken down by type of work. [121748]
    71W
    Ms Hewitt
    The information requested is not available from official statistics. In its memorandum last year to the Trade and Industry Select Committee Inquiry into the 'UK Biotechnology Industry', the Department provided an estimate of 18,400 biotechnology sector specialists present in the UK. The most recent information available to the Department suggests that this figure is now approximately 23,000. It is not possible to break down this information by job function. Because of the lack of a generally accepted definition for biotechnology, it is not possible to provide more precise figures.

    Broadband
    Mr. Keetch
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when telecommunication companies will enable exchanges to provide broadband to all users; and if she will make a statement. [121742]

    Mr. Timms
    Broadband can be provided by several technologies many of which (e.g. cable modem and fixed wireless) are independent of the existing telephone infrastructure. The timing of the investment necessary to extend broadband access is a commercial decision for the companies involved.

    Our overall target is for the UK to have the most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G7 by 2005. On 22 May 2003 I issued a joint statement with my right hon. Friend the Minister for State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs confirming the Government's aim that every community in the UK, irrespective of location, should have the opportunity to access affordable broadband from a competitive market.

    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to ensure that residents of communities not served by a broadband-enabled telephone exchange can benefit from the provision of broadband to schools in those communities. [1218981

    Mr. Timms
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: I refer the hon. Member for North Avon to my statement on 1 May 2003, Official Report, columns 443–58. In particular to columns 446–48 where I addressed this point in some detail.

    Business Diversification (Scotland)
    Mr. Salmond
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what grant aid is available to assist in(a) business diversification in Scotland and (b) non-fishing related new business start-ups in fishing industry-dependent areas of Scotland. [121771]

    Jacqui Smith
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The question refers to economic development issues. This is a matter for the Scottish Executive as economic development is devolved to the Scottish Executive under the Scotland Act.

    Copyright Directive
    Sandra Gidley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the progress of the Copyright Directive. [122083]
    72W
    Ms Hewitt
    We are in the process of implementing the EC Copyright Directive into UK law. The answer given on 3 June 2003,Official Report, column 324W, sets out our current position.

    Defence Exports
    Mr. Breed
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the total value of outstanding export guarantee liabilities in respect of defence equipment was on 1 April(a) 1999, (b) 2000, (c) 2001, (d) 2002 and (e) 2003; and if she will make a statement. [122363]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The following table shows ECGD's Amounts At Risk position at the end of each of the periods in respect of guarantees on defence equipment.

    £

    1 April

    Defence amounts at risk

    1999

    4,058,568,740

    2000

    3,628,442,056

    2001

    3,857,259,545

    2002

    3,165,811,536

    2003

    3,237,851,995

    Electricity
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will take steps to ensure an accreditation scheme is in place for green tariffs for domestic electricity customers; and if she will make a statement. [122219]

    Mr. Timms
    At the moment there is no government-sponsored accreditation scheme in place for green tariff offerings from electricity suppliers, although in the past that function has been fulfilled by the DTI-accredited and Energy Saving Trust run scheme "Future Energy".

    Since the introduction of the Renewables Obligation (and associated Renewables Obligation Scotland), all licensed electricity suppliers in Great Britain are required to supply a specified and growing proportion of their supplies from eligible renewable sources, with the ultimate aim of achieving 10 per cent. by 2010. With the introduction of the Renewables Obligation, it is important that electricity consumers are given clear information about "green" electricity schemes. Both the industry regulator, Ofgem, and Energywatch, the statutory consumer body for the industry, have parts to play in this area. In April 2002, Ofgem issued guidance for those offering green tariffs, aimed to ensure that they genuinely involve the purchase of renewable energy beyond what suppliers would purchase in any case to meet the requirements of the Renewables Obligation.

    Energywatch also has a specific duty to advise members of the public with concerns about green energy schemes.

    As of 23 October 2003, consumers and generators will have access to a further source of confidence in the "greenness" of electricity—Renewable Energy Guarantee of Origin Certificates (REGOs). The Department is currently consulting on the mechanisms for implementing Article 5 of EC Directive 2001/77/EC

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    on the promotion of electricity from renewable sources. This particular Article allows all generators of electricity from renewable sources, regardless of size and potential output capacity, to be provided, on request, with a Guarantee of Origin for their electricity. Ofgem will be responsible for administering the electronic certification system in Great Britain, and R EGOS will be accepted in other EU member states, thus creating EU-wide assurance in any green electricity offerings.

    Fair Trade
    Mr. Jim Cunningham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how(a) the UK and (b) third world countries may affect the agenda for WTO negotiations. [121364]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    [holding answer 25 June 2003]: The agenda for the current round of WTO negotiations, the 'Doha Development Agenda', was agreed by all WTO members, including 49 of the world's poorest economies, at the fourth WTO ministerial conference in Doha, in November 2001.

    The final agreement from those negotiations can only be reached by a consensus of all members.

    GATS Negotiations
    Mr. Jim Cunningham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what independent assessments of the impact of service liberalisation her Department has studied. [119589]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    [holding answer 18 June 2003]: Many studies have been published showing the potential impact of service liberalisation, including in developing countries. Some of these are referred to in the public consultation document my Department published on the GATS last year, which invited views on the current GATS negotiations.

    The assessment of trade in services remains a standing item on the agenda of the WTO Council for Trade in Services. Studies and papers prepared for a WTO symposium on assessment are available on the WTO website. In the UK, the Department for International Development is working with the World Bank and UNCTAD to help inform the position of developing countries in the negotiations.

    Government Aid
    Mr. Bellingham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the amount of waste in the Government industrial grants system since 1997, in terms of(a) jobs created that would have been created anyway and (b) investment attracted to the UK that would have been made anyway; and if she will make a statement. [121902]

    Jacqui Smith
    The most recent evaluation of the cost-effectiveness of offers accepted under the regional selective assistance scheme was published in 2000 on offers made in the period 1991–95. This found that the net cost per net job was of a similar order of magnitude to the estimates produced using a similar methodology in previous evaluations. These evaluations took into account estimates of jobs and investment that would have been created, safeguarded and made anyway.
    74W
    Regional selective assistance was refocused in 2000 more on high quality, knowledge-based projects providing skilled jobs. There has not been time since the new policy was implemented for a sufficient number of projects to have been completed to make a new evaluation valuable.

    LG Electronics Group
    Mr. Bellingham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much public aid has been given to the LG Electronics group since 1997; how many jobs were expected to have been created as a result; how many jobs have been created; and if she will make a statement. [121903]

    Jacqui Smith
    No payments of aid have been made to the LG Electronics group by the Department of Trade and Industry since 1 January 1997. However, I understand that, in Wales, regional selective assistance (RSA) has been paid to LG Electronics in relation to the company's investment at Newport. Responsibility for the RSA scheme in Wales now rests with the Welsh Assembly Government.

    Middle East (Gas and Water)
    Dr. Tonge
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list British companies contracted to work in the natural gas and water industries in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. [121679]

    Mr. Mike O'Brien
    The Department is aware that one British Company is involved in natural gas exploration offshore in Israel and the Palestinian Territories. We are also aware of three British companies who are contracted to work in the water industry in Israel. We are unable to list the names of the British companies involved under Exemption 13—Third Party's Commercial Confidences of the Code of Practice on access to Government Information. We are not aware of any British water companies working in the Palestinian Territories.

    Oftel
    Brian White
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry by what criteria Oftel decides to use(a) The Competition Act 1998 and (b) the Telecommunications Act 1984 when pursuing anticompetitive practices. [121529]

    Mr. Timms
    This is a matter for the Director General of Telecommunications, and I understand he will be writing to my hon. Friend to explain what criteria Oftel uses to decide how to pursue anti-competitive practices.

    Pension Loss Model
    Jeff Ennis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects the Pension Loss Model used by IRISC to calculate compensation for any loss of pension to former miners who died after 1 January 2001 to become operational. [122097]

    Mr. Timms
    It is anticipated that the Pension Model covering 80 per cent. of this cohort of claimants will be operational by August 2003. The remaining cohort will be covered by the second part of the Model, which is expected to be operational by the end of October 2003.
    75W
    However, in the meantime, the Department has put in place a procedure to calculate offers using a spreadsheet pensions loss calculator. This now includes claims where the ex-miner died after 1 January 2001.

    Post Offices
    Mr. Dodds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the names of those post offices which have closed in Northern Ireland in each year since 1998. [122356]

    Mr. Timms
    this is a matter that falls within the operational responsibilities of Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the post offices in Shrewsbury and Atcham; and if she will make a statement on disabled access to each one. [121860]

    Mr. Timms
    These are operational matters for Post Office Ltd and I have asked the Chief Executive to write direct to the hon. Member.

    Regulatory Bodies
    Mr. Yeo
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the(a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which her Department is responsible in each year since 1997. [117777]

    Ms Hewitt
    The DTI is responsible for the following regulatory bodies—the British Hallmarking Council, the Coal Authority and the Hearing Aid Council.

    Staffing and budgetary information in respect of the British Hallmarking Council and the Coal Authority are published annually in "Public Bodies" which is available in the Libraries of the House.

    Information for the Hearing Aid Council is set out below:

    Hearing Aid Council

    Staffing

    Budget £000s

    1997

    4

    158

    1998

    4

    170

    1999

    4

    183

    2000

    4

    278

    2001

    4

    363

    2002

    4

    461

    Regulatory Impact Assessments
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on her Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120816]

    Ms Hewitt
    A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector. It includes details of the arrangements for monitoring and evaluating policy proposals.
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    From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role in independently evaluating a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.

    The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to Departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

    Rolling Stock
    Richard Burden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make representations to the European Commission about the method of procurement of railway rolling stock by the(a) Spanish, (b) French and (c) Italian Governments. [121990]

    Mr. McNulty
    I have been asked to reply.

    Rolling stock procurement in Spain, France and Italy is subject to the same EU rules as apply to the United Kingdom and other member states.

    Richard Burden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has made to Alston about the impact on jobs in the UK of its decision to manufacture London tube trains in France or Spain; and what response she has had. [121991]

    Mr. Andrew Smith
    My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry met Alstom officials in May this year when they discussed the company's general restructuring plans. The decision to re-structure the Washwood Heath plant is a commercial one for the company and forms part of its global restructuring exercise. I fully understand that any job losses will be a blow to the individuals affected. Officials and regional teams will meet company representatives to discuss the re-structuring and work with local agencies and partners to develop a plan for responding to the changes.

    Strategic Forum for Construction
    Mr. Clifton-Brown
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what benefits to public sector tendering have resulted from the Strategic Forum for Construction since 22 April 2002; and what role Constructionline has played. [119616]

    Nigel Griffiths
    The responsibility for tendering arrangements lies with individual procuring Departments or Agencies.

    The Strategic Forum for Construction launched the 'Accelerating Change Consultation document' on 22 April 2002, followed by the publication of its final report on 12 September 2002. The public sector will benefit from improvements across the industry, including more integrated working, driven by the implementation of 'Accelerating Change'. Following on from your similar question of last year answered by the then Minister for Energy and Construction on 24 May 2002, Official Report, column 627W, I am pleased to report good progress and the latest Key Performance Indicators (KPI's) that were, demonstrate steady improvement across the industry.
    77W
    In terms of public sector tendering 'Accelerating Change' says, "The Office of Government Commerce (OGC) has issued a series of guidance for central civil government clients. The OGC's 'gateway process' offers a highly relevant straightforward way to ensure that government clients are helped through the procurement process at all stages and that the principles of Rethinking Construction underpin this. The Forum congratulates OGC for taking the lead in this way."

    Over the past 12 months Constructionline has been working with its clients to prevent duplicate information gathering; and with the Construction Health and Safety Assessment Scheme to ensure that their access to data through Constructionline reflects clients needs and the improvement agenda.

    Vibration White Finger
    Jeff Ennis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many compensation claims for vibration white finger have been denied and are awaiting reconsideration; and how long it will take for all of these to be reconsidered. [122098]

    Mr. Timms
    There are approximately 26,500 vibration white finger claims that have been denied on the basis of occupation. Of these 13,500 have contended their denial and submitted evidence and 13,000 had not contended the denial by the cut off date of 31 October 2002.

    IRISC are currently carrying out a review of these latter claims to identify Group One and Two cases and disputed Group Three cases. This review will take approximately six months to complete. Once complete we will know the number of claims that are solely disputed Group Three claims. We will then have a clearer understanding of how long it will take to carry out an investigation and conclude these claims.

    Wind Energy
    Lembit Öpik
    To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of wind turbines on private and unlicensed aerodromes which operate under the unofficial air safety measures promoted in DoE Circular 2/92; and if she will make a statement. [122035]

    Mr. Timms
    The Department is responsible for considering electricity generating station consent applications under the Electricity Act for wind farms over 50 megawatts onshore and 1 megawatt offshore in England and Wales. For individual applications developers are expected to consult all the relevant stakeholders including aviation interests in preparing and environment impact statement for any development. Developers are also required to advertise applications both national and locally and this provides a route for interested parties to raise concerns or make representations to the my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. As a matter of course the Department consults the Civil Aviation Authority on individual applications, so that the impact an aviation can be considered.

  WORK AND PENSIONS

    Ad Hoc Posts
    Mr. Oaten
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the people appointed to ad hoc posts within his Department bearing the titles of advocate, tsar, adviser, champion and comparable titles since May 1997; what their job title is or was; what their role is or was; whether they were or are being paid; what the total cost of each such person was in each financial year, including expenses and benefits; what the expected cost of each such person is in 2003–04; to whom they are accountable; and if he will make a statement. [112457]

    Malcolm Wicks
    Ministers in the former Department of Social Security appointed the following special Advisers:

    Special advisers

    Duration of appointment

    Liz Kendall

    4 May 1997 to 27 July 1998

    John McTernan

    4 May 1997 to 27 July 1998

    Andrew Maugham

    28 July 1998 to 6 May 2001

    Elsbeth Johnson

    10 May 1999 to 21 May 2001

    Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions, formed on 7 June 2001, have appointed the following special advisers:

    Special advisers

    Duration of appointment

    Andrew Maugham

    17 June 2001 to 29 May 2002

    Kieran Simpson

    24 July 2001 to 30 August 2002

    Tom Restrick

    14 January 2002 to 30 May 2002

    Tom Clark

    16 September 2002 to present

    Chris Norton

    23 September 2002 to present

    James Kelly

    11 November 2002 to 14 June 2003

    Julian McCrae

    6 January 2003 to 14 June 2003

    All of the appointees are paid appointments and are accountable to Ministers for their decisions and actions.

    Under exemption 12 of the code of Practice on Access to Government Information, details of individual salaries are not disclosed, in order to protect the privacy of the individuals concerned.

    No other appointees bear any of the other titles described.

    Child Poverty
    Andy King
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions who the members are of the technical committee advising the Department on the next steps following the publication of 'Preliminary conclusions-measuring child poverty'. [121213]

    Maria Eagle
    'Measuring Child Poverty Consultation: preliminary conclusions' was published in May 2003. This outlines recommendations and next steps based on a thorough analysis of the responses to the consultation. It is available in the Library.

    The report states that further technical work is necessary before finalising any new measure of child poverty and that we intend to publish final conclusions by the end of 2003. As this technical work is of a highly

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    methodological nature, we have asked a small group of academics to assist in this work. These academics are experts in issues pertaining to poverty measurement.

    They are: Sir Tony Atkinson (University of Oxford); Jonathan Bradshaw (University of York and Family Budget Unit); Alissa Goodman (Institute of Fiscal Studies); John Hills (London School of Economics); Stephen McKay (University of Bristol); and Chris Whelan (Economic and Social Research Institute, Dublin).

    Child Support Agency
    Shona McIsaac
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many cases were dealt with by the CSA in each of the last five years in Cleethorpes constituency. [121535]

    Maria Eagle
    The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Doug Smith to Ms Shona McIsaac dated 27 June 2003:
    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
    You ask how many cases were dealt with by the Child Support Agency in each of the last five years in Cleethorpes constituency.
    In each of the last five years we received the following applications from parents with care where address is in Cleethorpes:

    Year to 31 March

    Applications

    1998

    300

    1999

    300

    2000

    200

    2001

    100

    2002

    100

    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how long it takes on average to(a) complete and (b) process the application form for financial assistance from the Child Support Agency; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121578]

    Maria Eagle
    The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member.

    Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Matthew Taylor, dated 30 June 2003:
    The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in replying to your recent Parliamentary question about the Child Support Agency promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
    You ask how long it takes on average to (a) complete and (b) process the application form for financial assistance from the Child Support Agency; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed.
    I will be providing the Secretary of State with a full set of information after the first quarter of the Agency's business year. The Secretary of State intends to report this information to the House.

    Disability Living Allowance
    Andy King
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many unemployed single adults received disability living allowance owing to mental illness in each year from 1992 to 2002. [121214]

    Maria Eagle
    Not all of the information requested is available. Such information as is available is in the table.

    Numbers of people aged between 16 and 64 for men and 16 and 60 for women receiving disability living allowance (DLA) and other key benefits for sick and disabled people1, whose family status is single2, not employed for 16 or more hours a week in remunerative work3, and whose main disabling condition is psychosis4, psychoneurosis, personality disorder, or alcohol abuse, in each of the years from 199555 to 2002.
    1 The figures are for recipients of certain key benefits, in addition to DLA, which are used for client group analysis. These are Income Support with disability premiums, Incapacity Benefit, Severe Disablement Allowance and Jobseeker's Allowance with disability premiums. It is not possible to quote figures for DLA alone.
    2 There are a number of DLA recipients whose family status is unknown and who are not included in the figures
    3 A person doing 16 or more hours of remunerative work would be treated as in full-time employment and hence ineligible for any of the four key benefits, but the figures do include a small number of DLA only recipients who may also be in full-time employment.
    4 Medical advice is that, of the range of disabling mental conditions recorded for the purposes of DLA, these four are clearly forms of "illness", as opposed to developmental abnormality.
    5 The use of medical codes in recording data on DLA records started from 1995.

    Thousand

    1995

    35.0

    1996

    46.4

    1997

    59.5

    1998

    70.3

    1999

    79.2

    2000

    87.6

    2001

    99.7

    2002

    113.4

    Notes:

    1. Figures given are for average of quarters available in that year.

    2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample.

    3. Figures are rounded to the nearest hundred.

    Early-day Motion 1389
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on early-day motion 1389. [120935]

    Maria Eagle
    All parts of Great Britain will benefit from the initiatives to be funded from the additional £1 million we have made available to support the statement on British Sign Language (BSL). In selecting organisations to be represented on the BSL working group, we have identified key organisations of and for Deaf people with remits across Great Britain. They will ensure that initiatives reflect needs across GB including Scottish interests.

    Families with Children
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make it his policy to ensure that families with children in receipt of income support continue to receive social security payments in respect of these children until child tax credit is in payment. [121968]

    Maria Eagle
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: Income support and income-based jobseeker's allowance customers will be migrated to child tax credit from April 2004.

    The principal legislation governing the transfer in the Social Security (Working Tax Credit and Child Tax Credit) (Consequential Amendments) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/455) states clearly that child allowances in income support will not be removed until a child tax credit award has been made. We are working closely with Inland Revenue to ensure that processes are in place to make this happen smoothly.

    Where a family receiving income support chooses to claim child tax credit before April 2004, they will be entitled to the maximum rate of child tax credit which will be taken into account as income in their income support assessment. These families will continue to be awarded child premia and allowances with their benefit, which will offset their child tax credit income.

    Hotel Accommodation
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the amount spent by(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on hotel accommodation (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) others; and if he will list the average cost per hotel room, in each year since 1997. [117563]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables.

    UK Travel

    Hotel costs for the former Department of Social Security, including its agencies

    £

    Year

    UK spend

    Average cost per room

    1999–2000

    4,452,831

    58.47

    2000–01

    3,768,374

    60.48

    2001–021

    6,705,547

    66.03

    1 The Department for Work and Pensions was formed on 7 June 2001

    Hotel costs for the Department for Work and Pensions in 2002–03

    £

    Business area

    UK spend

    Average cost per room

    CSA

    2,126,353

    66.33

    Pensions Service

    1,122,709

    68.56

    Jobcentre Plus

    4,484,066

    62.57

    Others

    4,105,127

    73.13

    Foreign travel

    Information on foreign travel is only available for 2002–03. Costs for CSA, Pensions Service and others are not available separately.
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    £

    Business area

    Total spend

    Average cost per room

    CSA, Pensions Service and others

    95,656

    80.65

    Jobcentre Plus

    15,835

    68.85

    Non-departmental public body hotel costs (excluding HSE) Information is only available for 2002–03.

    UK travel

    £

    2002–03

    Total spend

    13,149,010

    Average cost per room

    78.53

    Foreign travel

    £

    2002–03

    Total spend

    1,419,952

    Average cost per room

    75.47

    Non-departmental public body hotel costs ( HSE)

    Information is only available for UK travel for 2002–03.

    UK travel

    £

    Total spend

    1,003,185

    Average cost per room (London)

    88.00

    Average cost per room (other UK)

    66.00

    Ministerial hotel costs

    The Government publishes an annual report of ministerial travel overseas. The total cost of ministerial travel provided in the annual report includes the costs of accommodation. The information sought in respect of accommodation within the UK is not held centrally. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

    Housing
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what consultation took place with other Government Departments in devising housing advice services to older people within the Third Age Service. [121544]

    Maria Eagle
    The Department has consulted widely with other Government Departments over the development of a Third Age Service, specifically the Department of Health, Office of the Deputy Prime Minister (including the Audit Commission), Inland Revenue, and the Lord Chancellor's Department.

    Discussions have covered a wide range of issues relating to the joining up of the service provision for older people, which includes housing. This work is ongoing and is contributing to the development of plans for a 'third age programme'. This will build on the excellent work already under way at local level in many parts of the country to meet the needs of older people in a more joined up way.

    Occupational and Private Pensions
    Dr. Francis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pension who regulates the statutory monetary purchase illustrations for(a) occupations and (b) private pensions.

    Malcolm Wicks
    Regulations that came into force in April 2003 require the trustees or managers of money purchase pension arrangements to give members an annual illustration of what their pension in retirement might be.

    The illustrations must be produced in accordance with the regulations and the approved actuarial guidance prepared by the actuarial profession.

    Complaints or disputes in individual cases can be dealt with through the scheme's internal dispute resolution arrangements, and can be referred to the Pensions Ombudsman if the dispute remains unresolved.

    More general complaints of non-compliance in occupational pension schemes, are dealt with by the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority.

    Pay Audit
    Angela Eagle
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what progress has been made on completing a pay audit in his Department and its non-departmental public bodies to measure any disadvantage in terms of remuneration for(a) women, (b) ethnic minorities and (c) people with disabilities; and if he will publish the results of such an audit. [117426]

    Malcolm Wicks
    All departments and agencies were committed to completing an equal pay review and submitting an action plan to the Cabinet Office by April 2003.

    The DWP is committed to fair pay across the Department and all of its component parts. Equal pay audits have been completed across all parts of the Department over the last two years and a further equal pay audit is planned in autumn. The report and an action plan have been issued to Cabinet Office and the findings shared with trade union colleagues. A copy of the DWP action plan will be placed in the Library of the House in due course once internal discussions with the Cabinet office are complete.

    The Department has four non-departmental public bodies the Health and Safety Executive, Remploy, the Disability Rights Commission and the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority. Although the non-departmental bodies were not formally covered by the commitment as a matter of good practice the Health and Safety Executive and the Disability Rights Commission have undertaken an equal pay audit and the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority and Remploy are preparing an action plan.

    Pension Credit
    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) how many individuals are estimated to be eligible for pension credit in(a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06 and (d) 2006–07; [121121]
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    (2) what his Department's target is for the number of individuals who will be receiving pension credit by (a) 2003–04, (b) 2004–05, (c) 2005–06 and
    (d) 2006–07. [121122]

    Malcolm Wicks
    Estimates are provided in the following table:

    Table 1: Number of individuals estimated to be eligible for pension credit

    Million

    2003–04

    4.9

    2004–05

    5.0

    2005–06

    5.1

    Note:

    1. Figures are rounded to the nearest100,000 cases.

    2. Estimates are based on the Department's Policy Simulation Model and income support administrative data on benefit recipients.

    3. Figures include individuals in private households and residential care or nursing homes.

    4. Forecasts for 2006/07 are dependent on the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review.

    Estimates for the years after 2003–04 are based on one scenario of uprating, where the savings credit threshold is linked to prices, and the guarantee credit is linked to average earnings. However uprating of pension credit will be determined in the annual uprating order. The Government have committed to increase the guarantee credit by average earnings for this Parliament.

    The Department's PSA target is for at least 3 million households to be in receipt of pension credit by 2006. It is estimated that this corresponds to around 3.7 million individuals.

    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate how long it takes on average to(a)complete and (b) process the pension credit application form; and whether his Department has a target for the number of applications to be processed. [121580]

    Malcolm Wicks
    Implementation of Pension Credit is still in the early stages of the advance application period. Reliable information on the time taken to complete applications through the telephone application line and the time taken to process applications is not yet available. However, the Department's published Service Delivery Agreement includes a three-year target to ensure that Pension Credit applications are processed on average within 10 days once the necessary information and evidence has been submitted. The Department also has a Public Service Agreement target to be payingPension Credit to at least three million pensioner households by 2006.

    Pension Service (Scotland)
    Mr. Peter Duncan
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many employees of the Pension Service are based in Scotland. [119347]

    Malcolm Wicks
    As at 31 March 2003, the Pension Service employed a total of 17,777 permanent staff and 599 casuals. Of the total staff. 1,942 permanent staff (11 per cent.) and 88 casual staff (15 per cent.) are based in Scotland.

    Pensions
    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average change in(a) the state pension and (b) pensioner income was in each financial year since 1991–92. [121738]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The information is not available on the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table.

    Financial Year

    Basic state pension cash terms (£)

    Basic state pension 2003–04 Price terms (£)

    Annual real Increase of basic state pension(%)

    Pensioner incomes(£)

    1991–92

    52.00

    70.79

    4.2

    n/a

    1992–93

    54.15

    70.69

    -0.1

    n/a

    1993–94

    56.10

    72.30

    2.3

    n/a

    1994–95

    57.60

    72.38

    0.1

    195

    1995–96

    58.85

    71.57

    -1.1

    194

    1996–97

    61.15

    72.61

    1.5

    205

    1997–98

    62.45

    72.40

    -0.3

    207

    1998–99

    64.70

    72.10

    -0.4

    214

    1999–2000

    66.75

    73.21

    1.5

    222

    2000–01

    67.50

    71.90

    -1.8

    228

    2001–02

    72.50

    75.89

    5.5

    240

    2002–03

    75.50

    77.86

    2.6

    not yet available

    2003–04

    77.45

    77.45

    -0.5

    not yet available

    Note:

    1. The basic state pension is uprated annually each April based on the increase in the retail price index from September to September. The real value of the basic state pension has been calculated using the increase in the retail price index from April to April. This inevitably means that the percentage change shows small increases and reductions that would not otherwise appear if the same RPI period is used for both figures. These small variations do not affect pensioner living standards as any differences in inflation are automatically adjusted in the following year's uprating.

    2. Information about pensioner incomes is taken from the pensioner income series 2001–02, table 1(ii), page 32. This series is designed to provide a broad overall picture of patterns and trends in pensioners' income, and is not appropriate for measuring year- on-year changes because such comparisons are not statistically reliable

    3. Pensioner incomes prior to 1994 are not available on a consistent basis

    4. Pensioner incomes shown are mean net income of single pensioners and pensioner couples before housing costs in April 2003–04 price terms

    Mr. Key
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list, for each constituency in Wiltshire(a) the numbers of pensioners aged 80 and over in receipt of state pensions and (b) the total number in receipt of state pensions; and what percentage of the total number pensioners aged 80 and over represent. [120983]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is shown in the table:

    State Pension recipients aged 80 and over as at 30 September 2002

    Thousands

    Total number of State Pension recipients aged 80 and over

    Total number of State Pension recipients

    Percentage of those over 80 in receipt of state Pension

    North Wiltshire

    4.2

    17.5

    24.0

    Salisbury

    5.6

    20.5

    27.3

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    Notes:

    1Numbers are rounded lo the nearest hundred and are expressed in thousands.

    2Numbers are based on 5 per cent sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.

    3Parliamentary Constituencies are allocated using the relevant Office of National Statistics postcode directory.

    Source:

    Pensions Strategy Computer System as at 30 September 2002.

    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if it is his policy to link the basic state pension to the retail prices index for the remainder of this Parliament. [121124]

    Malcolm Wicks
    We have already announced that we will increase the basic state pension by 2.5 per cent or the Retail Prices Index (RPI), whichever is higher, for the remainder of this Parliament. Over the last three years the basic state pension has been increased by more than the RPI.

    Mr. Webb
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to pages 25–6 of Working and Saving for Retirement: Action on Occupational Pensions, if it is his intention to propose legislation to require the selection of Member Nominated Trustees to be fair and open. [121125]

    Malcolm Wicks
    No. As page 25 of that document states, we have decided to take forward the more radical of the two options on simplifying Member Nominated Trustee (MNT) legislation set out in the Technical Paper which accompanied the Green Paper 'Simplicity, Security and Choice: Working and Saving for Retirement' (Cm 5677). This is the option under which minimal legislation will provide for the outcome—one third MNTs in each scheme—but without prescribing how schemes must arrive at that outcome.

    Mr. Dismore
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants in receipt of UK basic state pension(a) now, (b) five and (c) 10 years ago were resident (i) in EU countries, (ii) in Commonwealth countries, (iii) in the USA and (iv) elsewhere in the world outside the UK; what assessment he has made of the trend of pensioners settling overseas and its implications for UK state pensi on policy; and if he will make a statement. [121573]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The number of claimants in receipt of UK basic State Pension resident in the requested countries abroad and the specified intervals is shown in the table.

    Current

    Five years ago

    Ten years ago

    ED countries

    262,599

    202,697

    94,950

    Commonwealth countries

    521,924

    465,391

    217,995

    USA

    120,691

    102,258

    46,817

    Rest of the world

    20,147

    20,696

    10,790

    Sources:

    The current and five years ago statistics is taken from the Pension Strategy Computer System (PSCS) Overseas Population statistics. The figures from 10 years ago is taken from the Method of Payment statistics produced by Existing Pension System (EPS) People are free to choose where they want to live and they do so for a variety of reasons. If they have acquired entitlement to a UK State Pension, it will be paid, once claimed, regardless of where they live during their retirement.

    However, individuals who are considering moving abroad can seek information and advice on the implications of doing so on entitlement to benefits in a number of DWP publications.
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    Leaflet NP46 'A guide to State Pensions' (which is widely available in Social Security Offices and Post Offices) advises pensioners of the effect of going abroad on their State Pension.

    Besides giving general information, it also advises people who are thinking of moving abroad to get leaflet GL29 'Going abroad and social security benefits' from their Social Security Office. In addition, the Department's International Pensions Centre provides oral and written advice to people who intend to move abroad.

    Information is also available on the DWP websitewww.dwp.gov.uk

    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (1) what estimate he has made of the number of pensioners in(a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire who were eligible for the minimum income guarantee but did not claim it in the last year for which figures are available; [121725]

    (2) how many pensioners did not claim their full level of entitlements in (a) Shrewsbury and Atcham and (b) Shropshire in each year since 1997. [121739]

    Malcolm Wicks
    Estimates of the number of pensioners eligible for, but not claiming the Minimum Income Guarantee, Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit are not available below national level. These figures are included in the publication "Income-Related Benefits—Estimates of Take Up in 2000/2001, copies of which are available in the library.

    There is no reliable current estimate of the level of take-up of Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Attendance Allowance (AA) and an accurate estimate cannot be made because entitlement to the benefits is not based on diagnosis but on the care and mobility needs arising from disability which can vary widely between individuals.

    Take up estimates for Carers Allowance could only be produced at disproportionate cost.

    Information about the number of people who may be entitled to a State Pension but have not claimed it is not available.

    Poverty
    Mr. Sayeed
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003,Official Report, column 703W, on poverty definition, whether the new general definition of poverty will be announced rather than the specific measurement of child poverty. [121262]

    Maria Eagle
    'Measuring Child Poverty: a consultation document' was specific in its intention to cover only child poverty. We have a pledge to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and we need to ensure that we can monitor long-term progress in the best possible way. Our final conclusions will therefore centre on child poverty measures only.

    'Opportunity for all: fourth annual report' (Cm 5598), sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents the latest information on the range of indicators used to measure progress against this strategy. The report includes over 50 indicators covering children and
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    young people, people of working age, pensioners and communities. There is no "general definition of poverty" in this set.

    All reports are available in the Library.

    Regulatory Bodies
    Mr. Yeo
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the(a) number of staff employed by and (b) budget of each regulatory body for which his Department is responsible in each year since 1997. [117785]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The information is in the table.

    The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. It took responsibility for the Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority (OPRA) from that date and for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) from July 2002. Responsibility for OPRA was previously with the former Department of Social Security. Responsibility for the HSE rested with the Department for the Environment, Transport and the Regions from May 1997, the Department for Transport, Local Government and the Regions from June 2001 and the Department for Transport from May 2002.

    Health and Safety Executive (HSE)1

    Occupational Pension Regulatory Authority (OPRA)2

    1997–98

    Staff (Number)

    4,077

    139

    Budget (£ million)

    174.1

    9.6

    1998–99

    Staff(Number)

    3,932

    171

    Budget (£ million)

    175.7

    9.6

    1999–2000

    Staff (Number)

    3,880

    200

    Budget (£ million)

    180.6

    11.4

    2000–01

    Staff (Number)

    3,937

    216

    Budget (£ million)

    181.3

    12.9

    2001–02

    Staff (Number)

    3,894

    235

    Budget (£ million)

    199.4

    15.9

    2002–03

    Staff (Number)

    4,050

    257

    Budget (£ million)

    210.4

    18.7

    1The Health and Safety Executive staffing information is based on the whole-time equivalent as at 1 April in each year.

    2The staffing information in respect of OPRA is based on average numbers in each financial year and includes non civil servants.

    3Resource accounting and budgeting was introduced in 2001–02.

    Sponsorship
    Mr. Oaten
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which of his Department's projects have received sponsorship in the last financial year; who the sponsor was in each case; what the nature of each project was; what time period was covered by each project; what the total cost of each project was; how much money was involved in each sponsorship deal; and if he will make a statement. [112400]
    89W
    Malcolm Wicks
    The only project within the Department that attracted sponsorship in the last financial year was the launch event of the European Year of Disabled People. £10,000 was pledged by UNUM Provident as a contribution to the costs of the launch event of the European Year of Disabled People, held on 22 January 2003.

    State Pension Forecasts
    Dr. Francis
    To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people his Department has employed to process state pensions forecasts in 2003. [122269]

    Malcolm Wicks
    The number of managers and staff employed to process state pension forecasts in 2003 is the equivalent of 175 full-time staff.

  NORTHERN IRELAND

    11-plus
    Mr. Dodds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the names of people appointed to serve on the panel set up to advise on the replacement of the 11-plus examination; which organisations they represent; and whether their views on the Burns Report are known to the Department. [122638]

    Jane Kennedy
    The Post-Primary Review Working Group is chaired by Mr. Steve Costello and the members are: Mr. Jim Clarke, Mr. Gilly Irwin, Bishop Donal McKeown, Dr. Bob Rodgers, Reverend Dr. Donald Watts, Mrs. Margaret Martin, Dr. Anne Murray, Mr. Gavin Boyd, Mr. Ian Houston and Ms Avril Hall-Callaghan. The individuals have been invited to participate on the group in a personal capacity and not as representatives of particular organisations. The Department does not know the views of the individuals with regard to the Burns Report.

    Acute Hospital Beds
    Mrs. Iris Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many acute hospital beds he estimates there will be in Northern Ireland if the proposals in the recent ministerial announcement on developing better services are implemented. [120980]

    Angela Smith
    The implementation of the programme to modernise Northern Ireland's hospital services will require a period of some years; during that time, the number of acute hospital beds required will be kept under constant review. It is not possible at this point to estimate how many may be required in the future, since this is dependent on a wide range of factors, including changes in clinical practice and demand for services.

    Ambulance Personnel
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on ambulance personnel there were in Northern Ireland(a) in 2001, (b) in 2002 and (c) since January 2003; how many people have been convicted for these attacks; and what action he is taking to tackle violent crime against paramedics and other ambulance staff. [120890]
    90W
    Angela Smith
    The number of attacks on ambulance staff in 2001, 2002 and until 23 May 2003, the most recent date for which information is available, is as follows:

    Attacks on staff

    Number

    2001

    68

    2002

    96

    2003 (to May 2003)

    70

    Information on the number of convictions is not available.
    Actions being taken by the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) to tackle violent crime against staff include:

    special training for front line staff, to enable them to respond safely to aggression or violence;

    a review of the Trust's violence to staff policy;

    an officer on-call system for staff subjected to violent attack;

    consistent condemnation by senior managers in the media of attacks on staff;

    improved Occupational Health Service support for staff who have been attacked; and

    the purchase of new vehicles with enhanced security measures, including security cameras and reinforced windscreens—NIAS intends to extend the use of toughened glass to side windows.

    Autism
    Mrs. Iris Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many autistic children have(a) received and (b) refused applied behaviour analysis teaching in (i) the Southern Health and Social Services Board and (ii) the Belfast Board Area. [121604]

    Jane Kennedy
    The Education and Library Boards support pupils with an Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD) using a range of methods. Provision may include classroom assistance, support from ASD Advisory Officers or peripatetic teachers. This teaching provision may include aspects of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA), along with other interventions, such as Treatment and Education of Autistic Children and those with related Communications Handicaps (TEACCH) and Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS).

    It is not, therefore, possible to quantify the number of children with an ASD who have been taught using ABA techniques in any given Education and Library Board area.

    In terms of specific, commercially available ABA Programmes for individual children, information is held by Education and Library Boards not Health and Social Services Boards. The Belfast Education and Library Board (BELB) is currently funding four children. The Southern Education and Library Board (SELB) is funding none. In the SELB there have been two other where an ABA Programme has been requested but other ASD-specific provision has been made, tailored to the individual needs of the child. In the BELB area, offers of financial support towards the cost of an ABA Programme have been made in another three cases. In one case this offer has been rejected, in the other two, negotiations are ongoing.

    Centre for Traumas and Transformation
    Rev. Martin Smyth
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on how the public money granted by the Northern Ireland Office to the Northern Ireland Centre for Traumas and Transformation has been spent; and what proportion has been spent on(a) salaries and (b) capital. [118305]

    Angela Smith
    The Northern Ireland Office has allocated £1.5 million over three years 2002–05 for the development of the Northern Ireland Centre for Trauma and Transformation (NICTT). Over the period September 2002 to 31 March 2003, the Northern Ireland Office paid £291,773 to the NICTT.

    Details of spend on salaries, set up costs, fixtures and fittings, and refurbishment are given up to 31 March 2003. Details of spend on other items are not yet available beyond 31 January 2003.

    £

    Salaries

    96,755

    Pre-Operational Centre Set Up Costs

    74,432

    Pre-Operational Trust Set Up Costs

    10,912

    Fixtures and Fittings

    33,492

    Refurbishment

    30,239

    Stationery and Printing

    1,486

    Fees

    70

    Travel and subsistence

    746

    Insurance

    3,137

    Staff Training

    160

    Trustee Costs

    145

    Sundry

    668

    Leasing (Computers and Copiers)

    1,637

    Cleaning Materials

    30

    Postage

    182

    Telephone

    98

    Westcare

    1,250

    Bank Fees

    14

    Recruitment Fees

    1,960

    Community Sports
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the impact of community sports on the peace process in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [121924]

    Angela Smith
    No specific assessment has been made of the impact of community sports c n the peace process in Northern Ireland. Rather, assessments are primarily based on how sport in general contributes to the Programme for Government and the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure's (DCAL) Corporate Strategy. To this end annual targets are set for increasing recorded levels of active participation in sporting activities and increasing the level of satisfaction with sports provision in Northern Ireland.

    Congestion Charging
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to introduce congestion charging in Northern Ireland. [120901]
    92W
    Mr. Spellar
    The Chief Executive of the Roads Service has written in response to the hon. Lady's Question. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

    Early Release Scheme
    Mrs. Iris Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) individuals convicted of murder and (b) others have been released as a result of the 1998 Belfast Agreement early release scheme. [121317]

    Jane Kennedy
    To date (25 June 2003), 447 individuals have been released early under the Good Friday Agreement. Of these 151 were convicted of murder and 296 were convicted of murder and 296 were convicted of other scheduled offences.

    Mrs. Iris Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prisoners released early through the 1998 Belfast Agreement early release scheme have subsequently been convicted of further offences. [121318]

    Jane Kennedy
    Details are held only in relation to those early release prisoners who come to the attention of the police while they are still under licence. At 25 June 2003, 16 of the 447 individuals granted early release under the terms of the Northern Ireland (Sentences) Act 1998 have been convicted of further offences while on licence.

    Education and Library Board Computer System
    Mr. Beggs
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the services available through the PPI managed Education and Library Board computer system; and why files greater than 1.44 Mb cannot be accessed through this system. [120943]

    Angela Smith
    In answering this question I am assuming that you are referring to the People's Network Service provided by the Electronic Libraries Programme in Northern Ireland through the Private Finance Initiative.

    This service provides free broadband public access to the internet from all public library sites in Northern Ireland. There is no restriction on the size of file that can be accessed through the system. However, in order to ensure the quality of access to these resources is maintained irrespective of location, it has been necessary is to limit the size of files which can be downloaded from the internet to 1.44 Mb. This was chosen because it is equal to the maximum capacity available on a floppy disc. The Electronic Libraries Programme is presently in the implementation phase and the current file download size of 1.44 Mb will be reviewed at the end of implementation, and at regular intervals throughout the term of the contract.

    Electoral Identity Card
    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many electoral identity cards have been issued; how many applications for electoral identity cards have been received which are being processed; and how many applications have been rejected. [121082]
    93W
    Mr. Spellar
    As at 20 June 2003, 77,571 electoral identity cards have been issued and 85,993 applications had been recorded to that date. The total number of rejections dealt with to 24 June 2003 was 16,033. This figure includes applications rejected more than once which are not recorded separately.

    Fishing
    Mr. Donaldson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many game fishing licences were issued by(a) the Foyle Fisheries Commission and Loughs Agency and (b) the Fisheries Conservancy Board for Northern Ireland in each of the last five years, broken down by (i) daily and (ii) weekly licences issued; and how many endorsements were issued for (A) the Foyle Fisheries Commission and Loughs Agency licences and (B) the Fisheries Conservancy Board area. [[21419]

    Mr. Pearson
    In the five-year period 1998 to 2002 the types of game licence available from the Fisheries Conservancy Board and the numbers issued are as follows:

    Fisheries Conservancy Board

    Licence type

    2002

    2001

    2000

    1999

    1998

    Game season

    9,002

    7,598

    9,688

    10,212

    10,788

    Game 8-day

    456

    473

    577

    611

    578

    Game 1-day

    1,387

    1,337

    1,243

    1,019

    1,101

    Disabled season

    914

    n/a

    n/a

    n/a

    n/a

    Foyle endorsement

    73

    64

    77

    84

    80

    Loughs Agency

    The number of game fishing licences issued by the Loughs Agency, and its predecessor the Foyle Fisheries Commission (FFC), in each of the last five years are as follows:

    January

    February

    March

    April

    May

    June

    July

    August

    September

    October

    November

    December

    Total

    1998

    0

    1

    10

    36

    22

    684

    1078

    788

    211

    121

    56

    0

    3007

    1999

    0

    1

    11

    27

    41

    142

    269

    89

    358

    97

    46

    0

    1081

    2000

    0

    0

    0

    9

    34

    96

    87

    199

    364

    111

    11

    50

    961

    2001

    0

    0

    0

    5

    0

    14

    168

    612

    324

    473

    75

    0

    1671

    2002

    0

    0

    0

    0

    17

    57

    290

    417

    143

    268

    391

    1

    1584

    2003

    0

    0

    0

    o

    23

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    Mr. Donaldson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many salmon smolts he estimates were naturally produced by salmon and grilse in the River Bush and passed to the sea in each of the last five years; how many hatchery-produced smolts passed to the sea in each of those years; by what means each of these classes of smolts were marked; and what his estimate is of the(a) number and (b) percentage of returning adult fish from (i) naturally produced smolts and (ii) hatchery-produced smolts. [121421]

    Mr. Pearson
    The number of wild smolts (naturally produced) emigrating to sea and the number of hatchery reared smolts released to sea in each of the last five years is shown in the following table.
    94W

    Licences

    1998

    7,081

    1999

    6,672

    2000

    6,220

    2001

    6,257

    2002

    7.564

    The figures for (i) daily and (ii) weekly licences issued by the Loughs Agency and its predecessor, and the number of endorsements issued, are detailed as follows:

    1998

    1999

    2000

    2001

    2002

    Daily

    1,710

    1,690

    1,653

    1,748

    2,303

    Weekly

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    Endorsements

    950

    951

    829

    781

    1,027

    Mr. Donaldson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) salmon, (b) grilse and (c) sea trout passed upstream through the trap on the River Bush at Bushmills in each month in each of the last five years and to the end of May. [121420]

    Mr. Pearson
    Data on the total number of salmon (salmon and grilse) which passed upstream through the trap at Bushmills in each month in each of the last five years is given in the following table.

    Data that distinguishes salmon that have spent more than one winter at sea from grilse is not collated on a monthly basis.

    Sea trout are only occasionally noted in the trap, amounting to only one or two per year. This data is not included in the table.

    Wild smelts and hatchery reared smolts

    Wild smolt run

    Hatchery released smelts

    1998

    14,819

    33,289

    1999

    11,921

    31,643

    2000

    16,451

    66,550

    2001

    14,853

    75,812

    2002

    11,603

    41.278

    The number of wild and hatchery reared fish returning to the river in each of the last five years is shown in the following table together with the return rates of these groups to the river. The return rate for hatchery origin smolts is given separately for fish released as one year old and two year old smolts.
    95W

    Wild and hatchery reared fish returning to the river

    Number of adult return from wild smolts

    Percentage of adult return rate from wild smolts

    Number of adult return from hatchery smolts

    Percentage of adult return rate from one year old hatchery smolts

    Percentage of adult return rate from two year old hatchery smolts

    1998

    2,995

    14.5

    328

    —

    2.8

    1999

    977

    4.9

    267

    0.7

    2.1

    2000

    950

    7.3

    377

    0.7

    1.9

    2001

    913

    4.8

    939

    0.9

    1.8

    2002

    835

    5.4

    886

    0.4

    1.3

    All hatchery reared smolts are marked, either by clipping the adipose fin or with an internal coded wire tag and the adipose fin clipped.

    The majority of wild smolts are released to sea, following counting, without marking.

    Mr. Donaldson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many permits to fish for migrating fish in each of the stretches of the River Bush under the control of his Department were issued in each month in each of the last five years and to the end of May 2003; how many fish were(a) caught, (b) killed and (c) released; and what sums have been received in respect of such permits in each month.[121423]

    Mr. Pearson
    Data on salmon catches on each of the three premier stretches on the River Bush in each of the last five years and on day ticket sales are shown in the following tables:

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    1998

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    4

    0

    9

    44

    0

    April

    1

    8

    2

    12

    53

    29

    May

    2

    1

    0

    26

    38

    26

    June

    14

    24

    11

    35

    38

    48

    July

    37

    108

    46

    56

    103

    140

    August

    1

    40

    28

    5

    67

    114

    September

    1

    2

    1

    8

    15

    48

    October

    0

    8

    0

    1

    18

    15

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    1999

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    3

    0

    11

    67

    2

    April

    1

    1

    0

    15

    58

    23

    May

    0

    3

    0

    10

    30

    22

    June

    5

    10

    5

    32

    39

    22

    July

    17

    43

    6

    L51

    83

    49

    August

    1

    1

    2

    7

    34

    16

    September

    0

    42

    3

    11

    59

    34

    October

    2

    24

    0

    7

    31

    5

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    2000

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    0

    0

    3

    39

    0

    April

    0

    3

    0

    9

    47

    4

    May

    1

    1

    0

    11

    32

    1

    June

    12

    19

    0

    31

    48

    8

    July

    4

    9

    3

    29

    28

    10

    August

    5

    7

    0

    32

    32

    7

    September

    0

    33

    4

    11

    47

    12

    October

    1

    10

    10

    2

    16

    14

    96W

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    2001

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    0

    0

    0

    3

    0

    April

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    May

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    June

    11

    15

    0

    24

    20

    0

    July

    20

    47

    7

    45

    58

    8

    August

    1

    44

    14

    20

    64

    40

    September

    2

    2

    1

    8

    36

    13

    October

    0

    8

    2

    6

    31

    16

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    2002

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    0

    0

    7

    7

    0

    April

    0

    1

    0

    4

    11

    2

    May

    0

    1

    0

    8

    20

    8

    June

    3

    13

    0

    21

    41

    2

    July

    14

    23

    3

    49

    76

    11

    August

    1

    5

    0

    27

    46

    15

    September

    1

    6

    1

    9

    23

    3

    October

    2

    7

    2

    10

    30

    21

    Salmon catch

    Day ticket sales

    2003

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    New stretch

    Town stretch

    Leap stretch

    March

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    April

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    May

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    0

    June

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    July

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    August

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    September

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    October

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    —

    Catch and release was introduced in the 2002 and 2003 fishing seasons for the period 1 March to 31 May inclusive. The Department has no record of the numbers offish caught and released outside this period in 2002 or in earlier years.

    Revenue from the sale of permits is collated on an annual rather than a monthly basis and is tabulated as follows:

    £

    Revenue

    1998

    20,858

    1999

    17,071

    2000

    11,659

    2001

    11,323

    2002

    11,991

    Further Education
    Mr. Beggs
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Northern Ireland strategy for the further education sector will be published. [120940]

    Jane Kennedy
    The Department intends to publish the proposals for the strategy of further education in Autumn 2003.

    Irish Language
    Mr. Gregory Campbell
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much public expenditure has been awarded to groups and individuals involved in the Irish Language Medium in each of the last five years. [112351]

    Angela Smith
    There is no standard definition of groups and individuals involved in the Irish Language Medium. It is not always possible to identify separately the Irish language related element, if any, of funding. However, available information for Departmental Programme Expenditure on programmes with some Irish language dimension and for funding provided to the North/South Language Body for the promotion of the Irish Lanauage, is shown in the table.

    Departmental Expenditure1

    £

    1997–98

    3,950,006.00

    1998–99

    6,720,730.00

    1999–2000

    10,151,114.28

    2000–01

    7,444,440.22

    2001/02

    7,003,543.02

    1Department of Education expenditure on Itish medium education is included in these amounts.

    North/South Language funding for Irish

    £

    2001–01

    1,803,000.00

    2001–02

    2,175,000.00

    Irish/Ulster Scots Languages
    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent by his Department on promoting(a) the Irish language and (b) the Ulster Scots language in the last 12 months for which records are available. [121085]

    Angela Smith
    The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure is the Department with lead responsibility for language policy in Northern Ireland. It had no direct expenditure on the promotion of either the Irish of Ulster-Scots language in 2002–03.

    Juvenile Justice Centre, County Down
    Lembit Öpik
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the Juvenile Justice Centre at Lisnevin, Millisle, County Down will close; why the closure has been delayed; how many admissions there have been to Lisnevin since November 2000; and if he will make a statement. [121587]
    98W
    Mr. Paul Murphy
    The Juvenile Justice Centre at Lisnevin, Millisle, County Down will close by the end of August 2003 following the transfer of the children during that month to the newly refurbished accommodation in Bangor. Ultimately, the closure of Lisnevin is dependent on ensuring the provision of safe and secure accommodation, and appropriate facilities and staffing levels at the centre in Bangor. While this has taken longer than originally anticipated because of the complexity of the refurbishment exercise, the additional time is being used to good effect in ensuring that these necessary arrangements are in place.

    Since November 2000, there have been 695 admissions to Lisnevin.

    A statement will be made announcing the opening of the refurbished centre and the closure of Lisnevin nearer the time.

    Mental Health
    Mr. McGrady
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what(a) staffing and (b) financial resources have been provided in order to execute the Mental Health Review; and if he will make a statement. [122349]

    Angela Smith
    The Review of Mental Health and Learning Disability in Northern Ireland is being supported by a team of five civil servants, all of whom are working on the project full-time. In the current financial year, some £250,000 is available to the Review, excluding the cost of these civil service staff.

    MOT
    Mrs. Iris Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the failure rates at Vehicle Inspection centres were(a) before and (b) after the introduction of the new computerised testing system. [121613]

    Angela Smith
    The percentage of vehicles presented for a re-test in 2000–01, the last full year prior to the installation of the new computerised testing equipment was 20 per cent. With the installation of the new equipment now substantially completed, the re-test rate is 22 per cent.

    The number of full tests and re-tests carried out by the by the Driver & Vehicle Testing Agency over the period in question is set out in the following table:

    Year

    Number of full tests

    Number of re-tests

    Percentage of re-tests

    2000–01

    439,746

    89,152

    20

    2001–02

    463,386

    95,015

    21

    2002–03

    483,776

    106,669

    22

    2003–041

    81,248

    18,171

    22

    11 April 2003 to 31 May 2003

    Northern Ireland Youth Forum
    Mr. Beggs
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the basis of the decision to invite the Northern Ireland Youth Forum to
    99W
    conduct an external study ass part of the review into post-primary education in Northern Ireland; and whether the Youth Council was involved in the review. [120948]

    Jane Kennedy
    The Department of Education adopted a multi-stranded approach to the consultation on the Burns' Report to ensure that everyone had an opportunity to express their views, including commissioning the Northern Ireland Youth Forum to undertake qualitative research into the views of 14 to 19-year-olds through a series of focus groups broadly representative of the population. The Youth Council was not involved in the review.

    Peace II Initiative
    Mr. Dodds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list those groups which have received funding under the Peace II initiative in(a) Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland. [120619]

    Mr. Pearson
    The number of fraud cases detected in EU Programmes and Initiatives where legal action has been taken against projects and the amount involved for each year is as follows:

    Fraud cases detected in EU programmes and initiatives

    Number of fraud cases

    Amount involved (£)

    1997

    1

    1211.19

    1998

    3

    12,139.63

    1999

    7

    34,699.81

    2000

    11

    34,883.08

    2001

    4

    92,197.94

    2002

    4

    22,800.21

    2003

    2

    3,960.00

    Portadown Parade
    Mr. McNamara
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of policing the Junior Orange parade in Portadown in(a) the morning and (b) the afternoon of Saturday 31 May; and how many personnel from (i) the Police Service of Northern Ireland, (ii) the Army and (iii) other agencies were involved in policing the event. [121533]

    Jane Kennedy
    At the Junior Order parade in Portadown on Saturday 31 May 2003, 159 police personnel were deployed for the morning parade and 205 for the evening parade. The total cost for policing the event on the day was £67,000. This figure does not include time spent in preparation and consultation.

    There were approximately 250 Army personnel in support of the police.

    Post Office Card Accounts
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what recent representations he has received from postmasters in Northern Ireland regarding the introduction of Post Office card accounts. [120903]

    Mr. Spellar
    There have been no recent representations from postmasters in Northern Ireland, either individually or collectively, regarding this matter.

    Presidential Visit
    Mr. Dodds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the costs to the PSNI were of the security measures put in place for the visit of President Bush to Hillsborough, County Down. [120362]

    Mr. Paul Murphy
    The total cost to the PSNI concerning the visit of President Bush to Hillsborough, County Down was £368,749. There is no means to separate the costs in relation to security measures.

    Primary/Secondary Transfer
    David Burnside
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the composition of the working group established by the Department of Education to formulate proposals on the way forward for transfer procedure from primary to secondary education. [121453]

    Jane Kennedy
    The Group is chaired by Steve Costello NA, ho has broad experience in business and education and the members have been drawn from the main representative organisations and managing authorities that will be responsible for developing and implementing future arrangements: Education and Library Boards, Council for Catholic Maintained Schools, Governing Bodies Association of Voluntary Grammar Schools, Trustees of Catholic Voluntary Schools, Teachers' Unions, Transferor Representative's Council (representing the three main Protestant churches), the Integrated sector, the Irish-medium sector, Council for Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment and the Further Education sector. Members were chosen because of the range and depth of their knowledge and experience of the education system in Northern Ireland and include four former or practising principals and a Deputy Director of a Further Education College.

    Regulatory Impact Assessments
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on his Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been reviewed in respect of the Department over the last year. [120822]

    Mr. Pearson
    A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector.

    The procedure for conducting Regulatory Impact Assessments in Northern Ireland is set out in the Northern Ireland Better Regulation Strategy, which was approved by the Northern Ireland Executive in December 2001.

    The Strategy incorporates a requirement on Northern Ireland Departments introducing new legislation to complete a review RIA within an appropriate period (not exceeding 10 years) of the introduction of the legislation. There have not yet been any reviews of RIAs undertaken in Northern Ireland.

    Roads
    Mr. Dodds
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which contractors are engaged by the
    101W
    Department of Regional Development to carry out (a) road works and (b) other works in (i) Belfast and (ii) Northern Ireland. [119469]

    Mr. Spellar
    The Chief Executive of the Roads Service has written in response to the hon. Gentleman's Question. A copy of the letter has been placed in the Library.

    School Funding
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the total funding for schools in(a) Northern Ireland and (b) North Down was in each year since 1997. [121930]

    Jane Kennedy
    The General Schools Budget for schools in Northern Ireland in each year since 1997 is as follows:

    £ million

    1997–98

    829.5

    1998–99

    853.6

    1999–2000

    916.5

    2000–01

    954.3

    2001–02

    1,016.7

    2001–03

    1,055.3

    The General Schools Budget represents the total amounts made available for school recurrent funding and the details are published annually in the Budget Statements produced by each of the Education and Library Boards for controlled and maintained schools and the Department in respect of Voluntary Grammar and Grant Maintained Integrated schools.

    Although the Budget Statements list the formula allocation to individual schools amounts held centrally for support services are not identifiable at individual school level. None of the information is collated by parliamentary constituency and this could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    School Sports
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to promote increased participation in sport in schools in Northern Ireland. [121923]

    Jane Kennedy
    Physical Education is compulsory within the Northern Ireland curriculum for all pupils from age 4 to 16 and this shows the degree of importance which is attached to the subject. It is essential that pupils develop an understanding of the importance of physical activity to a healthy lifestyle in later life. Schools themselves determine how much time is devoted to PE in the curriculum, but they have been encouraged to give pupils at least two hours PE per week. The PE Programme of Study is also flexible enough to enable teachers to adjust the activities available to cater for developing the particular sporting interests of all pupils and so make the subject enjoyable for them. The Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) is currently carrying out a review of the curriculum, and PE is being considered as part of this review.

    Teenage Pregnancy
    Lady Hermon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action he is taking to tackle teenage pregnancy in Northern Ireland. [121929]

    Angela Smith
    We have recently published the Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood Strategy and Action Plan which contains challenging targets to reduce teenage pregnancies. A multi-agency Implementation Group has been established to take the Strategy forward. The Group met on 29 May and identified education support, confidentiality, services and parent/child communication as priority areas for action.

    Train Derailment (Castlerock)
    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when he will publish the findings of the inquiry into the derailment of the Northern Ireland Railway's train at Castlerock on 4 June 2002; and if he will make a statement. [119300]

    Mr. Spellar
    The Inspector's report into the derailment is being printed. I will shortly make a written statement to the House on the matter and arrange for copies of the report to be made available.

    Transport
    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on progress on plans for a rapid transport system for Belfast. [122366]

    Mr. Spellar
    Work is in progress to assess the potential for a rapid transit network in the Belfast Metropolitan area, and in particular, an EWAY-type pilot scheme along the Belfast—Newtownards corridor. This work is being taken forward in the context of preparing the Belfast Metropolitan Transport Plan, which is due to be published later this year.

    Mr. Peter Robinson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the annual cost of extending the free fares scheme to all those over 60 in Northern Ireland. [122374]

    Mr. Spellar
    We estimate that the cost of extending the Northern Ireland Concessionary Fares Scheme to provide free travel on public transport for all those over 60 would be about £3.3 million in the first year, taking account of set-up costs, and about £2.9 million per annum thereafter at current fare levels.

    Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order
    Mark Tami
    To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to amend the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985. [121594]

    Angela Smith
    The Department of the Environment plans, at the earliest opportunity, to amend the definition of a 'wild bird' in the Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 to comply with the European Union Habitats Directive.

    On the wider front, the Department is currently carrying out a review of the Order and a full report is expected in the autumn. A decision will be taken at that time on the need for further amendment to the Order and the timing of any such amendments.

  DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

    Agency Workers,
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many agency workers have been employed by the Department in each of the last two years; and at what cost to public funds. [115202]

    Yvette Cooper
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. From that date to 30 April 2003 the amount spent on the hire of agency workers has been as follows:

    Amount spent on hire of agency workers

    £

    Department

    Cost

    ODPM

    1,710,964

    Executive Agencies

    QEII

    15,000

    Planning Inspectorate

    99,309

    The Rent Service

    829,000

    Total1

    2,654,273

    12002–03

    The Fire Service College records agency staff on a different basis.

    Agency staff (average per month)

    Department

    Number

    Fire Service College

    21

    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister records the total amount spent on agency staff but not the actual number of workers. Figures on numbers of agency workers could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Allotments
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the number of allotments; and if he will make a statement. [121814]

    Keith Hill
    The provision of allotments is determined locally by allotment authorities. The Small Holdings and Allotments Act (1908) places a duty on local authorities to provide sufficient allotments, according to local demand. In addition Planning Policy Guidance note 17: Open Space, Sport and Recreation, indicates that local authorities should assess the existing and future needs of their communities for all open spaces of public value, including allotments. Local authorities should then plan to meet those identified needs.

    Audit Commission
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister, how many conferences staff of the Audit Commission attended in each of the last five years; what the(a) cost and (b) purpose was in each case; and how many were overseas conferences. [113553]
    104W
    Yvette Cooper
    The costs of attending conferences are not separately recorded by the Audit Commission. These costs are included in the Commission's overall training costs, which for the last five years were as follows:

    Conference attemdamce by staff of Audit Commission

    £million

    Total training costs1

    1997–98

    1.5

    1998–99

    1.7

    1999–2000

    2.7

    2000–01

    2.8

    2001–02

    3.6

    1At constant 2001–02 prices.

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many publications have been issued by the Audit Commission in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of each. [113556]

    Yvette Cooper
    Information on the number of publications issued by the Audit Commission and the cost of publication over the last five years is as follows:

    Number and cost of publications issued by Audit Commission

    Publications issued

    Approximate net publication costs £ million1

    1997–98

    50

    0.35

    1998–99

    67

    0.55

    1999–2000

    49

    0.84

    2000–01

    47

    0.51

    2001–02

    71

    0.70

    1At constant 2001–02 prices.

    The number of publications issued includes about 20 each year which are unpriced. These are items the Commission wish to disseminate widely or where the comments from stakeholders are requested, including consultation papers and the Commission's annual report. The Commission actively markets its priced publications and receives income of between £0.3 million and £0.4 million per annum from the sale of its publications. This income is used to offset partially the costs of production.

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many equivalent full time employees there were in the Audit Commission,(a) when it was first established and (b) on 1 May 2003. [113557]

    Yvette Cooper
    The total number of staff employed by the Audit Commission in its first full financial year, ending on 31 March 1984, was 524. The number currently employed is 2,532.

    The Commission has taken on a significant number of new responsibilities since 1984. In 1990 the Commission's role was extended to include the external audit of national health service bodies. Other new responsibilities are those derived from the Local Government Act 1999 on local authority performance, including the setting up of the best value inspection service and the development of the comprehensive performance assessment process.

    Care Beds
    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what financial support is available from his Department to assist local authorities to provide additional nursing and residential care beds for the elderly.[122105]

    Mr. Raynsford
    Most of the financial resources available to local government are unhypothecated and each council must decide, in the light of its priorities and service needs, how much to spend on additional nursing and residential home beds for elderly people.

    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with Hampshire county council about the availability of Government funding for the provision of additional nursing and residential home beds for the elderly. [122106]

    Mr. Raynsford
    None.

    Care Home Developments
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what consultations his Department has had with the Department of Health concerning the adequacy of existing planning guidance in respect of new care home developments. [121489]

    Keith Hill
    There have been no recent consultations with the Department of Health about the adequacy of planning guidance in respect of new care home developments. Planning Policy Guidance Note 3, "Housing" (PPG3), which sets out the Government's policies on planning for housing, was updated in 2000 and its implementation is kept under review. PPG3 expects local planning authorities to work jointly with housing departments to assess the range of needs for different types and sizes of housing in their area, including housing to help meet the needs of specific groups in the community.

    Command Paper 5778
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the answer of 29 April 2003,Official Report, column 351W, on Command Paper 5778, which parts of the Children Act 1989 are failing to be implemented effectively in his Department as set out in paragraph 2.22 of Command Paper 5778. [112182]

    Yvette Cooper
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, Central (Hilary Benn) on 29 April 2003, Official Report, column 351W. The Children Act is a shared responsibility across Government, and our aim, as set out in the Command Paper, is to increase the range of family support provisions that can be made available through the Children Act, as part of our response to promote thriving sustainable communities.

    Council Tax
    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax was in(a) London, (b) the south-east, (c) the south-west and (d) the south of England in each financial year since 1995–96. [121210]
    106W
    Mr. Raynsford
    Tabled are the figures for average council tax per dwelling for London, the south-east, the south-west and the south of England for each financial year since 1995–96. The south of England area has been taken to comprise the regions of London, the south-east and the south-west.

    Average council tax dwelling

    £

    London

    South-east

    South-west

    South of England

    1995–96

    524

    526

    500

    519

    1996–97

    561

    561

    524

    552

    1997–98

    593

    597

    559

    586

    1998–99

    628

    663

    613

    638

    1999–2000

    669

    714

    658

    684

    2000–01

    713

    760

    704

    729

    2001–02

    764

    809

    745

    777

    2002–03

    819

    887

    823

    847

    2003–04

    969

    1,026

    938

    983

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much council tax was uncollected for the London boroughs at the latest date for which figures are available on(a) a cash basis and (b) a percentage basis. [121778]

    Mr. Raynsford
    Reliable figures for uncollected council taxes are not currently available for London boroughs. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister estimates that council tax arrears for England as a whole totalled £1.5 billion at 31 March this year. This represents about 1.4 per cent. of the sum of the amounts due for each financial year since the tax was introduced in 1993.

    Figures for 2002–03 council taxes that had not been collected by 31 March 2003 are, however, available at an individual local authority level. Amounts uncollected by London boroughs by 31 March 2003 totalled £127 million, or 6.0 per cent. of the amounts due.

    Mr. Cameron
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to allow local councils to give council tax single person reduction to couples where one of the pair is no longer able to live in the home due to(a) long term illness and (b) other reasons. [122723]

    Mr. Raynsford
    There is already a discount disregard for a person who goes into a care home or hospital and is not expected to return to the home which was their sole or main residence. In addition Clause 77 of the Local Government Bill will provide a new discretionary power for billing authorities to reduce the amount of council tax payable in particular cases or for a class of case. This could include offering the current 25 per cent. single person discou nt to couples where one of them was unable to live in the home due to illness or other reasons.

    Mr. Cameron
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans the Government has to increase councils' flexibility in granting single person discount for council tax. [122724]

    Mr. Raynsford
    Clause 77 of the Local Government Bill will provide a new discretionary power for billing authorities to reduce the amount of council tax payable
    107W
    in particular cases or for a class of case. This could include increasing the current 25 per cent. single person discount.

    Council Tax Arrears
    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many committal orders for council tax arrears have been obtained by local authorities in each financial year since 1989–90. [122025]

    Mr. Raynsford
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not keep statistics on committal orders. However figures are published in The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Revenue Collection Statistics.

    For the years since the introduction of the council tax on 1 April 1993, CIPFA estimate the number of committal orders obtained by English local authorities for council tax arrears were:

    Number of committal orders obtained

    1993–94

    444

    1994–95

    4,435

    1995–96

    3,771

    1996–97

    14,246

    1997–98

    26,077

    1998–99

    13,434

    1999–2000

    21,019

    2000–01

    17,592

    2001–02

    22,350

    These figures are based on grossed up actual figures provided by those local authorities that have submitted statistical returns to CIPFA. From 1996–1997, figures include postponed orders.

    Mr. Edward Davey
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from(a) local authorities, (b) members of the public and (c) other bodies on the number of people refusing to pay part or all of this year's council tax; and if he will make a statement. [122026]

    Mr. Raynsford
    Withholding of all or part of the council tax due is unlawful and could affect authorities' revenue flows which could in due course lead to higher council tax bills, a reduction in services or both. The Office of the Deputy of Prime Minister has received a few letters from members of the public indicating that they are refusing to pay all or part of this year's council tax. Records of correspondence received do not differentiate such cases from other correspondence on council tax. A precise figure could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    Departmental Underspending
    Mr. Bercow
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to reduce his Department's underspend in 2003–04 from that of 2002–03. [112777]

    Yvette Cooper
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has a Budget Management team working to improve the budgeting, monitoring and forecasting of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's expenditure. The team includes experts on budgeting and forecasting who are available to assist the major budget holders in 108W
    the Office. A financial training guide has been made available to all staff. This enables staff and their managers to identify the financial skills necessary to carry out their tasks and the training and development available to teach those skills. These measures should lead to a significant improvement in financial performance for 2003–04.

    Hotel Accommodation
    Norman Baker
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the amount spent by(a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) its non-departmental public bodies on hotel accommodation (i) in the UK and ( ii) abroad for (A) Ministers, (B) staff and (C) others, and if he will list the average cost per hotel room, in each year since 1997. [117568]

    Yvette Cooper
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was created following the Machinery of Government changes on 29 May 2002. The detailed information requested is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, we can advise that the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Headquarters spent £3.5 million on travel and subsistence for Civil Servants from 1 June 2002 to 31 March 2003. All travel by staff is conducted in accordance with the requirements of the Civil Service Management Code.

    The Government publish an annual report of ministerial travel overseas. The total cost of ministerial travel provided in the annual report includes the costs of accommodation. The information sought in respect of accommodation within the United Kingdom is not held centrally. All travel is conducted in line with the requirements of the Ministerial Code.

    Housing
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what estimate he has made of the number of people living in multi-storey blocks of flats in England. [121819]

    Keith Hill
    Defining multi-storey blocks of flats as purpose built blocks of flats with at least three floors, the estimates tabled have been derived from the 2002–03 Survey of English Housing.

    Thousands

    Number of floors in block of flats

    Number of persons

    Three or four

    1,781

    Five to nine

    352

    Ten or more

    274

    Total

    2,407

    Bob Russell
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will encourage housing associations operating in the same district to merge for reasons of management control; and if he will make a statement. [121882]

    Keith Hill
    Housing associations are independent organisations whose boards are responsible for ensuring that their organisations are financially strong and flexible enough to operate in different markets and meet the needs of tenants.
    109W
    Housing associations may themselves come to the conclusion that merger or rationalisation of their operations is in their organisation's and their tenants' interests. A number of them have already done this or are doing so, particularly where the effectiveness of neighbourhood management is inhibited by the presence of a large number of social landlords. The Housing Corporation, as regulator of housing associations, encourages and enables those who wish to pursue this route to do so.

    Bob Russell
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what powers he has to investigate the management by a housing association of its properties; and what the procedures are for initiating such an investigation. [121883]

    Keith Hill
    The regulation of housing associations is the responsibility of the Housing Corporation, an executive non-departmental public body sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The Housing Corporation's regulatory code sets out minimum requirements for housing associations across a range of functions, including the management of properties. The Housing Corporation's regulation teams are responsible for ensuring these requirements are met and, where possible, exceeded.

    The Housing Corporation introduced inspection as an important part of its range of regulatory activities in 2002. In April 2003, inspection of housing associations was transferred to a single social housing inspectorate at the Audit Commission, which was already responsible for the inspection of local authority housing services. The Housing Inspectorate is working with the Housing Corporation to drive up standards of service to tenants of housing associations.

    There is a annual programme of inspections which is published by the Audit Commission.

    Where the Audit Commission finds that standards of service to housing association tenants do not meet those set out in the Housing Corporation's Regulatory Code, the Corporation ensures that associations take action to bring about improvements, including using its statutory powers if necessary.

    Local Authority Construction Contracts
    Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidance he has issued on steps to be taken by local authorities that have removed retentions to ensure that their first line contractors do not demand retentions from their supply chain. [122145]

    Mr. Raynsford
    None. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister works closely with the Local Government Task Force, which was established to encourage and assist local authorities to adopt the principles of "Rethinking Construction". While we are not aware of any retention issues applying specifically to local government contracts, the Taskforce will continue to support local government in applying integrated procurement and promoting longer-term supplier relationships as part of the wider "Rethinking Construction" agenda.

    Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which local authorities( a) have removed retentions from their construction contracts and (b) intend to remove retentions from such contracts
    110W
    within the next 12 months; and what estimate he has made of the total value of work procured by these local authorities in the last 12 months. [122207]

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

    Local Authority Employees
    Phil Sawford
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what discussions he has had with local authority employees regarding their proposals to change the terms and conditions of local authority employer which would(a) abolish Part 3 of the National Single Status agreement and (b) stop unsocial hours payments. [121052]

    Phil Hope
    The National Single Status agreement was negotiated between local authority representatives and the unions. The Government had no input to these negotiations. They have not sought to influence the development of local authorities' policies in this area since the detailed terms and conditions of local government employment are a matter for councils to determine.

    Mobile Phone Masts
    Dr. Murrison
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on plans his Department have to tighten planning controls on mobile phone masts in built-up areas. [121341]

    Keith Hill
    Current planning guidance on telecommunications is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8). The planning arrangements for telecommunications developments were significantly strengthened in August 2001, and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to amend further these planning arrangements at the present time.

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister from which local authorities he has received representations on mobile phone masts since May 2002; and if he will make a statement. [121811]

    Keith Hill
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister receives many representations on matters relating to the telecommunications industry. Since May 2002 the following 24 local authorities have made representations about telecommunications:

    Bournemouth Borough Council

    Bradford Metropolitan Borough Council

    Chester le Street District Council

    Copeland Borough Council

    Crediton Town Council

    Derby City Council

    Great Ness and Little Ness Parish Council

    Harrogate Borough Council

    Hartley Parish Council

    Kent County Council

    London Borough of Barking and Dagenham

    111W

    Luton Borough Council

    Sefton Metropolitan Borough Council

    Sevenoaks District Council

    Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council

    South Hams District Council

    Southend on Sea Borough Council

    Sprotborough and Cusworth Parish Council

    St Albans District Council

    Thanet District Council

    Warwick District Council

    Winchester City Council

    Wrexham County Borough Council

    York City Council

    First name

    Surname

    Public bodies

    Owusu

    Abebrese

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern Rent Assessment Panel London

    Richard

    Arthur

    Audit Commission Housing Corporation

    Mary

    Auld

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    John

    Bowen

    Audit Commission Employment Tribunal (DTI)

    John

    Bridge

    English Partnerships One NorthEast (DTI)

    David

    Brown

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Frances

    Burton

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Traffic Area Western (DfT)

    Traffic Area South Eastern and Metropolitan (DfT)

    Pip

    David

    Advisory Panel on Standards in the Planning Inspectorate
    Employment Tribunals (DTI)

    Jennifer

    Davies

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Brenda

    Dean

    Housing Corporation

    Armed Forces Pay Review Body (MOD)

    Derek

    Douglas

    Housing Action Trust Castle Vale

    Rent Assessment Panel Midland

    Sheila

    Drew Smith

    Housing Action Trust Tower Hamlet

    Housing Corporation

    Andrew

    Dutton

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Anthony

    Engel

    Rent Assessment Panel Midland

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Julian

    Farrand

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Pensions Compensation Board (DWP)

    Pensions Ombudsman (DWP)

    Kay

    Firth-Butterfield

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Tessa

    Gordon

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    David

    Higgins

    English Partnership1

    Housing Corporation1

    Brenda

    Hindley

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Geraldine

    Huka

    Housing Corporation

    NHS Trust (DH) Marina

    Martina

    Krisko

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Pauleen

    Lane

    Audit Commission

    English Partnerships

    Michael

    Lewer

    Boundary Commission for England

    Criminal Injuries Compensation Appeals Panel (HO)

    Derek

    Mapp

    English Partnerships

    East Midlands Development Agency (DTI)

    Michael

    Martin

    Boundary Commission for England2

    Boundary Commission for Wales2

    Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland (NIO)2

    Shaukat

    Moledina

    Housing Corporation

    National Care Standards Commission (DH)

    Ivan

    Monckton

    Housing Corporation

    Agricultural Wages Board for England and Wales (DEFRA)

    Patrick

    Mulvenna

    Rent Assessment Panel Northern Traffic Area North Western (DfT)

    Sandi

    O'Neill

    Housing Corporation

    Financial Services and Markets Tribunal (DCA)

    NDPBs
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many people sit on the boards of his Department's non-departmental public bodies in England; who is on more than one non-departmental public body, who they are and which organisations they serve in. [121786]

    Yvette Cooper
    528 people sit on the boards of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's non-departmental public bodies in England. Of these, 37 are on more than one non-departmental public body and are listed in the table along with the organisations concerned.
    113W

    First name

    Surname

    Public bodies

    Norman

    Perry

    English Partnerships3

    Housing Corporation3

    Sarah

    Redmond

    Rent Assessment Panel Eastern

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Paula

    Ridley

    Housing Action Trust Liverpool

    Victoria and Albert Museum (DCMS)

    Trevor

    Sennett

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Peter

    Soulsby

    Advisory Panel on Beacon Councils

    British Waterways Board (DEFRA)

    Peter

    Stowers

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Corinne

    Swain

    Advisory Panel on Standards in the Planning Inspectorate

    Property Advisory Group

    David

    Wills

    Rent Assessment Panel London

    Rent Assessment Panel Southern

    Note:

    All bodies sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister except where stated

    1Ex officio appointments held while Chief Executive of English Partnerships

    2Ex officio appointments held while Speaker of the House of Commons

    3Ex officio appointments held while Chief Executive of the Housing Corporation

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints concerning his Department's(a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies have been received by the Parliamentary Ombudsman each year since 1997; and how many complaints were upheld. [121787]

    Yvette Cooper
    The information requested is not held centrally by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and to seek it from non-departmental public bodies and executive agencies would be to do so at disproportionate costs. The Parliamentary Commissioner for Administration's annual report includes information on the number of complaints they receive each year. Copies of the annual report are available in the Library of theHouse.

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much money his Department's non-departmental public bodies distributed(a) in the last financial year, (b) five years ago and (c) 10 years ago. [121789]

    Yvette Cooper
    Details of expenditure by each of the executive non-departmental public bodies sponsored by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are shown in their annual reports and accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister which of his Department's advisory non-departmental public bodies the Government is required(a) to consult prior to legislative proposals and (b) to publish the response to advice supplied by them. [121792]

    Yvette Cooper
    The Government consults with relevant advisory non-departmental public bodies (NDPBs) prior to legislative proposals and publishes their response to any advice given by NDPBs as appropriate.

    The Building Regulations Advisory Committee (BRAC) Terms of Reference state that the Deputy Prime Minister shall consult them before making any building regulations containing substantive requirements.

    Parliamentary Ombudsman
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many complaints concerning his Department have been received by the Parliamentary Ombudsman since May 2002; and how many complaints were upheld. [121788]

    Yvette Cooper
    Since May 2002, the Parliamentary Ombudsman has received a total of 47 cases concerning the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. At present, four cases are still in progress, and 43 have been resolved, none of which were upheld.

    Planning
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the length of time was between local inquiries being completed and the decision from the inspector and the determination by his Department in each case of called-in application since May 2002. [121790]

    Keith Hill
    The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's target in relation to called-in cases and recovered appeals for which the inquiry closed after 1 April 2002 was to decide 80 per cent. of cases within 24 weeks by March 2003. In the year to March 2003, 142 cases (95.3 per cent.) were decided within 24 weeks.

    Of these cases, 37 were in relation to called in applications, 32 of these were made within 24 weeks. The average time taken was 19 weeks.

    Five decisions took longer than 24 weeks:

    Two decisions in relation to a community care home, The Ridge, Mansfield, Nottingham, one of which was a conservation area consent application (26.8 weeks). Inspector's report received 14.6 weeks after the inquiry closed.

    Mixed use development detail and residential, Wolverhampton (24.6 weeks). Inspector's report received 11.4 weeks after the inquiry closed.

    Housing development, land to the North of Weetwood Road, Weedon, Northumberland (call in planning application) 37.6 weeks. Inspector's report received 24.2 weeks after the inquiry closed.

    Class Al foodstore, non food retail units, petrol filling station. Former Celcon Blockworks Site, Power Station Road, Rugeley, Staffordshire (29.8 weeks). Inspector's report received 17.6 weeks after the inquiry closed.
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    Bob Russell
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether there is a requirement on a local authority to offer to the original owner(a) land and (b) property it has acquired for a development project which is subsequently not proceeded with. [121881]

    Keith Hill
    There is no statutory requirement for local authorities to offer surplus land or property back to the original owner when a project is cancelled. They are, however, commended to follow the Crichel Down Rules which are non-statutory guidance primarily addressed to Government Departments, which specify that land that has been acquired compulsorily or under threat of compulsion and is no longer needed by the acquiring body should be offered back to the original owner at its current market value.

    Public Sector Contracts
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what recent developments there have been in the negotiations over the introduction of alternative dispute resolution methods into public sector contracts let by his Department; and if he will make a statement. [122227]

    Mr. Raynsford
    The Local Government Association, Employers' Organisation for Local Government, the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) recently submitted a joint proposal for resolving disputes which might arise from the Code of Practice on Workforce Matters in Local Authority Service Contracts. The Code was published as part of statutory guidance to local authorities on 13 March. The proposal appears to meet the requirements set and the parties have been asked to develop it into a full scheme.

    Race Relations
    Angela Eagle
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what progress has been made in his Department and non-departmental public bodies on implementing the requirements of the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000; and if he will publish the results of the monitoring required by the Act. [117476]

    Yvette Cooper
    As a listed public body subject to the General and Specific Duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published its Race Equality Scheme on 31 May 2003. This document provides a strategy and action plan for promoting race equality over the next two years covering the functions of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, its Agencies and the Government Offices.

    In terms of publishing the results of required monitoring, we will use a variety of media—electronic and print—to communicate our progress on implementing the scheme, and specifically how we are meeting the requirements of the Act.

    Those non-departmental bodies associated with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister that are listed as subject to the requirements of the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 are responsible for producing their own Race Equality Schemes.

    Referendums
    Mr. Pickles
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to commission a study into the use of referendums on government policies. [121784]

    Mr. Raynsford
    None.

    Past studies of local government issues have, among other things, looked at referendums for elected mayors and on council tax. Evaluation of policy on regional governance will similarly cover a range of matters, including regional and local referendums.

    Regional Assemblies
    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the costs of running an elected regional assembly will come out of the existing regional budget. [121473]

    Mr. Raynsford
    The White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions", sets out the funding arrangements for elected regional assemblies.

    The costs of running an elected regional assembly will not come out of the budget for regional programmes. Assemblies will receive general grant to meet most of their direct running costs in addition to their programme grant. But people in the region with an assembly will make some contribution to its running costs.

    Retail Outlets (Planning Consents)
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to propose amendments to planning law to prevent retail outlets constructing mezzanine floors without planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [122303]

    Keith Hill
    Additional internal retail floorspace does not normally require planning permission as it is not regarded as development. Where a maximum floorspace is specified in a planning permission, the provision of additional floorspace, even as a mezzanine floor, is likely to require consent, and, if built without consent, could result in enforcement action for its removal. The forthcoming revised PPG6 ("Town Centres and Retail Developments") will provide advice to local planning authorities on this matter. There are no plans to amend planning law to this effect.

    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what research he has commissioned into the effect on the local economy and infrastructure of large retail outlets which have increased their floorspace through the installation of mezzanine floors without the need for planning permission; and if he will make a statement. [122304]

    Keith Hill
    No such research has been commissioned.

    Right to Buy
    Ms Oona King
    To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what factors underlay his decision to extend the right to buy discount repayment period to five years. [122326]
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    Keith Hill
    The Government's draft Housing Bill, published on 31 March 2003, proposes that the period during which people who have bought their homes under the Right to Buy scheme may be required to repay their discount if they choose to resell should be extended from three years to five years, and that the amount to be repaid should be linked to the resale value of the property less the value of any improvements made by the owner after exercising his Right to Buy.

    The Government are concerned that the Right to Buy rules are being exploited by companies seeking to redirect public subsidy for their own profit, and that this is adversely affecting the availability of affordable housing in some areas. There is strong evidence that some companies offer tenants financial help to buy their homes on condition that they resell them to the company after the three-year discount repayment period has ended (deferred resale' arrangements). The companies thus acquire former social homes at substantially less than their market value, and rent them out. This means that homes formerly available at subsidised social rents then command substantially higher market rents, reducing the availability of affordable housing. Research by Heriot-Watt University, published in May 2003, has demonstrated that such exploitation is prevalent in Inner London, where around 2,000 ex-council homes are now privately rented. The aim of the measures in the Housing Bill is therefore to make deferred resale arrangements less financially attractive.

  ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

    Canoeists
    Adam Price
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) if she will make a statement on the accessibility to rivers for canoeists; [122713]

    (2) what recent discussions she has had with representatives of canoeists regarding accessibility to rivers. [122771]

    Alun Michael
    In December 2001 we published the findings of research into the opportunities and demand for water-based sport and recreation. The report, "Water-Based Sport and Recreation: the facts" concluded that there is some unmet demand for white water and long distance routes for canoeists. However, the findings also demonstrated that for most canoeists, as for most other water users, supply is equal to demand.

    In the light of these findings, I have asked the Countryside Agency (in partnership with other Government agencies) to pilot some demonstration projects to develop best practice for access agreements on key stretches of water in England.

    I have held a number of discussions with the British Canoe Union to discuss the accessibility of rivers. The Countryside Agency is also in regular contact with them and other relevant organisations in taking forward the research into demonstration projects to develop best practice for access agreements on key stretches of water in England.
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    The promotion of access to rivers in Wales is a matter for the National Assembly for Wales.

    Departmental Employees
    Mr. Flook
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people are employed by her Department in(a) Taunton and (b) Somerset. [121977]

    Alun Michael
    (a) There are 137 full-time equivalent staff employed by Defra in two offices in Taunton, of which 11 are employed on casual contracts.

    (b) Neither Defra nor any of its Agencies has offices in Somerset other than those in Taunton.

    GM Food
    Mr. Key
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of whether there is a need to test the safety of GM food in addition to the requirements of Regulation 258/97/EC. [121293]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    I have been asked to reply.

    In June 2000, the Food Standards Agency board reviewed the current safety assessment procedures employed by the UK Competent Authority under Regulation 258/97/EEC in the safety testing of genetically modified foods. The board was satisfied that the current safety assessment procedures are sufficiently robust and rigorous to ensure that approved GM foods are as safe to eat as their non-GM counterparts.

    Mr. Key
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of(a) trials and (b) research (i) in the UK, (ii) in the USA and (iii) elsewhere on the health and biochemical effects of consuming GM foods. [121294]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    I have been asked to reply.

    The available scientific evidence does not support the view that the consumption of the genetically modified foods approved to date would lead to any harmful effects.

    Independent scientific experts carry out the approval of all GM foods on a case-by-case basis. The Food Standards Agency board, in its consideration of the safety assessment procedure, concluded that that the current safety assessment procedures are sufficiently robust and rigorous to ensure that approved GM foods are as safe to eat as their non-GM counterparts.

    Mr. Key
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what evidence she has collated that consuming GM food is(a) safe and (b) unsafe; and if she will make a statement. [121295]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    I have been asked to reply.

    The available scientific evidence does not support the view that the consumption of the genetically modified foods approved to date would lead to any harmful effects. The safety is assured using procedures developed by the World Health Organisation.

    Local Authority Funding
    Mr. Coleman
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what grants have been made by her Department to local authorities for 2003–04 in England broken down by local authority; and whether the grant is(a) ring fenced, (b) a specific formula grant, (c) within aggregate external finance and (d) outside aggregate external finance. [114919]

    Alun Michael
    This information is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

    Low-wave Radar
    Mr. Greg Knight
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact upon(a) whales and (b) dolphins in UK territorial waters of low-wave radar; and if she will make a statement. [120618]

    Mr. Ingram
    I have been asked to reply.

    I understand the question pertains to what is known as Low Frequency Active Sonar (LFAS). The MOD plans to introduce Sonar 2087, an LFAS system, in order to protect against a developing submarine threat. The system is planned to be used, at need, on a worldwide basis. The associated Environmental Impact Assessment accordingly considered its potential effects on marine mammals in the conditions in which it might be used, rather than in the specific context of UK territorial waters. The assessment, which we are updating continuously as necessary, indicates that the sonar has the potential to be harmful to marine mammals. It forms the basis for the development of a range of operating measures to minimise the danger of such impact.

    Private Sewers
    Paddy Tipping
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to(a) receive and (b) publish W.S.Atkins' research into the scale and problems of private sewers; and if she will make a statement. [121510]

    Mr. Morley
    The research into the extent and condition of existing private sewers and drains in England and Wales is complete. A consultation paper will be published at the beginning of July.

    Suckler Cow Premium
    Mr. Hayes
    To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what efforts are being made to speed up the processing of suckler cow premium payments. [122521]

    Alun Michael
    Staff at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) continue to work overtime at offices around the country to ensure that Suckler Cow Premium Scheme queries which are currently preventing payment are investigated and resolved as quickly as possible. To date, 90 per cent. of Suckler Cow producers have received an advance payment representing 80 per cent. of the premium due.

    Balance payments on all the bovine subsidy schemes have been delayed because of the need to implement changes in EU legislation introduced for the 2002
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    scheme year. These changes introduced new penalty procedures that apply when either the scheme rules or cattle identification requirements have been breached

    Before making balance payments the RPA has had to build a new computer database and significantly enhance existing computer systems to cope with the changes. These are complex changes and despite being given high priority have taken a considerable time to implement. However, the RPA can now confirm that the software required to pay the majority of producers is now in place and Suckler Cow Premium Scheme balance payments have begun. To date, over 38 per cent. of producers have received their payments. Every effort is being made to ensure that the remaining balance payments are processed as quickly as possible.

  CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

    Regional Assemblies
    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether an English region voting for an elected assembly will be given more money to spend by central government as a result. [121471]

    Mr. Raynsford
    I have been asked to reply.

    The White Paper, "Your Region, Your Choice: Revitalising the English Regions", sets out the funding arrangements for elected assemblies.

    Elected regional assemblies will take responsibilities for programmes that are currently carried out at regional level.

    Extra money will be rewarded to elected assemblies, which achieve or exceed targets agreed with central Government. This money will not be taken from regions without an elected assembly.

    Adjudicators
    Keith Vaz
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to his answer of 18 June 2003, Official Report, column 274W, on adjudicators, if he will provide a breakdown by ethnic background of adjudicators in post. [121889]

    Mr. Lammy
    There are currently 170 salaried adjudicators and 429 fee-paid adjudicators. The total of salaried adjudicators includes the chief adjudicator, the deputy chief adjudicator, nine regional adjudicators and seven deputy regional adjudicators. Of the background of the 170 salaried adjudicators 143 are white, five black, seven Asians, two Chinese, five other and eight unknown.

    Of the 429 fee-paid adjudicators, 339 are white, 16 black, 20 Asians, one Chinese, 14 other, 37 unknown and two mixed.

    Compensation
    Matthew Taylor
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how much money has been paid out in compensation in each year since the introduction of conditional fee arrangements. [120964]
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    Mr. Lammy
    I have been asked to reply.

    The information requested is not collected and could not be compiled without incurring disproportionate cost.

    Constitutional Affairs Department
    Mr. Cash
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to issue a White Paper on the legal and constitutional implications of the creation of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [122248]

    Mr. Leslie
    My noble and learned Friend, the Secretary of State and Lord Chancellor will be publishing a consultation document on the establishment of a Judicial Appointments Commission and a new Supreme Court on 14 July 2003. We will be announcing our conclusions in the light of the responses received. In the autumn he will be setting out the various issues which need to be addressed in relation to the detailed other roles of the Lord Chancellor.

    Coroner's Office
    Vera Baird
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether Coroners will be appointed by the Judicial Appointments Commission. [120243]

    Mr. Leslie
    The forthcoming consultation paper on the arrangements for the new Judicial Appointments Commission, referred to in my statement of 19 June 2003,Official Report, column 19WS will invite comment on the range of appointments to be covered by the Commission. Coroners are currently appointed by local councils, with the approval of the Home Secretary for certain positions. The Luce report (Death Certification and Investigation in England, Wales and Northern Ireland—The Report of a Fundamental Review 2003, Home Office, June 2003) recommended that all responsibilities for the appointment and discipline of Coroners should be brought together in the Department for Constitutional Affairs. No decisions will be taken on the specific role and functions of the Commission until the consultation exercise has been completed.

    Creche Facilities
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will make a statement on the creche facilities available to the children of his Department's staff. [121117]

    Mr. Lammy
    My Department has 45 bought-in nursery places, and during the past year, provided 78 holiday playscheme places. These cost approximately £103,000 during the past year: £94,000 on subsidised nursery places (at a cost of £2,350 per child per annum); and £9,000 on subsidized playscheme places during school holidays (at a cost of £115 per place).

    We are currently conducting a review to establish whether other forms of child care such as vouchers and after-school care could supplement existing provision. Departmental child care subsidies were reduced to 25 per cent. of the cost in order to assist a greater number of employees with a more flexible child care package.
    122W
    The development of a Playscheme Pack to support regional holiday playscheme initiatives is already under way.

    My Department has participated actively in an interdepartmental working party in collaboration with the Daycare Trust to develop a new child care strategy for Civil Service employees. We are contributing to the development of a toolkit to assist Departments in making a business case for the provision of child care and the establishment of a central database of information about setting up child care initiatives.

    Departmental Budget
    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what the budget is for his Department for(a) 2003–04 and (b) 2004–05. [121478]

    Mr. Leslie
    The budget for the Department for Constitutional Affairs will be submitted for consideration by Parliament in accordance with the timetable that will be set by HM Treasury for supplementary estimates, and will reflect folly the effects of the machinery of government changes.

    Departmental Title
    Mr. Allen
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department of Constitutional Affairs, when the Lord Chancellor's Department will be renamed the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [119978]

    Mr. Leslie
    The former Lord Chancellor's Department became part of the Department for Constitutional Affairs when Lord Falconer was appointed Secretary of State for Constitutional Affair and Lord Chancellor.

    Ecclesiastical Appointments
    Mr. Beith
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many appointments to benefices and other ecclesiastical appointments are subject to the patronage of the Lord Chancellor; and what changes have been made in the arrangements for these appointments. [121026]

    Mr. Leslie
    There are approximately 500 benefices, and 12 cathedral canonries, of which the Lord Chancellor is patron. The arrangements for these appointments currently remain unchanged with the appointment of my noble and learned Friend Lord Falconer of Thoroton as the Lord Chancellor. This will be looked at during the transitional period.

    Electoral Systems
    Mr. Tyler
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what timetable he proposes for consultation on the review of electoral systems; and if he will make a statement. [121292]

    Mr. Leslie
    [holding answer 24 June 2003]: Our intention remains to review the experience of the new voting systems for the devolved Administrations, the European Parliament, and the London Assembly along

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    with the recommendations of the Jenkins report. The timing and structure of any such review has yet to be decided.

    Government Reshuffle
    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many civil servants formerly employed in the(a) Wales and (b) Scotland offices will transfer to his Department; and how many will not transfer. [121474]

    Mr. Lammy
    There are 49 civil servants currently in post in the Wales Office and a total of 122 in the Scotland Office, of which 33 are staff of the Advocate General for Scotland. They are all on loan or secondment principally from the National Assembly for Wales and the Scottish Executive respectively. Staff will be offered the options of either transferring to the complement of the DCA, remaining on secondment or loan, or returning to their parent department.

    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what his estimate is of the costs of(a) an Independent Appointments Commission for judges and (b) the (i) office and (ii) salary of Speaker of the House of Lords. [121481]

    Mr. Leslie
    On part(a), I refer the right hon. Member for Wokingham to the statement I made on 19 June 2003, Official Report, column 19WS. The Government have undertaken to consult on the arrangements for the new Judicial Appointments Commission before the summer recess. The costs of the new Commission will depend upon the specific role and function of the Commission. No decisions will be taken on these issues until the consultation exercise has been completed.

    On part (b), my right hon. and noble Friend the Leader of the Other Place is consulting on the Government's proposal concerning the Speakership of that House. It is too early to estimate costs of (i) office or (ii) salary, since these will depend on decisions which the House of Lords has not yet taken.

    House of Lords
    Norman Lamb
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, if he will bring forward proposals to exclude convicted criminals from membership of the House of Lords. [121563]

    Mr. Leslie
    [holding answer 24 June 2003]: The Government recognise that there is a difference between the treatment of Members of the House of Commons, who lose their seats if convicted of an offence and sentenced to more than 12 months' imprisonment, and that of Members of the House of Lords, who remain free to return to that House on completion of their sentence. In its White Paper "The House of Lords: Completing the Reform" (Cm 5291) it proposed bringing the arrangements for the two Houses in to line in due course.

    Human Rights Act Cases
    Miss McIntosh
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment 124W
    he has made of the implications of the draft European Constitution for cases brought under the Human Rights Act 1998. [121688]

    Mr. Lammy
    The Convention on the Future of Europe's proposals on a draft Constitutional Treaty were presented to Heads of State and Government at the Thessaloniki European Council on 19 and 20 June by the President of the Convention, Valery Giscard d'Estaing. These proposals, including those on the status of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, will be discussed in detail at the Inter-Governmental Conference which will begin later this year. It should be noted that the Charter is addressed to the institutions, bodies and agencies of the Union, and to the member states only when they are implementing Union law.

    Immigration Appeal Tribunal
    Keith Vaz
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many Immigration Tribunals(a) he and (b) the Secretary of State has attended. [121891]

    Mr. Lammy
    Since taking up office in the Department for Constitutional Affairs, the Secretary of State and have not yet had an opportunity to visit the Immigration Appellate Authority (IAA). However, I hope to visit the IAA before the summer recess.

    Simon Hughes
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to establish a quality control mechanism to ensure that the decisions of adjudicators in paper-only appeals adhere to the standards required by the Immigration Appeals Tribunal. [120599]

    Mr. Lammy
    The Immigration Appellate Authority is an agency whose judicial decisions are made independently of the executive. Issues of quality control of judicial decisions are matters for the Chief Adjudicator and his deputies. All new adjudicators receive training on immigration appeals, including family visitor paper-only appeals, as part of their induction process. In addition, copies of Immigration Appeal Tribunal decisions are used to identify potential training requirements.

    Legal Aid
    Kate Hoey
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether the Lord Chancellor issues criteria for decisions on the awarding of legal aid in civil cases. [121060]

    Mr. Lammy
    Funding in civil cases is available through the Community Legal Service, providing the case is within the scope of the scheme and the application meets the standard means and merits tests. The criteria are set by the Lord Chancellor, after consultation with the Legal Services Commission and the legal profession, and are approved by both Houses. The scope of the scheme is set out in Schedule 2 to the Access to Justice Act 1999; the means test is set out in the Community Legal Service (Financial) Regulations 2000 (as amended) and the merits test is contained in the Funding Code. All these documents can be consulted in the Library of this House.
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    Tony Lloyd
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what assessment the Lord Chancellor has made of the need to review legal aid for personal injury claims where a provider of legal services on a contingent fee basis has gone out of business through insolvency. [121285]

    Mr. Lammy
    No assessment has been made. The Access to Justice Act 1999 removed negligently caused personal injury claims from the scope of legal aid. This was done because of the availability of conditional fee agreements (CFAs) and meant that the limited public funds available for legal aid could be better targeted on priority areas of law. CFAs have proved successful as a means of bringing personal injury actions, and this remains the case. The demise of one provider would not prevent people with genuine claims obtaining access to justice. They can do so either by approaching solicitors' firms who deal with such claims or accident intermediaries. The Government believe the personal injury market is able to absorb the loss of individual organisations because there is a strong network of CFA providers.

    Lord Chancellor
    Vera Baird
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, who will be the head of the judiciary after abolition of the post of Lord Chancellor. [120240]

    Mr. Leslie
    I refer the hon. and learned Member for Redcar to the statement I made on 19 June 2003,Official Report, column 19WS. The Government have undertaken to consult on the arrangements for the new Judicial Appointments Commission and for a new Supreme Court before the summer recess. The question of who will head the judiciary once the office of Lord Chancellor has been abolished will be considered in the light of responses to that consultation.

    Office for the Supervision of Solicitors
    Judy Mallaber
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what steps he is taking to secure an improvement in the effectiveness of the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors. [121945]

    Mr. Lammy
    I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 23 June 2003,Official Report, column 637W, where I indicated that there is already some evidence of improvement at the Office for the Supervision of Solicitors (OSS).

    To ensure this improvement continues, in March 2003, the former Lord Chancellor agreed the OSS's proposals for a challenging package of performance standards for 2003 that we expect to deliver real benefits to complainants.

    Some of the targets have been increased. Complaints must be resolved speedily, but the OSS must also ensure that the standard of quality is not lowered. The OSS's proposal to ensure that the quality standards continue to improve means that the more straightforward cases will be handled quickly and effectively, but more time will be available for complex cases.
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    Some targets have been reduced for 2003 only. In 2004, they revert to their former level, and in 2005, they will exceed the former level.

    However, we continue to have concerns about the age profile of cases and about the performance of the OSS in recent months. We will be monitoring the overall situation closely to see if the measures undertaken by the OSS in my answer of 23 June 2003 and the package of challenging performance targets, deliver real benefits to consumers.

    Official Spelling
    Bob Russell
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department if she will make it her policy that official(a) correspondence, (b) reports and (c) documentation from her office uses the English spelling of words where this differs from the US version. [118865]

    Mr. Leslie
    I can confirm it is my Department's policy to use the United Kingdom English spelling of words in preference to the US version. Departmental publications are prepared in line with the Guidance on the Work of the Government Information and Communication Service.

    Parliamentary Draftsman
    Mr. Key
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, how many officials, broken down by grade, are working on the draft of the new tri-service Bill which will replace the Army, Navy and Air Force Discipline Acts; and if he will make a statement. [121297]

    Mr. Lammy
    None

    Privy Council Judicial Committee
    Miss McIntosh
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council last met. [121460]

    Mr. Leslie
    The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council usually sits on Mondays to Thursdays every week during the Law Terms. It is sitting Monday, Tuesday and Thursday this week.

    Public Guardianship Office
    Gregory Barker
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what key performance measures and targets have been set for the Public Guardianship Office Executive Agency for 2003–04. [120923]

    Mr. Leslie
    Key performance measures and targets for 2003–04 have not yet been finalised for the Public Guardianship Office (PGO). The Department for Constitutional Affairs is conducting a comprehensive review of all its planned expenditure and initiatives, and this may have implications for the PGO's plans. Therefore, it was not possible to finalise key performance measures before the start of the financial year. We do, however, hope to agree these as soon as the outcome of the review is known.

    Public Service Agreements
    Mr. Ca sh
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, whether the Government plan to(a) adopt and (b) change the Lord Chancellor's Department Public Service Agreements; what plans he has to introduce new Public Service Agreements; and to what timetable. [120271]

    Mr. Leslie
    My Department has taken over responsibility for the Lord Chancellor's Department's Public Service Agreement and its priority is to deliver that agreement, and the specific targets in it.

    We are currently considering the implications of the Machinery of Government changes for the agreement and will publish any additions or amendments in due course.

    Regulatory Impact Assessments
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will make a statement on his Department's Regulatory Impact Assessment procedure; and how many RIAs have been received in respect of the Department over the last year. [120825]

    Mr. Lammy
    A Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) must be completed for all policy proposals that have a potential impact on businesses, charities or the voluntary sector.

    Information on the number of RIAs that have been reviewed in respect of the Department in the last year is not held and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

    From this year the National Audit Office (NAO) has a new role independently to evaluate a selection of RIAs. In their Annual Report, published in February 2003, the Better Regulation Task Force put forward suggestions of RIAs for the NAO to review.

    The NAO review will focus on the quality of analysis in the RIAs and the thoroughness with which the RIAs have been undertaken. The findings and recommendations of best practice will be fed back to departments. It will play a valuable part in driving up standards of RIAs.

    Sunset Clauses
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs if he will make it his policy to include a sunset clause in all new legislation unless a specific case can be made to exclude a sunset clause. [120834]

    Mr. Lammy
    The revised RIA guidance, "Better Policy Making: A Guide to Regulatory Impact Assessment", was published on 28 January 2003. It advises policy officials to consider time limits or sunset provision at an early stage of policy development and gives specific examples of where such provisions may be appropriate. The Department for Constitutional Affairs actively promotes the better regulation agenda and the use of sunset provision where they are appropriate.

    Supplementary Estimates
    Mr. Redwood
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, what plans he has to bring forward supplementary estimates. [121484]

    Mr. Leslie
    The budget for the Department for Constitutional Affairs will be submitted for consideration by Parliament in accordance with the timetable that will be set by HM Treasury for supplementary estimates, and will reflect fully the effects of the machinery of government changes.

    Taylor House
    Keith Vaz
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs, when he plans to visit Taylor House. [120826]

    Mr. Lammy
    At present no ministerial visits are arranged to Taylor House.

    Transfer of Functions
    Mr. Cash
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the Secretary of State will make the Transfer of Functions order between the functions of the Lord Chancellor's Department and the Department for Constitutional Affairs. [122247]

    Mr. Leslie
    Transfer of Functions Orders are made by Her Majesty by Order in Council. It is intended to submit an initial Transfer of Functions Order in relation to the main ministerial functions of the Lord Chancellor for the Privy Council meeting on 17 July.

    Universities
    Mr. Beith
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list the duties attached to the Lord Chancellor's Office in respect of universities; and what changes have been made in the arrangement for carrying out the duties. [121025]

    Mr. Lammy
    The Lord Chancellor acts as Visitor to a number of universities. In some cases he is acting on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen; in others by virtue of his office.

    The Visitor may participate in ceremonial occasions and may be called upon to give advice where a university expresses doubt as to its powers under its charter and statutes. However, the most important duty of the Visitor is to determine all disputes arising between the university and its members, other than those concerning the employment or appointment, or termination of employment or appointment, of a member of the academic staff.

    No changes have been made to the arrangements for carrying out the Lord Chancellor's duties as Visitor. However, the Government's White Paper "The Future of Higher Education" proposed that an independent adjudicator should be established by legislation to

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    review student complaints. The jurisdiction of the Visitor over student complaints is likely therefore to be removed.

  LORD CHANCELLOR'S DEPARTMENT

    Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service
    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department how the set up costs for CAFCASS were spent. [119783]

    Margaret Hodge
    I have been asked to reply.

    In the year preceding CAFCASS's launch, a total of £10.2 million was spent on set up costs of the new organisation; this included capital expenditure of £7.7 million. Over £5 million of this total was spent on an IT service. The other major areas of expenditure were £1.4 million on contract, consultancy and recruitment fees, £452,000 on contract and agency staff and £358,000 on payroll costs.

    Mr. Clappison
    To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Lord Chancellor's Department (1) what he expects to be the cost of establishing a case record index for CAFCASS; and what consultation he plans to undertake with users before implementation; [119784]

    (2) how many electric systems are required for the holding of a single item of data in the absence of an integrated IT system for CAFCASS; [119785]
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    (3) if she will list by budget heading the savings from an integrated IT system for CAFCASS as anticipated in the document Key Decisions and Working Assumptions for the Children and Family Court Advisory Service; [119786]

    (4) when she expects CAFCASS to introduce to service an integrated IT system; and what estimate she has made of its cost. [119787]

    Margaret Hodge
    I have been asked to reply.

    CAFCASS has over 100 stand-alone legacy case recording systems, inherited from the three different services unified under CAFCASS. On the legacy systems, each case data item is only entered into one of these systems; no interface exists from these to other systems such as management information or financial systems.

    The original project for a case management system was suspended as it was deemed to be too high risk. CAFCASS is now planning a simpler and more cost effective case recording system and this has been independently verified as a more effective approach.

    CAFCASS are currently tendering for a supplier to provide the new integrated case recording system. Until that process is completed CAFCASS will not be able to assess the full costs. However, it is expected that the costs will, over a three-year period, be less than the costs of maintaining the existing legacy systems. A user group as been set up to review requirements and supplier proposals prior to selection of the successful tender. CAFCASS hopes to pilot the system later this year and introduce it from 2004.

  HEALTH

    Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
    Sir Nicholas Winterton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people broken down by(a) gender and (b) age group were treated for abdominal aortic aneurysm in each of the past 10 years for which figures are available; and what the mortality rate for abdominal aortic aneurysm was in each of the past 10 years for which figures are available; [118930]

    (2) what representations he has received from the National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Committee. [118931]

    Mr. Hutton
    The table shows the numbers of people who have been treated for abdominal aortic aneurysm by gender and age between 1995–96 and 2001–02. Data collected before 1995–96 were coded differently and are not comparable. It is not possible to provide the mortality rate as the Health Episode Statistics data cannot be used to determine cause of death.

    The Department has no record to date of receiving any representations from the National Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Committee.

    Finished in year admissions, by sex and age, data years 1995–96 to 2001–02 Abdominal Aortic aneurysm (Primary Diagnosis: ICD-10 Codes 171.3 or 171.41) NHS hospitals England

    Age Group (years)

    0–14

    15–44

    45–64

    65–84

    85+

    Not known

    Sex-Female

    2001–02

    —

    1—

    81

    1,381

    349

    1—

    2000–01

    —

    1—

    87

    1,425

    385

    —

    1999–2000

    —

    6

    97

    1,395

    306

    1—

    1998–99

    —

    1—

    99

    1,418

    333

    1—

    1997–96

    —

    1—

    89

    1,436

    343

    1—

    1996–97

    —

    1—

    98

    1,324

    306

    1—

    1995–96

    —

    26

    112

    1,366

    272

    —

    Age Group (years)

    0–14

    15–44

    45–64

    65–84

    85+

    Not known

    Sex-Female

    2001–02

    —

    8

    892

    5,349

    511

    1—

    2000–01

    —

    8

    1,028

    5,754

    551

    —

    1999–2000

    —

    9

    1,023

    5,727

    479

    1—

    1998–99

    1—

    18

    1,020

    5,818

    450

    1—

    1997–96

    —

    9

    1,043

    5,452

    504

    1—

    1996–97

    —

    7

    993

    5,242

    447

    1—

    1995–96

    1—

    9

    1,037

    5,153

    380

    1—

    Age Group (years)

    0–14

    15–44

    45–64

    65–84

    85+

    Not known

    Sex-Female

    2001–02

    —

    —

    —

    1—

    —

    1—

    2000–01

    —

    —

    —

    1—

    —

    —

    1999–2000

    —

    —

    —

    1—

    —

    —

    1998–99

    —

    —

    —

    1—

    —

    —

    1997–96

    —

    —

    1—

    18

    1—

    —

    1996–97

    —

    —

    7

    55

    1—

    —

    1995–96

    —

    1—

    23

    85

    8

    —

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    Total

    2001–02

    1,811

    2000–01

    1,897

    1999–2000

    1,804

    1998–99

    1,850

    1997–96

    1,868

    1996–97

    1,728

    1995–96

    1,776

    1 Due to reasons of confidentiality, figures between I and 5 have been suppressed.

    Notes:

    1. Figures in these tables have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in data.

    2. The primary diagnosis is the first of seven diagnosis fields in the HES data set, and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

    3. Finished in year admissions are defined as the first period of care under one consultant within one health care provider that start and finish within the year.

    4. Finished in year admissions do not represent the number of patients, as one person may have more than one finished admission within the year.

    ICD-I0 Codes

    1173: Abdominal aortic aneurysm, ruptured

    1174: Abdominal aortic aneurysm, without mention of rupture.

    Source:

    Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

    Accident Statistics
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the finding of the recent NAO report "A Safer Place to Work" that there is a significant disparity between the number of accidents logged in NHS trust accident and emergency reporting systems and the figures provided by trusts to the Department of Health. [120633]

    Mr. Hutton
    The National Audit Office (NAO) reported a 36 per cent. difference between data provided to the Department of Health by national health service trusts human resources departments and that from the health and safety leads.

    NHS trusts accident and reporting systems are generally managed by human resources departments and are primarily concerned with data collection on accidents in relation to sickness absence. Trusts' health and safety leads collect data that are reportable under the "Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations" (RIDDOR) and "The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health" (COSHH) which require accidents to be reported only if they result in three days or more absence from work. The Department believes that this accounts for much of the difference in figures reported to the NAO.

    Ashford and St Peter's Hospitals (Maternity Unit)
    Mr. Wilshire
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date the Directorate of Health and Social Care South was first informed that a locum consultant at the maternity unit of the Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals NHS Trust was the subject of a police investigation; and by whom. [120045]
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    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Directorate of Health and Social Care South was first informed by the Ashford and St. Peter's hospitals national health service trust that the police were investigating the circumstances around an incident at the maternity unit on 27 May 2002.

    Asylum Seekers
    Mr. Dawson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to local authorities about the use of section 20 of the Children Act 1989 in relation to unaccompanied children seeking asylum. [116758]

    Margaret Hodge
    [holding answer 9 June 2003]: I have been asked to reply.

    Local Authority Circular (2003)13 was issued to authorities at the end of May. This circular sets out the position on the use of section 17 of the Children Act in relation to the provision of accommodation. The circular reminds authorities of the assessment process they should use for all children in need, including unaccompanied asylum-seeking children, to determine whether they should be accommodated under section 20 of the Children Act, and therefore become "looked after" children, or whether support under section 17 is more appropriate for their needs.

    Buprenorphine
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake a study in other European countries of the outcomes of drug treatment regimes which rely mainly upon opioid substitution treatment with buprenorphine. [121230]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The National Treatment Agency (NTA) has no plans to undertake such a study in other European countries. The NTA has a responsibility to review research and disseminate findings to enhance quality of drug treatment in this country.

    The current evidence does not suggest that buprenorphine should replace methadone as a substitution treatment, but rather that burprenorphine should now be considered an addition to the range of pharmacological maintenance treatments. Information from specialists indicates that there has already been an increase in the use of buprenorphine (or Subutex) in the United Kingdom as an alternative to methadone.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what requests for information, advice or assistance he has made to countries where best practice for the treatment of opioid dependency relies on buprenorphine rather than heroin or methadone. [121231]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The Department has made no specific requests for information, advice or assistance around buprenorphine from other countries. The National Treatment Agency has a responsibility to review research and disseminate findings to enhance quality of drug treatment in this country.

    The current evidence does not suggest that buprenorphine should replace methadone as a
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    substitution treatment, but rather that burprenorphine should now be considered an addition to the range of pharmacological maintenance treatments. Information from specialists indicates that there has already been an increase in the use of buprenorphine (or Subutex) in the United Kingdom as an alternative to methadone.

    Cancer Plan
    Dr. Gibson
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will provide a breakdown of the amount received by different services of the funding under the Cancer Plan; [120611]

    (2) how much money each individual cancer network was given, (a) excluding and (b) including funding from central budgets, in financial years (i) 2001–02 and (ii) 2002–03; [120613]

    (3) how each cancer network spent the extra money set aside under the Cancer Plan; [120614]

    (4) whether cancer networks who invested less than 60 per cent. of the extra money for cancer services set aside under the Cancer Plan will receive extra funds from central government to increase their investment in cancer services; [120615]

    (5) if he will provide a breakdown by capital project of the Cancer Plan money and how these projects affected service delivery. [120616]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Resources for funding cancer services have been included in general primary care trust (PCT) allocations for 2003–04 and in the general allocations to health authorities in previous years.

    The Department published a report on 22 May from the national clinical director for cancer services, Professor Mike Richards, detailing investment in cancer services locally and from central budgets over the past two years. Copies are available in the Library. Further details are available at www.doh.gov.uk/cancer.

    Investment in new cancer drugs has been the single largest element of expenditure. However, there has also been significant investment in other key areas, such as expanding the cancer workforce to improve access to diagnostic capacity and to help build specialist teams to deliver high quality treatment and care. Some networks have invested to extend services such as radiotherapy and strengthen existing services, such as screening.

    The national report includes figures on spending on cancer drugs and new service developments in each network. Beyond this, strategic health authorities and cancer networks collected more detailed information, where possible, in the ways that were most appropriate to local circumstances. Networks specified their new service developments in a variety of formats and so it is not possible to give a national picture of how the money was spent, but networks have made further information available locally.

    The report included a broad assessment of whether networks' spending had been in line with their expected share of the national totals. Some local variations were expected given that networks had differing starting

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    points and differing local priorities, but investment in a few networks did fall short of the expected totals. However, PCTs are receiving an additional £12.7 billion over the three years 2003–04 to 2005–06. It is for PCTs in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to determine how best to use their funds to meet national priorities, including the targets set for cancer in the three year priorities and planning framework.

    In the financial year 2001–02, 71 computed tomography (CT) scanners (four additional and 67 replacement), 18 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners (13 additional and five replacement) and 33 linear accelerators (12 additional and 21 replacement) were delivered to the national health service from central budgets. The figures for 2002–03 were 40 CT scanners (17 additional and 23 replacement), 11 MRI scanners (seven additional and four replacement) and 17 linear accelerators (four additional and 13 replacement). The aim of this investment is to increase capacity in diagnostic services and begin to tackle inequalities in access to radiotherapy services. Each scanner will provide improved access to diagnostic imaging services to all patients, though the impact of the extra capacity in terms of waiting times will depend on local circumstances. The investment in linear accelerators will make available to patients the latest treatment technology.

    Cardiac Surgeons
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to amend the system of star rating for cardiac surgeons to reflect risk-adjusted mortality rates. [120376]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Star ratings for unadjusted mortality for first time coronary artery bypass grafts by individual consultant cardiothoracic surgeons in England will be published in 2004. The Department of Health is working with the Society of Cardiothoracic Surgeons and the Nuffield Institute to develop a means of reflecting case mix in future publications in a way that is meaningful to both patients and clinicians. To support this work, the National Health Service Information Authority is working with individual trusts to ensure that the necessary information systems are in place.

    Location

    Description

    Coventry

    A joint housing and social services project to provide housing with care schemes and specialist dementia schemes.

    Ealing

    Resource centres providing rehabilitation and respite beds, includes specialist care for dementia and Asian elders.

    Greenwich

    Neighbourhood Resource Centres providing residential, dual registered nursing bed and day care places for dementia care and care of ethnic minority elders.

    Hammersmith and Fulham

    A joint housing and social services project providing extra care housing and resource centres.

    Harrow

    Homes providing residential and respite care beds, including care for Asian elders.

    Kent (two schemes)

    Integrated health and social services providing rehabilitation and intermediate care beds, day care places and a range of community care services plus base for multi-disciplinary teams.

    Northamptonshire

    Specialist care centres providing rehabilitative and respite beds, day care places including dementia care.

    Richmond

    Homes providing residential and respite beds and dual-registered nursing bed.

    Surrey

    Homes providing residential beds.

    Westminster

    Centre providing nursing beds and residential beds for frail elderly and early onset dementia.

    Care Homes
    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with Hampshire county council about the funding of their plans to provide residential and nursing home beds for the elderly. [122107]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Hampshire county council and Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority have developed the Hampshire nursing homes investment strategy. The investment strategy has two primary objectives—to stabilise the nursing home market, and provide the necessary care home capacity to meet the future needs of the population.

    The county council and the strategic health authority have worked in close co-operation with the Department to agree the funding necessary to support wide ranging improvements in services for older people. The expansion of national health service beds is part of that agreement and full implementation of the strategy will be met by a partnership investment of £60 million. The first stage of the development will be implemented from December 2004.

    Mr. Hoban
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health which local authorities have applied to the Department for capital resources to enable them to provide additional nursing and residential home beds for the elderly; and what the status is of these applications. [122109]

    Dr. Ladyman
    The Department has received no formal applications from local authorities for capital resources to provide additional nursing and residential home beds for the elderly.

    The Department has put aside £40 million to support a joint project developed by Hampshire and Isle of Wight strategic health authority and Hampshire county council. This project would provide 500 nursing home places in the local authority, to help cope with patients inappropriately placed in hospital beds.

    Over the last four years the Department of Health has approved outline business cases from 10 local authorities for private finance initiative projects for older people. These projects provide a mix of rehabilitation, respite, dementia, nursing and intermediate care beds. Three of these projects are operational and the rest are in procurement.

    CJD
    Mr. Gordon Prentice
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what special conditions attach to the burial of persons who have died from CJD. [113394]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Guidance regarding funeral arrangements for CJD/vCJD patients is contained in the Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens/Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (ACDP/SEAC) Joint Working Group publication "Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathy Agents: Safe Working and the Prevention of Infection". This guidance states that, "There is no need to discourage burial of a patient with known or suspected CJD or vCJD, and no special arrangements for burial are required. Similarly, there is no need for any extra precautions to be taken for cremation." The guidance can be found on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/cjd/tseguidance.

    Claims Process
    Mr. Oaten
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to speed up the process of settling claims against the NHS. [122178]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, has today published a report for consultation outlining proposals for reform of the National Health Service negligence system. This report, entitled "Making Amends: a consultation paper setting out proposals for reforming the approach to clinical negligence in the NHS", proposes that a less adversarial system should be available. This "Redress" scheme would link to the National Health Service complaints procedure and the new independent inspection structures being taken forward through the Health and Social Care Reform Bill presently before the House. A copy of the report is available in the Library.

    Mr. Oaten
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the findings of resolve, the pilot study on out of court settlements of claims in the NHS. [122179]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Department has only received an interim report on the findings of the 'Resolve' pilot. A final report on the findings of the 'Resolve' pilot is still awaited. A decision whether to publish the findings of the 'Resolve' pilot will be made once the full findings of the 'Resolve' pilot have been received and analysed.

    Mr. Oaten
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the use of out of court settlements to resolve claims against the NHS. [122180]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    In his report, "Making Amends: a consultation paper setting out proposals for reforming the approach to clinical negligence in the NHS", published today, the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, has indicated that under a National Health Service redress scheme, alternative dispute resolution and other measures will be available to provide a system that responds to patients' needs, that supports clinicians to deliver the very best quality care, and that is a driver for the NHS to learn from mistakes to continue to improve the quality of care it delivers. A copy of the report is available in the Library.

    Contingency Plans
    Dr. Murrison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the involvement of the NHS with Civil Contingency Reaction Forces. [121347]

    Mr. Hutton
    14 regional Civil Contingencies Reaction Forces (CCRFs), 500 strong and drawn from the Armed Forces Reserve, are currently being formed by the Ministry of Defence. Formation of these units was an important conclusion of the work undertaken last year on "A New Chapter of the Strategic Defence Review" (cm 5566, dated July 2002). The CCRFs are expected to be fully ready by the end of this year.

    The Department of Health, along with many other Departments and agencies, worked with the Ministry of Defence (MOD) on the development of the New Chapter. Once formed, the CCRFs could be made available to provide support to the national health service, during an emergency, under normal crisis management arrangements. They would remain under military command, but would work under the supervision of the police and other civil agencies, including, if appropriate, Department of Health and NHS officials.

    The CCRFs will be able to apply general military skills in response to a crisis. Their role would vary according to the nature of the emergency, but might include, for example, management of displaced persons, limited first aid, temporary accommodation management and manning of water and feeding points. To ensure that the NHS response to a crisis is not adversely affected by the mobilisation of the MOD's response, the MOD has adopted a policy of not recruiting doctors, nurses, and paramedics, who are part of the Armed Forces Reserve, into the CCRFs.

    Delayed Transfers
    Mr. Ruffley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria are used to determine what constitutes delayed transfer of care patients in(a) Suffolk, (b) Norfolk, (c) Cambridgeshire and (d) Essex in (i) acute and (ii) non-acute hospitals. [120431]

    Dr. Ladyman
    All returns to the Department of Health are based on the following definition of a delayed discharge."A delayed discharge occurs when a patient is ready for transfer from an 'acute' bed, but still occupying an 'acute' bed in a hospital. The patient being ready for transfer when a clinician in conjunction with the multi-disciplinary team have decided both that the patient no longer requires to occupy an 'acute' hospital bed and is safe to be transferred".

    This information is not collected from non-acute hospitals.

    Departmental Ministers
    Mr. Horam
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many Ministers there were in his Department in each year since 1996. [120996]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Cabinet Office produces the publication, "List of Ministerial Responsibilities", listing Ministers by Department. Copies for each year since 1996 are available in the Library.
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    A revised version, to take account of recent ministerial changes, will be available shortly in both electronic and paper form.

    Diagnostic and Treatment Centres
    Mrs. Dunwoody
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what conditions he will include in the contracts for management boards of diagnostic and treatment centres relating to the quality of care for patients. [119676]

    Mr. Hutton
    The providers of independent sector Diagnosis and Treatment Centres (DTCs) will be required to deliver high clinical standards and quality of care for patients. They will be required to meet current independent sector standards and will be regulated and inspected by the National Care Standards Commission. Bidders and National Health Service commissioners will agree, as part of the contract process, appropriate and effective arrangements for quality assurance and continuous quality improvement and meet the clinical service requirements. NHS sponsors subsequently manage these contracts, monitoring performance across a range of indicators, including clinical standards and quality of care.

    The arrangements for how project agreements will be monitored have yet to be finalised, but there will be a local management group and a central co-ordinating team, to monitor the performance of independent sector DTC providers for each contract.

    Donor Cards
    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures have been taken since 1997 to increase the numbers of people with donor cards; and if he will make a statement on the role of donors within the NHS. [121131]

    Ann Winterton
    People are encouraged to join the national health service organ donor register through a number of initiatives, including when they apply for a driving licence, register with a new general practitioner, apply for a new passport or, where available, complete the organ donor registration form sent out by their local authorities annually when they check the electoral register. Additionally, UK Transplant runs publicity campaigns and targets action to raise the profile of organ donation, including specific advertising and information campaigns to increase organ donation from the South Asian and black African and Caribbean populations.

    Since the beginning of 1997, more than seven million names have been added to the organ donor register.

    Dr. Visnjevac (Chichester)
    Mr. David Wilshire
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Directorate of Health and Social Care South was first informed that Dr Visnjevac was working at a hospital in Chichester; and by whom. [120046]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Directorate of Health and Social Care South was first informed that Dr Visnjevac was working at a hospital in Chichester on 13 September 2002 by the Medical Director of the Commission for Health Improvement.

    Drug Addiction Treatment
    Simon Hughes
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many GPs are permitted to prescribe(a) heroin and (b) methadone. [121840]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    There are currently 112 general practitioners who are licensed to prescribe diamorphine in the United Kingdom.

    Methadone can be prescribed by any doctor. This is subject to a doctor applying his/her professional judgment for a particular individual and his/her willingness to prescribe within the context in which he/she practices. The Department of Health's "Drug misuse and dependence—guidelines on clinical management" (1999) provides information about prescribing that doctors are expected to refer to.

    Drug Rehabilitation Centres
    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many drug rehabilitation centres there were in(a) 1997 and (b) 2002; what funding they received; and what measures have been taken since 1997 to improve drug rehabilitation rates. [121128]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    For the purposes of this answer, drug rehabilitation centres are referred to as drug treatment services.

    Drugscope's "Drug Problems: where to get help" (2002), estimates that there are around 715 drug treatment services in England, an increase of over one-third since 1997.

    The National Treatment Agency oversees the pooled drug treatment budget, which was first introduced in 2001–02. Prior to this, mainstream health funds were spent on drug treatment, so it is not possible to provide figures. The pooled budget stands at £236 million this year, an increase of 23 per cent. on last year's allocation of £195 million. This money is allocated to drug action teams, who make the decisions on how funding is spent at a local level. Thus, it is not possible to identify exactly how much money was spent on drug rehabilitation centres specifically.

    We are not only committed to increasing the numbers entering treatment, but to ensuring that we increase the numbers of drug misusers sustained and completing treatment programmes.

    Drugs
    Mark Tami
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what support is provided by the NHS to voluntary drug support groups. [113019]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    In 2003–04, the pooled drug treatment budget stands at £236 million, an average increase of 23 per cent. on last year's allocation of £195 million. This money is allocated to drug action teams, which make the decisions on how funding is spent at a local level. As services are commissioned from both the statutory and voluntary sector, it is not possible to identify exactly how much is spent on voluntary drug support groups.

    Eczema
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people suffered from atopic eczema in each year since 1997. [122414]

    Dr. Ladyman
    That information is not available centrally, however it is estimated that eczema affects around one in 12 adults and up to one fifth of children.

    The table shows the number of prescription items and the net ingredient cost (thousands) of products for treatment of eczema dispensed in the community in England from 1997 to 2002.

    Year

    Number of prescription items (thousands)

    Net ingredient cost (£ thousands)

    1997

    313.02

    6,622.1

    1998

    298.7

    6,356.2

    1999

    289.7

    6,277.3

    2000

    282.4

    5,998.4

    2001

    279.8

    6,026.1

    2002

    280.7

    6,725.7

    Ethnic Minority Staff
    Mr. McNamara
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many ethnic minority consultants and associated specialists have been suspended by hospital trusts in each of the past five years, broken down by trust; and what percentage(a) all consultants and associated specialists and (b) all non-ethnic minority consultants and associated specialists. [119229]

    Mr. Hutton
    National Health Service trusts routinely report suspensions of hospital and community medical and hospital dental staff lasting six months or longer to the Department of Health. This does not include information by ethnic group.

    EU Regulations
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many regulations originating from the EU have been implemented by his Department over each of the last five years. [120842]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department of Health has led on the implementation of 11 Directives and in the last five years has been responsible for six Regulations, which have a direct effect in UK law. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), which deals with issues of food safety, has led with the implementation of 13 Directives. It has also been responsible for eight Regulations, which have a direct effect in UK law.

    A full list of these Directives and Regulations has been placed in the Library.

    Food Supplements
    Dr. Iddon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reason(a) boron, (b) silicon and (c) sulphur have been omitted from the list of permitted nutrients for use in food supplements after July 2005 under the provisions of the Food Supplements (England) Regulations; and what steps he is taking to have them added to the list. [119833]
    142W
    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The list of permitted nutrients in Schedule 1 to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is drawn directly from the list of permitted vitamins and minerals in Annex I to the Food Supplements Directive. This list was drawn directly from established lists in existing European Community food legislation.

    The lists of permitted nutrients and nutrient sources in Annexes I and II to the Food Supplements Directive remain open pending safety assessment of additional substances. Industry is currently working to compile safety dossiers for certain substances currently omitted from the Annexes. The Food Standards Agency, in recognition of the difficulties associated with dossier production and the time-scale for dossier submission, is pressing the European Food Safety Authority for an urgent, substantive meeting with relevant parties to discuss dossier requirements.

    Chris Grayling
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received about the method of handling by the Food Standards Agency press office of the publication of the recent report by the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals; and what action he intends to take as a result of such representations. [120084]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has received some representations on this publication. The FSA supports a safety-based approach to regulation of food supplements and is committed to promoting informed choice. Prior to the publication of the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals' (EVM) report, the FSA held two press conferences to brief the media with the Chairman of the EVM. The FSA was careful to present balanced information on the risks associated with some high dose vitamin and mineral supplements and is satisfied that this will have contributed significantly to helping consumers to make informed choices about the food supplement products they buy.

    Mr. Tredinnick
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action he plans to take to secure the addition to the schedules to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations prior to July 2005 of each nutrient or nutrient source permitted for sale on the UK market but omitted from the list of nutrients permitted for use in food supplements under the provisions of the Regulations. [120638]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 20 June 2003]: The lists of permitted nutrients and nutrient sources in the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 can be extended if additions are made to the permitted lists in the annexes to the Food Supplements Directive 2002/46/EC on which the Regulations are based. These annexes remain open pending safety assessment of additional substances. Industry is currently working to compile safety dossiers for some of the substances currently omitted from the Annexes.

    The Food Standards Agency, in recognition of the difficulties associated with dossier production, and the time-scale for dossier submission, is pressing the European Food Safety Authority for an urgent, substantive meeting with relevant parties to discuss dossier requirements.
    143W
    Mr. Tredinnick
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list those minerals which are permitted for sale on the UK market but which are omitted from the list of nutrients permitted for use in food supplements under the provisions of Annex 1 of the Food Supplements Directive. [120639]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 20 June 2003]: Food supplements, like other foods, are not required to demonstrate their efficacy before marketing, nor are they subject to prior approval unless they are genetically modified or are "novel". Therefore, the Food Standards Agency does not hold detailed information about food supplements on the United Kingdom market.

    According to information provided by industry, Annex I of the Food Supplements Directive currently omits six minerals (boron, nickel, silicon, cobalt, tin, vanadium) currently used in food supplements on the UK market.

    Mr. Love
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will undertake a view of the recommendations put forward in the Report by the Expert Group on Vitamins and Minerals on the EU Food Supplements Directive following representations made to him by trade associations; and if he will make a statement. [120767]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 20 June 2003]: The expert group on vitamins and minerals (EVM) consulted widely on a draft of its report in 2002. It carefully considered all responses before finalising its report. Although the Government have no plans to review the report of the EVM at this stage, the evidence base on issues relating to vitamin and mineral supplements will be monitored closely as it develops.

    Sir Nicholas Winterton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people have died as a result of(a) boron, (b) sulphur and (c) silicon poisoning from food supplements in each of the last 10 years for which figures are available; and what his reasons are for proposing that boron be prohibited for use in such supplements from July 2005. [121255]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    There are no data available on fatalities associated with consumption of boron, silicon or sulphur in food supplements.

    The list of permitted nutrients in Schedule 1 to the Food Supplements (England) Regulations 2003 is drawn directly from the list of permitted vitamins and minerals in Annex I to the Food Supplements Directive. This list was drawn directly from established lists in existing European Community food legislation, which do not include boron.

    Mr. Fallon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what further steps he is taking to amend the draft Directive on food supplements to preserve choice for UK consumers. [119543]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 18 June 2003]: Directive 2002/46/EC on food supplements was adopted and came into force on 12 July 2002.
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    The Government are not seeking amendments to the Directive, which it considers represents the best achievable deal for United Kingdom consumers and industry, given the pressure from many other member states for a more restrictive regulatory regime.

    The Government recognise the concerns of many consumers and industry representatives about the implications of the omission from the lists of permitted substances in the Annexes to the Directive of substances currently used in food supplements on the UK market.

    The Government have secured provisions which enable member states to allow the continued sale of products which do not comply with the Directive's compositional requirements up to 31 December 2009, provided certain criteria are met. In addition, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is urgently seeking a meeting with the European Food Safety Authority and relevant interest groups to discuss the content of safety dossiers for those vitamins and minerals and their sources currently excluded from the permitted lists.

    The Government also recognise concerns over the future setting of maximum permitted limits of nutrients in food supplements. While the Directive establishes principles for setting maximum permitted limits, no such levels have yet been set. The Government's view is that these maximum limits should be based on consideration of safety rather than supposed nutritional need so as to neither unnecessarily limit consumer choice nor unduly restrict trade. To this end, the FSA, which will be responsible for future negotiations on this issue, takes every opportunity to press this case bilaterally with member states and with other interested parties.

    Funeral Industry
    Mr. Olner
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what representations he has received from the funeral industry about the possibility of infection from the handling of infected bodies where proper notification has not been given to the relevant funeral director; and what action he plans to take; [115477]

    (2)what his estimate is of the number of infected bodies removed by the funeral industry from NHS hospitals and other premises in each of the last five years;[115479]

    (3)if he will list the differences between the regulations and arrangements for the notification of infected bodies in various parts of the UK; and if he will make a statement. [115478]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    I refer my hon. Friend to the response given to him by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Public Health on 11 March 2003,Official Report, columns 233–34W, in which it was confirmed that the Department has had contact with the Funeral Directors Professional Association and confirmed that we would keep them informed of any guidance that might be produced on the issue.

    Data on the number of infected bodies removed by the funeral industry from national health service hospitals and other premises are not available centrally, but may be available from local NHS trusts.
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    Guidance issued by the Health and Safety Commission's Health Service Advisory Committee, "Safer Working and the Prevention of Infection in the Mortuary and Post Mortem Room", applies to all NHS premises in England, Scotland and Wales as does all health and safety legislation under which notification of infected bodies falls. Legislation is slightly different in Northern Ireland, but covers the same issues as in the rest of the United Kingdom. In Wales new guidance will be issued shortly regarding notification by doctors to undertakers and mortuary staff of bodies that have harboured infectious diseases.

    The Department will take advantage of new occupational health and safety guidance to be published in the autumn of this year to draw the Health and Safety

    All practitioners l by ageband, in Essex SHA and Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire Strategic Health Authority, as at 31 March 2002 (by April 2002 boundaries)

    Numbers (headcount)

    Total

    Under 40

    40–64

    65 plus

    Unknown

    England total

    32,011

    10,359

    21,079

    572

    1

    Essex SHA

    5GR

    Basildon PCT

    56

    12

    40

    4

    —

    5GP

    Billericay, Brentwood and Wickford PCT

    76

    23

    51

    2

    —

    5JP

    Castle Point and Rochford PCT

    76

    10

    61

    5

    —

    5JN

    Chelmsford PCT

    73

    22

    50

    1

    —

    5GM

    Colchester PCT

    93

    19

    74

    —

    —

    5AJ

    Epping Forest PCT

    59

    24

    34

    1

    —

    5DC

    Harlow PCT

    49

    13

    36

    —

    —

    5GL

    Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT

    42

    7

    35

    —

    —

    5AK

    Southend on Sea PCT

    85

    11

    71

    3

    —

    5AH

    Tendering PCT

    71

    13

    56

    2

    —

    5GQ

    Thurrock PCT

    68

    13

    51

    4

    —

    5GN

    Uttlesford PCT

    53

    17

    36

    —

    —

    4MH24

    Witham, Braintree and Halstead PCT

    73

    16

    57

    —

    —

    Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA

    5JL

    Broadland PCT

    80

    21

    59

    —

    —

    5JH

    Cambridge City PCT

    104

    33

    71

    —

    —

    5JT

    Central Suffolk PCT

    61

    21

    40

    —

    —

    5JK

    East Cambridgeshire and Fenland PCT

    98

    38

    60

    —

    —

    5GT

    Great Yarmouth PCT

    56

    14

    42

    —

    —

    5GF

    Huntingdonshire PCT

    101

    37

    64

    —

    —

    5JQ

    Ipswich PCT

    88

    28

    60

    —

    —

    5JM

    North Norfolk PCT

    76

    32

    43

    1

    —

    5AF

    North Peterborough PCT

    56

    5

    49

    2

    —

    5A2

    Norwich PCT

    97

    35

    61

    1

    —

    5JJ

    South Cambridgeshire PCT

    71

    25

    45

    1

    —

    SAG

    South Peterborough PCT

    58

    14

    44

    —

    —

    5G1

    Southern Norfolk PCT

    126

    34

    92

    —

    —

    5JR

    Suffolk Coastal PCT

    69

    20

    49

    —

    —

    5JW

    Suffolk West PCT

    148

    46

    102

    —

    —

    5JV

    Waveney PCT

    79

    15

    63

    1

    —

    5CY

    West Norfolk PCT

    94

    24

    70

    —

    —

    Notes:

    1 All Practitioners include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs, PMS Salaried GPs, Restricted Principals, Assistants, GP Registrars, Salaried Doctors (Para 52 SFA), PMS Other and GP Retainers.

    "—" Denotes zero

    Source:

    Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

    Health Checks (Children)
    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what health checks have been made on children at(a) infant schools, (b) primary schools and (c) secondary schools in each strategic health authority in each year since 1997. [121586]

    Dr. Ladyman
    The information requested is not collected centrally.
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    Advisory Committee's (HSAC) guidance to the attention of NHS Health and Safety managers, and remind them of their duties in relation to the removal of infecting bodies by funeral directors.

    General Practitioners
    Mr. Ruffley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many general practitioners working in(a) Bury St. Edmunds, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Essex and (e) Cambridgeshire are (i) under 40 years of age, (ii) between 40 and 65 years old and (iii) over 65 years old. [120422]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested, broken down by primary care trust (PCT), is shown in the table.

    Hepatitis C
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will collect comparative treatment rates for hepatitis C from health services of the developed world; and if he will make a statement; [121225]

    (2) if he will undertake a study of best practice in (a) screening for and (b) treating hepatitis C within the developed world; [121226]
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    (3) what requests for information, advice or assistance on best practice with regard to treatment of hepatitis C he has made to countries with higher rates of treatment of hepatitis C. [121227]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The Department published its consultation document, "Hepatitis C Strategy for England", in August 2002, with proposals to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of hepatitis C. The strategy was developed with a multi-disciplinary steering group, membership of which included a range of health care professionals, academics who were experts in this field, and stakeholder voluntary organisation representatives. In developing the strategy, we took account of how other countries have tackled issues relating to hepatitis C.

    We intend to publish an action plan to take forward implementation of the hepatitis C strategy. This will form part of a blood-borne viruses action plan, as proposed in the Chief Medical Officer's infectious diseases strategy, "Getting Ahead of the Curve".

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients suffering from florid hepatitis C are treated under National Institute for Clinical Excellence guidelines. [121228]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to my hon. Friend the Member for Bassetlaw (John Mann), by the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Health on 5 December 2002,Official Report, column 963–64W.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he will take to reduce nosocomial transmission of hepatitis C. [121229]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Measures are already in place to prevent the transmission of hepatitis C via blood transfusions or receipt of blood products.

    We have produced guidance to assist the national health service in reducing the small risk of nosocomial transmission of hepatitis C through other transmission routes including:
    "Protection against Infection with Blood-borne Viruses: Guidance for Clinical Health Care Workers"—www.doh.gov.uk/chcguid 1 (April 1998)
    "The epic Project: Developing National Evidence-based Guidelines for Preventing Healthcare Associated Infections"—www.doh.gov.uk/hai/epic (January 2001) 'Commissioned and Funded by the Department of Health'
    "Health Service Circular 2002/010: Hepatitis C Infected Health Care Workers"—www.doh.gov.uk/hepatitisc (August 2002)
    "Infection Control Standard"—http://212.57.233.60/Standards/docs/Infection%20Control%202002.pdf (2002)
    "Good Practice Guidelines for Renal Dialysis/Transplantation Units: prevention and control of blood-borne virus infection"—www.doh.gov.uk/cmo/renalguide (September 2002)
    "Health Clearance for Serious Communicable Diseases: New Health Care Workers" (draft guidance for consultation—www.doh.gov.uk/healthclear (January 2003)

    We also fund the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre to carry out epidemiological surveillance of occupational exposure of health care workers.

    Hospital Infections
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of infections with the bacteria Acinetobacter there were in the NHS in each year since 1997. [120960]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Data on hospital acquired Acinetobactec infections are not collected centrally. However, the Health Protection Agency has a reporting system for blood stream (bacteraemia) infections and the available data are shown in the table.

    Laboratory reports of Acinetobacter bacteraemias: England and Wales, 1997 to 2002

    Year

    Number of reports

    1997

    671

    1998

    773

    1999

    780

    2000

    774

    2001

    911

    2002 1

    861

    1 Provisional data

    Source:

    Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre, Health Protection Agency.

    Housing
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the NHS in 2002–03 of treating illnesses that were a result of substandard housing. [121106]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The causes of illness associated with substandard housing can be complex and multi-factoral and it is not possible to disentangle the possible contributory role of housing conditions from other potential contributing factors such as poverty, working conditions and behavioural aspects. Therefore it would not be feasible to produce accurate figures representing the costs to the national health service of illness resulting from substandard housing.

    Nevertheless, links have been established between cold, damp housing and increased ill health and the physiological effects of cold are well documented. The Government's Fuel Poverty Strategy and specific initiatives such as the 'Warm Front' and the review of the housing fitness standard all contribute to tackling substandard housing.

    Research is in hand, supported by the Department of Health, the Department of Trade and Industry and the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to study the impact of fuel poverty interventions on health.

    In-vitro Fertilisation
    Mr. David Stewart
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health from which(a) organisational bodies and (b) individuals he has recently received representations concerning the possibility of embryo selection through in-vitro fertilisation procedures. [121357]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The Secretary of State has not recently received any representations from organisational bodies, or individuals concerning the possibility of embryo selection through in-vitro
    149W
    fertilisation procedures. Pre-implantation testing of embryos can be undertaken only in the United Kingdom under licence from the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

    Inventures
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes have been made to the forms of the bid for Inventures agreed in September 2002 by the preferred bidder consortium. [116459]

    Mr. Hutton
    Negotiations are ongoing with the preferred bidder and terms are commercial in confidence.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of(a) St. Margaret's Hospital, Epping, (b) Barnsley Vale land in Bromsgrove, (c) the City Chest Clinic, Derby, (d) Towers Hospital land, Leicestershire, (e) Stretton Hall farmland, Leicester, (f) Sewer Field, Herrison, (g) Herrison Lower Farm Buildings, (h) Herrison Cottages, (i) Brunel House, Gloucester and (j) Newfoundland Court, Bristol; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114090]

    (2) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposed of in land at (a) Key House, Skegness, (b) Limes, Himley, (c) adjoining Reckett House, Clacton, (d) Harwich Hospital, (e) Wilson Hospital, Croydon, (f) Doncaster Moor, (g) Hartlepool General Hospital, (h) Hull Maternity Hospital, (i) Seacroft Hospital, Leeds, (j) Prudhoe Hospital, Prudhoe, (k) Stannington Children's Hospital, Morpeth, (l) Clayton Hospital, Wakefield, (m) Newton Hill, Wakefield and (n) Ashington General Hospital; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114033]

    (3) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of land at (a) the Bucknall main site in Stoke-on-Trent, (b) Beeches Hospital, Telford, (c) Worcester Royal Infirmary, Castle Street branch, (d) Coldfast Hospital, Fareham, (e) Knowle Hospital and Cottages at Fareham, (f) St. Francis Hospital, Hayward's Heath and (g) Leybourne Grange Hospital, Middlesex; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a
    150W
    valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether each site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission what assessment has been made of the suitability of each site for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on each site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114002]

    (4) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of (a) Unit 7 Merlin Court in Aylesbury, (b) Beaumont Villa, Northampton, (c) Coach House, Kingworthy, Winchester, (d) Bordon Ambulance Station, (e) Remy Lodge, Northampton, (f) land at St. Mary's Hospital, Isle of Wight, (g) land at St. Mary's Devon, Axminster, (h) land at Brown's Brook, Dawlish, (i) land at Burdock Hospital, Falmouth and (j) Holsworthy Ambulance Station and Health Centre, Holsworthy; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of the suitability of each site for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114012]

    (5) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of part of (a) Old Manor Hospital, Salisbury, (b) the Severalls Hospital site, Colchester, (c) the De la Pole University Campus at Willerby and (d) the Shotely Bridge Hospital, Consett; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114048]

    (6) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of land at (a) Linton Hospital, Maidstone, (b) the Royal Sea Bathing Hospital, Margate, (c) Milford Hospital, Milford, (d) Royal Earlswood North, Redhill, (e) Hill House, Rye, (f) Sheppey Hospital, Minster, (g) Southlands Hospital, Shoreham, (h) Hazel Farm, Southampton, (i) St. John's Hospital site, Stone, (j) Tatchbury Hospital, Tatton, (k) Fair Miles, Hospital Wallingford and (l) Gebec Place, Cholsey; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on

    151W
    subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partners with planning permission; what assessment has been made of the suitability of each site for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114003]

    (7) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of NHS land at (a) Heath Close, Billericay, (b) Wandsworth Golf Course, (c Tindale Crescent Hospital, Bishop Auckland, (d) the Lord Mayor Treloar site, Alles, (e) Dog Kennel Wood, Aylesford, (f) Park Prevett, Basingstoke, (g) St. Augustine Hospital, Chatham, (h) Mabledon Hospital, Dartford, (i) Storehouse Hospital, Dartforcl, (j) Alpha House, Droxford, (k) St. Ebbas, Epsom Cluster, (l) Horton Farm, Epsom Cluster and (m) Horton Retail Centre, Epsom Cluster; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114065]

    (8) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of (a) The Crescent and the Down Road site at St. Augustine Hospital in Chartham, (b) Homelands Hospital, Creek, (c) Winwick Social Club, Warrington, (d) Winwick Farm, Warrington, (e) Scotforth, Piccadilly Gardens, Lancaster, (f) Whittington Hospital Site in Preston, (g) Countess of Chester site in Chester, (h) Cane Hill, Coulsdon and (i) St. Clements Social Club, Ispwich; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in the value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114085]

    (9) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of (a) West Park in the Epsom cluster, (b) Graylingwell in Chicester, (c) the De La Pole site at Willerby, (d) Cherry Knowles Hospital, Sunderland, (e) Bisney Hall Farm, Ponteland, (f) Pontefract General Hospital and (g) Wharfedale General Hospital, Otley, (h) Aycliffe Hospital, Newton Aycliffe, (i) St. Georges Hospital, Morpeth, (j) Maiden Law Hospital, Lanchester, and (k) Killingworth Stores; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation
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    and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114084]

    (10) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of land at (a) Lea Castle Hospital, Kidderminster, (b) Ledbury Cottage Hospital, Ledbury; (c) Smallwood/Crown Mews/Red House, Redditch, (d) Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, Shrewsbury, (e) Chelmsley ADR, Solihull, and (f) Middlefield Knowle, Solihull; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether each site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of the suitability of each site for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on each site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114001]

    (11) how much land at the Runwell Hospital site in Wickford has been included in the bulk sale of properties in the Inventures disposal; what price has been secured by its sale; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of the site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; [114049]

    (12) what price has been secured by the sale in the Inventures disposal of land at (a) Belmont Hospital, Tiverton; (b) Okehampton Castle Hospital, Okehampton; (c) Cookes Green Hospital, Gloucester; (d) St. Leonard's Hospital, Ringwood; (e) Tiverton District Hospital, Tiverton; (f) St. Lawrence's Hospital, Bodmin; (g) Kingsway Hospital, Derby; (h) Grimsby, North side; (i) Springfield, Grimsby; (j) Seathe Hall, Grimsby; (k) Ashover House, London; and (1) Norton Aerodrome, Sheffield; when Insignia Richard Ellis carried out a valuation or valuations of each site on behalf of his Department; what arrangements have been made to compensate the Department for uplift in value between final valuation and eventual proceeds realised on subsequent sale for development by a developer; whether the site will be sold to the preferred partner with planning permission; what assessment has been made of its suitability for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff; and whether a requirement will be placed on the site for it to be used wholly or in part for future clinical use or key worker accommodation for NHS staff. [114019]
    153W
    Mr. Hutton
    The list of properties in the portfolio is still in the process of being finalised. Overage agreements will cover uplifts in value.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health who is responsible for the final decision of the selection of the preferred bidder for Inventures in his department at(a) ministerial and (b) operational level. [114050]

    Mr. Hutton
    Following the agreement of officials of the Department of Health and Her Majesty's Treasury, the final decision on the preferred bidder for Inventures will be taken by the Secretary of State for Health and the chief executive of the national health service.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what compensation will be paid to underbidders in the Inventures sale for costs incurred in(a) the bidding process and (b) subsequent legal action. [114051]

    Mr. Hutton
    Independent legal advice confirms that due process was followed. Compensation would therefore be inappropriate. No indication was given that costs would be underwritten, and bidders were therefore placing bids at their own expense.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health why the decision was taken to sell the surplus NHS sites in a package as a whole. [114052]

    Mr. Hutton
    The decision to explore a real estate partnership for the retained estate was reached following robust option appraisal, including input from independent property experts, which identified an option which offered the greatest potential return for the public purse.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health where the proceeds from the sale of Inventures and NHS properties will be remitted. [114053]

    Mr. Hutton
    The proceeds from the proposed property transaction will be remitted to the Department of Health and will support the modernisation of the national health service.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what criteria were used to determine which of the bids from the four consortia bidding in the Inventures sale were compliant with the bidding process; which Inventures bids were non-compliant, and why; if he will publish the processes used by KPMG to evaluate the bids for Inventures; how much will be paid to KPMG in total for its work in respect of the Inventures sale; and what role was played by KPMG in evaluating the bids for Inventures. [114054]

    Mr. Hutton
    All bids for Inventures were compliant. The evaluation focused on a number of issues, mainly human resource issues and value for money, but also included the use of skills and how transitional arrangements would be dealt with. Details of these processes will be included in the income plan, which will be published one month after financial close. KPMG were involved in the financial evaluation of bids for Inventures. As the transaction is not yet completed, we are not in a position to state what KPMG's fees will be in total.
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    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health who in Inventures(a) commissioned and (b) signed off valuations of the properties forming part of the surplus NHS site sales to be included in the Inventures sale; what restrictions will be included in the bid regarding the subsequent on-sale of Inventures as a separate company; and how many current Inventures staff he estimates will be recipients of incentive schemes when transferred to the preferred bidder. [114055]

    Mr. Hutton
    Inventures was not involved in the valuations of these properties. Issues around selling-on are being covered in the current discussions with the preferred partner and we expect to share in any profit of subsequent on-sale. Details of staff matters are still being negotiated.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Chief Executive of Inventures spoke to each of the bidding consortia about the sale ahead of the announcement of the preferred bidder; what restrictions will be placed on current senior management of Inventures who are transferring to the preferred bidder or completion benefiting financially from subsequent sales of NHS properties included in the Inventures sale; and whether current senior management of Inventures who are transferring to the preferred bidder on completion will be the subject of equity or profit scheme incentives in the SPV acquiring the NHS estates being sold as part of the Inventures sale. [114056]

    Mr. Hutton
    Contact with bidding consortia was conducted according to rules set down by NHS Estates, which prohibits unchaperoned meetings between the Inventures management team and bidders. To the best of my knowledge, no such meetings have taken place. The corporate structure of the transaction clearly separates into two companies, the Inventures business and the properties.

    Receipts from subsequent sales of properties will belong to the company owning the properties and not the company employing Inventures, thus preventing the Inventures senior management from benefiting financially. There are no plans that the senior management of Inventures will obtain equity or profit scheme incentives in the company (SPV) acquiring the property.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the estimated cost is of the National Audit Office inquiry into the Inventures sale. [114057]

    Mr. Hutton
    This information is not held by the Department of Health.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what legal costs have been incurred by his Department for work done by Beechcroft Wansbroughs in relation to the Inventures sale(a) before and (b) after the announcement of the preferred bidder. [114058]

    Mr. Hutton
    The total cost incurred for work done by Beechcroft Wansbroughs in relation to the Inventures sale, before the announcement of the preferred bidder, was approximately £254,000.

    Since that announcement, in early September 2002, further costs of £76,000 have been incurred.
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    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what arrangements there are for capping the cost of legal work by Beechcroft Wansbroughs in relation to the Inventures sale. [114059]

    Mr. Hutton
    Beechcroft Wansbroughs were originally appointed following a competitive Official Journal of the European Community process. Legal rates have been capped for 28 months at the same rate as at 3 January 2001. Fees have been benchmarked against other legal firms to ensure continuing value for money.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the latest expected completion date is for the Inventures sale; and if he will place the details of the arrangements and valuations with the preferred bidder in the Library. [114060]

    Mr. Hutton
    The completion date for the proposed sale of Inventures will depend on the progress of negotiations with the preferred bidder. Any details will be commercially sensitive until after the completion of the transaction. It is normal practice for business cases to be made publicly available one month after financial close.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what basis he decided to sell the surplus NHS estates properties outright to the preferred bidder Miller/HBOS. [114061]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department is currently considering a real estate partnership rather than an outright sale. The transaction aims to derive best value from the retained estate, following detailed option appraisals and evaluations from leading specialists, the input of the district valuer and a competitive process.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what valuation has been placed on the company Inventures without surplus NHS properties attached. [114062]

    Mr. Hutton
    An independent valuation has been carried out, but, as negotiations are currently in progress, it would be inappropriate to publish this commercially sensitive information.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the outstanding(a) pension and (b) other liabilities of Inventures are; what the ownership structure of Inventures is; and whether the sale terms for surplus properties by NHS estates will specify that the successful bidder must include Inventures in the acquisition. [114063]

    Mr. Hutton
    Negotiations are on-going with the preferred partner with regard to the terms and conditions of the staff of Inventures. In accordance with Cabinet Office guidance, employees will be offered access to a scheme certified by the Government Actuary Department as broadly comparable with their current scheme. Staff will then have the option either to transfer their accrued rights or alternatively freeze their rights in the old scheme and enter the new scheme as a new joiner following the transfer. There should therefore be no residual liabilities. As to other liabilities, it is not anticipated that there will be any residual liabilities over and above those that normally arise in the conduct of businesses such as this. Inventures is part of NHS Estates, which is an Executive Agency of the 156W
    Department of Health. Bidders were invited to state whether they attached greater value to Inventures and the retained estate portfolio being sold together, or singly at the short-listing stage. Bidders' responses suggested that better value for money would be obtained through a combined sale, and the evaluation of bids was carried out on that basis.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when Insignia Richard Ellis has carried out valuations of the properties forming part of the Inventures sale; and which sites have been valued more than once. [114163]

    Mr. Hutton
    Insignia Richard Ellis has carried out no valuations of the properties forming part of the Inventures sale.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been paid to Insignia Richard Ellis for its work in relation to the sale of surplus NHS properties as part of the Inventures sale. [114164]

    Mr. Hutton
    It is not anticipated that any properties will be sold as part of the Inventures sale.

    IT Procurement
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has provided to the South West IT procurement team for financial advice and expertise from Partnerships UK. [120373]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department has not provided funds to the South West IT procurement team for advice from Partnerships UK. Partnerships UK provided general financial advice and expertise, including advice to the Shires on the closure of the procurement. This advice was provided as part of their work on the National Programme for Information Technology in the national health service.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on supporting and assessing the Shires Acute and Community Hospital EPR Procurement Programme. [120374]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department of Health has supported the Shires Acute and Community Hospital electronic patient record (EPR) procurement programme with a one-off contribution of £350,000.

    Local Election Campaigns
    Mr. Luff
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has given to primary care trusts about the timing of consultations on changes to services during local council election campaigns; and if he will make a statement. [108142]

    Mr. Hutton [pursuant to his answer 14 April 2003, Official Report, column 613 W]
    I regret that my response was incorrect. The response should have read as follows:"The Department has not issued any guidance specifically about the timing of consultations on changes to services during local council election campaigns. However, a personal note from the national health service Chief Executive to chief executives in the NHS, local authority chief executives and social services directors issued on 14 March 2003, included a reference to the local election purdah and drew attention to Cabinet Office

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    guidance on the conduct of public servants during election periods. A copy of the relevant extract has been placed in the Library.
    Strategic Health Authorities are expected to ensure that primary care trusts in their areas undertaking consultations have regard to the guidance".

    Long-term Care
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 9 June 2003,Official Report, column 688W, on long-term care, what plans he has to issue new continuing care guidance to local authorities. [121652]

    Dr. Ladyman
    There are no current plans to issue new continuing care guidance.

    Lung Patients
    Mr. Burns
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will make a statement on the provision of pulmonary rehabilitation to lung patients in England; [121765]

    (2) if he will provide secure funding for pulmonary rehabilitation programmes in every hospital. [121766]

    Dr. Ladyman
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing a guideline on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in primary and secondary care. NICE is due to publish the guideline in 2004. In January 2003, the Respiratory Alliance published their guidance, "Bridging the Gap", which aims to help primary care trusts to commission and deliver high quality allergy and respiratory care. Local British Lung Foundation "Breathe Easy" groups often reinforce pulmonary rehabilitation programmes.

    Information is not held centrally regarding the proportion of people with COPD who can access pulmonary rehabilitation. However, a recent survey by the British Lung Foundation and the British Thoracic Society found that 160 out of 266 hospitals across the country provide some form of pulmonary rehabilitation to lung patients. A wide range of patients can benefit from pulmonary rehabilitation. These include those with chronic lung diseases such as emphysema, chronic bronchitis, asthma, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease, or lung tumours. Most pulmonary rehabilitation programs include medical management, education, emotional support, exercise, breathing retraining, and nutritional counselling. The objective is to help people gain the highest level of function and independence possible, and to improve overall quality of life.

    Substantial new investment in both health and social care services was announced in the 2002 Budget. This amounts to the largest sustained increase in funding of any five-year period in the history of the national health service. Over the years 2003–04 to 2007–08, these plans mean that expenditure on the NHS in England will increase on average by 7.4 per cent. a year over and above inflation—a total increase over the period of 43 per cent. in real terms. This means that over the same five-year period, there will be an increase of £34 billion.
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    It is the role of strategic health authorities, in partnership with primary care trusts, to decide what services to provide for their populations including those with respiratory conditions. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.

    Measles and Mumps Vaccines
    Mr. Hunter
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what his policy is in respect of the granting of licences for the distribution of single measles and mumps vaccines; [120235]

    (2) if he will take measures to ensure the wider availability of single measles and mumps vaccines; [120236]

    (3) what powers he has to prevent clinics providing single measles and mumps vaccinations; and if he will make a statement. [120239]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The current United Kingdom policy is not to offer single measles and mumps vaccines, because this exposes children to a greater risk of disease due to the longer course of vaccination required. Single vaccines leave children at risk of diseases that have serious complications for no benefit and the Government do not endorse this. There is very considerable evidence for the safety of MMR vaccine. The World Health Organisation (WHO) stated:"WHO strongly supports the use of MMR vaccine on the grounds of its convincing record of safety and efficacy. The combination vaccine i) recommended rather that the monovalent presentation (single vaccines) when available and the disease burden justifies its use".

    The Secretary of State does not have direct powers to prevent clinics providing single mumps and measles vaccines, provided that the regulations for supply of medicinal products are complied with. Independent healthcare establishments, such as private clinics, are regulated by the National Care Standards Commission. Their concern would be compliance with the relevant Regulations and National Minimum Standards. They have no powers to prevent a clinic providing single measles and mumps vaccinations as such.

    Medical Accidents/Clinical Negligence
    Dr. Palmer
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review the way in which the NHS handles compensation after a medical accident; and when the Chief Medical Officer's report into clinical negligence will be published. [120302]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    I am pleased to announce the publication today of a report for consultation by the Government's chief medical officer, Professor Sir Liam Donaldson, outlining proposals for reform of the national health service clinical negligence system.

    The report, entitled "Making Amends; a consultation paper setting out proposals for reforming the approach to clinical negligence in the NHS", has been prepared against a background of the rising cost of claims for clinical negligence, which have drawn much media attention. In line with our wider drive to put patients at the heart of the NHS and patient safety at the top of its agenda, Sir Liam proposes that a less adversarial system

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    should be available. Injured patients would no longer have to resort to lengthy and costly court action under the tort law. It would allow the NHS to be pro-active in responding to sub-standard care. There would be clear links to NHS quality initiatives to improve the patient's experience of the NHS as well as an incentive to drive up standards and so reduce injuries in the first place.

    The chief medical officer proposes a NHS redress scheme which would offer redress for injuries, in all senses of that word. The scheme would provide people who were injured with an explanation of what went wrong, the necessary apologies, treatment for that injury and support for patients and their families, as well as some financial compensation in appropriate cases. It is proposed that families of neurologically impaired babies would also be eligible for the NHS redress scheme if the impairment was birth related and fulfilled other eligibility criteria.

    Although a person's right to pursue a formal claim in the court would remain, patients would no longer have to resort to the law as the only way of resolving a dispute with the NHS. Proposed improvements to the legal aid system would mean that use of the NHS scheme would be taken into account if a claimant applied for legal aid after rejecting a fair package of redress under the NHS scheme. At present, over 70 per cent. of clinical negligence cases are legally aided, meaning the taxpayer often foots the bill through the legal aid budget if the NHS wins a case or the NHS budget if it loses.

    For too long, we have had a disjointed approach to clinical negligence in the NHS. There are often no clear links between complaints procedures and the systems to deal with clinical negligence claims at a local level. There is little consideration of the wider issues raised by complaints and clinical negligence claims—and settlements—locally and nationally. Finally, there are no reliable systems of ensuring that mistakes made in one organisation are not repeated in another.

    The proposed NHS redress scheme would link to the NHS complaints procedure and the new independent inspection structures being taken forward through the Health and Social Care Reform Bill presently before the House.

    The report emphasises the importance of building a NHS that is better at addressing injuries resulting from poor quality treatment. As well as the NHS redress scheme, it recommends that the NHS should improve rehabilitation services and that in cases of clinical negligence the costs of future care should be considered on an NHS-provided rather than a privately-provided basis. This is a long-term measure and it will take time to establish the necessary specialist NHS capacity. However, the Department will be exploring taking this forward through the long-term care national service framework, as it makes sense that those injured by the NHS should be able to get the care that they need from the NHS.

    Sir Liam's review has been wide-ranging and he proposes radical reform of the present lengthy, complicated and overly adversarial court-based system. The existing system is slow and often does not provide injured patients with the response to their injuries that they seek. The new system will be more responsive to the
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    needs of patients for redress, and of the NHS for mechanisms that help it learn from mistakes. I believe it is possible to have a system that responds to patients' needs, that supports clinicians to deliver the very best quality care, and that is a driver for the NHS to learn from mistakes to continue to improve the quality of care it delivers.

    There will now be a consultation period until 17 October. Following considerations of the issues raised and of the views of respondents on the specific questions asked, the Department expects to set out the next steps to reform the clinical negligence system in the autumn.

    A copy of the report has been placed in the Library.

    Men's Health
    Mr. Jim Cunningham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the changes in obesity levels in men over the last five years in(a) the UK and (b) the West Midlands. [118497]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 12 June 2003]: Figures on obesity levels in men for the United Kingdom are not available. However, in line with other countries, the levels of obesity in men have risen in England over the last five years, with the Health Survey for England showing that in 2001–01, 21 per cent. of men were obese, compared with 16.4 per cent. in 1996. Regional information has not been collected over the past five years, but analyses of the Health Survey for England 2003 showed that in the West Midlands, 23.1 per cent. of men were obese in 2001.

    Mental Health
    Mr. Drew
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase access to occupational health for those suffering from mental health problems. [119930]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    While there are no specific plans to increase access to occupational health for those suffering from mental health problems, the Government is currently exploring a number of ways to improve access to vocational rehabilitation for all workers through Welfare to Work. NHS Plus, launched in November 2001, is currently providing access to local occupational health services to small and medium sized businesses through 107 providers (National Health Service trusts) across the United Kingdom, while the new Job Retention and Rehabilitation pilots, launched on 1 April 2003, and the Incapacity Benefit reforms, announced in the Government's Green Paper, "Pathways to Work", in November 2002, are offering work-focused interventions for those with health problems, including mental health conditions.

    In addition, "Making It Happen: A guide to delivering mental health promotion", published by the Department of Health in 2001, contains a section dealing with mental health promotion in the workplace, the National Institute for Mental Health in England is currently preparing a resource on mental health and employment for people with mental health problems for publication in the autumn and the Health and Safety Executive is about to launch an occupational health support pilot scheme for the construction industry.
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    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients were treated for mental health problems in each primary care trust in 2002. [121584]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The table shows the Finished Consultant Episodes in national health service hospitals under mental illness specialties by provider for 2001–02. These are provisional estimates from primary care trusts the Department knows is providing mental health care for patients under mental illness specialties.

    Finished Consultant Episodes (FCEs) in NHS Hospitals under mental illness specialties by provider, 2001–02

    Provider code

    Provider code description

    Total episodes

    5A1

    New Forest PCT

    0

    5A2

    Norwich PCT

    10

    5A9

    Barnet PCT

    —

    SAC

    Daventry and South Northamptonshire PCT

    0

    SAM

    Mansfield district PCT

    —

    5C7

    Chingford, Wanstead and Woodford PCT

    10

    SCO

    North Dorset PCT

    1290

    5CN

    Herefordshire PCT

    730

    5CQ

    Milton Keynes PCT

    500

    5D1

    Solihull PCT

    20

    5DD

    Morecambe Bay PCT

    1580

    SDP

    Vale of Aylesbury PCT

    20

    SEA

    Chesterfield PCT

    260

    5EG

    North-eastern Derbyshire PCT

    330

    5F1

    Plymouth PCT

    1350

    5FA

    Ashfield PCT

    —

    5FC

    Rushcliffe PCT

    80

    5FD

    East Hampshire PCT

    90

    5FE

    Portsmouth City PCT

    120

    Notes:

    Figures have not yet been adjusted for shortfalls in the data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

    "—" denotes a number less than 5.

    Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.

    A FCE is defined as a period of patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider.

    Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.

    Source:

    Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

    Mr. Paul Marsden
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list(a) organisations and (b) individuals who have responded to the consultation exercise on the draft Mental Health Bill. [121585]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    The Government's response to the consultation will be published before the introduction of the Bill.

    At that time, copies of responses will be placed in the Library, except in cases where respondents have asked for confidentiality.

    Mobile Phones
    Mr. Amess
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made with the Programme Management Committee's study on risks from mobile phone masts to people's health. [118990]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The LINK Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Programme (MTHR) was established under an independent programme management committee following publication of the Stewart Report in 2000. This is 162W
    available at www.iegmp.org.uk. MTHR research studies already under way are mainly concerned with the use of mobile phone handsets and the PMC has recently commissioned an epidemiological study addressing public concerns about possible health risks from exposure to emissions from base stations. Further information can be found on the MTHR website www.mthr.org.uk.

    Measurements undertaken by the Radiocommunications Agency, whose website address is www.radio.gov.uk, have confirmed that public exposures from mobile phone base stations are very much lower than the international guidelines.

    Myalgic Encephalopathy
    Mr. Tom Clarke
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what consultations have taken place with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the Donaldson Report on ME; [117423]

    (2) what consultations have taken place with the Medical Research Council on the Donaldson Report on ME; [117424]

    (3) what action the Government have taken on the Donaldson Report on ME; and if he will make a statement. [117425]

    Dr. Ladyman
    [holding answer 9 June 2003]: In our response to the Independent Working Group's Report on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis (CFS/ME) in January 2002, we endorsed their view that there should be no doubt this is a chronic illness and that health and social care professionals should recognise it as such.

    We have had discussions with the National Institute for Clinical Excellence on the conclusions of the report.

    We also asked the Medical Research Council (MRC) to develop a research strategy for advancing biomedical and health services research on chronic fatigue syndrome CFS/ME.

    The MRC published their research strategy for (CFS/ME) on 1 May 2003. The strategy will enable researchers and funders to develop research proposals on all aspects of this illness. It was developed by an independent research advisory group in response to a request from the Chief Medical Officer, and was informed by contributions from patients, carers, charities, researchers and clinicians via a consultation exercise in summer 2002.

    The MRC has announced two initiatives in response to the strategy. One is a notice to the research community welcoming high quality proposals across the entire spectrum of CFS/ME research. The other is a scientific meeting to discuss the potential to use existing UK resources and infrastructures to undertake epidemiological studies in this country. In addition, the MRC has just announced funding (15 May 2003) for two trials that will look at the effectiveness of various treatments for CFS/ME. The results of these trials will help patients and their doctors to choose the best treatment. These complementary trials will assess a variety of treatments, and in doing so, will both help address important issues for those with CFS/ME.
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    The first trial known as PACE ("Pacing, Activity and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy: A Randomised Evaluation) will make the first assessment of a treatment choice popular with patients called 'Pacing'. The second trial, known as FINE, ("Fatigue Intervention by Nurses Evaluation") will test two different treatments that are particularly suited to helping reach those who are too ill to attend a specialist clinic as patients will be treated by nurses in their own homes.

    On May 12 2003, we announced that funding of £8.5 million would be provided to develop services for people with CFS/ME. In July 2003, health organisations will be invited to bid for development funds to set up centres of expertise to develop clinical care, support clinical research and expand education and training programmes for health care professionals and to establish satellite community multidisciplinary teams. The first phase of development will commence in April 2004.

    Neonatal Care
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what funding was available for(a) capital and (b) running costs for neonatal intensive care services in the last two years; and what funding will be made available in the current year to enable the service to implement the recommendations of the neonatal intensive care services review; [121546]

    (2) what expenditure for (a) capital and (b) running costs (i) was available prior to the statement made in the Department's March 2003 report on Neonatal Intensive Care Services and (ii) was promised in that statement as purely additional sums. [121547]

    Dr. Ladyman
    Historically, capital and revenue funding for neonatal intensive care (NIC) has been sourced from health authority bale-line allocations, without segregation from funding the generality of health services. However, we have provided additional funds in recognition of the growing potential and availability of advanced levels of intervention, expertise and technological support for pre-term and sick babies, which increasingly saves the lives of even the most vulnerable, but leads to the need for greater levels of support within neonatal units.

    We approved additional funding in 2000 specifically to improve the NIC services. There were three elements: £5 million revenue funding, £6.5 million capital funding for new and replacement equipment and £10.5 million funding for intensive care training for nurses, including neonatal intensive care education packages.

    Further to this we have taken advice from a NIC services review, the background to which and report is available at www.doh.gov.uk/nsf/neonatal.htm and we have set up a full consultation into improving NIC services. The consultation period concludes on 11 July, following which, and to help NIC services implement the outcome, there will be additional £20 million capital funding this year and £12 million additional revenue funding, increasing to £20 million in subsequent years.

    Neurology Services
    Bob Spink
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many neurology training places leading to consultant posts were available in England in each of the last five years. [118999]

    Mr. Hutton
    The table shows the number of hospital medical staff in the training grades with a specialty in neurology from 1997 to September 2001.

    The number of consultants in neurology has increased from 278 in September 1997 to 372 in March 2002, an increase of 34 per cent.

    Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Hospital medical staff, in the training grades with a specialty in neurology; 1997–2001, England

    Numbers (headcount)

    Registrar group

    Senior house officers

    House officers

    1997

    159

    141

    10

    1998

    149

    119

    7

    1999

    162

    115

    8

    2000

    151

    115

    9

    2001

    162

    122

    1

    1 Data as at 30 September each year

    Source:

    Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

    NHS Pay Beds
    Mr. Hancock
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many pay beds there are within each individual NHS hospital; who makes the decision about the number of pay beds in each hospital; and if he will make a statement. [120055]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department does not collect information on the number of beds in national health service hospitals used wholly or partly for the treatment of private patients. Information on the number of beds in dedicated private patient units in NHS hospitals is collated by Laing and Buisson Ltd. and published in Laing's Healthcare Market Review 2002–03. It is for the NHS trust responsible for the management of each hospital to decide the extent to which private patient services are provided in that hospital, but the national health service and Community Care Act 1990 provides that trusts may not offer private patient services if they would to any significant extent interfere with the performance by the trust of its NHS obligations.

    NHS Staff
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) hospital consultants in the NHS and (b) in England were aged (i) under 30, (ii) 30–40, (iii) 40–50, (iv) 50–60 and (v) over 60 in each year since 1992, broken down by region. [120440]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested has been placed in the Library.

    The number of consultants practising in the national health service has increased by 50 per cent. since 1992 and the age profile of the consultant work force has become younger.
    165W
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole-time-equivalent(a) general practitioners, excluding GP retainers and registrars and (b) hospital consultants there were per 100,000 population in each year since 1997. [120442]

    Mr. Hutton
    The number of whole-time-equivalents1 for (a) general practitioners excluding general practitioner retainers and registrars2 and (b) hospital consultants per 100,000 population in each year since 1997 in England3 is shown in the table.
    1 All Practitioners WTE data has been estimated using the results from the 1992–93 GMP Workload Survey; Full time = 1.00 wte; three quarter time = 0.69 wte; job share = 0.65 wte; half time = 0.60 wte.
    2 All Practitioners (excluding GP Retainers and GP Registrars) includes Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents, Restricted Principals, Assistants, Salaried Doctors and PMS Other.
    3 Consultant England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include consultants working for special hospitals, the national blood authority and public health laboratory service.

    Whole-time-equivalents

    General practitioners

    Hospital consultants

    1997

    54.3

    40.3

    1998

    54.4

    41.8

    1999

    54.4

    43.6

    2000

    54.2

    45.1

    2001

    54.1

    46.7

    Hospital, Public Health Medicine and Community Health Services (HCHS): Doctors in training1 in England, the North East and South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust as at 30 September 1997–2001

    Number (headcount)

    1997

    1998

    1999

    2000

    2001

    England of which

    30,313

    30,848

    31,527

    31,922

    32,792

    County Durham and Tees Valley Strategic Health Authority Area

    586

    606

    658

    659

    667

    Norhumberland, Tyne and Wear Strategic Health Authority Area of which:

    1,150

    1,028

    1,194

    1,270

    1,282

    South Tyneside Healthcare NHS Trust

    73

    63

    78

    97

    161

    1The figures in this table refer to staff in the HCHS sector only and thus exclude GP registrars on the vocational part of their training

    Note:

    Doctors in training includes the Registrar Group, House Officers (Hos) and Senior House Officers (SHOs)

    Source:

    Department of Health medical and dental workforce census

    Mr. Clifton-Brown
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each NHS trust how many(a) doctors and (b) nurses there were six years ago; and how many there are now. [120717]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested has been placed in the Library.

    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what steps are being taken to reduce(a) incidences of violence to staff, (b) accidents to staff and (c) levels of sickness absence in the NHS; and if he will make a statement; [120631]

    (2) what plans there are to standardise awareness and reporting of (a) violence to staff, (b) accidents to staff and (c) levels of sickness absence in NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [120632]
    166W
    Note:

    All Practitioners data a s at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01. Consultants data as at 30 September each year.

    Source:

    Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics.

    Department of Health Medical and Dental Workforce Census. ONS 2001 Census based resident population estimates.

    Compared to 1997 the number of GPs (excluding GP registrars and GP retainers) has increased by 904 or 3.2 per cent. In addition, those entering training as GP registrars has risen by 565 or 42.1 per cent., since 1997.

    Mr. Hepburn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many junior doctors there were in(a) South Tyneside, (b) the North East and (c) the UK in each year since 1997. [120582]

    Mr. Hutton
    The table shows the number of doctors in training in England and the North East which covers the two strategic health authorities of County Durham and Tees Valley and Northumberland, Tyne and Wear and South Tyneside Healthcare national health service trust in each year since1997. Information on Scotland and Wales are matters for the devolved administrations. While the institutions in Northern Ireland are dissolved, responsibility rests with Ministers in the Northern Ireland Office.

    The number of doctors in training in England increased by 8 per cent. between September 1997 and September 2001.

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department has issued a wide range of guidance on violence towards staff, staff accidents and also management of sickness absence in the national health service that should be followed by NHS trusts. The Department will reinforce this message in new guidance to be produced in the autumn of 2003. The National Audit Office (NAO) report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", shows that the guidance is working, as the number of serious accidents reported by NHS trusts to the Health and Safety Executive have decreased by 25 per cent., over the last five years.

    From 1 April 2003, the Counter Fraud and Security Management Service will take over lead responsibility for tackling violence against NHS staff and will be leading a programme of work in 2003–04 to consider how best to implement the recommendations contained in the N AO's recent report. These include

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    recommendations to improve the risk assessment process, to standardise the training staff receive, to deal with violence and ensuring that NHS employing organisations are managing the problem of violence within a clear legal framework.

    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) doctors and (b) nurses employed in the NHS have refugee status. [120375]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department does not collect data on the number of doctors and nurses employed in the national health service with refugee status.

    All qualified nurses in hospitals and primary care, including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs )1 per head of population, in England (by 2001 regions); 1997–2001

    whole time equivalent

    1997

    1998

    1999

    Region

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population

    England

    256,093

    528

    257,597

    529

    261,340

    535

    Northern and Yorkshire

    34,844

    559

    35,045

    563

    35,866

    577

    Trent

    26,216

    518

    26,546

    524

    27,060

    534

    West Midlands

    26,804

    510

    27,573

    524

    27,498

    522

    North West

    37,932

    585

    38,018

    587

    38,742

    600

    Eastern

    21,838

    414

    22,142

    417

    22,481

    421

    London

    44,050

    636

    43,651

    626

    44,333

    630

    South East

    38,287

    452

    38,123

    448

    38,587

    450

    South West

    24,506

    509

    24,822

    512

    25,099

    515

    1 UPEs include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.

    Note:

    HCHS data as at 30 September each year

    Practice nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

    England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include HCHS nurses working for Special Health Authorities.

    Figures exclude learners and agency staff.

    Source:

    Department of Health General and Personal and Medical Services Statistics

    Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

    2001 ONS Population Census

    All qualified nurses in hospitals and primary care, including Practice Nurses employed by Unrestricted Principals and Equivalents (UPEs )1 per head of population, in England (by 2001 regions); 1997–2001

    whole time equivalent

    2000

    2001

    Region

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population

    Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses

    All Qualified HCHS and Practice Nurses per 100,000 of population

    England

    266,987

    545

    277,334

    564

    Northern and Yorkshire

    37,015

    596

    38,459

    618

    Trent

    27,454

    541

    28,003

    550

    West Midlands

    28,032

    533

    29,469

    559

    North West

    39,678

    615

    40,716

    631

    Eastern

    23,758

    442

    25,214

    467

    London

    44,727

    630

    46,870

    652

    South East

    39,012

    453

    41,008

    475

    South West

    25,531

    520

    26,630

    540

    1UPEs include CMS Unrestricted Principals, PMS Contracted GPs and PMS Salaried GPs.

    Note:

    HCHS data as at 30 September each year

    Practice Nurse data as at 1 October 1997–99 and 30 September 2000–01

    Nurses
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many whole time equivalent nurses there were, and how many there were per 100,000 population in the NHS in(a) England and (b) each region in each year since 1997. [120444]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested is shown in the table.

    In September 2001, there were 277,330 whole time equivalent qualified nurses. This represents 564 per 100,000 population and an increase of 8 per cent. since 1997.

    England totals do not equal the sum of component parts as they include HCHS nurses working for Special Health Authorities.

    Figures exclude learners and agency staff.

    Source:

    Department of Health General and Personal Medical Services Statistics

    Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census.

    2001 ONS Population Census

    NHS Trust Funding
    Shona McIsaac
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much funding has been given to Northern Lincolnshire and Goole NHS Trust since May 1997. [121534]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The information requested is shown in the table.

    £000

    Total income

    2001–02

    160,277

    2000–01

    140,623

    1999–2000

    144,056

    1998–99

    130,487

    1997–98

    119,993

    169W
    Source:

    Audited summarisation schedules of the North Lincolnshire and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 2001–02, and those of North East Lincolnshire NHS Trust and Scunthorpe and Goole Hospitals NHS Trust 1997–98 to 2000–01.

    Obesity
    Chris Grayling
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans the Government has to establish a national obesity strategy. [118971]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Action to address obesity in England is being taken forward through the national service frameworks (NSFs) for coronary heart disease, older people and diabetes. The forthcoming NSF for children will address the health and social care needs of all children and will include the promotion of healthy eating and physical activity.

    Effective prevention and management of obesity requires an integrated, cross-Government approach, working with a range of partners on programmes to tackle obesity, improve diet and increase physical activity levels.

    The Department of Health is leading the development of a comprehensive food and health action plan, working across Government and with the food industry and other stakeholders to establish a coherent and effective programme of activities on nutrition in order to achieve a healthier diet. The joint Department for Culture, Media and Sport/Strategy Unit Report, "Game Plan", set out a new target of 70 per cent. of the population to be active by 2020. In order to deliver this target, a central Department of Health/DCMS-led sport and physical activity board is being set up.

    At present, guidance is available to tackle obesity, including guidance issued by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) on drugs and surgery and a national quality assurance framework for exercise referral systems to promote physical activity.

    NICE has been asked to develop guidance on identification, prevention and management of obesity and maintenance of weight reduction. The Health Development Agency is also setting out the evidence base for effective interventions on the prevention and treatment of overweight and obesity, and the maintenance of weight loss.

    The national health service priorities and planning framework for 2003–06 includes targets on reducing CHD and diabetes. One of these targets requires practice-based registers and systematic treatment regimes, including appropriate advice on diet, physical activity and smoking, to cover the majority of patients at high risk of coronary heart disease, particularly those with hypertension, diabetes and a body mass index greater than 30.

    Organ Donation
    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make organ donation compulsory; and what assessment has been made as to whether this would affect organ trafficking. [121132]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    There are no plans to make organ donation compulsory in the United Kingdom.
    170W
    The Government are reviewing the law on the removal, retention and use of human tissues and organs. A consultation document on the issues, "Human Bodies, Human Choices", was published in July 2002 and a report on the responses was published in April 2003. New legislation will be introduced when parliamentary time allows.

    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procedures are in place for medical staff to follow when approaching relatives of the recently deceased to request permission 10 use organs. [121133]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    Following widespread consultation, we published in April this year a code of practice, "Families and Post Mortems", which gives guidance in England and Wales on standards of communication with bereaved families about post mortem examination, including seeking consent for the retention and use of organs and tissue for medical education, audit and research. The code is supported by model consent forms and information leaflets. Copies of these documents have been placed in the Library and are also available at: www.doh.gov.uk/tissue

    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to make organ donation easier; and whether there are circumstances where organs may be taken from the recently deceased without the permission of relatives. [121134]

    Ms Rosie Winterton
    People are encouraged through high profile campaigns to consider their wishes on organ donation during their lifetime, to make their wishes known to their relatives and to record their wishes on the national health service organ donor register.

    In the NHS, a deceased's relatives are always asked whether or not the deceased would have objected or they themselves object to organs being donated for transplantation.

    Osteoporosis
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many(a) young and (b) old sufferers of osteoporosis there are; what programmes there are to target the condition; what funding is allocated to such programmes; what (i) research and (ii) treatment facilities there are in each of the Government Office regions; and if he will make a statement. [121638]

    Dr. Ladyman
    There are an estimated three million osteoporosis sufferers in the United Kingdom. One in three women and one in twelve men over the age of 50 will develop osteoporosis.

    It has not proved practical to allocate sums to individual conditions such as osteoporosis.

    Osteoporosis services are an integral part of local development and implementation of the national service framework (NSF) for older people's integrated falls service. The falls standard requires every health organisation, in partnership with councils to agree and implement local priorities to reduce the impact falls can have on health, well being and independence, including interventions and advice. To support implementation of the NSF for older people, the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is drawing up clinical guidelines for the prevention and treatment of

    171W
    osteoporosis. NICE is also conducting an appraisal of treatments to give doctors the latest evidence based information on the most effective treatments.

    Much can be done to prevent osteoporosis developing through making people aware of the need for a balanced diet, regular exercise, ceasing smoking and avoiding excessive intake of alcohol.

    Overseas Treatment
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients who have been treated for joint replacement in continental hospitals have received follow-up consultation by staff in the United Kingdom; and how many of these consultations have been commissioned by his Department outside the original contractural terms with overseas hospitals. [120377]

    Mr. Hutton
    Since the overseas treatment pilot, a total of 251 National Health Service patients have been referred to hospitals in France and Belgium for major joint replacement surgery.

    All of the 245 patients who were treated in France have received follow-up care in the United Kingdom in line with the contractual agreements. The majority of these follow-up assessments were carried out by overseas consultants. 54 patients were followed up in France prior to their return to the UK. These patients received a further follow-up consultation carried out by UK consultants (contracted on a private basis), in order to maintain consistency with other projects. The cost of this was contained within the overall contractual budget.

    The six patients who have received treatment in Belgium have only recently returned to the UK, and are due for follow-up assessments with an overseas consultant in the next 4–6 weeks, in line with contractual agreements.

    Pharmacies
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make a progress report with regard to his response to the OFT's recommendations on pharmacy contract limitation. [121349]

    Mr. Sutcliffe
    I have been asked to reply.

    Further to our interim response to the OFT report on retail pharmacy services on the 26 March, I can confirm that the Government have made progress in our continued consideration of the OFT's recommendation in relation to England. We are on track to announce as planned a balanced package of proposals, which we believe is the most effective means o f promoting change to open up the market and improve quality and access without diminishing the crucial role that pharmacies play, especially in poorer and rural areas. Decisions on the package are being made collectively.

    We have continued to receive the views of numerous stakeholders and members of the public and are taking these into account in our deliberations.

    We will consult fully, allowing at least 12 weeks for responses, on any proposed regulatory changes.

    Physical Activity
    Nick Harvey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 3 June 2003, Official Report, column 82W, on physical activity, if he will list the programmes supported by the £710,000 funding. [119427]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    In 2002–03, the Department of Health coronary heart disease and cancer prevention business area allocated £710,000 to fund physical activity specific work.

    The £710,000 was broken down according to the following areas of work:

    £450,000 was allocated to funding the local exercise action pilot programme.

    £239,000 was allocated to programme budgets.

    £21,000 was used to fund 'Cycle West' under Section 64 funding arrangements.

    The £239,000 programme budget was used to fund a number of physical activity-related projects, including the following:

    work to develop physical activity and fitness measures to support general practice and for possible inclusion in the Health Survey for England.

    Sustrans support for 'green' travel plans across the national health service.

    funding of the Register of Exercise Professionals to support the National Quality Assurance Framework for Exercise Referral Systems.

    Kids Club Network—nine regional 'roadshows' on physical activity for after-school providers.

    the Countryside Agency—contribution to funding of pedometers as part of the 'Walking the Way to Health' Initiative.

    research into the impact of the law upon the promotion of physical activity.

    preparatory work for a Chief Medical Officer's report on physical activity and health.

    Nick Harvey
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 3 June 2003,Official Report, columns 83–84W, on physical activity, if he will publish the report of the South East Public Health Observatory; what recommendations for further action emerged from the report's findings; whether good practice has been disseminated from well established local programmes; and if he will make a statement on plans for a comprehensive assessment of the promotion of physical activity by primary care trusts. [119428]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The South East Public Health Observatory prepared a report for internal use by the Department of Health in March 2002 to review the capacity and progress of primary care trusts (PCTs) and other health bodies to meet the information collections defined by milestone 3 of chapter one of the national service framework (NSF) for coronary heart disease (CHD). It was never intended that this report would be published.

    The Department of Health considered the recommendations of the report and this influenced the document, "National Service Frameworks: A practical aid to implementation in primary care", which was published in August 2002 as a series of topic leaflets to support general practices and primary care trusts (PCTs). The topic leaflet, "Health Prevention and Improvement", also captures information on effective

    173W
    interventions to encourage and promote physical activity that emerged from Health Development Agency surveys of local prevention strategies under the national service framework for CHD.

    The report also influenced the programme of local exercise action pilots, which supports local strategies on promoting physical activity. There will be one PCT-led pilot in each of the regions in England, based in neighbourhood renewal areas. The ongoing results will inform and lead action on physical activity across the national health service.

    Under "Shifting the Balance of Power", performance management of PCTs in accordance with local priorities is largely the responsibility of strategic health authorities. Local strategies and policies to increase physical activity will be included in the Commission for Health Improvement/Audit Commission joint national study into the implementation of the NSF for CHD. Therefore, it is not appropriate for the Department of Health to propose an additional assessment of the promotion of physical activity by primary care trusts.

    Physiotherapists
    Mr. Ruffley
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many physiotherapists who qualified in the last five years in(a) England, (b) Suffolk, (c) Norfolk, (d) Cambridgeshire and (e) Essex have since left the NHS. [120416]

    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested is not collected centrally.

    Target Funding Allocations
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 13 May 2003,Official Report, column 234W, on Target Funding Allocations, if he will list the additional allocation in 2003–04 for each primary care trust; and if he will estimate the time to reach the target for each primary care trust. [121007]

    Mr. Hutton
    Information on the increases in revenue allocations in 2003–04 for each primary care trust has been placed in the Library.

    We consider our allocations policy for each round of allocations in the light of all the circumstances at that time.

    We are committed to bringing primary care trusts to their target allocations as soon as is practicable, consistent with all primary care trusts having sufficient extra funding to enable them to deliver on national and local priorities.

    Private Hospital Operations
    Mr. Hopkins
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many main operations were carried out during 2002 in private hospitals under contract to the NHS; and how many of them were performed by surgeons who were at the same time under contract to the NHS. [121281]

    Mr. Hutton
    [holding answer 26 June 2003]: The Department of Health does not hold information on operations carried out on national health service patients by private hospitals.

    Pulmonary Rehabilitation Services
    Mr. Boswell
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many district general hospitals offer pulmonary rehabilitation services; and whether it is his policy to extend and fund the pulmonary rehabilitation services in all such hospitals. [121282]

    Dr. Ladyman
    That information is not held centrally. However, a recent survey by the British Lung Foundation (BLF) and British Thoracic Society (BTS) found that 160 out of 266 hospitals across the country provide some form of pulmonary rehabilitation to lung patients.

    The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing a guideline on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care. NICE is due to publish the guideline in 2004. In January 2003, the Respiratory Alliance published their guidance, "Bridging the Gap", which aims to help primary care trusts (PCTS) to commission and deliver high quality allergy and respiratory care.

    Substantial new investment in both health and social care services were announced in the 2002 Budget. This amounts to the largest sustained increase in funding of any five-year period in the history of the national health service. Over the years 2003–04 to 2007–08, these plans mean that expenditure on the NHS in England will increase on average by 7.4 per cent. a year over and above inflation—a total increase over the period of
    43 per cent. in real terms. This means that over the same five-year period, there will be an increase of £34 billion.

    It is the role of strategic health authorities, in partnership with I'CTs, to decide what services to provide for their populations including those with respiratory conditions. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.

    Mr. Blizzard
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health when pulmonary rehabilitation will be available to lung patients in all parts of the country. [121448]

    Dr. Ladyman
    We do not keep information about the specific availability of pulmonary rehabilitation services throughout the country. However, a recent survey by the British Lung Foundation and the British Thoracic Society found that out of 266 hospitals across the country, 160 provide some form of pulmonary rehabilitation to lung patients.
    The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is currently developing a guideline on the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in primary and secondary care. NICE is due to publish the guideline in 2004. In January 2003, the Respiratory Alliance published their guidance, "Bridging the Gap", which aims to help primary care trusts to commission and deliver high quality allergy and respiratory care.

    Purley Hospital
    Richard Ottaway
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the po pulation is of the catchment area of the proposed new Purley Hospital. [120659]
    175W
    Mr. Hutton
    The information requested is not held centrally. Information from the South West London Strategic Health Authority is that the proposed new Purley Hospital will serve, as a minimum, the Croydon South locality, with a population of 78,000.

    Radiotherapy
    Tim Loughton
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is for the start of radiotherapy following diagnosis for cancer patients in each hospital trust in England; and what the average waiting time was in each of the last six years. [120378]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Information on waiting times for radiotherapy is not collected centrally. However, the National Health Service Cancer Plan set out maximum waiting time targets for first definitive cancer treatment, which could include radiotherapy. From December 2001, there was a one month maximum wait from diagnosis to first treatment for breast cancer and a one month wait from urgent general practitioner referral to first treatment for children's cancers, testicular cancer and acute leukaemia. From 2002, there is a maximum two month wait from urgent referral to treatment for breast cancer. By 2005, there will be a maximum two months from urgent referral to treatment and a maximum one-month wait from diagnosis to first treatment for all cancers. Performance data on current cancer waiting times targets are published on the Department's website at www.doh.gov.uk/cancerwaits

    Rainbows Children's Hospice
    Mr. Reed
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received about funding for the Rainbows Children's Hospice; and if he will make a statement. [121449]

    Dr. Ladyman
    I have received a large number of representations about funding for Rainbows Children's Hospice as part of a campaign being run by the Leicester Mercury newspaper. We recognise the valuable work undertaken by children's hospices, such as Rainbows, where they provide a key element in the care of children with life threatening illnesses and support for their families.

    Government funding for children's hospices is available from primary care trusts (PCTs), which are responsible for deciding which health services the local population requires, and ensuring the provision of these services. It is for individual PCTs to decide the level of funding they allocate to children's palliative care services, including services provided by children's hospices.

    I appreciate there may be a need for some pump priming funding to demonstrate the range and quality of care that children's hospices can provide. I am therefore pleased that the New Opportunities Fund has provided £48 million in support of palliative care projects for children in England—from which I understand Rainbows has received £650,000.

    Recruitment Targets
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list the targets set by the Government since 1997 to increase the number of(a) nurses,
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    (b) consultants and (c) general practitioners in the NHS; what the baseline was for each target; when each was set; and whether the target referred to (i) headcount and (ii) whole time equivalent figures; [120443]

    (2) what recruitment targets have been set since 1997 for the professions allied to medicine; what the baselines for these targets are; when the deadlines are due; and if he will publish the information in the technical notes relating to the targets. [120959]

    Mr. Hutton
    Targets set by the government since 1997 to increase the number of nurses, consultants, general practitioners and therapists and other health professionals in the national health service have been placed in the Library.

    All these targets are measured in head count not whole time equivalents and are based on the workforce census figures unless otherwise indicated.

    In addition the NHS Plan set training targets for specialist registrars, GP registrars, nurses and therapists and other health care professionals. All have a baseline year of 1999 and a target date of 2004.

    There was also a Comprehensive Spending Review target of 7,500 additional doctors including consultants and general practitioner by 2002. This target was over a 1997 baseline and has been achieved.

    Increases announced as a result of the third report of the Medical Workforce Standing Advisory Committee and the NHS Plan provide for an additional 2,150 medical school places by 2005 over 1997. Almost 1,550 places had been created and filled by autumn 2002.

    Reservist Medical Personnel
    Dr. Murrison
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the impact has been on the NHS to date of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces medical personnel for service in the Gulf. [121336]

    Mr. Hutton
    Due to good contingency planning at both national and local level, the impact on the national health service to date of the compulsory mobilisation of reserve forces personnel for service in the Gulf has been minimal.

    Self-Diagnosis Kits
    Mr. Wray
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proposals he has to make available self-diagnosis kits on the high street for selected conditions that are easy to test for; and what assessment has been made of whether self-diagnostics will save the NHS money. [119568]

    Mr. Hutton
    The diagnostics industry markets a range of self-diagnosis kits, which are regulated by the Medical Devices Regulations (SI 20002 No.618). Use of these kits looks set to rise. However, it is not yet clear whether the overall effect will be to increase or reduce pressure on the National Health Service.

    Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 14 May 2003, Official Report, column 321W, on severe acute respiratory syndrome, whether the World Health Organisation
    177W
    has advised against screening international travellers arriving in the UK from areas where local transmission of SARS is occurring by (a) a declaration and (b) a temperature check. [115521]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The World Health Organisation's advice remains that international travellers departing from areas with local transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), should be screened for possible SARS at the point of departure. Such screening involves answering questions related to their current health and may include a temperature check.

    Sharp Injuries
    Dr. Kumar
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many needlestick and sharp injuries there were(a) in hospitals in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency and (b) in NHS trusts in England in the last year for which figures are available. [120626]

    Mr. Hutton
    The Department does not collect this data centrally but has advised all national health service trusts that it should be collected locally to enable them to assess risks to staff and patients. Figures for needlestick incidents should be available from the trusts concerned in the Middlesbrough, South and East Cleveland constituency. The National Audit Office report, "A Safer Place to Work—Improving the Management of Health and Safety risks to staff in NHS Trusts", reported that needlestick injuries in the NHS in England amounted to approximately 23,000 each year.

    Smoking
    Linda Perham
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what representations he has received on the effectiveness of recent anti-smoking initiatives. [120162]

    Melanie Johnson
    From 1 January to 24 June 2003, the Department received 248 letters and 75 parliamentary questions on tobacco control. Recent initiatives covered have included the introduction of new warnings on tobacco packs, the comprehensive ban on tobacco advertising, promotion and sponsorship and the Department's education and media campaigns.

    St. George's Hospital Trust
    Mr. Cox
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the persons appointed to St. George's Hospital Trust who live within the London borough of Wandsworth. [117159]

    Mr. Hutton
    None of the current non-executive board members live in the London borough of Wandsworth. The chair lives in Anerley and the four non-executives respectively live in Coulsdon, Kingston upon Thames, Streatham Common and Wimbledon, all of which are in the catchment area served by the trust.

    Staffing
    Dr. Evan Harris
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the(a) planned and (b) actual staffing levels were in each NHS trust in the last year, in terms of (i) whole-time equivalent budgeted hours and (ii) budgeted expenditure. [119773]
    178W
    Mr. Hutton
    Figures for planned numbers of staff and budgeted hours in each National Health Service trust are not collected centrally. Staffing numbers by NHS trust for the last available year (September 2001) have been placed in the Library.

    The actual staffing expenditure for NHS trusts in 2002–03 will be available from their individual audited annual accounts, locally in September and centrally in autumn.

    Trust Chief Executives (Salaries)
    Jeremy Corbyn
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many chief executives of NHS trusts have refused to reveal their salaries; and if he will make a statement. [105345]

    Mr. Hutton
    [hording answer 27 March 2003]: Sir Nigel Crisp has written to all national health service employers encouraging senior staff to voluntarily disclose their remuneration in annual accounts. In 2001–02, however, some 50 chief executives of NHS organisations, including NHS trusts, chose to exercise a right under the Data Protection Act 1998 to refuse consent to publication of their remuneration details in the annual accounts.

    Tuberculosis
    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many nosocomial cases of tuberculosis there were in England in each year since 1997; and which cases were resistant to antibiotics. [120079]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The Health Protection Agency is responsible for collecting data on tuberculosis notifications. Data currently available are not broken down by cases of nosocomial TB.

    Mr. Burstow
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many cases of(a) tuberculosis and (b) drug resistant tuberculosis there have been in each region in each year since 1997; and how many deaths resulted. [120081]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    Information on the number of cases of tuberculosis (TB) and drug resistant TB is collected by the Health Protection Agency. The numbers of cases of TB and drug resistant TB for each region since 1997 are shown in table 2.

    It is not possible ro differentiate between deaths from TB and/or drug resistant TB.

    The numbers of deaths in each year for England and Wales are shown in table 1.

    Table 1

    Year

    Number of deaths

    1997

    385

    1998

    392

    1999

    383

    2000

    370

    2001

    375

    2002

    Data not yet available

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    Table 2

    1997

    1998

    1999

    2000

    2001

    20021

    Northern & Yorkshire

    617

    642

    611

    593

    646

    600

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    3.4

    2.7

    3.2

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.1

    0.6

    0.9

    3

    3

    Trent

    484

    498

    497

    545

    564

    563

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    6

    6.1

    4.3

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.7

    0.7

    2

    3

    3

    Eastern

    232

    268

    228

    254

    326

    343

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    5.9

    2.9

    4.5

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    0

    0.6

    0

    3

    3

    London

    2,411

    2,444

    2,493

    2,834

    2,886

    2,850

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    7.6

    7.6

    8.2

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    3

    1.6

    1.1

    1.1

    3

    3

    South East

    483

    503

    495

    553

    598

    700

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    6.1

    7.3

    6.7

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.3

    0.5

    1.3

    3

    3

    South West

    212

    213

    209

    226

    198

    248

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    6.8

    4.3

    3.8

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.5

    0

    0.8

    3

    3

    West Midlands

    610

    673

    712

    723

    692

    806

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    7.6

    5.9

    6.5

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.2

    0.8

    0.8

    3

    3

    North West

    615

    674

    693

    651

    661

    650

    Isoniazid resistant (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    3.1

    4.2

    5.7

    3

    3

    MDR (per cent. reported isolates)

    2

    1.4

    0.5

    1.6

    3

    3

    1 Data for 2002 provisional

    2 Information on drug resistant TB is not available for 1997.

    3 Resistance data now matched to Enhanced tuberculosis surveillance and expressed in rates—Available August 2003)

    Boundary changes 1997

    All forms of Tuberculosis. Corrected notifications.

    Data excludes chemoprophylaxis.

    Data excludes Port Health Authorities.

    RHO boundaries as at April 1999.

    Source:

    Statutory Notifications to the Communicable Disease Surveillance Centre

    Vitamins and Minerals
    Brian Cotter
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the recommended daily consumption of vitamin B6; and how many adverse reactions to vitamin B6 have been reported since 1997. [120768]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 20 June 2003]: Government advice is that people limit their intake of vitamin B6 from dietary supplements to no more than 10 mg per day unless acting on the ad vice of their general practitioner or health professional.

    Reports of suspected adverse reactions (ADRs) to medicines are collated by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency and the Committee on Safety of Medicines, through the spontaneous reporting Yellow Card Scheme.

    Between 1 January 1997 and 18 June 2003, 178 reports of suspected adverse drug reactions associated with products containing vitamin B6 have been received through the Yellow Card Scheme. Of these reports, 42
    180W
    suspected ADRs were associated with single-constituent products and 259 suspected ADRs were associated with multi-constituent products. Some reports may contain more than one adverse reaction.

    Mr. Tredinnick
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the chemical sources of vitamins and minerals permitted for sale on the UK market but which are omitted from the list of nutrients permitted for use in food supplements under the provisions of Annex 2 of the Food Supplements Directive. [120637]

    Miss Melanie Johnson
    [holding answer 20 June 2003]: Food supplements, like other foods, are not required to demonstrate their efficacy before marketing, nor are they subject to prior approval unless they are genetically modified or are 'novel'. Therefore, the Food Standards Agency does not hold detailed information about food supplements on the United Kingdom market.

    According to information provided by industry, Annex II of the Food Supplements Directive presently omits many chemical sources of vitamins and minerals

    181W
    currently used in food supplements on the UK market. The list of these missing substances is available in the Library.

    Dr. Iddon
    To ask the Secretary of State for Health which of the publications listed on page 92 and discussed on pages 85 to 89 of the report, Safe Upper Levels for Vitamins and Minerals, by the expert group on vitamins and minerals, published in May, led the group to the safe upper level for vitamin B6 of 10 mg a day for a 60 kg adult. [120929]
    182W
    Miss Melanie Johnson
    The expert group on vitamins and minerals (EVM) reviewed over 200 pieces of information on vitamin B6 and based their safe upper level of 10 mg. per day vitamin B6 on the study by Phillips et al (1978) in dogs. This level was determined to represent a clear safe upper level, with no adverse effects being anticipated over a lifetime's exposure. The derivation of the safe upper level for vitamin B6 is described on pages 90–91 of the EVM Report, which is available in the Library.

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