Written Answers of 23 April 2004

ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

  Agriculture (Environmental Damage)
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research she has(a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on damage caused to the environment by animal agriculture. [164224]

  Mr. Morley
  The information is as follows.

  (a)Defra has commissioned a wide range of studies on this topic. These programmes and their associated studies have been addressed by "pollutant" (eg greenhouse gas, ammonia, nitrate, phosphorus) rather than by farming sector (eg animal, arable). Full details of the numerous studies, both on-going and those completed in and after 1999, can be found on http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project_data/subject.asp?SCOPE=0. Most of this extensive research is listed under the policy areas "Environmental Protection (Agriculture)" and "Farmland Conservation". Some of the output of this research is summarised in National Inventories for Greenhouse Gases and Ammonia.

  (b)Defra R&D programmes are subjected to periodic review (usually triennial). In addition, individual studies are subject to an expanding programme of peer review. An economic evaluation of the nitrate R&D programme was published in 2002 and can be found at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/evaluation/nitrate/default.asp.

  Amazon Basin
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the impact of the globalised beef market on deforestation in the Amazon basin. [166834]

  Mr. Morley
  The international beef export market is expanding and Brazilian production is rising to meet demand. The vast majority of Brazil's export trade is currently with countries outside the European Community.

  We have not undertaken our own assessment of the impact of the globalised beef market on deforestation in the Amazon Basin, but we are aware of work undertaken and published on 2 April 2004 by CIFOR (Centre for International Forestry Research), which suggests that Brazil's beef production contribute to the destruction of the Amazon rainforest.

  The Government takes sustainable forest management seriously and is playing a leading role in international negotiations on forests in a number of fora, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF), Forest Law Enforcement and Governance processes and the G8.
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  The Government is committed to tackling illegal logging. Under EU law, a ban on the import of illegally logged timber can be imposed only at EU level. We are therefore showing leadership within the European Forest Law Enforcement, Governance and Trade (FLEGT) process. The FLEGT action plan includes the proposal to negotiate voluntary partnership agreements with timber producing countries. These agreements would be underpinned by a new EU import Regulation that would deny access to EU markets for illegally harvested timber from those countries.

  BACS
  Brian White
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress her Department has made to manage the changeover from the Bank Automated Clearing System to the new BACSTEL-IP system for electronic payments. [164328]

  Alun Michael
  Defra has been in discussion with our Bank Automated Clearing System (BACS) software provider and we have also been in communication with our sponsoring bank for BACS payments (The Bank of England). Defra will be migrating to BACSTEL-IP in accordance with the timetable issued by BACS Ltd. and guidance from The Office of the Paymaster General.

  BSE/nvCJD
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will publish the latest evidence on the links between BSE and new variant CJD. [164072]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  I have been asked to reply.

  The research referred to is published in international scientific literature, not by the Government.

  The two latest published findings are Asante E. A. et al (2002)—the European Molecular Biology Organisation Journal, vol. 21, pp. 6358–6366 and proceedings of the National Academy of Science (USA) vol. 98, pp 4142–4147. Copies of both have been placed in the Library.

  Carbon Dioxide Emissions
  Linda Perham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the factors accounting for the trend in UK carbon dioxide emissions since 1996. [165455]

  Alun Michael
  UK emissions of CO2 in 2003 were some seven million tonnes of carbon (MtC) lower than in 1996. Broadly speaking this can be accounted for by warmer temperatures in 2003 (-4MtC), greater economic output (+29MtC), lower energy consumption per unit of economic output (-26 MtC), and lower average carbon content of fuels per unit of energy consumption (-6 MtC). The figures in brackets indicate approximately the contribution of each effect, positive and negative signs indicating respectively a contribution to higher or lower emissions.

  Chardon LL Fodder Maize
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will
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  withdraw her request to the French competent authority for a variation in the conditions attached to the Part C consent for Chardon LL fodder maize. [166421]

  Mr. Morley
  [holding answer 21 April 2004]: No. The consent issued by the French Authorities applies to all types of maize genetically modified with the event known as T25, not just to specific varieties, such as Chardon LL.

  Climate Change
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent estimate the Government has made of the annual costs to the insurance industry resulting from climate change. [165815]

  Mr. Morley
  According to the Association of British Insurers storm and flood insurance losses in the UK over the past five years have totalled £5 billion, twice that of previous years. At present, it is not possible scientifically, to attribute such changes and the associated weather events to climate change absolutely. However, what is clear is that the extreme weather events experienced in the UK over recent years (for example, the floods in 2000 and the hot summer in 2003) are typical of what is likely to be experienced with even greater frequency as a result of man-made climate change.

  Environment Agency
  David Taylor
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to review the Environment Agency's pollution incident recording system. [166051]

  Mr. Morley
  I have no plans to review the Environment Agency's National Incident Recording System (NIRS).

  The Agency carries out an ongoing review of the effectiveness of the system and liaises with the user community, making changes where appropriate.

  Over the next five years, the Agency will be looking to move towards one fully integrated web-based tracking system to encompass incident reporting and enforcement.

  Environmental Problems (Costs)
  John Barrett
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Treasury on the cost to the economy of environmental problems. [166670]

  Mr. Morley
  Officials and Ministers from Defra and the Treasury frequently discuss the cost to the economy of environmental problems and how best this can be mitigated. To inform these discussions and policy development more generally Defra undertakes analysis of the economic costs and benefits of policies to protect the environment, including a continuous programme of impact assessments and an annual national survey of environmental expenditure by businesses.

  Recent examples of such discussions include the development of proposals for returning the revenue from the new landfill tax escalator to business and
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  consideration of the scope for cost savings through more sustainable patterns of consumption and production.

  GM Crops
  Mr. Simon Thomas
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 18 March,Official Report, column 435W, on GM crops, whether the investigations were conducted by the Robert Koch Institute on behalf of the Syngenta Corporation. [166109]

  Mr. Morley
  The German Government has appointed the Robert Koch Institute as its competent authority under Directive 2001/18. The Institute's investigation was undertaken as the competent authority with the full co-operation of Syngenta, who hold the consent for marketing of Bt176 maize.

  Sustainable Development
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to deliver sustainable development within Government. [165657]

  Mr. Morley
  Sustainable development is the responsibility of all Government Departments, but one for which Defra takes the lead. Defra actively promotes sustainable development across Whitehall in many ways in line with the Department's primary Public Service Agreement. Current initiatives include:Annual reporting on the Government's progress towards sustainable development in the UK since the launch of the 1999 strategy for sustainable development. The 2003 "Achieving a better quality of life" report updates progress on the UK Government's l5 headline indicators of sustainable development and gives an overview of the main strategic developments and actions.
  Drawing up new UK sustainable development strategy, including a strategic framework covering both domestic and international dimensions, co-owned and agreed by the devolved Administrations and the UK Government. The consultation was launched on 21 April.
  Development of the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate. This is the main vehicle for improving the way in which Government Departments manage their business operations.
  Ensuring that domestic and international sustainable development is an important consideration in HM Treasury's Spending Review 2004.
  Pursuing, along with other Government Departments, implementation of the commitments stemming from the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress has been made on her Department's Sustainable Development Strategy. [165658]

  Mr. Morley
  Progress towards meeting the targets listed in the Framework for Sustainable Development on the Government Estate is detailed in the Sustainable Development in Government report published in November 2003.

  Sustainable development, as the Department's overarching aim, also underpins Defra's work, which is reported in the departmental annual reports.
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  A review of progress on Defra's SD strategy, "Foundations for our Future", will be published later in the year. We also published a five-year review of progress on the UK Government strategy, "Achieving a better quality of life", on 16 March 2004, together with updates on the headline indicators. Defra, together with the devolved Administrations and other Government Departments, will be launching a consultation on a future UK strategy, including both domestic and international dimensions, later this month.

  Hazardous Waste
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 11 March 2004,Official Report, column 1621W, on hazardous waste, if she will make a statement on the (a) detection and (b) prosecution rates she expects the Environment Agency to achieve. [165295]

  Mr. Morley
  It is not possible to predict detection and prosecution rates for hazardous waste. However, Environment Agency data for prosecutions brought relating to illegal waste activity as a whole is available for the years 1999–2003 as follows:

  Year (financial)

  Number of prosecutions

  1999–2000

  366

  2000–01

  446

  2001–02

  484

  2002–03

  511

  The Environment Agency takes enforcement action against incidents and breaches of permit conditions in accordance with its enforcement and prosecution policies.

  Press Officers
  Mr. Laws
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many press officers were employed in her Department in each year from 1990–91 to 2003–04; what the total cost was in each year; and if she will make a statement. [162852]

  Alun Michael
  Defra was not set up until June 2001. Figures relating to numbers of press officers employed by the organisations whose functions were subsumed into the new department would not correspond accurately to the distribution and scope of the present work areas.

  The number of press officers employed at Defra has been as follows:

  Number

  June 2001

  22

  June 2002

  22

  June 2003

  22

  As at 18 March 2004

  19

  Public Bodies
  Dr. Cable
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Airs what the budget for administration was for each non-departmental public body for which she is responsible that are in the following 676W
  categories (a) public corporation, (b) executive, (c) advisory and (d) tribunal non-departmental public bodies in financial year 2002–03. [164460]

  Alun Michael
  Details of the administration costs of executive, tribunal and advisory NDPBs and public corporations are as follows:

  Executive NDPBs and Public Corporations

  Both management accounting practices and the definition of administration costs differ from organisation to organisation. Therefore comparisons between NDPBs may not be appropriate.

  Advisory and Tribunal NDPBs

  Administration costs for advisory and tribunal NDPBs include the costs of board members (fees and expenses) and any associated direct costs of running the NDPB. It does not include the costs of the secretariats within Defra.

  Administration costs of executive, advisory and tribunal NDPBs and public corporations

  £

  Administration costs

  Executive NDPBs

  Agricultural Wages Board

  129,902

  Agricultural Wages Committee

  12,547

  British Potato Council

  1,758,718

  Countryside Agency

  17,500,000

  Environment Agency

  113,000,000

  English Nature

  10,581,000

  Food From Britain

  2,059,105

  Horticultural Development Council

  257,366

  Home Grown Cereals Authority

  1596,000

  Horticultural Research International

  1,667,000

  Joint Nature Conservation Committee

  1,344,000

  Royal Botanical Gardens—Kew

  2,281,000

  Milk Development Council

  1,035,939

  Meat and Livestock Commission

  2,200,000

  National Forest Company

  1,006,233

  Seafish Industry Authority

  1,820,000

  Wine Standards Board

  254,675

  Public corporations

  British Waterways

  28,500,000

  Covent Garden Market Authority

  1,648,467

  Advisory NDPBs

  Advisory Committee on Business and the Environment

  5,000

  Advisory Committee on Consumer Products and the Environment

  5,573

  Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances

  16,114

  Advisory Committee on Packaging

  2—

  Advisory Committee on Pesticides

  110,000

  Advisory Committee on Releases to the Environment

  35,000

  Agricultural Dwelling House Advisory Committees

  12,849

  Air Quality Expert Group

  46,500

  Committee on Products and Processes for Use in Public Water

  Supply

  21,637

  Darwin Advisory Committee (The Darwin Initiative)

  2,750

  Expert Group on Cryptosporidium in Water Supplies

  3,425

  Expert Panel on Air Quality Standards

  3,460

  Farm Animal Welfare Council

  109,000

  Government Industry Forum on Non-Food Uses of Crops

  14,040

  Independent Scientific Group on TB in Cattle

  155,424

  Inland Waterways Amenity Advisory Council

  190,000

  Integrated Administration and Control System Appeals Panel

  2,750

  Pesticides Residues Committee

  28,500

  Radioactive Waste Management Advisory Committee

  148,000

  Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution

  440,000

  Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Council

  157,072

  Sustainable Development Commission

  75,839

  Veterinary Products Committee

  174,092

  Veterinary Residues Committee

  17,575

  Zoos Forum

  3,997

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  Administration costs of executive, advisory and tribunal NDPBs and public corporations

  £

  Administration costs

  Tribunal NDPBs

  Agricultural Land Tribunals

  48,835

  Commons Commissioners

  29,106

  Dairy Produce Quote Tribunal

  0

  Plant Varieties and Seeds Tribunal

  30

  1 Estimated figure to reflect the costs of internal administration.

  2 No information.

  3 There was no call on the services of the tribunal in 2002–03.

  Radioactive Waste
  Mr. Simon
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management will take evidence from the relevant bodies in(a) Sweden, (b) Finland and (c) the USA. [159024]

  Mr. Morley
  CoRWM is an independent Committee and will gather information from any organisations it considers relevant.

  Rural Payments Agency
  Miss McIntosh
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many formal complaints were made against the Rural Payments Agency's Northallerton office in the last 12 months for which figures are available. [164597]

  Alun Michael
  Complaints against the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) are interpreted as complaints in respect of decisions made under the Common Agricultural Policy schemes which it administers. Such complaints are therefore recorded against scheme type and not on a site by site basis.

  Defoliation of all species by classes and class aggregates (2002)

  Participating Countries

  Area surveyed (1,000 ha)

  No. of sample trees

  0 none

  1 slight

  2 moderate

  3+4 severe and dead

  2+3+4

  Albania

  1,028

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  Austria

  3,481

  7,029

  60.2

  29.6

  8.5

  1.7

  10.2

  Belarus

  7,845

  9,690

  34.9

  55.6

  8.2

  1.3

  9.5

  Belgium

  691

  3,079

  38.7

  43.5

  16.1

  1.7

  17.8

  Bulgaria

  3,314

  5,303

  24.1

  38.8

  29.9

  7.2

  37.1

  Croatia

  1,175

  1,910

  38.4

  41.0

  18.6

  2.0

  20.6

  Cyprus

  138

  360

  30.8

  66.4

  2.8

  0.0

  2.8

  Czech Republic

  2,630

  7,013

  11.6

  35.0

  52.7

  0.7

  53.4

  Denmark

  468

  480

  61.5

  29.8

  7.3

  1.4

  8.7

  Estonia

  2,249

  2,169

  45.9

  46.5

  6.6

  1.0

  7.6

  Finland

  15,006

  8,593

  54.6

  33.9

  10.5

  1.0

  11.5

  France

  13,100

  10,355

  40.1

  38.0

  20.3

  1.6

  21.9

  Germany

  10,264

  13,534

  35.1

  43.5

  20.0

  1.4

  21.4

  Greece1

  2,512

  1,768

  42.1

  37.0

  16.6

  4.3

  20.9

  Hungary

  1,804

  26,921

  38.1

  40.7

  16.0

  5.2

  21.2

  Ireland

  399

  424

  43.9

  35.4

  16.0

  4.7

  20.7

  Italy

  7,699

  7,165

  20.3

  42.4

  33.4

  3.9

  37.3

  Latvia

  2,902

  8,682

  19.8

  66.4

  12.0

  1.8

  13.8

  Liechtenstein

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  Lithuania

  1,858

  5,162

  16.4

  70.8

  9.6

  3.2

  12.8

  Luxembourg

  84

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  Rep. Of Moldova

  318

  11,489

  25.2

  32.3

  32.6

  9.9

  42.5

  The Netherlands

  210

  231

  57.1

  21.2

  20.4

  1.3

  21.7

  Norway

  12,000

  7,421

  35.0

  39.5

  22.0

  3.5

  25.5

  Poland

  6,868

  24,580

  8.8

  58.5

  30.7

  2.0

  32.7

  Portugal

  3,233

  4,350

  47.8

  42.6

  8.9

  0.7

  9.6

  Romania

  6,244

  104,366

  62.7

  23.8

  12.0

  1.5

  13.5

  Russian Federation3

  6,315

  4,144

  37.9

  51.2

  10.2

  0.7

  10.9

  Serbia/Montenegro4

  —

  1,104

  80.8

  15.3

  3.7

  0.2

  3.9

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  The RPA could not extrapolate the data required to break this figure down to site level without incurring disproportionate costs.

  Timber
  Ms Walley
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what measures are being implemented by the Environment Agency to ensure that all timber used on the construction sites of new offices will come from legal and sustainable sources, and if she will list those sites. [166717]

  Mr. Morley
  The procurement by the Environment Agency of sustainably managed timber is reported publicly at quarterly Board meetings and in the Agency's Annual Environmental Report. Preliminary indications are that in 2003–04, all of the timber used was from a sustainably managed source.

  The Agency is currently having a new leasehold office built to its requirements at Wallingford, near Oxford.

  Trees
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of trees(a) had full crowns, (b) had slight defoliation, (c) had moderate defoliation, (d) had severe defoliation and (e) were dead in the most recent survey of tree health in Europe under the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Long Range Transboundary Air Pollution, broken down by country. [165742]

  Mr. Morley
  The results of the 2002 Large-scale Survey of Forest Condition in Europe is published by the UNECE and European Commission are shown in the table. The report did not separate the 'severe defoliation' and 'dead' categories.
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  Defoliation of all species by classes and class aggregates (2002)

  Participating Countries

  Area surveyed (1,000 ha)

  No. of sample trees

  0 none

  1 slight

  2 moderate

  3+4 severe and dead

  2+3+4

  Slovak Republic

  1,961

  4,207

  17.3

  57.9

  23.3

  1.5

  24.8

  Slovenia

  1,099

  936

  32.3

  39.6

  24.2

  3.9

  28.1

  Spain

  11,588

  14,880

  24.2

  59.4

  13.2

  3.2

  16.4

  Sweden

  20,600

  16,671

  49.2

  35.0

  13.4

  2.4

  15.8

  Switzerland

  1,186

  1,064

  23.4

  58.0

  11.7

  6.9

  18.6

  Turkey

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  2—

  Ukraine

  1,285

  1,204

  8.9

  63.4

  23.8

  3.9

  27.7

  United Kingdom

  2,156

  8,532

  27.3

  45.4

  25.7

  1.6

  27.3

  1Excluding Maquis.

  2No survey in 2002.

  3Only regional surveys in north-western and central European parts of Russia.

  4Montenegro only.

  Waste
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on projects her Department supports which aim to produce road fuel from waste material. [162255]

  Mr. Morley
  The Department does not support financially any projects which aim to produce road fuel from waste material.

  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the effect of new legislation on current methods of disposing of farm waste plastics. [162256]

  Mr. Morley
  Plastic packaging waste from farms is already subject to the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging Waste) Regulations 1997 (as amended) which encourage the reuse of packaging where possible and require businesses to recover and recycle packaging waste to target levels.

  Waste from premises used for agriculture is currently excluded from national waste management controls by section 75(7)(c) of the Environmental Protection Act 1990. Draft regulations and an associated consultation document are being drafted for publication later in the spring and the consultation will include proposals for a producer responsibility scheme for increasing the collection and recycling of non-packaging agricultural waste plastic.

  Currently the majority of agricultural waste plastic is disposed of by burial in un-licensed "farm tips" or by unregulated open burning with consequential risks to the environment and human health. The proposed regulations will prohibit the on-farm disposal of agricultural waste without a waste management licence or a registered licence exemption. Waste agricultural plastic will have to be disposed of or recovered in appropriately licensed or registered sites in line with other sectors of industry.

TRANSPORT

  Airport Capacity (South-East)
  Mrs. Dunwoody
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether comprehensive simulation of the airspace management implications of possible runway development options for the south east of England was undertaken prior to the publication of the Aviation 680W
  White Paper on 16 December 2003; and what plans (a) National Air Traffic Services and (b) the Civil Aviation Authority have to undertake such a simulation. [166544]

  Mr. Darling
  Pursuant to my answer of 19 April 2004,Official Report, column 307W, I referred to the level of airspace modelling work that the Department commissioned CAA-DAP and NATS to carry out as part of the SERAS Study in advance of the White Paper. The primary objective of this work was to simulate several airport development scenarios to assess whether the London airspace system could accommodate runway capacities of the order envisaged by the development options.

  However, now that the White Paper has been published, it is necessary to move from simulations to develop a comprehensive redesign of London's airspace. Paragraph 12.26 of the White Paper confirms that the Government looks to CAA to make early progress in bringing forward a structured programme for this work. The White Paper also makes it clear that CAA will need to involve NATS in working up its detailed proposals.

  Refuelling Depots
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport (1) how many liquefied petroleum gas refuelling depots there were in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement; [167233]

  (2) how many compressed natural gas refuelling depots there were in the UK in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement. [167234]

  Mr. Jamieson
  The following table shows, for the UK, the number of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) refuelling sites in the last five years and the number of publicly accessible compressed natural gas refuelling sites in the last three years.

  Year

  Liquefied petroleum gas refuelling sites1

  Compressed antural gas refuelling sites2

  1999

  285

  N/a

  2000

  610

  N/a

  2001

  1000

  13

  2002

  1200

  14

  2003

  1272

  19

  1Liquid Petroleum Gas Association

  2Natural Gas Vehicle Association

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  The Government is committed to the uptake of alternatively fuelled vehicles. Government grants are provided for the purchase of both LPG and natural gas vehicles and the installation of refuelling infrastructure under the Powershift programme. Further Government support is provided for alternatively fuelled vehicles through reduced fuel duty for road fuel gases and reduced Vehicle Excise Duty. Alternatively fuelled vehicles may also be exempt from the London congestion charge.

  Vehicle Use
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what changes there have been to the amount of vehicle kilometres travelled over the last five years within(a) the North Somerset local authority and (b) Weston-super-Mare. [167526]

  Mr. Jamieson
  Traffic estimates for counties and unitary authorities have been published on my Department's web site. These show that there was an estimated 14 per cent. increase in vehicle kilometres in North Somerset between 1997 and 2002, the latest year for which figures are available. The corresponding information for district authorities, including Weston-super-Mare, is not available.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

  Renewable Energy
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money her Department has invested in renewable energy in Liverpool from 1997 to 2003. [166954]

  Mr. Timms
  In 2003 the Department awarded a capital grant of £10 million to Seascape Energy towards the costs of developing the Burbo Bank offshore wind farm in Liverpool Bay.

  In 1999, Mersey Docks and Harbour Company were awarded a contract under the Non Fossil Fuel Obligation (NFFO) arrangements for electricity to be generated from six 600 kW wind turbines in Seaforth Dock.

  A grant of £94,647 was awarded under the DTI's PV Domestic Field Trial to CDS Housing for a project at Pinehurst Estate, Liverpool.

  A grant of £11,759 was awarded to Cosmopolitan Housing Association under stream 1 of the DTI's Photovoltaic (PV) Major Demonstration Programme for a project in Liverpool.

  A grant of £1,250 was awarded to Liverpool county council under the DTI's Clear Skies scheme for a community project in Liverpool.

  Some initiatives relating to the North West region as a whole may result in benefits for Liverpool. In 2000–01, the DTI contributed £50,000 towards a study of the potential for renewable energy throughout the North West region. Between 2002–04, the DTI contributed £208,060 towards a regional renewable energy planning facilitation fund administered through the Government Office for the North West.
  682W
  Mr. Evans
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to differentiate between offshore and onshore wind farms in the subsidy system for selling renewable obligation certificates. [165518]

  Mr. Timms
  None.

  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of recent trends in investment in renewable energy upon residents of Burnley. [168305]

  Mr. Timms
  Recent trends in renewable energy investment have been highly encouraging. More new capacity has been constructed in the last few years than in the previous decade, and a significant amount is currently in the pipeline. This covers a wide range of technologies including onshore and offshore wind, solar and biomass.

  Whilst this investment has not translated into capacity within Burnley itself, there are wind farm developments, both constructed and proposed, in the surrounding area. There is the 9.6 MW 24 turbine development at Coal Clough, built in 1992. The application for the Hameldon Hill wind farm, a 3 turbine 5 MW development has recently been approved on appeal.

  Overseas Trade
  John Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will break down the UK's trade figures with(a) China and (b) Taiwan in the past 12 months into (i) imports and (ii) exports. [165860]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Information on UK imports and exports of goods, from and to China and Taiwan, is given in the following table.

  align="right">£ million1

  China

  Taiwan

  UK imports

  UK exports

  UK imports

  UK exports

  2003

  February

  601

  150

  185

  68

  March

  626

  153

  185

  65

  April

  657

  191

  175

  87

  May

  675

  181

  186

  68

  June

  684

  157

  176

  65

  July

  622

  155

  181

  74

  August

  723

  165

  187

  68

  September

  745

  134

  180

  78

  October

  749

  180

  182

  82

  November

  773

  149

  170

  87

  December

  794

  193

  175

  82

  2004

  January

  791

  128

  182

  72

  1Seasonally adjusted

  >Source:

  >Business Monitor MM24, Monthly Review of External Trade Statistics, ONS

  Post Office (Closures)
  Tom Brake
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the post offices which have been closed since 1907 in the Carshalton and Wallington constituency; and when each closed. [167649]
  683W
  Mr. Timms
  Decisions on post office closures are an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. and I have asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

  Post Office Network
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to make an announcement on the future of the rural post office network subsidy. [168226]

  Mr. Timms
  The Cabinet Office Performance and Innovation Unit (PIU) report on the future of the post office network recommended that the Postal Services Commission should advise the Government on the main options for the policy framework after 2006. The Government is currently considering the advice and will take decisions on the shape of the rural post office network after 2006 in good time to allow for a smooth transition from the current support arrangements.

  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many(a) rural and (b) urban post offices have (i) closed and (ii) been opened since 1997. [168227]

  Mr. Timms
  I understand from Post Office Ltd. that details of net post office closures in the United Kingdom, recorded by urban/rural classification are only available from March 2000 and are as follows:

  Post office closures

  Urban

  Rural

  2000–01

  106

  441

  2001–02

  68

  194

  2002–03

  1230

  115

  1Includes 102 closures under the urban network reinvention programme.

  Post Office Ltd. is yet to report a detailed breakdown of closures for the financial year 2003–04. The latest quarter for which information on post office closures is available (December 2003)—reveals that net closures were as follows:

  2003–04–to end of December 2003

  Urban

  Rural

  1642

  132

  1Includes 592 closures under the urban network reinvention programme.

  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of rural post offices protected from closure by the rural network subsidy. [168228]

  Mr. Timms
  No such estimate has been carried out. All rural sub-post offices benefit from the Government's package of support which is used to maintain the 'Assigned Office Payments' to sub-postmasters and to fund the front-line services necessary for each and every post office to operate—for example IT and cash. Without Government support, large parts of the rural network would have faced closure.

  The funding ensures that, at least until 2006, Post Office Ltd. can maintain the rural network and prevent avoidable closures. Nevertheless, some closures are
  684W
  inevitable, for example where a sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress retires and no one can be found to take on the service. However, where a rural office closes permanently, alternative forms of providing the post office service in that area will be explored.

  Royal Mail
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many claims for compensation were made and how much Royal Mail Group paid in compensation in each year since 1997 in respect of(a) first class, (b) second class, (c) special delivery next day, (d) special delivery 9.00 am, (e) recorded signed for and (f) standard parcels mail which was (i) delayed and (ii) severely delayed; and how many claims were made, and how much was paid in compensation, in each year since 1997 for (A) damage to valuable mail, (B) consequential loss and (C) delay to bulk mailings. [168671]

  Mr. Timms
  Compensation claims are an operational matter for Royal Mail Group and I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to reply direct to the hon. Member.

  Utility Companies
  Mr. Best
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints were received by Energywatch on switching energy suppliers in the last year for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement. [167772]

  Mr. Timms
  During 2003, 3.1 million domestic gas customers and 4.2 million domestic electricity customers changed their suppler. In that period, Energywatch received 22,437 complaints from domestic consumers about the transfer process, including complaints about both erroneous transfers and problems in switching supplier. The gas and electricity industry, with the involvement of the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (Ofgem) and Energywatch, and with the encouragement of DTI, is currently engaged in a three-stage programme to establish the causes of difficulties within the transfer process and identify and implement solutions.

  Vessel Procurements
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which sea-going vessel procurements she is considering; when she plans to issue invitations to tender; and whether the procurement will be limited to the UK for strategic reasons. [166539]

  Mr. Jamieson
  I have been asked to reply.

  The General Lighthouse Authorities (GLAs) are developing proposals for the procurement of two multi-function tenders and a rapid response vessel to replace three of the GLAs1 current tenders. It is too early to know when invitations to tender will be issued or how and when the build contract will be placed.

  Wind Farms
  Mr. Laurence Robertson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money has been provided in capital grants to(a) off-shore and (b) onshore wind farms since 1997; and if she will make a statement. [168055]
  685W
  Mr. Timms
  Since 1997, the Government have committed £117 million in grant support to early off-shore wind farm development. No direct grant support has been provided for on-shore wind farm development.

DEFENCE

  Airfield Support Services Project
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on ensuring that the Airfield Support Services Project solution is compatible with the modernisation agenda for fire services. [167251]

  Mr. Ingram
  There have been no formal discussions between the Ministry of Defence and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the compatibility of the Airfield Support Services Project (ASSP) with the modernisation agenda for the Fire and Rescue Service.

  The ASSP will be sufficiently flexible to adapt to any changes that might be brought about as a result of the modernisation programme.

  Funding
  Mr. Soames
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what(a) resource and (b) capital expenditure was vired from RfR1 to RfR2 in the most recent financial year for which figures are available, in (i) cash and (ii) resource terms. [167047]

  Mr. Ingram
  Outturn for 2003–04 is not yet available. No funds were vired from RfR1 to RfR2 during 2002–03.

  Iraq
  Mr. Hancock
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the amounts of reparations that have been paid to Iraqis. [166927]

  Mr. Ingram
  Reparations are the compensation extracted as an indemnity from a defeated nation by the victors. Neither Iraq nor the United Kingdom has sought or paid reparations to the other.

  Land Mines (Cress)
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has evaluated on genetically modified cress that changes colour when it comes into contact with landmine explosives. [166846]

  Mr. Ingram
  The Ministry of Defence is not currently involved in any research into mine detection using genetically modified cress.

  A Danish company, Aresa Biotechnology, has developed a genetically modified cress plant that changes colour in response to nitrogen dioxide, which is sometimes a by-product of degrading explosives, in soil. The colour change has the potential to indicate the presence of mines, although not in all cases.

  The MOD continues to monitor the progress of this research as it develops.

TREASURY

  Child Tax Credit
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many families in Burnley have received child tax credit. [167906]

  Dawn Primarolo
  I refer my hon. Friend to my answer to my hon. Friend the Member for Burton (Mrs. Dean) on 15 March 2004,Official Report, column 98W.

  Gift Aid
  John Barrett
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer (1) pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2004,Official Report, columns 1350–51W, on Gift Aid, how many responses his Department received to the original consultation that followed the pre-Budget report; [166990]

  (2) whether an assessment was made of the additional income that would be raised from the proposed changes to Gift Aid rules on clay memberships, based on the responses received from charities in the original consultation that followed the pre-Budget report. [166991]

  John Healey
  Inland Revenue received 57 responses during the original consultation period. These came from charities, representative bodies and associations and other interested parties.

  Tax reclaimed on so called "day memberships" using the Gift Aid scheme is not differentiated from tax reclaimed on other Gift Aid donations, so it is not possible to estimate the saving to the Exchequer of ending Gift Aid on admission charges. Information supplied during the original consultation would not enable an assessment to be made. However, the purpose of this measure is not revenue-raising, but is about maintaining the principles of Gift Aid as a scheme designed to encourage donations to charity.

  Income Tax (Manchester)
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Manchester Gorton qualified for the 10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [167472]

  Dawn Primarolo
  Reliable information is not available. The sample size of pensioners living in the Manchester Gorton constituency is relatively small compared to other constituencies in the Survey of Personal Incomes.

  IT Equipment (Tax Exemption)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Burnley have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment. [167907]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The information is not available.

  Self-Assessment
  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what guidance his Department issues to individuals who make a mistake when completing an on-line self
  687W
  assessment tax return because of misunderstanding whether the form P60 refers to gross or net income. [160102]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Inland Revenue provides no specific guidance to individuals who make a mistake when completing an on-line self assessment tax return because of misunderstanding whether the form P60 refers to gross or net income but online help is available when completing the boxes relevant to information on P60.

  Mr. Drew
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many complaints he has received over problems with the operation of the on-lint self assessment tax return form. [160103]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The Chancellor of the Exchequer has received four complaints in connection with the operation of the on-line self assessment tax return form since 6 April 2003.

  Norman Lamb
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has carried out of the amount of tax due in respect of taxpayers who have failed to return self-assessment forms over the last five years. [166420]

  Dawn Primarolo
  It is not possible to calculate an accurate figure of the amount of tax due in respect of taxpayers who have failed to re turn self-assessment forms. The Inland Revenue have launched a three-year initiative to recover outstanding tax returns and any 688W
  associated tax due from taxpayers who have failed to file, concentrating on cases where, on past history, there appears likely to be tax due.

  Senior Citizens (Burnley)
  Mr. Pike
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many senior citizens in Burnley qualified for the 10p rate of income tax in each year since its introduction. [167905]

  Dawn Primarolo
  All income taxpayers benefit from the 10p starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes estimates there are about 4,000 and 5,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Burnley constituency in 2000–01 and 2001–02 respectively. Figures for 1999–2000 are currently not available.

  Tax Exemptions (Manchester)
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Manchester Gorton have benefited from the 100 per cent. tax exemption for the purchase of computer and internet equipment. [167474]

  Dawn Primarolo
  The information requested is not available.

  Tax Returns
  Mr. Flook
  To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax returns have been issued to trustees of pension schemes who carry no tax liability or refund in each tax year since 1997. [167584]

  Dawn Primarolo
  This information is not available.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

  Antisocial Behaviour
  Mrs. Curtis-Thomas
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many injunctions for antisocial behaviour from tenants have been requested by Merseyside's local authorities in the past 12 months. [165916]

  Yvette Cooper
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not request that local authorities supply information on the number of injunctions they seek relating to the antisocial behaviour of tenants.

  Asbestos
  Malcolm Bruce
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the buildings occupied by his staff, including agencies, which require(a) remedial work on and (b) the removal of asbestos; what that work will cost; what budgets are available for this work for (i) 2004 and (ii) 2005; and what budget is available for future asbestos surveys. [159363]

  Yvette Cooper
  Asbestos surveys undertaken in accordance with the Control of Asbestos at Work Regulations 2002 have revealed that the following buildings occupied staff of the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, including agencies, contain asbestos-based materials:Ashdown House, Victoria Street, Westminster.
  Fire Service College, Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
  Government Office for London, Riverwalk House, Westminster.
  Government Office for the North East—Wellbar House, Newcastle.

  The Budget allocated for asbestos removal and remedial action is:
  2004–05–£800,000
  2005–06–£0

  The budget figure of £800,000 in 2004–05 is for asbestos removal from Riverwalk House. Although the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has overall responsibility for this building, the Government Offices carry out functions on behalf of 10 Departments.

  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has not allocated specific funds for future asbestos surveys; these will be funded from existing maintenance budgets.

  Computer Services
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what plans he has to update computer(a) hardware and (b) software standard packages used in his Department. [166360]

  Yvette Cooper
  Plans to update computer hardware and software packages used by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are covered by our Corporate Information and Communications Technology Strategy and underpinned by Service level Agreements with our IT suppliers.
  690W
  Over the next year we will be upgrading our corporate desktop software from Microsoft NT to Microsoft XP. Our computer hardware is upgraded as part of a rolling equipment upgrade and replacement programme for obsolete equipment.

  Development Planning
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will set out a timetable for the revision of planning guidance notes into planning policy statements; what his policy is on reallocation of land zoned for employment, industrial and commercial development into residential land; and what action he is taking to ensure that each authority provides sufficient affordable housing. [166944]

  Keith Hill
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister intends to make an announcement shortly on the timetable for the revision of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) into Planning Policy Statements (PPS).

  In July 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the consultation document 'Supporting the delivery of new housing'. This proposed to add new policy to PPG3: Housing requiring local planning authorities to consider favourably applications for housing development on allocated unneeded industrial and employment sites unless it can be demonstrated that the site is still needed for that purpose or that it would undermine the planning for housing strategy. This would complement paragraph 42 of PPG3 which expects local authorities, when revising their plans, to review all their non-housing allocations, including those for employment, and consider whether some of this land might better be used for housing or mixed use developments.

  The consultation closed on 31 October 2003. Our aim is to publish the final policy in the summer, alongside practice guidance to help local planning authorities in reviewing employment land allocations.

  The "Sustainable Communities Plan" (published on 5 February 2003) set out a comprehensive programme of action to increase the provision of affordable housing, including a large increase in expenditure. £3.3 billion is being provided for the Housing Corporation's programme over the next two years (2004–06). This will provide funding for 67,000 new affordable homes for both rent and low cost home ownership.

  Also in July 2003, the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister published the consultation document 'Influencing the size, type and affordability of housing'. It proposed that local planning authorities should address the housing requirements of the whole community by ensuring a better match between a community's housing needs and supply, and that all local planning authorities must have policies on affordable housing to help deliver affordable housing where it is needed. We aim to publish the final update in the autumn, alongside practice guidance.
  691W
  I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given on 16 December, 2003, Official Report, column 856W, on the mechanism for monitoring local planning authority performance and the actions that could be taken where their policies are not having the desired effect.

  Homelessness
  Ms Oona King
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2004,Official Report, columns 1440–1W, on homelessness, if he will introduce best value performance indicators on (a) homelessness prevention and (b) tenancy sustainment. [166128]

  Yvette Cooper
  A review of the Best Value Performance Indicators is currently being taken forward in order to ensure that they reflect the key national and local priorities, and accurately inform Comprehensive Performance Assessment ratings. As part of that review, we are considering whether there is a need for extra homelessness related performance indicators in addition to those which are already in place.

  Housing Corporation
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the actual expenditure of the Housing Corporation was over the last 10 years; and what its budget is for the next three years. [166894]

  Keith Hill
  The expenditure by the Housing Corporation over each of the past 10 years is tabled as follows, together with the indicative budget for 2004–05 and 2005–06. The figures do not include spending on the Housing Corporation's administration.

  Housing Corporation Expenditure

  Total (£ million)

  1993–94

  2,297.80

  1994–95

  2,038.40

  1995–96

  1,722.60

  1996–97

  1,608.20

  1997–98

  1,298.80

  1998–99

  1,217.00

  1999–2000

  1,300.00

  2000–01

  1,374.20

  2001–02

  1,387.40

  2002–03

  1,712.90

  2003–04 (Provisional outturn)

  2,059.95

  2004–05 (Budget)

  1,660.61

  2005–06 (Budget)

  1,680.74

  Note:

  Figures for 2001–02 to 2003–04 include expenditure on the Starter Home Initiative and the Safer Communities Supported Housing. Budgets for 2006–07 are subject to the outcome of the 2004 Spending Review. The Housing Corporal ion Final Accounts for 2003–04 are expected to be published in June.

  Land Searches
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of local authorities are able to undertake land searches electronically; and when this is expected to be extended to all authorities. [166892]
  692W
  Phil Hope
  For land searches to be carried out electronically, local authorities must first have set up electronic Local Land and Property Gazetteers (LLPGs). All authorities in England have been encouraged to set these up as part of their individual programmes to electronically enable 100 per cent. of their priority services by 2005. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's Local e-Government programme is helping local authorities to achieve this target, in particular by allocating a flat rate grant of £200,000 per annum in 2002 and 2003 to each authority submitting a satisfactory Implementing e-Government (IEG) statement. The IEGs submitted in 2003 indicated that on average every authority would have electronically enabled 66 per cent. of their priority services by March 2004; most authorities indicated that they would have electronic LLPGs by that date.

  Local authorities have also been encouraged to have automated links with the National Land Information Service (NLIS), which is an electronic search engine intended to be a one-stop shop for information about land and property in England and Wales. It was developed in the 1990s by a group of public sector bodies, but was transferred in 2000 to the Local Government Information House (LGIH), a private, wholly-owned subsidiary of the Improvement and Development Agency (IDeA), to take forward. The IDeA has told us that by January 2004, two-thirds of authorities in England and Wales had enabled electronic responses to searches via NLIS. It is important to note, however, that authorities do not have to be linked to NLIS to offer searchers an electronic search option.

  Local Government Finance
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total amount of section 106 payments for the last year in which figures were available was; what his estimate is of the percentage of section 106 payments likely to be transferred to the new tariff system when it is introduced; what his estimate is of the compliance cost of the new tariff system; and when he expects to publish all of the regulations relating to the tariff system. [166888]

  Keith Hill
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not currently collect statistics centrally for total amounts secured through section 106 payments, and could therefore provide this information only at disproportionate cost. It is not possible to say what percentage of planning obligations will be covered by the proposed optional planning charge, as it will be for individual applicants to choose whether or not they want to pursue this option. While we accept that setting up a charge system could lead to an increased burden on local planning authorities in the short term, this should be more than, offset by the longer term pay-off in being able to process individual planning obligations much more quickly and efficiently.
  693W
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister aims to consult on its draft revised policy and draft regulations later this year.

  Ministerial Travel
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he last used a train in connection with his ministerial duties. [167422]

  Yvette Cooper
  My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister travels by train regularly on official business. He last travelled by train on official business from London to York on Thursday 22 April 2004.

  All travel by my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the "Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers", copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

  New Deal for Communities
  Mr. Edward Davey
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the value of the contract given to the National Evaluation Team for the New Deal for Communities was; and if he will make a statement on its work. [166908]

  Yvette Cooper
  The value of the contract between the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and a consortium led by Sheffield Hallam University for the interim phase of the national evaluation of the New Deal for Communities programme is £16.4 million. The contract covers work on the national evaluation to the end of September 2005.

  The national NDC evaluation is supporting the work of the 39 individual NDC Partnerships, the nine respective Government Offices and the Neighbourhood Renewal Unit by providing evidence about how well the NDCs are delivering against their outcome targets.

  For each of the 39 NDCs, the evaluation is providing an initial baseline household survey, a follow-up survey two years later and annual detailed reports on a wide range of process issues, such as community engagement and mainstreaming. In addition, the evaluation is providing NDC-area specific analysis of administrative data from DWP, DH, DfES and the Home Office, among others The annual NDC reports inform the Government Office reviews of the Partnerships and are collated into an annual NDC programme-wide report. The 2002–03 NDC evaluation report was published in October last year.

  The report of the interim evaluation, due in mid-2005, will provide detailed evidence of how much progress each of the 39 NDCs has made in closing the gap between conditions in the partnership neighbourhood and the wider district and identify the critical success factors and barriers to performance.

  Non-domestic Hereditaments
  Brian Cotter
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many non-domestic hereditaments with a rateable value of(a) less than £8,000, (b) between £8,001 and £25,000 and (c) over £25,001 there were in each billing authority in the last year for which figures are available. [167502]
  694W
  Mr. Raynsford
  The information requested has been made available in the Library of the House.

  Planning
  Mrs. Spelman
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average amount of time taken by his Department to give permission for planning to go ahead was in(a) 2003 and (b) 1997. [168276]

  Keith Hill
  The average time taken to grant planning permission was 24 weeks in 2003 and 25 weeks in 1997.

  Public Lavatories
  Mr. Gummer
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether the valuation of public lavatories is affected by(a) usage and (b) takings. [165936]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The valuation for rating of public conveniences is normally reached taking account of the cost of construction and making allowance for obsolescence, expense of upkeep and location.

  (a) The number of persons using a public lavatory will depend on its location. A town centre convenience is likely to have greater usage than one in a remote location. In some coastal resorts, public lavatories may be used relatively intensively during the summer but closed altogether in the winter. The valuation of a public convenience is unaffected by usage. It is valued by reference to the cost which the occupier would otherwise incur if it had to construct an alternative facility. The cost of providing a facility which is intensively used is no greater than that of providing a facility which is less used, or used only seasonally. Exceptionally, instances have arisen where conveniences have been permanently closed at or before the relevant valuation date, and are thus not used at all in such cases the Valuation Office Agency's Rating Manual recommends that no value is assessed.

  The VOA recognises that in some instances local authorities may be operating public conveniences where, in present circumstances, the cost of provision would not be justified. In such cases, current capital cost may be a doubtful indication of value. The VOA has addressed this by applying an age-related scale of obsolescence allowance, which is more generous than applied to other classes of property valued by reference to cost.

  (b) Since public conveniences are not operated for commercial profit, takings are irrelevant to valuation, and rateable value is unaffected by the absence, or presence/amount of revenue.

  Regional Assemblies
  Mr. Curry
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will list the(a) dates and (b) venues of all meetings open to members of the public or by special invitation held in the (i) North East, (ii) North West and (iii) Yorkshire and the Humber organised by the relevant Government regional offices to discuss the Government's proposals to establish regional assemblies at which a Government Minister spoke; what the cost was of holding each meeting; how many (A) members of the public and

  695W
  (B) invitees attended; what the schedule is for future meetings; and what the budget is for each meeting in each of the relevant regions. [165977]

  Date

  Venue

  Region

  Public

  Invitees

  Cost (£)

  4 March 2004

  Ewood Park, Blackburn

  North West

  210

  40

  5,400

  4 March 2004

  Berwick Community High School, Berwick

  North East

  55

  65

  6,600

  18 March 2004

  Pennine Theatre, Sheffield Hallam University

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  68

  67

  10,300

  25 March 2004

  University of Newcastle

  North East

  132

  88

  9,700

  1 April 2004

  Windsor Suite, Quality Royal Hotel, Hull

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  180

  170

  6,900

  5 April 2004

  Liverpool Marriott City Centre Hotel

  North West

  126

  42

  12,400

  15 April 2004

  Stonecross Manor Hotel, Kendal

  North West

  179

  31

  5,100

  Ministers have attended public meetings in Middlesbrough and Halifax on 22 April at estimated costs of £11,400 and £7,700 respectively.

  Future meetings are being scheduled, but details of these meetings have yet to be finalised.

  Date

  Venue

  Region

  Public

  Invitees

  Cost (£)

  3 November 2003

  Durham Castle

  North East

  —

  100

  Total of 25,000

  3 November 2003

  St. William's College, York

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  —

  57

  4 November 2003

  The Village Hotel, Warrington

  North West

  —

  80

  1 December 2003

  The Door, Hanover St, Liverpool

  North West

  —

  15

  —

  4 December 2003

  Town Hall, Barnsley

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  —

  31

  —

  22 January 2004

  Midland Hotel, Manchester

  North West

  —

  400

  3,200

  23 January 2004

  West Yorkshire Playhouse, Leeds

  Yorkshire and the Humber

  —

  240

  6,000

  23 January 2004

  Vermont Hotel, Newcastle

  North East

  —

  120

  6,200

  29 January 2004

  Speke, Parklands Youth Centre,

  North West

  —

  25–30

  44

  King George V College, Sefton

  North West

  —

  20

  25 February 2004

  North Manchester Chambers of Commerce, Bolton

  North West

  —

  30

  —

  Mr. Jenkin
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the total spending relating to the proposed elected regional assemblies by regional chambers has been in the(a) North West, (b) North East and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber; and, for each of these regions, what the total anticipated spending is for the period up to the regional referendums. [166561]

  Mr. Raynsford
  The Regional Chambers have not spent, and will not spend, any Government grant money campaigning for, publicising or promoting the case for an elected regional assembly. They are prohibited from doing so under the terms of their funding agreements, by which they receive Government grant.

  Social Housing
  Mr. Clifton-Brown
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many(a) council houses and (b) registered social landlord houses he anticipates will be built in each of the next three years. [166890]

  Keith Hill
  The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister set out in the Sustainable Communities action plan proposals to tackle the issues including the supply of affordable housing.

  £5 billion is being invested in housing over the next two years (2004–06) and the role of the regions is being strengthened to ensure this investment is targeted more effectively on local and regional investment priorities.

  Registered Social Landlords are the main providers of affordable housing and £3.3 billion finding was recently agreed for the Housing Corporation's Approved Development Programme for 2004–05 and 2005–06 to
  696W
  Mr. Raynsford
  The dates, venues, audience size and cost of the Hearings in the regions attended by Ministers so far are tabled:

  In addition, the dates, venues, audience size and cost of previous meetings with an invited audience attended by Ministers, as indicated in the written statement on 3 November 2003 are tabled as follows:

  provide homes for both rent and low cost home ownership. This funding will provide around 67,000 new affordable homes in England. The number of homes to be provided in 2006–07 will be the subject of the outcome of the Spending Review 2004.

  The number of council houses built has fallen with only a small number of dwellings being provided in recent years. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not have estimates of the number of homes that will be provided by councils over the next three years. It is estimated from local authority housing investment returns that some 260 were planned to be built in 2003–04.

  Thames Gateway
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from English Heritage on development in the Thames Gateway; and if he will make a statement. [167221]

  Keith Hill
  Officials at the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have met with representatives from English Heritage to discuss the Historic Landscape Characterisation assessment of the Thames Gateway that English Heritage has commissioned. The aim of this work is to help planners, developers and regeneration agencies to understand the rich historic environment that exists in the Thames Gateway, to identify the capacity that specific places have to accommodate change, and to ensure that the historic environment can be integrated into the design of new development.
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  Our heritage is an essential part of creating sustainable communities that are attractive places to live and work, with a positive sense of place. Officials will continue to work closely with English Heritage on historic environment issues in the Thames Gateway.

SCOTLAND

  Fisheries
  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland when he last met representatives of the Scottish fishing industry. [165968]

  Mrs. McGuire
  I regularly meet representatives of a wide range of organisations in Scotland, and I keep in close touch with developments affecting the Scottish fishing industry.

  Mr. Peter Duncan
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the benefits to Scottish fishermen of continued membership of the EU Common Fisheries Policy. [165969]

  Mrs. McGuire
  The effects of the Common Fisheries Policy are regularly monitored by the Fisheries Departments.

  Project Funding
  Mr. Colman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many(a) solely state-financed and (b) public-private partnership and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible have been launched in each region in each of the last 10 years; [160967]

  (2) how much was spent by (a) the Government on solely state-financed projects and (b) the (i) Government and (ii) private sector on public-private and private finance initiative projects for which his Department is responsible, in each of the last 10 years, broken down by region. [160968]

  Mrs. McGuire
  Since its inception in 1999 the Scotland Office has been responsible for no such projects. Responsibility for solely state-funded major projects in Scotland was previously dispersed across the various Departments and agencies of the former Scottish Office and a number of Non-Departmental Public Bodies sponsored by the former Scottish Office, and subsequently transferred to the Scottish Executive. No central record of these conventionally procured projects has been kept. Information on signed private finance initiative projects is available from the HM Treasury website at http://www.hm-treasury.gov.uk/documents/public_private_partnerships/ppp_pfi_stats.cfm

CULTURE, MEDIA AND SPORT

  Arts Funding
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans she has to make bodies which distribute arts(a) capital and (b) revenue funding more democratically accountable to the regional community in which they operate. [167288]
  698W
  Estelle Morris
  Arts Council England is the national development agency for the arts in England, distributing public money from the Exchequer and the National Lottery. The arts funding system in England has already reorganised along the lines of the Government's regional plans. On April 1 2002 the Arts Council and the 10 independent regional arts boards joined together to create a single organisation for the arts in England. Six to eight members of the 15–20 membership of the Regional Arts Councils are local authority nominees and the Chairs of the nine Regional Arts Councils are members of the National Council and form the majority of its membership of 15. This restructuring has given the regions real empowerment in decision-making and the delivery of the arts.

  Departmental Policies (Newcastle)
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Newcastle, East and Wallsend constituency, the effects on Newcastle, East and Wallsend of her Department's policies and actions since 1997. [166878]

  Mr. Caborn
  The Department for Culture, Media and Sport seeks to improve the quality of life for everyone through improved access to the best in cultural and sporting activities. The Department also champions the tourism, creative and leisure industries. The Department's policies and actions have had a significant impact on the constituency of Newcastle, East and Wallsend since 1997. For example, Arts Council England funds a diverse range of arts organisations and projects in the constituency, such as Tyneside Disability Arts, Monster Productions and the Foolsyard Theatre. The constituency has received the following grants from Arts Council England since 19971

  £

  Financial year

  Number of grants

  Total amount

  1997–98

  18

  38,849

  1998–99

  3

  4,710

  1999–2000

  17

  63,124

  2000–01

  21

  71,029

  2001–02

  13

  31,282

  2002–03

  11

  50,267

  2003–04

  2

  110,000

  Total

  85

  369,261

  Since 1997, English Heritage has offered the following grants to the Newcastle East and Wallsend constituency1

  £

  Date

  Grant

  Details

  31 March 2004

  160,000

  Contribution of 19,000 towards Stage 1 project development costs for St. Michael's church, Byker, with agreement to a further £141,000 towards repairs following successful completion of Stage1.

  Total

  160,000

  The Newcastle, East and Wallsend constituency has received the following awards from the National Lottery (granted by the following distributing bodies: Arts

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  Council England, Community Fund, Heritage Lottery Fund, Millennium Commission, New Opportunities Fund, Sport England and the Film Council) since 19972

  £

  Financial year

  Total amount

  1997–98

  279,481

  1998–99

  4,248,686

  1999–2000

  6,348,190

  2000–01

  3,448,016

  2001–02

  1,553,619

  2002–03

  1,781,574

  2003–04

  1,655,338

  Total

  19,314,904

  Since 1997, the constituency of Newcastle, East and Wallsend has received the following amount of European Regional Development Funds3 for cultural/sport/tourism projects:

  Financial year

  Total amount

  1997–98

  —

  1998–99

  1,987,498

  1999–2000

  42,100

  2000–01

  1,070,000

  2001–02

  —

  2002–03

  550,000

  2003–04

  —

  Total

  3,649,598

  The Department has allocated £27 million Private Finance Initiative (PFI) credits to Newcastle City Council in order to procure a new city library and three refurbished community libraries. One of these community libraries, High Heaton Library, is based in the constituency of Newcastle, East and Wallsend. The community libraries will be made fully accessible and, as well as being upgraded in terms of layout, decoration and furniture, fittings and equipment, will also enjoy re-engineered display and information facilities.

  Sport England has granted exchequer awards of £103,000 to fund Sports Development Workers promoting Active Schools Infrastructure and Equity in Sport across the City of Newcastle since 1997. The constituency of Newcastle, East and Wallsend has benefited from this funding. However, it is not possible to determine how much of this funding has gone directly to the constituency.

  Since 1997, the constituency of New-castle, East and Wallsend has benefited from various grants made by the North East Museums Libraries and Archives Council (NEMLAC) within its area. However, it is not possible to determine how much of this funding has gone directly to the constituency. Examples of this funding include:
  £10,000 to Newcastle, Gateshead, Sunderland, North and South Tyneside libraries and Tyne and Wear Archives for a joint campaign to promote heritage, local and family history services and lifelong learning opportunities in a poster campaign on the Tyne and Wear Metro;
  Under the auspices of the British Library's Reaching the Regions initiative, British Library staff worked with teachers from the North East to produce Lindisfarne Gospels school packs and
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  resource boxes for distribution throughout the schools and libraries of the North East. Three of these resource boxes are located in Wallsend Library. Reaching the Regions has invested £100,000 in the North East and NEMLAC is a key partner in this venture.

  Between 1996–97 and 2002–03, the British Tourism Authority—and from 2003–04, VisitBritain—have been responsible for marketing Britain overseas as an attractive tourist destination. Grant-in-aid is not allocated in respect of individual areas of Britain, but Britain is promoted as a whole in a way that benefits Newcastle, East and Wallsend as it does the rest of the country.

  The residents of Newcastle, East and Wallsend also have ready access to a wealth of cultural institutions in Newcastle and Gateshead, including the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art, the Sage Gateshead (due to open in winter 2004) and the Discovery Museum.
  1Excluding Lottery grants.
  2The data has been derived from the Department's Awards Database and is based on information supplied by the distributing bodies.
  3One of the EU Structural Funds administered by the Government Offices.

  Museums, Libraries and Public Archives
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the Government has allocated for libraries in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997. [166976]

  Estelle Morris
  Core funding for public libraries is paid to the 149 Library Authorities in England as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement administered by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. It is not ring-fenced.

  The figures show the amounts allocated to Liverpool city council, or to library consortiums of which Liverpool city were partners, from the DCMS-Wolfson Foundation Reader Development Fund. These awards cannot be broken down to district level.
  1997–98: £99,887 to Liverpool city council for library refurbishment and additional facilities including adaptation for people with disabilities.
  1998–99: £98,008 for better links between Liverpool's libraries and, ultimately, schools.
  2000–01: £215,992 to the North West Libraries Book Promotion Partnership, which included all the local authorities in the NW, towards assisting socially excluded 16 to 25-yearolds with reading skills.
  2001–02: £247,435 to the North West Libraries Book Promotion Partnership towards encouraging socially excluded and other young people in reading activities.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money the Government has given to(a) museums, (b) libraries and (c) public archives in each of the last 10 years. [166725]

  Estelle Morris
  The funding given by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport to museums, libraries and archives is set out in the table.
  701W

  DCMS expenditure

  £ million

  Year

  Museums

  Libraries

  Public archives

  1994–95

  225.0

  85.3

  1

  1995–96

  227.6

  85.5

  1

  1996–97

  220.9

  89.7

  1

  1997–98

  214.2

  94.0

  1.1

  1998–99

  212.4

  89.2

  1

  1999–2000

  236.5

  88.7

  1.1

  2000–01

  235.5

  91.7

  1.5

  2001–02

  251.8

  95.8

  1.4

  2002–03

  274.0

  92.1

  1.5

  2003–04

  294.5

  97.1

  10.2

  1Reflects transfer of Historic Manuscripts Commission to the National Archives.

  In addition, DCMS provides Grant in Aid to the museums, libraries and archives council, which was £13.3 million in 2003–04.

  Mr. Sheerman
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what action her Department is taking to support(a) museums, (b) libraries and (c) public archives; and if she will make a statement. [166726]

  Estelle Morris
  DCMS provides both core funding for a number of key institutions, including the national museums and galleries and the British Library, and strategic support for the three sectors via the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council (MLA) and its regional delivery network.

  Museums

  We are increasing our support for the DCMS-sponsored museums and galleries. Starting from the 2002 baseline, we have delivered a real-terms increase in resource grant-in-aid funding, for the larger institutions, of 1.5 per cent. in 2004–05 and 2.5 per cent. in 2005–06, and 7 per cent. in each of these two years for the smaller ones. We have also provided additional funding to help our sponsored museums carry out programmes of modernisation and reform.

  We have allocated £60 million during the 2003–06 period to a major new programme to revitalise our great regional museums, Renaissance in the Regions. This investment is already helping the participating museums provide better services to many more users, in particular enhanced educational services for children and improved links with community groups. Part of the Renaissance programme is the Designation Challenge Fund, which supports the care and interpretation of collections of national or international importance held in non-national museums.

  The Department has also doubled its contribution to the DCMS/Wolfson Museums and Galleries Improvement Fund, to provide a total fund of £4 million in this financial year, and extended the fund's coverage to museums in the regions with designated collections and museums participating in Renaissance in the Regions.

  We plan to publish a museums vision statement this summer, which will look at ways in which the Government can work more effectively in partnership with museums. We will consult the sector on how best to take this vision forward.
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  Libraries

  In February 2003, DCMS published "Framework for the Future" the first-ever national strategy for public libraries. It identified three areas where libraries have great potential to go beyond their traditional roles: the promotion of reading and informal learning; access to digital skills and services including e-government; and measures to tackle social exclusion, build community identity and develop citizenship. "Framework" is intended to encourage public library services fit for the needs of 21st century users. This strategy is being delivered through MLA and its partners.

  Public Archives

  In 2002 DCMS commissioned MLA to set up an Archives Task Force which would carry out an in-depth analysis of the sector and propose a strategy for making archives better understood, better looked after and better used. The report of the Archives Task Force, "Listening to the Past, Speaking to the Future", was published by MLA in March 2004. The report makes a number of proposals, including a major new initiative to help more people access archives more easily, a greater role for archives in education, and a programme to modernise public sector archives and develop skills and expertise. DCMS will work with MLA and other partners to take forward the Task Force's proposals.

  DCMS is also active in taking steps to preserve and protect archives at risk and works to secure collections of archival importance through the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.

  Sport Funding (Liverpool, Walton)
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and sport how much public funding has been spent on sport in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997. [166977]

  Mr. Caborn
  The amount of exchequer and lottery funding spent on sport in Liverpool, Walton in each year since 1997 is set out in this table:

  £

  Year

  Exchequer1

  Lottery

  1997–98

  10,625

  1998–99

  31,625

  1,797,913

  1999–2000

  2,527

  2000–01

  276,990

  2001–02

  10,000

  4,125

  2002–03

  486,499

  2003–04

  28,826

  2004–052

  4,600

  Figures provided for exchequer funding are not broken down by constituency (e.g. grants given to Liverpool city council).

  2Figures for 2004–05 correct as of 21 April.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

  Higher Education (Specialist Courses)
  Sir Nicholas Wintorton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the provision of specialist courses in universities and colleges. [167589]
  703W
  Alan Johnson
  The provision of courses of higher education, specialist or otherwise, is a matter for individual institutions to decide.

  Higher education today is a much larger and more diverse business than in the past. Institutions now compete in a global marketplace where the needs and demands of customers and stakeholders are growing in both range and complexity.

  Institutions now have to be ever more flexible in their response to meeting these diverse needs and demands and this is reflected in the content and style of courses offered. A good example of this is the increasing number of specialist foundation degrees being developed with the help of employers and which are often delivered in FE colleges.

  Sir Nicholas Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure the maintenance of textile teaching and research at the University of Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [167592]

  Alan Johnson
  As independent organisations, higher education institutions themselves determine what programmes and courses they offer. Similarly, they have the academic freedom to choose in which subjects they wish to focus their research.

  Learning and Skills Councils
  Ann Winterton
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many local learning and skills councils there are in(a) the North West Region, (b) the North East Region and (c) Yorkshire and the Humber Region; and how many board members there are on each council. [167339]

  Alan Johnson
  Each local Learning and Skills Council must have a minimum of 12 and a maximum of 16 members, including the Chair and Executive Director, who understand the needs of their communities. The information requested is provided in the following table:

  Region/Local LSC

  Membership (at 20 April 2004)

  North West

  Cheshire and Warrington

  14

  Cumbria

  16

  Greater Manchester

  13

  Greater Merseyside

  16

  Lancashire

  14

  North East

  County Durham

  14

  Northumberland

  14

  Tees Valley

  12

  Tyne and Wear

  14

  Yorkshire and The Humber

  Humberside

  13

  North Yorkshire

  16

  South Yorkshire

  14

  West Yorkshire

  14

  School Buildings (Liverpool, Walton)
  Mr. Kilfoyle
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been invested in school buildings in Liverpool, Walton in each year from 1993 to 2003. [166959]
  704W
  Mr. Miliband
  The majority of capital funding is now allocated to local authorities and schools by needs-related formulae. Authorities invest according to priorities agreed in their asset management plans. The following table shows total capital allocations to Liverpool local education authority (LEA) since 1996–97, the earliest year for which reliable information is readily available.

  Capital allocations to Liverpool LEA

  £000

  Year

  Allocation

  1996–97

  5,791

  1997–98

  15,306

  1998–99

  19,230

  1999–00

  13,714

  2000–01

  1111,566

  2001–02

  21,997

  2002–03

  15,365

  2003–04

  22,706

  1Includes £86,800 PFI funding

  Note:

  The above allocations include the voluntary aided sector.

  Sixth-form Colleges
  Mr. Collins
  To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free-standing sixth form colleges have opened since 1997. [167583]

  Alan Johnson
  Two Sixth Form Colleges have been incorporated since 1997, Brooke House Sixth Form College in Hackney and Longley Park Sixth Form College in Sheffield. Brooke House Sixth Form College was incorporated in October 2001 and took its first students in September 2002. Longley Park Sixth Form College was incorporated in November 2002 and expects to take its first students in September 2004.

HEALTH

  Smoking
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the safety benefits of cigarettes that go out faster than normal cigarettes when not puffed. [166838]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The Department has not made an estimation of the safety benefits of cigarettes that go out faster than normal cigarettes when not puffed.

  United Kingdom legislation on cigarette production and presentation follows European Directive 2001/37/EC on the approximation of the laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the member states concerning the manufacture, presentation and sale of tobacco products. The European Commission is due to submit a report on this Directive no later than 31 December 2004. The question of fire safe cigarettes is one issue under discussion in relation to this report, and we await its publication.

  Officials are aware of the development of regulations on the ignition propensity of cigarettes in New York and Canada.

  MRSA
  Mr. Burstow
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 12 March 2004,Official Report, columns 1822–23W, on MRSA, what the assurance scores on infection control are for NHS trusts in England. [167533]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  The infection control self-assessment scores are collected annually and will not be available until June 2004. National average scores for the past three years for national health service trusts and primary care trusts are shown in the table.

  Score (percentage)

  2001

  63.2

  2002

  63.6

  2003

  64.3

  Obesity
  Mr. Watson
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential for angiogenesis inhibitors to control obesity. [166847]

  Miss Melanie Johnson
  Research into angiogenesis inhibitors to reduce the growth of fat in humans is at an early stage. Therefore it would be premature to make any decisions on their potential to control obesity.

  Third-party Products
  Mr. Swayne
  To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received regarding endorsement and distribution of third-party products by NHS trusts; and if he will make a statement. [166344]

  Mr. Hutton
  My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health, has received recent representations regarding the distribution of packs containing products for expectant and new mothers. It is a decision for individual national health service trusts whether to allow the distribution of such packs.

CABINET OFFICE

  Financial Ombudsman Service
  Sue Doughty
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office (1) whether the Better Regulation Task Force accepts submissions from members of the public who have made use of the services of the Financial Ombudsman Service on whether its powers should be curbed; [166903]

  (2) whether the Better Regulation Task Force is conducting investigations into the powers of the Financial Ombudsman Service; and if he will make a statement; [166904]

  (3) what concerns regarding the powers of the Financial Ombudsman Service have been brought to the attention of the Better Regulation Task Force; and how these concerns were raised with the Better Regulation Task Force. [166905]
  706W
  Mr. Alexander
  The Better Regulation Task Force is considering the Ombudsman Service's rulings as part of a wider study into "regulatory creep". It has defined "regulatory creep" as "regulation or compliance with regulation that goes beyond the original source of authority or intention". Further details of this study are set out on the task force's website, http://www.brtf.gov.uk/taskforce/pressreleases/creepreg.htm. As with all its studies, the task force invites submissions from members of the public. During the course of each study the task force seeks the views of a wide range of stakeholders. It will publish its findings in the summer.

  Ministerial Travel
  Bob Russell
  To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance is issued to Government Ministers regarding the use of public transport for travel in connection with their ministerial duties. [168066]

  Mr. Alexander
  Guidance for Ministers on official travel is set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Library.

WORK AND PENSIONS

  Asbestos
  Huw Irranca-Davies
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the projections for asbestos-related illness and death over the next two decades(a) in the UK and (b) in Wales. [166748]

  Jane Kennedy
  There are three diseases commonly associated with asbestos exposure; mesothelioma, lung cancer and asbestosis.

  Statistical modelling has been used to produce an estimate of the future peak in the number of deaths due to mesothelioma in Great Britain. The annual total number of mesothelioma deaths in Great Britain is expected to peak at around 1,950 to 2,450 deaths some time between 2011 and 2015.

  It is estimated that there are one or two cases of lung cancers caused by exposure to asbestos for every case of mesothelioma, and this ratio is expected to decrease over time. Mortality from asbestosis is between 100 and 200 cases per year. However no estimates have been made of the likely deaths in future years due to asbestosis.

  No separate mesothelioma prediction has been carried out for Wales. In the period 1999–2001 there were 188 deaths from mesothelioma in Wales. Great Britain as a whole had 5,090 mesothelioma deaths in the same period. This represents a lower rate of mesothelioma in Wales (annual rate of 19 per million) than for the rest of Great Britain (28 per million).

  Disability Living Allowance
  Mr. Lidington
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability living allowance have not been paid money due to them in(a) January, (b) February, (c) March and (d) April;

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  what the total sum is of such payments owed to claimants of his Department; and if he will make a statement. [167248]

  Maria Eagle
  We are not aware of any backlog of cases where entitlement has been determined and payments to customers are outstanding.

  However the Department was aware of a technical problem with Direct Payments that affected some DLA customers on 6 and 7 April, which resulted in payments being delayed to the 8 April. This problem was related to the adjustments made to accommodate the need to advance payments over the Easter Bank Holiday. We are currently scanning the database to establish exactly the number of payments that were delayed. It is estimated that approximately 74,000 payments were affected.

  Ethnic Minority Employment
  Keith Vaz
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many ethnic minorities are employed in Jobcentres in each region in the UK, broken down by grade. [156124]

  Maria Eagle
  The information is in the following table. The figures are based on the number of staff who have responded to ethnic surveys. Participation in such surveys is on a voluntary basis.

  Jobcentre Plus ethnic minority staff by grade (as at 26 March 2004)

  Region/Grade

  Staff

  East Midlands

  Administrative Assistant

  52

  Administrative Officer

  295

  Executive Officer

  112

  Higher Executive Officer

  10

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  Total

  471

  Eastern

  Administrative Assistant

  31

  Administrative Officer

  235

  Executive Officer

  117

  Higher Executive Officer

  9

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  Total

  393

  Head Office

  Administrative Assistant

  14

  Administrative Officer

  91

  Executive Officer

  79

  Higher Executive Office

  34

  SCS Pay Band 1 2002

  1—

  Senior Executive Officer

  12

  Support Grade Band 1

  1—

  Support Grade Band 2

  12

  Typist

  1—

  Grade 7

  5

  Total

  251

  London

  Administrative Assistant

  348

  Senior Accountant Fully Qualified

  1—

  Administrative Officer

  2,369

  Executive Officer

  1,308

  Higher Executive Office

  97

  Senior Executive Officer

  16

  Graphics Technical Officer

  1—

  Total

  4,140

  708W

  Jobcentre Plus ethnic minority staff by grade (as at 26 March 2004)

  Region/Grade

  Staff

  North East

  Administrative Assistant

  5

  Administrative Officer

  50

  Executive Officer

  27

  Higher Executive Office

  1—

  Total

  86

  North West

  Administrative Assistant

  62

  Administrative Officer

  336

  Executive Officer

  108

  Higher Executive Office

  9

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  Total

  517

  Scotland

  Administrative Assistant

  11

  Administrative Officer

  86

  Executive Officer

  45

  Higher Executive Office

  1—

  Personal secretary

  1—

  Higher Psychologist

  1—

  Total

  148

  Wales

  Administrative Assistant

  7

  Administrative Officer

  37

  Executive Officer

  26

  Higher Executive Officer

  9

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  Total

  80

  South East

  Administrative Assistant

  48

  Administrative Officer

  277

  Executive Officer

  93

  Higher Executive Officer

  60

  Senior Executive Officer

  6

  Grade 7

  1—

  Total

  485

  South West

  Administrative Assistant

  20

  Administrative Officer

  83

  Executive Officer

  33

  Higher Executive Officer

  1—

  Total

  150

  West Midlands

  Administrative Assistant

  105

  Administrative Officer

  635

  Executive Officer

  219

  Higher Executive Officer

  7

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  UNIFGD6

  1—

  Total

  969

  Yorkshire and Humberside

  Administrative Assistant

  70

  Administrative Officer

  321

  Executive Officer

  99

  Higher Executive Officer

  8

  Senior Executive Officer

  1—

  Grade 7

  1—

  Total

  500

  1Denotes that the figure is less than 5.

  Source:

  Financial and Management Information System (FAMIS) Payroll and Rebus Payroll.

  Pension Forecasts
  Mr. Webb
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out his plans for combined pension forecasts; in what sequence different groups will be issued with forecasts and over what timescale; how many forecasts he expects to issue for each group; and if he will make a statement. [166248]

  Malcolm Wicks
  The combined pension forecast service gives people a projection of retirement income that brings state pension together with their current private pension. The service is delivered through employers and pension providers.

  By the end of March, a total of 1.12 million Combined Pension Forecasts had been issued. To date over 700 employers and pension providers have expressed an interest in participating in the service. By the end of 2005–06 we aim to have reached 6.3 million people.

  We are not targeting particular groups with the combined pension forecast service. Rather we are encouraging all employers and pension providers to participate, currently on a voluntary basis. Additionally we are seeking reserve powers in the Pensions Bill so that, should the need arise, the provision of combined pension forecasts can be made a statutory requirement of pension schemes.

  Rent Service
  Linda Perham
  To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what date has been set for The Rent Service to begin publishing information about local reference rents. [166816]

  Mr. Pond
  No date has been set for The Rent Service to begin publishing details of Local Reference Rents. The Local Housing Allowance for Pathfinder Local Authorities is published on a monthly basis by the participating local authorities, and is available on their websites.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

  Bali
  Dr. Tonge
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will revise his Department's advice against travel to Bali. [166993]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  Travel advice for Indonesia is kept under close scrutiny and is based on objective assessments of the risks to British nationals. It reflects the current level of risk.

  Civil Servants
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 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 in each case. [166389]
  710W
  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  As at 1 October 2003 Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) staff numbers were:

  Grade

  Percentage female

  Percentage declared minority ethnic

  Percentage declared disabled

  Total

  SMS 4

  0.00

  0.00

  0.00

  12

  SMS 3

  6.25

  0.00

  0.00

  16

  SMS 2

  8.08

  0.73

  1.47

  136

  SMS 1

  16.56

  0.97

  1.95

  308

  SMS total

  13.35

  0.85

  1.69

  472

  D7

  20.73

  1.55

  0.52

  193

  D6

  27.05

  1.29

  0.72

  695

  C5

  22.34

  1.95

  2.13

  564

  C4

  35.98

  2.88

  1.68

  1,248

  B3

  49.08

  6.48

  2.21

  1,312

  A2

  61.51

  12.24

  2.91

  1,169

  Al

  46.29

  14.24

  3.26

  337

  Total

  39.82

  5.66

  2.02

  5,990

  Count of PFNO

  Grade

  Age group

  A1

  A2

  B3

  C4

  C5

  D6

  D7

  16–20

  43

  43

  3

  —

  —

  —

  —

  21–25

  114

  190

  86

  53

  —

  —

  1

  26–30

  42

  180

  187

  152

  16

  65

  4

  31–35

  23

  185

  404

  279

  44

  124

  17

  36–40

  19

  180

  226

  280

  102

  145

  32

  41–45

  19

  132

  142

  156

  102

  96

  40

  46–50

  21

  86

  87

  108

  109

  96

  29

  51–55

  26

  87

  87

  105

  113

  91

  29

  56–60

  21

  66

  74

  100

  76

  73

  40

  61–65

  9

  20

  16

  15

  2

  5

  1

  Grand total

  337

  1,169

  1,312

  1,248

  564

  695

  193

  Grade

  Age group

  SMSI

  SMS2

  SMS3

  SMS4

  Grand total

  16–20

  —

  —

  —

  —

  89

  21–25

  —

  —

  —

  —

  444

  26–30

  —

  —

  —

  —

  646

  31–35

  8

  1

  —

  —

  1,085

  36–40

  50

  2

  —

  —

  1,036

  41–45

  81

  13

  —

  —

  780

  46–50

  76

  30

  3

  1

  646

  51–55

  53

  43

  7

  7

  648

  56–60

  40

  45

  6

  4

  545

  61–65

  —

  2

  —

  —

  70

  Grand total

  308

  136

  16

  12

  5,990

  The FCO's only agency. Wilton Park reported the following figures at 1 April, 2004.

  Grade

  Number

  A1

  13

  A2

  23

  B3

  9

  C4

  14

  C5

  2

  D6

  7

  D7

  1

  SMS

  2

  Total employed

  71

  Total male

  23

  Total female

  48

  711W

  Grade

  Number

  Ethnic origin

  White

  68

  Chinese

  1

  Anglo Indian

  1

  Anglo Caribbean

  1

  Disabled

  0

  Age by grade

  Age

  A1

  A2

  B3

  C4

  C5

  D6

  D7

  SMS

  Total

  16–20

  4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  4

  21–25

  2

  4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  6

  26–30

  1

  1

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  31–35

  —

  4

  1

  4

  —

  —

  —

  —

  9

  36–40

  —

  1

  —

  5

  —

  2

  —

  —

  8

  41–45

  1

  2

  1

  —

  —

  1

  —

  —

  5

  46–50

  1

  3

  —

  1

  1

  2

  1

  —

  9

  51–55

  1

  6

  3

  3

  1

  1

  —

  2

  17

  56–60

  1

  2

  2

  1

  —

  1

  —

  —

  7

  61–65

  2

  —

  1

  —

  —

  —

  —

  —

  3

  Total

  13

  23

  9

  14

  2

  7

  1

  2

  71

  EU-Africa Meeting
  Mr. Ancram
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the EU-Africa meeting on 1 April in Dublin; what issues were raised; what was agreed and whether follow-up meetings are scheduled. [167186]

  Mr. Straw
  The EU-Africa meeting on 1 April was part of the EU-Africa dialogue process. The discussion was focussed on peace and security, governance, regional integration, trade and key development issues. The two sides agreed a joint declaration on effective multilateralism and endorsed a joint report on the scale, nature and impact of Africa's debt burden. A communiqué was issued after the meeting, copies of which have been placed in the Library of the House. The Irish Presidency of the European Union will report on this meeting at the next General Affairs and External Relations Council on 26 April. The next meeting of the EU-Africa troika at ministerial level is expected to be organised by the Netherlands in the second half of this year.

  Official Residences
  Mr. Andrew Turner
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which members of the(a) Government and (b) civil service are permitted to use accommodation at ambassadors' and high commissioners' official residencies when visiting overseas on (i) official and (ii) private business; and what rules and protocols govern use by (A) (a) and (b) and (B) their families. [167242]

  Mr. Mike O'Brien
  [holding answer 22 April 2004]: For ministerial visits, a Head of Mission is normally expected to offer accommodation to a Minister and his or her Private Secretary. But local and individual circumstances will inevitably vary.

  Officials and visitors on private business may be accommodated at the residence at the discretion of the Head of Mission.

  Turkey
  Mr. Simmonds
  To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with EU counterparts regarding the potential accession to the EU by Turkey. [163144]

  Mr. MacShane
  Both my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and I frequently raise the issue of Turkey's potential accession with EU counterparts, in bilateral and EU fora. We repeatedly affirm the UK's strong support for Turkey's EU aspirations.

  The last major EU discussion of Turkish accession was at the Brussels European Council in December when the Council welcomed the considerable efforts of Turkey's political reforms and identified five areas where further sustained efforts are needed.

PRIME MINISTER

  EU Constitution
  Bob Spink
  To ask the Prime Minister what representations he has(a) made to and (b) received from the European Commission on a referendum on the EU Constitution. [167655]

  The Prime Minister
  As far as I am aware, none.

  Speeches
  Norman Baker
  To ask the Prime Minister if he will list the occasions since June 2001 when he last made a speech containing a significant section on(a) the environment and (b) terrorism-related matters. [167788]

  The Prime Minister
  I regularly give speeches on a wide range of domestic and international issues that cover environmental and terrorism issues. Copies of my speeches are available on the No 10 website.

HOME DEPARTMENT

  CCTV (Manchester)
  Mr. Kaufman
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much public funding has been spent on CCTV security cameras in Manchester, Gorton since 1997. [167469]

  Ms Blears
  Since 1997, the Home Office has provided £3,515,685 to Manchester city council (which includes the Manchester, Gorton constituency) for CCTV schemes.

  Allocation of that funding locally, is a matter for Manchester city council and the Greater Manchester police. The information is not held centrally.

  Departmental Policies (Newcastle)
  Mr. Nicholas Brown
  To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Newcastle East and Wallsend constituency, the effects on Newcastle East and Wallsend of his Department's policies and actions since 1997. [166877]
  713W
  Ms Blears
  Most of the policies initiated by the Home Office since 1997 have had an impact on the Newcastle East and Wallsend constituency as on other parts of the country. However, it is not possible to gauge the impact of every policy and action the Home Office has initiated since 1997 on a constituency basis and statistical information relating to the constituency is not available for all Home Office policy areas. This answer sets out the information that is available for the constituency itself, or the relevant local authority and police areas for Newcastle East and Wallsend, it is not always possible to provide details back to 1997. The following are examples of initiatives or policies that have had an impact on the constituency, or an area of which the constituency is a part, together with the relevant statistics.

  Community Safety

  Newcastle upon Tyne East and Wallsend forms part of the Northumbria police force area. On 31 March 1997 the Northumbria police force had 3,677 police officers this figure had risen to 4,048 by 31 December 2003, an increase of 371. In addition the Northumbria police force area has been allocated £330,398 to deliver 45 Community Support Officers in 2003–04.

  £78,413 Basic Command Unit (BCU) funding was available to Newcastle East command in 2003–04 and used to fund police operations, publicity material and technical equipment targeting burglary to homes, vehicle crime and violent crime. Events were held on personal safety, asylum seekers and community crime awareness, and youth diversionary work was also undertaken.

  In 1993, the total number of recorded crimes in the Northumbria police force area was 192,773. In 2002–03, the total number of recorded crimes was 165,496. This represents a reduction of 27,277 (a percentage decrease of 14 per cent.).

  Recent change in levels of crime at BCU level are difficult to interpret because of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard (NCRS) in April 2002 which increased the consistency of crime recording across the country but also inflated the number of crimes recorded by police. Northumbria police estimated that the NCRS had an impact of approximately 25 per cent. on total recorded crime from April 2002.

  Home Office policy and actions since 1997 that contributed to these figures include setting up the Community Safety Partnerships, which are responsible for improving community safety, including quality of life issues such as anti-social behaviour, graffiti and the fear of crime.

  The Home Office provided £352,073 Building Safer Communities funding in 2003–04 rising to £360,875 in 2004–05 to Newcastle Community Safety Partnership and £204,876 to North Tyneside Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership (CDRP). Although the majority of this funding is used to benefit the area as a whole, some of the funding was targeted at specific areas, including the East End, for example Byker Street Wardens received £50,000 to create eight warden posts, one supervisor and a manager. Over 1,000 patrols have been completed and 3,629 incidents have been reported. Running costs of £5,000 have been provided for a CCTV
  714W
  van operating in Newcastle East. Funding of £10,000 has resulted in increased monitoring of the Nexus CCTV system which serves Byker, Heaton and Wallsend.

  In addition, £35,000 Small Retailers in Deprived Areas funding was used to improve the security and safety of 18 retail premises in the 10 per cent. most deprived wards in Newcastle during 2003–04, and similar funding of £20,000 was made available to North Tyneside.

  Community Development

  The Home Office has funded the Byker Advice and Information project to assist community development. This project covers the wards of Byker, Dene, Heaton, Monkchester, Sandyford, Walker and Walkergate and is entering its third (and final) year of funding. £25,009 was awarded in year 1,£26,486 in year 2 and £30,998 will be awarded this year. The project aims to assimilate a sustainable recruitment, training and development policy for local volunteers, which should increase their skill base, improve their career prospects and benefit the local community.

  Drugs Strategy

  Drugs information relates to the areas of the Newcastle and North Tyneside Drugs Action Teams (DAT) which between them serve the constituency of Newcastle upon Tyne and Wallsend. The DATs are responsible for local delivery of the National Drug Strategy to a combined population of over 450,000 and until 1999 they operated as a single partnership. They continue to work together closely, with many users North Tyneside being treated at services based in Newcastle, e.g. Plummer Court.

  Central Government funding for drug strategy delivery has increased steadily in recent years. In 2004–05 Newcastle's and North Tyneside's combined budgets for adult treatment will increase by over 7 per cent. to over £3.2 million and expenditure on young people will exceed £40,000. This investment and other Home Office funded programmes, e.g. Communities Against Drugs has resulted in:
  A 64 per cent. increase in drug users having structured treatment in Newcastle between 2002–03 and 2003–04 (1,180 users). In 1999–2000 562 Newcastle based clients presented to drug services.
  Approximately 460 drug users resident in North Tyneside were in treatment as at November 2003. In 1999–2000 175 North Tyneside based clients presented to drug services.
  Average waiting times in Newcastle and North Tyneside reduced sharply to two weeks between 2002–03 and 2003–04 (compared to 2.3 weeks across the region). In the same period the waiting time for specialist prescribing in North Tyneside reduced from over three months to two weeks. In 1999–2000, the average waiting time in Newcastle and North Tyneside was about five weeks including 20 weeks for community prescribing in Newcastle.
  A planned 15 per cent. increase to over 2,500 in available drug treatment places in Newcastle and North Tyneside in 2004–05.
  Almost 1,400 drug possession offences were committed in Newcastle and North Tyneside in 2002–03. Of these, almost 820 related to Class A drugs.

  715W
  A number of high profile police operations in 2003–04 including Operation Trinity which resulted in 34 arrests in East Newcastle and Wallsend and Operation Bobbin in which 1.4 million of drugs was seized in Walker.

  Both DATs will also receive considerable funding from April 2004 to March 2006 to deliver the Criminal Justice Interventions Programme (CJIP, a range of schemes aimed at moving drug misusing offenders into treatment and away from drug use and crime). Newcastle will receive additional CJIP funding, having been selected a site for "intensive" delivery. Implementation of this programme will place considerable pressure on criminal justice and treatment agencies in the City but the GO Drugs Team is encouraged by the DAT's planning for delivery. The forthcoming intensive CJIP activity in Newcastle is expected to impact upon crime in neighbouring wards in North Tyneside.
  716W
  Asylum Seekers

  Since 3 April 2000 the National Asylum Support Service (NASS) has been responsible for administering the support provided to asylum seekers. Asylum seekers requiring accommodation will normally be housed in dispersal areas across the UK; Newcastle upon Tyne is a dispersal area. The total number of asylum seekers being supported by NASS in Newcastle East and Wallsend as at the end of December 2003 was 595, of these 585 were supported in NASS accommodation and 10 were in receipt of subsistence only support from NASS. These figures include dependants and are rounded to the nearest five. Corresponding data for earlier years is not available. Similar data for Newcastle upon Tyne local authority for earlier periods has been published in successive editions of the quarterly and annual asylum statistics published at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigrationl.html

  Ulster-Scots Agency
  Ulster-Scots Agency
  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Police Service of Northern Ireland
  Northern Ireland Housing Executive
  Northern Ireland Housing Executive
  Northern Ireland: Suicides in Police Custody and Prisons
  Northern Ireland: Suicides in Police Custody and Prisons
  Cross-Border Implementation Bodies
  Cross-Border Implementation Bodies
  Belfast Education and Library Board
  Belfast Education and Library Board
  International Law: Armed Intervention
  International Law: Armed Intervention
  School Attendance
  School Attendance
  Further Education: Funding for 16 to 18 Year-Olds
  Further Education: Funding for 16 to 18 Year-Olds
  Azinphos-methyl: Inveresk Study
  Azinphos-methyl: Inveresk Study
  Patient and Public Involvement Forums and Support Organisations
  Patient and Public Involvement Forums and Support Organisations
  NHS Foundation Trusts: Electoral Guidance
  NHS Foundation Trusts: Electoral Guidance