Written Answers of 21 April 2004

LEADER OF THE HOUSE

  Civil Servants
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Leader of the House if he will list for each civil service grade within his Office, the total number of staff employed, broken down by(a) gender, (b) ethnic group and (c) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166400]

  Mr. Woolas
  Data on staffing levels in the Civil Service are collected by the Cabinet Office and published in Civil Service Statistics. A copy of Civil Service Statistics 2002 is available in the Library, and at www.civil-service, gov.uk/statistics. The 2003 edition will be published in summer 2004.

  My Office currently employs 12 civil servants and two temporary civil servants as special advisers, including staff supporting the Deputy Leader of the House of Commons. The grading breakdown is set out in the following table:

  Grade

  Staff number

  Senior Civil Servant

  1

  Band A

  1

  B2

  3

  B1

  3

  C2

  3

  C1

  1

  Special Adviser

  2

  To provide further analysis of (a) gender, (b) ethnic group, (c) registered disabled and (d) age group would identify individual members of staff.

  Departmental Computers
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Leader of the House what plans he has to update computer(a) hardware and (b) software standard packages used in his Office. [166375]

  Mr. Woolas
  The computer hardware and software used in my office is provided by the Privy Council Office under an IS/IT services agreement managed by the Cabinet Office. This provides for desktop hardware to be regularly replaced, and for standard operating and applications software to be kept updated. A major upgrade is planned for the standard office automation software we use towards the end of 2004.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Asbestos
  Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the level of compliance with the duty to manage legislation 490W
  as it relates to exposure to asbestos (a) now and (b) by the time the legislation becomes legally binding in May. [166749]

  Jane Kennedy
  As a result of a commitment given by the Government to the House of Lords in 2002, the Health and Safety Executive carried out a review of the progress being made towards compliance with the duty to manage asbestos in non-domestic premises. The review shows that between 50 per cent. and 75 per cent. of dutyholders are aware of the new regulation and that approximately 40 per cent. were already complying with the duty six months before the regulation was due to come into force.

  Since the review was carried out the HSE has continued its campaign to raise awareness of the duty in order to continue to raise the level of compliance before the 21 May when the duty comes into force.

  Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what efforts the Department has made to raise awareness amongst small businesses and the self-employed of the duty to manage legislation as it relates to exposure to asbestos. [166750]

  Jane Kennedy
  In 2001 the Health and Safety Commission embarked on a five-year campaign to raise awareness of the duty to manage and to encourage proportionate and effective compliance with the new regulation.

  In addition to the development of comprehensive guidance, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has gained the support of over 3,000 organisations to act as Partners in cascading HSE's campaign messages to a wide and varied audience, including small businesses and the self-employed. The partnership network includes the Federation of Small Businesses which has played a key role in the production of a free 'Duty to Manage' leaflet geared towards the needs of their members. Over 400,000 of these leaflets have been distributed nation wide.

  HSE has also developed a 'duty to manage' asbestos website, which includes good practice examples for new dutyholders, and has produced a range of written guidance.

  Correspondence
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when he intends to reply to the letter to him from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated 8 March, with regard to Mr. David Worthington. [167259]

  Mr. Andrew Smith
  I replied to my right hon. Friend on 16 April 2004.

  Council Tax Benefit
  Mrs. Brooke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people are claiming council tax benefit; and if he will make a statement. [166252]

  Mr. Pond
  The number of Council Tax Benefit recipients in Great Britain at August 2003 is 4,657,400.

  Notes:

  1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person, couple or family.
  491W
  2. The figure is rounded to the nearest hundred.

  3. Council Tax Benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.

  Source:

  Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System Quarterly 100 per cent. caseload stock-count taken in August 2003.

  Pension Forecasts
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to provide everyone with a personal forecast of their complete pension position as proposed in "A New Contract for Welfare: Partnership in Pensions", page 86. [166247]

  Malcolm Wicks
  Last year the Government began the process of issuing state pension forecasts to self-employed people and we anticipate that we will have sent 1.6 million forecasts by the end of May this year.

  We also continue to work in partnership with employers and pension providers to deliver 6.3 million combined pension forecasts by the end of 2005–06. To date over 700 employers and pension providers have expressed an interest in delivering these forecasts to their employees/scheme members.

  The Government are keen to ensure that individuals who are not covered by the combined pension forecast arrangements do not lose out. We intend to issue to these people a regular forecast of their projected state pension entitlement.

  Retirement Planner
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate(a) the initial start-up cost and (b) the annual running cost of his Department's web-based retirement planner, as proposed in Simplicity, Security and Choice: Informed Choices for Working and Saving, page 28; if he will provide a breakdown of this cost to (i) pension providers and (ii) his Department; and if he will make a statement. [166232]

  Malcolm Wicks
  We anticipate that the costs of establishing and running the web-based retirement planner are likely to be less than £10 million set-up costs and less than £5 million in annual running costs. However, these figures are high-level and indicative.

  Expenditure on a new service cannot be incurred ahead of Her Majesty's consent to the Pensions Bill. Following Royal Assent we will be able to engage with suppliers and estimate the potential cost. The exact costs of the system will, therefore not be known until commercial arrangements have been completed.

  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the average cost per member to private pension schemes for providing personalised scheme-member information in order to facilitate his Department's proposed web-based retirement planner. [166233]

  Malcolm Wicks
  This information is not available at the present time. Expenditure on a new service cannot be incurred ahead of Her Majesty's consent to the Pensions Bill and consent to that expenditure. Following Royal Assent we will be able to engage with suppliers and estimate the potential cost.
  492W
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when his Department's proposed web-based retirement planner will be launched. [166245]

  Malcolm Wicks
  As announced in February 2004 in Cm 6111, 'Simplicity, security and choice: Informed choices for working and saving', the web-based retirement planner will be launched in Spring 2006.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Regional Assemblies
  Mr. Grogan
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effect on business of elected regional assemblies in the north of England. [166261]

  Phil Hope
  Improving the economic performance of the northern regions will be at the heart of the objectives of elected regional assemblies. Business will be actively involved in, and benefit from, the work of the assemblies—including economic development, planning, housing, transport, employment, and training and skills.

  Deprived Communities
  Ms Munn
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what action his Department is taking to make deprived communities better places to live. [166262]

  Yvette Cooper
  The Government have introduced a range of new programmes backed by substantial investment to improve disadvantaged areas, including the Neighbourhood Renewal Fund, Sure Start and neighbourhood wardens.

  Independent research published this week shows crime in warden areas has dropped by 28 per cent.

  Housing
  Mr. Jack
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what studies his Department will be making of the impact of his latest housing policies on the north-west of England. [R] [166263]

  Keith Hill
  The Government's housing policies are encapsulated in the Sustainable Communities Plan. With four of the nine Housing Market Renewal Pathfinders located in the north-west, the region is set to benefit from £332 million over the next two years. A full programme evaluation for the pathfinder programme is to be commissioned. In addition, a full review of North West Regional Planning Guidance will start later this year, and will give further consideration to housing provision.

  Mr. Blizzard
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to increase the amount of affordable housing for rent in rural areas. [166264]

  Keith Hill
  The target for approvals of rural housing in small settlements within the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme has been increased from 800 in 2000–01 to 3,500 over the two years 2004–05 and 2005–06. The target for these two years has been exceeded by about 500 in the programme announced last month. The programme includes homes for both rent and low cost home ownership.
  493W
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the effect of changes in the level of council funding for housing upon residents of Wirral, South since 1997. [166635]

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how the change in the level of council funding for housing has affected the residents of Birkenhead since 1997. [166214]

  Phil Hope
  Since 1997 allocations of capital funding to local authorities for housing purposes have risen consistently by about 15 per event. per annum on average. This includes the Major Repairs Allowance the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister introduced in 2001–02 specifically for the improvement of local authority stock alongside the Decent Homes standard which sets out minimum standards to be met by 2010. Wirral's allocations in the period 1997 to 2003–04 have risen by over 140 per cent. In addition to this welcome increase there is support through the Community Housing Task Force and Government Office for the North West to help the local authority and its tenants to choose the best strategy for long term improvement.

  Matthew Green
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list those respondents to the consultation paper on licensing houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) who(a) supported and (b) opposed the proposal to introduce a duty of care on the owners and managers of all HMOs to ensure the health and safety of their tenants. [166201]

  Keith Hill
  A total of 579 responses were received on the 1999 consultation paper on Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation in England. 363 of them expressed no views on the proposal to introduce a duty of care on the owners and managers of HMOs.

  The five who were opposed to the proposal were:

  Mr. D Ugustod

  South London Family Housing Association

  Mr. G Clements

  Leeds Property Association

  An anonymous respondent

  The 211 respondents in favour of the proposal were:

  National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting (NICEIC)

  Mr. Trevor Alan Murphy

  Leicestershire Fire Brigade

  Society of Mary and Martha

  Mr. Tom W M Turner

  Oxford Fire Service

  Middlesbrough borough council

  University of Newcastle

  Torbay borough council

  Mr. John Stather

  Wigan metropolitan borough council

  Mr. Duncan McCargo

  Yorkshire Coast Residential Landlords Association

  Warrington borough council

  Cornwall county council

  Landlord's Association for Wessex

  Cheshire Fire Brigade

  Leicester city council

  South Ribble borough council

  Mr. David Patey

  494W

  Kingston-upon-Hull district council

  The London borough of Croydon

  University of Sheffield Union of Students

  Preston borough council

  Havant borough council

  Reigate and Bansted borough council

  Hertfordshire county council

  The Institute of Legal Executives

  The UK Association of Letting Agents Ltd. (UKALA)

  Greater Yarmouth Tourist Authority

  Great Yarmouth Residents Association

  Lancaster city council

  London borough of Newham

  Association of Housing Advisory Services

  Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

  The Institute of Building Control

  Tonbridge and Mailing borough council

  Nottingham Landlords Liaison Panel to Nottingham city council

  The NHS Confederation

  Redcar and Cleveland borough council

  Humberside Fire Brigade

  Guildford borough council

  Bedfordshire and Luton Fire and Rescue Service

  Slough borough council

  City of Salford Housing Services

  Cumbria Fire Service

  Ipswich borough council

  Exeter city council

  Blyth Valley council

  Winchester city council

  Royal Berkshire Fire Authority

  South West Landlords Association

  Metropolitan borough of Wirral

  Nottingham city council

  Cannock Chase district council

  Selby district council

  South Headingley Community Association

  Lancashire Combined Fire Authority

  The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors

  Torridge district council

  London Fire Brigade

  Teignbridge district council

  Wyre Forest district council

  Stafford borough council

  The borough of Basingstoke and Deane

  Hartlepool borough council

  London Private Tenants Workers

  West Yorkshire Fire and Civil Defence Authority

  Portsmouth city council

  Southampton city council

  Cherwell district council

  Metropolitan borough of Bury

  Gloucester city council

  Hereford and Worcester Combined Fire Authority

  Maidstone borough council

  Woking borough council

  Wansbeck district council

  Norfolk County Council Fire Service

  Greater Manchester County Fire Service

  St. Helens metropolitan borough council

  Borough of Spelthorne

  Somerset Fire Brigade

  495W

  Stroud district council

  City of Sunderland Health and Housing Services

  Royal borough of Kingston upon Thames

  Stoke-on-Trent city council

  Surrey Heath borough council

  Newcastle-under-Lyme borough council

  The Energy Conservation and Solar center

  Association of Tenancy Regulations Officers

  Taunton Deane borough council

  South Hams district council

  Professional Briefings

  Ellesmere Port and Neston borough council

  The Fire Brigades Union

  Sedgemoor district council

  Henstead Road and Canton Street Residents Association

  Rushmoor borough council

  East Hampshire district council

  Stockton-on-Tees borough council

  Lewisham Organisation of Private Tenants

  Brent Private Tenants Rights Group

  Essex County Fire and Rescue Service

  Field Studies Council

  Bradford metropolitan borough council

  Tyne and Wear Metropolitan Fire Brigade

  Brentwood borough council

  City of Durham

  Swindon borough council

  Newcastle city council

  The Hull and District Landlords' Association

  Vale of White Horse

  Chester city council

  Chichester district council

  London borough of Hillingdon

  The Housing Corporation

  Bill Olner MP

  UNIPOL

  Thanet district council

  Northern Consortium of Housing Authorities

  The Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea

  Swale borough council

  North Hyde Park Neighbourhood Association

  British Property Federation

  Wandsworth borough council

  West Berkshire council

  City of York council

  Blackburn with Darwen borough council

  Sheffield city council

  The Committee of Vice Chancellors and Principals of Universities (CVCP)

  Yorkshire Region HMO Group

  Nottinghamshire C I E H Housing Working Group

  Doncaster metropolitan borough council

  Gloucestershire Directors of Environment Services Housing Technical Sub Group

  Brent borough council

  Dudley metropolitan borough council

  Oldham metropolitan borough council

  Welwyn Hatfield council

  Eastbourne borough council

  Hart district council

  Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service

  Barnsley metropolitan borough council

  Home Office Fire Policy Unit

  496W

  Northampton borough council

  Herefordshire council

  Allerdale borough council

  Borough of Hackney

  St. Edmundsbury borough council

  Shepway district council

  Rother district council

  Leeds city council

  Chartered Institute of Environmental Health

  The National Council for Housing and Planning (ROOM)

  Canterbury city council

  Gateshead metropolitan borough council

  Alan Simpson MP-Nottingham, South

  Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire county council

  London borough of Ealing

  Solihull metropolitan borough council

  Brewers and Licensed Retailers Association

  National HMO Network

  Chartered Institute of Housing

  Mr. N Burn

  Mr. J S McConnell

  Child Accident Prevention Trust

  Association of London Government

  London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham

  City of Plymouth

  East Lindsey district council

  Cardiff county council

  Powys county council

  Newport county borough council

  Greater Manchester Private Sector Housing Group

  Manchester city council

  Julia Drown MP

  Shelter

  North Somerset council

  North Hertfordshire district council

  Mrs Jean McAndrew

  Mr. Peter Brackley

  Sefton council

  London borough of Hounslow

  Bristol city council

  Reading borough council

  Trafford metropolitan borough council

  Greater Manchester House in Multiple Occupation Working Group

  Rochdale metropolitan borough council

  Hastings borough council

  Association for Student Residential Accommodation

  Cambridge city council

  Local Government Association

  The Association of Building Engineers

  Small Landlords Association

  Harold Best MP

  Lincoln city council

  Merthyr Tydfil county borough council

  Monmouthshire county council

  Isle of Anglesey county council

  Shelter Cymru

  Pembrokeshire county council

  Blaenau Gwent county borough

  National Union of Students Wales

  Rhondda Cynon Taff

  City and County of Swansea

  Conwy county borough council

  497W

  Denbighshire county council

  Gwynedd council

  North Wales Society of Directors of Public Protection

  The Treforest Community Joint Committee

  Residential Landlords Association

  Mr. Ben Prescott

  Mr. Hopkins
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to help local authorities to rehouse families on the housing waiting list. [166259]

  Yvette Cooper
  Local authorities are no longer required to hold 'housing waiting lists', and are now required to allocate housing following their published allocation scheme. In November 2002, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister issued a revised Code of Guidance on the Allocation of Accommodation; this encourages local authorities to provide housing applicants with a choice of accommodation in their allocation scheme.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister announced a major new affordable house building programme worth nearly £3.5 billion over this and next year, and we are allocating £260 million over 2003–04 to 2005–06 to tackle homelessness.

  Mr. Betts
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the(a) level of housing basic credit approvals (as included in HIP allocations), (b) volume of reserved capital receipts from Right to Buy, (c) volume of usable capital receipts from Right to Buy and (d) capital receipts used by local authorities for housing investment were for (i) each local authority with a housing revenue account and (ii) England for (A) 1990–91, (B) 2000–01, (C) 2001–02, (D) 2002–03 and (E) 2003–04. [166637]

  Keith Hill
  Information on(a) local authority capital allocations since 1990–91 is available in the Library of the House.

  The information requested at (b), (c) and (d), with the exception that no information is available yet for the year 2003–04, has been made available in the Library of the House.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Barnes
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax increase from 2003–04 to 2004–05 was in shire counties. [166265]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The average increase in the Band D council tax in shire county areas between 2003–04 and 2004–05 is 6.2 per cent. This contrasts with an increase of 13.8 per cent. in 2003–04.

  Planning/Regeneration
  Mike Gapes
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on planning and regeneration policy in areas of high population density. [166260]

  Keith Hill
  The needs of high density areas differ greatly depending on local circumstances. Regeneration strategies are best decided locally. Planning can play an important role in high-density areas helping to create well designed and planned sustainable communities.

PRIME MINISTER

  EU Constitution
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will make a statement in the House on a referendum on the EU constitution. [167220]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to my statement on Europe in the House on 20 April 2004,Official Report, columns 155–57.

  Libya
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Prime Minister (1) whether(a) he raised the issue of the sale and transportation of illegal arms to the Provisional IRA when he recently met with Colonel Gaddafi in Libya and (b) he was given a full inventory of the weapons and explosives which the Provisional IRA received; [166764]

  (2) whether discussions took place with Colonel Gaddafi regarding financial compensation to those injured by, and to the families of those murdered by, illegal weapons transported to the IRA by Libya; and if he will make a statement; [166765]

  (3) whether the issue of (a) arms supplies to the IRA by Libya and (b) compensation for victims of terrorism in Northern Ireland arising from arms shipments from Libya to the IRA was raised during his meeting with Colonel Gaddafi. [167396]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Antrim (David Burnside) on 1 April 2004,Official Report, column 1569W.

  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Prime Minister what details were given by Colonel Gaddafi and the Libyan Government regarding their involvement in the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher; and if he will make a statement. [166766]

  The Prime Minister
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for South Antrim (David Burnside) on 1 April 2004,Official Report, column 1569W.

  Following my visit, a Metropolitan Police team visited Tripoli between 3 and 6 April to take forward the investigation into the murder of WPC Yvonne Fletcher.

TREASURY

  Accountancy Services
  Norman Lamb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) which(a) chartered accountants and (b) chartered accountancy firms are banned from carrying out work for the Government; [166384]

  (2) which (a) chartered accountancy and (b) chartered accountant firms have had bans lifted since 1997; and what criteria are used to determine whether bans should be (i) imposed and (ii) lifted. [166385]

  Ruth Kelly
  No chartered accountants or firms of chartered accountants are currently formally banned from carrying out work for the Government. However, following the collapse of Barlow Clowes, the two
  499W
  partners of Deloitte and Touche (the auditors) who were censured by the Joint Disciplinary Scheme Committee of Enquiry (an integral part of the accountancy profession's regulatory regime) voluntarily agreed not to put themselves forward for Government work.

  The ban on the employment of Arthur Andersen for Government work was lifted in November 1997 for reasons explained on 14 November 1997, Official Report, column 695.

  There are no formal criteria for the imposition or lifting of a ban, and each case is viewed on its merits.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the(a) nature and (b) value was of all contracts, consultancies or other services placed with the accountancy firms (i) Deloitte & Touche, (ii) Ernst & Young, (iii) KPMG and (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000–01 by the Department and its agencies. [166097]

  Ruth Kelly
  The following information and tables provide the information required in the form in which the Chancellor's Departments and agencies have been able to compile it, without having to incur disproportionate costs.

  HM Treasury1

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte Touche

  0

  91,473

  144,628

  207,261

  Ernst & Young

  0

  0

  1,410

  0

  KPMG

  41,125

  0

  262,057

  5,006

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  462,251

  19,892

  203,837

  8,119

  1 Including DMO.

  Office of Government Commerce1

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte & Touche

  0

  0

  —

  —

  Ernst & Young

  0

  0

  —

  —

  KPMG

  261,000

  85,000

  —

  —

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1 Including OGC Buying Solutions.

  HM Customs & Excise

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte & Touche

  876,061

  38,748

  —

  —

  Ernst & Young

  253,153

  215,748

  —

  —

  KPMG

  214,190

  1,237,316

  —

  —

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  243,254

  111,356

  —

  —

  Inland Revenue

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte & Touche

  0

  2,115

  302,273

  48,472

  Ernst & Young/Cap Gemini1

  1,937,237

  1,673,971

  6,796

  70

  KPMG

  92,500

  0

  32,261

  83,279

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  141,101

  190,372

  109,680

  6,289

  1 Combined expenditure with Ernst Young/Cap Gemini-further breakdown only available at disproportionate cost.

  Inland Revenue (IR) has access to a range of services provided by the specified companies and their affiliated organisations. The expenditure detailed above for the specified companies was incurred primarily for management services.
  500W
  The Valuation Office—Executive Agency of the Inland Revenue

  During the relevant period, the IP's Valuation Office Agency (VOA) incurred expenditure only with KPMG (for business advice on the 2007 council tax revaluation) as follows:

  2002–03: £634,960

  2003–04: £1,034,925

  The Royal Mint1

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Andersen

  0

  0

  —

  —

  Deloitte & Touche

  0

  0

  —

  —

  Ernst & Young

  0

  0

  —

  —

  KPMG

  0

  0

  —

  —

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  137,000

  51,000

  —

  —

  1Including Audit Work.

  Office for National Statistics

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte & Touche

  699

  15

  —

  —

  Ernst & Young

  50

  0

  —

  —

  KPMG

  251,876

  191,296

  —

  —

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  2,198

  0

  —

  —

  National Savings

  Spend (£)

  2000–01

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04

  Deloitte & Touche

  570,000

  420,000

  —

  —

  Ernst & Young

  0

  0

  —

  —

  KPMG

  0

  0

  —

  —

  PriceWaterhouseCoopers

  43,000

  0

  —

  —

  Labour Statistics
  Peter Bradley
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many(a) men and (b) women are employed in The Wrekin; [166720]

  (2) how many (a) men and (b) women in The Wrekin are in (i) full and (ii) part-time employment. [166722]

  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Peter Bradley, dated 21 April 2004:
  The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about employment in the Wrekin Parliamentary Constituency. I am replying in his absence. (166720, 166722)
  The table below gives estimates of the number of men and women who are in full and part-time employment in the Wrekin Parliamentary Constituency in the twelve month period ending February 2002, the latest data for which information is available.

  Men and women who are in full and part-time employment in the Wrekin parliamentary constituency

  Men

  Women

  In employment

  22,000

  19,000

  Part-time

  1—

  10,000

  Full-time

  21,000

  9,000

  1 Sample size too small for reliable estimate.

  501W
  As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability.

  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) how many new(a) full-time and (b) part-time jobs were created between 1997 and 2003 in Liverpool, Walton; [166968]

  (2) how many jobs were lost in each year between 1997 and 2003 in Liverpool, Walton. [166969]

  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Peter Kilfoyle dated 21 April 2004:

  As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Questions about full-time and part-time jobs, and number of jobs lost in Liverpool, Walton. (166968, 166969)

  While no statistics of new jobs created or of jobs lost are available explicitly, statistics from surveys enable comparisons to be made of net changes, from year to year.

  The attached table shows the number of full-time and part-time employee jobs in Liverpool, Walton Parliamentary Constituency in each year from 1997 to 2002, the latest year for which information is available.

  Number of full-time and part-time jobs in Liverpool, Walton2; 1997–2002

  Number of jobs

  Full-time

  Part-time

  Total

  1997

  13,900

  9,900

  23,900

  1998

  15,400

  9,700

  25,100

  1999

  14,600

  8,400

  23,000

  2000

  17,400

  9,700

  27,000

  2001

  19,000

  11,800

  30,800

  2002

  21,600

  12,900

  34,500

  Net change 1997-2002

  + 7,700

  + 3,000

  + 10,700

  Notes:

  1 Employee jobs only, not self-employed jobs.

  2 Parliamentary constituency area.

  Source:

  1997; Annual Employment Survey, resealed 1998–2002; Annual Business Inquiry (ABI).

  National Minimum Wage
  Mr. Hepburn
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many young people aged 16 or 17 he expects will be entitled to the national minimum wage in(a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside (c) the North East and (d) the United Kingdom. [166815]

  Ruth Kelly
  The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Colin Mowl to Mr. Stephen Hepburn, dated 21 April 2004:
  The National Statistician has been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question about national minimum wage. I am replying in his absence. (166815)Information about entitlement to the national minimum wage is not available.
  However, estimates for the number of employees aged 16 and 17 from the Labour Force Survey (LFS) provide an upper limit for the number of people entitled to the national minimum wage.
  The table below gives estimates of the number of employees aged 16 and 17 in the United Kingdom and in the North East for the three month period ending November 2003. They include a
  502W
  small, but not measured, number of people with a contract of apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship schemes who are not entitled to the minimum wage.

  Number of employees aged 16 and 17 in the United Kingdom and the North East

  People aged 16 and 17

  People aged 16

  People aged 17

  United Kingdom

  631,000

  247,000

  384,000

  North East

  25,000

  1

  16,000

  1 Sample size too small for reliable estimate.

  As with any sample survey, estimates from the LFS are subject to sampling variability and the sample size is too small to provide comparable estimates for the Jarrow parliamentary constituency and the south Tyneside local authority with any reliability.

  Census Statistics
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer according to the 2001 Census return, which 10 constituencies had the highest proportion of non-white population; what those proportions were; what proportion of the population indicated English or similar in the ethnicity question in(a) England and (b) each constituency; what proportion of the population lives in a mobile home in (i) England and (ii) each constituency; and what proportion of the population travels to work by other means in (A) England and (B) each constituency. [162763]

  Mr. Boateng
  [holding answer 22 March 2004]The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.

  Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Andrew Turner, dated 21 April 2004:
  As National Statistician and Registrar General for England and Wales I have been asked to reply to your recent question asking which 10 constituencies had the highest proportion of non-white population according to the 2001 Census return; what those proportions were; what proportion of the population indicated English or similar in the ethnicity question in (a) England and (b) each constituency; what proportion of the population lives in a mobile home in (a) England and (b) each constituency; and what proportion of the population travel to work by other means in (a) England and (b) each constituency. (162763)
  The following ten Parliamentary Constituencies have the highest percentage of non-white ethnic groups in England and Wales. The percentages have been extracted from Table KS06 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 Report for Parliamentary Constituencies, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  Parliamentary constituencies with the highest percentage of population in non-white ethnic groups, England and Wales, 2001

  Percentage of population in non-white ethnic groups

  East Ham

  66.26

  Birmingham, Ladywood

  64.89

  Birmingham, Sparkbrook and Small Heath

  64.84

  Brent, South

  64.58

  West Ham

  60.20

  Brent, North

  58.18

  Ilford, South

  54.85

  Ealing, Southall

  52.69

  Camberwell and Peckham

  50.24

  Bethnal Green and Bow

  49.83

  Source:

  2001 Census Report for Parliamentary Constituencies.

  503W
  People could identify themselves as English in the 2001 Census by writing in such a response under one of the "other" categories on the ethnic group question. The number of people who identified themselves as English in this way in England was 1,064,922.

  People were asked to identify their accommodation type in the 2001 Census. The Census did not identify 'mobile homes' separately but the number of people who identified themselves as living in a 'caravan or other mobile or temporary structure' in England was 142,857. This count has been taken from Table T07 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 National Report for England and Wales, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  People were asked to identify the means of travel that they used for the longest part, by distance, of their usual journey to work. The particular means identified were:

  1. work mainly from home

  2. use the underground, metro, light rail or tram

  3. use trains

  4. use a bus, minibus or coach

  5. ride a motorcycle, scooter or moped

  6. drive a car or van

  7. are a passenger in a car or van

  8. use a taxi or minicab

  9. cycle

  10. walk.

  The number of people using a means of transport other than these 10 categories in England was 104,205. This count has been taken from Table SI21 on the CD supplement to the Census 2001 National Report for England and Wales part 2, which is available in the House of Commons Library.

  I have placed in the House of Commons Library three specially commissioned tables (CO168, CO169 and CO170), respectively showing:
  the number of people recording themselves as living in a 'caravan' or other mobile or temporary structure for each Parliamentary Constituency in England and Wales;
  the number of people who use a means of transport other than those listed above for the longest part of their journey to work, for each Parliamentary Constituency in England and Wales;
  the number of people who identified themselves as 'English' by writing in this response for each Parliamentary Constituency in England and Wales.
  Further customised output may be commissioned from ONS, where requirements are not met by the standard results, via the National Statistics website at: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/census2001/op15.asp

  Child Care
  Mrs. Brooke
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set for each local authority in England for the number of child care places which will be supported by the child care element in working tax credit for this current financial year. [166521]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government's aim is to ensure that every parent has access to good quality, affordable child care and to ensure that they are also aware of the availability of financial support for child care costs. The child care element of the working tax credit is available to low and moderate income working parents using eligible child care.

  Data on the number of families benefiting from the child care element are not currently available at the local authority level due to sample size constraints. Across the UK, over 300,000 working families with children are
  504W
  now benefiting from help with child care costs, 67 per cent. more than benefited under the working families' and disabled person's tax credits in November 2002.

  Mrs. Brooke
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what targets have been set centrally for the number of child care places that will be supported by the child care element of working tax credit in England and Wales for this current financial year. [166522]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Government have no targets for the number of beneficiaries of the child care element of the working tax credit. This help is available to low and moderate income working parents using eligible child care. Under the new tax credits, this help is benefiting over 300,000 families, 67 per cent. higher than the number who benefited under the working families' and disabled person's tax credits in November 2002.

  The Government have set targets to increase the supply of child care. The 2004 Spending Review settlement announced for the Department for Education and Skills as part of Budget 2004 will allow further expansion of child care in England. The Government's aim is to ensure that every parent has access to good quality, affordable child care; and to ensure that they are also aware of the availability of financial support for child care costs.

  Civil Servants
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list for each civil service grade within his(a) Department and (b) Department's executive agencies, the total number of staff employed, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnic group and (iii) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166388]

  Ruth Kelly
  Data on staffing levels in the Chancellor's Departments and their agencies are collected by the Cabinet Office and published in "Civil Service Statistics". A copy of "Civil Service Statistics, 2002" is available in the Library, and at www.civilservice.gov.uk/statistics. The 2003 edition will be published in summer 2004.

  Efficiency Gains
  Mr. Letwin
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what progress has been made in implementing efficiency gains since his Budget statement. [165019]

  Mr. Boateng
  I refer the right hon. Gentleman to my answer to him of 1 April 2004,Official Report, column 1677W.

  Gershon Review
  Mr. Rosindell
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with Sir Peter Gershon regarding the progress of his efficiency review. [165989]

  Mr. Boateng
  The Chancellor and Treasury officials have had regular discussions with Sir Peter Gershon regarding the progress of the efficiency review.

  Gift Aid
  John Barrett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) if he will estimate the amount of gift aid that has gone unclaimed in each year since 1997; [166668]

  (2) how much money was claimed in gift aid in each year since 1997. [166669]

  John Healey
  No estimate is available of the amount of extra Gift Aid that charities could have claimed since 1997.

  Amounts of tax repaid to charities on donations under Gift Aid are shown in the following table. Statistics on Gift Aid are published on the Inland Revenue website at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/charities/c_t031.htm.

  £ million

  Year

  Total

  By individuals

  By companies

  1996–97

  134

  68

  66

  1997–98

  177

  96

  81

  1998–991

  306

  110

  196

  1999–2000

  208

  128

  80

  2000–012

  222

  222

  4—

  2001–02

  415

  415

  4—

  2002–033

  506

  506

  4—

  1 Figures for company donations reflect a single exceptionally large donation in 1998–99

  2 Following the Budget of 2000 company donations are paid gross and do not involve tax repayments and hence are excluded.

  3 Provisional.

  4 Not available

  Identity Cards
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether the Treasury has undertaken a study to estimate the cost of any future ID card scheme; and if he will make a statement. [166781]

  Ruth Kelly
  The Treasury has been involved in discussions on the benefits and costs of a national ID cards scheme, co-ordinated by the Home Secretary. The introduction of such a scheme is a long-term undertaking, and the Treasury will continue to be involved with ongoing analysis.

  Mutual Organisations
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has conducted of the value derived by members of mutual organisations from the process of demutualisation. [166732]

  Ruth Kelly
  Mutuality is fundamentally about members' rights to say how their organisation is governed. These rights include the right to vote to demutualise the society. It is for members to consider whether demutualisation is in their interests, taking into account the seriousness and irrevocability of the decision.

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Buckmore Park Scout center
  Jonathan Shaw
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assistance is being 506W
  provided by Sport England to secure the re-opening of Buckmore Park Scout center in the constituency of Chatham and Aylesford. [166423]

  Mr. Caborn
  Since the closure of Buckmore Park Scout center, Sport England have been actively pursuing options for reopening the center with interested parties in the area.

  Communications Act
  Chris Bryant
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport (1) what sums have been agreed between the BBC and Ofcom in respect of the carrying out by Ofcom of its functions in relation to the BBC, under section 198 (4) of the Communications Act 2003 for the financial year 2004–05; [166825]

  (2) what sums have been agreed between Ofcom and (a) the BBC and (b) the S4C Authority in respect of the carrying out by Ofcom of its functions in relation to the Authority under section 207(6) of the Communications Act 2003 for the financial year 2004–05. [166826]

  Estelle Morris
  The matter raised is the responsibility of the Office of Communications (Ofcom) as independent regulator. Accordingly, my officials have asked the Chief Executive of Ofcom to respond directly to my hon. Friend. Copies of the Chief Executive's letter will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

  Local Authority Sports/Cultural Facilities
  Mr. McWalter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what powers she has to prevent local authorities from closing down(a) cultural and (b) sports facilities. [166406]

  Mr. Caborn
  The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport does not have any powers to prevent local authorities from closing down cultural and sports facilities.

  However, the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 imposes a duty on local authorities that are library authorities to provide a "comprehensive and efficient" public library service, and the national library standards, published by the Secretary of State, help to inform this duty. The Secretary of State has various powers under this Act if a local authority defaults in its duties.

  The Government have also taken action to prevent the loss of playing fields by introducing the Town and Country Planning (Playing Fields) (England) Direction 1998. This provides the Deputy Prime Minister with powers to ensure that communities retain an adequate supply of playing fields to meet both their current and longer term needs. In addition, where development (as defined by the Planning Acts) is proposed on school playing fields covered by section 77 of the School Standards and Framework Act 1998, both planning permission from the local planning authority and consent from the Secretary of State for Education and Skills will be required.

  New Opportunities Fund
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from the New Opportunities Fund has been allocated to Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997. [166975]

  Estelle Morris
  The New Opportunities Fund began making grants in 1999. The awards to Liverpool, Walton are shown in the table.

  Financial Year

  Amount (£)

  1998–99

  —

  1999–2000

  13,751

  2000–01

  38,432

  2001–02

  774,705

  2002–03

  1,137,366

  2003–04

  274,644

  Total

  2,238,898

  The information is derived from the Department's Lottery award database, which uses information provided by the Lottery distributors.

  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money from the New Opportunities Fund was allocated to Manchester, Gorton in each year since 1997. [167344]

  Tessa Jowell
  The New Opportunities Fund began making grants in 1999. The awards to Manchester, Gorton are shown in the table.

  Financial Year

  Amount (£)

  1998–99

  —

  1999–2000

  —

  2000–01

  238,285

  2001–02

  5,000

  2002–03

  78,810

  2003–04

  192,057

  Total

  514,152

  The information is derived from the Department's Lottery award database, which uses information provided by the Lottery distributors.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Accountancy Services
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the (a) nature and (b) value was of all contracts, consultancies or other services placed with the accountancy firms (i) Deloitte & Touche, (ii) Ernst & Young, (iii) KPMG and (iv) PricewaterhouseCoopers since 2000–01 by the Department and its agencies. [166098]

  Mr. Stephen Twigg
  My Department does not hold a central record of the nature of individual agreements (be they contracts, consultancies or other services) nor of their value. However, our financial records show the following total payments made by the Department to(a) Deloitte and Touche, (b) Ernst and Young, (c) KPMG and (d) PricewaterhouseCoopers in financial years 2001–02, 2002–03 and 2003–04 to date (i.e. excluding any subsequent prior year adjustments).
  508W

  £

  Organisation

  2001–02

  2002–03

  2003–04 To date

  Deloitte and Touche

  275,594

  201,670

  249,007

  Ernst and Young

  0

  38,449

  0

  KPMG

  396,353

  1,014,559

  1,870,513

  PricewaterhouseCoopers

  5,349,686

  3.847,542

  3,803,767

  Information about spend by the Department's Non Departmental Public Bodies could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

  Adult Education (Birkenhead)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Birkenhead in each of the last five years. [166297]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The estimated total spend on Skills For Life (the Government's strategy for literacy, language and numeracy needs of all post-16 learners from pre-entry level up to and including level 2) and on Key Skills (essential skills of communication, application of number and information technology), from April 2001 to July 2003, in the Greater Merseyside Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area is set out in the table below:

  (£000)

  April 2001 to July 20011

  August 2001 to July 2002

  August 2002 to July 2003

  Basic skills

  Key skills

  Basic skills

  Key skills

  Basic skills

  Key skills

  3,803

  1,094

  6,575

  1,564

  10,677

  1,755

  1 The figures for April to July 2001 include costs incurred from August 2000 on learning aims continuing into April 2001.

  From the information available to the LSC it has not been feasible to obtain estimates at constituency level or separate figures by subject without incurring disproportionate cost. Likewise it has not been feasible to obtain comparable figures for periods before April 2001 when the Skills for Life strategy was launched and the LSC was form but information shows it was considerably less than at present.

  Advanced Vocational Certificate
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the future of the advanced vocational certificate of education. [165862]

  Mr. Miliband
  The specifications for the Advanced Vocational Certificate of Education are currently being revised in order that, from September 2005, they will follow the same A S/A2 format as the GCE. Their longer-term future is being considered by the Working Group on 14-19 RAorm, whose final report is due in the autumn.

  Apprenticeships (Birkenhead)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many residents of Birkenhead have undertaken apprenticeships in each of the last five years. [166335]
  509W
  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The information requested is not available at parliamentary constituency level. Nor is the information available for a consistent geographical area over the last five years. However, the following table shows the number of starts on apprenticeships (formerly known as Advanced Modern Apprenticeships) and apprenticeships at level two (formerly known as

  Time period

  TEC/LSC

  Apprenticeships

  Apprenticeships at level 2

  April 1998 to March 1999

  CEWTEC1

  1,400

  300

  Merseyside

  2,400

  1,200

  St. Helens CCTE

  300

  100

  North and Mid Cheshire1

  1,200

  200

  April 1999 to March 2000

  CEWTEC1

  1,000

  900

  Merseyside

  2,600

  3,500

  St. Helens CCTE

  300

  400

  North and Mid Cheshire1

  900

  500

  April 2000 to March 2001

  CEWTEC1

  1,100

  1,300

  Merseyside

  2,500

  4,100

  St. Helens CCTE

  300

  500

  North and Mid Cheshire1

  1000

  900

  April 2001 to July 2002

  Greater Merseyside LSC

  2,600

  7,100

  March 2001 to July 2002

  Greater Merseyside LSC

  2,000

  6,000

  Notes:

  1TEC also became part of Cheshire and Warrington LSC Source:

  TEC management information.

  LSC Individualised Learner Record.

  Computer Provision (Birkenhead)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people in Birkenhead have received a computer to assist in seeking employment or retraining. [166332]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  At present no centrally funded DFES schemes exist which enable people to acquire free or low price recycled computers.

  School Budgets (Devon)
  Mr. Swire
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school budgets in Devon Local Education Authority were in deficit in each of the last seven years. [164787]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is not available for the last seven years. However, the number of schools in budget deficit for the last four years is shown in the following table:

  Numbers of Devon schools with a deficit budget in each of the last four years

  Number of schools

  1999-2000

  71

  2000-2001

  48

  2001-2002

  33

  2002–2003

  27

  Notes:

  1. The data are as reported by Devon LEA as at 30 March 2004 and taken from their section 52 outturn statements submitted to the DfES.

  2. 2002–03 data are subject to changes by the LEA which may alter the results for that period.

  3. For 1999–00 to 2001–02 the data are taken from the Balance Carried Forward column. In 2002–03 data come from Other Revenue Balance.
  510W
  Foundation Modern Apprenticeships) in Greater Merseyside Learning and Skills Council (LSC) area between April 2001 and the end of July 2003, as well as the number of starts from April 98 to March 2001 in the four TECs that amalgamated to become Greater Merseyside LSC.

  Section 52 data are available from 1999–00. Prior to then the ODPM's R01 statement provides information but not at school level.

  School Budgets (North Tyneside)
  Mr. Alan Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school budgets in North Tyneside local education authority were in deficit in each of the last 10 years. [164363]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is not available for the last 10 years. However, the number of schools in budget deficit in North Tyneside LEA for the last four years is shown in the following table:

  Numbers of North Tyneside schools with a deficit budget in each of the last four years

  Number of schools

  1999–2000

  21

  2000–01

  20

  2001–02

  18

  2002–03

  32

  Notes:

  1. The data are as reported by North Tyneside LEA as at 29 March 2004 and taken from their 2002–03 section 52 outturn statement submitted to the DfES.

  2. The 2002–03 data is subject to changes by the LEA which may alter the results for that period.

  3. For 1999–00 to 2001–02 the data are taken from the Balance Carried Forward column. In 2002–03 data comes from Other Revenue Balance column.

  4. Section 52 data is available from 1999–00. Prior to then the ODPM's RO1 statement provides information but not at school level.

  School Transport (North Tyneside)
  Mr. Alan Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of home to school transport in North Tyneside local education authority was in each of the last five years. [164364]

  Mr. Miliband
  The information requested is contained within the following table:

  Cost of home to school transport in each of the last five years

  (£000)

  1997–1998

  950

  1998–1999

  985

  1999–2000

  1045

  2000-2001

  1125

  2001-2002

  1246

  Notes:

  The financial data are taken from North Tyneside LEA's Section 52 Outturn Statement submitted to the DfES from 1999–2000 onwards and the ODPM's RO1 statement prior to then.

  Figures are in £000s.

  Total transport expenditure and parental contributions includes that incurred in relation to pre-primary, primary, secondary and special school education as well as in education out of school, continuing education and the management and support elements.

  Europass Scheme
  Ms Stuart
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2004,Official Report, column 1395W, on the Europass Scheme, what steps will be taken to participate in the Europass initiative; and what the timescale is for each stage of the process. [165845]

  Alan Johnson
  The UK is already participating fully in the current implementation of Europass Training, set up under Council Decision 1999/51/EC of 21 December 1998 on the promotion of European pathways in work-linked training, including apprenticeship.

  If the current proposals for the new Europass Programme are adopted by co-decision of the European Parliament and Council of Ministers this year, it is expected that the initiative will begin on 1 January 2005. We will appoint a National Europass center to coordinate Europass activities within the UK. We expect the National center to be in place for the start of the Programme.

  Free Pre-school Places
  Mr. Hoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) free nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four year olds in Chorley in each of the last seven years. [161596]

  Margaret Hodge
  The information is not available in the form requested.

  Figures on the number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year olds in Lancashire local education authority area are shown in the table.
  512W

  Number of free nursery education places1 2 taken up by three and four year old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers Lancashire Local Education Authority area1997–2003

  Position in January each year

  year

  3 year olds

  4 year olds

  1997

  4,400

  13,500

  1999

  4,400

  16,000

  2000

  4,300

  15,900

  2001

  9,400

  15,700

  2002

  9,400

  13,000

  2003

  10,100

  12,600

  1 Part-time equivalent number of free nursery education places taken up by three and four year old children.

  2 A free nursery education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for thirty-three weeks of the year, usually three terms of eleven weeks.

  The latest figures on provision for three and four year olds in England were published in a Statistical Bulletin `Provision for children under five years of age in England—January which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

  Since 1 April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all three year olds in England whose parents want one, will have access to a free, part-time early education place.

  ICT Training (Birkenhead)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many women in Birkenhead have visited an information and communications technology training center in order to learn skills to return to work. [166331]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  Birkenhead is served by both UK online centers and learndirect provisions.

  An estimated 226 women use UK online centers in Birkenhead each quarter. This information is calculated from UK online quarterly management information (quarter ending Dec 03) which shows that, on average, each UK online center has 101 users and that 56 per cent. of UK online users are female.

  To date, 493 women living in Birkenhead (postal districts CH41 and 42) have visited a learndirect center.

  Modern Apprenticeships Task Force
  Phil Sawford
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to receive a report from the Modern Apprenticeships Task Force. [166202]

  Mr. Ivan Lewis
  The Secretary of State and I are kept regularly informed of progress in the work of the Task Force. However, Sir Roy Gardner the chair of the Task Force intends to submit the group's Interim Report in Autumn 2004. The report will be sent, in the first instance, to the Task Force joint sponsors: the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills and the Chair of the Learning and Skills Council,
  513W
  and published shortly afterwards. In the meantime information on the work of the group is available on the Task Force's website www.employersforapprentices. goy. uk.

  Teachers (North Somerset)
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the pupil to teacher ratio was for the North Somerset Local Education Authority for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each year since 1997. [165604]

  Mr. Miliband
  The data requested are shown in the following table.

  Maintained Primary and Secondary Schools1: Pupil: Teacher Ratios2North Somerset Local Education Authority

  Position at January each year: 1997 to 2003

  Pupil Teacher ratios2

  Primary schools

  Secondary schools

  1997

  23.8

  16.0

  1908

  24.2

  17.1

  1999

  24.4

  17.0

  2000

  24.2

  17.3

  2001

  24.0

  17.6

  2002

  23.7

  17.2

  2003

  23.9

  17.2

  Notes:

  1 Includes middle schools as deemed.

  2 The pupil: teacher ratio within schools is the ratio of all pupils on the schools registers (counting each part-time pupil as 0.5) to all qualified teachers (including the full-time equivalent of part-time teachers).

  Source:

  Annual Schools' Census.

  Recruitment
  Matthew Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of recruitment of civil servants for the Department was in each financial year since 1996-97, broken down by (a) delegated or contracted out recruitment procedures and (b) recruitment procedures carried out by the Department. [158189]

  Mr. Charles Clarke
  The Department was established in June 2001. Information is available for the first full financial year of 2002/03. The figures below include Senior Civil Service recruitment.

  (£000)

  year

  Cost of delegated or contracted out recruitment

  Cost of recruitment procedures carried out by the Department

  2002/03

  916,602.71

  76,046.52

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2003

  City of London

  Teachers

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  20

  Teaching assistants

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  10

  Camden

  Teachers

  1,500

  1,480

  1,440

  1,340

  1,430

  1,570

  1,450

  Teaching assistants

  200

  240

  250

  300

  360

  440

  470

  Targeted Capital Funds
  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much in targeted capital funds for schools was allocated to each English region in the last year for which figures are available. [165870]

  Mr. Miliband
  The following table shows the value of new projects to be supported from the Targeted Capital Fund in 2004–05 for each Government Office Region.

  Government Office Region

  Targeted Capital Funding for 2004–05

  East Office Region

  24,772,307

  East of England

  28,046,121

  London

  50,260,995

  North East

  5,888,356

  North West

  30,824,502

  South East

  26,452,007

  South West

  43,143,376

  West Midlands

  21,994,219

  Yorkshire and The Humber

  28,223,284

  Mr. Brady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much in targeted capital funds was given to(a) faith schools, (b) non-faith schools, (c) faith schools with a comprehensive intake, (d) non-faith schools with a comprehensive intake, (e) Church of England schools, (f) Roman Catholic schools, (g) grammar schools and (h) Roman Catholic grammar schools in the last year for which figures are available. [165871]

  Alan Johnson
  We do not hold information in the form requested. Targeted Capital Fund(TCF) projects sometimes cover more than one school and we do not ask bids to break down costs for each school. Both local education authority (LEA) and Voluntary Aided (VA) bids can contain a mixture of schools with or without a religious character and with different admission policies. It is therefore not possible to break down allocations between the various categories requested.

  For the 2004–05 round of TCF we have supported 68 LEA projects totalling £186 million at 61 LEAs, and £74 million of support for 23 VA projects at 21 LEAs.

  Teachers (Greater London)
  Simon Hughes
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants there were in each local education authority in Greater London in each of the last seven years. [165839]

  Mr. Miliband
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: The following table gives the numbers of full time equivalent regular teachers and teaching assistants employed in maintained schools in the Greater London area broken down by local education authority for each year between 1997 and 2003.
  515W

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2003

  Greenwich

  Teachers

  2,070

  2,010

  2,030

  2,040

  2,030

  2,080

  2,140

  Teaching assistants

  360

  400

  430

  510

  650

  650

  730

  Hackney

  Teachers

  1,450

  1,490

  1,520

  1,510

  1,480

  1,470

  1,600

  Teaching assistants

  210

  250

  290

  380

  420

  490

  530

  Hammersmith and Fulham

  Teachers

  930

  920

  930

  1,000

  1,000

  1,010

  1,060

  Teaching assistants

  190

  200

  210

  250

  240

  260

  300

  Islington

  Teachers

  1,420

  1,410

  1,330

  1,350

  1,300

  1,460

  1,380

  Teaching assistants

  250

  250

  270

  350

  360

  350

  480

  Kensington and Chelsea

  Teachers

  680

  670

  680

  650

  660

  670

  720

  Teaching assistants

  130

  140

  140

  170

  210

  220

  260

  Lambeth

  Teachers

  1,710

  1,700

  1,660

  1,620

  1,580

  1,670

  1,620

  Teaching assistants

  300

  350

  390

  500

  560

  580

  640

  Lewisham

  Teachers

  1,870

  1,870

  1,810

  1,890

  1,980

  2,070

  2,040

  Teaching assistants

  280

  290

  320

  410

  570

  470

  560

  Southwark

  Teachers

  1,750

  1,800

  1,850

  1,840

  1,960

  2,060

  2,090

  Teaching assistants

  350

  420

  430

  650

  810

  750

  710

  Tower Hamlets

  Teachers

  2,270

  2,170

  2,310

  2,250

  2,180

  2,220

  2,310

  Teaching assistants

  370

  400

  450

  510

  800

  970

  950

  Wandsworth

  Teachers

  1,690

  1,680

  1,700

  1,680

  1,730

  1,770

  1,750

  Teaching assistants

  330

  370

  370

  460

  470

  380

  530

  Westminster

  Teachers

  1,140

  1,160

  1,160

  1,190

  1,250

  1,300

  1,320

  Teaching assistants

  150

  170

  160

  190

  190

  310

  280

  Barking and Dagenham

  Teachers

  1,450

  1,420

  1,450

  1,470

  1,480

  1,510

  1,570

  Teaching assistants

  300

  290

  310

  320

  400

  500

  510

  Barnet

  Teachers

  2,770

  2,730

  2,720

  2,710

  2,740

  2,820

  2,850

  Teaching assistants

  290

  340

  400

  480

  550

  740

  720

  Bexley

  Teachers

  1,860

  1,870

  1,940

  1,920

  2,030

  2,160

  2,090

  Teaching assistants

  200

  230

  280

  310

  380

  320

  560

  Brent

  Teachers

  2,160

  2,190

  2,160

  2,100

  2,110

  2,160

  2,380

  Teaching assistants

  260

  300

  360

  390

  440

  450

  470

  Bromley

  Teachers

  2,270

  2,330

  2,340

  2,340

  2,540

  2,640

  2,590

  Teaching assistants

  210

  230

  230

  270

  360

  440

  500

  Croydon

  Teachers

  2,620

  2,640

  2,590

  2,880

  2,820

  2,860

  2,880

  Teaching assistants

  400

  410

  510

  530

  660

  630

  870

  Ealing

  Teachers

  2,230

  2,220

  2,250

  2,240

  2,220

  2,320

  2,310

  Teaching assistants

  340

  360

  370

  400

  510

  450

  530

  Enfield

  Teachers

  2,550

  2,610

  2,650

  2,740

  2,670

  2,670

  2,820

  Teaching assistants

  250

  290

  290

  500

  590

  810

  880

  516W 517W

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2003

  Haringey

  Teachers

  1,870

  1,830

  1,860

  1,850

  1,850

  1,890

  1,910

  Teaching assistants

  350

  360

  380

  420

  490

  650

  680

  Harrow

  Teachers

  1,580

  1,500

  1,490

  1,380

  1,490

  1,500

  1,550

  Teaching assistants

  270

  270

  290

  300

  300

  330

  430

  Havering

  Teachers

  1,870

  1,870

  1,900

  1,890

  1,950

  2,040

  2,060

  Teaching assistants

  170

  170

  200

  260

  300

  310

  520

  Hillingdon

  Teachers

  2,000

  2,030

  2,030

  2,130

  2,180

  2,230

  2,230

  Teaching assistants

  300

  340

  380

  420

  510

  520

  590

  Hounslow

  Teachers

  2,000

  1,940

  1,980

  1,950

  2,020

  2,010

  2,010

  Teaching assistants

  280

  280

  290

  330

  380

  400

  400

  Kingston upon Thames

  Teachers

  1,060

  1,050

  1,040

  1,060

  1,070

  1,070

  1,170

  Teaching assistants

  130

  130

  150

  170

  220

  220

  250

  Merton

  Teachers

  1,210

  1,170

  1,190

  1,150

  1,210

  1,210

  1,240

  Teaching assistants

  190

  200

  220

  240

  290

  250

  300

  Newham

  Teachers

  2,190

  2,200

  2,290

  2,350

  2,420

  2,520

  2,570

  Teaching assistants

  280

  280

  390

  500

  960

  720

  1,070

  Redbridge

  Teachers

  2,100

  2,130

  2,180

  2,200

  2,370

  2,380

  2,470

  Teaching assistants

  190

  230

  270

  370

  450

  580

  620

  Richmond upon Thames

  Teachers

  1,070

  1,070

  1,060

  1,030

  1,040

  1,090

  1,100

  Teaching assistants

  100

  110

  110

  130

  160

  210

  220

  Sutton

  Teachers

  1,390

  1,420

  1,450

  1,480

  1,530

  1,590

  1,710

  Teaching assistants

  160

  170

  210

  230

  260

  340

  310

  Waltham Forest

  Teachers

  2,010

  2,080

  2,090

  2,060

  1,940

  2,020

  1,940

  Teaching assistants

  380

  400

  410

  470

  490

  610

  640

  Greater London

  Teachers

  56,800

  56,700

  57,100

  57,300

  58,300

  60,100

  60,900

  Teaching assistants

  8,160

  8,870

  9,790

  11,740

  14,330

  15,340

  17,510

  Source:

  Annual School Census (teaching assistants) and the Annual Survey of Teachers in Service and Teacher Vacancies.

  Vocational A-levels
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on Ofsted's Report on Vocational A Levels: the first two years. [165861]

  Mr. Miliband
  My Department and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority are considering the OFSTED report on vocational A levels. Vocational A levels are already being redeveloped so that from 2005 they will have the same AS/A2 structure as the GCE. We shall continue to make improvements to ensure that vocational A levels provide the test possible learning experience for students.

DEFENCE

  Army Medal Office
  Mr. Luff
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the future of the Army Medal Office in Droitwich Spa. [165592]

  Mr. Caplin
  I refer the hon. Member to the written statement I made to the House on 20 April 2004,Official Report, column 11WS.

  Army Recruitment
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a list of the traditional
  519W
  geographic areas of recruitment to the different Army regiments; and what the estimated population of each such recruitment area is. [166027]

  Mr. Caplin
  Yes. I will place in the Library the list requested and expect to do so by the end of this month.

  Climate Change
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the potential links between climate change and national security are considered when defence procurement decisions are taken; and if he will make a statement. [165287]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Ministry of Defence is in the process of reviewing the implications of climate change for defence procurement policies and several case studies of major procurement projects are being considered.

  Falkland Islands
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Royal Navy vessels were present in the waters surrounding the Falkland Islands when the Almirante Irizar sailed through (a) the Falklands outer conservation zone and (b) Falklands interim conservation zone. [165597]

  Mr. Ingram
  HMS Glasgow, RFA Gold Rover and FIMS Leeds Castle were present in the water surrounding the Falkland Islands when the Almirante Irizar sailed through the Falkland Islands Outer Conservation Zone and the Falkland Islands Interim Conservation Zone.

  Home Front Recall Scheme
  Mr. Gerald Howarth
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of the money earmarked for the Home Front Recall Scheme he intends to retain for major national projects and services; and if he will list the national projects and services which will benefit from the retained funds. [166697]

  Estelle Morris
  I have been asked to reply.

  Home Front Recall is part of a special lottery programme called Veterans Reunited. It is funded by three National Lottery Distributors—the New Opportunities Fund, the Community Fund, and the Heritage Lottery Fund—and it will be a matter for them to decide how best to use the funding and make decisions on which projects to approve.

  There will be funding for both local and national projects within the Home Front Recall scheme, but there is no fixed allocation for each type of project. The scheme was launched in April 2004 and so, at this point, no decisions have been made on either local or national grant applications. The total budget available across the UK is £7.3 million.

  Iraq
  Adam Price
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps have been taken to(a) post warnings on and (b) seal tanks and armoured personnel carriers destroyed by depleted uranium weapons in southern Iraq. [153874]
  520W
  Mr. Ingram
  I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 12 January 2004, Official Report, column 537W to my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith).

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the total cost to his Department of military operations in Iraq since September 2002. [166416]

  Mr. Ingram
  Information on the cost of operations in Iraq in 2002–03 was published as part of the Ministry of Defence's Annual Report and Accounts (page 135). Total operating and capital expenditure during this period amounted to –847 million. It is too early to give a definitive figure for costs in 2003–04, but total funding voted at Spring Supplementary Estimates for operations in Iraq amounted to £1.5 billion.

  Riot Control Equipment
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British forces in (a) Iraq and (b) Kosovo are fully equipped with essential riot control equipment. [164958]

  Mr. Ingram
  British forces in both Iraq and Kosovo are fully equipped to undertake those Crowd and Riot Control (CRC) duties assigned to them.

  US/UK Mutual Defence Agreement
  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a record is kept of how many days have been expended by AWE staff under the 1958 Mutual Defence Agreement. [166586]

  Mr. Ingram
  No.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

  Debt Recovery
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many(a) attachment of earnings, (b) charging orders, (c) third party debt orders, (d) judgment summons and (e) warrants of execution were issued in each year since 1997; what the total debt was that each enforcement method was to recover; and what the success rates in terms of debt recovery were for each enforcement method. [166803]

  Mr. Leslie
  Figures relating to the first part of the question are provided in the following table. Information relating to the amount and success rates of the enforcement methods is not available centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

  Attachment of earning orders

  Charging orders

  Third party debt orders

  Judgement summons issued

  Warrants of execution issued

  1997

  65,669

  11,602

  4,048

  5,234

  622,408

  1998

  43,440

  10,852

  3,646

  5,688

  543,848

  1999

  34,399

  9,820

  3,357

  5,709

  538,337

  2000

  35,545

  10,636

  3,174

  5,687

  470,270

  2001

  42,011

  15,900

  4,139

  3,640

  394,611

  2002

  39,855

  21,447

  5,499

  139

  372,505

  2003

  40,384

  25,054

  6,019

  116

  355,476

  521W
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs (1) in how many county court judgments liability orders have been made for the payment of council tax by an enforcement agent where no levy is made in each year since 1997; [166808]

  (2) in how many county court judgments liability orders for levying distress have been made for the payment of council tax where the sum is £100 or less in each year since 1997; [166809]

  (3) in how many county court judgments walking possession orders have been made for the payment of council tax in each year since 1997. [166810]

  Mr. Leslie
  Non-payment of council tax is dealt with in each local authority area by the magistrates courts and not the county courts. The information requested and level of detail is not held centrally, and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  Abandoned Vehicles
  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of Operation Scrap It in (a) London and (b) Liverpool. [166686]

  Ms Blears
  Operation Scrap It aims to ensure that all vehicles confirmed as untaxed or abandoned will be removed within 72 hours of reporting by October this year. The authorities concerned are putting systems in place to deliver this and I am confident that the target will be met.

  To remove any excuse for dumping cars, I launched a free take back service across London on 8 March.

  "Reducing Crime—Changing Lives"
  Mr. Gerrard
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a 12 week consultation period took place before the publication of the document Reducing Crime—Changing Lives, in line with the Cabinet Office code of practice on written consultations. [160897]

  Paul Goggins
  The Government published its proposals for the reform of correctional services in its paper Reducing Crime—Changes Lives. In that paper the Home Secretary set out the initial views of the Government to Patrick Carter's Report and sought the views of stakeholders on a number of issues.

  The reform of correctional services and the creation of the National Offender Management Service is a significant undertaking. There is no suggestion that the entire reform will be carried out after a single consultation exercise of 12 weeks or otherwise. The questions for stakeholders posed in Reducing Crimes—Changing Lives represents a beginning of the consultation process. I have already undertaken to ensure that consultation is ongoing with staff and stakeholders over the period of up to five years we expect full roll out of the new service will take.

  Antisocial Behaviour
  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the new guidelines on anti-social behaviour issued to magistrates. [166675]

  Ms Blears
  The Magistrates Association Sentencing Guidelines, effective from 1 January 2004, dealt specifically with the offence of 'Breach of Anti-Social Behaviour Order' for the first time. The Guidance stated that the starting point should be a custodial sentence and offered a number of aggravating features, such as the recent date of the order breached, the continuation of the pattern of behaviour which the order sought to prohibit, and the use of violence and threats of intimidation.

  As the guidelines were only introduced on 1 January, it is too early to assess the effectiveness of this work, and at this stage too early for anecdotal comment.

  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the Trailblazer nuisance neighbour projects in(a) Birmingham, (b) Manchester, (c) Sheffield and (d) Sunderland. [166680]

  Ms Blears
  The Government's National Action Plan, 'TOGETHER, Tackling Anti-Social Behaviour' launched last October announced that we will establish `trailblazers' in Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Sunderland to develop excellence in tackling nuisance families. This will ensure that in these areas nuisance neighbours are not left without an effective intervention and, where necessary, a sanction.

  Each of the trailblazer areas have estimated a minimum, number of such households that will be targeted for action by March 2005, and each of them are well placed to meet and probably exceed those estimates. It is, however, early days, in terms of evaluating the success of this work. Surveys measuring the perception of antisocial behaviour by members of the public in those trailblazer areas are currently underway and will provide on-going comparisons with the national picture. Specific learning from the approaches being pursed by the nuisance neighbour trailblazers, and indeed from the national neighbour nuisance neighbour panel, will be disseminated via our TOGETHER Academy, TOGETHER ActionLine and TOGETHER website (training, telephone advice, and practical information for front line agencies on tackling antisocial behaviour.

  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action he intends to take against those areas that have not taken up anti-social behaviour orders. [166685]

  Ms Blears
  Anti-social behaviour orders are not the only tool available to tackle anti-social behaviour. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act provides a wide range of tools to tackle antisocial behaviour. All areas should take swift action to deal with antisocial behaviour and other available interventions should also be considered such as injunctions, Acceptable Behaviour Contracts and other tenancy related interventions.
  523W
  The TOGETHER campaign will ensure that agencies on the ground are using the measures that are already in place, and those new measures introduced by the Act as effectively as possible. The campaign will help improve the response to tackling antisocial behaviour by placing the focus within the heart of our communities and providing them with the opportunity to work together and the tools to take action to tackle antisocial behaviour. The TOGETHER Academy, ActionLine and website all provide advice and information to encourage and enable local practitioners to take action against antisocial behaviour.

  Bank Automated Clearing System
  Brian White
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress his Department has made to manage the changeover from the Bank Automated Clearing System to the new BACSTEL-IP system for electronic payments. [164313]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The Bank Automated Clearing System (BACS) is an automated payments service provided by BACS Ltd. This provides the standard route for electronic funds transmission used across the UK. BACSTEL-IP is the platform for the future of automated payments. It is based on internet protocols and uses the latest Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technologies for heightened levels of security.

  Home Office met with Bottomline Technologies, our supplier, and Sirius, our IT partner, in November 2003 to discuss the implementation of the new BACSTEL-IP system. The meeting concluded that as the last date for switching to BACSTEL-IP is December 2005, the partnership should firstly concentrate on the migration from BASS, the current Home Office accounting system, to the new system, Ade1phi, using the existing BACSTEL system. A further meeting will take place between all parties in the autumn of 2004 to discuss the switch to the new BACSTEL-IP system planned for the early part of 2005.

  Class A Drugs
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions a Merseyside senior police officer has issued a closure notice on premises they had reason to believe were being used for the production, supply or use of Class A drugs and causing serious nuisance or disturbance in the last four months. [165914]

  Ms Blears
  As of 14 April 2003 the new power to close premises as contained in section 1(11) of the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 had been used once in the Merseyside Police Force area. As this power was enacted on the 20 January this year, more closures can be expected in the near future in line with operational needs.

  The closure notice was issued by a senior police officer in the St. Helens and Wigan Basic Command Unit against a premises with a history of being subject to police action on suspicion of the supply of class A drugs and of great concern to the local community. The case is ongoing.

  Departmental Officials
  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which former officials of the Department have asked for permission to join(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst and Young and (d) KPMG. [156910]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The figures showing applications submitted to join the following companies, so far as information is available in the form requested, are as follows:

  Company

  2001

  2002

  2003

  2004

  PricewaterhouseCoopers

  —

  —

  1

  —

  Deloitte & Touche

  1

  —

  —

  —

  Ernst and Youne

  2

  —

  —

  —

  KPMG

  —

  —

  —

  —

  - = no comprehensive figures available.

  Mr. Cousins
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what secondments(a) PricewaterhouseCoopers, (b) Deloitte & Touche, (c) Ernst & Young and (d) KPMG have made to his Department since 2001; for what (i) periods and (ii) tasks the secondments were made; whether secondments of staff from his Department have been made to those firms; and for what (A) periods and (B) tasks. [156924]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  Secondments are part of the Interchange initiative, which promotes the exchange of people and good practice between the Civil Service and other organizations—public, private and voluntary. Interchange provides opportunities for civil servants to learn new skills, widen their experience and develop ideas. It also brings in skills and experiences from other sectors.

  Secondments of less than three months duration are not recorded. Since 2001. there have been secondments for periods of over three months to the organisations in question as follows:
  PricewaterhouseCoopers: none.
  Deloitte & Touche: one inward secondment for the period September 2003-March 2004. The secondee is managing delivery risks on the Identity Cards Programme.
  Ernst & Young: There have been two inward secondments:

  1. June 2003-June 2004: the secondee is working as senior analyst on criminal injuries compensation policy.

  2. September 2003-September 2004: the secondee is working on public perceptions of policing policy.

  KPMG: one outward secondment for the period November 2002-April 2004. The member of Home Office staff is working on occupational psychology in the field of recruitment.

  Merseyside Police
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions Merseyside Police has arrested an individual for carrying an air weapon or imitation firearm in a public place without lawful authority or reasonable excuse since the inception of this power. [165922]

  Ms Blears
  Information on arrests collected centrally is based on persons arrested for "notifiable" offences by main offence group and police force area only. The information does not identify individual offences.

  National Offender Management Service
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish a Gateway Zero Report in respect of the National Offender Management Service in accordance with Office of Government Commerce procedures. [161166]

  Paul Goggins
  The implementation of the National Offender Management Service is subject to the Gateway reporting process. In keeping with normal practice, it is not intended to publish the gateway Zero Report.

  Police
  Mr. Greg Knight
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list those police forces in England and Wales who have spent money on radio advertising in each of the past five years for which figures are available; and if he will give the reasons for such expenditure in each case. [165421]

  Ms Blears
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: The Home Office has run central radio recruitment campaigns, but any money spent on advertising by individual forces is allocated by individual forces themselves, so the Home Office would not hold this information.

  Mr. Cameron
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason police forces including Thames Valley Police are investing in separate mobile data systems running on public access bearer networks to deliver data services alongside the airwave system. [166524]

  Ms Blears
  Airwave has the capacity to deliver voice and data services simultaneously. The voice network is now nearly complete and implementation of national mobile data applications such as access on the move to the Police National Computer is underway. A number forces are exploring alternative mobile data options to meet specific local requirements.

  Prisons
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the operating loss arising from Contract Services workshops in prisons. [164409]

  Paul Goggins
  It is not realistic for Contract Services workshop activities to break even. To cover all costs, including staffing would involve making charges that the market would be unlikely to bear.

  Contract Services workshops employ some 4,000 prisoners. The difference between income received and the full cost of running contract services workshops represents the investment made in providing purposeful activity for large numbers of prisoners. Contract Services activities account for some 5,000,000 hours of purposeful activity a year.

  Prisons (Alcohol Testing) Act
  Mr. Oaten
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many authorisations have been made under the Prisons (Alcohol Testing) Act 1997; and how many tests have been carried out. [163335]
  526W
  Paul Goggins
  Section 16B of the Prisons Act 1952, (which was inserted by the Prisons (Alcohol Testing) Act 1997) empowers a prison officer, in accordance with prison rules, to request a prisoner to provide a breath sample for the purpose of alcohol testing, in those prisons in which the Governor has authorised such action.

  Amendments are to be made to prison rules shortly to provide appropriate disciplinary offences. No authorisations have yet been made under section 16B, and therefore no tests under this power have been carried out.

  Public Bodies
  Mr. Stephen O'Brien
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the(a) resource budget, (b) administration costs and (c) staff numbers were for 2003 of the (i) Community Development Foundation, (ii) Advisory Board on Restricted Patients, (iii) Poisons Board, (iv) Technical Advisory Board, (v) Insurance Cover Working Group, (vi) Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime, (vii) Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team and (viii) Review of the Law Relating to Bribery and Corruption. [164020]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The Community Development Foundation (CDF) is an Executive Non-Departmental Public Body (NDPB) and, for the financial year 2003-04, had:an estimated resource budget of £902,000;
  estimated administrative costs of £755,000; and
  average staff numbers of 46.7 full-time equivalents.

  Advisory NDPBs do not have a resource budget. Their secretariat and administration costs are borne by the Department. Members of the Board are public appointees and are remunerated accordingly.
  The Advisory Board for Restricted Patients has not met since 2001;
  The Poisons Board has not met for the last 12 years; and
  The Technical Advisory Board has no resource budget. The Home Office provides secretariat and administrative support. The Board consists of 13 members including a Chairman. All Board members are public appointees and work on a part-time basis. The Chairman's remuneration is £400 per day plus expenses and other members receive expenses only.

  Ad hoc advisory groups and reviews are essentially Home Office working groups. They do not have a resource budget or permanent staff.
  The Insurance Cover Working Group (ICWG) is a Home Office working group, which meets three times a year. During the Financial Year 2003–04, the ICWG incurred an estimated administration cost of £1,206.
  The Ministerial Advisory Group on Retail Crime is no longer operating and did not meet during the Financial Year 2003–04.
  The Vehicle Crime Reduction Action Team (VCRAT) meets three times a year and, for the Financial Year 2003–04, incurred an estimated administration cost of £5,113.
  The Review of the Law Relating to Bribery and Corruption has not met since June 2000.

  Register of Interests
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the requirements are on officials in his
  527W
  Department to declare current interests; and what register of interests is kept for his departmental officials. [164708]

  Fiona Mactaggart
  The Civil Service Management Code sets out the requirement for civil servants declaring any conflict of interest. The Home Office monitor declarations of interest annually, by written request. Replies are then kept in a register. All new senior staff are made aware on appointment of their duty to declare any conflicts of interest.

  Sentencing (Magistrates Courts)
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance he has given to magistrates courts about sentencing in respect of(a) antisocial behaviour and (b) youth street crime; and if he will make a statement. [165388]

  Ms Blears
  The Government recognise that breach of an Anti-Social Behaviour Order (ASBO) is a serious offence and should be treated as such by the court. We are aware that there have been some problems relating to inconsistent sentences for breach of ASBOs and this is something we are continuing to work on. In January 2004 the Magistrates Association for the first time produced sentencing guidelines for the offence of a breach of an ASBO which recognise the seriousness of the offence and direct the court to consider the impact of the offence on victims. The guideline is: "Is it so serious that only custody is appropriate?"

  The Anti-Social Behaviour Unit will continue to work with the relevant Government Departments and with local practitioners, the Crown Prosecution Service and the courts to improve consistency in the courts' response to antisocial behaviour. Part of this is to ensure that in every case the courts have the right information available on which to base their decisions, including understanding the effect of anti-social behaviour on victims, witnesses and the wider community.

  The Magistrates Association has issued sentencing guidelines to the magistrates courts, which cover the range of criminal offences dealt with by those courts. The Sentencing Guidelines Council, which was established by the Criminal Justice Act 2003, will in future set sentencing guidelines for the range of criminal offences, covering all criminal courts.

  The Judicial Studies Board has issued training and guidance to magistrates, and at the start of the Street Crime Initiative, the then Lord Chancellor wrote to the Chairmen of all Panels, including the Youth Panels of magistrates' courts, detailing the changes in powers to remand youth defendants. The Lord Chief Justice has handed down a relevant judgment relating to street robbery in R v. Lobban & Sawyers and R v. Q [2002] 2 Cr App R (S) 274.

  Sexual Assault Referral centers
  Vera Baird
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the results of his Department's review of sexual assault referral centers will be published. [162983]
  528W
  Paul Goggins
  [holding answer 23 March 2004]: We are now expecting this research to be published in the summer.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Iraq
  Mr. Chidgey
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to offer guarantees to British companies working in the reconstruction of Iraq with regard to the safety of their(a) employees and (b) assets. [166608]

  Mr. Timms
  We do not offer guarantees to British companies regarding the safety of employees and company assets while working in Iraq. British companies considering sending staff to Iraq are advised to consult the current travel advice, published on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website, www.fco. gov.uk, which advises against all but the most essential travel to Iraq and that even the most essential travel to Iraq should be delayed, if possible. Companies with planned involvement in reconstruction projects are also advised to contact the Iraq Unit in UK Trade and Investment for further information.

  We do not provide general advice and information on a range of issues to British companies wanting to assist in the reconstruction process in Iraq but it is for the companies themselves to assess the risks and take the necessary measures to ensure the safety of their employees and assets

  ACAS
  Mr. Kenneth Clarke
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost to public funds is of the current national advertising campaign by the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS) to encourage greater use of its services; and what the total expenditure of ACAS on all publicity and advertising will be in financial year 2003–04. [166004]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  The cost to public funds of the current advertising campaign by ACAS is £1,258,900. The total expenditure of ACAS on all publicity and advertising for the financial year 2003–04 was £1,981,000.

  Bankruptcy
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the proportion of personal bankruptcies that involve owners of businesses. [165216]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  The table as follows shows the number of bankruptcies broken down by self-employed and other individuals along with related percentages. This shows that over the period the number of bankruptcies involving owners of businesses has fallen, the increase in total bankruptcies being driven by bankruptcies of other individuals. The proportion of self-employed bankruptcies has fallen from 61 per cent. in 1995 to 36 per cent. in 2002.
  529W

  Bankrupticies: Self-employed and other individuals from 1995 to 2002

  self-employed

  other individuals

  Total bankruptcies

  Per cent. self employed

  Per cent. other individuals

  1995

  13,282

  8,651

  21,933

  61

  39

  1996

  12,667

  9,136

  21,803

  58

  42

  1997

  11,269

  8,623

  19,892

  57

  43

  1998

  10,420

  9,227

  19,647

  53

  47

  1999

  10,723

  10,888

  21,611

  50

  50

  2000

  9,952

  11,598

  21,550

  46

  54

  2001

  9,839

  13,638

  23,477

  42

  58

  2002

  8,854

  15,438

  24,292

  36

  64

  Mr. Kilfoyle

  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many bankruptcies there were in Liverpool, Walton in each year between 1997 and 2003. [166970]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  Bankruptcy figures are only available on the basis of the Official Receivers Office dealing with the cases, therefore it is not possible to separate bankruptcies pertaining to Liverpool, Walton. The following table gives annual figures for the number of individual bankruptcies dealt with by the Official Receivers Office in Liverpool, which covers the county courts of Birkenhead, Liverpool, St. Helens, Southport and the Wirral.

  Bankruptcies registered at the Official Receivers Office in Liverpool 1997–2003

  Official Receivers Office

  Liverpool

  1997

  414

  1998

  416

  1999

  525

  2000

  563

  2001

  696

  2002

  747

  2003

  820

  Business Start-tips
  Chris Ruane
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many business start-ups there were in each ward in each county of North Wales in 2003, listed in descending order; [164855]

  (2) if she will list the 100 wards with the (a) greatest and (b) lowest number of business start-ups in 2003. [164853]

  Nigel Griffiths
  Ward level data on business start-ups are not available.

  Correspondence
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to reply to the letter of 19 December 2003 from the hon. Member for Gordon on the operations of BAE Systems in South Africa. [166812]

  Ms Hewitt
  A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 20 April 2004.

  Energy Production
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the 530W
  effects of clause 76(5) of the Energy Bill on the exercise by Scottish Ministers of their functions in relation to exploitation of areas outside the territorial sea for energy production. [165853]

  Mr. Timms
  The principal objective of Part 3 of the Energy Bill is both to facilitate development of the UK's considerable renewable energy resources—wind, wave and tidal—beyond territorial waters and to enable Government to regulate projects so development takes place in an appropriate manner. Clause 76(5) (now Clause 84(5)) recognises that new installations with associated safety zones and the strategy on decommissioning under the Bill could impact on devolved matters handled by Scottish Ministers such as fishing and environmental protection.

  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what functions Scottish Ministers have in relation to the consenting of offshore renewable energy generation plants(a) within and (b) outside the 12 nautical mile territorial seas around Scotland; and what effect the Energy Bill will have on these functions. [165854]

  Mr. Timms
  A Transfer of Functions Order made under the Scotland Act (SI 1999/1750) gave Scottish Ministers responsibility for considering applications under section 36 of the Electricity Act 1989 for offshore renewable energy generation plants in Scottish territorial waters. They also have powers to grant consents under the Coast Protection Act 1949 and licences under the Food and Environment Protection Act 1985, which are both required for offshore renewable energy installations.

  The Government has agreed that Scottish Ministers should also have responsibility for granting section 36 consents for any installations planned for the Renewable Energy Zone off Scotland. Once the Energy Bill has been enacted, and section 36 powers are extended to the Renewable Energy Zone, the Government and the Scottish Executive intend to bring forward an Order under the Scotland Act 1998 to provide that this function be executively devolved to Scottish Ministers.

  Clause 101 of the Energy Bill will give a power to Scottish Ministers to extinguish public rights of navigation where an applicant applies at the same time for a section 36 consent for a generating station which is planned for waters between the low water mark and the limit of the territorial sea around Scotland.

  National Minimum Wage
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Manchester, Gorton have benefited from the national minimum wage. [167353]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  It is not possible to provide estimate specifically for the constituency of Manchester, Gorton. However, based on the Office for National Statistics' Low Pay data released 2003, the DTI estimates that around 140,000 people in the North West stood to benefit from the introduction of the national minimum wage in April 1999. Between 130,000 and 160,000 people were expected to have benefited from the October 2003 uprating of the national minimum wage.
  531W
  The DTI estimates that between 210,000 and 240,000 people in the North West stand to benefit from the October 2004 uprating of the national minimum wage.

  New Businesses
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) how many new businesses have started up in Birkenhead since 1997; [166491]

  (2) how many new businesses have been established in Birkenhead since 1997. [166493]

  Nigel Griffiths
  Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation (published 31 March 2004) includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales, including 500 in Wirral Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Birkenhead), in the fourth quarter of 2003. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. There were 2,100 business start-ups in Wirral Local Authority in 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.

  DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Wirral Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Birkenhead) are shown in the table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.

  VAT Registration 1997–2002

  Wirral

  1997

  660

  1998

  595

  1999

  600

  2000

  600

  2001

  555

  2002

  510

  Source:

  Business Start-ups and Closures

  VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994-2002, Small Business Service.

  VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government has taken to help small businesses in Birkenhead since 1997. [166492]

  Nigel Griffiths
  The Business Link Operator for Greater Merseyside (GME) has provided assistance to 194 businesses in the Birkenhead constituency since 2001. The Small Business Service was set up as an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2000. Contracts were exchanged with a national network of 45 business Link operators (seven in the north west) to provide Business Support to small and medium sized enterprises from April 2001. Before this date Government support to businesses was provided through Training and Enterprise Councils and the SBS does not have access to these data.
  532W
  The Business Link Operator has provided Business Start Advice to the 194 businesses, and in addition have provided assistance regarding Investors in People, Specialist Business Advice, Workforce development and the Consultancy projects to those companies needing help in these areas.

  Eleven companies have received offers of grant from the Research and Development Grant scheme with a total value of £696,160 since 1997.

  Under the Enterprise Grant Scheme which has now just come to a close (31 March 2004) 13 companies have received offers of grant with a total value of £334,170.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have started up in Wirral, South since 1997. [166628]

  Nigel Griffiths
  Barclays Bank's latest survey of business creation (published 31 March 2004) includes non-VAT registered firms and shows that there were 115,000 business start-ups in England and Wales, including 500 in Wirral Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Wirral, South), in the fourth quarter of 2003. The latest yearly figures show 465,000 business start-ups in England and Wales in 2003. This represents a 19 per cent. increase on the year before. There were 2,100 business start-ups in Wirral Local Authority in 2003. Data for local authorities are not available for before 2003.

  DTI figures based solely on VAT registrations for Wirral Local Authority (which contains the constituency of Wirral, South) are shown in the table for the period 1997 to 2002. Data for 2003 will be available in autumn 2004.

  VAT Registrations 1997–2002

  Wirral

  1997

  660

  1998

  595

  1999

  600

  2000

  600

  2001

  555

  2002

  510

  Source:

  Business Start-ups and Closures: VAT Registrations and De-registrations 1994–2002, Small Business Service.

  VAT registrations do not capture all start-up activity. Businesses are unlikely to be registered if they fall below the compulsory VAT threshold, which has risen in each year since 1997. Similarly, businesses that de-register will not necessarily have closed. Only 1.8 million out of 3.8 million enterprises were registered for VAT at the start of 2002.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government has taken to help small businesses in Wirral, South since 1997. [166629]

  Nigel Griffiths
  The Business Link Operator for Greater Merseyside (GME) has provided assistance to 109 businesses in the Wirral, South constituency since 2001. The Small Business Service was set up as an agency of the Department of Trade and Industry in April 2000. Contracts were exchanged with a national network of 45 Business Link Operators (seven in the north west) to provide Business Support to small and
  533W
  medium sized enterprises form April 2001. Before this date Government Support to businesses was provided through Training and Enterprise Councils and the SBS does not have access to these data.

  The Business Link Operator I as provided Business Start Advice to the 109 businesses, and in addition have provided Specialist business advice, workforce development and consultancy projects to those companies needing help in these areas.

  Fourteen companies have received offers of grant from the Research and Development Grant Scheme with a total value of £465,700 sin 1997.

  Under the Enterprise Grant Scheme which has just come to a close (31 March 2004) 11 companies have received offers of grant with a total value of £696,160.

  Paid Leave
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many residents of Liverpool, Walton are qualified for paid leave entitlement. [166972]

  Mr. Sutcliffe
  All workers resident in Liverpool, Walton qualify for paid leave entitlements at least four weeks as set out in the Working Time Regulations.

  Post Office
  Mr. Patrick Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how soon the outcome of and lessons learned from the process of the Post Office Urban Reinvention programme will be evaluated and published following the conclusion of that programme. [166820]

  Mr. Timms
  The urban reinvention programme is managed by Post Office Ltd. and decisions on any evaluation will be a matter for the company. The Government do, of course, monitor its expenditure on this programme and will require the company to confirm on completion that it has met its obligation to ensure that 95 per cent. of the urban population nationally continue to live within one mile of their nearest post office.

  Since the programme began, Post Office Ltd. has worked with Postwatch, the consumer watchdog, to improve and refine the processes. This evolutionary nature of the programme has seen a number of significant developments, including my written statement to the House of Commons of 5 February 2004, which details changes to the programme in the light of concerns expressed in Parliament and elsewhere.

  In addition, Postcomm, the independent regulator, reports annually to the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on developments in the post office network. These annual reports are published on Postcomm's's website and copies are placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Mr. Patrick Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make the independent review of the facilities at the Crown post office in Bedford part of a wider review into the facilities of the post office network as a whole in Bedford and Kempston. [166821]
  534W
  Mr. Timms
  This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to my hon. Friend.

  Mr. Patrick Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the process leading to the decisions Post Office Ltd. has made concerning the closure of sub-post offices are covered by the Government Code of Practice on the release of official information. [167272]

  Mr. Timms
  No. The final decisions on post office closures following public consultation are operational matters for Post Office Ltd.

  Mr. Patrick Hall
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) whether the rationale of the statement made by the Minister for Energy, E Commerce and Postal Services on 5 February concerning the Post Office Urban Reinvention Network was intended to apply as far as possible to the Area Plan proposals for the Bedford and Kempston parliamentary constituency which were subject to public consultation until 17 February; [167270]

  (2) whether the statement made by the Minister for Energy, E Commerce and Postal Services on 5 February concerning the Post Office Urban Reinvention Network came into force with immediate effect. [167271]

  Mr. Timms
  The changes to the public consultation arrangements for closure proposals under Post Office Ltd.'s urban network reinvention programme announced in my statement of 5 February came into force with immediate effect but were not retrospective in their application. The changes therefore applied to the consultation on closure proposals for Bedford and Kempston to the extent compatible with the stage those consultations had reached as at 5 February.

  Mrs. Calton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry (1) what assessment has been made of the case for Post Office Ltd. developing a role for post offices as government general practitioners and of Government support for this as mentioned in the Performance and Innovation Unit Report of 2000, Chapter 8, page 16, conclusion 18; [166779]

  (2) what assessment has been made of the case for Post Office Ltd. developing a role for the Post Office Network as internet and learning and access points as mentioned in the Performance and Innovation Unit Report of 2000, Chapter 8. page 16, conclusion 17. [166827]

  Mr. Timms
  In line with the Performance and Innovation Unit's recommendations, the Government contributed £25 million to the 'Your Guide' pilot to test the concept of the role for post offices as 'Government General Practitioner' and as internet learning and access points. It was made clear from the outset that the decision on whether or not to roll out a national service would depend on the results of the pilot. The 'Your Guide' pilot showed that a publicly funded national scheme would not represent value for money and we concluded that it should not be rolled out. However, Your Guide highlighted a number of areas in which Government Departments might deliver services through post offices in the future particularly if they could be linked with or channelled through a
  535W
  commercially-based kiosk network. The evaluation report of the Your Guide pilot was published on 23 July 2002 and a copy placed in the Libraries of the House.

  Call centers
  Mr. Prisk
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations her Department has received as part of her review of the off-shoring of UK call centers. [166857]

  Ms Hewitt
  My Department has received a number of responses to our paper "Services and Offshoring: the impact of increasing international competition on services" which will be reflected in our Trade and Investment White Paper to be published in the summer. We have also commissioned a study to inform our understanding of the UK call center sector and the key factors impacting on its competitiveness including offshoring. We expect to publish a report on the study in early May.

  UK Trade and Investment
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the(a) running costs of, (b) cost of staff salaries for and (c) number of people employed, broken down by grade, by UK Trade and Investment were in the last financial year for which figures are available. [165483]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  [holding answer 20 April 2004]: The information is as follows:

  (a) Total administration costs for 2002–03, including an apportionment of central overheads attributable to UK Trade & Investment (UKTI) activities by DTI and FCO, were as follows:

  DTI: £45,464,000

  FCO: £141,235,000

  (b) The aggregate payroll costs of the DTI and FCO employees working for UKTI were as follows:

  DTI: £21,402,000

  FCO: £48,691,000

  (c) UKTI is not an employing organisation. Staff working for UKTI remain the employees of either the DTI or the FCO. The average number of whole-time equivalent (WTE) persons working for UKTI during 2002–03, broken down by grade, was as follows:

  Number of whole-time equivalent persons

  DTI

  1620

  Of which: Range

  2

  18.6

  3

  8.0

  4

  148.2

  5

  8.5

  6

  174.5

  7

  13.4

  8

  119.8

  9

  35.8

  10

  55.6

  11

  20.9

  SCS

  17.0

  536W

  Number of whole-time equivalent persons

  FCO

  1,638

  Of which:

  UK-based total

  353

  Of which:

  SMS

  64.7

  D7/D6

  61.8

  C5

  65.68

  C4

  105.97

  B3

  37.19

  A2

  15.04

  Al

  2.0

  Locally engaged staff

  1,285

  Of which:

  LEI

  348

  LE2

  154

  LE3

  712

  LE4

  61

  LE5

  10

  1 This figure varies from the figure published in the UK Trade & Investment Resource Accounts for 2002–03 as it does not include temporary/agency staff.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Afghanistan
  Joan Ruddock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what new money his Department pledged to Afghanistan at the recent Donor Conference in Berlin. [166723]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  The UK made a total pledge of £500 million over five years (2002–03 to 2006–07) at the international conference on Afghanistan in Berlin on 31 March-1 April 2004. That total includes funding for conflict prevention and counter-narcotics work to which the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) contributes, together with other Government departments, through the Global Conflict Prevention Pool and UK Counter-Narcotics strategy.

  The Global Conflict Prevention: Pool (funded jointly by FCO, DFID and MOD) has a three-year strategy totalling £52 million from 2003–04 to 2005–06. £11 million was disbursed in 2003–04, leaving £41 million to be spent in 2004–6.

  The FCO component of the three-year UK Counter-Narcotics strategy (2003–04 to 2005–06) totals £47.2 million. £12.7 million of this was disbursed in 2003–04, leaving £31.5 million to be committed in 2004–06.

  The British Embassy in Kabul also has an FCO budget of £250,000 for local project work in 2004–05.

  British Citizens (Deaths Abroad)
  Peter Bottomley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many deaths abroad of Britons(a) travelling and (b) living overseas, broken down by the numbers dying of (i) natural causes and (ii) the main categories of non-natural causes. [166526]
  537W
  Mr. Mullin
  In financial year 2002–03 3,998 Britons died overseas. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) only records the deaths of British nationals where our consular staff have been directly involved. We do not record statistics where our staff have been informed of a death and need take no further action.

  The FCO does not maintain statistics recording either the nature of each death or the breakdown between the numbers of deaths of Britons travelling and living overseas.

  Convention on Conventional Weapons
  Mr. Frank Cook
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent steps his Department has taken to promote the Convention on prohibitions or restrictions on the use of certain conventional weapons which may be deemed to be excessively injurious or to have indiscriminate effects, with particular reference to the ratification of Protocol V. [165848]

  Mr. MacShane
  A legally binding Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War was agreed at the meeting of States Panics to the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons on 27/28 November 2003. The UK, along with EU partners, had long pushed for the adoption of a legally binding protocol and we are delighted that a consensus was reached. We received our certified true copy of the instrument from the United Nations in March 2004 and are currently looking at the necessary measures needed to implement the new Protocol. We hope to ratify in the near future. We would also encourage all states to ratify as soon as they are able and to keep to the spirit of the new Protocol in the interim period.

  Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings he plans to have with representatives of British peace organisations in advance of the next Preparatory Committee Meeting for the 2005 UN Review Conference on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. [166349]

  Mr. MacShane
  Officials have already met with members of a number of peace organisations prior to the forthcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) Preparatory Committee which is due to take place in New York on 26 April to 7 May. The Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND), Christian CND, Abolition 20005 Network for Peace, and the World Court Project have all been represented on these occasions. The Government are committed to regular exchanges with representatives of non-governmental organisations as part of our on-going consultations during the NPT review cycle.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs who will represent the UK at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee in April/May in New York. [166418]

  Mr. MacShane
  The UK delegation will be headed by David Brouchen the United Kingdom's Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament in 538W
  Geneva. He will be accompanied by officials from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the Ministry of Defence and the Department of Trade and Industry.

  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish in advance statements to be presented by the British delegation at the Non-Proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee. [166419]

  Mr. MacShane
  The Government do not intend to publish in advance any statements to be presented by the UK delegation to the Non-proliferation Treaty Preparatory Committee. These are intended to reflect the latest developments including those at the conference itself. However, all statements will be placed in the Library of the House and on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office website following the Preparatory Committee meeting.

  Palestine
  Jeremy Corbyn
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with the US Administration before the UK cast its vote in the UN Special Security Council meeting called to discuss the assassination of Sheikh Yassin; and if he will make a statement. [166611]

  Mr. Rammell
  The UK engaged in negotiations with other United Nations Security Council members—including the US—to try to establish a resolution which would be acceptable to all. The UK made it clear that it would have voted for this resolution if its proposers had accepted an amendment condemning terrorist atrocities by Hamas against Israel. This would have reflected the position of the European Union. We regret that our proposed amendment was not accommodated.

  US/UK Mutual Defence Agreement
  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he plans to lay before the House any amendments to the renewal of the 1958 Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes between Her Majesty's Government and the United States of America; and if he will make a statement. [166575]

  Mr. MacShane
  Subject to the outcome of our continuing discussions with the Government of the United States, we expect to lay before the House some amendments to the Mutual Defence Agreement, including provision for its renewal for a further 10 years. We would expect these amendments to be laid before the House later this year in accordance with normal procedures.

  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the scope of the discussions is between the United Kingdom and the United States Governments on the renewal of the 1958 Agreement for Co-operation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes; and if he will make a statement. [166576]

  Mr. MacShane
  Discussions are continuing between the Governments of the United Kingdom and the
  539W
  United States concerning the 1958 Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes. The Agreement requires renewal every 10 years and was last renewed in 1994. The present discussions concern the minor amendments and updating necessary to enable the Agreement to be renewed before it expires in December 2004.

  Alan Simpson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will post a copy of the US-UK Agreement for Cooperation on the Uses of 540W
  Atomic Energy for Mutual Defence Purposes (as amended in 1994) on his Department's website. [166577]

  Mr. MacShane
  When any amendments to the Mutual Defence Agreement are laid before Parliament, copies of the Command Paper and accompanying Explanatory Memorandum will be posted on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website in accordance with the practice established in 2002.

  The FCO will also place a copy of the original Agreement and subsequent amendments on its website at that time.

HEALTH

  Acrylamide
  Mr. Gibb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the(a) prevalence of acrylamide in cooked and prepared food and (b) results of recent research commissioned by the Food Standards Agency. [165901]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Acrylamide has been found in a wide range of cooked and processed foods.

  The Food Standards Agency has commissioned several research projects, including a survey of acrylamide levels in the United Kingdom diet. The dietary survey is due to be published this summer.

  Health Services (Birkenhead)
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many senior citizens in Birkenhead have access to free eye tests; [166215]

  (2) how many residents in Birkenhead aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests. [166216]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of senior citizens are not collected centrally.

  NHS hospital and community health services: Qualified scientific, therapeutic and technical staff in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority area be grade and by each specified organisation as at 30 September each specified year headcount

  1997

  1998

  1999

  2000

  2001

  2002

  2003

  Q15 Cheshire & Merseyside SHA

  4,922

  5,122

  5,324

  5,562

  5,959

  6,317

  6,702

  of which

  Total specified organizations

  1,201

  1,215

  1,246

  1,256

  1,281

  1,406

  1,439

  5H2 Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  76

  59

  Manager

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  3

  Therapist

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  69

  38

  Scientist

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  —

  Technician

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  18

  RBL Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  497

  512

  530

  541

  540

  554

  570

  Manager

  3

  4

  5

  6

  6

  6

  6

  Therapist

  241

  241

  246

  254

  240

  260

  268

  Scientist

  37

  38

  55

  54

  57

  8

  11

  Scientific officer

  81

  78

  73

  73

  71

  133

  142

  Technician

  131

  148

  148

  151

  163

  145

  141

  Instructor/teacher

  4

  3

  3

  3

  3

  2

  2

  RQ6 Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen

  704

  703

  716

  715

  741

  776

  810

  Manager

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  1

  1

  Therapist

  231

  245

  256

  261

  267

  277

  286

  Scientist

  58

  55

  57

  58

  58

  68

  79

  Scientific officer

  205

  191

  190

  181

  192

  195

  195

  Technician

  202

  200

  202

  205

  210

  221

  235

  Instructor/teacher

  6

  6

  5

  4

  4

  6

  6

  Tutor

  1

  6

  6

  6

  10

  8

  8

  Source:

  Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what changes there have been to NHS waiting list time for the residents of Birkenhead in the last seven years. [166219]
  542W
  In 2002–03, the total number of national health service sight tests paid for patients aged 60 and over in Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority was 201,180. The total number eligible for a free sight test for those aged 60 and over was 507,080. Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Birkenhead are receiving drug treatment. [166489]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Birkenhead is part of Wirral drug action team. There were 2,269 people receiving drug treatment in Wirral in 2000–01. This is the latest available data. Data broken down by drug action team for 2001–02 and 2002–03 have not been finalised and published.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS(a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed in Birkenhead in each of the last seven years. [166217]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested has been placed in the Library.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS (a) therapists and (b) scientists were located in Birkenhead in each of the last seven years. [166218]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is shown in the tables.

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is shown in the tables.
  543W

  Out-patients waiting to be seen over 13 weeks for the Birkenhead area (Provider based)

  Patients waiting to be seen in number of weeks

  Quarter

  Unit code

  Unit name

  Speciality

  Not seen 13 to 25

  Not seen 26+

  1995–96

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  873

  704

  1996–97

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  1,316

  818

  1997–98

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  1,202

  558

  1998–99

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  1,597

  1,236

  1999–2000

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  3,853

  3,025

  2000–01

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  1,586

  2,419

  2001–02

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  1,720

  0

  Patients waiting to be seen in number of weeks

  Quarter

  Unit code

  Name

  Speciality

  Not seen 13 to 17

  Not seen 17 to 21

  Not seen 21-26

  Not seen 26+

  2002–03

  4

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  600

  458

  0

  0

  2003–04

  3

  RBL

  Wirral Hospital NHS Trust

  All specialties

  370

  0

  0

  0

  Source:

  Department of Health QM08.

  Out-patients waiting to be seen over 13 weeks for the Birkenhead area (Resident based)

  Patients waiting to be seen in number of weeks

  Quarter

  Unit code

  Name

  Speciality

  Not seen 13 to 25

  Not seen 26+

  1997–98

  4

  QDC

  Wirral HA

  All specialties

  1,443

  654

  1998–99

  4

  QDC

  Wirral HA

  All specialties

  1,781

  1,351

  1999–2000

  4

  QDC

  Wirral HA

  All specialties

  4,130

  3,261

  2000–01

  4

  QDC

  Wirral HA

  All specialties

  1.644

  2,464

  2001–02

  4

  QDC

  Wirral HA

  All specialties

  1,684

  1

  Patients waiting to be seen in number of weeks

  Collection ID

  StHA code

  Unit code

  Name

  Speciality

  Not Seen 13 to 17

  Not seen 17 to 21

  Not seen 21 to 26

  Not seen 26+

  2002–03

  4

  5F8

  Bebington and West Wirral PCT

  All specialties

  204

  137

  0

  0

  2002–03

  4

  5H2

  Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT

  All specialties

  375

  292

  0

  0

  2003–04

  3

  5F8

  Bebington and West Wirral PCT

  All specialties

  117

  2

  0

  0

  2003–04

  3

  5H2

  Birkenhead and Wallasey PCT

  All specialties

  269

  3

  0

  0

  Source:

  Department of Health QMO8R.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what percentage of suspected cancer patients in Birkenhead saw an NHS consultant within two weeks in each of the last seven years. [166220]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Waiting times for patients with suspected cancer referred urgently by their GP to first out-patient appointment: Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust

  Quarter

  Percentage of patients seen in two weeks

  Total patients seen

  Patients seen in two weeks

  2000–01

  4

  97.8

  450

  440

  2001–02

  1

  97.7

  474

  463

  2001–02

  2

  98.6

  553

  545

  2001–02

  3

  99.5

  611

  608

  2001–02

  4

  98.2

  625

  614

  2002–03

  1

  93.6

  706

  661

  2002–03

  2

  89.9

  714

  642

  2002–03

  3

  80.2

  696

  558

  2002–03

  4

  93.5

  650

  608

  544W

  Waiting times for patients with suspected cancer referred urgently by their GP to first out patient appointment: Wirral Hospitals NHS Trust

  Quarter

  Percentage of patients seen in two weeks

  Total patients seen

  Patients seen in two weeks

  2003–04

  1

  98.0

  756

  741

  2003–04

  2

  98.3

  835

  821

  2003–04

  3

  99.6

  810

  807

  Source:

  Department of Health form QMCW.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS waiting times for heart surgery in Birkenhead. [166221]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  In March 1997 there were 138 people waiting nine months and 40 people waiting over 12 months for heart surgery at the cardiothoracic center—Liverpool National Health Service Trust. The latest available figures show that in February 2004, there were no people waiting nine months and over for surgery.
  545W
  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the secretary of State for Health how many residents in Birkenhead awaiting heart surgery have had the option of choosing an alternative hospital for quicker treatment in the last 12 months. [166222]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is not held centrally.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the secretary of State for Health how many rapid access chest pain clinics there are in Birkenhead. [166224]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  There are no rapid access chest pain clinics in Birkenhead. Rapid access chest pain clinics are held at Arrowe Park Hospital, Wirral.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether there is a diagnostic and treatment center located in Birkenhead. [166225]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  There is no treatment center in Birkenhead. There is a treatment center on the Clatterbridge Hospital site, which is managed by the Wirral Hospital National Health Service Trust.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public funding has been spent on (a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Birkenhead in each of the last five years. [166569]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is not collected centrally. Allocations of funding for particular treatments are matters for the local primary care trust.

  Mr. Frank Field
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public funding has been spent on health in Birkenhead in each of the last seven years. [166571]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information is not available in the format requested. Expenditure per weighted head in the Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area, which includes the constituency of Birkenhead, has increased from £596.24 in 1997–98 to £1,103.34 in 200:!-03 (the latest year available). This does not represent the total expenditure per head as an element of health expenditure cannot be identified by SHA area.

  Mobile Phones
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department has evaluated on the impact of electro-magnetic fields on the dielectric properties of cells, in relation to mobile phones. [166837]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Government established the independent expert group on mobile phones (IEGMP) under the chairmanship of Sir William Stewart and the IEGMP report on mobile phones and health was published in May 2000. That report considered both thermal and non-thermal mechanisms of interaction of electromagnetic fields from mobile phones and evaluated a wide range of biological effects including cellular effects.

  A further review of health effects was carried out by an independent advisory group on non-ionising radiation (AGNIR), entitled "Health Effects from Radiofrequency (RF) Electromagnetic Fields", this is available at www.nrpb.org. This report was issued in
  546W
  January 2004 and provided an updated review of the biological effects including cellular effects and interaction mechanisms, noting that
  "Although there has been a wide range of diverse exposures and models investigated, no consistent pattern has emerged from the cellular studies of RF exposure. The balance of the findings on carcinogenesis is that there is little evidence and no known mechanism to support a direct or indirect effect of RF radiation on this process. Positive findings are not confirmed by other independent studies; apparently similar experiments fail to confirm each other and may even show contradictory results."

  The AGNIR will continue to review the scientific literature both national and international that is relevant to the issue of mobile telephony and health.

  Further research is being undertaken by the mobile telecommunications and health research (MTHR) programme with funding of £7.4 million. This was set up to investigate areas of scientific uncertainty highlighted by the IEGMP report and areas identified as important by the MTHR programme management committee. A range of research projects have been funded by MTHR including studies on cells, brain physiology and the fundamental dielectric properties of biological tissues. A number of these projects are scheduled for completion over the next year.

  Accidents (Children)
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many non-fatal accidents were recorded to have happened to children in England in each of the last five years. [165581]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The information is not available in the form requested. Estimates of the number of accidents are available from the health survey for England and are shown in the table. For children, aged two to 15, the annual accident rate per 100 persons for major and minor accidents from data for the three survey years 1995–97, aggregated together, and the two survey years 2001–02, aggregated together are shown. In the health survey, 'major accidents' include all those where a doctor was consulted or a hospital was visited, and 'minor accidents' include all accidents that caused pain or discomfort for over 24 hours.

  Annual accident rate per 100 persons, 1995–97 and 2001–02, by age and sex

  Annual accident rate per 100 children

  Males 2 to 15-years-old

  Females 2 to 15-years-old

  1995–97

  Major accidents

  31

  22

  Standard error

  1.1

  0.9

  Minor accidents

  216

  144

  Standard error

  11.6

  8.9

  2001–02

  Major accidents

  26

  19

  Standard error

  1.0

  0.8

  Minor accidents

  226

  174

  Standard error

  13.0

  10.7

  Bases

  1995–97

  7,365

  7,365

  2001–02

  5,372

  5,283

  Alcohol Treatment Services
  Mr. Keith Bradley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the alcohol treatment services in the North West offered by each NHS trust; and what the budget was for each of these services in each of the last three financial years. [165504]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: The information requested is not collected centrally.

  Alzheimer's Disease
  Dr. Gibson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will estimate the number of patients with moderately-severe and severe Alzheimer's disease living(a) at home and (b) in institutional care; and if he will make a statement; [166203]

  (2) how many patients are suffering from moderately-severe and severe Alzheimer's disease; and if he will make a statement. [166204]

  Dr. Ladyman
  Although the Department does not routinely collect this information, we estimate that of the 700,000 or so people with dementia in England and Wales, around 400,000 have Alzheimer's disease. Of these, we estimate around 200,000 have moderately severe or severe Alzheimer's disease.

  Dr. Stoate
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will list for each(a) primary care trust and (b) strategic health authority area the total amount spent on drugs for severe Alzheimer's disease in the last year for which figures are available; [166562]

  (2) what assessment he has made of the availability of drugs for advanced Alzheimer's disease throughout the UK; and if he will make a statement; [166563]

  (3) what guidelines he has sent to primary care trusts regarding the availability of drug treatments for severe Alzheimer's disease patients; and if he will make a statement; [166564]

  (4) what discussions he has held with (a) patient groups, (b) charities, (c) old age psychiatrists and (d) the drug industry concerning the availability of drug treatment for severe Alzheimer's disease patients; [166565]

  (5) if he will make a statement on the funding for drug treatments for severe Alzheimer's disease in advance of a National Institute for Clinical Excellence appraisal; [166566]

  (6) if he will list the licensed treatments currently available for moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's disease patients. [166567]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), on behalf of the Licensing Authority, grants marketing authorisations for medicinal products provided that satisfactory quality, safety and efficacy data have been submitted for the medicinal product for use in the proposed indication and that the risk benefit is deemed favourable. According to the MHRA records, there is one licensed product, Ebixa (memantine hydrochloride), which is indicated for the treatment of moderately-severe to severe Alzheimer's disease.
  548W
  Information on Ebixa dispensed at primary care trust and strategic health authority (SHA) level is not publicly available due to the small numbers involved. However, it is known that Ebixa was dispensed in the community in all 28 SHAs in England in 2002–03.

  No formal discussions have taken place between Ministers and stakeholders concerning the availability of drug treatment for severe Alzheimer's disease patients.

  The National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) is, however, appraising Ebixa as part of the eighth wave of its work programme. The anticipated publication date of its guidance May 2005.

  The Department has asked National Health Service bodies (in HSC 1999/176) to continue with local arrangements for the managed introduction of new technologies, including drugs such as Ebixa, where guidance from NICE is not published at the time the technology first became available. These arrangements should involve an assessment of all the available evidence.

  When considering the funding of any treatment currently being appraised by NICE, or where no appraisal has been commissioned, funding authorities are expected to use their existing prescribing arrangements and consider the evidence available to them on the clinical effectiveness of the treatment.

  Bank Nurses
  Sandra Gidley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what guidance he has issued to NHS trusts with regard to checking the credentials of bank nurses; and how the system is monitored. [164821]

  Mr. Hutton
  The Department issued a code of practice for the supply of temporary staff in July 2002. A copy is available on the Department's website. All temporary staff employed in the national health service, whether employed through NHS Professionals, private recruitment agencies or from local banks, are subject to the same checks as anyone applying for a substantive post. This includes criminal records checks, qualification checks, taking up references and checks on Nursing and Midwifery Council registrations.

  Blood Donation
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what work is being undertaken by the National Institute for Clinical Excellence into the most efficient use of blood donations in the NHS. [163565]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Erythropoietin for the treatment of chemotherapy induced anaemia, as an alternative to blood transfusion, was referred to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) as part of the ninth wave work programme in October 2003. Full details of the technology appraisal can be
  549W
  found on NICE's website at www.nice.org.uk. No other topics on alternatives to blood transfusion are planned for referral to NICE at this time.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health upon what evidence his Department based its position that there is less risk of variant CJD infection via blood transfusions of pooled plasma than via blood transfusions from one blood donor. [163472]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  A paper by Llewelyn CA. et al (2004);Lancet; Vol. 363, pp 417–421 reported that the risks from products prepared from large pools of plasma to a recipient are probably less than from blood transfusion. The paper has been placed in the Library. The lower individual risk is also indicated by the risk assessment carried out by Det Norske Veritas.

  Cervical Cancer
  Mr. Streeter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the introduction of the new liquid-based cytology method of cervical cancer screening to have been completed in each of the strategic health authority regions, broken down by expected introduction date. [165912]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: We expect full implementation of liquid based cytology (LBC) to take up to five years, due to the retraining of all laboratory staff who read cervical screening tests and all sample takers in primary care. We provided £1.2 million in 2003–04 and are providing a further £6 million in 2004–05 to kick-start this process. The intention is that cytology training schools should be converted first in order to be in a position to train the rest of the programme. Strategic health authorities have been issued with advice on how best they can roll out LBC for their local populations, laboratories and primary care, and are developing plans accordingly. A national timetable of conversion over the next five years will become apparent as these plans progress.

  Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
  Geraldine Smith
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many people suffer from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in(a) Morecambe and Lunesdale constituency and (b) Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust area; [165407]

  (2) when the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines on the diagnosis and treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will be implemented by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust; [165416]

  (3) whether pulmonary rehabilitation is offered by the Morecambe Bay Primary Care Trust to patients who consider themselves functionally disabled by chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [165417]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  These data are not collected on a constituency basis. However, the Department commissioned the Wessex Institute for Health Research and Development to produce a report on chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The report estimated that, in a typical health authority of 500,000 people, around 3,000 in the 45 plus age group would have COPD.
  550W
  As part of our commitment to improve services for patients with COPD, we commissioned the National Institute for Clinical Excellence to prepare clinical guidelines for the national health service in England and Wales for the prevention, diagnosis, management and treatment of COPD.

  Now that the guidelines have been published, primary care trusts, in partnership with local stakeholders, will decide what local service improvements need to be made. They have the responsibility for deciding what services to provide for their populations, including those with COPD and other respiratory diseases. They are best placed to understand local health needs and commission services to meet them.

  Civil Servants
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list for each civil service grade within his(a) Department and (b) Department's executive agencies, the total number of staff employed, broken down by (i) gender, (ii) ethnic group and (iii) age group; and how many are registered disabled. [166393]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The information requested is available in the annual publication, Civil Service Statistics, which is published by the Cabinet Office. Copies of Civil Service Statistics 2002, which was published on 24 July 2003, is available in the Library and at www.civil-service.gov.uk/statistics. Civil Service Statistics 2003 will be published by the Cabinet Office in due course.

  Committee on Safety of Medicines
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2004,Official Report, column 913W, on the Committee on Safety of Medicines, what information was assessed by the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency in 2002; [165299]

  (2) pursuant to his answer of 24 March 2004, Official Report, column 913W, on the Committee on Safety of Medicines, what changes were made to the product information on risperidone in 2002. [165300]

  Dr. Ladyman
  The information assessed by the Medicies and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2002 relating to cerebrovascular events associated with risperidone comprised: a review of serious cerebrovascular events in four randomised placebo controlled trials in dementia; two open-label extension trials in dementia and non-dementia studies; an analysis of non-serious cerebrovascular events (for example, very transient or mild transient ischaemic attack symptoms) in dementia studies; a review of relevant spontaneously reported suspected adverse drug reaction from the marketing authorisation holder's pharmacovigilance database. A review of the scientific literature was performed but did not locate any relevant articles or case reports.

  The following warnings were added to the summary of product characteristics for risperidone:
  "Cerebrovascular accidents have been observed during treatment with risperidone".

  551W
  "Risperidal should be used with caution in patients with known cardiovascular disease including those associated with prolongation of the QT interval and the dose should be gradually titrated".

  Consequential changes to the side-effects section of the patient information leaflet were made to clearly describe various symptoms of stroke, with an instruction to seek medical attention should these occur.

  Consultant Contracts
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of NHS consultants had signed the new consultants' contract at 1 April. [166074]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 20 April 2004]: Data is not available centrally on the take up of the consultant contract as at 1 April. Information on take up during April as a whole should be available by early May.

  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many of those NHS consultants who have not signed the new contract have reduced their commitment to NHS sessions below that indicated in their workload review; [166075]

  (2) how many of those NHS consultants who have signed the new contract are contracted to provide fewer sessions than their workload review indicated they were formerly undertaking in the NHS. [166076]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answers 20 April 2004]: Information on the content of individual consultant job plans is not held centrally.

  Contraception
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many girls in England of school age were prescribed(a) contraceptive pills, (b) a contraceptive injection and (c) a contraceptive implant in each of the last seven years. [165492]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Contraceptives may be prescribed by general practitioners or by family planning clinics. Information regarding GP prescriptions broken down according to age is not available. The number of girls aged under 16 whose primary method of contraception was the pill, injection or implant obtained from family planning clinics in the period 1996–97 to 2002–03 is shown in the table.

  First contacts with women aged under 16 at NHS family planning clinics by primary method of contraception, England, 1996–97 to 2002–03

  Pill

  Injection

  Implant

  1996–97

  23,000

  1,000

  100

  1997–98

  22,700

  1,200

  0

  1998–99

  21,800

  1,300

  0

  1999–2000

  22,700

  1,500

  0

  2000–01

  23,900

  2,000

  100

  2001–02

  24,100

  2,300

  100

  2002–03

  24,500

  2,500

  200

  Source:

  Department of Health Statistics Division; return KT31. Numbers rounded to the nearest hundred.

  Dentistry
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of adults in the Cumbria and Lancashire Health Authority were registered with an NHS dentist in each of the last seven years. [165511]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The table shows registration numbers and registration rates for Cumbria and Lancashire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) for September in each year from 1997. These are for the general dental service (GDS).

  Adult dental registrations in the general dental service (GDS) and registration rate in Cumbria and Lancashire SHA areal

  September each year

  Adult registration (thousands)

  Adult registrations rate (percentage of population)

  19972

  760.4

  52.0

  1998

  675.0

  46.1

  1999

  684.4

  46.8

  2000

  688.5

  47.0

  2001

  674.6

  45.9

  2002

  669.9

  45.3

  2003

  662.3

  45.2

  1 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA area comprised five HAs before October 1992: South Lancashire, Morecambe Bay, East Lancashire, North West Lancashire and North Cumbria

  2 1997 figures are not comparable with figures for later years. The registration period was reduced for new registrations to 15 months from September 1996 which affected registration numbers between September 1997 and September 1998.

  Note:

  Registration numbers cover people who have attended a general dental service dentist within the past 15 months. The figures exclude patients receiving GDS treatment on an occasional basis as well as occasional attenders, who have not attended within the past 15 months. The registrations figures exclude some national health service services as well as private dental services which many people may choose to have.

  Source:

  Dental Practice Board

  Diabetes center
  Ms. Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding is made available to the Diabetes center at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire; and what changes are planned to this allocation in coming years. [166719]

  Dr. Ladyman
  This information is not held centrally.

  Doctors
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many doctors there were per head of population in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997. [166652]

  Mr. Hutton
  The standard ratio used by the Department is per 100,000 population.

  The data requested has been placed in the Library.

  Drinking Water Standards
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to require bottled water to meet drinking water standards applicable to tap water. [165686]
  553W
  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: Spring water and bottled drinking water already have to comply with the standards for tap water. Natural mineral water, which must come from a natural source and cannot be treated, may contain higher levels of minerals than those permitted in tap water. However, limits are in place for potentially toxic substances and microbiological parameters. The limits for natural mineral water, as with drinking water, spring water and bottled drinking water, are set on health grounds.

  Health Services (Wirral, South)
  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much public funding has been spent on(a) heart disease and (b) cancer care in Wirral, South in each of the last five years. [166617]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is not collected centrally. Allocations of funding for particular treatments are matters for the local primary care trust.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on NHS waiting times for heart surgery in Wirral, South. [166619]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  In March 1997 there were 138 people waiting nine months and 40 people waiting over 12 months for heart surgery at the cardiothoracic center, Liverpool National Health Service Trust. The latest available figures show that in February 2004 there were no people waiting nine months and over for surgery.

  Mr. Ben Chapman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) how many residents in Wirral, South aged over 60 years have benefited from the abolition of charges for eye tests; [166620]

  (2) how many citizens in Wirral, South had access to free eye tests in 2003–04. [166621]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Data for the number of sight tests by constituency or by the number of senior citizens are not collected centrally.

  In 2002–03, the total number of national health service sight tests paid for patients aged 60 and over in Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority (SHA) was 201,180. The total number eligible for a free sight test for those aged 60 and over was 507,080. The total number of NHS sight tests paid for by Cheshire and Merseyside SHA in the year 2002–03 was 453,250.

  Sight tests cannot be equated to the numbers of patients.

  Heart Choice Pilots
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health which(a) NHS and (b) independent sector providers have treated patients under the Heart Choice pilots. [166649]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is shown in the lists.

  NHS Providers

  Papworth Hospital NHS Trust

  St Mary's NHS Trust

  Hammersmith Hospitals NHS Trust

  Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust

  554W

  University College London Hospitals NHS Trust Barts and the London NHS Trust

  Guy's & St Thomasl Hospital NHS Trust

  King's College Hospital NHS Trust

  St George's Healthcare NHS Trust

  The Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust

  South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust

  Hull and East Yorkshire Hospitals NHS Trust

  Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre Hospitals NHS Trust

  South Manchester University Hospitals NHS Trust

  Central Manchester & Manchester Children's University Hospitals

  NHS Trust

  Cardiothoracic center Liverpool NHS Trust

  The Oxford Radcliffe Hospital NHS Trust

  Southampton University Hospitals NHS Trust

  Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust

  United Bristol Healthcare NHS Trust

  Plymouth Hospitals NHS Trust

  Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust

  Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust

  University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

  North Staffordshire Hospital NHS Trust

  Royal Wolverhampton Hospitals NHS Trust

  University Hospital Birmingham NHS Trust

  University Hospital of Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust

  Independent Sector Providers

  BMI Park, Nottingham

  BMI Priory, Birmingham

  BMI, London Independent

  BMI Thornbury, Sheffield

  BUPA Bristol

  BUPA Cambridge

  BUPA Chalybeate, Southampton

  BUPA Leeds

  BUPA Leicester

  BUPA Washington

  Cromwell Hospital, London

  HCA, (Harley St Clinic, London Bridge Hospital/ Wellington Hospital)

  HCI, Glasgow

  King Edward VII Hospital, Midhurst, Sussex

  Nuffield Leicester

  Yorkshire Clinic

  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of patients who have participated in the Heart Choice pilot have chosen an alternative provider; and what proportion of patients have been treated in the independent sector. [166650]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Of those clinically eligible, the proportion of patients who have participated in the heart choice pilot that have chosen an alternative provider is 50 per cent. We do not hold figures on the breakdown of heart choice between the national health service and independent sector.

  This data is based on voluntary returns from NHS trusts during the pilot phase.
  555W
  Mr. Yeo
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS patients have participated in the Heart Choice pilots. [166651]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The total number of patients that were eligible to participate in the heart choice pilots was 9,090. Of these 6,328 were deemed to be clinically eligible. The number of patients who made a choice was 6,010 and of these, 3,034 opted for treatment elsewhere.

  This data is based on voluntary returns from national health service trusts during the pilot phase.

  Magnetic Resonance Imaging Scanners
  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department has taken towards ensuring that there is a magnetic resonance imaging scanner on site at every major hospital trust in England. [165346]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  After decades of underinvestment, there has been an unprecedented level of central capital funding provided to purchase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners since 2000, first through the New Opportunities Fund (NOF) and now through central Department of Health capital. These programmes are providing over 160 new MRI scanners from 2000 to 2006, resulting in a 150 per cent. increase in the number of MRI scanners available to the national health service since 1997.

  Once the central programmes have been completed in 2006, all large acute and/or teaching NHS hospital trusts will have MRI on at least one hospital site.

  The allocation of new MRI scanners has been agreed in conjunction with strategic health authorities. Allocations have been made to ensure equitable access to MRI services across the country.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government have spent in each of the last five years on(a) procurement of new magnetic resonance imaging scanners and (b) training staff to operate them; and what the projected expenditure is in each of the next five years. [165348]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  From 1999 to 2004, approximately £38.5 million was spent in providing 57 magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners via the New Opportunities Fund.

  In 2003–04, approximately £33.5 million of Department of Health cancer capital was spent in providing new and replacement MRI scanners.

  It is estimated that departmental cancer capital spending on MRI in 2004–05 will be approximately £46 million and in 2004–05 will be approximately £30 million.

  The projected expenditure on MRI beyond 2005–06 is not known at this stage, although, on 8 April 2004, the Department launched a procurement from the private sector to provide an extra 80,000 mobile MRI scans per year for the national health service for five years.

  Initial applications training for the use of new MRI equipment is included in the capital cost of that equipment and has therefore been provided to all NHS
  556W
  trusts in the central procurement programmes. Further training requirements will vary from center to center and are the responsibility of local NHS institutions.

  Mersey Regional Ambulance Service
  Helen Jones
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the level and quality of service provided by the Mersey Regional Ambulance Service on the weekend of 26 and 27 March. [165342]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  [holding answer 19 April 2004]: The Department does not collect information from ambulance trusts on a daily basis. Information is collected annually on volume of service and performance against required standards-details of the returns are in the statistical bulletin Ambulance Service, England: 2002–03.

  A copy is available in the Library and also on the Department's website at www.publications.doh,gov.uk/ public/sb0313.htm.

  NHS Dentistry
  Mr. Challen
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what has been the total spending on NHS dentistry in Morley and Rothwell in each year since 1997. [165169]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The information requested is shown in the table.

  Gross fees paid to general dental service dentists in Leeds Health Authority area

  £ million

  Gross fees

  1997–98

  20.7

  1998–99

  22.2

  1999–2000

  22.7

  2000–01

  23.0

  2001–02

  24.3

  2002–031

  12.2

  1 First half of year only

  Source:

  Department of Health.

  NHS Staff (Oxfordshire)
  Mr. Boris Johnson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the(a) age, (b) gender, (c) ethnic background and (d) length of employment within the NHS breakdowns are of NHS staff working in the (i) Oxfordshire community hospitals of Townlands, Wallingford, Abingdon, Wantage, Wattington and Didcot and (ii) Oxford Radcliffe and Royal Berkshire hospitals. [166761]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  The information requested is not held centrally at individual hospital level. The information requested for age, gender and ethnic background is available at trust level. Information for the trusts responsible for the above hospitals has been placed in the Library.

  The length of employment within the National Health Service for the above hospitals is not collected centrally.

  Nursing
  Dr. Murrison
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his Department's projected spending plans on the
  557W
  Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (a) were for 2003 and (b) are for (i) 2004, (i) 2005 and (iii) 2006. [166352]

  Ms Rosie Winterton
  In 2003–04, the budget for the Commission for Patient and Public Involvement in Health (CPPIH) was £34.9 million. This included £5.2 million for the national independent complaints advocacy service (ICAS) and around £8 million to support Community Health Councils until 1 December 2003. The budget for the CPPIH in 2004–05 and 2005–06 is £33.3 million and an additional £6.8 million is being made available for ICAS.

  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what targets have been set on introducing modern matrons; what the (a) baselines and (b) deadlines for these targets are; and what progress has been made against the targets. [166407]

  Mr. Hutton
  The introduction of modern matrons was signalled in the NHS Plan in 2000. In April 2001, my right hon. Friend the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) said there would be 500 modern matrons by April 2002 and up to 2,000 by 2004.

  A detailed progress report was published in April 2002, including results of a survey that showed that there were nearly 1,900 posts across England.

  The most recent data show that there are now nearly 3,000 modern matrons across England.

  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on arrangements for the assessment of an individual for funded nursing home placement; under what circumstances a process is caused to be commenced; and how a relative can ensure that an assessment is performed. [164922]

  Dr. Ladyman
  Individuals should receive an assessment to determine their needs and then a care plan as to how those needs will be met. A here their needs will be best met in a care home providing nursing care, the national health service will determine whether their needs are such that the NHS will fund all their care, or whether the NHS will fund only the care provided by a registered nurse.

  The Community Care (Delayed Discharges, etc.) Act 2003, requires the NHS and social services in England to assess patients who need further care from the NHS or social services before they are discharged from hospital. For others, the NHS and social services should provide an assessment when it appears necessary or when requested. Relatives and carers may request assessment or re-assessment of an older person's needs, and in doing so may specify the type of assessment they feel is most appropriate.

  Personal Care Plans
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of providing every patient with a long-term condition with a personal care plan. [164860]

  Dr. Ladyman
  We do not have information on how much it would cost to provide everyone with a long-term condition with a personal care plan
  558W
  Care plans are an important part of responding to the individual needs of patients with chronic conditions and managing their care to keep them healthier for longer. For example the first standard of the national service framework on renal disease states that:
  "all children, young people and adults with chronic kidney disease are to have access to information that enables them to make informed decisions and encourages partnership in decision-making, with an agreed care plan that supports them in managing their condition to achieve the best possible quality of life."

  Prostate Cancer
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has evaluated on the effects of frequent ejaculation in protecting men from prostate cancer; and what advice his Department provides on this. [166852]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department's prostate cancer risk management programme was announced by my right hon. Friend, the Member for Darlington (Mr. Milburn) as part of the National Health Service prostate cancer programme in September 2000. However, no specific research has been carried out or evaluated on whether frequent ejaculation protects men from prostate cancer. A prostate cancer information sheet is available through the National Institute for Clinical Excellence website at www.nice.org.uk/.

  Respiratory Conditions
  Tim Loughton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of school aged children in England suffer from respiratory conditions. [165540]

  Dr. Ladyman
  This information is not collected centrally. The latest hospital episode statistics which relate to diseases of the respiratory system in the age group five to 16 years of age are shown in the table. Admissions may relate to more than one episode for the same child.

  Count of finished admissions episodes: age group 5 to 16 years. Primary diagnosis—Diseases of the respiratory system in NHS hospitals in England 2002–03

  Finished admissions

  2002–03

  65,939

  Notes:

  Ungrossed Data—figures have not been adjusted for shortfalls in data (i.e. the data are ungrossed).

  Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)—the primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (7 prior to 2002–03) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.

  Source:

  Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

  Security Incidents (NHS)
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many security incidents he estimates there were in the NHS in England in each year since 1997. [163504]

  Dr. Ladyman
  Information on security incidents is available for the period 1999 to 2002. This is shown in the table.
  559W

  Number

  2001–02

  166,667

  2000–01

  112,095

  1999–2000

  106,935

  No statistics are available for the period 1997 to 1999 and 2002 to present.

  Policy on the management of security in the national health service passed to the NHS Counter Fraud and Security Management Service on 1 April 2003.

  Trust Finances
  Mr. Lansley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) primary care trusts and (b) NHS trusts recorded a deficit at the end of the financial year 2003–04. [166659]

  Mr. Hutton
  [holding answer 20 April 2004]: The audited information in respect of the 2003–04 financial position of all primary care trusts and national health service trusts will be published in their individual annual accounts and will be available centrally in autumn 2004.

NORTHERN IRELAND

  Location Monitoring
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 15 March,Official Report, column 129W, on electronic tagging, if he will have a pilot scheme on location monitoring satellite tracking technology in Northern Ireland. [164947]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Pursuant to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Home Department (Mr Goggins), there is no legislation to permit electronic monitoring in Northern Ireland.

  Alcohol Consumption
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions apply to the consumption of alcohol on local(a) trains and (b) buses. [166703]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Public Service Vehicles Regulations (NI) 1985 prohibit the consumption of alcohol on buses but not on trains. Railway Byelaws allow the consumption of alcohol to be banned on certain pre-advertised train journeys.

  Animal Welfare
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to deliver a high standard of animal welfare within agriculture in Northern Ireland. [166829]

  Mr. Pearson
  A wide range of legislation has already been introduced in Northern Ireland to protect all species of animals, including farm animals, from cruelty and neglect, to provide them with adequate housing and transport conditions. In addition, DARD officials are currently actively engaged in replacing the existing 560W
  range of advisory Welfare Codes for all the major species of farm animals with revised versions incorporating fresh developments in technology and our understanding of animal behaviours.

  The main general welfare provisions are laid down in the Welfare of Farmed Animals Regulations (NI) 2000 which consolidates and replaces previous legislation, implements four EU Council Directives and reflects the European Convention on the Protection of Animals kept for Farming Purposes. The regulations lay down a general principle that the owners and keepers of animals kept for farming purposes must take reasonable steps to ensure the welfare on animals in their care and prevent them experiencing any unnecessary pain, suffering or injury. The requirements of the legislation are comprehensive, and DARD veterinary staff and meat hygiene officials actively enforce all of their provisions.

  Asbestos
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his Department's policy is regarding the disposal of asbestos at district council amenity sites in (a) North Down and (b) Northern Ireland. [164538]

  Angela Smith
  Waste asbestos arising from households or commercial/industrial premises is classified as special waste under the Special Waste Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998. Any facility, located in Northern Ireland, receiving such waste must be licensed to accept it under the Waste Management Licensing Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2003.

  Ballybeen Estate
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding contingency is held with respect to the current exclusion of the Ballybeen Estate in Dundonald from the Belfast Regeneration Offices Business Plan, should it become part of the East Belfast constituency as a result of the Boundary Commission Report. [166746]

  Mr. Spellar
  The level of funding available to an area is not determined by the parliamentary constituency within which it is situated and the outcome of the Boundary Commission Review will have no impact on the level of funds available to Ballybeen Estate in Dundonald. However, if following the Boundary Commission's report Ballybeen is included in a new East Belfast constituency the Department for Social Development will review internal administrative boundaries and the regeneration of the area may fall to the Belfast Regeneration Office. This would be a purely administrative change that will have no impact on how Government funding is allocated.

  Benefit Entitlements
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the benefit entitlement available to those living in Northern Ireland on an ancestral visa. [165365]

  Mr. Spellar
  Immigration rules require that people who wish to travel to the United Kingdom through UK ancestry must intend to take or seek employment. They
  561W
  should therefore be able to support and accommodate themselves without claiming certain state benefits. These include:

  Income Support

  Jobseeker's Allowance

  Housing Benefit

  Tax Credits

  Social Fund Payments

  Child Benefit

  Any disability allowance

  Boundary Reviews
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the timetable is for the forthcoming review of parliamentary boundaries and local government boundaries in Northern Ireland. [164432]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Parliamentary Boundary Commission for Northern Ireland intend to publish Provisional Recommendations in the spring of this year. Because the Review of Public Administration is continuing, the Secretary of State is not yet in a position to appoint a Local Government Boundaries Commissioner to undertake a review of local boundaries in Northern Ireland.

  Brucellosis
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what action is being taken to limit potential brucellosis outbreaks in cattle in Northern Ireland. [164921]

  Mr. Pearson
  My Department has in place a Brucellosis control programme which aims to bring about a substantial reduction in disease levels and the eventual eradication of brucellosis from Northern Ireland. The control measures are based on a programme of testing, the slaughter of infected animals, the restriction of movements of animals to and from infected herds and surrounding herds, and the tracing of contact animals.

  The implementation of the Brucellosis Policy Review recommendations, which I announced last June, will ensure further progress towards eradication of the disease. The process of extending annual Brucellosis testing throughout Northern Ireland got under way in November. The public consultation exercise on the subordinate legislation needed to implement further revised measures was launched on 30 January 2004 and I hope to have the necessary subordinate legislation in place by mid 2004. Work is also under way on the feasibility of further measures that we hope to implement.

  We are already seeing some effect from the control measures that have been implemented. During the year we have seen a reduction in the number of new herds restricted because of brucellosis. The number of new herds restricted during 2003 was 261. The comparable figure for 2002 was 361.

  College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise
  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February 562W
  2004, Official Report, column 868W on Peace II Programme, under what measure number the money was awarded to the College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE); who authorised the approval to distribute the money to CAFRE; under whose name money was awarded to CAFRE; and what items of expenditure in addition to normal running costs of CAFRE the money funded. [166831]

  Mr. Pearson
  The money in respect of this project was awarded under Priority 1, Measure 6 (Training for Farmers) of the PEACE II Programme.

  Training through technology development and transfer is an on-going programme delivered through the College of Agriculture Food and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE) which has been operational since January 2000. During 2003 when the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) was assessing how the PEACE II N + 2 targets could be met, this programme was considered under the "Innovative Actions" strand of activities seeking to ensure expenditure targets could be achieved. Such innovative actions were approved by the PEACE II Monitoring Committee.

  The technology development and transfer programme was considered consistent with the terms of the PEACE II Programme and an application was submitted by CAFRE to Measure 1.6 for the project titled, Developing Agriculture through Technology Adoption (DATA). The application was considered in the normal manner by a three person Selection Panel against the Peace and Reconciliation and Measure Specific criteria and judged successful. The Selection Panel included a person independent of DARD. The success of this application enabled DARD to meet its N + 2 targets and ensured no loss of PEACE II funding.

  The Letter of Offer in respect of the DATA project was issued by Pauline McCloy, Director of Rural Development, on behalf of DARD, and accepted on behalf of the College by Paul McGurnaghan, CAFRE Deputy Director and John Fay, CAFRE Director.

  As the DATA project is a training programme the money allocated covers staff costs and other expenditure solely related to the delivery of the project such as set-up costs associated with demonstrations and publicity booklets for the programme. None of the money allocated is used to fund any of the running costs associated with other CAFRE activities.

  Contaminated Land
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of part 3 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 in tackling contaminated land in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [164540]

  Angela Smith
  The provisions of part 3 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 have not yet been brought into operation. In order to do so, it will be necessary to supplement the provisions of part 3 by further policy development and subordinate legislation. Until now priority in the allocation of resources within the Department of the Environment has had to be given to dealing with a backlog of overdue EU directives.
  563W
  However, in preparation for the implementation of the forthcoming EU Directive on Environmental Liability, the Department is currently examining the work and resources that will be necessary to bring the statutory contaminated land regime into operation in advance of the directive.

  Cory Reports Inquiry
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his policy is on meeting from public funds the costs of legal advice and representation to(a) present and (b) former servants of the Crown who are summoned to give evidence to a public inquiry established as a result of the Cory Reports. [166641]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  Once the inquiries begin, reasonable costs of legal assistance will be met from the

  Detection rates by DCU for 2002–2003 and 2003–2004

  Percentage

  Antrim

  Ards

  East Belfast

  North Belfast

  South Belfast

  West Belfast

  Carrickfergus

  Castlereagh

  Larne

  2002–03

  April 2002

  30.4

  21

  9.7

  11.6

  18.0

  22.7

  28.1

  11.7

  42.3

  May 2002

  16.5

  21.5

  11.2

  12.2

  12.3

  21.1

  21.8

  13.2

  19.0

  June 2002

  15.6

  23.2

  10.1

  13.2

  12.5

  21.1

  14.2

  9.7

  29.8

  July 2002

  16.0

  34.3

  15.5

  11.6

  20.4

  21.6

  23.3

  16.4

  36.7

  August 2002

  19.9

  19.6

  21.2

  12.6

  13.4

  20.0

  23.3

  13.1

  27.2

  September 2002

  17.9

  24.1

  12.7

  17.9

  15.7

  16.8

  37.8

  11.8

  44.2

  October 2002

  9.3

  28.8

  16.3

  22.6

  18.3

  17.6

  30.3

  16.7

  25.9

  November 2002

  9.2

  26.4

  19.0

  21.3

  17.6

  22.3

  25.9

  20.2

  49.2

  December 2002

  16.4

  27.2

  14.8

  18.8

  15.7

  21.6

  28.3

  16.7

  35.0

  January 2003

  10.3

  24.9

  21.8

  17.0

  16.3

  21.4

  27.3

  17.7

  25.4

  February 2003

  8.9

  29

  27.4

  18.4

  17.2

  12.9

  21.1

  25.5

  38.1

  March 2003

  10.7

  32.4

  23.4

  15.7

  14.1

  17.4

  28.8

  18.2

  47.1

  2003–20041

  April 2003

  15.0

  26.5

  19.1

  15.7

  17.0

  20.6

  25.2

  14.9

  42.3

  May 2003

  10.5

  23.9

  25.3

  18.0

  16.1

  26.2

  34.1

  18.6

  57.4

  June 2003

  15.6

  25.9

  20.5

  15.7

  23.0

  19.4

  26.2

  13.5

  35.3

  July 2003

  16.6

  25.3

  20.1

  15.1

  22.6

  18.1

  26.5

  19.8

  43.0

  August 2003

  14.2

  24.0

  23.1

  17.6

  20.4

  18.4

  26.7

  32.9

  33.1

  September 2003

  19.2

  24.3

  33.1

  16.9

  22.3

  15.8

  38.3

  19.9

  37.6

  October 2003

  20.7

  29.5

  35.5

  21.3

  17.6

  16.9

  35.7

  14.1

  39.5

  November 2003

  16.4

  28.2

  25.8

  21.3

  19.2

  21.6

  24.8

  18.4

  49.0

  December 2003

  18.5

  22.6

  33.2

  23.5

  17.1

  18.9

  30.6

  23.9

  31.7

  January 2004

  25.3

  31.9

  31.4

  18.6

  18.5

  15.0

  29.3

  23.1

  38.6

  February 2004

  23.1

  36.0

  40.8

  23.2

  19.3

  12.4

  58.5

  20.3

  30.4

  Detection rates by DCU for 2002–2003 and 2003–2004

  Percentage

  Down Fermanagh

  Foyle

  Limavady

  Magherafelt

  Moyle

  Newry and Mourne

  Omagh

  Strabane

  2002–03

  April 2002

  20.1

  25.3

  25.7

  28.4

  34.7

  41.5

  23.5

  48.79

  67.9

  May 2002

  21.9

  30.0

  26.6

  26.9

  31.0

  43.1

  22.5

  39.9

  32.0

  June 2002

  22.9

  29.8

  21.4

  21.0

  35.2

  29.7

  25.2

  37.8

  28.9

  July 2002

  17.7

  21.7

  22.8

  27.3

  21.2

  18.9

  29.5

  45.7

  42.9

  August 2002

  21.9

  33.0

  20.2

  27.3

  23.6

  40.0

  21.3

  39.3

  39.7

  September 2002

  28.6

  39.6

  22.3

  24.2

  20.6

  41.6

  23.9

  60.2

  44.7

  October 2002

  30.9

  24.9

  27.8

  40.1

  31.2

  58.0

  22.8

  39.3

  42.7

  November 2002

  25.2

  35.0

  26.3

  39.4

  21.1

  29.6

  24.3

  38.2

  60.4

  December 2002

  24.9

  25.3

  25.3

  32.5

  32.6

  20.0

  23.7

  45.6

  38.7

  January 2003

  37.6

  30.2

  30.6

  29.5

  34.2

  39.5

  28.0

  41.7

  46.7

  February 2003

  31.8

  33.9

  25.4

  24.9

  40.7

  25.8

  24.4

  36.7

  55.1

  March 2003

  25.2

  25.7

  21.3

  37.3

  41.1

  48.5

  24.0

  31.1

  70.2

  2003–20041

  April 2003

  27.6

  28.2

  24.5

  37.0

  38.3

  39.2

  24.6

  39.9

  29.1

  May 2003

  29.3

  24.8

  26.6

  23.3

  36.9

  20.5

  24.9

  29.6

  45.1

  June 2003

  25.6

  30.3

  23.3

  35.6

  40.7

  62.7

  22.3

  48.5

  39.1

  July 2003

  30.0

  36.3

  25.0

  38.8

  36.8

  34.0

  34.0

  42.1

  47.9

  564W
  public purse for those invited to assist them, in accordance with the procedures that will apply to each inquiry. This will include any present or former public servants who are called to give evidence.

  Crime Detection Rates
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the Police Service of Northern Ireland crime detection rates were in each month during the last two years, broken down by named geographic areas designated by individual district command units.

  Mr. Pearson
  The following table provides the information requested with the exception of figures for March 2004 which are not currently available.
  565W

  Detection rates by DCU for 2002–2003 and 2003–2004

  Percentage

  Down

  Fermanagh

  Foyle

  Limavady

  Magherafelt

  Moyle

  Newry and Mourne

  Omagh

  Strabane

  August 2003

  23.7

  25.4

  23.7

  27.3

  35.8

  35.0

  29.4

  55.7

  44.6

  September 2003

  26.5

  21.2

  26.3

  29.9

  34.3

  26.1

  33.8

  42.2

  43.0

  October 2003

  30.5

  33.3

  31.5

  37.7

  41.1

  43.5

  27.7

  55.1

  52.5

  November 2003

  30.4

  29.5

  21.9

  31.3

  31.0

  22.4

  19.3

  32.4

  48.5

  December 2003

  27.0

  23.3

  17.5

  24.3

  21.7

  30.1

  28.1

  39.2

  44.1

  January 2004

  27.0

  23.5

  21.7

  33.3

  27.0

  13.4

  31.4

  47.1

  46.7

  February 2004

  29.7

  36.1

  23.1

  33.9

  52.3

  25.4

  30.0

  33.5

  61.4

  Detection rates by DCU for 2002–2003 and 2003–2004

  Percentage

  Lisburn

  Newtownabbey

  North Down

  Armagh

  Banbridge

  Ballymeana

  Ballymoney

  Coleraine

  Cookstown

  2002–03

  April 2002

  19.4

  11.5

  15.7

  33.6

  34.5

  49.3

  32.7

  29.3

  33.5

  May 2002

  17.4

  10.0

  13.9

  46.0

  29.7

  26.1

  22.6

  24.6

  32.2

  June 2002

  28.4

  10.8

  13.4

  38.7

  37.5

  30.8

  26.1

  18.3

  29.1

  July 2002

  23.4

  12.3

  14.8

  29.0

  35.5

  32.6

  31.5

  25.5

  38.8

  August

  22.2

  18.9

  17.4

  39.7

  38.8

  27.0

  26.8

  21.6

  26.5

  September 2002

  21.3

  13.5

  21.9

  28.1

  52.0

  27.5

  47.4

  22.0

  25.7

  October 2002

  21.0

  15.0

  19.1

  28.1

  43.6

  26.6

  38.5

  34.7

  37.0

  November 2002

  24.2

  15.9

  20.5

  39.6

  38.7

  41.1

  31.5

  30.5

  27.3

  December 2002

  23.3

  14.7

  24.8

  29.5

  32.6

  22.6

  22.2

  22.8

  29.3

  January 2003

  24.3

  15.6

  33.4

  29.8

  37.6

  24.7

  61.7

  30.5

  31.8

  February 2003

  18.3

  17.7

  25.3

  31.6

  46.2

  25.1

  43.6

  35.0

  27.1

  March 2003

  11.5

  27.2

  38.0

  43.6

  38.3

  28.3

  59.8

  46.4

  21.7

  2003–20041

  April 2003

  18.6

  18.1

  20.7

  45.1

  52.4

  23.6

  28.7

  24.4

  45.1

  May 2003

  23.8

  18.4

  26.5

  53.5

  40.6

  35.6

  23.8

  22.1

  35.6

  June 2003

  24.2

  18.4

  20.5

  38.8

  38.8

  32.1

  48.2

  20.5

  40.7

  July 2003

  22.4

  19.8

  28.5

  39.0

  38.3

  26.1

  39.8

  36.0

  41.5

  August 2003

  21.5

  24.2

  24.8

  34.4

  35.6

  27.2

  47.9

  31.2

  34.0

  September 2003

  24.1

  22.7

  27.0

  33.0

  32.6

  36.1

  27.5

  32.7

  37.6

  October 2003

  26.6

  20.7

  29.0

  47.7

  32.4

  43.8

  54.2

  25.4

  50.0

  November 2003

  22.5

  19.0

  31.7

  44.3

  31.1

  37.7

  40.0

  28.4

  49.7

  December 2003

  24.5

  31.7

  27.5

  31.5

  35.1

  29.4

  23.6

  21.2

  52.7

  January 2004

  20.9

  20.7

  28.2

  36.0

  30.3

  43.7

  25.8

  27.3

  56.3

  February 2004

  20.5

  24.7

  36.2

  45.5

  26.4

  46.9

  42.9

  34.7

  51.9

  Percentage

  Craigavon

  Dungannon and South Tyrone

  2002–03

  April 2002

  28.0

  42.2

  May 2002

  21.2

  35.1

  June 2002

  303

  22.9

  July 2002

  21.3

  34.5

  August 2002

  19.0

  40.8

  September 2002

  180

  24.4

  October 2002

  256

  59.0

  November 2002

  227

  28.9

  December 2002

  27.7

  28.8

  January 2003

  17.6

  23.0

  February 2003

  129

  41.3

  March 2003

  184

  30.2

  2003–20041

  April 2003

  218

  37.4

  May 2003

  122

  29.9

  June 2003

  172

  37.6

  July 2003

  242

  45.9

  August 2003

  249

  41.2

  September 2003

  289

  48.7

  October 2003

  250

  42.0

  November 2003

  212

  35.8

  December 2003

  254

  45.2

  January 2004

  299

  47.1

  February 2004

  218

  29.5

  1Please note that clearance rates for March 2004 are not yet available. Clearance rates for 2003-2004 are provisional and as such are liable to revision.

  Drugs
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) arrests were made, (b) people were charged, (c) cautions were issued and (d) convictions were made, for drug offences in Northern Ireland in each of the last three years, broken down by (i) drug classification category and (ii) Northern Ireland parliamentary constituency. [165771]

  Mr. Pearson
  I have placed in the Library, tables that provide the information requested for arrests, charges, and caution for the financial years 2001–02 and 2002–03. Figures for 2002–04 are not yet available. As it is not possible to provide an abalysis by parliamentary constituency a breakdown by PSNI District Command Unit is provided instead. Data relating to convictions can be provided only by calendar year.

  Education Ancillary Workers
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the secretary of state for Northern Ireland if he will undertake a review of the effect of Jarvis PPP contract proposals on education ancillary workers. [166048]
  567W
  Mr. Gardiner
  A review of the effect of particular PPP contract proposals would not be appropriate. PPP projects are publicly advertised and contractors selected through an open competitive process. Successful contractors must satisfy all the criteria set for each project.

  TUPE (Transfer of Undertaking Protection of Employment Regulations) will apply to the transferring staff, which means that their current contractual terms and conditions will be protected. On pensions, Jarvis has also given a commitment that it will apply for membership of the Northern Ireland Local Government Officers Superannuation Scheme.

  I also understand the Chief Executive of the South Eastern Board has written to you recently offering a meeting to discuss your concerns.

  Environmental Prosecutions
  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many prosecutions have been brought under part 3 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 since its introduction; and what the average penalty has been. [164573]

  Angela Smith
  Part 3 of the Waste and Contaminated Land (Northern Ireland) Order 1997 has not yet been brought into operation. Consequently no prosecutions have been brought under its provisions.

  Farm Fraud
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what types of farming fraud offences were detected; and how many cases of each occurred in the last 12 months. [166702]

  Mr. Pearson
  The types of farming fraud and the number of cases detected during the last year (April 2003 to March 2004) were as follows:

  number of cases

  Livestock Subsidy (Sheep Annual Premium Scheme)

  65

  Cattle Identification/Livestock Subsidy (Cattle)

  28

  Ear Tag Interference

  2

  Integrated Administration and Control (IACS)

  8

  Animal Disease Compensation

  6

  Fishing Industry
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many applications have been received under the current fishing vessel(a) decommissioning scheme and (b) tie-up scheme; how many applications have been granted for boats in (i) Portavogie, (ii) Ardglass and (iii) Kilkeel in each case; and how much money has been allocated to each scheme in each case. [166830]

  Mr. Pearson
  Requested information in respect of the 2003 Decommissioning Scheme and The Temporary Cessation Tie up scheme 2004 as at 16 April 2004 is shown in the tables.
  568W

  Decommissioning

  Application received

  Application Approved

  Grant paid to date 16 April 2004(£)

  Portavogie

  20

  5

  1,077,767

  Ardglass

  7

  3

  489,900

  Kilkeel

  25

  11

  2,932,369

  Total

  52

  19

  4,500,037

  Tie Up Scheme

  Application Received

  Application Approved

  Grant paid to date 16 April 2004 (£)

  Portavogie

  14

  13

  256,152

  Ardglass

  1

  1

  1,632

  Kilkeel

  15

  13

  190,569

  Total

  30

  27

  448,355

  General de Chastelain
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2004,Official Report, column 300W, on General de Chastelain, if he will list the full days since 1 January that General de Chastelain has spent in the Province. [165758]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Independent International Commission on Decommissioning has now advised that, on average, General de Chastelain spends one week per month in Northern Ireland on decommissioning work. In the year 2003, the General was in Northern Ireland for 82 days. So far this year he was in NI for 6 days in February. Further visits have been planned for April and May.

  Hospital Shuttle Bus Services
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost in 2003–04 of the shuttle buses currently serving the Royal Victoria Hospital. [166701]

  Mr. Spellar
  Translink has advised that for the year 2003–04 the cost of providing the shuttle bus service to the Royal Victoria Hospital from Belfast City center was £80,300. Income from fares amounting to £69,400 went towards supporting this service.

  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the cost of introducing a shuttle bus service between the Ulster Hospital and Belfast City center. [166710]

  Mr. Spellar
  Translink has advised that the estimated cost of providing a shuttle bus service between Belfast City center and the Ulster Hospital at Dundonald would be approximately £156,600 per year, depending on the required hours of operation and frequency of service. Although Translink do not supply a dedicated bus to the Ulster Hospital, approximately 190 buses per day stop at a terminus, located adjacent to the hospital.

  Local Area Partnerships
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the
  569W
  membership and timetable for local area partnerships recommended by the Costello report, broken down by education board area. [166712]

  Mr. Gardiner
  Local Planning and Development Partnerships will comprise representatives of schools and school managing authorities in local areas. The arrangements to establish these partnerships are currently under consideration by the Department of Education with the aim of having them in place by the beginning of the next school year.

  Nursing Homes
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what restrictions there are on the rates charged to residents by nursing homes. [166699]

  Angela Smith
  The rates charged to private residents by nursing homes are a matter for negotiation and agreement between both parties. In the case of residents who are supported with public funds it is the Health and Social Services (HSS) Trust that arranges the nursing home placement and agrees to pay an appropriate tariff to the nursing home. Nursing homes may not charge residents for accommodation or care, including the nursing care of private residents paid for by HSS Trusts.

  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether nursing homes are permitted to charge different residents at differing rates. [166700]

  Angela Smith
  Nursing homes may charge individual residents different amounts based on the type and extent of care needed and the standard of facilities and accommodation provided. Nursing homes providing care for different classes of resident, i.e. elderly, mental health or other disablement, charge rates that are based on the level of care usually given to the specific class of resident the nursing home is authorised to accommodate. The four Health and Social Services Boards have set regional tariffs that Health and Social Services Trusts will normally pay for the appropriate standard placement for each class of resident. Trusts retain the authority to vary the amount payable where the resident is assessed to require additional services.

  Paramilitary Offences
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to his answer of 17 March,Official Report, columns 305–6W, on paramilitary offences, how many of the 106 deaths have been solved through the arrest and conviction of the people responsible; and if he will make a statement. [165690]

  Month

  PEACE II Measure

  Project

  Amount paid (£)

  July 2003

  Nil

  August 2003

  1.6

  DDA Training Services

  72,160

  Acorn Business center

  75,647

  Fermanagh College

  75,003

  North Down and Ards Institute

  90,444

  GG Enterprises Ltd.

  68,020

  Info-Net IT Services

  38,986

  570W
  Mr. Pearson
  The following table provides details of the number of security related murders and charges in respect of these murders.

  Persons murdered as a result of the security situation 11 April 1998 to 29 February 2004

  Perceived attribution1

  By Loyalist

  By Republican

  Total

  Number of persons murdered

  53

  49

  2102

  Number of murders for which someone has been charged

  18

  1

  19

  1Attribution is as perceived by PSNI based on the information available.

  2 Excludes 4 deaths where the deceased was not murdered by terrorists but died in security related circumstances.

  With regard to criminal proceedings there have been convictions for murder in respect of four deaths; convictions for lesser offences in respect of three deaths (including two for manslaughter); and directions of no prosecutions by the DPP or acquittals at trial in respect of five deaths. Of the remaining seven deaths where murder charges have been brought by police, the relevant cases are awaiting direction by the DPP or have yet to reach trial.

  Peace II Programme
  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2004,Official Report, column 868W on PEACE II Programme, if he will break down each of the monthly figures by organisation to which money was allocated; under what measure number the PEACE II money was allocated; and how much money not allocated from the PEACE II funds is accessible by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. [166832]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development's budget for 2003–04, excluding PEACE II, totalled £478.5 million.

  It is not possible to provide a breakdown of the monthly expenditure figures provided in my answer of 3 February 2004, Official Report, column 868W. The figures given then were extracted from data that was collected by the Special EU Programmes Body for weekly reports and was not broken down at that time to project level.

  The following data is drawn from the Structural Funds database at 16 April 2004 and represents a more up-to-date position of the expenditure entered onto the database during the six months in question:
  571W

  Month

  PEACE II Measure

  Project

  Amount paid (£)

  1.7A

  Fermanagh College

  44,565

  Family Farm Development Ltd.

  163,312

  Countryside Services Ltd.

  113,459

  Laganside Rural Development Ltd.

  66,643

  Rural Area Partnership In Derry

  23,617

  September 2003

  5.7

  Northern Ireland Seafood

  33,774

  October 2003

  1.6

  Acorn Business center

  23,353

  Loughgiel Farmers Development Group Ltd.

  2,315

  Coleraine LAG for Enterprise

  70,416

  GG Enterprises Ltd.

  30,318

  Info-Net IT Services

  31,442

  Magherafelt Area Partnership Ltd.

  73,051

  1.7A

  Family Farm Development Ltd.

  210,629

  Laganside Rural Development Ltd.

  70,376

  Countryside Services Ltd.

  179,937

  Fermanagh College

  67,500

  Rural Area Partnership In Derry

  1,925

  5.7

  Northern Ireland Seafood

  89,748

  November 2003

  1.2B

  Mourne Heritage Trust

  73,896

  Fermanagh Lakeland Tourism

  48,100

  Causeway Coast and Glens Heritage Trust

  12,817

  1.6

  Armagh College

  65,227

  DDA Training Services

  3,879

  Fermanagh College

  26,725

  Info-Net IT Services

  6,706

  Desertmartin and District Farming Group

  1,580

  North Down and Ards Institute

  6,246

  College of Agriculture, Food and Rural Enterprise

  8,652,472

  Magherafelt Area Partnership Ltd.

  2,494

  Newry and Kilkeel Institute of Further and Higher Education

  62,358

  1.7A

  Fermanagh College

  26,648

  Laganside Rural Development Ltd.

  16,749

  Newry and Kilkeel Institute of Further and Higher Education

  80,747

  Rural Area Partnership In Perry

  75,477

  4.2B

  Mourne Heritage Trust

  20,000

  5.7

  Northern Ireland Seafood

  197,861

  December 2003

  1.2B

  National Museums and Galleries of Northern Ireland

  2,934

  1.6

  Trillick and District Farmers Countryside Group

  5,300

  Down Livestock Group

  1,128

  Loughgiel Farmers Development Group Ltd.

  2.315

  DDA Training Services

  7,820

  Coleraine LAG for Enterprise

  6,929

  Markethill Suckler Farmers Devt Gp Ltd.

  2,000

  1.7A

  Laganside Rural Development Ltd.

  57,233

  4.2B

  Cookstown Tourist Information center

  4,698

  5.7

  Northern Ireland Seafood

  51,456

  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Mr. Dodds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) regular, (b) full-time reserve and (c) part-time reserve police officers were (i) in the establishment plan and (ii) in place in North Belfast in each year since 1996. [156629]

  Numbers of regular, full-time reserve and part-time reserve officers based in North Belfast since 1996

  Regular officers

  Full-time reserve officers

  Part-time reserve officers

  Established

  Actual

  Established

  Actual

  Established

  Actual

  April 19961

  2—

  343

  2—

  154

  2—

  139

  April 19971

  2—

  346

  2—

  139

  2—

  128

  April 19981

  2—

  355

  2—

  147

  2—

  121

  April 19991

  2—

  353

  2—

  145

  2—

  119

  April2000

  362

  336

  148

  128

  153

  108

  April 2001

  446

  394

  159

  130

  153

  104

  572W
  Mr. Pearson
  The following table shows the numbers of regular, full-time reserve and part-time reserve officers based in North Belfast since 1996. It should be noted that the establishment figure for each District Command Unit is determined by the Chief Constable.
  573W

  Numbers of regular, full-time reserve and part-time reserve officers based in North Belfast since 1996

  Regular officers

  Full-time reserve officers

  Part-time reserve officers

  Established

  Actual

  Established

  Actual

  Established

  Actual

  April 2002

  436

  349

  159

  109

  153

  100

  April 2003

  377

  355

  151

  86

  153

  91

  February 2004

  389

  357

  101

  73

  200

  80

  1CID not included.

  2No establishment data available.

  Lady Hermon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of police reservists who would lose their jobs within each Police Service of Northern Ireland District Command Unit if the police reserve were to be phased out. [164659]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Patten Report recommended that "the future police service should not include a Full Time Reserve", and this recommendation was accepted by the Government, subject to the security situation. In October 2002, the Chief Constable submitted a human resource strategy to the Policing. Board. It proposed that, subject to no further deterioration in the security situation, and the continued success of recruitment to the Police Service, the Full Time Reserve would be phased out over an 18 month period starting in April 2005.

  The Chief Constable will review these matters later this year, and will subsequently put forward advice to the Board. An assessment of the potential operational impact on individual District Command Units of any phasing out process will form part of the Chief Constable's review.

  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many(a) protestant and (b) Roman Catholic applicants who have qualified for appointment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland since the introduction of 50:50 recruiting have not been offered employment with the PSNI; and how many such applicants have passed the entrance examinations on more than one occasion.[152461]

  Jane Kennedy
  From competitions 1 to 4, 1,706 non-Catholic and 604 Catholic applicants have qualified for appointment to the Police Service of Northern Ireland. Of these, 530 of each community background have been appointed. Of the qualified Catholic candidates, all were offered appointment, but some withdrew in the time intervening between qualification for appointment and the time of appointment.

  Appointments from competition 5 have started, although the pool is not yet finalised, and the pool for competition 6 is not expected to be ready until April this year.

  The information on the number of candidates who have passed the entrance examinations (i.e. have been successful in becoming qualified candidates and reaching the merit pool) more than once is taking some time to collate. As soon as the figures are available, they will be forwarded.
  574W
  Mrs. Iris Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the transgressions that bar an individual from becoming a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are.[164924]

  Mr. Pearson
  Transgressions that bar an individual from becoming a member of the Police Service of Northern Ireland are set out in Schedule 1 of the Police (Recruitment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2001, entitled "Criminal Convictions etc", in respect of eligibility for appointment as a police trainee in the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

  The Police Service of Northern Ireland (Recruitment of Police Support Staff) Regulations 2002 similarly set out the procedures in relation to support staff appointments.

  Potato Ring Rot
  Mr. Peter Robinson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 February,Official Report, column 871W on potato ring rot, what vehicles purchased from modulation money for these purposes are now used. [166833]

  Mr. Pearson
  Following the recent finding of potato ring rot in Wales, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development increased its existing stringent preventive measures to ensure that there was no plant health risk to the Northern Ireland potato industry. The majority of the costs associated with these additional measures related to DARD staff time, though small capital expenditure was incurred in 2003 on diagnostic work related to potato ring rot. No vehicles were purchased for the purposes of potato ring rot control.

  Power-sharing
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what power sharing arrangements have been adopted for the appointment of mayor, deputy mayor and committee chairs in each district council area. [166780]

  Angela Smith
  There are a number of formal and informal power sharing arrangements operated by district councils for the appointment of mayor, deputy mayor and committee chairs. These include proportionality systems such as the D'Hondt system, the rotation of posts or a combination of these. The following table is based on information provided to the Department of the Environment by district councils and shows for each district council whether power sharing arrangements are in place.
  575W

  District council1

  Mayor

  Deputy mayor

  Committee chair

  Antrim BC

  Formal (Rotation)

  Informal (Rotation)

  Informal (Rotation)

  Ards BC

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Armagh C and DC

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Ballymena BC

  Informal (Power Sharing by Unionist parties)

  Informal (Power Sharing by Unionist parties)

  Informal (Power Sharing by all parties)

  Ballymoney BC

  None

  None

  None

  Banbridge DC

  Formal (Proportionality)

  Formal (Proportionality)

  Formal (Proportionality)

  Belfast CC

  No formal arrangement

  No formal arrangement

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Carrickfergus BC

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Castlereagh BC

  None

  None

  None

  Coleraine BC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Cookstown DC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Rotation)

  Formal (Rotation)

  Craigavon BC

  None

  None

  None

  Derry CC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Down DC

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Information unavailable

  Dungannon and ST BC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Fermanagh DC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Lame BC

  Informal (Power Sharing)

  Informal (Power Sharing)

  Informal (Power Sharing)

  Limavady BC

  Formal (Power Sharing)

  Formal (Power Sharing)

  Formal (Power Sharing)

  Lisburn BC

  None

  None

  None

  Magherafelt DC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  None

  None

  Moyle DC

  Formal (Rotation)

  Formal (Rotation)

  2n/a

  Newry and Mourne DC

  Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)

  Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)

  Formal (Mix of Proportionality and D'Hondt)

  Newtownabbey BC

  Informal (Based on party strengths)

  Informal (Based on party strengths)

  Informal (Based on party strengths)

  North Down BC

  None

  None

  None

  Omagh DC

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Formal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Strabane DC

  Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  Informal (Proportionality—D'Hondt)

  1A number of councils have not been able to respond in the time available.

  2Moyle District Council does not operate a committee system.

  Punishment Beatings
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many individuals now serving a sentence in Hydebank Wood Young Offenders center(a) were victims of punishment beatings and (b) were classed as exiles prior to being detained in the center. [163604]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Northern Ireland Prison Service does not collect data in the manner requested above. This is due to the fact that many inmates refuse to disclose the level of threat to which they have been subject; nor do we have any information on 'exiles'.

  The only information available to us is from a survey of the inmate population of Hydebank Wood, conducted in March 2004 by representatives from Queens University Belfast. In the course of this survey they did receive responses from the inmates regarding their experiences of violence and threats.

  Out of a sample size of 187 inmates the following was obtained:

  Inmates were asked:
  "Have you ever been threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries"

  59.4 per cent. said that they had been threatened.

  51 per cent. said that they had been assaulted.

  576W
  The inmates were asked a supplementary question:
  "and in the last year, were you threatened or assaulted by paramilitaries".

  12.8 per cent. said that they had been threatened in the last year.

  7 per cent. said that they had been assaulted in the last year.

  23.5 per cent. said that they had been threatened and assaulted in the last year.

  The inmates were finally asked:
  "By which grouping, Loyalist or Republican"

  21 per cent. (39 people) said they had been threatened or assaulted by Loyalists in the last year

  21 per cent. (39 people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by Republicans in the last year.

  1 per cent. (two people) said that they had been threatened or assaulted by both groups in the last year.

  Pupil Behavioural Surveys
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the(a) cost, (b) number and (c) results of pupil behavioural surveys carried out in each education board area in the last year [166715]

  Mr. Gardiner
  The information requested is not available in that form. However, each Education and Library Board does submit an annual statistical return
  577W
  to the Department of Education giving details of the total number of pupils who have been suspended or expelled. The statistics for the 2002/03 school year are as follows:

  Number of Pupils Suspended

  5,320

  Number of Pupils Expelled

  70

  In addition the Belfast Education and Library Board has recently published the findings of its "Behaviour in a Learning City—Best Value Review of the Provision of Behaviour Support".

  Racism
  Mr. Beggs
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he is taking to combat racism in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement. [165772]

  Mr. Spellar
  The Government have frequently put on record ifs abhorrence of all forms of intolerance and racism. It is committed to eradicating such manifestations of hatred, whether based on racism or based on sectarianism and is developing a co-ordinated response to the problem in Northern Ireland.

  Enforcement action by Police Service of Northern Ireland will continue to be the key to tackling such attacks, and PSNI enforcement action will be accompanied by a range of actions by the Northern Ireland Office and the Northern Ireland Departments. As well as new legislative proposals, these will include measures on education, housing, health and social policy issues. The final version of the Race Equality Strategy (which takes account of extensive consultation with all sections of NI society) will be published by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister this summer and specific actions will be included in a detailed implementation plan developed in line with the strategy.

  The Government's Community Safety Strategy, being implemented through the Community Safety Unit of the Northern Ireland Office, identified offences motivated by prejudice and hatred as a central theme in making Northern Ireland a safer place for all its citizens. Specifically, the Strategy seeks to reduce the levels of crime motivated by sectarianism, and to promote and enhance the safety of minority ethnic residents. Currently, the Unit is facilitating a working group of voluntary and statutory organisations which aims to establish a clear framework and operational system for the recording and monitoring of a number of hate crimes. These will include sectarian, racist and homophobic incidents. It is hoped to bring forward the consultation on such an agreed framework by the end of June, with implementation intended by October 2004. Within its Community Safety grant programme, the Challenge Competition, the Unit has also provided funding towards four projects which have a central theme of countering prejudice and hatred to a total value of £273255.
  578W
  I have also published for consultation, draft legislation for Northern Ireland aimed at tackling racially motivated offences. The draft Order proposes provisions that will require sentencers, where offences are aggravated by such hostility, to treat racial and religious aggravation as an aggravating factor when sentencing. The legislation will also cover offences motivated by hatred of sexual orientation. The proposals will also increase maximum sentences available for certain specified, mainly violent, offences including where racial, religious or sexual aggravation is proven.

  The issues raised by racism are issues for all sections of society in Northern Ireland and in expressing abhorrence of racism, all of us must avoid the temptation to demonise entire areas and communities. It would be an act of prejudice itself to stereotype people because of where they live or because of their community background. I reiterate the acknowledgement in the Belfast Agreement of the unique opportunity that exists here to bring about a society which will recognise the full and equal legitimacy and worth of identities, senses of allegiance and ethos of all sections of the community in Northern Ireland.

  Special Advisers
  Mr. Gregory Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what changes have been made to the number of special advisers employed at the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister since suspension of devolution in October 2002. [165737]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  During devolution six Special Advisers were employed by the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister. The employment of all six terminated on suspension but four were subsequently re-appointed and continue to be employed by that Department.

  Special Needs Education
  Mr. McGrady
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what differences there are between the methods of delivering special needs education in integrated and mainstream schools; [163605]

  (2) what provision for special needs education is made in the (a) integrated and (b) mainstream sector. [156104]

  Mr. Gardiner
  The assessment process and the provision put in place to meet a child's special educational needs (SEN) are determined by the needs of the individual and not the school sector in which the child is placed and there is therefore no difference across sectors in terms of the nature of support provided.

  Each Education and Library Board is responsible for Statements of Special Educational Needs for pupils resident in its area. The Board will meet the educational costs associated with the Statement in respect of pupils in maintained schools and in controlled schools (including controlled integrated schools). The cost of the educational provision in Statements for children in grant—maintained integrated (GMI) schools is met by the Department because it has direct funding responsibility for these schools.
  579W
  In addition, resources are allocated to schools (including GMI schools) through the various LMS formulae to assist pupils with special educational needs who do not require a Statement.

  Stormont Castle
  Mr. Gregory Campbell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost to the public purse has been of the recent refurbishment of Stormont Castle. [165993]

  Mr. Pearson
  Stormont Castle was refurbished on behalf of the Northern Ireland Executive. The refurbishment was completed in 2001. The total cost of the work was £8 million.

  Terrorism
  David Burnside
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he made to the Prime Minister prior to his visit to Libya last week about the victims of terrorists supplied by Libyan arms and explosives. [165220]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  The Government are aware of the recent calls by representatives of IRA victims and others that Libya should provide compensation for IRA victims.

  The Prime Minister discussed a wide range of issues with Colonel Gadaffi including international and regional security issues, including terrorism.

  Tree Preservation Orders
  Mr. Hume
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what applications for tree preservation orders in the vicinity of Danesfort Crescent, Steelstown Road and Greenhaw Road, Derry have been received. [166777]

  Angela Smith
  Planning Service has received five applications for tree preservation orders in the vicinity of Danesfort Crescent, Steelstown Road and Greenhaw Road, Derry.

  Ulster-Scots
  Mr. Dodds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to the Government of the Irish Republic on ratifying the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages in respect of Ulster-Scots in the Republic of Ireland. [166439]

  Mr. Paul Murphy
  No representation has been made to the Irish Government.

  UVF Ceasefire
  Mr. McNamara
  To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his current assessment is of the UVF ceasefire. [164941]

  Mr. Pearson
  The Secretary of State keeps the ceasefires of all paramilitary organisations under review. The current judgment is that the UVF do not intend to end their ceasefire.

  Northern Ireland: Paramilitary Activity
  Northern Ireland: Paramilitary Activity
  Belfast Education and Library Board
  Belfast Education and Library Board
  Northern Ireland: Railways
  Northern Ireland: Railways
  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Republic of Ireland: Official Languages Act
  Republic of Ireland: Official Languages Act
  Northern Ireland: Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
  Northern Ireland: Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister
  Civil Service
  Civil Service
  Irish Language Agency
  Irish Language Agency
  Law Officers' Advice to Government: Disclosure
  Law Officers' Advice to Government: Disclosure
  Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Funding
  Northern Ireland Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure: Cultural and Linguistic Diversity Funding
  West Belfast Festival
  West Belfast Festival
  China: Human Rights
  China: Human Rights
  African Court of Human and People's Rights
  African Court of Human and People's Rights
  European Convention on Human Rights
  European Convention on Human Rights
  Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Detainees
  Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Detainees
  Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Privy Counsellor Review Committee
  Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001: Privy Counsellor Review Committee
  Community Punishments
  Community Punishments
  REME Volunteers Battalions: Wheeled Recovery Vehicles
  REME Volunteers Battalions: Wheeled Recovery Vehicles
  Defence Information Systems
  Defence Information Systems
  Ministry of Defence: IPv6
  Ministry of Defence: IPv6
  Astute Class Submarines
  Astute Class Submarines
  English Language Courses
  English Language Courses
  Schools: Pedometers
  Schools: Pedometers
  14 to 16 Education
  14 to 16 Education
  Adult Learning
  Adult Learning
  Wind Farms
  Wind Farms
  British Coal: Litigation
  British Coal: Litigation
  Gas Oil Bowsers
  Gas Oil Bowsers